Sal Barry is the editor and webmaster of Puck Junk. He is a freelance hockey writer, college professor and terrible hockey player. Follow him on Twitter @puckjunk
Upper Deck is a little more on track with the release of 2022-23 Artifacts Hockey. Whereas the 2021-22 Artifacts set did not come out until September of 2022 — a good three months after the ’21-22 season wrapped up — the 2022-23 Artifacts set came midseason at the tail-end of January 2023.
Like last year’s Artifacts set (reviewed here), a box of 2022-23 Artifacts Hockey contains eight four-card packs. It is currently selling for about $130 per box. The box states that you can get “at least 2 hits per box (on average).” However, product descriptions from online card sellers state that you get three autograph, memorabilia or “tech cards” per box, either one rookie redemption or Clear Cut card per box, and four serial-numbered cards per box.
Last week, we talked about 2022-23 Artifacts in episode #147 of the Puck Junk Podcast. But here’s the full box break, including some additional images.
In the new Puck Junk Podcast, Sal Barry and Tim Parish have a long talk about the new 2022-23 Artifacts Hockey card set. They also discuss Jordan Binnington going off the rails (again), James Reimer refusing to participate in warmups during Sharks’ Pride Night, Tik Tok’s ban on card breaking, and more. It’s 101 minutes of hockey goodness!
Show Notes, Links and Images: Video: “Laid” by James (YouTube)
Video: “Say Something” by James (YouTube)
Video: “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers (YouTube)
Video: “Hocus Pocus” by Focus (YouTube)
Video: Marc-Andre Fleury Challenges Jordan Binnington (YouTube)
Video: Marc-Andre Fleury Almost Fights Peter Budaj (YouTube)
Video: Marc-Andre Fleury Fights in a Junior Hockey Game (YouTube)
Video: South Park “Cripple Fight” (YouTube)
Video: Ron Hextall Attacks Chris Chelios (YouTube)
Jordan Binnington Suspended Two Games (TSN)
The QMJHL Will Tighten Rules Around Fighting (CBC)
Reimer Boycotts Sharks’ Warmup Skate Before Pride Night Game (ESPN)
Video: Marshawn Lynch “I’m just here so I won’t get fined.” (YouTube)
Video: “Get Ready for This” by 2 Unlimited (YouTube)
Jim Howard’s Box Break Fiasco from 2015-16 Contours (Puck Junk)
Images of the mangled package that Tim received in the mail (Twitter)
The card that Tim is hoarding – the 1991-92 Parkhurst Bill Guerin XRC:
Some images from 2022-23 Artifacts Hockey:
Base CardWood ParallelShort-Printed High Number CardDual Jersey Swatch CardDual Patch Swatch Card
In this episode of the Puck Junk Podcast, Sal Barry and Tim Parish talk about Patrick Kane being traded to the New York Rangers, how it improves the Rangers’ chances of winning the Stanley Cup this year, and how it may affect the collectability of Kane’s hockey cards. The guys also discuss some of the other notable NHL trades made near the deadline, including Jonathan Quick, Max Domi, Tanner Jeannot, Nick Bonino, Brendan Lemieux, and Jakob Chychrun. Plus, Sal learns how to pronounce “Namestnikov.” It’s 77 minutes of hockey goodness!
Show Notes, Links and Images:
Rangers Acquire Patrick Kane in Trade with Blackhawks (CBS Sports)
Does Changing Teams Affect Player Collecting (Puck Junk Podcast)
Patrick Kane’s “First” Hockey Card (Puck Junk)
Plus: Tim’s Thoughts on ’20-21 The Cup
Episode #145: March 2, 2023
In this episode of the Puck Junk Podcast, Sal Barry and Tim Parish take a long look at the new 2022-23 Topps Hockey Sticker Album set. Tim also gives his thoughts on the recently-released 2020-21 The Cup set, as well as the upcoming 2020-21 SP Signature Legends set. Plus, Linus Ullmark’s “Goalie Goal,” Sal’s recent trip to see two Hurricanes games, and more. It’s 92 minutes of hockey goodness!
Show Notes, Links and Images: Video of the Goalie Goal scored by Linus Ulmark (Twitter)
Crawford under fire after hurling homophobic slur at referee (Yahoo!)
An example of the Bruce Boudreau meme (Video)
Tim’s Twitter thread with his observations on 2020-21 The Cup (Twitter)
2021-22 Topps Sticker of Seth Jones Topps that’s Photoshopped (TCDB)
Sal’s Box Breaks of 2022-23 Topps Hockey Stickers (Box 1, Box 2, Box 3)
Some pictures of 2022-23 Topps Hockey Stickers:
Base sticker design.Foil sticker design (superstar)Foil sticker design (mascot)Foil sticker design (team logo)Celly Season sticker designNHL Rookies sticker designArt of the Deke sticker designSeason Highlight sticker design2022-23 Topps Hockey Stickers Wrapper
The Law of Diminishing Returns is in full effect when opening packs of stickers. The first box is always fun because you need every sticker. The second box is also fun because you will need most of the stickers. Any box after that is will most likely be mostly doubles, with a few needed stickers mixed in. And that was pretty much the case with my third box of 2022-23 Topps Hockey Stickers. While most of it was doubles of stickers I got in my prior two boxes, I still got a lot of new stickers towards my set.
Here’s my breakdown of my third and final box of 2022-23 Topps Hockey Stickers.
On March 12, 1966, Bobby Hull became the first NHL player to score over 50 goals in one season when he scored his 51st goal of the 1965-66 campaign.
That historic puck is now available for bid at Classic Auctions. The puck is from Bobby Hull’s personal collection and is covered in gold. Hull did this with all of the pucks that he kept from his career. The puck is mounted to a marble base and has two engraved plates detailing his accomplishment.
The puck also comes with a certificate of authenticity, on vintage Chicago Blackhawks letterhead, signed by Hull.
Also included is a signed 11″ x 14″ photo of Hull celebrating his accomplishment after the game.
Hull’s 51st goal puck is currently at $2,469.00. The auction ends March 1, 2023. It should be interesting to see how much this puck sells for, considering its significance in hockey history.
Other Blackhawks items currently open for bid at Classic Auctions include:
This week, Sal Barry and Tim Parish talk about Ryan O’Reilly’s trade to the Maple Leafs, and how it’s a good move for both Toronto and St. Louis. They also discuss the recent Stadium Series game between the Hurricanes and Capitals, the 25th Anniversary of the U.S. Women’s Olympic Team winning the gold medal in 1998, and the end of “The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers.” Plus, a look at some upcoming hockey card sets. It’s 73 minutes of hockey goodness!
Show Notes, Links and Images: Maple Leafs acquire O’Reilly, Acciari in three-team trade (CBS News)
Hurricanes cruise past Capitals in Stadium Series (NHL.com)
The 1997 NHL Awards (YouTube)
Or, if you just want the good parts of the 1997 NHL Awards (Puck Junk)
NHL Bungles Its Own Celebrity All-Star Game (Puck Junk)
Mighty Ducks: Game Changers Cancelled After 2 Seasons (TVLine)
Ultra-rare Gretzky card leads to arrest hobby shop thief (CTV News)
Sal Barry and Tim Parish talk about the Vladimir Tarasenko trade, how it vastly improves the Rangers’ lineup, and what this trade could mean for other pending UFAs like Patrick Kane. Plus, a look at some upcoming hockey cards, like the long-awaited 2020-21 The Cup and a rumored set of Tim Horton’s Legends cards. It’s 67 minutes of hockey goodness!
Show Notes, Links and Images:
2020-21 Upper Deck The Cup Checklist (Beckett)
The two ESPN “infographics” about 2023 NHL All-Star Weekend:
Here’s the Ed Belfour mask that Sal wish he could have bought. FYI, it was at the 2017 National Sports Collectors Convention (and not the 2019 NSCC).
It isn’t necessarily hard work, but it is time-consuming work.
For my second box of 2022-23 Topps Hockey Stickers, I streamlined opening the packs. Normally, I would open a pack, look through the stickers, and sort them by 100s. This time, I would open the pack and remove the stickers, but just put it in a pile until I opened 10 packs. Then, I’d thumb through the stickers and sort them. This seemed to make opening and sorting the stickers go much faster. With a pack of cards, I want to savor the moment, look at each card — and hopefully get a hit. With stickers, there are no “hits” and you don’t get anything rare; just four paper stickers and one foil sticker.
One of the packs was put into the box sideways. This caused some of the stickers to “curl,” but fortunately they were easy to flatten out. If they were creased, I’d be annoyed.
Another pack was — gasp! — missing a sticker.
Here’s my breakdown of my second box of 2022-23 Topps Hockey Stickers.
Every year, I usually purchase three or four boxes of Topps Hockey Stickers for the difficult-but-not-impossible task of completing the annual sticker album. This year’s sticker collection has 679 stickers: 539 regular stickers and 140 shiny “foil” stickers are needed to complete the album. Stickers measure 1-7/8″ wide by 2-5/8″ tall.
A few weeks prior to my birthday, my sister asked me what I wanted. I sent her a link to an online retailer who was selling boxes of 2022-23 Topps Hockey Stickers for about $38 per box. I asked for three boxes — asking for four seemed greedy — as well as two sticker albums. And before you ask, yes, it is because I put stickers in one album but still want to have an empty, “mint” album. Weird, I know, but what do you expect from a guy who blogs about hockey cards and collectibles?
2022-23 Topps Hockey Sticker pack.
A box of 2022-23 Topps Hockey Stickers has 50 packs, with each pack containing five stickers — four regular “paper” stickers and one shiny “foil” sticker. This year, the stickers have soft paper backings instead of the hard backings of the prior three years, which made the stickers seem more like little trading cards. Also, the wrappers are not like trading card wrappers that are “crimped” shut at the top and bottom edges. This year, the wrappers are two pieces of paper glued together, just like the way Panini stickers were. No idea why Topps made these changes, but my guess is that it was to cut down on production costs.
The three boxes that I was gifted — thanks, sis! — would put me at 750 stickers. I know that many of those will be doubles, so there will be some trading involved.
And that’s another thing that makes collecting Topps Hockey Stickers so challenging: you can’t just buy the last few stickers you need from Topps. When Panini was producing an annual hockey sticker album from the late 1980s to the late 2010s, you could purchase the last few stickers that you needed directly from them. It wasn’t cost-efficient for buying a whole set, but if you needed 30 stickers or less, it was a worthwhile option. With Topps, you have to trade with other collectors, keep buying packs, or overpay on eBay, to finish your album.
No one said collecting was easy. Or cheap.
Anyway, let’s see what the breakdown was like for my first box of 2022-23 Topps Hockey Stickers.
