My Collection Quest

“An empty table can be a card collectors best friend. A full table, his worst enemy.”

– Sun Tzu, The Art of War*

That said, in a moment of clarity, I decided to take all of the cards that were cluttering my designated “card table” in my Room Of Hockey, and throw them in a two-column shoebox.

Now, I have a clear table–limitless potential!

But I also have a box of stuff that needs to be sorted and put away. A box…of CHAOS!

I wonder how these things happen. A year ago, I used to sit at this same table and open packs, or put cards into pages. I had the space to do that.

Then the table became overrun with hockey cards…

• Numerous cards pulled for trades that never happened
• Unopened packs of Stadium Club from 1999
• A stack of Classic Hockey cards I picked up last summer at a small card shop downtown
• Cards that were meant to be sent out for TTM autographs, but never were
• Old, used top loaders that can be used for trades or as card dividers
• An insert set of Upper Deck Scoring Predictors from the mid-1990s
• Some 1990s promo cards
• A Ryan Kesler Young Guns rookie card
• Numerous odds and ends 

Behold, this Box of Chaos: 

So, I am going to attempt a new collecting habit. 

Instead of putting things on this table and never dealing with them, I am going to put them in this box.

And each day, I am going to put away at least 10 cards. Maybe more if they are all from the same set.

Sure, that sounds like a chore–but it still beats “real” chores like taking out the garbage, washing dishes, walking the dogs, doing laundry or making the bed.

* – Just kidding…Sun Tzu never said that. 

In other news, I rented a space at a neighborhood Art, Craft and Collectibles Fair over the weekend. I was hoping to cash in on what is left of Blackhawks Mania, but not too many people were interested–even those wearing ‘Hawks apparel. I did manage to unload a few 2010-11 Victory base sets, and a few low-end ‘Hawks cards. But my biggest seller over the weekend was Star Wars action figures. I guess in Chicago, Darth Vader is still more popular than Patrick Kane.

This past Saturday was an awesome day for my autograph collection. Former Blackhawks superstar and Hall of Famer Denis Savard was signing autographs at Super Low Foods in Elmwood Park, and I got a bunch of stuff signed. 

Super Low is a small grocery store chain in the Chicago suburbs. I have no idea how they scored Savard to come to their store. And Elmwood Park is a small, insignificant suburb that borders Chicago. I lived in Elmwood Park from 1986 to 1993. My sister R.J. still lives there, and luckily for me she shops at Super Low every week.

About two weeks back, my sister found out about this autograph signing when she saw a picture of Savard, nestled between the sweet corn and the 79-cent pasta…

This was the best photo of Savard they could find?

My girlfriend Shellie, sister R.J. and her boyfriend Chris came along too, to help get a few things signed for my collection. We got there at 12:15 pm, and only 10 people were in front of us. The event was very under-publicized–I think it was only mentioned on this flier–so not many ‘Hawks fans showed up. Maybe 60 or 70. Because of the low turnout, everyone was allowed to get 2 things signed. 

R.J. and I each got an 8″ x 10″ photograph signed by Savvy. The ‘Hawks are her second-favorite team (after the Pittsburgh Penguins), and she used to watch hockey with me when we were growing up.

The four of us also got some cards signed…

1982-83 O-Pee-Chee – I now have 73 cards signed from this set, including 11 Blackhawks.

1986-87 O-Pee-Chee – I am working on getting all the ‘Hawks cards from this set signed.

1988-89 O-Pee-Chee – I have the whole team set autographed. But the Savard card I originally got signed as a kid was autographed in pen. This card replaces the one signed in pen.

2006-07 Blackhawks Team Issue – I have 22 out of 28 cards signed from this set. At the time this card was issued, Savard was the Blackhawks head coach.

2009-10 O-Pee-Chee – An awesome card. It says LEGEND at the top. While Savard’s play was legendary when with Chicago, he had some good years with Montreal too. This card looks especially great signed in blue.

2009-10 Champ’s – Last year’s Champ’s set had a classy design. This is the first card I got signed from that set. I have a stack of extras, so I’ll probably try to get more cards in this series ‘graphed.

Savard signed a photo and card for me.

So, after less than an hour waiting in line, I ended up with 7 autographs from one of my favorite players from my childhood. An Epic Win For The Sal.

As usual, Savard was very friendly. In all the years that I have seen him at signing events (going back to 1989), Savard has always been a class act, talking to fans and thanking them for coming. 

I thought about getting in line to get more cards signed–the line was really short, it was barely past 1 pm, and Savard was scheduled to stay until 3 pm.

But I decided not to be so obsessed with autographs (like I was at the Blackhawks Convention last month). After all, I got 7 things signed by a Hall of Fame player. I thanked my lucky stars for that, and the four of us went to lunch.

Photos by Chris Marsh.

About 2 weeks ago, I checked out a card shop that I pass by every now and then but have never visited. Once inside, the first thing I noticed was this large painting of Bobby Hull on the wall. It even bears his autograph (dated 1997).

Now, you’d think that any card shop that had a badass painting of The Golden Jet on their wall would have an awesome selection of hockey cards, right?

Wrong. Despite the Hull mural – and the Blackhawks winning the Stanley Cup this year – the store had next to no hockey cards; just a 2007-08 Ovation Update Set and a few packs of In The Game 1972.

It is sad when you visit a card shop for the first time, ready to see what hidden treasures you may unearth for your collection, and find nothing. 

The owner of the store was polite, and explained that hockey was hot right now, and he couldn’t keep it in stock. In fact, he was sold out of the new 2010-11 Victory cards.

So I asked him if he would be interested in buying any hockey cards from the 1960s and 1970s –  I have quite a few duplicate commons and semi-stars I wouldn’t mind parting with. But the owner flat out told me “No,” he only buys baseball cards.

*Sigh*

I don’t understand how a dealer wants to SELL hockey cards, but does not want to BUY hockey cards. Especially with the ‘Hawks being the most popular sports team in Chicago (next to Da Bears, of course).

Not wanting to leave empty-handed, I forked over $10 to buy an Ovation Update Set. Now, I need to find the actual set.

The moral of the story (if there was one) is that a cool Bobby Hull mural on the wall of a card shop is no guarantee that they sell hockey cards.

Put on my blue suede shoes,  
And I boarded a plane…

OK, in reality a few friends and I rented an SUV and drove to Memphis, Tennessee earlier this month. And for the record, I don’t own any blue suede shoes.

So, you’re probably wondering if I saw any historical Civil War sites, or went to Graceland.

Nope. My friends are more into eating barbecue and drinking beer than going to historical places. And Graceland was crowded because it was Elivs’ “death week,” so we avoided going there.

But I did convince the guys to stop at a card shop near Memphis. The shop didn’t have much hockey, but I found a few odds n’ ends that I wanted for my collection.

1994 Classic Pro Prospects Manon Rheaume Autograph – I love the old Classic sets, and Rheaume was a trailblazer who made history. Cost: $10 (though the dealer pointed out that it had a Beckett Value of $80…guess he had this card since ’94 and was sick of looking at it.)

1994 Signature Rookies Wendell Young Autograph – Wendell Young is shown in a non-licensed NHL set–notice that the Lightning logo has been airbrushed off. Back in the day, Young played for my 2nd favorite team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, and later played 7 seasons for the minor league Chicago Wolves. I once had the opportunity to have dinner with Mr. Young; it was almost surreal to “talk hockey” with a pro hockey player. Cost of this card: $2

2000-01 Be A Player Josef Marha Autograph – After playing 3 seasons on a crummy Chicago Blackhawks team, Marha has played the last 9 years in Switzerland. Not really high on my priority list, but it is an autograph of a Blackhawks player. Cost: $2.

1998-99 Be A Player Manny Malhotra Autograph – Manny! It’s Manny! This guy did awesome last season. I was actually hoping that he’d sign with the Blackhawks, but that didn’t happen. Anyway, this Mannygraph cost me $3.

1998-99 Be A Player Grant Fuhr Autograph – How could I pass up an autograph of this Hall of Fame goaltender? It was only $7. I think the dealer made a mistake when he looked up this card on the Beckett Online Price Guide, because other than the Rheume card the guy wasn’t really cutting me any real breaks. He was quoting Beckett like it was The Bible. Then again, I was in Tennessee…

2005-06 In the Game Heroes and Prospects John Tavares – Chronologically, this was Tavares’ first hockey card. One day, I hope to have this entire set. Cost: $10.

Jeremy Roenick / Keith Tkachuk Dual Jersey Card – Yes, a jersey card. I usually hate on these things, but this one was particularly nice. Roenick is probably my 2nd favorite player of all-time after Chris Chelios, and I’ve liked Keith Tkachuk ever since he played for the 1992 U.S. Olympic Team. At $14, this was the most expensive card I purchased there.

1997-98 Leaf International Complete Set – At this point, the card dealer’s internet stopped working, so he couldn’t look up any more Beckett prices. He sold this to me for $12. Not sure what this set is “worth,” but a complete set for twelve bucks is a complete set for twelve bucks.And it’s soooooo shiny.

There were a few other cards I would have liked to have purchased, but I wasn’t really “feeling it” at this card shop. The dealer was cordial, but seemed inconvenienced by my presence–especially since he had to look up EVERY SINGLE CARD that I was interested in.

The dealer also wasn’t willing to negotiate on any of his prices. Specifically, I wanted to purchase 2 other cards at $38, but he wanted $45 for the pair. Granted, I was asking him to knock off $7, but then I would have spent an even $100, instead of $62. It seemed like a fair request but the guy wouldn’t budge.

So I decided to spend the other $38 on beer and barbecue.

I have been a bit slow on getting this post together. About 2 months back, I picked up a monster lot of vintage hockey rookie cards. And I mean MONSTER. Most of these players were “names,” and quite a few of them are now in the Hall of Fame.

1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Rene Robert (RC) -Robert, along with Rick Martin and Gilbert Perreault, played on Buffalo’s famed “French Connection” line.

1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Jerry Korab (RC) -“King Kong” Korab played 14 seasons in the NHL, with Chicago, Buffalo and Los Angeles.

1972-73 O-Pee-Chee GuyCharron (RC) -Charron would eventually go on to captain the Atlanta Flames.

1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Dave Hudson (RC) – Never again will card companies superimpose players over a bright pink background, but I can dream. By the way, I’m slowly building a ’72-73 OPC set. Only 300 cards (or so) to go…

1974-75 O-Pee-Chee Lanny McDonald (RC) – Now we’re talking! Lanny before the mustache. He is in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

1974-75 O-Pee-Chee Scotty Bowman (RC) -A Hall of Fame coach, general manager and executive. The greatest mind in hockey.. Unfortunately, this Scotty Bowman card has a few creases and rough corners.

1974-75 Topps Denis Potvin (RC) – A third HOFer in this lot. Potvin played 15 seasons with the New York Islanders.

1975-76 O-Pee-Chee W.H.A. Larry Pleau  (RC) – Pleau played for the New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association.

1978-79 Topps Doug Wilson (RC) -Wilson played 16 seasons in the NHL, won the Norris Trophy in 1982, was the first-ever team captain of the San Jose Sharks, played in 8 All-Star Games, was a 1st Team All-Star once and a 2nd Team All-Star Twice. And he should be in the Hockey Hall of Fame. I think he was blacklisted by the NHL owners because Wilson was heavily involved in the Players’ Association

1978-79 O-Pee-Chee Brian Sutter (RC) -The most successful of the six Sutter Brothers who played in the NHL.

1980-81 O-Pee-Chee Michel Goulet (RC) -Another Hall of Fame player, Goulet started his playing career in the World Hockey Assocation with the Birmingham Bulls. He then played for the Quebec Nordiques and Chicago Blackhawks. Unfortunately, a concussion ended his career in 1994.

1980-81 O-Pee-Chee Brad Marsh (RC) -Notice the giant “A” was airbrushed off of Brad Marsh’s jersey. That’s because in 1980 the team moved from Atlanta to Calgary. Also notice that Brad Marsh has hair! By the time I started watching hockey, he was practically bald.

1980-81 O-Pee-Chee Craig Hartsburg (RC) -This guy was a teammate of Michel Goulet’s with the Birmingham Bulls, then played a decade for the Minnesota North Stars.

1980-81 Topps Mike Gartner (RC) -Gartner played a season in the WHA before going on to a 19-year Hall of Fame career.

1981-82 O-Pee-Chee Darryl Sutter (RC) -Here a Sutter, there a Sutter, everywhere a Sutter Darryl eventually became the team captain of the Blackhawks, but his career was cut short by injuries.

1981-82 O-Pee-Chee Dino Ciccarelli – Dino was inducted into the Hall of Fame this year.

1981-82 O-Pee-Chee Peter Stastny (RC) -Stastny won the Calder trophy in 1981. He played 15 seasons in the NHL with  the Quebec Nordiques, New Jersey Devils and St. Louis Blues.

1981-82 O-Pee-Chee Jari Kurri (RC) -A major reason why the Oilers were such a powerhouse in the 1980s.

1981-82 O-Pee-Chee Glenn Anderson (RC) – Another Hall of Fame Edmonton Oilers player.

1981-82 O-Pee-Chee Andy Moog (RC) – Moog was a backup goalie for several seasons until he got traded to the Bruins.

1981-82 O-Pee-Chee Kevin Lowe (RC) – With players like Gretzky, Messier, Kurri, Anderson and Lowe,s it any wonder that the Oilers won 5 Stanley Cup Championships in 7 years?

1981-82 O-Pee-Chee Paul Coffey (RC) – Oh, and Paul Coffey too. Unfortunately, this card has a light crease to the left of the Oilers logo on Coffey’s sweater. Still, it is a pretty badass card to own.

1984-85 O-Pee-Chee Tom Barrasso (RC) -Barrasso won the Calder, Vezina and Jennings Trophy during the 1983-84 season, and had a lengthy NHL career.

I got a few non-RCs in the lot too…

1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Rick Martin – This is Martin’s 2nd card. Along with Rene Robert and Gilbert Perreault, Martin was on the Buffalo Sabres famed “French Connection” line.

1985-86 O-Pee-Chee Chris Chelios – The 2nd-year card of my hero, Chris Chelios. I am actually trying to collect every Chelios card ever made, and still needed this relatively easy-to-find card.

1975-76 O-Pee-Chee W.H.A. Poul Popiel – Popiel was the first person from Denmark to play in the National Hockey League, and was later an All-Star player in the World Hockey Association (as indicated by this card). One day, I hope to own this entire set.

1975-76 O-Pee-Chee W.H.A. Jacques Plante – I’ll leave you all with arguably the best (not necessarily most valuable) card of the lot–Jacques Plante. After retiring a year to coach the Quebec Nordiques, Plante made a 1-year comeback with the Alberta Oilers of the World Hockey Association. I love the way Plante is gazing off into the distance, and that he is holding his invention–the goalie mask. A fitting “last” card for the legendary player.

NOTE: You might want to read Day One and Day Two first:
2010 ‘Hawks Con – Day One
2010 ‘Hawks Con – Day Two

Chicago, IL – Aug. 1, 2010

On the third day of the convention, I pretty much spent the whole time waiting in lines to get autographs. 

In retrospect, I regret not going to more panel discussions.

But at the time, I was excited because I had those VIP signing session passes, which entitled me to get autographs from the best ‘Hawks players.

So, that’s how Sunday went. I waited in line, again and again and again.

I also made a few purchases, and my girlfriend interviewed several artists at the convention. Continue reading “2010 ‘Hawks Con – Day Three”