Hockey cards, collectibles and culture
Last week, the 2023-24 SP Game Used Hockey set hit hobby shops and shipped from online retailers.
While several Connor Bedard autographed cards were issued in Upper Deck Series Two, this year’s SP Game Used set has his first truly high-end rookie cards, such as rookie patch autographs (RPAs), and autographed letter mark cards.
Continue reading “High-End Connor Bedard Cards Are Finally Here”
When You Start at the Top, There’s Only One Way to Go.This past weekend, I set up at the Chicago Sports Spectacular to sell hockey cards and t-shirts. The Spectacular is a twice-annual, three-day show with around 400 vendors and dozens of autograph guests. The show draws a large crowd, and many in the crowd were wearing Blackhawks jerseys with Connor Bedard’s name and number 98 on the back.
The March Chicago Sports Spectacular was the first major Chicago-area show since Bedard’s Young Guns card was released in 2023-24 Upper Deck Series 2 on March 6 – and as you probably have guessed, everyone was talking about him.
At least half of the people who stopped by my booth asked if I had any Bedard cards, though many of them were looking specifically for his Young Guns card. And some even offered to sell me a Bedard Young Guns card, usually asking around $500 to $600. I could have bought that card ten times over.
But I didn’t. Continue reading “The Decline in Value of the Connor Bedard Young Guns Card”
I’ve never seen anything like this.
In my 35+ years of collecting hockey cards, I have never seen so much hype over one brand-new hockey card.
I was collecting cards in 1990 when Eric Lindros was being called “The Next One,” and everyone was hoarding his 1990-91 Score rookie cards.
I remember the hype over Sidney Crosby and how tough it was to find 2005-06 hockey cards that were not marked up to (then) ridiculous prices – because there might be a Crosby rookie card inside.
More recently, I recall the anticipation for Connor McDavid’s Young Guns card, which was fetching $275 right out of the gate when 2015-16 Upper Deck Series 1 launched in November 2015.
But none of that matches the anticipation, the hype, the fervor, caused by Connor Bedard’s Young Guns rookie card – a card that technically comes out today with the launch of 2023-24 Upper Deck Series 2 Hockey, but has already found its way on eBay a few days ago.
We as collectors spend a lot of time seeking out the trading cards that we want. But do we spend any time enjoying the cards once we have them? It seems like once I got a card that I liked, it would be tucked away in a nine-pocket page or filed into a box, seldom to be seen again.
That is understandable, since exposure to light over a long period of time can cause cards to fade. But recently, I got into the wonderful practice of putting my favorite cards on display. Here’s how you can safely display your favorite sports or gaming cards to show off to your friends and family – or just to enjoy having in your collection. Read the rest of the story at the BCW Supplies Blog.
Here’s a story about a Connor Bedard trading card I tried – unsuccessfully – to purchase recently.
Continue reading “Connor Bedard Game Dated Moments Card Sells Out in 8 Minutes – Twice!”
With 2023 now fully behind us, I wanted to take a look back at the Puck Junk Podcast and how it did last year. During 2023, we released 36 episodes of the Puck Junk Podcast. That was five more episodes than we released in 2022 (31 episodes), and 10 more episodes than we released 2021 (26 episodes).
In 2023, our podcast had more listeners than ever, experiencing about a 25% growth over 2022.
As for our listeners, 55% of our listeners are from the United States and 38% are from Canada. No surprises there. But rounding out the top five countries that listened to the Puck Junk Podcast are Germany, Finland, and…Singapore?
Yep. We also have listeners from Australia, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the Czech Republic.
If you are a recent subscriber to the Puck Junk Podcast, you may have missed out on some of our best episodes from 2023. Or maybe you are a longtime listener and one of these episodes flew under your radar. Either way, here are the five most-listened to episodes of the Puck Junk Podcast from 2023.
Happy 2024, Puck Junk readers! With the New Year only a day old, I figured now would be a good time to give a quick recap of the site’s most-read articles that were published during 2023. Even though they are from last year, if you haven’t read them, then they are new to you.
The Sport Card Expo in Toronto attracted a record crowd and proved that Canada’s biggest card show is not just about hockey cards and collectibles.It was once billed as “the world’s biggest hockey show,” but the Sport Card Expo in Toronto is now much more than that.
The Expo, held twice annually in the spring and the fall, is Canada’s largest sports cards show. The most-recent Sport Card Expo took place on Nov. 9-12. While most dealers had quite a bit of hockey cards and memorabilia for sale, there was certainly no shortage of baseball, basketball, football and non-sports cards.
“People in Canada don’t only collect hockey,” says Mike Bergman, owner of Lower Level Sports Cards in Winnipeg. “People collect all sports — anything that has a card, even pop culture. It’s about collecting what they like and what’s in their mind from their childhood.”
Dealers from the U.S. who traveled north of the border also tend to shy away from bringing too much hockey with them.
“Here, I bring more of everything else but hockey,” says Chris Worczak, owner of Niagara Sports Cards in Niagara Falls, N.Y. “Everybody has hockey here. So, I’m going to bring the stuff that’s different, like vintage baseball cards.”
The Fall 2023 Sport Card Expo was the largest since the show first began in 1991. Not only did it boast a higher attendance, but the show was physically bigger, taking up just under 200,000 square feet across three halls at the International Centre in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga.
Read the article story at Sports Collectors Digest.
Hockey fans loves free stuff and will sometimes go through great lengths to get it. How else do you explain thousands of fans lining up outside of the rink on a freezing February night a good 90 minutes before puck drop – all so they can get a free bobblehead figure that kind of looks like their team’s star player?
Pro sports teams know this all too well, or they wouldn’t do it. Suddenly, a game that may have not drawn a sellout crowd does – all because of a special hat, shirt, or whatever the Flyers decide to put Gritty on this year.
Since today is the start of the 2023-24 season, now is a good time to see what free goodies NHL teams have lined up for ticket-buying fans this year. Twenty-two out of 32 teams are planning at least one giveaway.
Bobbleheads seem to be the most-popular item, with 12 teams planning on giving out at least one, and 39 different bobblehead figures being given away across the league. The Kings have five bobblehead giveaways planned, including a unique Dia De Los Muertos Goalie Bobblehead figure. The Red Wings, Canadiens, Kraken, and Blues are all giving out four bobbleheads during the season. The Blue Jackets are giving out three bobbleheads this year, including a special Bob Ross bobblehead limited to just the first 500 fans who buy a special ticket package.
However, the Blues may have out-bobbled the competition this year with two of their planned releases: a bobblehead of Jordan Binnington on a motorcycle…
…AND a Jordan Kyrou figure dressed as The Mandalorian – complete with removable helmet.
Now, THIS is the way!
The giveaway, that is.
In fact, Star Wars themed nights seems to be the way that NHL teams are trending this year, as nine teams are giving away some sort of Star Wars trinket to help sell tickets:
Other interesting, non-Star Wars items that teams are giving out this year include an Arizona Coyotes Kachina Trucker Mullet Hat, a Columbus Blue Jackets Nesting Doll Set, a Detroit Red Wings Gravy Boat, Philadelphia Flyers Gritty Earmuffs, a Pittsburgh Penguins Trapper Hat, and a Washington Capitals Sonny Milano “Chia Head.”
Below is a list of the best promotional items that NHL teams will be giving away during the 2023-24 season.
Continue reading “The Best 2023-24 NHL Game-Night Giveaway Items”
For the third year in a row, I will be at the National Sports Collectors Convention — a.k.a. “The National” — from Wednesday, July 26 to Sunday, July 30.
I will be at Booth #1011, right next to AU Sports (#1009), right behind Memory Lane (#1108/#1110), and very close to both the Main Entrance and the VIP Entrance.
If you can’t remember that I’m at Booth #1011, just look for the giant Memory Lane banner hanging from the ceiling when you enter the show — I’m right behind them!
Drop by my booth, say “hi”, and check out the awesome hockey t-shirts and sports cards that I’ll be selling.
I’m also giving away exclusive sets of Puck Junk Bad Hockey Card Hall of Fame Trading Cards. This six-card set highlights five of the worst hockey cards ever made and is limited to 500 sets.
If you are at The National this week and want a set, be sure to drop by Booth #1011 to get one.
And if you are NOT coming to The National but want to get a set, contact me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or email and I will mail a set out to you in early August.
The National Sports Collectors Convention starts Wednesday, July 26 and runs until Sunday, July 30. Click here for more information about the NSCC and to buy tickets.
If you do come to the National, be sure to stop at Booth #1011, check out what I’ve got for sale, talk some hockey with me, and get a free set of cards!
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Follow Sal Barry on Twitter @PuckJunk. ■