News & Views

Some CC for the PC

I know it’s been FOREVER since I’ve last posted–actually 8 days, but I’ve been so busy that it’s felt like an eternity. I’ve picked up a lot of neat stuff over the past month, but just haven’t had the time to blog about it until now. 

Anyway, I normally hate on the jersey cards–but not when they are of my favorite player, Chris Chelios. And one of them is actually a game-used stick card. That’s not as bad, right?

The card you see above is from the 2001-02 Pacific Titanium set, has a piece of a SHER-WOOD stick and is numbered 144 / 252.

And this card is from the same set, has a piece of a patch and is numbered 007 / 112.

I have several hundred Chris Chelios cards, but surprisingly very few are jersey and memorabilia cards.

Anyway, this week I should have a bit more free time to show off some of the cool stuff I got recently.

2011 Boston Bruins Stanley Cup Champions Set

Upper Deck is releasing a boxed set commemorating the Boston Bruins victory in the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals. It is available for order now, but will not ship for a few weeks. Priced at $19.99 (plus shipping), the set will consist of 31 cards. The breakdown is as follows:

  • 25 cards featuring the best Bruins during the season
  • 5 “Season Highlight” cards
  • 1 card of the Bruins celebrating their win after Game 7

Twenty bucks seems kind of steep for only 30 cards. Then again, I love this idea. When the Blackhawks won the Cup last year, I hoped that a set like this would be released commemorating their championship. Back in the day, Pro Set used to put out Super Bowl commemorative sets that featured every player on both teams in the big game; I always wanted a hockey card maker to do the same for the teams in the Cup Finals.

You can buy the set–and find out more about it–here at the Upper Deck store.

I plan on purchasing this set. Is anyone else thinking about buying it?

Timmy!

Go ahead, say it…you know you want to.

Congratulations to “TIMMY” Thomas on winning Game 7, winning the Stanley Cup, winning the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP…and for never giving up during the 10 years it took him to make it to the NHL.

Making the Grade

Two weeks ago, I asked readers of this blog if they collected graded cards. I also expressed my overall disdain of the whole card grading thing.

But earlier this year I sent in two cards to get graded. I figured that I couldn’t really have an opinion in the matter unless I experienced it.

Plus, Beckett gave me two free card gradings when I renewed my subscription to Beckett Hockey. What do I got to lose? Besides the postage fees, of course.

After careful consideration, I sent in the following 2 cards to Beckett Grading Services:

2008-09 Champ’s Hockey Neolithic Stone Tools – The reason I chose to get this card graded was that it is super thick, and I figured that a grading slab would be better protection than keeping it in the toploader it came in. Plus, this isn’t a card that I would display or put in a card page (obviously). So getting it slabbed seemed to be the way to go.

But would someone please explain how this card only received an 8.5?  It went from Upper Deck to me to Beckett. OK, I did handle it for about 5 minutes when I scanned it for a Card of the Week article. But I didn’t play a game of flips with it or anything like that.

Next up…

2009-10 Fleer Ultra Ice Medallion James Van Riemsdyk 1/25 – I sent this card to get graded purely for investment reasons. One day, I hope to sell or trade it to a James Van Riemsdyk collector. The card has a print run of 25, and mine is numbered 1/25. It also got a Gem Mint rating (9.5). I think if someone was a JVR fan, this would be a pretty awesome card to own.

And though it did get the coveted Gem Mint rating, again I have to wonder about some of the numbers. Why did the centering receive a 9.5 and not 10? The card is printed full-bleed, so there aren’t any “borders” that appear larger on one side than the other, like with older cards. The surface received a 10, so Beckett does give a perfect score to some things.

I will admit that I like having these 2 cards graded. They are pretty sweet cards to own, and slabbing them will retain their condition. Should I ever trade or sell them, the condition would never be questioned. But it is unlikely that I am going to send a bunch of cards to get graded anytime soon. And I’ll still shake my head at those who grade or buy graded “common” cards from the 1970s or 1980s.

If you haven’t already done so, please vote in the poll about graded cards (upper-right corner of this website). I am curious to know other collector’s graded card buying habits.

Question: Your own personal Joe Shlabotnik

Click to view larger

My sister clipped this comic from the newspaper and gave it to me. I think we all can relate to Charlie Brown here. I know I can.

Ironically, it was my sister who always got the one card I wanted-needed-had-to-have when we were kids. Whoever was my personal “Joe Shlabotnik” at the time. Looking back is a bit fuzzy, but I remember two occurrences of this phenomenon: 

#1 – 1989-90 Topps Pittsburgh Penguin sticker

In my freshman year of high school, I bought a box of 1989-90 Topps (36 packs), got the complete 198-card set but was 1 sticker shy of completing the 33-sticker set.

My sister bought 4 packs and got the one sticker I was missing: #16 – Pittsburgh Penguins. 

I probably traded 20 or so various 1980s Penguins cards for this logo sticker. Negotiation was not my strong suit when I was a kid. Fortunately, I was in honors algebra that year, because 2 years later…

#2 – 1991-92 Upper Deck Eric Lindros Canada Cup

Bad luck struck again in fall of 1991. Now a Junior in high school, I bought 2 boxes (72 packs) of 1991-92 Upper Deck hockey cards. The one card I did not get was this short-printed card of Eric Lindros, which had a high Beckett value of $15 at the time. 

My sister bought one pack and got this card. I am not exaggerating.

Both my sister and I were in honors math classes, but I’m 2 years older. I saved all my honors Algebra homework from my freshmen year, and ended up trading a semester’s worth for this card.  I got to complete my set, and my sister got all the answers. 

My sister and I talked during the Sharks-Canucks game last night. She could not remember any specific times when she got a card that I needed–she just remembered that this was a regular occurrence when we were kids.

Question: What card was your “Joe Shlabotnik” when you were young? Did you have to overpay–or trade too much–to get it?

Question: Do you collect graded cards?

Some guy with no wife or girlfriend spent $94,000 on this card.

Graded cards are the pissing match of collecting.

Think about it. Suppose I have a Wayne Gretzky rookie card–not graded like the one above, which sold for $94,000 earlier this month–but a nice, ungraded one. Or maybe I pulled it from a pack 30 years ago and kept it safely tucked away.

Then you get a Gretzky rookie.  Continue reading “Question: Do you collect graded cards?”

2011 Playoffs – Round 3 Predictions

The Final Four of Hockey. No Blackhawks. No Penguins. No Capitals. And those pesky Canucks are still around.

The number 1 seed versus the number 2 seed. It’s actually refreshing to see the top two teams in the conference finals.

Series: Vancouver Canucks (1) vs. San Jose Sharks (2).

My Prediction: Sharks UPSET in 6 games.

Comments: If you haven’t guessed by now, I really don’t want the Canucks to win. Because let’s face it: if a Canadian team won the Stanley Cup, every man, woman and child in the United States would forget that hockey ever existed. The consequences are dire.

Besides, the Sharks are long overdue for a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Fancy seeing you here, Bruins and Lightning.

Series: Boston Bruins (3) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (5).

My Prediction: Bruins win in 5 games.

Comments: Like the Sharks, the Bruins seem long overdue for a shot at The Cup, too.

And you know what would be the most awesomest thing ever? A Sharks-Bruins Stanley Cup Final where Joe Thornton is named the series MVP.

2011 Playoffs – Round 2 Recap

Ouch! I didn’t do too well in my predictions for Round 2…

Things played out pretty much as expected in the Western Conference.

Series: Vancouver Canucks (1) vs. Nashville Predators (5)

My Prediction: Predators UPSET in 6 games.

What Actually Happened: Canucks won in 6 game.

Comments: I really wanted to see the Canucks get stomped on. Unfortunately, the Predators were not the team to do it. Well, there’s always the next round.

Series: San Jose Sharks (2) vs. Detroit Red Wings (3)

My Prediction: Sharks win in 6 games.

What Actually Happened: Sharks won in 7 games.

Comments: This was a fun series. Best of all, I was in a sports bar for game 7, and people were cheering for the Sharks–not because of former ‘Hawk Antti Niemi, but because no one in Chicago wants to see Detroit win. Ever.

Upsets du jour in the Eastern Conference.

Series: Washington Capitals (1) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (5).

My Prediction: Capitals win in 4 games.

What Actually Happened: Lighting UPSET in 4 games.

Comments: Wow. Can I get a WTF? please? I guess Lightning coach Guy Boucher is due for a raise at the end of the season…and that Capitals coach Bruce Bodreau is due for his walking papers. But seriously, Caps…WTF?

Series: Philadelphia Flyers (2) vs. Boston Bruins (3).

My Prediction: Flyers in 7 games.

What Actually Happened: Bruins UPSET in 4 games.

Comments: I think we all kind of half-suspect the Capitals to sabotage themselves sooner or later. But the Flyers? They were a much improved squad over last year’s team that made it to the Finals. I was actually expecting them to make it to the Finals again this year…not roll over and die.

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OK, that didn’t go as I expected, so I guess I’ll stick to my day job. On to the next round.

2011 Playoffs – Round 2 Predictions

Yes, I know. Round 2 has already started. What’s up with that, NHL? Maybe some of us teach class on Thursday nights.

Anyway, here are my predictions–solely done for my own amusement (and most likely not yours).

Will we see another upset? I sure hope so.

Series: Vancouver Canucks (1) vs. Nashville Predators (5)

My Prediction: Predators UPSET in 6 games. .

Comments: Sure the Canucks beat the Blackhawks. No one likes losing, but it is sometimes perceived that it is OK to lose to the eventual winner.

I disagree. I want to see the Canucks get stomped on.

Series: San Jose Sharks (2) vs. Detroit Red Wings (3)

My Prediction: Sharks win in 6 games.

Comments: It is against my mortal being to cheer for the Red Wings. Besides, the Sharks really are long overdue for a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals.Go Sharkies!

I don’t predict an upset here in the East–the top seeds are just too good.

Series: Washington Capitals (1) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (5).

My Prediction: Capitals win in 4 games.

Comments: Winning in 7 games against the Crosby-and-Malkin-less-Penguins is not that admirable of a feat. I doubt that the Lightning (I refuse to call them the “Bolts”) will fare well against the Capitals. Besides, the Caps are long overdue to finally amount to something in the playoffs.

Series: Philadelphia Flyers (2) vs. Boston Bruins (3).

My Prediction: Flyers in 7 games.

Comments: Both of these teams needed 7 games to knock off their lower-seeded opponents in the first round. I think they’ll need 7 games to sort this one out too. Let’s hope for a good, physical (but clean) series.

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In summary, the Final Four I’d like to see are:

  • San Jose Sharks – my prediction for Cup winner this year
  • Nashville Predators – because they are unexpected as contenders
  • Washington Capitals – long overdue for a shot
  • Philadelphia Flyers – prove that last year wasn’t a fluke

I’ll admit, it’s a bit hard to focus on the playoffs now that the ‘Hawks are eliminated. So I guess I’ll start cheering for the Sharks.