Hockey cards, collectibles and culture
Those of you who read this blog no doubt recall my endless love for the 1990-91 Pro Set Hockey set. Between its colorful design and comprehensive player selection, it will always be one of my all-time favorites.
But Pro Set could have been a little more comprehensive that year. Continue reading “Custom Cards: 1990-91 Pro Set Mario Gosselin, Ron Scott & Three More”
Canada lost a musical legend this month in Stompin’ Tom Connors. He was a 100% proud Canadian and his music was destined to be linked with hockey forever.
Thank you Tom!
Steve Galvao is a good old Canadian kid who grew up loving hockey and collecting hockey cards. To see more of Steve’s work, visit his website, the Shoebox Collection.
The cancellation of several sets by Upper Deck and Panini means that O-Pee-Chee will be the largest set of the 2012-13 season. There are 500 base cards, 50 Marquee Rookie cards and 50 Marquee Legends cards, making a total of 600 cards. There are several different parallel sets and a few interesting inserts, like Stickers and Pop-Ups, giving this year’s OPC set some nice variety.
I recently opened another box of OPC. Here are the results: Continue reading “2012-13 O-Pee-Chee Box Break”
Lately, I’ve been finding a lot of great vintage cards. My latest two vintage additions are 1954-55 Topps Hockey cards of Lorne “Gump” Worsley and Alex Delvecchio. Unfortunately, the 1954-55 Topps set is not one that I am currently focusing on. That, for me personally, is a bit of a problem, since I tend to end up owning a handful of cards from many different sets, instead of hyperfocusing on finishing one set before moving on. (More scans after the jump). Continue reading “1954-55 Gump Worsley & Alex Delvecchio”
Back in July 2012, I first asked “Where in the World is Patrice Bergeron?” This was after waiting over a year for a redemption card that would supposedly bear Bergeron’s signature and a piece of a patch from one of his game-used jerseys.
The card in question was from the 2010-11 SP Authentic set, so the fact that Upper Deck did not have this card ready to ship out in the middle of 2012 had me perplexed. Was it that Upper Deck could not get Bergeron to sign the cards? Or was it that they could not secure a patch to cut up and put on the cards? I don’t think securing a game-used Patrice Bergeron jersey would be all that difficult for Upper Deck. And Bergeron has autographed cards for me in the past. So, I don’t know what the deal is.
Then last week, I received this letter, addressing the plight of my Bergeron card:
Dear Valued Customer,
Congratulations on finding your Upper Deck redemption card(s). We appreciate your patience and support of our redemption process. We strive to obtain athletes’ autographs and/or memorabilia before we launch a product, but unfortunately that is not always possible. Despite our best efforts, we have been unable to complete your card.
We apologize we were unable to deliver the item you were hoping to receive. We have exchanged your card for another comparable item, according to the policy in place on redemption offers. Please be assured that Upper Deck strives to produce the finest, highest quality trading card products and memorabilia. Unforuntately, we are not always able to control or predict all the circumstances surrounding the procurement of autographs and/or memorabilia items. We hope you enjoy this exchanged item and that it finds a cherished place in your collection.
Sincerely,
The Upper Deck Company
The letter didn’t really explain WHY I wasn’t getting the card, but that’s OK. Usually, when Upper Deck issues a substitution, they do not disappoint.
And in this case, they did not disappoint me. Enclosed in the padded envelope along with the form letter was this card:
Needless to say, I was floored. A 2007-08 SP Authentic Tuukka Rask rookie card, autographed on-card and serial-numbered is way cooler than a 2010-11 SP Authentic Patrice Bergeron autographed patch card–especially since said card of Bergeron does not exist.
I guess Upper Deck could have thrown an auto/patch card of any player and called it a day. Instead, they sent me a 5-year old rookie card that has since accumulated some demand in the secondary market The last two copies of this card on ebay sold for $100 and $130. This more than makes up for what was initially promised.
Coincidentally, this is the second time for me that Patrice Bergeron has been a part of an Upper Deck substitution. In 2009, the company sent me an autographed Bergeron card to compensate for a sub-par jersey card I pulled.
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Motown Madness, released at the end of February 2013, continues In The Game’s series of team-centric hockey card sets. Previously, ITG has released sets focusing on the Montreal Canadiens (Blue, Blanc et Rouge) and the Philadelphia Flyers (Broad Street Bullies). This set is all about the Detroit Red Wings.
A box of Motown Madness currently sells for around $90 and contains 12 cards. Each box guarantees 4 autographs and 2 game-used memorabilia cards.
Here are the results of the box I opened. Continue reading “Motown Madness Box Break”
I can scratch another goal off of my “bucket list.” In the March 18 issue of The Hockey News, I have a full-page article entitled “Picture Perfect.” Normally, I write short, card-related articles for THN called “In the Cards.” This is my first full-page article for THN, and my first article for them that focuses on hockey instead of trading cards.
“Picture Perfect” is about the Chicago Outdoor Hockey League, a recreational league that plays all of their games in outdoor rinks and has enjoyed rapid growth. In February, the COHL held their all-star game at Soldier Field, which was the first-ever hockey game held at the famous football stadium.
The March 18 issue of The Hockey News should hit newsstands and mailboxes later this week. If you happen to read the article, please let me know what you think of it.
Normally, the 1961-92 Topps (don’t call it O-Pee-Chee) Hockey Set is not one I go after. I’m too fixated on 1963-64 Parkhurst and 1957-58 Topps when I go to card shows in search of vintage. But my local card shop recently acquired some 1961-62 Topps, and the prices were fair (around half or less of “hi” Beckett). It’s hard to walk away from that when the cards have decent corers, great gloss, no creases and clean backs–especially in a larger quantity. (Pictures after the jump). Continue reading “Almost a Third of the 1961-62 Topps Set”
Go get the March 2013 issue of Beckett Hockey (#247). I have a new article in it, entitled From Patches to Packaging, where I discuss interesting oddball hockey sets.
But I do more than that–I also talk about each set’s significance in a historical context, such as what was going on in the NHL and in the trading card industry at the time. Anyone can look in a price guide to know that there were 70 “Action Patches” released in 1992-93, but what’s the deal with the “prototype” patch? Or why was a certain team omitted from another set?
Hopefully, anyone who buys this month’s issue not only enjoys my article, but learns something from it too.
I won’t have an article in the April 2013 issue of Beckett Hockey, but I am currently working on my next piece for the May 2013 issue.