Hockey cards, collectibles and culture
After a three-year-plus hiatus, I’m back. After watching the entirety of the NHL’s 2025 4 Nations Face-Off, I had to share my thoughts on the tournament with the hockey community.
First off, it’s great to be back. I’m always grateful for Sal and the opportunity to write for Puck Junk.
Second, what a freaking tournament! Continue reading “Blake’s Takes: 4 Nations Face-Off Proves Hockey is Better than Hoops”
Sal and Clemente give their review of the 2024 PWHL First Edition Hockey Card set – which is arguably the biggest hobby surprise of 2025. They also talk about 4 Nations Face-Off hockey cards, the upcoming Spring Sport Card Expo in Toronto, and Sal keeping his New Year’s Resolution. It’s 68 minutes of hockey goodness – now with chapters, so you can skip ahead to your favorite parts.
Links
2024 PWHL First Edition Hockey Cards Checklist (TCDB)
PWHL Cards are Hot! (Puck Junk)
Clemente’s Corner: PWHL Cards all the Rage this Winter (Puck Junk)
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Follow Sal Barry on X @PuckJunk, Instagram @PuckJunk & Bluesky @puckjunk
Follow Tim Parish on X @TheRealDFG & Instagram @therealdfg66.
Follow Clemente Lisi on X @ClementeLisi.
Podcast music by Retro Game Remix – follow them on YouTube.
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Those of you who know me – who really know me – know that I love the 1986 hockey movie “Youngblood.” You might even say I am obsessed with it.
Sal, Tim, and Clemente look back at the 1974-75 Topps and O-Pee-Chee Hockey card sets, which turn 50 years old this season. Five decades later, those two sets still stand out as some of the best cards from the 1970s, with their hockey-centric designs and impressive rookie class. The guys also talk about the popularity of PWHL cards, the 4 Nations Face-Off Uniforms, the return of “Goldberg” from The Mighty Ducks movies, and more. It’s 95 minutes of hockey goodness – now with chapters, so you can skip ahead to your favorite parts.
Links
1974-75 Topps Hockey Card Checklist (TCDB)
1974-75 O-Pee-Chee Hockey Card Checklist (TCDB)
Follow
Follow Sal Barry on X @PuckJunk, Instagram @PuckJunk & Bluesky @puckjunk
Follow Tim Parish on X @TheRealDFG & Instagram @therealdfg66.
Follow Clemente Lisi on X @ClementeLisi.
Podcast music by Retro Game Remix – follow them on YouTube.
Listen
Listen to the Puck Junk Podcast on Apple Podcasts, YouTube Podcasts, Amazon Music, Castbox, Deezer, iHeartRadio, Overcast,
PlayerFM, PocketCasts, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher,
or Transistor.
Connect
Connect with us and other hockey fans on the Puck Junk Facebook Group.
Subscribe
Subscribe to the Puck Junk Email Newsletter and the YouTube Channel.
Support
Support this podcast and buy a shirt from the Puck Junk Online Shop. ■
The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) finally has a set of trading cards – and those cards have been well-received by The Hobby.
Since it was released on January 22, the new Upper Deck “2024 PWHL First Edition” cards have been a hot commodity. In just two short weeks, box prices have more than doubled – going from around $80 and now selling for between $180 and $200 at hobby shops…that is, if you can even FIND a box.
Big online retailers like Steel City Collectibles, Blowout Cards, and D.A. “No Bounty to See Here” Card World are currently sold out of PWHL cards.
It’s not often that a card set causes as much of a stir as the 2024 Professional Women’s Hockey League First Edition set, released last month by Upper Deck. Collectors were ready, eager and determined to get their hands on these cards – and the demand was evident from the moment the set dropped.
Within a week of the January 22 release, hobby boxes — originally priced between $75 to $100 — were flying off the shelves. Many big online retailers sold out, and local card shops in New York City, and elsewhere, were left scrambling to keep up with the surge in interest.
By that point, boxes were already reselling for over $200 on the secondary market. If you were around for the craziness of 2020 — when cards exploded in value due to the pandemic — it was a familiar feeling. Only this time, the excitement wasn’t for a male star like Connor Bedard. This time, it was for women’s hockey, and that’s a game changer for the sport and the hobby.
Continue reading “Clemente’s Corner: PWHL Cards all the Rage this Winter – and it’s About Time”
In this episode of the Puck Junk Podcast, Sal and Tim look at some of the new hockey cards for early 2025, including the PWHL set, 2023-24 Parkhurst, and 2024-25 Topps Hockey Stickers. Plus, the Utah Hockey Club’s naming woes continue, the big Colorado-Carolina trade, and more. It’s 88 minutes of hockey goodness – now with chapters, so you can skip ahead to your favorite topics.
Links
2024-25 Upper Deck Ultimate MVP Winner (UD Blog)
Topps Now Hockey Cards Signup Form (Topps Website)
Follow
Follow Sal Barry on X @PuckJunk, Instagram @PuckJunk & Bluesky @puckjunk
Follow Tim Parish on X @TheRealDFG & Instagram @therealdfg66.
Follow Clemente Lisi on X @ClementeLisi.
Podcast music by Retro Game Remix – follow them on YouTube.
Listen
Listen to the Puck Junk Podcast on Apple Podcasts, YouTube Podcasts, Amazon Music, Castbox, Deezer, iHeartRadio, Overcast,
PlayerFM, PocketCasts, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher,
or Transistor.
Connect
Connect with us and other hockey fans on the Puck Junk Facebook Group.
Subscribe
Subscribe to the Puck Junk Email Newsletter and the YouTube Channel.
Support
Support this podcast and buy a shirt from the Puck Junk Online Shop. ■
The 2024-25 Topps NHL Sticker Collection was released last week. Full 50-pack boxes are available on eBay and Amazon. Unlike the print-on-demand Topps Now NHL stickers, the Topps NHL Sticker Collection stickers are available in stores and are made to be put into an album.
What is really interesting this year is that Topps is giving its NHL album sticker set the full “Fanatics” treatment by including serial-numbered parallel stickers.
Continue reading “Topps Gives Stickers the “Fanatics” Treatment with Serial-Numbered Parallels”
In this episode, the guys talk about the 2024-25 Upper Deck Series 2 Young Guns checklist that was recently leaked on Reddit. What are the best prospects – and the notable omissions – in Series 2? Plus, the delay of EX-2000, the potential for 4 Nations Face-Off cards, the top hockey card of 2024, and more. It’s 90 minutes of hockey goodness – now with chapters, so you can skip ahead to your favorite topics.
Links
2024-25 Upper Deck Series 2 Checklist image (Reddit)
Follow
Follow Sal Barry on X @PuckJunk, Instagram @PuckJunk & Bluesky @puckjunk
Follow Tim Parish on X @TheRealDFG & Instagram @therealdfg66.
Follow Clemente Lisi on X @ClementeLisi.
Podcast music by Retro Game Remix – follow them on YouTube.
Listen
Listen to the Puck Junk Podcast on Apple Podcasts, YouTube Podcasts, Amazon Music, Castbox, Deezer, iHeartRadio, Overcast,
PlayerFM, PocketCasts, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher,
or Transistor.
Connect
Connect with us and other hockey fans on the Puck Junk Facebook Group.
Subscribe
Subscribe to the Puck Junk Email Newsletter and the YouTube Channel.
Support
Support this podcast and buy a shirt from the Puck Junk Online Shop. ■
Last month, DA Card World surreptitiously posted on its blog that the $1 million dollar bounty for finding the 2023-24 Upper Deck Connor Bedard Gold Outburst 1/1 Young Guns card was “no longer an active bounty, it has expired.”
Now, I realize that DA Card World made this sneaky “announcement” on December 9 – over one month ago – and that this is old news.
However, like a lot of things that happen in December, this got lost in the shuffle, flew under the radar – whatever metaphor you want to use – because of its timing around the holidays. Heck, I didn’t even hear about this until December 20.
I also needed some time to stew on this a bit and mull things over before I chimed in my two cents. Continue reading “Calling Out DA Card World on its Bogus Bedard Bounty”