Card of the Week: Lester B. Pearson RC

1952 Topps Look ‘N’ See #99 – Lester B. Pearson

Being an American, I was not really knowledgeable about Lester B. Pearson, other than he had a National Hockey League trophy named after him. I was vaguely aware of his political career. Then again, I couldn’t name all of the U.S. Presidents if asked to do so (I failed that test in fourth grade, FYI). Yet, the name Lester B. Pearson was one of those names synonymous with excellence in hockey, like Art Ross or Conn Smythe. So, does he have a rookie card? Yes, he does–but it isn’t in a hockey set.

Pearson never played professional hockey, but he did excel at the collegiate level. He played for Oxford University’s Ice Hockey Club, which won the first-ever Spengler Cup invitational in 1923. Later, he would coach the University of Toronto’s varsity hockey team.

But it is politics is what Pearson is famous for. He would serve Canada as their Ambassador to the United States, as a member of Canadian Parliament, the President of the United Nations General Assembly and the Prime Minister of Canada. Plus, he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957 for his efforts in ending the Suez Crisis, and he pushed for the redesign of the Canadian flag to the one we all now know and love.

Overall, Pearson was a pretty awesome guy, so I understand why a hockey trophy had to be named after him. From 1971 to 2010, the Lester B. Pearson Award was given to the best NHL player as voted by the Players’ Association.

The Pearson Award has made several cardboard appearances over the years, including 1990-91 Pro Set (left) and 2008-09 O-Pee-Chee (right).

As for Pearson himself, he has appeared in a scant few card sets because he was not a professional athlete. He had a card in the 2008-09 Upper Deck Masterpieces set, but his very first card appears in 1952 Topps Look ‘N’ See, a set that features historical figures such as politicians, generals, explorers and inventors.

Click pictures to enlarge

Each Look ‘N’ See card has a trivia question on the back. To read the answer, you lay a piece of clear red plastic over it to reveal hidden text. The answer to the question on Pearson’s card is “He’s the head of the Canadian delegation.”

Here, Pearson is depicted as just a humble U.N. Delegate. As far as trading cards of politicians go, this works well as a “rookie card,” as it shows him before he went on to become a Nobel Peace Prize winner and Prime Minister of Canada.

In 2010, the Lester B. Pearson Award was renamed the Ted Lindsay Award, which is a more fitting moniker. While few politicians have equaled the good he did nationally and internationally, Lindsay’s efforts and sacrifice led to the formation of the NHLPA.

The award for best player as voted by his peers should be named after Lindsay, given that what he did directly benefited NHL players. But after learning about Pearson, I wish his name was still somehow associated with hockey. Perhaps the name Lester B. Pearson will once again grace the placard of a trophy.

Review: 1997-98 Pinnacle

In the quest to put out product quickly and cheaply, sports cards manufacturers, like drug dealers, have consistently undervalued the power of quality.

Of course, it’s because they know the junkies will keep buying.

This doesn’t mean that the addicts have lost all discernment, however. Personally, I fiend for powerful sports photography in my cards.

Granted, investing in sports photography is not a moneymaking venture for card companies.

But occasionally, those of us who appreciate a beautifully-photographed set are given a treat. From the first years of Upper Deck to Topps’s Stadium Club, and even now, with Upper Deck’s annual flagship release, we see cards that capture the grace of Sergei Fedorov gliding and the crunch of Rob Blake hitting and the explosion of 16,000 fans screaming.

Pinnacle, which debuted so ignominiously by having different sports share the same funereal design in 1991…and 1992…and 1993, finally chucked the black for sun dresses in their 1994-95 flagship release, continuing this theme until their last release in 1997-98 (before the brand’s recent revival by Panini).

1997-98 Pinnacle was one of my first boxes ever because of its affordability and stunning photography. I also pulled one of my first big pulls from it. But before we get to that, let’s spotlight a few of those wonderful pictures: Continue reading “Review: 1997-98 Pinnacle”

What Game Would I Watch Today?

I recently acquired the latest edition of the National Hockey League Official Rules (Triumph Books, $9.95)

Every blogger who writes about hockey should have a copy of this handy for the next time they need clarification on Rule 46.1.

But the 2012-13 edition of the rulebook is special for a very particular reason. In the last few pages, it lists the complete 2012-13 NHL schedule of games. That is, all the games that were cancelled due to this lockout–as well as all the future games that will probably get cancelled too.

As of today–November 25–we have lost 294 games to the lockout. But the NHL has announced the cancellation of every game through December 14, bringing the total number of cancelled matches to 422.

Obviously, I was not going to watch each and every NHL game that was broadcast–who would have the time or attention span for that? But I am always good for a game or two per day. And now, I am really starting to miss NHL hockey.

So, every day on Twitter, I will tweet what game or games I would watch that day. It will give me a reason to use my often-dormant Twitter account for purposes other than tweeting about new cards I bought. You can see my Twitter page here. If you use Twitter, follow me and I will probably follow you back.

(Oh, and Rule 46.1 is about fighting, if you did not know.)

1963-64 Parkhurst #45 – Andre Pronovost

At this point, it seems like I have pretty much acquired almost every “cheap” card from the 1963-64 Parkhurst Hockey set. Now, all that remains are the pricier cards that “book” for between $50 and $75. So, when I found this card of Andre Pronovost for $6–and it was a card that I still needed–I did not hesitate in buying it. (along with a fairly-priced Cesar Maniagio RC). And just like that, I am now over 2/3 of the way towards competing this set.

Parkhurst Percent Counter: 67%

1953-54 Parkies – 4 Hawks and a Hab

Last weekend, I attended a card show and was able to chip away at my 1953-54 Parkhurst Hockey set. For some reason, I always seem to buy these cards in multiples of 5–5 in March, another 5 in July and 15 last December. Here are my latest additions: 4 Chicago Black Hawks and 1 Montreal Canadiens.

76 – Bill Gadsby – This was the best card in the group, in regards to the player and the condition. Gadsby is in the Hockey Hall of Fame, and this card has minimal corner wear.

69 – Jim Peters – On the other hand, this card is in not the best condition. The corners are worn, and it appears that the printing registration was off. This is particularly noticeable if you look at the Black Hawks insignia on his sweater.

84 – Gerald “Doc” Couture – The 1953-54 season would be Couture’s last in the NHL. He won the Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings in 1950.

74 – Larry Wilson – Wilson also won the Cup with the Red Wings in 1950. He is the brother of Johnny Wilson and the father of longtime NHL coach Ron Wilson

33 – Ken Mosdell – He won 4 Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens and the last active member of the Brooklyn Americans–an NHL team that folded after 1942, reducing the team to its “Original Six” teams.

These 5 cards put me at 47 out of 100, so I have this one almost halfway completed. I also need the variation of Fleming Mackell (#91) that has the bio on the back. I have the one without the bio. In the unlikely event that anyone has 1953-54 Parkies for trade, I have added what I need to my Want List.

Card ‘Toons

NOTE: I am happy to introduce a new author on Puck Junk. Steve Galvao is, in his own words, “a good old Canadian kid” who grew up loving hockey and collecting hockey cards. He recently merged his love of hockey, card collecting and cartooning, and will be contributing his ‘toons to Puck Junk every week or so. – Sal

To see more of Steve’s work, visit his website, the Shoebox Collection.

1963-64 Parkhurst #99 – Cesar Maniago

Card #99 in the 1963-64 Parkhurst Hockey set is special for a few reasons. It is the only horizontal card in an otherwise vertical set. It is action-oriented and the only one in the set to feature a goal net.

It is also the last card in the set. Usually, the first and last cards in vintage sets carry a premium because they were susceptible to rubber band marks or wear from being the “end cards” when stored. It is a rookie card and a card of a goalie–two other reasons that make it desirable. After Gordie Howe, this Cesar Maniago card is the second-most expensive card in the set.

I had only seen this card once before, about 3 years back, and it was priced at “full book value” of $175. I passed on buying it, partially because I could not afford it (always a good reason), and partially because I have this foolish notion that if I wait long enough and keep my eyes open, I can find any card I want at a price I want to pay. Within reason, of course. But I always wondered if I made a mistake by not buying it; by not trying to work out something with the card dealer.

I did not make a mistake.

This past weekend, I found this beautiful card at a show near Chicago. A dealer who specializes in vintage hockey cards had it in a box of “lesser grade” cards. It was tagged at half of “high book” value because of some corner wear, but it looked pretty darn good to me. I bought another old Parkie, too, and he knocked off an additional 10%. All said and done, I got this card for $80–which sounds steep until you consider that $80 is far less than $175.

No creases. No stains. Just a little corner wear that I can live with. My patience has paid off, and this puts me one large step closer to finishing the set I started 4 years ago. I am 2/3 of the way there.

Parkhurst Percent Counter: 66%

2012-13 O-Pee-Chee Case Break

I bought a sealed case–12 hobby boxes–of 2012-13 O-Pee-Chee Hockey. Below is the breakdown of what I got in each box. NOTE: This blog post has a lot of images.

Continue reading “2012-13 O-Pee-Chee Case Break”

I bought a case of OPC

That is, I bought 12 boxes–or 384 hobby packs–of 2012-13 O-Pee-Chee Hockey.

Crazy, right?

I’ve never bought a case of cards before. But yesterday, the 22-pound behemoth you see above was delivered to my front door.

I had to rationalize this expense–as most collectors would. I did put in some OT at my job last month, so these cards are paid for. I waited and waited and found the best available online price from a retailer who offered an additional $25 off. Plus, no tax and no shipping costs.

But I also had to come up with numerous good reasons why I should buy a whole freakin’ case, and not just a few hobby boxes.

I will get a complete base set (and then some)
I will get 192 Short Prints–hopefully one of each of the 100 possible
I will get 384 Retro Variants
I will get roughly 128 Stickers–hopefully at least one copy of 1-100
I will get 24 Pop Ups, which I’ll probably want to keep too
I will get 4 patch cards, and can probably sell those and make back a good portion of my money
I will get the 2 OPC Signatures cards. I do enjoy autographs.
I will get the case hit Team Canada autograph. I would like to have that card too.
I will get all of the box bottom cards, and have more left over to trade
I will have 384 wrappers leftover that I could potentially trade to a Canadian collector for Upper Deck’s “Canada Only” OPC promotion
I will have 96 Rainbow Parallels that I could potentially trade for the Retro Variants or Pop-Ups I still need.

Of course, I may not get a complete set out of the deal, might get shorted on an autograph and get the worst possible “hits” imaginable.

Then again, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Wish me luck.

Dog vs. Cards…and another OPC break

About a week ago, I went to my local Target and purchased 4 O-Pee-Chee “Fat Boxes” and 1 Fat Pack. I did not have time to open them–I haven’t had much time to do anything fun lately–so there they sat, on the floor of my hockey room, in the Target shopping bag, minding their own business.

Then the other day, Gomez the Basset Hound decided that he wanted to rip some wax–and not the way most collectors do.

Keep in mind the following:

The bag had no food in it–only hockey cards.
The bag had been sitting on the floor all week–in plain sight and within reach.
As far as dogs go, Basset Hounds have the second-best sense of smell–second only to the Bloodhound and 800 times stronger than a human’s sense of smell.

So the dumb dog should have sniffed the bag and went about his business. But noooo--he had to bite the box open, just to make sure that there was no candy or gum or anything edible inside it.

The result…

The good news is that the cards rest in the bottom of the box, and Gomez tore into the top. None of the cards were harmed. Which brings us to this box break:

39 base card
No surprises here, as most of the cards in this box are going to be base cards.This mid-range photo of Patrick Kane was one of the best of the 39 base cards.

1 Marquee Rookie
Like my first “Fat Box,” this one also had a Marquee Rookie. Brenden Dillon is a defenseman who played 1 game for the Dallas Stars last year.

1 Sticker
It appears that every Fat Box will have 1 Marquee Rookie and 1 sticker. But the reason why I bought this was the next card, which you can only get in these boxes:

1 Marquee Legends Gold Card
What the…? I already got a Patrick Roy Marquee Legends Gold card in my first box. There are 10 different cards, and now I got 2 of the same one. I was hoping, you know, to get one I didn’t already have. I’m debating if I am going to chase this Gold insert set.

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NOTE: I am definitely building this set. Cash flow has returned, and I plan on picking up a few hobby boxes in the next week. I will them post my Want List and Trade list for 2012-13 O-Pee-Chee.

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NOTE: If you come across the October 29 issue of The Hockey News, I have another “In the Cards” article published on page 11.