1957-58 Topps #6 – Larry Regan

I bought a lot of vintage hockey cards at the show last weekend. It’s been almost a full year since I last added a card to my 1957-58 Topps set. Larry Regan is my 14th card, bringing me one step closer to completing this 66-card set.

The front has a light crease and the corners are soft.

But the price? A whopping three-and-a-half bucks.

Set completion as of 11-25-2011:
14 out of 66 cards = 21.2%

Photo Purchases

I have a weakness for 8″x10″ photos.

No, they aren’t collectible, nor are they “worth” anything.

But there is something so immersive about their relatively large size (compared to hockey cards), their ease of storage (just throw ’em in a binder) and their endless varieties. Whenever I see a dealer who sells photos, I try and find offbeat images that I don’t see everyday.

Here are some 8″x10″ goodies I got…a while ago. I meant to put these up sooner, but they’ve been in a pile of stuff on my floor the past 3 months. Either way, enjoy these pics! Continue reading “Photo Purchases”

2011-12 Parkhurst Champions box break #1

Last weekend, I purchased a box of 2011-12 Parkhurst Champions from AU Sports Memorabilia, a card shop I frequent every week or so. The owners, Scott and Frank, are two of the nicest sport card dealers I know. Frank collects hockey cards, and mentioned that they had a box of 2011-12 Parkhurst Champions in stock. I was intrigued–and all this extra teaching I’ve done this semester has amounted to some extra cash. I might as well enjoy some of the added funds, right? Continue reading “2011-12 Parkhurst Champions box break #1”

Another RC for the PC

Michael Frolik hasn’t exactly been “tearing it up” this season with the Chicago Blackhawks–he’s scored 7 points in 16 games–but he seems to be fitting in on the Blackhawks. I guess I like Frolik enough that when I saw this card at a local card shop, I had to have it.

If you are going to get a rookie card, it might as well be an autographed one, right? That is unless, of course, it is a card of someone like Crosby or Ovechkin that will cost you thousands of dollars.

Anyway, next weekend, I will be going to the Sun-Times Sports Card Show in Rosemont, IL (November 18-20). Is anyone else going?

I’m back…and another Hockey News article

Hockey season is in full swing, and I’ve been too busy to enjoy it. My career transition from web designer to college teacher seems to have been a success, as I am teaching at three different schools now, as well as once a week at a grammar school.

The bad news is, I have less and less free time for blogging. But that should change, as I always seem to have tons of extra time once the semester starts winding down.

But onto some good news: my second article was published in The Hockey News, in their November 7, 2011 issue. Blink and you might miss it–it is at the bottom of page 11, and the article is smaller than the size of a hockey card. You can find the issue on the newsstands now.

Review: 1972-73 Los Angeles Sharks

A mediocre set for a mediocre team

Alton WhiteBefore the Sharks took up residency in San Jose, there was another team by the same name. The Los Angeles Sharks – no relation to the current team in San Jose – was a founding member of the World Hockey Association (WHA). Unlike some of the luckier teams in the WHA who had the benefit of a Bobby Hull or Gordie Howe playing for them, the Sharks did not have much in the way of star power. They finished 6th out of 12 teams in 1972-73 and dead last during their second and final season. In their first year, they issued an ugly set of 19 cards. Continue reading “Review: 1972-73 Los Angeles Sharks”

Review: 1972-73 Quebec Nordiques

Twenty-one cards from the upstart team’s first season

Richard Brodeur

The World Hockey Association was founded in 1972, and placed several teams into markets that yearned to have an NHL presence. One founding member of the WHA was the Quebec Nordiques, giving the province of Quebec another team to call their own. Longtime Montreal Canadiens’ defenseman J.C. Tremblay was the Nordiques’ first captain, while a 20-year old Richard Brodeur was breaking into pro hockey as the Nords’ backup. Released during the season was a postcard set featuring the Quebec’s inaugural roster. Continue reading “Review: 1972-73 Quebec Nordiques”