Hockey cards, collectibles and culture
While 2015 was not quite as tumultuous as 2014 was for hockey cards and collectibles, this was by no means an “off year.” Two highly-touted draft picks made their NHL debut — one causing hockey card sales to skyrocket, the other making an unconventional decision. Two new hockey collectibles books came out. And there were toys…lots and lots … Continue reading “Top 10 Hockey Card and Collectible Stories of 2015”
Trading card company Action Packed really wanted to make hockey cards in the mid-1990s, but they couldn’t get the license to do so from the NHL. At the time, the league was limiting how many companies were making NHL trading cards, so Action Packed did the next-best thing and attempted to launch four different lines of … Continue reading “CoaStars: A failed set of collectible hockey drink coasters”
From 1951 to 1964, Parkhurst hockey cards captured the imagination of a generation of hockey fans. A nickel would get them a piece of gum and some trading cards of their favorite NHL players. For most, this was the only way they could see the players that they read about in the newspapers or heard about on … Continue reading “Book Review: The Parkies Hockey Card Story”
Upper Deck’s policy on replacing damaged cards has changed. They will still replace damaged cards up to a year from the date of the card’s manufacture, but you can no longer just drop the cards in the mail; the process is a bit more involved. I’ve documented my most-recent return of defective cards to Upper … Continue reading “The New Upper Deck Replacement Policy”
When sports card collecting became huge in the 1980s and 1990s, many comic book stores tried to get in on the action. Often, it was just a few wax boxes and display cases with singles to cash in on the trend without investing too much into it. But at the end of the day, most … Continue reading “Buying Cards in the 1990s, Memory #2: The Comic Book Store”
I had high hopes when reading “He Shoots, He Saves: The Story of Hockey’s Collectible Treasures.” It isn’t every day that a book about hockey collectibles comes along. Plus, the book is written by Jon Waldman, who co-authored the excellent sports trading card book “Got ‘Em, Got ‘Em, Need ‘Em,” and is a regular writer … Continue reading “Book Review: He Shoots, He Saves”
I’ve finally acquired one of the hardest-to-find cards for my 2010 Blackhawks RC project: a 2008-09 Be A Player Antti Niemi “Rookie Redemption” card. Even though it is a part of a set that predates Niemi’s rookie cards, this technically does not count as his rookie card. Confused? Intrigued? Then read on.
The shiny card you see here is from the 1996-97 Donruss Elite Hart to Hart insert set. I purchased it from a dealer recently. However, there is good reason to believe that this card may have “escaped” from the Donruss facility in 1997 and was never circulated in packs.
2014 was an eventful year for the hockey card industry. So much went down in our humble little hobby, which is always overshadowed by baseball card collecting, that it felt like the 1990s again. There were exclusive deals, company mergers, rookies galore and even a book about hockey cards. Here is a rundown of the … Continue reading “Top 10 Hockey Card News Stories of 2014”
Fleer Showcase picks up where 2012-13 Fleer Retro left off. Showcase is your typical mid-range Upper Deck hockey card set, with 100 base cards to collect. But 2013-14 Fleer Showcase also has inserts designed after 1990s Fleer sets — just like Fleer Retro did two years back, making it a spiritual successor to Retro. For … Continue reading “Box Break: 2013-14 Fleer Showcase”