My Recap of the 2019 National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago

I went to the 40th National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago last week (July 31 to August 4). This is the 6th time I’ve been at The National. Going to world’s biggest sports memorabilia show for five days takes a lot out of you, from standing and walking around most of the day, to the visual overload of cards, memorabilia, cards, jerseys, cards, photos, cards, game-used items and cards. 

But I have finally recovered, so here’s my recap of my experience at the 2019 National Sports Collectors Convention. 

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Stan Mikita Funeral Prayer Card

Last year on this date, Chicago Blackhawks legend Stan Mikita passed away. This is the prayer card that was given out at his funeral a week later. The front has a black and white photo of Mr. Mikita, most likely taken at one of the Blackhawks Conventions. 

But instead of a prayer on the back, the card has a quote by  Mr. Mikita that reads “Keep your feet grounded and always remember where you came from.”

Great words to live by. ■

Follow Sal Barry on Twitter @PuckJunk. 

Blake’s Takes: Low Risk, High Reward

The past week in the NHL was relatively quiet, but there were a few stories that provided a bit of excitement. This week, I’ll examine one of the biggest extensions in league history for a goalie and multiple low risk, high reward signings that could impact the playoff race. I’ll also preview two more teams for the upcoming season.

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Hockey Trade Night at The National

This Friday, after The National Sports Collectors Convention wraps up for the night, two colleagues and I will be hosting a Hockey Card Trade Night. Meet other hockey fans, trade cards with each other, and take part in our free raffle. The get-together will be at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare right across the street from the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. 

Here are the full details:

Date: Friday, August 2, 2019
Time: 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Location: Hyatt Regency O’Hare, 9300 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.
(right across the street from the DES Convention Center)
Room Number: DFW
For More Info: Call 586-522-5093 or email TreesCollectables@aol.com

We should have a sign out in the lobby that looks like the graphic above. 

Hopefully, some of you who see this will be at The National and will visit our little hockey card trading event. ■

Follow Sal Barry on Twitter @PuckJunk.

I Used FaceApp on Some Hockey Cards

Like 12.7 million other people this month, I downloaded FaceApp because it looked like a fun little phone app to play around with. For those who don’t know, FaceApp is a program for mobile phones that lets you take a picture and, using artificial intelligence, alters it by adding a smile, facial hair or glasses, among other things. You can also age a person to look older or younger than they actually are, with convincing results. 

It’s a very cool app, but unfortunately, like the 12.7 million other users, I didn’t realize that it had a questionable privacy policy. So, I ended up deleting FaceApp from my phone a few hours later, but not before having fun with some hockey cards. 

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Blake’s Takes: A Look Ahead to Next Season

With free agency having settled, hockey news has slowed down over recent weeks. So, I decided this week would be the perfect time to start my season previews. Each week, I’ll choose a few teams to feature and assess what we can expect from them this year. This week features the Sabres, Penguins, and Kings. I also take a look at one of the more-surprising extensions signed last week. 

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Blake’s Takes: A Trade of the Big Boys

The craziness of free agency may have died down, but there were still a few notable storylines in the NHL last week. We saw one of the more interesting trades in recent memory that seems even on paper but is most certainly not. There was a major change in number as well as a very large extension. Also, the NHL’s newest team finally named a GM.

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Book Review: The California Golden Seals

The California Golden Seals have a long and storied history as the worst hockey franchise in the NHL’s 100-plus years of existence. So long and so storied, in fact, that it took author Steve Currier over 400 pages to document all of it in his book, “The California Golden Seals: A Tale of White Skates, Red Ink, and One of the NHL’s Most Outlandish Teams.” If you love a good story about a bad team, then this book is worth the read.

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Hockey Cards That Need to Be Made

Ideas Beyond Jersey and Autograph Cards

My boss once gave me some advice during a performance review: “Don’t come to me with problems, come to me with solutions.” I’m sure it meant for me not to bother him complaints, but I took it another way. If you have a question, also have a variety of answers ready and we can figure out what’s best.

Taking this to heart, I’ve complained about how the rising cost of little cardboard rectangles should be worth your hard earned cash. Let’s be honest; you have a better chance of breaking even with a scratch off lottery ticket. But I’ve yet to offer solutions of what ideas would grow my little t-rex arms long enough to reach my wallet buried deep in my back pocket.

What follows are card idea, or notions at least, that are a breath of fresh air to the usual jersey cards and autographs. Upper Deck, if you’re reading this, you’re more than welcome to take these ideas and make them a reality for all the trading card nerds. But Panini – you you keep your hands to yourself!

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Blake’s Takes: More Offseason Talk

There were so many moves made this offseason that I had to comment on some of the signings from the beginning of July. I also look into the new contracts of Jordan Binnington of Kevin LeBanc, and the big trade between Colorado and Toronto.

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