Puck Junk’s Top Articles of 2024

Happy New Year, Puck Junk readers! The holidays were great for me – but they also kept me away from this blog quite a bit during the month of December. Hopefully, I will have more time in 2025 to write about hockey and hockey collecting. 

Looking back at the past year, we published 40 articles on Puck Junk – in addition to releasing 34 episodes of the Puck Junk Podcast (more about that here) and sending out 52 issues of the Puck Junk Newsletter

Not surprisingly, the most popular article on this website was about Connor Bedard – specifically, his Young Guns rookie card. In fact, four of the top five articles were about card values. Here’s a look at the five most-read articles published on Puck Junk in 2024. 

Continue reading “Puck Junk’s Top Articles of 2024”

Puck Junk’s Top Podcasts of 2024

With the first Puck Junk Podcast episode for 2025 just a few days away, I thought now would be a good time to look back and see how the Podcast did in 2024. 

During the 2024 calendar year, we released 34 episodes. Topics ranged from reviews of new hockey card releases, “setrospectives” of older hockey card sets, interviews with players and insiders, and recaps of major conventions such as the National and the Toronto Sport Card Expo. We really “ran the gambit” of topics, as Tim would say. 

We had listeners from all over the world tune into our show in 2024. About 53% of our audience hails from the United States, while 38% are from Canada. Rounding out the top three is Germany, which accounts for 2% of our audience. We also have listeners from Finland, China, Singapore, Sweden, Australia, Norway and France. (This might be the only time that China ranks higher than Sweden in anything related to hockey.)

For what it’s worth, most of our listeners get our show from Apple Podcasts, followed by Spotify. 

Below are the five most listened to episodes of the Puck Junk Podcast that were released in 2024. If you are a new listener, or you missed some of these episodes, give these a listen to tide you over until our next episode comes out at the end of the week. 

Continue reading “Puck Junk’s Top Podcasts of 2024”

The Puck Junk Bad Hockey Card Hall of Fame: Class of 2024

With 2024 coming to a close, it was now or never for announcing the Puck Junk Bad Hockey Card Hall of Fame: Class of 2024. But there’s nothing quite like a deadline to get things done, right? 

This year’s Hall of Fame class sees three new members added to the Bad Paint Job Category, four new members enshrined in the Bad Photograph Category, two new members honored in the Bad Idea Category, and – for the first time since 2021 – a new addition in the Bad Mascot Category. 

Continue reading “The Puck Junk Bad Hockey Card Hall of Fame: Class of 2024”

Puck Junk Podcast: The Re-Sold 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee Hockey Case

Plus: The Return of Fanatics Fest NYC
Episode #207: December 20, 2024

In the last Puck Junk Podcast of 2024, the guys talk about the 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee Hockey case that was sold – AGAIN! – at Heritage Auctions, and why the case was sold a second time. Plus, the return of Fanatics Fest NYC, new Upper Deck exclusive autograph athletes, and more. It’s 99 minutes of hockey goodness.

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 PodcastsYouTube PodcastsAmazon MusicCastboxDeezeriHeartRadioOvercast,  
PlayerFMPocketCastsPodcast AddictPodchaserSpotifyStitcher,
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 Case of the Resold OPC Case

Just imagine owning an O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky rookie card, pack fresh and with four sharp corners. Now imagine owning 24 of them.

For one recent auction winner, that dream could become a reality. On December 5, Heritage Auctions sold a full case of 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee hockey cards for $2.52 million USD. A case has 16 boxes. A box has 48 packs. Each pack has 14 cards. If the entire case is opened, it could have anywhere from 24 to 28 Gretzky rookie cards inside. 

Continue reading “The Case of the Resold OPC Case”

Clemente’s Corner: Talking Hockey Cards with ChatGPT

There’s so much talk about artificial intelligence these days. In fact, AI is all the rage. Some of you use it; many of us fear it.

I had a thought recently: What does ChatGPT think about the sports card hobby and could collectors learn anything from it? 

The following is a conversation with ChatGPT about the hockey card hobby and what we should know as we enter a new year.

Continue reading “Clemente’s Corner: Talking Hockey Cards with ChatGPT”

Puck Junk Podcast: 2023-24 Skybox Metal Universe Hockey Cards

Episode #206: December 7, 2024

After a three-week hiatus, the Puck Junk Podcast is back. This week, the guys talk about the 2023-24 Skybox Metal Universe Hockey set. Plus, a recap of the recent Chicago Sports Spectacular, how the Canadian Postal strike will affect buying and trading hockey cards, and more. It’s 109 minutes of hockey goodness. 

Show Notes and Links
2023-24 Skybox Metal Universe Checklist & Images (Trading Card DB)

Follow
Follow Sal Barry on X/Twitter @PuckJunk & Instagram @PuckJunk.
Follow Tim Parish on X/Twitter @TheRealDFG & Instagram @therealdfg66.
Follow Clemente Lisi on X/Twitter @ClementeLisi
Podcast music by Retro Game Remix – follow them on YouTube

Listen
Listen to the Puck Junk Podcast on Apple PodcastsYouTube PodcastsAmazon MusicCastboxDeezeriHeartRadioOvercast,  
PlayerFMPocketCastsPodcast AddictPodchaserSpotifyStitcher,
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

Puck Junk Podcast: Fall 2024 Sport Card Expo Toronto Recap

Episode #205: November 15, 2024

Sal and Clemente talk about going to last weekend’s Fall 2024 Sport Card Expo in Toronto – including what they saw, what they bought, what autographs they got, and how card prices were all over the place. Plus, a look at the upcoming Chicago Sports Spectacular, and Fanatics’ venture into the card supplies market. It’s 105 minutes of hockey goodness. 

Follow
Follow Sal Barry on X/Twitter @PuckJunk & Instagram @PuckJunk.
Follow Tim Parish on X/Twitter @TheRealDFG & Instagram @therealdfg66.
Follow Clemente Lisi on X/Twitter @ClementeLisi
Podcast music by Retro Game Remix – follow them on YouTube

Listen
Listen to the Puck Junk Podcast on Apple PodcastsYouTube PodcastsAmazon MusicCastboxDeezeriHeartRadioOvercast,  
PlayerFMPocketCastsPodcast AddictPodchaserSpotifyStitcher,
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

Clemente’s Corner: Oddball Collectibles Highlight the Fall 2024 Toronto Expo

The National Sports Collectors Convention may be the show everyone wants to attend each summer, but the Toronto Sport Card Expo is the show I need to fly to each fall.

The four-day show, which concluded this past weekend, is Canada’s biggest card and memorabilia show – and one that I have made a point to attend each November.

Held twice a year (there is also a spring edition), this fall’s get-together was packed with collectors and featured sports cards and memorabilia from the past and present. The show, however, is known for its hockey cards.

While I did buy cards for my collection, I also spent hours looking through bins rummaging for oddball hockey collectables that are the norm at Canadian shows.  

Here are some cool items I saw at the show (all dating back to the 1990s) and their backstory: Continue reading “Clemente’s Corner: Oddball Collectibles Highlight the Fall 2024 Toronto Expo”

Puck Junk Podcast: 2024-25 Upper Deck Series One Hockey Cards

Episode #204: November 5, 2024

Sal, Tim, and Clemente talk about the new 2024-25 Upper Deck Series One Hockey set, which has a lackluster design and way too many inserts, but also has a promising group of Young Guns. They discuss this weekend’s Fall Sport Card Expo in Toronto as well as the big announcement about the 2025 National Sports Collectors Convention. It’s 86 minutes of hockey goodness. 

Follow
Follow Sal Barry on X/Twitter @PuckJunk & Instagram @PuckJunk.
Follow Tim Parish on X/Twitter @TheRealDFG & Instagram @therealdfg66.
Follow Clemente Lisi on X/Twitter @ClementeLisi
Podcast music by Retro Game Remix – follow them on YouTube

Listen
Listen to the Puck Junk Podcast on Apple PodcastsYouTube PodcastsAmazon MusicCastboxDeezeriHeartRadioOvercast,  
PlayerFMPocketCastsPodcast AddictPodchaserSpotifyStitcher,
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