You put a lot of time, passion, and money into your collection. So, it is only natural that you would want to display your best cards – either graded or ungraded – on your wall. BCW Interlocking Card Frames are a great way to display your cardboard treasures for the world to see. They are versatile, easy to hang, fit together nicely, and add a touch of class to your display. Read the rest of the story at the BCW Supplies Blog.
The 2024-25 Collecting Season Starts Today
Launch of MVP Signals Start of New Collecting Year
Happy New Collecting Year!
Today, Upper Deck released its 2024-25 MVP Hockey card set. In recent history, MVP is always the first hockey set released for the season – meaning that the 2024-25 hockey collecting season has officially begun.
Like previous years’ MVP sets, the 2024-25 MVP Hockey set consists of 200 base cards and 50 short prints. The 50 short prints are either of rookies who made their debuts late during the previous season – a.k.a. “Leftover Rookies,” as I like to call them – or of star NHL players.
Of course, there are parallels and inserts galore, as well as the chance of pulling a redemption card that can be exchanged for a “Number One Draft Pick” card of Sharks’ rookie Macklin Celebrini.
With the start of hockey season still over six weeks away, it does seem a bit premature to release cards for the new season. I mean, some of us are still trying to complete several sets from the 2023-24 season.
Continue reading “The 2024-25 Collecting Season Starts Today”
Puck Junk Podcast: Fanatics Fest NYC & 2023-24 Synergy Hockey Cards
Episode #197: August 23, 2024
In this episode, the guys talk about the first-ever Fanatics Fest, which was held in New York August 16-18. The show had its ups and downs and was a very different experience than traditional card conventions like the National. Plus, a long discussion about the 2023-24 Synergy Hockey card set. It’s 99 minutes of hobby goodness!
Show Notes and Links
Fanatics Fest NYC Delivers Glitz and Glamour (Sports Collectors Digest)
Why Fanatics Fest Was Better than National for Hockey Fans (Puck Junk)
“Heavy Metal” by Sammy Hagar (YouTube)
Four Hobby Phrases That Should Be Retired Now! (Puck Junk)
2023-24 Synergy Hockey Checklist (TCDB)
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 Podcasts, YouTube Podcasts, Amazon Music, Castbox, Deezer, iHeartRadio, Overcast,
PlayerFM, PocketCasts, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher,
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: Why Fanatics Fest Was Better for Hockey Fans Than the National
It’s been quite a busy summer for card and memorabilia collectors. Over the span of just a few weeks, both the National Sports Collectors Convention and Fanatics Fest NYC took place in Cleveland and New York, respectively.
Many of you went to one of these big shows. Some may have even gone to both. I was among that group who walked thousands of steps in an effort to compare the two shows and figure out which one was better.
So, which one was the better show?
The answer depends largely on what you were looking for. The National is a card and memorabilia show with autograph signers. Fanatics Fest was sold as the first-ever “immersive sports festival” that also had a card show as a part of it. They, too, had signers, but it was much bigger and the production value high enough to make it a first-class event.
Here are three reasons why Fanatics Fest NYC was better than this year’s National when it comes to hockey fans and collectors:
Continue reading “Clemente’s Corner: Why Fanatics Fest Was Better for Hockey Fans Than the National”
Puck Junk Podcast: 2023-24 Upper Deck Extended Series Hockey Cards
Plus: More Sport Card Crimes!
Episode #196: August 16, 2024
Sal, Tim, and Clemente talk all about the 2023-24 Upper Deck Extended Series Hockey Card set, which has yet to catch on with collectors, despite all the good cards packed into it. Plus, a discussion about recent sport card-related crimes, and a look at the upcoming Fanatics Fest. It’s 104 minutes of hobby goodness!
Show Notes and Links
$275,000 in Cash Stolen from Vehicle at National (Sports Collectors Daily)
2 Arrested for Bar Code Switching on Card Boxes (Sports Collectors Daily)
Preview of the First Fanatics Fest in NYC (Sports Collectors Digest)
Video: WKRP in Cincinnati Turkey Drop clip (YouTube)
Video: Sal Pulls a Bedard Auto from ’23-24 Black Diamond (Puck Junk)
Upper Deck Answers My Burning Questions (Puck Junk)
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 Podcasts, YouTube Podcasts, Amazon Music, Castbox, Deezer, iHeartRadio, Overcast,
PlayerFM, PocketCasts, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher,
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. ■
Card of the Week: 1970-71 Topps Bob Baun
By John Geoffrion
What follows is an entirely fictional account, but based on the 1970-71 Topps Hockey set and the transactions that happened right around the print deadline, it’s probably close to reality… Continue reading “Card of the Week: 1970-71 Topps Bob Baun”
Puck Junk Podcast: 2024 National Sports Collectors Convention Recap
Episode #195: August 12, 2024
Sal Barry, Clemente Lisi, and Tim Parish give their extended recap of the 2024 National Sports Collectors Convention. With half the show populated by old school card sellers and the other half filled with new bloods like breakers, the 2024 National felt like two card shows in one. Find out what was great about this year’s National – and what wasn’t – and why five is the new ten. It’s 93 minutes of hobby goodness!
Show Notes and Links
Sal’s Recap of the 2024 National (Puck Junk Newsletter)
Upper Deck a Big Presence at The National (Sports Collectors Digest)
Security Tight at The National (Sports Collectors Digest)
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 Podcasts, YouTube Podcasts, Amazon Music, Castbox, Deezer, iHeartRadio, Overcast,
PlayerFM, PocketCasts, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher,
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. ■
Tim’s Take: Hobby Re-Packs in a Post-Pandemic Society
As Marvin Gaye once pined, “Life Is a Gamble.”
If you know that obscure song (more of an ambiance piece) from the Trouble Man soundtrack, kudos to you and your good taste in music.
But it’s true. Life IS a gamble. The phenomenon of re-pack products for trading cards has pushed its way to the forefront of the hobby over the last few years and surely tests that cliche.
If you want my personal, honest opinion on these right off the top, well, “JUST DON’T!”
There, done, article over.
But what’s the fun in that?
Continue reading “Tim’s Take: Hobby Re-Packs in a Post-Pandemic Society”
My Recap of the 2024 National Sports Collectors Convention
Last month, the 44th annual National Sports Collectors Convention took place in Cleveland, Ohio. And for the fourth year in a row, I set up at the National to sell hockey cards and Puck Junk t-shirts, and to promote the Puck Junk Podcast.
As much fun as it is to be at a five-day card show, it is also a grind. Continue reading “My Recap of the 2024 National Sports Collectors Convention”
Visit Puck Junk at the National This Week
Drop by Booth #700 and Get a Free “Bad Hockey Card” Set
I will be at the National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland later this week to sell some t-shirts and hockey cards – and to promote the Puck Junk Podcast.
Are you coming to the National this year? Visit me at Booth #700 – with Memory Lane and AU Sports, near the entrance and across from the food court. Here’s an easy map that shows how to find me:
Drop by Booth #700, say hi, and get a free set of Bad Hockey Card Hall of Fame Trading Cards – All New Series 2! Continue reading “Visit Puck Junk at the National This Week”