Hockey cards, collectibles and culture
The new year is barely 3 weeks old and already I’ve managed to uphold one of my Collecting Resolutions: Complete These @#$% Sets Already I placed an order on the Beckett Marketplace last week and purchased 64 cards. Many brought me closer to completing many different sets. But 16 of these cards were special, because … Continue reading “10 Sets "Killed Off" in 2012”
Every year, I try to make some New Year’s Resolutions in regards to hockey card collecting. This year, I’m making them public. Maybe this will make me more accountable for my collecting habits, right? So, here are my 5 Collecting Resolutions for 2012: 5. Avoid Retail Packs En MasseI like opening up blaster boxes as … Continue reading “5 Collecting Resolutions for 2012”
Nope, your eyes do not deceive you–I have been seeking this Mark Fitzpatrick card for nearly two decades. It is from the 1992-93 Fleer Ultra set–the height of the “Junk Wax Era,” though I prefer to call those years “Neo-Vintage.” Specifically, this was from the Awards Winners insert set, back when inserts were actually cool … Continue reading “19 years later, this card is finally mine!”
Twenty-one cards from the upstart team’s first season 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. … Continue reading “Review: 1972-73 Quebec Nordiques”
October 5, 2007 to Present Puck Junk is 4 today. But October 5 is an important day for two other reasons: Yep, both Mario Lemieux and Patrick Roy were born on October 5, 1965. Coincidentally, I recently purchased the two Topps Rookie cards you see above. I guess today was the “right” day to share … Continue reading “Puck Junk is 4 today”
This was the last 1963-64 Parkhurst hockey card I bought at The National, and by far the most expensive to date. I have never heard of Alex Faulkner, and had no idea why this card–his rookie card–was selling for upwards of $100. That didn’t make sense to me. He’s not the most famous Red Wing, … Continue reading “1963-64 Parkhurst #42 – Alex Faulkner”
1991-92 Upper Deck cards #647 – Bloodlines: Valery and Pavel Bure When the hockey card market suddenly got crowded in 1990, companies had to find a way to stand out from their competition. Parallels and inserts were not yet commonplace, so card makers resorted to an age-old tactic to make as many cards of the … Continue reading “Bures and the Beach”
Two weeks ago, I asked readers of this blog if they collected graded cards. I also expressed my overall disdain of the whole card grading thing. But earlier this year I sent in two cards to get graded. I figured that I couldn’t really have an opinion in the matter unless I experienced it. Plus, … Continue reading “Making the Grade”
Click to view larger My sister clipped this comic from the newspaper and gave it to me. I think we all can relate to Charlie Brown here. I know I can. Ironically, it was my sister who always got the one card I wanted-needed-had-to-have when we were kids. Whoever was my personal “Joe Shlabotnik” at … Continue reading “Question: Your own personal Joe Shlabotnik”
1974-75 Topps Hockey Scratch-Off Game card If a lottery ticket and a hockey card had a lovechild together, this would be the result: the 1974-75 Topps Hockey Scratch-Off Game card.