Hockey cards, collectibles and culture
Truth be told, I’ve kind of outgrown the desire to recap the various cards and collectibles that I acquire at shows. Part of it seems like bragging (“Look how much money I spent!”) and part of it seems rather trivial (“Yep, I found that Ilya Bryzgalov rookie card in the quarter box!”). Plus, I’d rather … Continue reading “My 2017 National Haul”
Slap Shot came out 40 years ago and has endured as the greatest hockey movie of all time. However, there was never a set of Slap Shot cards to collect. But as you probably know, some of the characters in the film were actually hockey players and did have cards made. Even better, some of … Continue reading “How to Build a Slap Shot Card Collection”
Three mistakes were made in the 1990-91 Bowman Hockey set, produced by Topps in the fall of 1990. Only one of the errors was corrected, though.
Four cards in 1994-95 Upper Deck Series One Hockey have variants. Cards of Mario Lemieux, Igor Larionov, Sergio Momesso and Mike Sillinger were produced with two different numbers on the back. Below are pictures of each of the four cards’ fronts, plus pictures of both back variants.
It was a frosty Chicago afternoon in late December of 1991. I was on break from school. The “Christmas money” was burning a hole in my wallet. It burned hot enough to make me brave the cold and venture out to the local mall. For those who grew up in Chicago, the mall I speak of … Continue reading “Review: 1991-92 Pro Set Platinum Hockey”
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”