Friday 25 November 2011

Mail Day! 1996-97 Fleer Metal Universe Lot

Well it's been a significant period of time between my last post and now; with Christmas just around the bend, I haven't been picking up many cards and I've also begun another collection - Panini stickers.  I guess it doesn't hurt to ask - but does anyone have any of these stickers/albums from when they were a child lying around?  I just recently started the 2011-12 NHL Panini sticker album as well, anyone else?

Anyway let's get to my latest additions to my hockey card collection - this 14 card lot from the 1996-97 Fleer Metal Universe set, which I picked up almost a month ago online for just under a dollar and free shipping.

John Vanbiesbrouck #64 - My favorite card from the lot for sure, featuring Beezer breaking through what appears to be glass.    The reverse captures a nice, clear view of Vanbiesbrouck's famous mask.

I sometimes do an eBay search looking for card lots from this set as it is one of my all-time favorites based on the unique design; I've always been intrigued by the cards and the foiled cardboard blew me away as a kid.  I've yet to come across the complete set at auction but if I do I'll definitely put up a bid.  On a side note, I'm damn well sure I owned a bunch of these cards when I collected back in the late 90s - but sadly I was only able to find just one when I picked up my boxed hockey card collection at my parents house several months ago, when I decided to get back into the hobby.

Ron Francis #125
Oleg Tverdovsky #123
Eric Desjardins #110


Ray Sheppard #62
Radek Dvorak #57
Joe Murphy #134


Pat Verbeek #43
Andy Moog #41
German Titov #23


Jason Dawe #13
Paul Coffey #67
Jeff O'Neil #69
Geoff Sanderson #71

As for the player criteria from the lot there's nobody to exactly write home about but nothing from the bottom of the barrel - Vanbiesbrouck, Coffey, Francis, Verbeek just to name a few of my favorites.  I also wanted to mention how great the Moog card looks; his pose definitely entwines with the card design as it depicts a missle-like explosion in the glove of the netminder.

Jesus Christ, as I look through these cards I'm still amazed after 15 years!  What a unique design; even the Joe Murphy card looks like a solid keeper!

Tuesday 15 November 2011

Pinnacle, Donruss and Upper Deck Rundown

Picked up a bunch of packs of random cards in an attempt to knock some cards from the want-lists, aside from some base that I needed I also pulled a few inserts - nothing to write home about but enough to scan and post a blog about.
First, lets start with the two packs of 2010-11 Panini Pinnacle - didn't really put a dent into what I have left to complete the set as I only managed to pull two cards that I needed; # 110 Tomas Vanek and #234 Dana Tyrell Ice Breakers.  Although worthy of a scan would be this card:


Martin St. Louis + Steven Stamkos / Chemistry On Canvas #3 - Nice feel to these cards, literally.


Sunday 13 November 2011

November 13th Flea Market Pick-Ups

I had the morning off today so we took a stroll down to the local Sunday flea market.  Aside from the two card tables that are set up, there really isn't much else too interesting to be honest.

I ended up leaving with a few new cards to add to my collection.  I'm pretty sure I walked away with the edge deal-wise.  Let me know what you think.


Mark Messier / 2008-09 Upper Deck Black Diamond Quad Jersey #BDJ-MM - I took this Messier two color quad game-used jersey card off the hands of one of the guys for $5.


Tommy Salo / 2001-02 Upper Deck SP Authentic Sign of the Times #TS Auto Buyback - I also got this card from the same guy for $5; it's a buyback card inserted into packs of 2004-05 Upper Deck SP Authentic.


Shane Doan + Jarome Iginla / 2010-11 Panini Playoff Contenders Draft Tandems #11 - I found this card in a binder at a $1.  Really like the look and idea of this set and hope to find more around; also there aren't many cards showing Iginla in a Dallas Stars jersey.


Joe Sakic / 1990-91 Upper Deck #164 - Sakic's second year and first card from Upper Deck for just a quarter.

Mario Lemieux / 1990-91 Upper Deck #144 - Another nice card from the original Upper Deck set for just fifty cents.

Paul Kariya / 1998-99 Topps Gold Label Class 1 #51 - This was the first card that I decided to pick up and for only a quarter I got this nice looking Kariya. I've never heard of Topps Gold Label before but I'm really liking the design.
In total I spent $12 - I think I did pretty good.

Saturday 12 November 2011

Mail Day! 2007-08 In The Game Heroes & Prospects - Angelo Esposito Jersey

Picked up this lovely jersey card from the bay a few weeks ago for about $4 shipping in.  I know that the value of a plain white jersey card have gone the way of the dinosaurs but I couldn't resist this one due to the size of the swatch and the player.


Angelo Esposito might not be seen as much of a top prospect nowadays in the eyes of some but back in 2007 he had it going for him; as an admirable 20th overall pick in the Entry Draft by the Penguins, Esposito had a bright future ahead so it seemed.

Fast-forward to 2011 and Esposito has been traded twice but has yet to see any ice time in the NHL.  I'm not 100% sure why I favour Esposito so much (could have been his underdog World Juniors story from a couple years ago) but I think he has promise and would have loved to see him see some action with the Pens; I think he would have fit in nicely with the team.  But those days are gone and hopefully the Panthers will give him a chance on their roster one day.


As for the card, the swatch was apparently taken from a game-used 2007 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects jersey (the jersey he is shown wearing on the front of the card).  Plain-white, takes up about half the card - not much else to say about it other than I hope to see more of Esposito in the future.

Wednesday 9 November 2011

Sunday 6 November 2011

Tim Thomas Creates Movember Mask Urging Fans To "Grow Your Mo"

Tim Thomas has followed suit behind Jonas Hiller in creating a special Movember themed mask design in an effort to raise money for his charity, the Tim Thomas Foundation.

The mask urges fan to "Grow Your Mo' and 'Beware of the Stache'; it also features the Bruins bear logo sporting a mustache.

At the end of the month the mask will be raffled away along with tickets to a Bruins-Canadiens game on Dec. 19 and a chance to meet Thomas.


Saturday 5 November 2011

2011-12 Panini Score Blaster Break

Picked up this blaster box of the latest Score set from Panini for just under $11 earlier today.  Panini has been bringing more and more to the table year after year with their annual low end set.  At 500 cards, the set won't be easy to complete - loaded with a variety of sub-sets and three parallels per card, it gets crazy.  But for a possible big bang at a low price, how can you not like it.


This year Brodeur is the face of the product; entering his final year of his contract - it's very well possible that this will be his final season of his record breaking career.


Friday 4 November 2011

TTM Success! Kelly Hrudey

Another TTM success, this time from former Los Angeles Kings alumni netminder and current Hockey Night In Canada broadcaster Kelly Hrudey.


I was sparked to create a custom and send a letter to Kelly after recently watching his 1987 Game 7 "Easter Epic" performance where Kelly made 73 saves (a playoff record) in a 3–2 Islander victory.

Reverse Side
Along with the custom I sent a 1992-93 Pro Set to have signed and returned, which Kelly happily did - aside from the cards, Mr Hrudey also left a short message on my original letter thanking me for the kind words.

Great return from Kelly Hrudey, I especially admire his choice to script me a personalized message at the botom of the original letter.

Tuesday 1 November 2011

Favorite Cards: 1988-89 O-Pee-Chee #123 Pat LaFontaine

This post under 'My Favorite Cards' features my very first hockey card - a 1988-89 O-Pee-Chee Pat Lafontaine.

As the story goes - as a kid I found this card in a small storage shed just behind my parents house, stuck to a wall using a tac; the same kind of tac shown on the front of the card.  You can see the puncture wound just above Pat's name.

The cards previous owner was my older brother who grew up a New York Islanders fan but never really collected hockey cards - so in his eyes this Pat Lafontaine card made a better clubhouse wall decal than a collectors item.
Not long after picking up this Lafontaine card I began collecting, loading up on  91-92 Pro Set and 91-92 Ultimate Original Six.  Those were the days.

Monday 31 October 2011

Through The Mail Trade: The Cardboard and Me

Happy Halloween everyone; it's snowing in some parts of Newfoundland today apparently but at the moment here in St. John's it looks more like a torrential downpour.  The longer the weather gods decide to put off a snowstorm the better in my opinion.

A big thank you to Barrett over at The Cardboard and Me for the cards as part of a trade that we made about a month ago.  I received the package today in good standing and it surely took a chunk out of a couple of my sets that I've been recently collecting.
#22 Vincent Lecavalier   #36 Patrick Marleau   #65 Daniel Alfredsson

Barrett sent 22 2010-11 Pinnacle cards my way - all of which I needed towards putting this set together.  I decided to post a scan just of my three favorites from the lot.  I'm not sure how many cards I still need from this but the want list has been updated if anyone is interested.
#180 Dion Phaneuf     #122 Marian Gaborik   #137 Daniel Briere
Also included in the lot were 17 cards from the 2011-12 Victory series.  The want list for this set has been updated as well, link on the sidebar for anyone who cares.

#1 Wayne Gretzky   #23 Joe Sakic   #4 Paul Kariya  #10 Steve Yzerman
And he also sent over 32 cards from one of my all-time favorite sets, the 1997-98 Donruss Studio collection.  I've only recently picked up on attempting to complete this product so the 32 cards really help me out here.

Thanks again for the cards Barrett, I really enjoyed them and I hope you liked my half of the deal just as much.  Check out his blog.

Halloween 1989

Saturday 29 October 2011

1990-91 Upper Deck NHL Hockey High Series

I'm not sure how a pack of these found it's way into a Toys R' Us buck bin full of Victory, but I'm glad it did.  This was the first ever hockey release by Upper Deck and one of my favorite looking sets to date.  The most recent release from Upper Deck celebreated the 20th anniversary of this sets release by releasing parallels in the 2010-11 set featuring the same design that was used during this production.


12 cards per pack, let's take a look inside after the jump.

Friday 28 October 2011

Favorite Cards: 1997-98 Pacific Invincible #47 Vladimir Konstantinov

Just wanted to do a quick feature on another one of my favorite cards that I own; found this while filing through a random box of cards and it seems to be the only one I have around from the 1997-98 Pacific Invincible set, Vladimir Konstantinov.


As for a little personal history lesson on this specific card; I'm pretty sure that I picked this up as part of a trade deal I made way back in elementary school - can't remember what I gave away in return though.

The design of these cards made it one of the best collectible cards of it's day.  The circular "window" at the bottom containing Vladdies head and the gold foil background enhancements were a unique direction at the time.  Pacific made some nice products during their stint in the cardboard market and this set is a true testament to that in my opinion.

Thursday 27 October 2011

Jonas Hiller Offers 'Movember' Support With Mustache Mask

For those of you who have not yet seen the newest mask offering from Ducks netminder Jonas Hiller, here are a few shots - apparently growing a mustache in support of men's health during the month of November just wasn't enough for Hiller, he went all out and dedicated a mask for the cause.


In November Hiller will trade out his usual attention grabbing solid-black mask for this one, depicting polaroids of his teammates sporting Sharpie drawn mustaches.


Personally I love it and think it's pretty comical!  Just had to post it on the blog.

Tuesday 25 October 2011

1997-98 Upper Deck Collector's Choice Box Breaks

Over the last two or three weeks I've randomly picked up a hobby box of 1997-98 Upper Deck Collector's Choice here and there - a combined total of maybe three.

As you would expect from three boxes I pulled a ton of cardboard; the majority were common doubles, several expired 'You Crash The Game' redemption cards and a few Stick'Ums.

At the risk of boring your pants off with every card that I added to my collection - I decided to just share my favorite cards from the breaks.

Pierre Turgeon / StarQuest Double Star #SQ56 - Two star tier cards come randomly inserted at approximately 1:58 packs.  I pulled this Turgeon inside the same pack as a quadruple star tier card, which you'll find out if you decide to keep reading.  I know, a two star tier card isn't much but after endlessly breaking one star cards anything above feels like a breath of fresh air.


Owen Nolan / StarQuest Triple Star #SQ78 -  1997 was the year when Nolan would dazzle the crowd in his own barn at the NHL All-Star Game by capping off a hat-trick with a 'called shot' on Dominik Hasek.  I remember watching it live on television, I was 13.


Brendan Shanahan / StarQuest Triple Star #SQ74 - I love these StarQuest cards, so much nostalgic value - I have never seen most of these before until I actually pull them so after more than 12 years there's still an "aww" factor when I so happen to find one.  Anyway Shanahan here is a triple star tier card, inserted 1:198 packs.


Keith Tkachuk / StarQuest Quadruple Star #SQ87 - The quad star tier cards are randomly inserted at a rate of 1:406 packs.  They have a special effect to them, as the backgrounds are darker and as well as the bottom borders.  The players seem to have a dark glow surrounding them as well, making them standout against the card.  Love these expansion era Coyotes jerseys; as a kid though I never knew what the logo actually was.  Pulled this Tkachuk card along with the Turgeon in the same pack.


Eric Lindros / StarQuest Quadruple Star #SQ88 - My favorite card from the box breaks was this Lindros quad star card.  Like the Tkachuk card, the effects and simple design make these cards eye candy worthy in my opinion.  Sadly during a quick visit to Indigo, I couldn't find Lindros worthy enough to be listed under this subset in the latest issue of Beckett.   Not just that card, but in general a lot of Lindros cards were missing their value.  Which got me thinking about the whole Lindros Hockey Hall of Fame debate.  One of the most dominating players of the 1990s will probably never gain the respect of the Hall due to his kicking and screaming entry into the league, his dramatic departure from Philadelphia and a career shortened by injuries.   Lindros was one of the most marketable players in hockey at one time and sometimes we forget just how good a player he was before he was robbed of his career by concussions.

Sunday 23 October 2011

Beckett Associates Mystery Case Break

I found another one of these mystery cases produced by Beckett Associates the other day; same deal as before, the case promises to included $50 in catalog value - with a chance to find over $100 catalog value in every 10th pack.

Friday 21 October 2011

TTM Success! Curtis Joseph

I'm stoked to post about my most recent TTM custom return from retired netminder Curtis Joseph!  I remember Cujo most vividly from his time spent with the Oilers and his first stint with the Maple Leafs.
Joseph is recognizable for his masks featuring a snarling dog, inspiration drawn from the Stephen King novel 'Cujo' - which is also his nickname.


I also sent away a this 1998-99 Pacific Paramount card to Joseph to have signed and returned.  Probably my favorite Curtis Joseph card that I've ever owned featuring a photo from the press conference when he announced his signing with the Maple Leafs.  Joseph became a superstar from there becoming one of the franchises fan favorites.

Thursday 20 October 2011

1997-98 Pinnacle Mint Collection Break

Hello all - during the mid-90s hockey coins showcasing your favorite players poorly inscribed faces replacing Queens, sailboats and dead Presidents were all the rage.  Pinnacle released a mint collection two years straight and if my memory serves me correctly McDonald's even released a Team Canada set during the Nagano Olympics.  But the concept faded away fairly quickly.

Another wax-junk break today from the 1997-98 Pinnacle Mint Collection series.  18 packs, 2 more than inside a hobby box (although the hobby boxes carry 2 coins per pack and a much better odds at hitting something); found all of these from a plastic bin at Toys r Us for a buck each.


So let's start with the commons; the set includes 30 cards and 30 coins, there are two commons, one die-cut card and one coin per pack.  There are 6 different coin variations, ranging from bronze to 24k gold solid coins.  Check out the entire break after the jump.

Wednesday 19 October 2011

TTM Success! Jean Beliveau

Another great return from one of the classiest players to ever play the game.  I was sparked to write Beliveau after watching his segment on the Legends of Hockey mini-series.


I like where Mr Beliveau decided to place his sig on the custom, directly inside the Stanley Cup.



As a player Beliveau won the Stanley Cup 10 times, and as an executive he was part of another seven championship teams, the most Stanley Cup victories by an individual to date. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1972.

Tuesday 18 October 2011

2008 Enterplay NHL Fan Pak

Found this lone package of 2008 Enterplay NHL Fan Pak amongst a Tubberware container full of 2008-09 Upper Deck Victory while at Toys R Us earlier today.  For just a buck I decided to pick it up and use it for the blog, I was curious to see what sort of stuff was inside.


Standees, stickers, TATTOOS, trivia and headlines - great assortment of stuff for kids.  Find out just what was inside after the jump.


Monday 17 October 2011

1997-98 Upper Deck Collector's Choice Box Break

I recently broke another box of this 1997-98 Upper Deck Collector's Choice; found it in the aisles of Wal-Mart marked with a discounted price tag.   It's always fun opening these boxes - even if it is considered pure wax-junk, the nostalgic value is worth the pocket change that I shelled out for it.


Besides I'm pretty close to finishing off the set and it's always a joy/bonus when you pull something other than a StarQuest single star card.  I wish I could find more of these boxes around town.

I decided to only post the base cards from the break that I needed for my set, along with the inserts that I pulled.  Check out some cards under the jump.

Sunday 16 October 2011

Double The Fairfield NHL Memorabilia Card Mystery Break

Couldn't resist dropping $12 on two more boxes of these memorabilia mystery boxes when I spotted them hanging out at Wal-Mart recently.  So far after purchasing two previously, I've had some pretty good luck with these boxes, pulling a 92-93 Fleer Ultra Jeremy Roenick autographed 'Performance Highlights' card in each break.


Saturday 15 October 2011

2010-11 Upper Deck Tin Break

I didn't even know it but I'm actually on the verge of completing this Series One set of 2010-11 Upper Deck.  I went and picked up another tin of these to break a few days ago; and yes, I'm still chasing those flagship Young Guns cards.


I scanned a few of my favorite cards from the break under the cut.  A few jersey pieces, Young Guns, Hockey Heroes and I also included my top eight favorite base pulls.

Friday 14 October 2011

2010-11 Panini Donruss

Picked up a fat pack of 2010-11 Donruss on the cheap maybe a week ago; really like the look of these cards, pretty simple with decent photographs.

At 40 cards per pack I decided to post just my top 10 favorites from the rip.


Patrick Kane #107 - The first overall draft pick in the 2007 Entry Draft; arguably the best American born player in the league at the moment.

Pavel Datsyuk #45 - Now on to one of the most underrated players in the league, Pavel Datsyuk -  Datsyuk's cumulative GVT is 80.8, putting him third among skaters, behind Crosby (82.8) and Ovechkin (an incredible 108.7), even though he is only 10th in total points over that period. Datsyuk's value has always been as a two-way player, over the last four seasons Datsyuk is plus-103, second only to Ovechkin's plus-105.

Nathan Gerbe #182 - Gerbe is the shortest player in the NHL at 5'5" - which is basically the reason why I'm into him so much these days (I'm also just 5'5"). 


Joe Thornton #80 - Former first overall draft pick in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft by the Boston Bruins - Joe remains a marquee player.

Rick Nash #49 - I'm convinced that if Nash was on a better team he would be putting up much higher numbers. 

Luke Schenn #168 - Fifth overall pick in the 2008 Draft and a key part of the Leaf's long-term future.


Thomas Vanek #121

Ed Jovanovski #113 - Added Jovanovski due to him being one of my favorite d-men when I was a kid, especially when he played for Team Canada - a team he has suited up for a total of seven times.

Dustin Brown #235


Tim Thomas / Boys Of Winter #59 - As you can tell, not the jersey version of these cards but I guess in these fat packs something of that sort doesn't come easy. Nice picture of Thomas in the Winter Classic gear nonetheless.

As for collecting, lately I've been attempting to organize my collection in plastic sheets, numerical order by sets and years.  It honestly feels like I'll never see the end of it - so many cards, especially from the junk wax era.  And when I have it all finished I have no idea where I'm going to find the space in my apartment to hold a dozen or more binders.

Other than that I've been working, same job - never received a call back after my interview from that previous job that I mentioned; I'm kinda happy that I didn't when I think about it.  I'm pretty stoked on heading back to post-secondary in January, I haven't been in a classroom environment in maybe over 6-7 years - hopefully it goes very well and I thoroughly enjoy it.  So during that time frame I figure that I'm going to have to slow down on the card collecting hobby.

Thursday 13 October 2011

Mail Day! 1980-81 Topps Wayne Gretzky All Star #87

I received this card just a few days ago; another vintage Gretzky to add to the collection.  A 1980-81 Topps Wayne Gretzky 2nd Team All-Star.  This is a card from Gretzkys second year and still remains unscratched; I managed to pick it up online for only $8 shipping in - ignore the tape over Gretzkys helmet, I scanned this from the plastic holder.


Here is a scan from the back of the card, not much going on here - other than the obvious.

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