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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

TTM Success! Wendel Clark

I was surprised to find a ttm return awaiting me in my mailbox yesterday, lately I've almost given up on all the cards that I've sent out - but Wendel Clark pulled through, sending back the cards that I mailed off to him at the beginning of September; his John Hancock included.



Clarks return makes it number eight in my signed custom card collection, not too shabby in my opinion.

O-Pee-Chee 2011-12 Double Pack Break

Finally put an update together....

Mail Day! 2006-07 Parkhurst #87 Willie O'Ree

Quick mail day update; I picked up this Willie O'Ree Parkhurst auto card on eBay a while back after a post on Shoebox Legends blog. Decided that it was a card that I wanted to have in my collection and voilà, the rest is history.

2011-12 Upper Deck Victory Double Fat Pack Break

The title says it all, it's a double fat pack break from 2011-12 Victory.  Enjoy watching me pronounce half the names incorrectly, damn Euros!

2011-12 Upper Deck Victory Want List

Hello folks, I've decided to post my want list for the 2011-12 Upper Deck Victory set; quite a few cards I still need, those Victory Rookie and MVP cards can be a bitch to come by in packs.

Check out the list and let me know if you have anything that I'm looking for, hopefully we can work something out.  Take a look under the cut for the list.

Updated: 31/10/2011

1997-98 Upper Deck Choice Hobby Box Break

I recorded this break yesterday as you can probably tell from the same clothes that I'm wearing and my battle cats in the background.

Picked up another box of 1997-98 Upper Deck Choice on the cheap ($8) that was floating around Wal-Mart ... I'm pretty close to filling out the set now so when I see a box of this wax junk around I'm pretty interested in the contents.

Anyway check out the break videos.

Sunday Market Pickups

Just a quick vlog showcasing some cards that I picked up over the weekend at the Sunday flea market to add to my collection.

1997-98 Upper Deck Choice Hobby Box Break

I've decided to record videos of my breaks and additions to my collection instead of posting about them in blog form - scanning and uploading a  box of cards can be very time consuming.  I hope you all continue to follow and subscribe to the Youtube account.