2011-12 Upper Deck Black Diamond Break

I ripped a few packs of the latest 2011-12 Upper Deck Black Diamond earlier today; I must say that my luck on pulling some nice cards have been on my side lately.

I'll start this post off with my biggest hit...

Ryan Nugent Hopkins ""Rookie Gems" Quad Diamond #250 - My second Hopkins card and it's a big one.

I also pulled a couple other quad diamond cards from the break.  Love how Upper Deck decided to use an All-Star game photo for the quad cards.

Mike Gartner #213 Quad Diamond
Matt Frattin # 234 "Rookie Gems" Quad Diamond

I also pulled eight triple diamond cards including a gold version #d out of 10.

Maxime Macenauer "Rookie Gems" #177 Triple Diamond
Cam Atkinson "Rookie Gems" #180 Triple Diamond
Brett Bulmer "Rookie Gems" #199 Triple Diamond
Cam Atkinson "Rookie Gems" Gold #180 Triple Diamond #d 09/10

Paul Postma "Rookie Gems" #195 Triple Diamond
Zdeno Chara #162 Triple Diamond
Ryan Kesler #155 Triple Diamond
Rick Nash #164 Triple Diamond

Anddd five double diamonds

Evander Kane #101 Double Diamond
Jimmy Howards #113 Double Diamond
Joe Pavelski #121 Double Diamond
Jeff Skinner #126 Double Diamond
Daniel Alfredsson #144 Double Diamond

Overall pretty happy with the results, just thought I'd share.

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.

2008-09 Upper Deck Series 1 Pack Lot Break

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

2011-12 Upper Deck Hockey Artifacts

The second trading card product of the 2011-12 hockey season was released today, Upper Deck Hockey Artifacts.  Fleury is the cover-boy for the product this year, a nice little change from Crosby, Toews or Hall.  Each pack includes 4 cards and advises me to watch out for 'tons of great hits!'

2010-11 Upper Deck Series One Hockey Tin Break

In an attempt to score a Young Guns card of Hall, Subban or Kadri I found myself at the Wal-Mart checkout counter once again with a tin of Upper Deck 2010-11.

2009-10 Upper Deck Champ's Break

Hello all.  I've been working on a few bells and whistles for the blog, if you take a look to your right you'll see an example of an incomplete example of what I'm referring to.  I was getting somewhat tired of the massive amount of text links that hugged the sidebar and figured trying something that might be a little more visibly appealing.

Speaking of visibly appealing, I recently purchased a blaster of 2009-10 Upper Deck Champ's at a local flea market for a discounted price.  I love the look of these cards so much, so much that they rank pretty high up there on a my favorite card designs of all time list.

2010-11 Upper Deck Black Diamond Pack Rip 1/3

Wanted to dip into something new today so I went and picked up some of the latest Black Diamond from Upper Deck.  The possibility of pulling something exciting seems endless and worthwhile - Quad Diamonds, jerseys, autos and die-cuts all sound good in my book.

5 cards per pack, as per usual check under the cut to find a rundown of the rip.

1992-93 Upper Deck Hockey Pack Rip 1/3

I dropped back to the newly discovered local card shop recently and picked up a few packs; three being these 1992-93 Upper Deck which were going for 3 for $4.

Decided to grab some for novelty and nostalgic rip value.  15 cards per pack, check out the cut to find a rundown.

2010-11 Upper Deck Series 1 Double Pack Break

You know I cringe a little when I pick up a pack of cards for anything over $5; which in reality, that's basically what most individual packs go for.

The latest Upper Deck still hangs onto that previously mentioned price tag, but after a disappointing stop at Toys R Us where no cards of interest were to be found - I decided to dig a little deeper into the wallet than I had anticipated and pick up two packs hoping to maybe pull a nice Hall, Subban or Kadri Young Gun.

Pack 1

Taylor Hall / PK Subban / Nazem Kadri Young Guns Checklist #250 - Um... Almost but not not quite what I was hoping for.

Favorite Cards: 1997-98 Upper Deck Collector's Choice StarQuest

As I was flipping through my binders recently I came across my collection of 1997-98 Upper Deck Collector's Choice StarQuest sheets that I saved.  This 90-card, four-tier insert set features color photos of some of the top NHL Superstars printed using the hobby's top technology at the time.  The 45 cards in Tier One were randomly inserted one in every pack; the 20 cards in Tier Two were randomly inserted one in every 21 packs;  the 15 cards of Tier Three were randomly inserted one in every 71 packs; the 10 cards of Tier Four were randomly inserted one in every 145 packs.

I collected 35/45 Tier One cards, 2/20 cards from Tier Two and just 1/15 of the cards from Tier Three.  I never did pull a card from Tier Four.  I still enjoy these cards and like them much more than the StarQuest cards released in the 1998-99 Collector's Choice set and the parallel system used.

After I complete my 96-97 Score Sudden Death Project I think I'll start attempting to put this StarQuest set together.  If any of you guys have any of these for trade that aren't included in the scans, let me know!  I've included scans of all the cards I have in my collection under the cut.