When collecting trading cards, trading is a great way to get rid of cards that you don't want and acquire cards that you need. Unfortunately, trading isn't always as easy as it seems. Some collectors are difficult to trade with, it's not always possible to find you need, and you may not have what other collectors need. While the internet has given rise to the number of possible traders out there, trust can also be an issue with someone that you've never met.
To upgrade my collection, I sell on eBay. When buyers pay me through PayPal, I use that cash (and only that cash) to acquire new cards for my collection. By only using that money, it's as if I've traded my sold cards for the purchased cards.
With eBay's 50 free listings per month, it's a great opportunity to list some cards which have no place in my collection. It's surprising to see what you can sell and then buy at virtually the same price.
My past 10 sales on eBay have been:
2011 Paini Prime Cuts Kevin Matthew Auto - $2.79
12-13 Fleer Retro Chet Pickard Autograph - $2.29
2009 Panini Contenders Kory Sheets Auto - $11.83
08-09 ITG BTP Brian Elliot Autograph - $1.99
07-08 UD McDonald's Joe Sakic Insert - $1.69
06-07 UD SPA Ryan Shannon FW Auto - $1.49
09-10 UD SPA SOTT Andrew Cogliano Auto - $1.89
12-13 ITG H&P Daniel Altshuller Jersey - $1.89
09-10 UD Young Guns RC Lot (7) - $3.99
07-08 ITG H&P Cody Franson Auto - $1.79
Total sales - $31.64
My past 10 purchases on eBay have been:
11-12 Parkhurst Champions Pat Stapleton Auto - $3.13
11-12 Parkhurst Champions Doug Wilson Auto - $3.03
11-12 Parkhurst Champions Steve Larmer Auto - $3.55
11-12 Parkhurst Champions Rick MacLeish Auto - $2.53
00-01 UD Retro Epic Signatures Pat Verbeek Auto - $3.01
00-01 UD Retro Epic Signatures Keith Tkachuk Auto - $1.85
00-01 UD Retro Epic Signatures Denis Potvin Auto - $2.30
10-11 Donruss Tough Times Ron Hextall Auto - $3.50
04-05 UD Legendary Signatures Ted Lindsay Auto - $6.59
11-12 Panini Prime Signatures Mark Scheifele Auto - $4.03
Total Purchases - $33.52
There's always a little give and take on shipping charges but, on this occasion, I was on the good side of about two dollars.
When I look at what I sold on eBay, I see some autographs of rookies who never made it, some rookie cards of average players, an insert of a star, and some sticker autographs. Nothing which really fits into my collection.
When I look at what I purchased on eBay for basically the same amount of money, I see 10 hard-signed autographs of stars and minor stars from the past few decades, multiple 1,000 point scorers, multiple Hall of Famers, and an autographed rookie card of a highly-rated young player.
If I placed my ten (sold) cards in front of another collector do you think I'd be able to acquire the ten (purchased) cards. In my opinion, I think I'd be lucky to acquire 2 or 3 of the cards which I bought.
I still enjoy trading. It's nice to make a deal. However, by selling my cards for $30+ dollars and then buying the others for $30+ dollars, it's a way to upgrade my collection with a little more ease.
Monday, September 2, 2013
Friday, June 7, 2013
Hockey Hall of Fame - Collector's Corner
The Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Ontario has a Collector's Corner sponsored by Upper Deck. The walls in the back corner showcase a wide array of tickets, coins, games, dolls, apparel, pennants, and food items from around the world. In addition, there is an Island of Cards.
Although it's great to see a tribute to hockey cards and collectibles in the Hockey Hall of Fame, it was somewhat disjointed and without much detailed information. On the Island of Cards, hockey cards seemed mostly just randomly dropped into slots. There was no description of what or why these particular cards were chosen.
As a fan of the hobby, it would be nice to see the whole area revamped. I'd love to get to Cooperstown and see how it compares to the baseball card collection there.
Although it's great to see a tribute to hockey cards and collectibles in the Hockey Hall of Fame, it was somewhat disjointed and without much detailed information. On the Island of Cards, hockey cards seemed mostly just randomly dropped into slots. There was no description of what or why these particular cards were chosen.
As a fan of the hobby, it would be nice to see the whole area revamped. I'd love to get to Cooperstown and see how it compares to the baseball card collection there.
Monday, May 6, 2013
301/342
With a few pick-ups at the Sports Card Expo in Toronto this weekend, I was able to pass the 300 mark in my quest to complete a low-grade version of the Topps 1956 Baseball set.
Picking up Minnie Minoso, Bob Feller, Bill Skowron, and Elston Howard, I now have put together 88% of the set.
Obviously, it will be harder and harder to finish this set off at a reasonable cost but I'm quite proud to only need 40 more base cards and 1 of the 2 checklists.
Picking up Minnie Minoso, Bob Feller, Bill Skowron, and Elston Howard, I now have put together 88% of the set.
Obviously, it will be harder and harder to finish this set off at a reasonable cost but I'm quite proud to only need 40 more base cards and 1 of the 2 checklists.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
500 NHL Goal Scorers - Project Complete!
One of the bonuses of completing the 1,000 NHL Point Project is that the list contains most of the NHL's 500 Goal Scorers. It definitely reduced the need for finding a lot more hard-signed hockey cards.
In the history of the NHL, 42 players have scored 500 goals in their career. Luckily for me, 40 of those players finished their careers with over 1,000 points.
The only two players to score 500 goals but not reach 1,000 points are Maurice 'The Rocket' Richard and Peter Bondra.
Peter Bondra scored 503 goals and 892 points in his career. Long remembered as a Washington Capital, he holds many team records. A five-time NHL All-Star, Bondra twice won the Fastest Skater Competition on All-Star weekend. Although he never scored 90 points in an NHL season, he twice scored 50 goals.
From 1995-96 Upper Deck Be A Player comes this Global Training hard-signed autograph of Peter Bondra. Pulled from a pack years ago by myself, this card is easily available for only about $5.
Maurice 'The Rocket' Richard was the first NHL player to score 50 goals in one season, doing so in 50 games, and the first to score 500 goals in a career. He finished his career with 544 goals and 965 points. He added another 82 goals in 133 playoff games. Inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961, Richard won 8 Stanley Cups as a player.
A legend in Montreal, Maurice Richard was famous as a member of the 'Punch Line' with Elmer Lach and Toe Blake. He is also remembered for the Richard Riot in 1955 and the classic story 'The Hockey Sweater' by Roch Carrier.
From 1994-95 Signatures Rookies comes this hard-signed autograph of Maurice Richard from the Cool 5 subset /1050. Although quite plentiful, the card often sells between $50-$100 and I was lucky enough to win an auction for one on eBay in the $60 range.
And Project Complete!
With the Bondra and Rocket autographs, I now have hard signed autographed hockey cards of all forty-two 500 goal scorers and, as mentioned previously, all seventy-nine 1,000 point scorers.
On to the next project...
In the history of the NHL, 42 players have scored 500 goals in their career. Luckily for me, 40 of those players finished their careers with over 1,000 points.
The only two players to score 500 goals but not reach 1,000 points are Maurice 'The Rocket' Richard and Peter Bondra.
Peter Bondra scored 503 goals and 892 points in his career. Long remembered as a Washington Capital, he holds many team records. A five-time NHL All-Star, Bondra twice won the Fastest Skater Competition on All-Star weekend. Although he never scored 90 points in an NHL season, he twice scored 50 goals.
From 1995-96 Upper Deck Be A Player comes this Global Training hard-signed autograph of Peter Bondra. Pulled from a pack years ago by myself, this card is easily available for only about $5.
Maurice 'The Rocket' Richard was the first NHL player to score 50 goals in one season, doing so in 50 games, and the first to score 500 goals in a career. He finished his career with 544 goals and 965 points. He added another 82 goals in 133 playoff games. Inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961, Richard won 8 Stanley Cups as a player.
A legend in Montreal, Maurice Richard was famous as a member of the 'Punch Line' with Elmer Lach and Toe Blake. He is also remembered for the Richard Riot in 1955 and the classic story 'The Hockey Sweater' by Roch Carrier.
From 1994-95 Signatures Rookies comes this hard-signed autograph of Maurice Richard from the Cool 5 subset /1050. Although quite plentiful, the card often sells between $50-$100 and I was lucky enough to win an auction for one on eBay in the $60 range.
And Project Complete!
With the Bondra and Rocket autographs, I now have hard signed autographed hockey cards of all forty-two 500 goal scorers and, as mentioned previously, all seventy-nine 1,000 point scorers.
On to the next project...
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Project Complete!
Success!
Project Complete!
In my collection, I now have at least one hard-signed hockey card of all 79 NHL players who have scored over 1,000 points in their career.
I even blogged about each and every player as I counted up the list from Ray Whitney to Wayne Gretzky. Sometimes it seemed like it was a losing battle but I'm proud of myself for successfully finishing a large project.
Next up?
500 Goals Scorers? Top point-scoring defensemen? Winningest goaltenders?
I think all three are likely choices.
I'm also debating trying to collect hard-signed baseball cards of every Toronto Blue Jay who played during the back-to-back World Series in 1992 and 1993.
I've learned that I enjoy projects... especially if they're challenging and feature subjects that I thoroughly enjoy.
Project Complete!
In my collection, I now have at least one hard-signed hockey card of all 79 NHL players who have scored over 1,000 points in their career.
I even blogged about each and every player as I counted up the list from Ray Whitney to Wayne Gretzky. Sometimes it seemed like it was a losing battle but I'm proud of myself for successfully finishing a large project.
Next up?
500 Goals Scorers? Top point-scoring defensemen? Winningest goaltenders?
I think all three are likely choices.
I'm also debating trying to collect hard-signed baseball cards of every Toronto Blue Jay who played during the back-to-back World Series in 1992 and 1993.
I've learned that I enjoy projects... especially if they're challenging and feature subjects that I thoroughly enjoy.
1,000 Point NHL Player Autographs - #1 Wayne Gretzky
The Great One!
With 2,857 points (894 goals, 1,963 assists) in 1,487 games, Wayne Gretzky was in a class of his own. In a sense, Gretzky was the fastest and the second fastest 1,000 point player as he scored his second 1,000 points (the only player ever to reach 2,000 points) in only 433 games after scoring his first 1,000 points (424 games).
The only player to score 200 points in a season, he did it 4 times!
After his retirement in 1999, Gretzky was immediately inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. The NHL retired his jersey number 99 league-wide, making him the only player to receive this honour.
Involved in the most famous trade in NHL history in 1988 (Edmonton to Los Angeles), Gretzky won four Stanley Cups before the trade and none after.
From 2005-06 Upper Deck SP Authentic comes this dual hard-signed Prestigious Pairings /50 featuring Gordie Howe and Wayne Gretzky. One of the best card I've ever pulled from a pack (as mentioned in the Gordie Howe post), it happened at the Sports Card Expo in Toronto about 4 years ago.
Another one of my biggest pulls was a pack that featured Gretzky as well. However, the Legendary Linemates card from 2004-05 Upper Deck Legendary Signatures featuring Gretzky, Jari Kurri, and Glenn Anderson was sold by myself back in 2006. It would be nice to have it still in my collection.
With 2,857 points (894 goals, 1,963 assists) in 1,487 games, Wayne Gretzky was in a class of his own. In a sense, Gretzky was the fastest and the second fastest 1,000 point player as he scored his second 1,000 points (the only player ever to reach 2,000 points) in only 433 games after scoring his first 1,000 points (424 games).
The only player to score 200 points in a season, he did it 4 times!
After his retirement in 1999, Gretzky was immediately inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. The NHL retired his jersey number 99 league-wide, making him the only player to receive this honour.
Involved in the most famous trade in NHL history in 1988 (Edmonton to Los Angeles), Gretzky won four Stanley Cups before the trade and none after.
From 2005-06 Upper Deck SP Authentic comes this dual hard-signed Prestigious Pairings /50 featuring Gordie Howe and Wayne Gretzky. One of the best card I've ever pulled from a pack (as mentioned in the Gordie Howe post), it happened at the Sports Card Expo in Toronto about 4 years ago.
Another one of my biggest pulls was a pack that featured Gretzky as well. However, the Legendary Linemates card from 2004-05 Upper Deck Legendary Signatures featuring Gretzky, Jari Kurri, and Glenn Anderson was sold by myself back in 2006. It would be nice to have it still in my collection.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
1,000 Point NHL Player Autographs - #2 Mark Messier
The Moose or The Messiah.
Regardless of his nickname, his resume speaks volumes.
Mark Messier is considered one of the greatest NHL players of all time. He is second on the all-time career lists for regular season points, playoff points (295) and regular season games played (1,756). He won six Stanley Cups and is the only player to captain two different professional teams to championships.
With 1,887 points (694 goals, 1,193 assists), Messier ranks only second to Wayne Gretzky in career scoring. Inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007, Messier was awarded the Order of Hockey in Canada in 2013.
Although Messier scored the 2nd most points in NHL history and won two Hart Trophies, he never won a scoring title during his career.
From 2007-08 Upper Deck The Cup comes this Stanley Cup Signatures /25 hard-signed autograph card of Mark Messier. I personally pulled this card from my only tin of The Cup that season and it remains the only Messier autograph in my collection. Definitely a great one to have.
Regardless of his nickname, his resume speaks volumes.
Mark Messier is considered one of the greatest NHL players of all time. He is second on the all-time career lists for regular season points, playoff points (295) and regular season games played (1,756). He won six Stanley Cups and is the only player to captain two different professional teams to championships.
With 1,887 points (694 goals, 1,193 assists), Messier ranks only second to Wayne Gretzky in career scoring. Inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007, Messier was awarded the Order of Hockey in Canada in 2013.
Although Messier scored the 2nd most points in NHL history and won two Hart Trophies, he never won a scoring title during his career.
From 2007-08 Upper Deck The Cup comes this Stanley Cup Signatures /25 hard-signed autograph card of Mark Messier. I personally pulled this card from my only tin of The Cup that season and it remains the only Messier autograph in my collection. Definitely a great one to have.
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