2006-07 ITG Heroes and Prospects Box Break

Well I'm back from the Fall Sports Card Expo in Toronto and I'll be posting some of my box breaks over the next few days. There were some great deals at the Expo and I bought a box of In The Game 2006-07 Heroes and Prospects for only $40. Normally, I might not have bothered but it was Sunday and I had $40 still in my pocket before I left. I'm very glad I stopped at one certain table and picked this certain box.

Not only did I pull a Top Prospects Jordan Staal Patch/Jersey but I pulled one of the best autograph cards available... a John Tavares autograph which books for $150. Currently the rookie scoring leader and the 2009 1st overall draft pick, this card is defintely a keeper for the personal collection.



Nothing beats the Expo... and nothing beats a hot box of hockey cards!

Check back soon for more breaks.

2009-10 UD McDonald's Hockey Cards

The fall/winter season just isn't complete without a visit to McDonald's for some Upper Deck hockey cards. They appeared at restaurants last week and I've made it there twice in the past few days. One day it was a McFlurry (although I asked for a Blizzard) and three packs of cards... the next time it was another McFlurry (this time I was more careful with my order) and another three packs of cards. As usual, packs are 99 cents and you are limted to three packs per item, although this isn't a hard and fast rule depending on the restaurant which you go to.



As usual, the cards are eye-catching. The set is not large and is focused on stars and players on Canadian teams. The cards have a layered-feel and are sure to please the kids and the more grown-up collectors.

In my six packs, I crushed the odds. I received 2 checklist cards (1:4 packs) and was lucky enough to receive a Goaltending Greats card of Marc-Andre Fleury (1:10 packs) and a Martin Brodeur In The Spotlight card (1:60 packs)



No doubt I'll buy a few more McFlurry's over the next few weeks. How can I not when it's a cheap and easy way to have fun with the hobby.

Collections

What starts a collection?
What ends a collection?

I've collected sports cards for 30 years. That's crazy when I think about it. Through those years I've always collected Montreal Canadiens. I've also collected sets and certain players. Some times the choice seems clear and obvious. Other times the reasons are random or unexpected.

As I mentioned, I've always collected Montreal cards. I have well over 10,000 cards featuring various Habs through the years. I never focused on a player until the mid-90's when I started putting more effort into a young Finnish player named Saku Koivu. I first saw him compete at the World Championships in 1993 and I was hooked. Over the years I collected as much of Koivu as I could but being the brightest star on a historic team meant numerous cards made each year. It became overwhelming. Last time I checked there were well over 2,000 Saku Koivu cards. It's probably higher now. The fact that I had about 450 seemed almost miniscule by comparison. I continued to collect his cards but in smaller numbers. Then the unimaginable happened... he did not re-sign with Montreal and became a Duck. Although I'll always be a fan and I'll continue to grab his older Montreal cards, I could never continue that collection on to another team.



In the effort to find another Montreal Canadien who was easier to collect than Koivu, I decided a few years ago to collect Andrei Markov. The best thing about Markov, in these days of numerous rookie cards from various sets, was that he only had one rookie card from 1996-97 UD Ice. He was also an unsung talent who had many fewer cards to collect. When I started my Markov collection, his rookie card was 10 years old but he still had barely more than 100 cards in the hobby. Talent rises and soon Markov became an all-star... then a two-time all-star... and gradually the face of the team. Now he is becoming a fixture in most sets. It's nice having more cards to collect but it's also more expensive and the chase is more difficult. But that's why I collect. For the adventure you find while searching for a treasure.



I have two other player collections... maybe I'll talk about them another time.