Merry Xmas to Me!

There is nothing better than posting a card on eBay for auction and lucking into two collectors who start a bidding war. Most collectors rarely experience this. I have to say that I've never been a recipient of this luck either. Until last week that is!

About three years ago, I purchased a few boxes of 2006-07 UD Parkhurst Hockey. It was a really fun product with 4 hard-signed autographs in each box. The product contained many Hall of Famers, hockey personalities, coaches, enforcers, and team captains. It's one of my favourite products of the decade. As with most autographed cards, I enjoyed them, put them in plastic holders and hid them away in a box.

A few weeks ago, I noticed that one of the autos from the 06-07 Parkhurst set went for almost $300US. It was an Al MacInnis autograph which only booked for about $40. I checked out my cards from the Parkhurst auto set and noticed that the Denis Savard 'Captains' autograph card booked for $100. I thought I'd take a chance, put it up for auction, and cross my fingers.



Early on, interest in the card was minimal and I figured that I wasn't going to luck into the same good fortune as the MacInnis card owner. Other autograph cards from the set were selling in the $15 to $40 range and I figured that would be my Denis Savard card's fate as well... that is, until the final day or so.

I assume two set collectors were trying to put together the complete autograph set and both of them needed this card. I haven't followed the set but I have to assume that the Savard card was relatively rare although even though it books for $100, it wasn't listed as a short-print. Regardless, a bidding war happened! And I was the lucky recipient of $338US! A great moment for me. And a great chance to brag to people who chuckle when they learn I collect hockey cards.

As they always say, a card is only worth what someone will pay for it... and you just never know what you have in your collection! Good luck to the rest of you. Here's hoping you have the same fate as I did.

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.

Patiently Waiting

2009-10 UD NHL Artifacts is now live. I bought a box and received it today. Unfortunately, it will have to sit unopened for the next few weeks. I'll also accumulate a few boxes of UD 09-10 NHL Series 1 in a few weeks as well as one box of ITG Ultimate 9th Edition and one box of '1972 - The Year In Hockey'. These will all be packed into my suitcase and shipped up to the Sport Card Expo in Toronto on November 13th -15th.

For those who don't know, In The Game and Upper Deck both have booths at the Expo. They don't sell product there, but during the Expo, you can line-up at the booths and when you get to the table, you open your box of cards. When finished, the company representatives will take your wrappers and you will randomly receive a short-printed card made especially for the weekend. Some times it's an autograph, other times it's memorabilia. You can usually open one box per day at the booths.

I was especially lucky at the Upper Deck booth last year and received these cards on Friday and Saturday:


It's a great bonus for those who can make it to the Expo. It's great for the dealers too as it encourages more product to be sold and busted. I'm not 100% sure on the products which can be broken at the Expo as ITG has released their list but Upper Deck has not so I'm taking a guess on the Artifacts and the UD Series 1. Regardless, these boxes will be busted in a few weeks... free cards or not.

"Hey, I heard you collect hockey cards..."

Recently, while a group of people that I work-out with were out for lunch, one of the guys leaned over and said "Hey, I heard you collect hockey cards." Now I used to get my hopes up when I heard this statement. In the past, I would imagine finding a new hobby friend and someone to discuss the new releases and our old treasures. Unfortunately, 9 times out of 10 this just isn't the case.

My response has become standard now. "Oh yeah, cool. When did you collect?" Almost without exception, the response is, "In the early '90's." Then my heart sinks. I know that they're going to say that they've got all the good players and that they were curious what kind of value they have and where they might be able to sell them. It's my unfortunate job to tell them the facts and the hard truths.



As many of the collectors know, it's almost impossible to move cards from the early 1990's. Over-production by most of the manufacturers created a lot of short-term collectors and far too many cards to make any of them worth very much now. It's unfortunate that if you collected before 1990 and after 2000, things were pretty good. It was that darn decade in the middle.

It really challenges the pride I have in my collection and my hobby. So many of the early 1990's collectors learn that their collection is almost worthless so they assume that everything that I collect is without value too. And it makes it very hard to get them interested again. Corporate greed corrupted a potential generation of collectors. The hobby will always survive but it makes you wonder if it will ever really thrive again.

Here's a tip - Toss those cards into a shoebox and sell them for a low price at a flea market or yard sale... or just give a few thousand cards to the neighbour's kids. It's a chance to create interest, rebuild the hobby, and show that the collectors are the real good guys. :)

Fall Sports Card Expo 2009 - Toronto (Update)

The autograph guests have been released for the 2009 Sports Card Expo in Toronto, Ontario. We've known for a while that Mario Lemieux and Gordie Howe would be the main draws but now we've got an update with more names. No doubt there will be a few more guests too as there are always a few surprises at the show.

November 13th, 2009

Larry Jeffrey (Toronto, NYR, Detroit - Age 69)
Any Item - $15.00

Pete Stemkowski (Toronto, NYR, Detroit, LA - Age 66)
Any Item - $20.00

Bob Pulford (HOF coach and player - Age 73)
Flat Item - $25.00
Premium Item - $35.00

November 14th, 2009

Gordie Howe (Mr. Hockey - Age 81)
Flat Item -$99.00
Bulky Item - $149.00
Premium Item - $299.00



Parker MacDonald (Former coach and player - Age 76)
All Items - $20.00

Bill Gadsby (Former coach and player - Age 82)
All Items - $20.00

November 15th, 2009

Mario Lemieux (HOF Superstar - Age 44)
Regular Item - $179.00
Premium Item - $299.00
VIP Premier Pack - $999.00
($50.00 inscription or personalization)



Pierre LaRouche (Former 50 goal scorer - Age 53)
All Items - $20.00