It was without a doubt one of the most volatile years in my Trevor Linden collecting practices. While there were some no-brainer base cards to chase, the bulk of the goods were high-end....higher than I had ever seen before.
Let's break down what was added to (and then scratched off) the list.
***NOTE*** the cards shown in this post are the 1/1's that did not make it into my collection. They belong to a couple other top notch Linden collectors and I want them to know that I am posting them only because I want to show off their AWESOMENESS.
2010/11 saw 78 Trevor Linden cards hit the market. Add to that over 10 show cards. Not bad for a guy who hung up the skates a couple years ago.
Out of the 78 regular release cards, 27 of them were 1/1's. That's right....over a third of them. I gotta say, I found this stat the most disturbing.
In addition, 14 cards were numbered to 6 copies or less. We're talking over half the cards on my list being really - REALLY SCARCE.
I managed to pick up 34 of these cards (with 3 or 4 more on the way). Not too bad all things considered. Keep in mind, the newest Dominion release has 19 Linden cards in it. Thanks Panini! My wallet thanks you too.
I know the whereabouts of five 1/1 cards that have been scooped up by other collectors. My thought is - if I can't have them, I might as well try to find out who does.
Out of the cards that I did not manage to pick up this past year, there are 18 that I have come across and decided not to pursue. It could be because I couldn't reach a deal with the seller, I knew someone else was going after it, or (and this is the most likely reason) the asking price was just too darn high.
Linden cards (especially rare ones) seem to garner a bit of a premium lately. I think that's one of the reasons he's in so many products this year. And while I have spent some hard earned coin on a few of them, I will not go beyond my level of 'comfortability' when it comes to buying a card on my wantlist.
I refuse to pay the "Linden Tax". I would rather wait until the price comes down, or not have it at all. I don't ever want to look at a card in my collection and feel buyer's remorse.
So what will the new season of Trevor Linden collection bring? I've been trying to figure that one out myself over the past few days.
I've decided that I will stay the course. I will not get frustrated by the super-high-end cards that come out. Instead, I will appreciate them and hopefully pursue some of them. If they never come into my collection then so be it.
After all, I don't feel my Linden collection will ever hit the 100% mark.
What are your collecting goals for the 2011/12 hockey card season?
Probably my favourite PC to follow is your Linden one! You always seem to be able to snag some great cards. Of course no collector can reach 100% of the player collection but you've done a pretty great job trying!
ReplyDeleteHappy collecting...my seasons not quite over yet though, I don;t consider mine finished until the new Beckett Annual comes out...that's just me though