LINDEN POST OF THE YEAR - It's Ultimate!!

Alright! Are you ready to witness what is without a doubt the greatest Trevor Linden show & tell post EVER?

Well are you?

After a whirlwind Toronto Expo trip, I arrived home yesterday in awe of not only the scale of the show, but the huge number of passionate hobbyists - some of whom were actually pretty cool to talk to.

OK, actually, a lot of them were great to chat it up with.

And the boys from In The Game really made this a weekend to remember. My bank statement says so. :)

Today (as the title says), I'm going to focus on the Trevor Linden cards I picked up. I felt heading into the show that I'd knock a few cards off the list, but never thought I'd hit this many of them.

It'll be a fun ride, so get a drink (I'll wait for you) and enjoy.

2010/11 Panini Zenith
#138 Red Hot

Yes, it's a low-end Linden parallel. But it was a card on my wantlist, I picked it up from the Expo, so it gets due time in this post.

I'm happy to add it and show it off. Every Linden card is a good Linden card.

2010/11 Panini Dominion
#TL2 Private Signings (Montreal)

There are two versions of this card, a Vancouver version and this tougher Montreal version. I was pretty happy to knock this one off my list as it's apparently a super shortprint card.

2011/12 In The Game
#A-TL Canada vs. The World auto

This was another autograph I picked up from the same seller as the above auto. It's currently the only Linden autograph card featuring him in his Team Canada garb.

I still think it's pretty cool that he got to play in an Olympic Games. A rarely talked about career moment.

2010/11 Panini Dominion
#3 Pen Pals Triple (w/ Brodeur & Williams) /25

This was the trifecta for me. Landing this card was a very pleasant surprise. And there's a good story as well.

Near the end of day Friday, I was passing by a booth I had been to earlier. The guy I was chatting with stopped me and simply indicated that he thought he saw a Linden Team Canada auto I might need. He told me what table it was at.

The next morning, I bolted straight to the table. I was surprised to find the Private Signings autograph there instead. Even better.

I asked about the Team Canada auto and sure enough, he had that too. I asked if he had any more Linden autos and he said no.

But right before I paid, I took one last look at his display case and saw this triple signature card staring back at me.

I jokingly asked him what else he was hiding as I pointed the card out to him.

What made the transaction even better is that I was able to get a bulk purchase 'discount'. I probably knocked off a good $10-15 off of what I would have spent if I had picked up the card individually.

A big thanks to the gentleman who works at Collecto-Sports in Drummondville, Quebec (sorry, I forgot his name). That simple gesture really made me feel good.

I made it a point to head over to him right after the purchase, shake his hand and sincerely thank him. I like people like that who just enjoy helping others out.

2010/11 In The Game Decades
#RJA-TL Game Used Jersey & Autograph Silver

Now this card I didn't think I'd see at the show.

With only 3 copies of this card made, I figured they either were gobbled up by collectors, or were sitting in unopened boxes.

The funniest part is that the guy who had it just happened to be sharing a cab with me to the show. We were just casually talking about what we collect.

Fancy that.

What's sad is.......I can't remember what the guy's name is. Now that deserves a head shake.

Thanks anyways cab partner.



Now on to the real meat and potatoes of the post.

In The Game released its Ultimate Memorabilia 11 product on the same weekend as the Toronto Expo. It was one of the big reasons why I decided to make the trip out.

I took a look at some of the mock-ups of the cards as well as the checklist. I'll admit, I was a little scared. The cards looked amazing and there were a number of Trevor Linden goodies to be had.

Did I have success? My bank statement says yes (and surprisingly no at the same time).

2011/12 ITG Ultimate Memorabilia 11
Past Present, Future Silver /24

This triple jersey card (with Henrik Sedin and Cody Hodgson) was one of the first pickups of the weekend.

Just happened to see it on a table, simply asked about the price and was actually quite surprised at how low it was going for (since I was decked out in my mid-90's Canucks alternate jersey).

I couldn't get the cash out of my pocket quick enough.

2011/12 ITG Ultimate Memorabilia 11
Idols Silver /24

This card reinforces my knowledge that Trev was a huge Lanny McDonald fan growing up.

Both played for the Medicine Hat Tigers and Linden even wanted to wear the number 9 with the Canucks, but that ultra-slick Tony Tanti was wearing it at the time.

I like 16 better anyways (no disrespect Lanny).

2011/12 ITG Ultimate Memorabilia 11
Ultimate Automates Silver /9

This was a jaw-dropper when I saw it pulled from its pack.

I was just finishing up opening my box of UM11 when the guy next to me showed me this beauty.

It took a little negotiating, but we soon made out a great trade (both of us were happy).

This card is a huge addition as I know there are a few Bure collectors gunning for this one too.

2011/12 ITG Ultimate Memorabilia 11
Complete Jersey Silver /9

This one just screamed out at me from one of the display cases late on day one.

After a couple minutes of talking with the seller, we both realized that he had made a sale with me a few months earlier on a hobby trade site.

That may have helped me snag this card for a very reasonable price. Actually, he's a really cool guy to deal with - and fair. THAT'S the reason why.

A huge addition as it is the first Linden complete jersey ever.

The emblem and number patches are stunning (I still can't believe that they got that level of coolness in such a small square).

2011/12 ITG Ultimate Memorabilia 11
Complete Jersey Silver /9

Your eyes are not fooling you.....it's another Complete Jersey.

I couldn't help picking this one up as it was part of a package deal along with the last card in the post (now don't go scrolling down and ruining things!!!!!!).

I love that ITG used the ol' skate logo jerseys (the red and yellow just pop off the card better than the blue and green).

I should have a nice time trading this for some more Linden goodies down the road.



Almost home.

One of the very cool parts about the Toronto Expo was that the card companies were promoting their products with various redemption programs and such.

In The Game had a fantastic program where you would receive a special card for every pack of UM11 you opened at their booth. Free!

Free stuff is good. Especially when it looks like this....

2011/12 ITG Ultimate Memorabilia 11
Fall Expo Redemption Quad Silver /25

Now, I didn't receive this one in my batch of redemption cards, but as soon as I saw this one, I knew I had to snag it.

Redemption card in the secondary market are not fun. No sir, not fun at all.

And just look at the players. Linden (nice two color piece), Bure (I heard he's good), Kirk McLean (a very cool pad piece...with stitching) and Gino Odjick...................

A stunning card - and did I mention it was FREE!

What could be better? Well.......

2011/12 ITG Ultimate Memorabilia 11
Fall Expo Redemption Quad Gold /5

How about the gold parallel /5!

By this point, I think I just went into some crazy Linden card cardiac arrest. Just too many Lindens all at once.

Again......FREE! (well, ok, I didn't receive this one either. I actually paid a little more than I wanted, but I knew the chances were slim that I'd see another. And hey.....it's the Toronto Expo! I had saved up my money....so I could spend a little more liberally).

On to the final two card of this monstrous post. And they are the big boys.

A lot of my time this weekend was spent hovering around certain tables that cracked a lot of UM11. They must have hated me constantly asking "Do you have any Lindens?"

I spent even more time at the ITG section watching people box upon box of the product.

I'll admit, even if there were no Linden cards pulled, it was still a pretty sweet show. Some amazing cards in this release. Stay tuned for my box break. It was really fun.

Anyways, I happened to bump into a couple guys just finishing up their breaks when I asked if they had any Linden cards. They had one.....this one.

2011/12 ITG Ultimate Memorabilia 11
Gold Press Plate 1/1

This is the printing plate used to create the base cards for this set.

I asked which booth they were set up at and they indicated that they were just collectors.

I knew that if they left my vicinity, I'd never see the card again. I asked if they would consider selling and they wanted to know what I'd pay.

I hate that question.

Do I go low and hope to work my way to a reasonable compromise? Do I go high and just rip the band-aid off quick?

I threw out a mid-range number and they might have gone for it. The ITG staffer mentioned that he heard the silver 1/1 went for $80.

The owner of the card then countered with $100 (since he felt the gold was more rare....news flash - they're both 1/1's).

I bit and paid the man, got the card and the bad feeling was instantly gone.

Actually, $100 is a pretty darn good price if you ask me. I'd have paid more (but don't tell anyone that).



Last card. And one last story.

I arrived at the show Friday afternoon around 2:00. The show had been going on for about an hour.

I met up with a couple fellow hobbyists I had met in the past and the topic soon drifted to the Canucks. I asked if any Linden card had been seen yet.

One of the guys unzips his bags and pulls out TWO Linden 1/1 cards. The base card sketch card and the gorgeous looking Emblem (although not quite as nice as mine from last year).

I just shook my head. I was there mere minutes and already two huge Linden card were gone. Thankfully, I was told that they were heading off to another Linden collector (who I know) and I knew they were going to a good home.

Still, I wanted to find that 'big' card as well. And on the Saturday, the opportunity presented itself.

2011/12 ITG Ultimate Memorabilia 11
Ultimate Tag 1/1

This card was literally shoved in my face after a huge Sakic collector tracked it down (along with one of the Complete Jerseys from above). He was actually looking for me so that we could work out a sale.

He simply gave me the price (the price he said he paid for the cards), and who was I to argue. It was just the card I was looking for - and again, I was at the Toronto Expo.....I decided to spend a little.

I was thrilled that it was me he was on the lookout for - made me feel good.

Well, that's the Trevor Linden portion of my Toronto Expo adventure. It was truly one of the best hobby experiences I've ever had.

A big thanks to everyone I met, to everyone who makes these great cards and to everyone who stuck it out through this entire post (you're all crazy people...and I mean that in the best possible way).