WELCOME TO MY BLOG: A Re-Introduction

This week marks the 3-year anniversary of My Hockey Card Obsession.  I normally wouldn't make much of a fuss over it, but this week is also the week that Hobby Insider (the sportscard forum I usually peruse) launches its new homepage.

So what's the link?  Well, my blog has been chosen as one of the feature blogs on said homepage.  So I thought I'd give the newcomers a proper welcome and let them know what they are in for.

My name is Brett and I go by the handle 'bamlinden' on Hobby Insider.  I've been a hockey card collector for over 30 years now.  As a kid, it was the heyday of the 80's (Gretzky, Lemieux, Yzerman, Roy) that had my collecting attention.  Building sets and old school trading - that's what the hobby was all about.

I stopped collecting for a few years in the late-80's but was re-invigorated with the sportscard boom of the 90's.  Anything and everything.  That was my motto.  It didn't take long though before I was burnt out.

Vintage.  That's the way to go.  I started building sets from the 70's.  And while it did the job for a while, it still didn't quite do it for me.

Then in 1997, my collecting life changed.  I discovered player collecting.

Trevor Linden had always been my favorite player (even before he was drafted into the NHL) and discovering the numerous cards he had to collect turned me into an instant player collector.

I've been loving it ever since.

This past year, I've been fortunate enough to pick up my 1000th different Trevor Linden card.  From a simple .25 cent base to a high-end 1/1, each card gives me the excitement when I track it down.  The wallet sometimes grimaces when I actually purchase it.


In addition to my Linden collection, I also dabble in goalie mask cards.  For the record - I'm a sucker for masks, especially the ol' vintage fibreglass offerings.  Gorgeous stuff.

While I haven't been too active with picking up new mask cards, I'm always looking to see what the card companies throw out at us collectors.

I also have some small pc projects.  My '1 vs. 100' chase has me looking for one card numbered out of every number between 1 and 100.  Confused?  Well just check out the posts labelled 1 vs. 100 and you'll figure it out.

My 'Raise The Cup' collection is a real fun build.  It focuses on cards where players are holding the Stanley Cup over their head.  It's cool to see these photos where players have reached that pinnacle moment in their career.  A ton of fun - and quite inexpensive.  Who says collecting has to be costly.

I'm also a sucker for card designs - both what has been done by the pros and custom work I've managed myself over the years.  If you have a chance, check out some of the labels on the right-hand side of the page.  Hopefully you'll be entertained by my ramblings.


Lastly, I'd just like to say - thank you!  Thank you to those who have dropped by for the first time.  You will find my blog to be clean and profanity-free (I have a niece and nephew who like to check out my collecting every once in a while) and I try to post a few times a week.  It's a ton of fun for me and it's actually helped the organization of my collection....just a bit.

And thank you to the "regulars".  Those of you who have stopped by and (hopefully) enjoyed my posts.  While I post first and foremost for me, it's nice to know there are others who appreciate what I'm trying to do here.


With that - welcome to My Hockey Card Obsession!