MY HOCKEY CARD OBSESSION: LINDEN CARD(s) OF THE WEEK

Well, I finally got around to getting my Linden pickups from May scanned and it's one heck of a grouping. What's even more impressive is that not a single card was picked up via ebay. It's been almost two full months since I've bought a card from that site (gotta be a record for me). My patience and urge to trade for cards plus the big Expo trip was a huge part of the reason.

Now if I can just remember to update my wantlists.

2012/13 Upper Deck Fleer Retro

#24 EX Essential Credentials Future /19

I think this might go down as the very first pink Trevor Linden hockey card I own. I don't quite understand the naming convention behind it (or the numbering) but all I know is - I found a copy of the toughest Linden card to get in this product.

I like the "die-cut-esque" aspect of this card. The player (and darker background area) is cut out and placed on top of the full, lighter card background. It creates a raised surface that will sure to get caught in your penny sleeve - so watch out.

Numbered to just 19, I found a copy at the Expo and the seller had a very fair price on it - right there with what I was looking to pay. Always nice to pick up a card in person.

There's a yellow parallel /24 (equally nice...and confusing) that will now serve as the tough find from this Retro product.

2012/13 ITG Forever Rivals

#M-41 Game-Used Jersey Red

I already have a copy of this card, but the jersey piece was a solid red. I tracked down a two-color piece (red & white) at the Expo...always a nice upgrade, within five minutes of my arriving on the Friday. I grabbed it without a second thought.

I then saw this beauty. It's the only blue & white jersey piece I've seen on this card and was a must have in my opinion. The best part - it was only $5. I would have paid 4 times that.

So now I have a couple doubles to trade/sell with one of them being a two-color. Not bad at all.

2012/13 ITG Forever Rivals

Redemption

#FEFR-40 Linden/Corson/Domi/Tucker /19

This card was one of the redemption cards ITG was handing out at the last Expo when Forever Rivals was released. There were 3 different Linden redemption cards to pick up (6 if you count the gold 1/1 parallels for each). There was a dual player jersey card, this four player and a six player gem.

Again, I found this early on the Friday and it was at a great price. Patience pays off once again. I had passed on a number of these that popped up on ebay. A lot of them were way too high a price. Unrealistic expectations IMO.

Now I can put this 3-card set to bed and I'm thrilled to be doing so.

2012/13 Upper Deck Fleer Retro

#11 (base)

Boring design, but a killer photo. That's the theme of Fleer Retro it seems.

Actually, I don't mind the boring design. It's got a low-end feel to it (which quite frankly was what Fleer cards were back in the mid-90's).

I picked this up at the last trade night when somebody won it in a round of pack wars. The guy gave it to me for "future considerations". I hope he's not looking for a 3-color patch down the road.

2012/13 Upper Deck Fleer Retro

#11 base autograph

Second verse same as the first....but slap a sticker on this bad boy.

Fleer Retro to me has come across as a "sticker dump" product. Not a single hard signed auto and there was no care or consideration for the sticker autos. This card is a perfect example of just slapping a sticker on a base card. Where's the creativity.

And to make matters worse, I've seen stickers on crooked, or mis-cut. It just makes the product as a whole look a little more cheap. I guess that's why it's not flying off the shelves as quick. The price point is just too high.

I picked up this copy at the Expo. When I got back, I realized I overpaid a little for it. But I might be able to even it out as I was given a second copy at the last trade night. A very nice surprise.

2011/12 Upper Deck The Cup

Cup Foundations

#CF-TL jersey/auto /15

This is my last non-UM12 card from the past month. It came in the mail on Friday. It's nothing spectacular....yes, it's a nice 4-piece jersey card with a hard-signed autograph, and it is numbered to just 15, but it lacks that certain 'wow factor' that I put on a lot of high-end cards from The Cup.

The patch parallel /5 though....that's a different story. It's one of two cards (other than 1/1's) that remain from The Cup that are on my wantlist. My first venture into the world of The Cup has been an interesting one. A lot learned and to be honest...it wasn't as scary as I thought.

Alright....here are the goodies from the Expo. ITG's high-end Ultimate Memorabilia 12 was released on the Friday of the Toronto show and it was hands down the big draw for me. I reserved two boxes of the product so I could do some opening (and redemption receiving) and the goal was to parlay those cards into more Lindens.

The plan worked to perfection.

2012/13 ITG Ultimate Memorabilia 12

Base card /60

Right off the bat I'd like to say that the base cards look really nice. I appreciate the attempt last year with the pencil sketch base, but these photos just pop nicer, I like the green color and if you are fortunate enough to get a sharp photo (which this Linden is), you've got a winner.

This green parallel was the only Linden I pulled from my boxes. And I was happy to get it. Any Linden pulled from a pack by me is a bonus and a thrill.

2012/13 ITG Ultimate Memorabilia 12

Base card Silver /30

I knew before arriving in Toronto that there were parallels of the base cards. The hunt was on. Lots of the product was being busted and much like any other product - people don't like the base.

I found this Linden and although I wasn't able to trade for it, I did pick it up at a nice price.

2012/13 ITG Ultimate Memorabilia 12

Base card Gold /10

A very nice find from one of the booths who knew I was hunting down Linden cards from UM12. They asked if I was interested.....um, yeah. And as a bonus, we were able to work out a trade.

Trading for a Linden /10 is very, very rare. One of the best finds from the show.

2012/13 ITG Ultimate Memorabilia 12

Redemption Silver

Pavel Bure/Trevor Linden/Kirk McLean /20

I mentioned redemption cards. Well, here's what they look like. A nice triple player jersey card. You would get one of these for ever pack you opened at ITG Land (basically ITG's booth/area at the Expo). Some of the cards on the extensive checklist have some solid player combos on it - from current and future stars, to team themes to nice vintage selections.

There were also gold versions of each card numbered to just 5. I received two of them out of the 10 packs I opened.

This Linden & Co. was picked up after the fact. I really like the blue glove piece McLean is sporting. I only wish the Linden wasn't solid white. Oh well.

2012/13 ITG Ultimate Memorabilia 12

To The Hall autograph /29

OK....this is a bit of a stretch. I'm a huge Linden fan, but even I will concede that the guy has no shot of hitting the Hall Of Fame. He's good - really good - but not that good.

Putting him into this set came across to me as just a way to beef up the Linden quotient in the product (22 cards by my count...including gold 1/1 parallels). If he were out of this insert set, it would have made for a better chase. Oh well, I was able to trade for this one (one of three Lindens in a bigger deal where I think I might have given up a little too much). Glad to see it off the list quickly.

2012/13 ITG Ultimate Memorabilia 12

To The Hall jersey & autograph /19

Here's the same card with a jersey piece in it. These two cards really do nothing for me. In all honesty, I was more relieved to get them off the list than I was to track them down. This insert set was the only groupings of Linden card to do that to me.

Now I just need the patch/auto /9 and then the gold 1/1 parallels of each. Yawn.

2012/13 ITG Ultimate Memorabilia 12

Draft Day Silver

Mike Modano/Trevor Linden/ Teemu Selanne /24

Now this was a fun card to find. I like the theme of the set, the photo selection and of course the player selection.

Forever will I link Mike Modano and Trevor Linden when it comes to the NHL. They went one/two in the draft and after that....no clue. In fact, I had no idea that Selanne was in their draft class (I knew Jeremy Roenick was)

This was yet another card I was able to trade for. Those boxes of UM12 I opened really came in handy.

2012/13 ITG Ultimate Memorabilia 12

Nicknames /24

A little better concept and I like the fact that it's a horizontal card. This Nicknames offering even sports a solid yellow piece of jersey (don't see those too often). This came to me as part of that three card pickup. I'm looking back and thinking "This might be one of those cards that a year down the line will be had for pennies compared to what it's getting now."

My one brief break in patience. I guess I'm not perfect. :)

2012/13 ITG Ultimate Memorabilia 12

Nicknames Gold 1/1

But for every mistake (and actually mistake is the wrong word...let's use "minor lack of judgement") there's redemption. And in this instance, it was a redemption card that helped land my first 1/1 from the product.

I knew of one of the big breakers of this product at the show. He told me he had a Linden 1/1 and we soon got together with his Linden haul. He had a few cards and we were able to figure something out.

I had as one of my redemptions a Gold Guy Lafleur/Jean Beliveau/Maurice Richard numbered to just 5. I put a beefy price tag on that card and it paid off as it was almost a straight across trade for this Linden.

I never would have thought that a free card would translate into a high-end Linden 1/1....but it did.

I have no doubt that we both won in that trade.

2012/13 ITG Ultimate Memorabilia 12

Franchise Captains Silver

Trevor Linden/Mark Messier/Roberto Luongo/Henrik Sedin /24

In what might be the oddest selection of four captains on any of the cards in the checklist, this quad jersey card was nice to wipe off the list. Mainly because ITG put Messier in a Canucks jersey and slapped him along side my guy.

No more needs to be said. I will now put this card away.

2012/13 ITG Ultimate Memorabilia 12

Franchise Captains Gold

Trevor Linden/Mark Messier/Roberto Luongo/Henrik Sedin 1/1

Even nicer was to track down the Gold 1/1 version at the Expo too. Now the card can sit in the dark, never to see the light of day.

Ha ha Messier. Take that.

Alright, I pulled the card back out. Even I have to admit, it's a great looking card. Two-colored pieces, seams and all...it's just a solid card.

Now...I'm putting it away.

Well, that's it. That's all the goodies from UM12 I was able to pick up at the Expo. A definite success. Two gold 1/1's. eight regular cards and a redemption. Couldn't have asked for better to be honest.