HHOF AUTOS - One Big Haul

Tonight was the first trade night I have attended since my new HHOF auto project was started.  To say that I was anxious to see what I could find would be an understatement.  After all....it's called trade night for a reason.

And tonight did not disappoint.

Simply put, it was the single biggest haul for a project I have ever had in one night.  And the best part is that the dollars out of pocket equaled ZERO.

What a great idea for a project if I do say so myself.

So would you like to see all the goodies I picked up?  I thought you would. Sit back and grab some popcorn.


First, I would like to announce a trade.  Last month I showed off a nice Marcel Pronovost card from the 06/07 Parkhurst set.  While it fits nicely into the collection, I knew of another Pronovost that I wanted to replace it with.

Marcel Pronovost

(Inducted in 1978)

I like this card for two reasons.  First, the signature is more centered on the card.  Once again Fung Shui.  Second, this card is unique to the collection so far.  I know I will have a number of 06/07 Parkhurst cards in this set so mixing it up a bit just makes the collection feel a bit more diverse.

Thanks Brian for making the trade a teeth-puller.

Jean Beliveau

(Inducted in 1972)

Wow!  I did not expect to come home with a card of this calibre tonight.  But in fact, this was the first card I traded for.  I like when word gets around that I'm looking for stuff.

I had my fingers crossed that there was a card in my trade box that would fit the bill.  Thankfully there was.

Jean frickin' Beliveau!  He epitomizes what a Hall of Fame autograph is all about.  Even in his older age, the signature is strong and written with care.  I love the photo and card design in general.  Another unique item.

Thanks Craig for helping me snag a huge name.

Milt Schmidt

(Inducted in 1961)

I was doing a mental fist pump when I found this card sitting in a trade binder.  Milt takes on the title of earliest inducted signature in my collection.  Beating out Red Kelly by almost a decade.

I love the flow of Schmidt's name.  He also took care to sign the card low allowing for the photo to really pop.  A tremendous pickup.

Marcel Dionne

(Inducted in 1992)

I'll say it again....Marcel Dionne gets no hobby love.  It's a shame too.  His statistics are incredible but lacks the Stanley Cup ring.  His signature is one of those that reeks of unique.

And this Legendary Signatures set is a stunner.  No doubt there will be others from this set to join in the fun down the road.

Borje Salming

(Inducted in 1996)

Talk about a gorgeous card.  This horizontal layout allows for a large signing space.  And Salming does a great job with a crisp auto.  I love the 70's vibe in the photo and the overall design is hard to beat.

There was an Andy Bathgate card from the same set in amongst the binders as well.  I nearly traded for it too as an upgrade.  I still might down the road.

Bernie Federko

(Inducted in 2002)

This was a name that I knew I would have in the collection before I even started searching.  Much like Bill Barber, Federko is about as 'common' a HOFer as you can get.  At least from a hobby standpoint.

There were a few different card designs I was hoping to land for the Federko (as I find them more interesting than this 06/07 Parkhurst) but again....I can upgrade down the road if I want to.  I call the shots here.

Ed Giacomin

(Inducted in 1987)

I love Eddie Giacomin's goalie mask.  For as simple a white fibreglass lid as he's got....it's so cool.  The shape of it, the air holes....I love that it's on the card in this set.

Once again, the good ol' 06/07 Parkhurst rears its head.  No complaints here though.  It's the single best set to pull great Hall of Fame autos from and the design is spectacular.

Frank Mahovlich

(Inducted in 1981)

Any time I can add a Cup card to this project, I feel like I am adding some significant weight and reputation.  What a killer signature!

This card has it all....photo, design, autograph, rarity and most of all - ownership.  Next to the Beliveau, this might be the biggest snag of the evening.

Stan Mikita

(Inducted in 1983)

Another mental fist pump when this card showed up.  Love his auto and to get a new card design like Century Legends Epic Signatures just puts the icing on the cake.

seeing this card makes me want to do a bit of research for what some of the best sets to find HoF autos would be.  No doubt this release has some epic....signatures.

Gilbert Perreault

(Inducted in 1990)

Another tremendous autograph.  I love the penmanship on this card.  Add to that a great photo from the 70's and this card has high desirability.

Just a ton of vintage in this photo.  I'm going to sit for a second and simply look at it.

Luc Robitaille

(Inducted in 2009)

Lucky Luc is a card that when I first saw it I thought "Do I???"  I'll admit, this card (plus the Larry Murphy I picked up last month) have a bit of a different feel than all the others.  Being ITG products, team logos are not allowed.

But after a bit of weighing, I decided that these cards do work.  I know what team Luc is playing for in this card.  It's a hard signed autograph.  And the fact that I'm trading for it - well it just meets all of the criteria.

Why wouldn't I then........right?

Paul Coffey

(Inducted in 2004)

So when I saw this Coffey it was a no-brainer.  A great add to the project. Heck, any Oilers in this project will be a welcome one (yes......even Messier).

note to self: If I do get a Messier auto....he MUST be in an Oilers jersey.

Rod Langway

(Inducted in 2002)

It was a toss-up between this card and a Langway Masterpieces Brushstrokes card (the one that looks like it's painted on canvas and has the brown border).  I liked the uniqueness of this one.  You can see through it.

I am plesantly surprised at the quality of signature on this card.  Often, these Glacial Graphs (or any card on a clear surface) are a little suspect when it comes to the pen quality.  Streaking or bubbling, fading or shifting, these are not always the most quality of penstrokes.

But this card has it......and now so do I.

Scott Niedermayer

(Inducted in 2013)

Last card in the show and tell (you still with me?) is one that had/has me thinking.

When you think of Scott Niedermayer, what team do you associate?

Yeah, that's what I thought.  But a hard signed Scotty for a very reasonable trade price is tough to beat.  If I want to swap it out for a Devils card down the road - I can.  But for right now, I'm more than content with this copy.

After all, he did win a Cup with the team.  It's not like he had a cup of coffee with the club and then bolted.

The addition of Niedermayer also means that I now have a "most recently inducted" winner.


Now, all of the cards you have seen (minus the Pronovost and Beliveau at the start) came from one person.  To say that it was an epic trade would be an understatement.  At least on my end......I don't know if the other party can say they got a bunch of killer cards in return.  But it was what I would consider a fair trade and we both agreed on it.

And for that - I thank you very much Mikey.  What an incredible trade night.

That's right.  Let me say it again - TRADE night.  Every card I picked up in this post came via trade.  I was a busy boy and I'm looking forward to seeking out more Hall of Famers at the next trader night.


Current Collection - 30 HOF Autos

(are you kidding me???  I'm at 30 already???  Awesome!  But by no means do I expect the next 70 to come so easily)