LINDEN CARD OF THE WEEK - Not Mine.......Yet

Lots of stuff happening on numerous Linden fronts this past week.  None of which directly affecting me.....yet.

But these items I'm about to show you are definitely worthy of a blog post - that's for sure.

First of all, Upper Deck is about to release its ultra high-end product next week.  2013/14 The Cup will mark the official end of last season's hockey card product releases (yes, I know....it's dumb) and it will also mark the third season in a row that my guy has been included in the checklist.

While specific numbers are not yet out, I did notice this beauty as a part of Upper Deck's preview.

Oh man.  The drool factor went up a little just now.

Anyone recognize the patch?  For you non-Canucks followers, it's the 20th Anniversary patch.  The only beef I have with this card is that Linden is pictured in a time after that.  It would have been outstanding if UD had put a proper era photo on the card.

But......beggars can't be choosers.  And I guess neither can people with a bit of common sense.

Now that doesn't mean that I'm not chasing this card.  Not at all.  In fact, with a print run of 25, it might be one of the more exciting challenges of the product for me.

Fingers crossed that the checklist won't break the bank.


Just prior to seeing that beauty of a card on UD's Facebook page, I noticed yet another Linden stunner on ebay.

A copy finally showed up (and yes, the photo is that sucky......it's called focus).

This Tundra Sixes patch card from Artifacts has an eclectic mix of Canucks players including Linden.  It's doubtful that I'll pull the trigger on a bid with this copy.  I'm more interested in seeing how high it finishes.

But with only 6 copies of the card in the product, I figured it was worth posting as it might be a while before I see another.


And last....but definitely not least, I was notified about one heck of an auction.  I've got very little intention of pulling the trigger, but massive interest as I think it's one of the coolest items I've ever seen.

First, how many of you have ever seen this photo?

It one of a handful of pics that exist showing Linden in his pre-#16 jersey.

This is the only photo I have from this brief era and it was cut out of a magazine years ago.  I kept it because of the unique #49 shot.  It's such a cool photo....I do wish it was larger though.

But I was forwarded a site that shared the same photo.

Yeah.  That is what it is.

Classic Auctions, one of the premiere sites for sports memorabilia auctions, has got its hands on an 88/89 Linden game-used jersey from his pre-season games.  In fact, CA claims that it's the very first jersey Linden wore in an NHL game (Sept. 16, 1988 in Duncan BC against the LA Kings).

The jersey comes from the personal collection of Canucks Equipment Manager Larry Ashley and has all the proper evidence of being the real deal.

The Canucks wore nameplates on their jerseys in the '88 preseason and there is evidence that this was a recycled jersey prior to Linden wearing it.

Now we've seen the yellow version in a photo, but never the black.  Well, Classic Auctions comes through again.

You can clearly see that in this team photo, Linden is wearing a jersey in which the number ends in a 9.  That's the #49 jersey.

I was also interested to learn that this jersey is very likely to also be a part of another Linden photo.  One that I've had in my collection for years.

This Mohawk team-issued card photo was almost certain to have occurred on the same day as the team picture.  Therefore, it is almost assured that the jersey he is wearing on this card is the #49 jersey being auctioned off.

So what might an item like this fetch in the open market?  I have no idea, but whoever ends up landing this truly unique item will have one jealous Linden collector looking on in awe.

There's always some great stuff out there!!