PACK RIPPING - 2014 Canada Post Original Six Stamps

I was dropping off an envelope to be mailed out over at the post office yesterday and whatdya know......

I caved.

Yeah....caved at the post office.

For months Canada Post has been advertising a really nice looking stamp set commemorating the Original Six teams - specifically, it's defencemen. They caught my eye the moment I saw them but held off in picking up a pack.

Yeah, an actual pack.

These are definitely geared towards to the hockey card connoisseur.  Nice little 2.5x3.5 cards (flimsy...as they just house a single stamp) with a front and back design.

The price per pack is $15 but I decided that there was absolutely zero risk involved in a purchase like this.

Why?

For $15 you get 6 stamps ($2.50 stamps each).  My math skills tell me that balances out.  The best part though is that in 1 of every 50 packs sits an autograph parallel.  Not all 6 defencemen get the auto treatment though (for obvious reasons).

So let's take a look to see if I landed one.

When I opened up the pack, I was taken aback by just how nice these cards/stamps look.  Vibrant colors, simple design and I've always loved the stamp motif used in hockey card collecting (maybe a subject for a future blog post).

The photo used for this Horton card is perfect.  I think the posed shots works much better than the action shot in this instance.

Gorgeous card.

The backs are good but not great.  They have an early-90's Parkhurst feel to them.

Some good information, not overwhelming but I would have liked something that would add a little character to the person on the front.  A comment or "fast fact" would've been nice.

Regardless, most people will just throw these away after they use the stamp.

Oh yeah.  This Bobby Orr is bang on.  I love the photo and it really works well with the rest of the card.

The '4' used in the background is a nice design.  Not a font but not a photo either.  Solid.  And I love the border.  A simple 2-color team issue feel with a bit of a glow or silver gradient to give it some depth.

We are officially on a roll.  Wow this card looks great.

The leather gloves Harvey is using just punch out of the photo.  Those things are massive.

Another great photo and beautiful overall design.

No auto yet, but I'm fine with that.

The beauty of this product is the consistency from player to player, card to card.  It feels like a well thought out set.

Howell looks so small with those tiny pads.  And no helmet on anyone.  Those were the days.

I must say that I like the player selection with this set.  Some teams have an obvious choice, but I think the best defenceman from those teams in that era got the nod.  Can't ask for anything more than that.

The silver border on the Chicago card was a bold move.  Every other card has the dark, rich color but I think this works because it gives a good contrast to the rest of the set.

Well, no autograph.  But I have zero complaints.

This set is really well done and anyone who is a fan of this era should put this on their "must have" list.

One pack guarantees you a complete set of six stamps and you never know if you're the lucky one to get a signed version (which look incredible...just check ebay if you don't believe me).

By the way.....don't plan on seeing these on any packages I send out anytime soon.  This set stays in the collection.  But I might buy more if I know I've got a big package to ship out.  How fun would it be to see one of these stars staring you in the face?