LINDEN CARD(s) OF THE WEEK - Patience & Promos

Before I get going with this blog post, I want to take a moment to comment on a couple of things.

First, I recently participated in the nomination process for (what is being dubbed) The 2014 Bip Awards.  Excellence in blogging and social media in the trading card industry.  As I was filling out my nomination form I began to realize that I don't really participate too heavily in reading other people's blogs.

I peruse my own blogroll on a daily basis and I jump over to the Sports Card Blogroll to get in a few others, but that's about it.  It made me want to explore a bit more of what is out there.

I like blogs where there is an enjoyment of the hobby, some sharing of a collection, good opinion and thoughtful posts.  They don't have to be a daily occurrence...but I like blogs where there is some life breathing in them.

I recently added a pair of blogs to my list (one of which is a return of a blogger and custom card maker I recall from a long while back).  Check them out.  And if you have a recommendation for some good reading (hockey, baseball, sports, non-spots, whatever), drop me a comment.

Thanks.


Speaking of checking out blogs, be sure to check out Bad Wax Customs for his multi-part "How To Make A Custom Card" series.  Part one is posted with more to come apparently.

I always enjoy learning more about how others create and assemble customs.  I'm kind of in the same boat as him in the sense that when I started out designing custom cards, there was little to no resources on the subject.  It was trial and error.

And I still think that trial and error is the best way to go.  But getting tips and tricks from others is always a valuable resource.


Now....let's get to some Linden cards.

This past week was an interesting start to the new year.  I landed a couple interesting cards that I never would've thought I'd see...let alone own.  And patience really does pay off.  For reals.

2013/14 Panini Contenders

#CL-24 Contenders Legacies  /499

This card has been on the wantlist for about a year.  It's not a rare offering by any means but it's not a slam dunk to find at the local shows or trade nights.

And forget about snagging this one on ebay.  The shipping alone would be 2-3x the price of the card.  What's the point?

So I waited.  And waited.

And waited.

What was I waiting for?  I don't really know.  I was hoping by some strange chance that someone would approach me with a handful of cards from this set and I could magically find said card.

Well, that kind of happened today.

I was at the local monthly card show and it was "sale time" for one of the sellers.  Lots of boxes of autos, jerseys, rookies, inserts all with prices slashed to go.

Sure enough, in the mix sat a little case of Panini Contender Legacies inserts.  My fingers were crossed as I was shuffling through the lot.  Last card was the winner.

By bulking it in with a "3 cards for $10" deal, I was able to land this Linden for nuthin'.  Yup....a freebie Linden.  And I got to cross one off the list.

He shoots, he scores.

2012/13 ITG Forever Rivals

#M-41 Game Used Patch Gold

2014 Toronto Fall Expo  1/1

If you read my Top 10 from 2014 post, you would have noticed that I recently finished my Forever Rivals non-1/1 card chase with the final piece of the puzzle being the red patch (limited to 6).

Soon after, I saw this card up for bids on ebay.

Lately, especially with the 2014 Fall Expo surge, show cards have become a real turnoff.  I've seen way too many of these "1/1" parallels hit the open market and the saturation has hit a tipping point for me.

There were times when I would chase these cards with the same excitement and intensity as I would a regular, pack-pulled offering.  But now I rarely blink when even a "really good deal" pops up on one of them (and that doesn't happen often).

So why this card?

Well, I really like the patch.  And it was a really good price (when comparing to what the non-show card patches from this set go for).  But I decided to pull the trigger mainly because it was the closest I'd come to getting a Trevor Linden Forever Rivals Game Used Patch Gold card.

The pack-pulled version of this card is sitting securely in another Linden collector's pc.  So to kind of create a "fill in" type of approach, I made an offer on the show card.

It's the first time I've done this and I'm very happy with the pickup.  I don't see me doing this on a regular basis moving forward, but I thought this one instance warranted the purchase.

1996/97 Leaf

#12 Leather and Laces  /5000

I remember these cards back in the day.  I wanted to build the set so badly but boy were they ever expensive.  I think I paid at least $50 for the Gretzky (who was in his Blues uniform at the time).

Fast forward to today and the same card now sells for $5 (I just checked...wow).  The complete 20 card set could easily be built for less than $50.

So why am I showing you this card?

Well, a few years back, I learned about a couple of promo versions of this card.  One labelled as "PROMO/5000" and the other as "XXXX/5000".  So, me being the completist that I am, I added the pair to my list.

Years passed.  Then I stumbled across a completed auction for a Linden XXXX/5000.  So how did I miss it?

Well, the seller doesn't ship to Canada, so I guess it didn't appear on my search sift.  And he had the card at a ridiculously low price (all things considered).  Thankfully, he re-listed the item.  And I called in a favour.

I asked a fellow Linden collector who has a US postal address to pick up the card for me.  He was happy to do so and I was happy he did.

It arrived in the mail yesterday and when I laid eyes on it I was shot back 15 years, remembering a time when these inserts were the big chase for me.

How times have changed.