1 vs. 100 - A Couple EXcellent Upgrades

Trade night last week brought about an interesting trade opportunity.

It's been a slow go with my 1 vs. 100 project.  With only four cards left on the wantlist it makes for slim pickings.

But when my eye caught this card in a tradebox, I thought an upgrade was in store.

2008/09 Fleer Ultra Ex

#17 Alexander Radulov  /47

Yes, it's an Alexander Radulov card, but boy does it ever look spanky.  And it's numbered to his jersey number.....so there's that.

I'll be honest, I just liked the look of the card, it's one product release that I don't have in my project and I knew I'd be able to trade it for not a lot.  So why not?

And take a look at the card it's replacing...

I've got a few cards from this outstanding Auto Draft set and I even have another Kristian Huselius card in my project, so it made the decision even easier.

But in our trade discussions, the card going the other way was a little more than what was coming back.  The best part was it was another player collector....needing a Markus Naslund card that I had.  I just had to help!!!

2014/15 Fleer Ultra Ex

#24 Pavel Datsyuk  /24

So Pavel has made his way over too.  But I don't know if I'm going to replace him or not in my 1 vs. 100 project.  After all, it's a nice low numbered Datsyuk that would look nice in the trade box.

And I have no doubt that it would get more looks than Jonas Frogren.

Heck, Radulov would probably get more looks.


Oh, and by the way, the guy I traded with....he had a few fantastic oddball Linden items for me.  Some great gifts that will be proudly placed into the collection.  Thanks again Dave!  Always great to talk shop with you at trade night.

WALLET CARD - A Two Base Hit

It was my first outing after making the call to start my new player collection.

Oscar Gamble probably isn't going to be sitting in too many trade boxes here in Western Canada, but that doesn't mean I won't be searching.  And boy does it ever help when people take a moment to sift for me.

In fact, I was the fortunate recipient of a pair of new #WalletCard additions, brothers, project wants.

1976 Topps #74

I like to call this one the "half-ro".  There is just so much vintage cool going on in this photo.  Old school stockings, elastic waistband, killer Indians logo, the crowd, the colors, the printspot and of course....the hair.  Fantastic.

This card even has the gloss still fresh on it.  A little off-center, but it's the 70's....what do you expect?  Great card.

1971 O-Pee-Chee #23

This is an earlier offering in the Gamble card arc.  In fact, it's the first Oscar Gamble card where he's flying solo.  He's the lucky recipient of a rookie card that shares the spotlight with two other prospects.

So let's take a closer look at this piece of cardboard.  I see sideburns and I'm super curious to know if that batting helmet is ear flappless (I bet it is).  Just a great photo that bleed 70's....and I don't really know why.

As for the card design, I'd hate to build this set.  Talk about condition sensitive.  This one is solid, but definitely shows its age.  But then again...so do I.  We're both over 40.

The centering on this card is really nice.  And I definitely put card centering over edge sharpness.  Getting both is a bonus.  The fonts used on the top of the card are simple, basic, boring, expected.  And I really like the facsimile signature.  Reminds me of the 1982 set I built as a kid.

The card back is where I noticed that I have an OPC version.....there's some Francais if you may.

Overall, these cards are a super start to what will surely be a fun collecting project.

LINDEN.....ITEM OF THE WEEK - Giddy, Giddy, Giddy!!!

It's been quite the week.  Lots of exciting things on the go.  Little time to blog.  But when I got home tonight and cracked open the parcel awaiting for me....I knew I'd have to share.

I'm not a game used jersey guy, but I do have a few Linden jerseys in the collection.  Some I wear, most just hang in the closet.  And I like to have one of each jersey that represents every aspect of his career.

It's been a long while since I've added a jersey - only a few "needs" remain on the wantlist.

And now I can cross off the Washington Capitals.

Oooooohhhhhhhhhhhh YESSSSSSSSS!!!!!!

I am on cloud nine with this new add.  #WalletCard even got in on the action.

I'm sure most of you are thinking "He played for the Capitals???"  Yup.  At the end of the 2000/01 season and the start of 01/02.  28 games total for the franchise.  And here's an interesting fact....he played with Jaromir Jagr.

Back to the jersey.  I do ay ebay searches on pretty much an hourly schedule these days.  It's so convenient on the smartphone now.  And while I haven't been actively scoping out a Caps jersey, I can't say I've seen one for easily a decade.

But ebay isn't the only hub I check on a regular basis.  Kijiji is also my friend.  And this is where my new jersey popped up over the weekend.

NICE!!!!!!

I had to do a triple take when I saw this sitting up for grabs.  I immediately emailed the seller and asked for some details.  The jersey is lightly worn, my size and (he says) is not a knock off.  He lived about a couple hours away from me but he offered to ship....at no additional cost.

Total price......$100 - CANADIAN!!!

I couldn't send the money fast enough.  And the seller did a top notch job on shipping it (we agreed to the transaction on Sunday).

And I was in my glory when I opened the parcel tonight.  It fits perfect, looks great and is easily the biggest add to the jersey collection in years.

The only ones I'd like to knock off the list are a couple of All-Star offerings, a couple of International jerseys (including an Olympic sweater), a tough-to-find NHLPA jersey from the four-on-four tournament in the early 90's and a Medicine Hat Tigers junior jersey.

OK.....so I have a few still to get, but I can now say that I'm done with his NHL team representations.

I can't wait to show it off.

VOICES OF THE GAME - Pete Weber

It's been a quiet long weekend for me.  I've turned the corner on a bit of a cold that has been floating around work.  A dose of television watching and fluids last night seems to have done the trick.  BTW....that SNL 40th Anniversary special was a little weak, say for Bill Murray who was outstanding.  I can still hear it in my head...... "JJJAAAAAAAWWWWWWSSSS".  Brilliant.

Anyways, Saturday's card show was not bad in terms of pickups.  I started my Oscar Gamble player collection in fine form, I snagged a few traders (which I'm hoping to parlay into some pc items at trade night this week) and I saw this add in the loonie box.

2010/11 Panini Crown Royale

Voices Of The Game

#4 Pete Weber

Originally stickered at $15, it's clear that this card just doesn't hold much desirability in the world of card collecting.  And a quick ebay search confirms that.  Heck, I might have overpaid for this auto.

In all honesty, I'm not turning down this card for a buck.  It fits right into the broadcasters collection I'm (very passively) building.  And it gives me a chance to learn a little bit more about one of the voices working in the NHL.

From the card back...

"The 'Voice of the Predators' entered his 13th season as the team's play-by-play announcer in 2010.  He blends knowledgable insight with a quirky sense of humor.  If a 'makeup call' is made during a game, Weber will quip that 'it's Mary Kay time here in Nashville'."

Alright then.  Not much more to say about that.

I'll show my age here a bit....when I first saw the name Pete Weber, this was the image that entered my brain.



His '96 mullet is legendary.

Good ol' Pete Weber.........bowling's badass.

WALLET CARD - A Big Announcement

UPDATE:  I have done my homework and Oscar Gamble now has 132 cards on my wantlist.  Anyone wanna trade?

This week brought an exciting time for me and my sportscard collecting.

For years I have been a die-hard hockey card guy.  Building sets...getting rid of them, building vintage...getting rid of them, collecting Trevor Linden...loving it, chasing a few side projects...having fun.

But I've had a bit of an itch recently.  And what initially started as a simple comment has now turned into a full blown scratch.

Earlier in the week I was watching some good ol' hockey on the TV and was taking a couple #WalletCard photos (beautiful Kings jerseys...see Just A Bit Offside's post).  I made the casual comment that I might consider starting a new player collection.

Oscar Gamble.

I've been drawn more to baseball cards of late.  Wanting to see product opened, looking at shiny singles and searching for Oscar.  And really, he can't have a ton of cards out there....right?

Well, today at the monthly card show - I saw a sign at the first table I hit.

Nice!!!

Now I was confident that the card wasn't going anywhere, so I perused the hockey offerings and came back to this one at the end of my day.

In the meantime I did a little research on the card.  It sells anywhere between $7 and $15 on ebay (and that's US dollars).  Add shipping...

So I made him an offer on the card priced at $20.  I asked if he would do $10 (and that's Cdn dollars).  He said he would since the autograph is a little tough to read.

I don't know about you, but I can see that signature just fine.

And with that purchase I have now started my Oscar Gamble player collection (insert applause here).

In my initial searches it seems as though he has a little over 100 cards.  Many of them base cards under a dollar.  A few autos and a few inserts add to the overall flavor.  This new project should not break the bank by any means.  My only thought right now is "How do I want to chase these cards?"

I could scour COMC and pick off most a good portion...but is that really fun?  Ebay is another option, but do I want to pay more for shipping than the card itself?  Locally I could probably track down a few, but living in Western Canada means hockey...not as much baseball.

But I'll see how things go over the next couple months.  I'm in zero rush to build this project.  I'm just in it to have some fun.

And #WalletCard is most definitely fun.

HHOF AUTOS - A New Add...Straight From The 80's

I was excited to see some fresh monster boxes out at trade night last week.  Especially when one of them said "Autographs".

The first thing that shot to my mind - Hall Of Fame project.

And while I didn't land the 10-15 cards I was hoping to (hey...a guy can dream), I did pick up a perfect piece for the project.

Dale Hawerchuk

(Inducted in 2001)

Man....has it been almost 15 years since Dale Hawerchuck was inducted?  Has it been almost 20 years since he played?  Time flies.

I feel like Dale has had a similar impact in the hobby that my guy Linden has had since his retirement.  He's in lots of products and he gets some decent interest in his cards.

This piece comes from 2006/07 Ultimate  and is a great design.  I have a Cheevers and a Perreault from this set as well and all three are super-sharp adds.

And while Hawerchuk doesn't have quite the signature that the other HOFers have, I can appreciate it.  I see an 'H' in there.

Check out the stick Dale has.  I don't recall the Laser when I was a kid, but it does look sweet.  Heck, the whole blue with red and white trim is a total 80's flashback.  I would have loved an action shot though (like the Cheevers and Perreault).

Overall though, it's a great card to add.  And it puts me one step closer to the magic 100 card mark.

Current Collection - 63 HOF Autos

LINDEN CARD OF THE WEEK - 2014/15 Trilogy Signature Pucks

Another month, another new hockey product.

Same ol'.....same ol'.

I'm a little torn on the latest hockey product to be released by Upper Deck.  Trilogy has created a template (like many of its other sets) that seems to work for box breakers, set builders and player collectors.  And it seems as though UD has stuck to its guns with what it knows.

When I first saw the Linden cards I'd be chasing in the product this year, I thought for sure I was looking at last year's checklist.  Four cards in total, just like the 13/14 release.

One Ice Scripts auto (just like last year)
Three Signature Pucks (just like last year)

The parallels on the pucks are near identical as well.  There's the regular auto, the NHL Shield logo (/3) and the Retro logo (/15).  Last year, the Retro logo was out of /13.  That's the only difference.

While I'm happy with the reasonable chase (four cards as opposed to the 20 or so put out in other products), the familiarity from one season to the next has left me a little ho-hum.

I'll admit though, things changed a bit last week at trade night when this card popped up.

2014/15 Upper Deck Trilogy

#SP-TL Signature Pucks primary logo

The shop owners were busting a case of the product and when I caught wind of this I knew I'd be keeping a close eye and an open ear for the "Hey....Linden guy" yelp.

Sure enough, there was one.....for this card.

And it was a super-smooth transaction.  I had a dollar price in mind and when they told me their price, we were right on the money.  Gotta love that.

I'm thrilled to include this card to the collection.  Mostly because I was able to add it locally and for what I consider to be a very fair price.  It sometimes gets tough to acquire new Linden cards when everybody and their dog knows that I collect him.  There are times when the "Linden Tax" gets added to the price, but in this instance that was not the case.

One more off the wantlist.  And I guess I'm looking forward to next year's Trilogy where I'll be adding four more to it.

WALLET CARD - Having Fun At Trade Night

Last week was yet another trade night at one of the two local shops I go to.  It had a bit of everything.  Topical and philosophical discussions, new product being broken left, right and centre, an elusive Linden pickup (which I will share later), a great trade for a new HHOF auto (again...later) and an appearance by Oscar - #WalletCard.

And really, you can't blame him.  When I pulled him out of the wallet and showed him this box, he could barely contain his excitement.

See!  Told you so.

I figured that after living in a hockey card world for the past month, I'd allow Oscar to let loose and enjoy himself.

So let's see what he decided to take a look at.

Good first card Oscar.

While the card might say Bob....he's Roberto all the way.

Look at the guns on Boog!

There's a sentence you just don't hear these days.

And they don't make baseball players like this anymore.

Oscar would like Mike to buy a vowel.

Hey Don!!!.......Why the long face?

Ha ha ha!  Good one Oscar.  That gets me every time.

Lookin' good Sparky!!

This card is in great shape.

Oscar's feelin' quite comfy.  Like sleepin' in your own bed with a nice snuggly blanket.

Lots of fun drifting into the baseball world.  It really made me itch for the season to start.

Has #WalletCard started to change the way I approach the hobby?  I don't know.  But my the rest of my wallet might have something to say about that.

LINDEN CARD(s) OF THE WEEK - Let's Go With Three For The Show

Three more bubble mailers hit my doorstep this week.  And they had some very nice additions to the Linden collection inside.

But first, I must comment on a letter that was also in my mailbox with those cards.

I knew it was coming, but I still am holding out hope that it's all a bad dream.

The condo complex where I live (and the surrounding area) will be converted this year to community mailboxes instead of door-to-door delivery.  And while I'm all for streamlining the process (with less and less mail being delivered) I can't help but think this will have an impact on my collecting.

Bubble mailers are like candy to some.  Eye catching, enticing and can make you react in a not-so-natural manner.  I've been pretty lucky over the years to be batting a pretty high average with mailers coming in, but I can't help but wonder if that number will slip when things get a little more close knit.

Bigger envelopes will be tucked into a larger storage area where only I will have access to.  Anything that can go in my (smaller) mailbox will be placed there.  My concern is that the letter carrier has to observe and adhere to these rules...something that I don't trust all of them to do.

I hope that my incoming mail experience doesn't take a big hit later this year.  It's coming......whether I like it or not.

But before then, let's take a look at what I received this week.

2013/14 Panini Prime

#NU-TL Prime Numbersakes "6"  /25

This signed number 6 (not game used) completes the giant two-card Panini Prime chase from last year.  Can you guess what the other card was?

While I'm not the biggest fan of manufactured patches, I don't mind this concept.  I like it more than the non-game-used-nameplates which have been a staple in hockey products for years.

Actually, if there's anything that really grinds my gears it's the blue & white number slapped in a yellow, orange and black card design.  Swing and a miss.

2012/13 In The Game

Decades 90s

#M-44 Game Used Patch Silver  (limited to 3)

This card finishes the trifecta of patch cards from the Decades 90s product.  And with the Gold 1/1 in my possession, I can say that I'll be the only one who can accomplish that feat.

I picked this card up from a seller on ebay who has listed a number of great Linden cards recently.  And he puts fair prices on his cards (thank you).  He also likes to list goalie mask cards at a buck, so I try and snag a few that I need and bundle it all up.

2013/14 Panini Select

#178 Gold  /10

Last, but certainly not least, this gold parallel was another pleasant surprise to see up for bids on ebay over the past month.  This product had a good initial run but you rarely see singles on the secondary market anymore.  I don't know if prices are coming down and more of this stuff is being opened?  But I really don't care, the tough /10 is off the list.

And the scan (once again) does not do the card justice.  It's a nice shiny model no question.

Three off the list with the biggest print run being 25.  That's a big accomplishment.  Not sure how many times that'll happen again.