CARDBOARD PHOTOGRAPHY - Tito

As part of my Oscar Gamble haul recently, I managed to pick up a few other Topps Original stamped buybacks from the 70's.  And baseball cards from the 70's have a definite appeal to my eye.

Case in point - Tito Fuentes

I don't think I've ever seen such a spectacular use of one's hat before.  Can you do headband and cap at the same time?

Should you?

And the fact that it's Padres brown and yellow just make it that much more impressive.

Speaking of impressive, I didn't know the King Of Latin Music played second base for San Diego.



Whoops.....Fuentes....Puente.  My bad.

Tito does make for a mean trading card though.

No, no, no.....not that Tito.

(and don't even think of me going where you think I might be going).

Let's take a closer look at this 1977 stunner.

The uniforms go without saying, but I'll say it anyways - Frickin' Awesome.  These colors seriously need to make a comeback.

The ol' vintage leather glove is quite the throwback too.  They don't make them like that anymore (thank goodness).

How about that facsimile autograph.  Tito definitely has the sweet sig.  And a star to dot the "I".....can you say Superstar.

And while the card design isn't really anything to write home about, the massively off centered cut makes this a true home run in my book.

Mental note.....start wearing my Canucks hat in the same way next season.

WALLET CARD - Four For The Show

Over the past few weeks I have been more active in my #WalletCard searches and purchases for my new found player collection.  Today was the big payoff for my efforts.

When I decided to start an Oscar Gamble player pc it was partially because I saw what some of the going prices were on the "tougher to get" cards.  I can say this....he's no Linden.

Many of the tougher parallels have very low associated price tags - and no hits on them.  I almost feel like it's shooting fish in a barrel.  Where's the challenge.

Well, the challenge may be in the shipping of cards to my address.  Living in Canada, I'm finding a lot of these rare Gambles selling in the US.  That makes for pricey shipping.  But I've got a bit of an ace up my sleeve.

A fellow Linden collector friend has a US address and he has been very generous in helping me pick up cards from the United States.  He did the bidding on a few Oscar auctions (that's fun to say) and just held on to the winnings until I built up a small lot.

The bubble mailer hit the mailbox today.

2015 Topps

#263 Original Buyback (1979 Topps)

This was the card that started it all.  A simple buyback from this year's Topps flagship release.  I saw this copy on ebay as part of a buyback lot and decided that if I could get the bunch for a good price, maybe I could recoup my costs with the remaining cards.

I'm not sure how many of these buybacks there are (and by that I mean how many of the '79 Topps.....I've seen '76 and '78 stamped variations as well).  There haven't been many on ebay so I figured I'd take a shot.  It paid off.

2005 Topps

#FFA-OG All-Time Fan Favorites Autographs

This one goes nicely with my first Gamble pc pickup.  Another very inexpensive card.  Hard signed and reeking of vintage goodness, this offering really appeals to me.  I might have to take a peek at the rest of the cards in the set....or maybe the hockey versions.  They look great.

And while Oscar's fro isn't as stunning as my #WalletCard, it still scores pretty high on the Fro Scale.  Some mean porkchop sideburns don't hurt either.

2013 Panini

Hometown Heroes

#66 Hometown Signatures Gold  /25

A low numbered card.  Venturing into new territory.  This was not like visiting the dentist.  In fact, it was like being told you can take all the candy from a baby you'd like.

I couldn't believe how low this card ended up at when the final seconds of the ebay auction ended.  For a hard signed signature, numbered to just 25 copies I was sure it would fetch more.

Clearly my Oscar Gamble card knowledge is far inferior to my Trevor Linden knowledge.

Works for me.

Not the greatest photo (and the flip side of this card uses some strange green color filtering.....tres nasty) and the overall card design is a little Meh, but me being the completist couldn't resist.

2013 Panini

America's Pastime

#10 Boys Of Summer Autographs Red  /10

And if a card numbered to 25 wasn't good enough, how about a piece of cardboard with just 10 copies.

Yup, I pulled it off.  I've seen the parallels /25 go for more than I paid on this one.  To me this drifts into "Steal of the Year" category.  The only thing that could've made this card better.....a hard signed signature.

Stickers on cards numbered to 10 = Lame.

And I hate that Panini used the same photo.  Heck, in this instance Oscar doesn't even look like a baseball player.

Where's an afro when you need one?

(scrolls to the top of the post)

Ah, there it is.

A big thanks to Kevin for bidding on, winning, collecting and then shipping the cards out to me.  And he was kind enough to send some very fantastic extras.

Stay tuned for some bonus show & tell posts.

Current Collection - 7 cards

LINDEN CARD OF THE WEEK - The Last Laugh Goes To Me

It's called "the thrill of the chase" for a reason.  This hobby would be incredibly boring if with every new release all the cards you were looking for just popped up, bought or traded for and stored in the collection.

There's something to be said for the rare gems, long odds and tough finds out there.

One such card has been on my wantlist for over a decade.

In the 2003/04 season, there was (what should have been) a very simple O-Pee-Chee release.  Easy to find base card with a trio of numbered parallels.  But to make things more interesting, the company also put out a Topps version of the product....complete with the same trio of parallels.

Now this is the trading card world so a wrench was involved.  Stay with me on this.

For the OPC set, the numbered variations were called "Topps" parallels.  For the Topps set....you guessed it....the numbered variations were called "OPC" parallels.

So eight cards in total.

Both base versions were easily had as were the blue parallels /500.  I somehow managed to grab the golds /50 before finding either of the reds /100.

I don't know when I tracked down the red OPC parallel but the final piece to the puzzle.....the red "Topps" /100 managed to elude me.

For over 10 years.

Actually, I did find a copy of the card a few years back.  In fact, I won the ebay auction and had said card in my possession.  But, as I vented about on this blog, condition is king and the seller sent me a dud.

I'm sure you can guess what my "Linden Card Of The Week" is by now so let's take a look.

2003/04 O-Pee-Chee

"Topps" parallel

#214 Red  /100

Finally.  The card has been crossed off the list once and for all.

I saw this gem pop up on ebay a few weeks ago and immediately made it my mission to land this copy.  I set a price in my mind that should...SHOULD win the card and sat idle as time ticked down on the auction.  With a few seconds to spare I placed my bid and watched as the price shot up.  It didn't go beyond what I was willing to pay....but it ended for a lot more than I anticipated.

For a card with 100 copies, it went for a very healthy amount.  I'm sure the seller was thrilled (and maybe confused).

When I opened the bubble envelope today I had that sense of accomplishment and completion.  By waiting for the right card and not accepting second best I'm able to put this card in the collection knowing that I'm happy with the copy I have.

And to knock off another card that's high up on the wantlist - a card that's been there for 10+ years is very satisfying.  Landing a copy like this is far more rewarding than any new product release or recent tough pull.

The fact that it's /100 makes it more head shaking.  It was the highest numbered parallel on my list up until a few years ago.  Most are /10 or /25.

But I get the last laugh......HA HA......HA.

STASHED IN THE CLOSET - Jake "The Snake" Roberts

I got an e-mail the other day from a friend of mine asking if I'd be interested in checking out a documentary playing at one of the local film festivals this weekend.

Being a sucker for documentaries, I was quickly on board.

Partially because I have no life on a Saturday night (ha ha ha) but maily because of the subject of the doc.

When I was a kid, I was into wrestling.  But my first exposure to the squared circle wasn't from the company dominating the airwaves these days.  No, it was the local product - Stampede Wrestling.

Saturday mornings consisted of three things...sugary cereal, Superfriends and Stampede Wrestling.  I loved the characters, the simplicity (only one camera was used) and the host, Ed Whalen.


(not the best montage, but the intro sucks me in every single time).

Definitely a "Ring-a-ding-dong dandy!!!"

Well, that introduction into wrestling expanded to include the WWF when I got a little older.  I remember getting really excited when I heard that Saturday Night Live was not airing so that they could air Saturday Night's Main Event.

It was all the talk in the hockey dressing room Sunday morning.

So when the 13-year-old me heard that the biggest wrestling spectacle was available to view at the local hockey rink....I jumped on board.

Wrestlemania III was taking place at the Pontiac Silverdome in March of 1987.  And it was being carried via closed circuit around the world.  Remember, this was before home pay-per-view ability.

The place was pretty packed and I couldn't wait to see a number of huge matches.  Especially the main event - Hulk Hogan vs. Andre The Giant.

No surprise that they donned the cover of the official program - one that I still have in my possession.

I flipped through the mag and the memories flowed back.

Lots of great matches, lots of great stars.

Look at that lineup.  Sure, there were some stinkers on the card, but a bunch of all-time great feuds came to a head that day.

And one of my faves is what got me to dig and find this program.

Ha ha....Jake "The Snake" Roberts.  He was easily the most intimidating guy on the microphone.  And he had a snake...how cool was that?

And joined by Alice Cooper.....sold.

The match was a dud, but that photo is spectacular.

So why did I pull this 30 year old program out of the closet?

Well, as I mentioned off the top, there's a documentary playing this weekend.

WARNING: This is the Red Band trailer - there's some profanity.


Wow.  You hear stories of wrestlers dying at an early age, struggling with life after their career is over, but to see it slapped up on the screen, raw and very real, definitely takes a world that many feel is "fake" and puts an authentic face to it.

I haven't followed wrestling for years and years, but I still find a dose of the vintage bouts a fun flashback.  This documentary, while probably not "fun" for the most part, has be intrigued.  A good story is a good story.

And as a bonus, Jake "The Snake" is going to be in attendance and doing a Q&A afterwards.  Me thinks I'll be bringing this program along....and a sharpie.

For my friend who invited me.....and is also a huge Alice Cooper fan, it'd be a cool gift to give him.  Can you image if one day that page gets signed by both Jake and Alice?

Yeah.......reliving my youth is fun.

LINDEN CARD OF THE WEEK - More Recycling

Just a quick observation before I get started with my show & tell post.

I saw the new Linden cards added to Upper Deck Ice yesterday.  And I like 'em.  It's a nice refreshing change to the same ol', same ol' story I've been hit with of late.

Three variations on the Glacial Graphs insert.  He's had clear acetate signature cards in the past but I think these offerings are the best yet.

This is not my card.  I borrowed the scan off of ebay.  And it shows the yellow variation which has the inscription "Go Canucks" added.  It's not numbered (but you'd think it was based on some of the asking prices).

I'm looking forward to tracking this one down.

The regular version is the more traditional blue-themed card.  I've seen examples of other players and can imaging the Linden no prob.  I'm hoping to trade for it or pick it locally this weekend at the monthly card show.

This is the longshot of the three.  Again, not my card.  Limited to just 10 copies, this has the inscription "95-96: 80 Points".  Not the sexiest stat for a card this rare but I'll take it.

As nice as these cards look on my computer, I bet the scans do them no justice at all.

I'm looking forward to the chase.

Now....we return you to your regularly scheduled program.


Recently, I picked up a few less expensive Linden cards on ebay.  I had been patient with some and was rewarded with better than market prices and in one instance was able to scratch off a fairly limited card for less than $10.

This 2014/15 Upper Deck Buyback (yeah....more recycled cards) is identical to its 90/91 counterpart say for the - you guessed it - foil stamp in the corner.

I'm a little more tolerant about this one because it's got a print run of 25 (as opposed to a crazy limited 1 or 3) and the price on it was a lot more realistic.

Actually, now that I think about it, the markup on this card is was more insane than any ITG offering.  To think that the above card back in the early 90's would fetch maybe....MAYBE 25 cents, that's quite the inflation in buyback pricing.

But a $10 bill is way more disposable to me versus say $80  or $100.

Anyways, this card came from Series II of the flagship product.  There was also a Linden buyback tossed in Series I.  And it showed up in my mailbox today.

The big difference (obviously) is the signature.

I had passed on the first 4 or 5 of these that popped up on the secondary market.  The prices were pushing $100.  I don't know if there is any card out there numbered to 25 that would make me fire off that amount of cash...at least not anymore.

But patience paid off again and I was able to get this copy for a price I was happy with.

Of course, the story doesn't end there.  It never does.

Bubble mailer looked fine when I pulled it out of the mailbox.  Opened it up and found a flimsy toploader.....and the card peeking halfway out of it.

Ugh!

Absolutely zero extra protection on the card.  No decoys taped to the toploader to give the card a little more rigidity, no "throw me a bone" piece of tape to secure the top of the toploader, nothing.

Me being me, I messaged the seller to ask if this was standard for shipping (on a non-$5 card).  His answer - YUP.

But because the card I received wasn't damaged, I didn't really feel it was fair to slap him with a neutral or negative.  Instead, I gave him his positive feedback - and spelled it out in the notes.  Poorly protected card.

Could've been worse I guess.  I'm just happy to add this one to the pc.

And I've got a few final tricks up my sleeve before I go on my summer hiatus.  So stay tuned.

STOLEN CARDS - Please Be On The Lookout

I read about this a couple days ago and feel the need to get the word out.

Recently, a collector who is a member of Hobby Insider (the boards I frequent) announced that he had some cards stolen while they were in transit to his house.

He purchased the lot on ebay from a very reputable seller and had the cards shipped as a group in one envelope.

The envelope arrived with a slit on one side and the cards removed.  A sticker was on the envelope stating that it was received without contents and received damaged.

Please be on the lookout for these eleven cards.

They are from the 2006/07 Between The Pipes product and the collector has spent many years slowly building a master set.

The cards were being shipped from Ontario to Michigan.  With a Toronto Expo just a couple weeks away it might be a scenario where they appear and looking to be sold quick - and cheap.

Some of these cards might not be of the rare variety, but in a lot of 11...will be easy to pick out.  And there are a couple that have very distinguishable patches (the Bryzgalov and Gerber especially).

I'm hoping that there will be a happy ending to this situation as I have dealt with this individual in the past and he is a top notch trader.

If you do see these cards and don't know who to contact.....feel free to send me a comment.  I can forward the information.

Thanks for your time.

OPINION - Stamped Cards Part II

It's been a couple weeks of frustrating back-and-forth internal dialogue when it comes to my player collecting.  I've been torn with what I think about some of the new cards out there.  But I've had enough sleeps on it and today, I am going to say some words that in my 20 years of Trevor Linden collecting.....I've never said.

If you read my last post from a couple weeks ago, you'll know that In The Game (in its final days producing products under its own brand moniker) recently released Superlative Vault.  These are cards that were leftovers from the ITG Superlative archive.  I believe they were cards that would be used as replacements should the need arise to deal with damaged product.  These are cards that have been printed, assembled, cut and on standby.

There are some pretty spectacular memorabilia cards in the release and the product run is extremely small (because there just wasn't the overstock on hand in the shop I suppose).  Regardless, the desirability factor is very volatile within the hobby.

Some are gobbling up this product as fast as they can.  And why not - it's great bang for your buck.  Others (like myself) are hesitant to pick up any new pieces for the pc.  Overpricing (at least from the Linden card front) and just a lack of excitement for product that has been recycled too many times now has left me on a bit of a downer.

Fast forward to today.....and ITG's latest announcement.

Yeah......Ultimate Vault.  If Superlative wasn't enough, now In The Game is doing a product dump for their Ultimate Memorabilia extras.

UM is what I would consider to be In The Game's highest-end product.  And I've spent a number of years (and a decent chunk of change) chasing down some key cards for my Linden collection from these sets.

Heck, some of the pinnacle pieces in my personal collection are from ITG Ultimate Memorabilia.

When I learned today this product was coming out (and I'm assuming Linden will be well represented in it), any desire to chase was extinguished.

I can appreciate that there will be many collectors clamoring over these cards and I'm confident there will be some spectacular items coming out of these boxes.

But it leaves me thinking that my years of chasing the original releases will just not be as special to me.

This gorgeous patch card came from Ultimate Memorabilia 10.  It's my favourite Linden card - period.  And it also happens to be the most expensive card I own.

When I see this, I think "one-of-a-kind".

The thought that another card like this (maybe not exact) could be included in Ultimate Vault leaves me torn.  Actually, it leaves me saddened.  I'm already looking at the above card differently.  I don't see the thrill of finding it and acquiring it.......all I can think about is Ultimate Vault and stamped cards.  I don't like that at all.

I think that the pattern of those with deep pockets reaching even deeper to hoard these products...only to see singles show up on the secondary market with inflated prices will just continue to grow.

As it is, I have a watchlist on ebay that has 20 or so cards on it which are in some way "stamped".  Some have been on there for years, and I see them continuing to be there for many more.  Oversaturation....and overpricing.

To think that the saturation level of these stamped variations will be going up even more has led me to make a very important announcement.


I will not be chasing any of the Trevor Linden cards to come out of ITG's Ultimate Vault.  It does not matter what the price tag is on them - I want no part of the product.  I won't entertain offers and I won't be looking on ebay for them.  They'll pass right on by like it's a card I've already crossed off the list.  This product does not exist in my eyes.


I feel that these "recycled" releases, while excellent for anyone who wants to gamble on some nice memorabilia items they might not have in previous years, are nothing more than a product dump from the company.  As well, I think that these releases are geared more for the "flippers" as opposed to the collectors.  The secondary market will continue to be flooded with these cards - and many at higher asking prices than their original release prices.

I think people who took a loss on the products the first time around now have a chance to "get a little closer to even".

Not me though.  The only thing I'd like to get from Ultimate Vault is a checklist of Linden cards in the product.  And I doubt I'll even see that.

My end-of-May hiatus can't come soon enough.  I may even start early now.

OPINION - Stamped Cards

Before I start my blog post tonight, I'd like to share the newest ESPN 30 for 30 short film I just finished watching.  It's a great story that is certainly appropriate on a day like today.

Enjoy.



George Plimpton = Tremendous storyteller with a unique perspective.

I had heard about Sidd Finch but really didn't know the whole story until now.  I don't know if it's possible to pull something like that off today with social media what it is and a lot more cynical and skeptical audience in the world of sports.

As I finished watching that video, I took a look at the scans for my opinion post.  It made me think that maybe I'm being hit with a bad April Fool's Day joke.

Sadly......I'm not.

This In The Game Emblem Gold card is a pack inserted 1/1. It comes from the 2010/11 ITG product Decades 80s.  I was excited when this product came out five years ago as it really upped the Linden chase for me.  Three different tiers of cards (jerseys, numbers and emblems) along with three levels (black, silver and gold).  Nine different combinations.

And it took a long time and some definite help from fellow Linden collectors.....but I managed to get 'em all.  And I've got the only set of nine.

I wish the story ended there, but it doesn't.  In fact, the story expanded immediately after the product was released.

I was in Edmonton for the Summit II show as it had been a while since Alberta had seen a huge card show.  I went also because of Decades 80s.  ITG were set up and had special redemption 1/1 cards stamped for the occasion.  Buy a box, get a random card.  I bought 4 boxes but didn't hit a Linden.

What I did do when I got home is alter my wantlist.  I had to add nine more cards.  Unfortunately, there is no firm data indicating that each of the Linden variations were handed out that day.  I have no idea if they are out in collector's hands, still sitting in a box in the ITG archives or destroyed altogether.

So I had to change the way I chased and documented these new adds.  Until I confirm with my own eyes the existence of a card....it doesn't go on the list.

Not long after, The National in Chicago had a similar promotion....and similar looking cards.

Once again, I added to the wantlist....this time with a little more of a disgruntled approach.  From 9 to 18 and now 27.  Nothing new in terms of aesthetics.....just some gold foil stamps.

If only it ended there.

For a few years, Decades 80s bore no rumblings in the hobby world.  That was until the recent merge/acquisition of ITG with Leaf.  The question became "What to do with all this extra stock?"

Well, I guess you put it in a product called "Best Of Hockey" (the stamp is in the upper right this time......fancy).

I really grew to hate these cards.  Numerous ITG products have been pilfered for stamped insertion.  Decades 80s. Forever Rivals, Captain C, Decades 90s. And the cards have gone from being an extra giveaway at shows to insertions in current products.

And now the piece de resistance......

A product consisting solely of unused cards.

This stamped 1/1 comes from ITG's final product (as a non-Leaf effort) called Superlative Vault.  The idea is to take all the extra Superlative cards from various years, put a stamp on them and throw them into packs.

Now I can appreciate that there are some great ITG cards left unused as replacement backups or future show redemptions and some of them have outstanding patches from what I've seen.  You don't want to see them go to waste.

But to see yet another batch of cards that I've chased years ago makes me feel very uninspired to do so.

In The Game did a great job at placing the price points for these boxes in a range that made it great bang for your buck.  But the aftermarket is what worries me.

I've already come across a few copies of these "1/1's" and am already seeing people treat them (in terms of price) as if they were in the original products back in the day.

It's as if people are going to try and recoup their lost monies from these products that might have stung them over the years.  Case in point....the above card.

It's the silver version which I grabbed originally back in the day for maybe $10.  But now....because a special stamp has been placed on it, seventy bucks!

Not a chance.  That's beyond a "Linden Tax"......it's an "I'm going to get my money one way or another" tax.

For a card that bring zero excitement in the sense that it's not new....not original.....and definitely not desirable for Linden collectors (or at least the ones I've talked to), the seller should be asking for a fifth of his price.

So I'm now left to add some new...err old cards to the wantlist AGAIN.

I'll be happy when this phase (and I really hope it's just that) ends and we can get back to creating new products with new ideas and designs.

And we can stamp out these silly cards.