At the time I thought there would be some odd inserts and base cards depicting players hoisting The Cup over their head, but I never would have imagined the boom in the evolution of this great concept.
After seeing Panini come out with their sets showcasing Cup winners (and using many photos showing the Cup-raising moment), I got a little excited. After all, it clearly must have been my project that provided the inspiration. Ha.
I've seen a good 4 or 5 different subsets or insert sets come out over the years and slowly I thought "Hey, quit cramping my style." Ok, maybe not...but the project I started began to feel a little different when all of the sudden the market become a little more flooded with Cup-raising cards.
I think that's part of the reason why I've tended to avoid those sets.
Fast forward to this past weekend where I found a card - from a set - that might have just hit the jackpot.
2014/15 Upper Deck Premier
Signature Champions
#SC-ES Eric Staal auto /99
What can I say.....it's a gorgeous card.
Fantastic photo, solid design, hard-signed auto, reasonable numbering. This card has it all. In fact, it perfectly parallels an idea I had for a custom TTM project (which I think I'm going to contemplate a little more).
A quick look at the checklist for this set shows that there's some beef to it.
A total of 24 cards, some numbered to /99, some /50, some /25 and the biggies /10.
Guys like Staal can be had for a few dollars while I'm sure the Messier (ugh) or Gretzky will command a whole lot more.
I contemplated building the set....until I looked at the checklist. While it would be fun to chase, the fun might wain when it comes to the heavy hitters. So I'm happy with this Staal being the representative in my binder.
And to all the companies that have used the "Raise The Cup" theme...you're welcome.
Current Collection - 121 cards
Carolina won the Cup?
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