It's been three years since I posted my thoughts on Trevor Linden digital cards. At the time, my investment into the Topps Skate! app was minimal. A lot has changed over the three years.
I am now checking the app almost daily. Ripping my complimentary virtual pack, collecting my coins and using those coins to open packs from all sorts of products, and yes...hunting down Linden cards.
To date, he has 18 unique digital cards and I have landed 12 of them. And what can I say...I've loved the chase. Finding a Linden in a pack I open, trading with others on the app...it's pretty much all there.
But his most recent cards have me slightly bummed.
Let's just start by saying that this is a BEAUTIFUL card. I've said it before, but what I wouldn't give to hold a physical copy of this one. Dynamite.
But this card is pretty much impossible to land if you are only enjoying the app for free.
This was the "award" card if you managed to complete the alumni relic set (10 cards)...and they were super rare to come by - literally.
Cards on the Topps Skate app are ranked into various classes. There's base (and their various tiers), common, uncommon, rare, super rare, iconic and legendary. The latter on the list are cards you might come across once a year if you open packs regularly for free on the app.
This Linden card is in the super rare category. I opened dozens of packs and didn't hit a single one of these alumni cards. To land all 10 needed to acquire the Linden wasn't going to happen.
Unfortunate, but it's not the first time I've found a Linden card that I'll never own.
Here's the green parallel...found in the iconic category. I wish they'd have used a different design on the patch - but maybe I'm just picky.
If the super rare was next to impossible, now multiply that by about 100.
Interesting thing about this one though is that in the packs that I did open, I hit an iconic alumni patch. Martin St. Louis. I thought maybe there was a sliver of hope in trading for the Linden.
Nope. Because the Linden is an award card, you can't trade for them.
Unfortunate (again), but did I mention that there are cards out there that I'll never own. :)
Oh, and just to kick a guy when he's down...here's the legendary red version.
It's an undeniably awesome card. I almost said "piece of cardboard"...but therein lays the catch that I have to remind myself of - these are just digital images. They don't tangibly exist.
I've seen some digital Linden cards sell for a fair penny on eBay of late. I am not there at all right now.
But talk to me in another three years. Who knows.
I hear you on thinking these would look amazing on actual cardboard. Some of Topps designs are awesome lately.
ReplyDeleteI was working on getting as many Jimmy Howard as I could on the Skate app, but have lost interest in it lately.
I never put any real money into it either, and I don't really understand why anyone would want to. I guess I'm the old man yelling at the clouds on this, I just don't get it. Nothing can ever replace physically owning a card and being able to actually hold it.
I used to be 1000% in line with that. But over the past few months I have wondered what the digital landscape will be like in a decade.
DeleteI think there’s going to be a section of collecting that will be completely non-tangible.
Gorgeous cards. Shame that Topps can't produce these and get them into the hands of hockey card collectors.
ReplyDelete100%. I can only imagine the awesomeness.
DeleteWell….the impossible is sometimes possible. I just landed the Super Rare Linden. Apparently the award cards are tradable.
ReplyDeleteVery pumped about this.