My absolute favourite slow burn project has grown by two over the past year.
The iconic 1951/52 Parkhurst build is a true beast. Arguably, this set is seen as the birth of the modern hockey card. 105 cards in total - with a whopping 98 of them recognized as rookie cards, and it's an all-time who's who of legends. Gordie Howe, Maurice Richard, Jean Beliveau, Terry Sawchuk, Doug Harvey and Boom Boom Geoffrion to name just a few first cards.
This is a life build for me...something I don't plan on finishing for many, many years. My goal is to add a couple cards each year (if the price is right). In 2023, I did just that, but with a slight twist.
I'm building what is called a raw set - ungraded. Loose...like they would've been back in the day. This set has countless examples of graded cards. Understandable, as they are ripe for counterfitting. I do my best to buy from people and places that I feel comfortable with, but at the end of the day, I just can't say for sure.
With the two new cards I picked up, I feel pretty sure. They were both graded copies. Low grades, but still authenticated. So I did what anybody needing consistency in their set would do - I cracked them out of their cases. Sadly, I took no photos of them in their casing (headshake). Oh well.
First up, Leafs rookie Sid Smith. I like the action shot of him skating (there are a lot of cards with guys just looking like they’re floating in a stationary pose). This card has the rounded corners that I’ve come to expect with the condition I’m looking for. It's got a few blemishes on the front and back, but overall - it's clean. And no creases...something that I really strive for. Fits in the set quite well.
Sid played 12 seasons in the NHL - all with Toronto, and was their captain in 1955 and 56. He amassed 601 career games (a pretty cool achievement considering this was the Original Six era) and scored 20 or more goals in 6 consecutive campaigns...one of just a handful of players ever to do that (at that time).
Sid Smith is a 3-time Stanley Cup champion, was an All-Star on 3 occasions and won the Lady Byng trophy twice. Quite the resume for a guy not commonly known in the hockey world. I certainly didn't know this much about him.
When he retied in the 57/58 season, only 3 active players had scored more goals...Gordie Howe, Maurice Richard and Ted Lindsay. Now that's good company.
Another Parkie RC, this time of Rangers centre, Paul Ronty. This card was also graded (can't remember what it received), but was quickly removed from it's clear plastic casing. Another nice action shot of Paul skating behind the net (in my eyes anyways) and I love the fine details in the photo - even if it's far from a clear picture. The tie on the sweater, the seemingly lack of padding being worn, the gloves, the skates, the flat stick blade, and blonde locks. What a great photo.
Paul Ronty was born in Toronto in 1928 after his parents immigrated to Canada from Finland in 1920. He was never a top student (he didn't learn English until he entered elementary school), but excelled on the ice. Ronty cracked the Boston Bruins lineup as a 19-year-old and was a standout for 4 years before moving on to New York where he continued his success with the Rangers for 4 more campaigns.
Paul was a top scorer in the league (he finished sixth in league scoring 3 times during his decade in the league) and was known for his stick-handling and play-making abilities. He was also a 4-time NHL All-Star. Not bad for a kid who learned to skate on a pair of "hand-me-down" figure skates from his older sister.
What I really enjoy about this Parkie set is it's a wonderful capsule of an era of hockey that I am pretty unfamiliar with. Sure, we all know the big names (and I've listed them above), but it's the guys like Smith and Ronty that really make this a fun build. These guys were the top one percent of players in the world at the time. Six teams...not nearly the bolstered rosters you see today. To crack the lineup actually meant something.
I'll continue with my trek this year. Maybe I'll add another one, two, who knows. Maybe I'll pull the trigger on a bigger name. There's plenty of time to get them all...and I'm still not quite a third of the way there.
Current Collection: 31 cards
No comments:
Post a Comment