CARDBOARD PHOTOGRAPHY - This Photo Theme Is Worthy Of The Bike Spokes

Let's start the week with some Cardboard Photography. It's been a while.

There was a time in the 70's and 80's where hockey card pics would be a "what you see is what you get" situation. There weren't a ton of photo opportunities (maybe a couple games in some instances) for some of the shutterbugs to capture all the players, so the options and varieties would be quite limited. It's why we saw a lot of backup goalies doing warmup laps with towels around their necks.

These days, I feel like there are countless photos to choose from when putting a player's card together - and it's gotta be infinitely easier for everyone. Photos are digitally stored, accessible at anytime and anywhere. The quantity of pics to choose from must be overwhelming at times...you aren't thinking about the costs of film or having to develop your rolls before submitting. It's just "here...dig through this pile".

So the ability to get the best of the best is there...right?

Not always.

This stunning snap comes from the 2023/24 Upper Deck Series 2 set. This is the flagship offering for UD and has been a staple for set collectors since the early 90's.

Now, I know Mike Matheson can often be the buttend of some jokes...but this card feels like there's a bit of a dirt kick going on. 

He's gone sliding into the net, back to the netting and seemingly focused on......something. It is one of the more unflattering photos I've seen on a card in some time.

But as I was sifting through other singles from the set, I couldn't help but notice a trend.

Fabian looks like he's just flat out falling down. And his face shows more panic or concern than it does grit and determination.

Did someone give him a little hipcheck just moments before?

Is Palmieri stretching before the game? Is he diving for a puck? Did he fall?

What is happening here?

Marner looks like he hit the boards awkwardly...all by himself. The scorpion look on a forward isn't flattering.

This is not the kind of superstar photography I'd like to have on my cards.

Sure, it's "low angle"...but there are better ways to do it.

Exhibit A....now this is a stunner of a photo! Beautifully framed, wonderful depth. So many great details to check out.

Why can't more hockey cards be like this? Is the selection just not there? Doubt it.

Just because somebody is following the puck, doesn't make it a captivating photo.

And switching to a landscape layout does not help.

Toffoli looks like he's scrambling.

Geez...this is not the "up close and personal" vibe I'm looking for.

Nope.

OK...this was a planned shot...right? Jake posed for this.

Even Matthews can't escape the wrath of the "I've fallen and I can't get up" theme.

Man, sucks to be a Leafs team collector with this product.

It's shocking to see how many photos from this set just fall completely flat in my eyes. This is a first for a flagship product. I can't think of another example where this many shots just don't cut it.

Am I wrong here? Do these pics do anything for you? Sure, it's a bit "outside the box"...but it's too much of a reach for me. Give me slick looking action shots, closeups of faces that show some emotion, unique moments that grab a viewer, or even a reflective moment...a posed shot with a smile. Something less messy.

If anything though, these cards made me stop...look, and even post about. So there's that.  :)

BEHIND THE MASKS - Super Seventies Saints Schedule

Going back again to last April to share the final item I picked up along with my Linden pamphlet and Linden program. This was a fun find that added a bit of value for the bundled price I paid.

As a goalie mask fan...especially the vintage fibreglass era, I'm a sucker for the nice, closeup photos where you can really appreciate the craftsmanship of the headgear. It's not just a slick paintjob that appeals to me...I love the unique shape that molds to the tender's face. The experimental airholes cut out all around (because did anyone REALLY know what they were doing back then??). The piercing eyes glaring at you from behind the cage...just daring you to take your best shot. I love it all.

But yeah, the paintjob is king. Some masks from the era are pretty crude (as expected) but each is completely unique to the player. No two masks are alike. You don't see individuality like this in any other sport.

This is such a slice of time in an era that many people no longer remember. The WHA was a league competing with the NHL back in the 70's and many of the top players found new life (and robust contracts) playing in the rival league. Names like Gordie Howe, Bobby Hull, Gerry Cheevers, Derek Sanderson took the league to a reputable level...but the chaos, turmoil and inexperience behind the scenes made this league a doomed venture from the start.

This pamphlet is from the upcoming 75/76 season for the Minnesota Fighting Saints. The Saints were one of the founding teams of the World Hockey Association (a 12-team startup that launched in 1972) but only managed to last 4 seasons before folding due to lack of funds.

This item represents that last season in the league for the Saints. But I didn't buy the pamphlet for that nugget of history...I bought it because of the cool mask.

So, who's the goalie? For people of a certain age in Canada, we know his name and voice more for his colour commentary that his goaltending. It's John Garrett.

Garrett had a 12-year career split between the WHA and NHL. He played for 7 teams in total including the Whalers, Nordiques and Canucks in the NHL. He always had a slick run of goalie masks but I must admit...this Saints offering isn't one that I remember well. So it's very cool to see it captured on a piece like this. The yellow on either side of the eyes represent wings and the band above is a halo. Very much pays homage to the log and team name. John had a second version of the mask with just white wings that covered more of the eyes.

Why weren't photos like this plastered on hockey cards back in the day??? Seriously...I'd have bought way more packs. :)

Let's take a look at the inside of the pamphlet...

If this doesn't scream 70's...I don't know what does. Absolutely fantastic.

There are no action shots of players or superstar endorsements. These cartoons represent a more family-friendly, simple gameday experience. That's a message we don't see often anymore.

But the real treat to this pamphlet - and a definite sign of the times....

Check out that arena layout. She's no oval. And those prices!! I love that they have per-seat savings listed by the cents. Crazy.

Forty games...that would be a solid season of sport.

And yeah...$300 for a prime seat, incredible. Seven bucks a game.

So while I pack this pamphlet away with my other collectibles in the closet, I can't help but reminisce of a great era in hockey...not too far gone. Affordable tickets, cool goalie masks. What's not to love?

Oh, and my lasting memory of John Garrett as a player?...that's easy. John played in the 1983 All-Star game. Not because he was having a great year (he was playing for the Canucks as a backup to Richard Brodeur) but because Brodeur was injured and Garrett replaced him as the only Vancouver representative in that season's classic.

Garrett stole the show that night and was voted MVP...that was before some kid named Wayne Gretzky scored 4 times in the final 10 minutes of the game. Officials held a re-vote and gave Gretzky the MVP and the new car awarded to the top player. Garrett was robbed.

RAISE THE CUP - A Unique Card That I NEVER Would Have Found

A couple of months ago, I was asked to be on the Sports Cards Live podcast to talk about my approach to collecting, lessons learned in this hobby and share some of my PC pieces. It was a real joy to sit and enthusiastically "talk shop" with a person and audience that would (hopefully) appeciate my words. It's something I don't normally do.

This blog is really the major outlet for me to share my thoughts on the hobby, let me explore topics with a little more detail and show off some new finds. Even though I don't post nearly as much as I used to, I absolutely love that this platform is here when I want. Lately, the bug to post has returned...and I'm enjoying it.

In the days after my appearance on the podcast, I had a few people start following me on social media (be it Twitter or Instagram) which I found flattering as I don't normally post card stuff on those sites. And I had a couple collectors even reach out to me to connect - which I greatly appreciated. There are a lot of fantastic, positive hobbyists out there and their genuine care and love of collecting really cuts through the noise of negativity for me. In fact...I'm quite drawn to it. I love good hobby people and I love good hobby stories.

One of my new connections mentioned that he had a couple cards for my 'Raise The Cup' project...one of my favourite builds, as it celebrates the pinnacle moment in a player's career (winning the Stanley Cup and lifting it over their head). It's also a very affordable chase. There's no checklist but ample cards out there to find and acquire.

We swapped addresses as I noticed he liked Paul Kariya cards and I had one sitting in my trade box for a while. When I received my cards, I had a curious smile on my face when I was presented with this gem...

1996/97 Upper Deck SP

Inside Info

#NNO Joe Sakic

So...as we can all see, this card does not show Burnaby Joe lifting the Cup over his head. Right?

Wrong.

Don't let the cover fool you. The goodies are inside. :)

Ohhh....what have we here?? This looks fun.

I gotta say, for a card from the late 90's, this is pretty slick. Remember, there were no booklet cards at this time. Memorabilia cards were in their infancy. This was a very solid insert for its day.

And we're not even at the best part, yet.

Ta-da!!

What a great reveal...a little surprise inside the card. Very fun, very cool.

I never in a million years would have found this card to add to my Cup Raisers collection. I love the fact that someone else recognized they had this and knew I'd appreciate it.

And I do. I think this is without question the most unique card in this project - and one with a great story. Have I mentioned that I like stories? :)

I'm curious though, as to the choice to use a "backside Sakic" photo. What led to that decision? It's a great pic and I love the fact that it's part of the card, but I can't help but think that if they were considering that backside Cup photo to put on a standalone card...they wouldn't have gone with it. It's too outside the box.

That makes me like this card even more. It's awesome.

So a sincere thank you to Andrew over at Dog House Hockey Cards for the fantastic gift. I greatly appreciate you thinking of me...and your generosity.

Do you have a card with an "outside the box" photo on it? Something that makes the card feel almost foreign to the set or your collecting project? Love it or hate it?

LINDEN POSTER OF THE WEEK - Can Lightning Really Strike Twice??

One slick looking Linden poster, framed...found locally, is something that makes my day. 

My week.

Heck, my summer.

That happened last year.

So when I was scanning Facebook Marketplace for Linden items and this gem popped up, my jaw dropped when I saw that it was just a 10 minute drive away.

Can lightning really strike twice?

Are you kidding me??!!! This is Ace of Spades stuff. One of the top Linden posters to be had out there.

Framed, exquisitly (what is that...triple matted) with a custom presentation that just ties this all together with a big, bright, beautiful bow.

Let's take a closer look as I share where this comes from.

Might be tough to see, but there is a "Trevor Linden 16" embossed stamp in the lower left corner. So this is the real deal.

Not a "Vancouver Canucks" poster...but a "Trevor Linden, Vancouver Canucks" poster. Lovely.

The bottom has two coins...to allow easy appreciation of both the front and back of the custom Linden coin. It celebrates Trevor becoming the all-time team leader in games played, goals and points.

Again, matted beautifully. It just adds to the overall impressiveness of the piece.

Would have loved an authentic hand-signed offering, but I'm not going to complain. This is a slick, shiny, silver foil auto that they put in the bottom right. You can also see some key info.

03-04 Ticket Holder Limited Edition

Sadly, it's not numbered, so I can't be sure as to how many copies of this exist. I've seen a few out on the open market - some framed, some not. But none are as cheap as what I got mine for.

I absolutely love the photo selection used for this poster. It's the true highlight of the piece.

From his youthful, draft day photo to the iconic hug after game 6 of the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals, there is a great mix of images, placement and sizes.

This headshot is king though. I love this look and how they used this image on the poster. It just has a commanding feel. Scroll back up and tell me what you think.

The piercng stare is perfect.

This has been housed in its original frame all these years and was put up for purchase because (as the seller put it) "Ex forgot to take it when he left!...It's got to go!!"

Ha ha...does that mean I could barter the price down a bit?

In fact, it was. Listed at $45, I got her down to $40. She was happy to see it go to a good home and I couldn't be happier as I shelled out a pair of twenties.

I wonder what I'll find next summer?

LINDEN CARD OF THE WEEK - Completionist Or Crazy??

Sometimes I think I'm a little off my rocker about my Linden collecting. I'll just start with that.

A number of years ago, I decided that I would add "cameo" cards to my master Trevor Linden checklist. A cameo is when a player is pictured on someone else's card. It could be alongside, battling in front of the net, celebrating in a group hug after a goal, chilling out on the bench sharing a story, or just gliding in the background.

In total, there have been about 10-12 instances of Linden cameo cards out there and when I find them...I add them to the list. It fun, and usually inexpensive. Sure, there are times when parallels pop up...and me being the completist, I cave and add them all.

Foreshadowing.

I had a friend mention to me a few years ago that he saw Trev in the background of a card. He sent me a pic and sure enough, he was there...barely. I was on the fence if I should even add it to the list as I knew it could balloon into some trouble.

Foreshadowing.

1999/00 Be A Player Millenium

#92 Aaron Ward Emerald  /10

When this card popped up on my radar, I decided that the chase for some new Linden cameos was most definitely on. When the toughest card to obtain is the first one you see...and for a really good price, it's near impossible for me to ignore.

And yeah...I still can't believe I'm buying cards of a no-name player (sorry Aaron) just because it's got a fleeting image of Linden in the background.

That's him...without question. Captain of the Islanders. :)

But in my defense, to see the uber-tough Emerald copy /10 show up really made deciding things a lot easier. The Emeralds are so hard to find (I have a few Linden's from around that time that are still on my wantlist) and most people want an arm and a leg for them. Not in this case...thankfully.

So in addng this line to the master list, I decided to reference the Linden offerings from the same product - so I could match the amount of parallels that are available. And there's a bunch of them.

A whole bunch. Color variants, signed cards, show cards.

Foreshadowing.

Ugh...show cards.

Did I say a bunch?? Yeah, I binged...binged hard. Ha ha! Oh my goodness, I have mini-PC of Aaron Ward now...all with a little slice of Linden to make me laugh.

The completist in me couldn't let these go. How could I not. They do look kind of cool all grouped together in their class photo. And I accept the fact that I may be a little crazy when it comes to my Linden collecting. But a good Aaron Ward story only adds to the awesomeness of my collection. 

Ha!...I can't believe I said that.

What's the most you have stretched in terms of boundaries to add to your player PC? What are the limits? Would the Aaron Ward situation cut it in your hobby world?

BEHIND THE MASKS - My New Plante Addition Is Absolutely... Magnifique

Switching things up a bit...it's not a new Linden card. :)

But this item has some real coolness to it and sits perfectly within my collection.

I've been a goalie mask nut for a very long time. I tell people that I'm a sucker for a mask. I think it's without question the most unique piece of equipment across the entire sporting landscape. There is nothing else like it. It protects...but it also showcases character. No two are identical and the stories behind them are endless.

Over the years, I've collected the various goalie mask sets that have been released, found myself dabbling in other mask-related items and love to find things that relate back to the originator...Jacques Plante.

This little booklet hits the nail on the head.

1971/72 O-Pee-Chee

#4 "The Story Of..." Booklet (French)

These card-sized comic booklets were an insert set included in the 71/72 OPC offering. They were 8 pages in length and provided a consise biography of the featured player. A checklist of all 24 booklets were on the back page and featured a who's who of hockey stars from that era.

I've seen these a number of times at the local shows and while they look cool, I've never really picked any up. But a stop over at the local card shop a while back had me discover a handful of the french booklets (something I don't see hardly at all). 

As you can see in the picture above, the condition of this Plante is superb...dare I say, magnifique. And it was sitting in one of their discount boxes...so the price was equally as nice.

Ok, my one beef with this booklet comes from the drawings of the mask Jacques is wearing.

As the guy who is responsible for introducing the goalie mask to pro hockey back in 1959, you'd think there would be a tiny bit of attention to detail. Plante's mask looks less like the one he wore and more like a street hockey shield. My other question is...why is Plante wearing a blue sweater??? (shoulder shrug)

Can't win 'em all, I guess.

I still love the fact that I have another small, tough to find piece of goalie mask history in my collction. I never did pick up an english version of the comic...now I have a reason to.

LINDEN CARD OF THE WEEK - Another Shocking New Find From Decades Past

It has been a summer unlike any I've seen in a very long time...for a number of reasons. From a collecting standpoint, it's been fairly quiet - but when I've hit, I feel like I've hit big. Author's Note...I can't believe I just said what I did about the card you're about to see. :)

Big for me isn't maybe what others might consider "big". Two of my favourite pickups this year have been quite affordable actually. The Canadian Ice Provincial Series Player's Club from the post before this (a card that's almost 30 years old)...and what might be the most exciting, boring, questionable, confusing card I've got in my collection. And it actually is 30 years old!

Let's set things up...

1993/94 Upper Deck NHLPA Roots #1

First of all...this is the kind of Linden card that makes me laugh. It's smack dab from the junk wax era and honestly, couldn't be less appealing to a hockey card fan if they tried.

But I get it. The NHL Player's Association teamed up with Roots clothing and did a little cross promoting. I scratch your back, you scratch mine. It was a small, twenty card set that might draw in a few people. The appeal is less to the hockey card collector and more to a wider audience.

Me being me....It's on my master checklist and the copy above is the one I've had for decades - literally. So why am I showing it to you???

Well, I recently found out that there's a variation to the card. Something I had no clue about for 30 years.

1993/94 Upper Deck NHLPA Roots

#1 Hang Tag

I was perusing a chat board that I don't go to often (less so over the past 3-4 years) and did a routine search for Linden. I found a post about a "rare" and hard to find offering from 1993. Apparently these cards were initially produced as a promotion for a new clothing line from Roots called "Hang Out". Each article of clothing came with one of these "hang tag" cards - hence, the small hole punched in the upper left corner.

I don't remember these cards at all...probably because I never went into Roots stores. And these came out before I was knee deep in my Linden collecting, so it would be completely off my radar.

Versions of these cards without the punched hole also exist (no kidding...it's the one I've had forever). I don't even know which ones are the regular version and which ones are the "parallel" offering. I can only assume that the hole punched version is the tougher to find (since I had no clue about it for all these years). 

Sadly, There is no revealing item on the front or the back of the card to differentiate it. Ugh. That's a big red flag.

I was absolutely stunned to learn about this card, excited to discover a new Linden to add to the checklist, but bummed that I'd be needing to go on blind faith on if it'd be legit. After all, it doesn't take much to punch a hole in a card and call it "special" or "rare".

And that's where I was at a couple weeks ago when I was staring at an ebay auction...contemplating if the card I was looking at was the real deal. On one hand, I was truly giddy that I found a card I needed for my collection. The other...countless voices reminding me that fakes are out there and people are looking to make a quick buck on suckers like me.

My mind then went to "Who would go out of their way to do this to a Linden card?" I mean...really? Linden? For what...a couple extra bucks? Nah.

Turns out I spent more than just a "couple extra bucks" for the card. I'm shaking my head right now as I type this. The regular card is literally worth pennies - if that. You could not give it away these days. The punched version...eight bucks! Ha ha ha!!!

Oh my goodness, it just goes to show how absolutely off my rocker I can be with my justifications of pricing. There are cards out there that I refuse to pay more than $10 for - and have passed on endlessly because of that...and here I am shelling out almost that for a junk wax card with a hole punched in it. And a gawd ugly photo to boot (for a hockey card).

But...the feeling I had when I opened the bubble envelope this morning was everything I love about this hobby. The anticipation and excitement of something I've never seen before finally finding its way into my collection. The simple smile of crossing this off the list (after adding it only a few weeks prior). Knowing that this all happened because I just kept digging. I was open to discovery. It's a great card that now has a great story - and I love stories.

It's a reminder to me that even in slow times, it's good to keep your eyes open. Take the time to look under the rocks...and not just the ones you go to on a regular basis. Check out the places you've not been to in a while, it might provide you some new chases. And even if it doesn't...it can still be a ton of fun.

What's the most you've ever spent for a "this card is worth pennies" card? One that you just had to add to your collection. Do you regret paying the price...or just laugh at it now?