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?