RAISE THE CUP - Cleaning Off The Desk

Well I had a few moments tonight to clean up my office desk.  Seems there's been a massive explosion, and the result......cards, cards everywhere.

Most are ones that need to go into trade binders or monster boxes (as they've been downgraded from the toploader world) a handful are from various projects and a couple are "reminder" cards.

What they're supposed to remind me to do.....who knows anymore.

But I came across three cards that were easy to place and a quick check on a project binder showed me that I needed to do some scanning.....and some show & telling.

This Mario Lemieux card is a real eye-catcher.  Even when I look at it close up, it has that drawn/sketch feel to it.  But it's not.  It's just a slightly overexposed photograph.

Inserted into the 2006/07 Power Play insert set called Cup Celebrations, this has slowly revealed itself as one of the earlier Cup raising insert sets out there.

I picked it up at a trade night a few months ago.  Crazy enough - I traded for it.

A lot of LA Kings Stanley Cup cards of late (but not this year).  I really like a lot of the horizontal offerings in my project.  The background really gives the card depth and makes the Cup punch out even more.

Kopitar looks truly overjoyed.  What a great moment - and a perfect example of what I like about this collection.

Uh oh.....we need a ruling.

A while back I made the decision to take some cards out of my Raise The Cup project.  I decided that some of the parameters include...

1. Photo must appear on the front of the card
2. Stanley Cup must be raised over the player's head

Well, clearly you can see that we only have 50% on the test.  But boy is this card ever nice.  You can tell that this photo was taken literally moments after Toews was presented the Cup.  The expression on his mug is perfect and there's good energy in the shot.

Plus it's Jonathan Toews....not Mark Messier.  I was able to throw out a card of The Moose because he had the Cup at his side.  A good reason as any to get rid of it.

This card on the other hand - is going in.......for now.  I'm sure I'll change my mind at a later point.

But I get to do that.  It's my project.

Current Collection - 120 cards

LINDEN CARD OF THE WEEK - More Artifacts

It's been a bit of a slow week hobby-wise for me.  I've kept my eye on a number of auctions, but have passed on pretty much all of them.  Prices just don't feel right.

But every once in a while one pops up with all the stars aligned.  And when the bidding is all said and done, sometimes you win one.

And in this case it was a nice addition to a miserable release.  (OK....that might be a little over-dramatic).

2014/15 Upper Deck Artifacts

Gold Spectrum Material

#31 Patch/Patch  /15

I'm happy with any card numbered to 15 that I can grab for what I feel is a good price.

A couple of interesting patches on it though.  I couldn't put my finger on it until I saw the card up close.

Doesn't look like Canuck colors.  And it's got some unique stitching too.

I think it looks like a CCM patch.

Thoughts anyone?

With this card I'm almost halfway through the parallel hell of Artifacts for the 14/15 release.  I now have 9 of 19 cards put out in the product.  A couple of them are easy pickings, so I'm not in a rush.  All the others?  Well, let's just say this /15 was the easiest of those.

Not a race.  Not a race.  Not a race.

OPINION - Is It Really A Masterpiece?

For a few weeks now, I've been anxiously anticipating the upcoming Upper Deck release - Masterpieces.

I remember this product being a blast back in the 2008/09 season when it debuted.  The artist painting feel of the card, putting it on a matte, textured card stock and the great action many of the cards all made the robust checklist very popular.  Not to mention the jersey variations and hard-signed autograph finds.  A great product.

Word of Masterpieces being resurrected this season got me excited.  And  I really got my ears perked when I learned that Trevor Linden would be on the checklist.

Recently, Upper Deck showed off some of the cards in a Facebook post.  Here's what I saw.

First off, some of these artist paintings are spectacular.  The photos do these cards no justice I'm guessing.  I fixed them up as best I could, but I can just bet that seeing them up close will be a real treat.

The design may be simple, but that's part of what hooked me last time around.  The textured card stock is back too it seems.

And I really like how they've built the signature and memorabilia components.

And I have no doubt that the checklist will be a who's who.

Hopefully, like last time, there will be some all-time greats included along with today's current stars.

Oh yeah......did I mention Linden is in the release?

Marty, shown in his Devils garb.

You can kind of tell in the collar of his jersey.

That exciting......right?

Iggy.

Really?  That's the best photo you could draw from?

Hmmmmmmm.  Going back I'm seeing a bit of a trend with these cards.

Huh.

This Ovechkin offering lacks any sort of dynamics that the original Masterpieces had.

I'm getting a little bit concerned.

Ah, there he is.  Trev.

Doing his best "glide, turn left".  A real action shot if I've ever seen one.

OK, opinion time.

With a product like this (that has a very distinct and definitive history behind it) why would Upper Deck fill the pot with portrait shots and lackluster action?

Seriously?  Take a look at all the above cards.  It would be very fair to say that the Linden offering has the most action in it.  And if that's the case.....not good.

In this day and age, shouldn't the best of the best in terms of reference photos be available for a project like this?  Why didn't Upper Deck use the  08/09 offering as a guide?

Now, I'll admit, this Cam Neely card is not the most dynamic card itself, but it blows away anything I've seen from the upcoming release.

Great detail, great framing, good looking card.

And the white border base version really looks bland when compared to the brown border gems.

There it is.  That's what I think of when I hear Upper Deck Masterpieces.

What more would a person want in a card?  Tons of great color, creativity and artistry.  Both in the player depicted and the artist capturing.

Here's another.  This just destroys anything shown above from the current crop of cards.

So what happened?  Why the change?

I'm not certain, but what went from a high-level of excitement on the set has turned to a lukewarm simmer for some Linden chasing.

Not the end of the world, but I do believe that more could have been done with this set.

What are your thoughts on Upper Deck Masterpieces?  Both the original offering and the upcoming release?  What are your thoughts on the portraits painted?

WALLET CARD - Disaster!!!!

It was a disastrous afternoon.  A chain of events that led to an unfortunate incident.

The results......ugly.  Too much for some to handle.

Warning - the following photo may be disturbing to some hobbyists.

Simply put, this is what happens when your wallet (housing the above #WalletCard) is placed in the washing machine.

The story goes.....

Jar of salsa smashes on the ground.  Salsa everywhere.  Salsa on pants.  Wallet in pants (but forgotten about due to said salsa).  Pants go to washing machine.  Pants get washed.  Wallet gets washed.

Salsa gone.  #WalletCard gone.

Other than my wallet being a write-off, this was the only other item to take on any real damage.  All my credit cards and such are plastic.  All my money is some freak kind of waterproof indestructible material.  coins...good.

Just poor ol' Oscar.

I let him dry out and now he's super brittle.  I don't know if it's possible to salvage this copy - but believe me I'll try.

If not, I'll be on the search for a new copy.  I need #WalletCard

Actually, what bothers me more is the fact that this card was given to me as a gift and had meaning to me even before this year and the advent of #WalletCard.

Down......but not out.

1 vs. 100 - Are You Kidding Me???!!!!!!!

This project has been ongoing for well over five years (I checked) and I've been sitting at four cards remaining for a while now.

The only really searching I do is at the monthly trade nights or when something shiny is one a table at the monthly show.  I don't really do any hardcore searching on ebay right now.

You could very easily say that this project is in sleep mode, but recently it was given one of the biggest kicks I've ever felt.

Once again, thanks goes to fellow Linden collector Kevin for the very generous (and absolutely hilarious) additions.  It was without a doubt the most jaw dropping cards I've seen.

You'll think so too.

Yes!!!!  Josh Leivo.  Told ya.

This card, numbered to 86, represents his draft position.  I'll be honest, I've never heard of young Josh and I'm pulling for him as I see he's wearing the blue and white.

But let's face facts, his name could be Putta Playernamehere for all I care.  It's all about there serial number for me.

Now.......can you guess what's next?

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Ready?

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Yes!!!!!!!  Josh Leivo.

That's right, you're not seeing double.  This is Josh's jersey number parallel.  32 copies....and I need the number 32.

To have four cards on my wantlist - and not having seen any copies cross my way, only to have two in one shot - and of one player from one product release........is quite honestly the most incredible thing I've ever seen.

Let me think about that for a second.





Yup.  I can honestly say that this unlikely event has truly left me gobsmacked.  I can't stop smiling over the sheer coincidence of it all.

And if you think I'm going to upgrade either one of these two - you are CRAYYY-ZZZEEEEE!!!!!

I'm off to buy a lottery ticket or maybe the 50/50 draw at the Flames game.  Wow!

Current Collection - 98 out of 100  (98%)

12 in 12 - He Shoots, He Saves

A month or so ago, Sal over at Puck Junk posted a book review that had me very intrigued.  It also had me thinking back a few years to some of my fine photography skills.

Sal reviewed Jon Waldman's latest hockey hobby offering "He Shoots, He Saves: The Story Of Hockey's Collectible Treasures".  Sounds like it'd be right up my alley.

In fact, I put it on my wishlist for my birthday and my nephew got the hint. He wrapped it up like he always does - with tender loving care with reckless abandon and watched as I gawked over it after tearing apart the paper.

I'll be honest, I had ulterior motives to wanting this title.

You see, this book isn't just a what's what of hockey "stuff".  It's got a little bit of Linden inside - courtesy of yours truly.

That is the same Trevor Linden Rookie Of The Year button that currently sits in my closet.....somewhere.  It was one of about a dozen or so photos I took for this book after Jon sent out the call for submissions.

While I wasn't prepared to scan in the entire collection (that's for my own book to come), I did offer up some pretty unique oddball items.

Sadly, the Linden portion of this book is pretty sparse and this ROTY button was the only item to make the cut.

But that doesn't mean my photo skills weren't still on display.

One of my favorite goalie mask collectibles are these posters from the 1988 Calgary Olympic displays.  I snagged the collection of four years ago and they still garner a bit of attention.

I thought it was pretty cool to see some of my hockey collection make it into a mainstream book.

Now I'm looking forward to reading about the wonderful world of hockey collectibles.  And if you get a chance to pick up a copy - please do so.  Or if you'd like to get a little more insight first - read Sal's review.

PARKIE PROJECT - Hy Buller

Geez.....I can't believe it's been a year since my last Parkie Project pickup.  Then again, I did tell myself that this particular project would be a marathon and not a sprint.

That said, a little kick in the behind is always nice to get wheels rollin'.

I'm sure you've heard now that I received a pretty cool bubble mailer from a fellow Linden collector recently.  In it were some gorgeous Oscar Gamble adds to my slowly growing player collection.  Those were cards I knew were coming.  He also decided to add a few extras.  One of them happened to be from my 1951/52 Parkhurst project.

1951/52 Parkhurst

#91 Hy Buller

This was without question one heck of a surprise.  When I pulled the cards out I could see a toploader that didn't quite belong in the mix.  But the card inside kept me gazing at it for a while.

And while it might not be in tip top shape (looks good for a 65 year old piece of cardboard) this card will not only sit proudly in the collection, but be a constant reminder of all of the things I love about this hobby.

Thoughtfulness.  Selflessness.  "Just because".

The collecting world is a better place when you can harness those powers.  And to be the recipient of an act of kindness like this just really made my day - heck, my month.  Thanks again Kev.

Now I'll admit, I've never heard of Hy Buller.  So a little Wiki-Googling was in order.

First thing I learned.....he had a tremendous nickname.  You're on your own to search it out.

He was one of only two Jewish professional hockey players in the 40s and 50s.

A 2nd Team All-Star during the 1952 season, this rugged defenceman was greatly admired by the likes of superstars Gordie Howe and Maurice Richard for both his solid play and good sportsmanship.

He played just 5 NHL seasons, first for Detroit and then the Rangers before retiring in 1954.

He finished his career having played in 188 NHL contests with 22 career goals, 80 points and 215 PIMs.

Here's a link to a fine article written by Joe Pelletier over at Greatest Hockey Legends.  Check out the comments section too....it is a small sampling, but reveals just how much Hy Buller was admired and respected.

Taking a look now at my latest Parkie to be added, the vibrant blue color really pops out of the card.  The contrasting red in the Rangers uniform really makes this copy a winner.

The corners are not what they once used to be - but I could care less.

There's a bit of a crease across the upper portion of the card - but I could care less.

The centering.....is pretty good in my books - but I could care less.

This card is all about kindness, thoughtfulness and selflessness.

I've got the juices flowing now for a little giveaway or two myself.

Just because.


Parkie Progress - 11 out of 105  (10.4%)