UPDATE: Devante Smith-Pelly Auto "Stamp"

About a month and a half ago I posted about autopens.  The whole subject was brought on by the rumour that Anaheim Ducks young star Devante Smith-Pelly was using a stamp to sign cards for both Panini and Upper Deck.

Well, there is now more to this story.

The owner of Hobby Insider (the sports  card site that I am a member of) was contacted by Martin McQuaig.  He's the Manager, Retail Licensing of the NHLPA.  He confirmed that DSP was indeed using a stamp.

The brands impacted were:

Panini Contenders
Panini Prime
Upper Deck SP Authentic
Upper Deck Ultimate
Upper Deck The Cup

Mr. McQuaig then went on to say that the NHLPA takes this matter seriously and that when they learned of this rumour they conducted their due diligence and concluded that the rumour was indeed true.

He mentioned that Upper Deck and Panini will be making announcements on their blogs regarding their plans to rectify the situation with collectors.

Upper Deck blog post

I can appreciate that the issue hasn't been ignored or swept under the rug.  Something like this, if left unresolved, can lead to more players using stamps and blow up into something rivaling the fake patch problems on the memorabilia side of things.

I'm curious to see what both Panini and Upper Deck have to say, but I am even more interested to hear from Smith-Pelly.  He's the one who should have the most to say - and the most to lose from this situation.

If I hear more, I will certainly update.

LINDEN CARD(s) OF THE WEEK - Some Superlative For Show

Wow.  That was a quick week.  I can't believe it's been 7 days since my last post.

Over the past week I've been happy to see some bubble mailers sitting in the mailbox.  Some new Superlative III cards for my Linden collection have shown up.

I've been pursuing these cards much more actively than Artifacts or The Cup.  I've noticed the price point for some of these cards to be lower than expected.  Too bad I jumped on a couple of these offerings too soon and didn't fully realize the savings.

Still, some nice cards to show off.....so let's get going.

2012/13 ITG Superlative III

Auto & Jersey

#AJ-TL silver version

This was a bit of a miss on my part.  I have two copies of this card now.  With 40 copies of it out there you'd think that would be ok.  Unfortunately this is the most common card in the product.

I had picked one up at the local card show a couple weeks ago in a trade and was cringing that I made a cash & trade deal for this one.

See......it's completely identical.  Ugh.  Oh well, this one's a trader.

It's tough to determine what to chase and what to try and pick up at the local shows.  With cards numbered to less than 50....odds are it won't show up.  In this instance I was wrong.

2012/13 ITG Superlative III

Autograph

#A-TL gold version

This was a nice surprise.  With only 10 copies of this card out there I had visions of the Captain C gold auto (also out of 10).  It was going for some pretty solid coin.

I managed to land this one for half the price I was originally expecting.

It's a pretty simple card....but it's a hard signed signature.  Can't complain there.

2012/13 ITG Superlative III

Superlative Patch

#SP-30 gold version

From 10 to 9.  This card is a nice solid patch piece.  The yellow and orange always draw me in and this offering is no exception.  

Another one that I grabbed early on and I'm kicking myself at the price I paid.  What I thought was good at the time has turned into about a $20-30 overpay.

But you can't be too picky when there's this few in circulation.

2012/13 ITG Superlative III

Auto plus Number

#SAP-TL silver version

Another card numbered to just 9, this has four very distinct and solid colors in it.  A very solid piece.  

This card, as well as the next one, has got me in a bit of a dilemma (you'll see where I'm going with this in a moment).

2012/13 ITG Superlative III

Raised To The Rafters

#RTR-36 silver version

One final card numbered to just 9 copies.  It showed up as a Buy It Now on ebay and the price was more than right.  This would definitely be the one card that has tilted the savings pendulum to my side for once.

Now....here's my issue.  Superlative III cards come in the packs already in penny sleeves and toploaders.  One additional thing In The Game did though was seal them.  You can see the ITG sticker at the top of each toploader.

The first couple cards I received were nicely sealed.  Just as they would have been coming out of the card producer's plant.

Unfortunately, the last couple has had the seal broken on them....allowing me to do this...

Free as a bird!!!

Now I've heard from Dr. Price (head guy for In The Game) that the sealed toploaders were only supposed to be for packaging and shipping in order to ensure a flawless card upon arrival.  Once in the hands of the collector the card is to be taken out of the case.

Me being one who likes to have things as pristine as possible am a little torn as to what to do with the cards that have popped seals.

Part of me wants to release them all so I can enjoy them and put them in one touch holders (like the rest of my memorabilia pieces) while the other part of me wants to find a replacement for each broken seal and "upgrade" so to speak.

But with the cards in question limited to just 9 copies, that might be easier said than done....especially if the next few arrived in that condition too.

Drama in my card collecting...what will I ever do?  Stay tuned to this dramatic soap opera.  I'm sure it'll be a cliff hangar.

'30 in 30' LEGACY - Summit On Ice

Well, I don't want to do another 30 docs in 30 days anytime soon, but I do want to continue to post any sports documentaries that I watch.  Both for my own records and because there might be a couple of you who would be interested in watching them.

These will not be the drawn out reviews I did in October.  No chance.  These will be short and to the point.

I watched this offering a couple days ago after renting it from the library on the weekend.  Free is good.

Summit On Ice (1992)
96 mins.
Rated: G


This is a great behind-the-scenes documentary on the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and Russia.  Done in 1992 and originally broadcast on CBC, this doc has a good selection of player interviews, archive footage and inside stories.  As well, Kenneth Welsh's voiceover is  really good.

While it doesn't go terribly in-depth with some of the happenings, it does paint a good picture of the events from (now) 40 years ago.  A solid watch.

4 out of 5

CARDBOARD PHOTOGRAPHY - Larry Robinson

I cracked a box of 2012/12 Artifacts a couple months ago and while the 'hits' weren't all that spectacular, there was one card that really caught my eye.

Some of you may know that I'm a sucker for certain vintage things.  Fibreglass masks being the biggie.  But I also love the old All-Star uniforms that NHLers wore in the early 80's.  The orange and black jerseys with the white stars as trim are a definite eye-catcher.

So I was pleasantly surprised when I saw this offering...

2012/13 Upper Deck Artifacts

#49 Larry Robinson

Oh yeah, that's what I'm talkin' about.  Awesome stuff.  And I really like the Montreal gloves Larry's sporting to top it all off.  Takes me back to the 1985 All-Star game I had the privilege of going to as a kid.

But as great as that photo is, there was another card that I found at the weekend card show that trumps it....well.  And it just happens to be another Larry Robinson.

2012/13 Upper Deck Artifacts

Frozen Artifacts dual jersey

#FA-LR Larry Robinson

Now let's address the obvious first thing....dude's got one mean 'Wilderness Bill'-style playoff beard going on.  Spectacular!  I don't ever recall ever seeing Larry sporting that look before.

But to top it all off, Upper Deck pulls out another great All-Star uniform.  This time from the 70's.  And look at the padding he's wearing (or should I say lack of).  Robinson is a big guy, but he doesn't look as big as some of the giants out there these days.  The padding really gives a false sense of size.

Once again, the nice Red and Blue gloves going halfway up the elbow.  Now that's vintage.  And flowing hair.  Just a great snapshot.

When I saw this card I knew I had to pick it up.  If for no other reason than to give it some proper face time right here.

It just goes to show how much a unique looking photograph can greatly increase the interest and desirability of a card - even a simple base card.

BEHIND THE MASKS - Four More... Much To My Surprise

Alright.  I finally got around to drawing up a list of the Masked Men 4 cards that I still need to track down.

Yes, thank you.  Thank you very much.

Sadly, I decided not to print it out before I made the trek down to the monthly card show last weekend.  Why?  I could bore you with the long drawn out reason.  Instead I will just cut to the chase and say "I was lazy".

I was lazy, but I also didn't expect to find any new mask cards at the show.  You see, most of the dealers at the show are there from month to month.  And a lot of them either have the same ol' stuff, or they have the most recent releases.

These Masked Men 4 card fall into neither of those categories (since I already pillaged all of the tables for the ones I needed).

Wouldn't you know it, I get to the show and see a new (but familiar) face setting up shop for the day.

And he had some Masked Men 4 cards.

Dang.

So I did my best "I think I need this one" and came out pretty good in the end.

Four out of five.  In addition to these masks, I brought home a Jonas Hiller which I already had.  Not bad for the top of my head on a Saturday morning.

I knew for sure I needed the Fuhr.  That's an easy one to remember.  The Roloson didn't look familiar either.  But the Kipper and Quick had me worried a bit but happily, I needed those tow as well.

Now I'll give you more fuel to ridicule me.....

I still haven't printed out my list.

It'll get done before the next show.  Well.....it should anyways.

1 vs. 100 - 12 x 5

An odd sighting at the card show Saturday.  I found another elusive number for my '1 vs. 100' project.  And then I found it again.... and again.... and again.... and again.

By the end of it I don't know if I got the best deal possible, but I do know that I'm knocking another one off the list.

2012/13 Upper Deck Artifacts

Frozen Artifacts Patch/Stick

#FA_DR Derek Roy  /12

I came across this card about half way through my day at the show.  As soon as I saw it I knew I wanted it.  The price tag on it was a little higher than I wanted to spend.  The dealer could tell I was eyeballing it and soon knocked the price down to something I couldn't say no to.  It was still a shade high, but he's a guy who really keeps his eye out for me with Linden cards.  I don't mind plunking down a few extra bucks.

Thrilled, I walked along to the next table and WHAM....another card /12.  This time a Shane Doan from Artifacts.  And it was priced just lower than what I dropped on the Derek Roy.  I couldn't believe it.  For a couple years I haven't seen anything at the shows /12 and now two in a matter of minutes.

What are the odds.

I was so stunned that I decided to tell another dealer when he asked me what I had picked up.  He chuckled and proceeded to show me another /12.  Wow!  Thankfully it was a Tyler Seguin card and was priced well above what I had spent.

He continued digging and found two more in his boxes.  Shaking my head, I knew it was time to go.

But not before I made him sift through all of his stuff looking for the remaining cards on my list.  No luck there.

Just /12's.

89 out of 100  (89%)

TTM: My Niece's Fine Work

Custom cards have been created and mailed off in hopes of getting some TTM returns for the first time in a year-and-a-half.

They're not my designs however, nor did I create them...but I did help out in the whole process.  My paper, my printer and my die-cutter.  It was my niece who did all the work.  She came up with the design concept, built the template, cloned some backgrounds and pretty much did all the Photoshop work.

So enough talk, let's see what she came up with.

Oh, I should warn you......it's "boy band" related.  You have permission to exit the room now.  You've been warned.

One Direction

Harry Styles

Yup, it's the uber-popular One Direction.  And while I could have my fun with this subject, I'm going to focus on the quality of the work my niece did.

One Direction

Liam Payne

First of all, my niece has a really good eye for photo placement.  She put all the band members nicely on the right-hand side of the card.  Some of their hair (as huge as it is) is cropped off of the finished piece.  I think that's not only acceptable, but preferred.  Having them placed within the borders of the card so that they all look uniform is key.  She did that perfectly.

One Direction

Niall Horan

She decided to extend the backgrounds of some of the photos so that there would be the proper space on the left side.  In order to do that she had to clone the siding that's on the building.  Making it go further left than what's actually there in the photo.

It's pretty seamless.  You wouldn't know that the photo was more of just a headshot and that's it.  Nicely done.

One Direction

Zaya Malik

Now at first I thought the left side would be used for the signature.  We've all seen autograph cards with this horizontal layout.  But my niece had other ideas.

She wanted to put a quote from each of the band members next to them.  Gives it a more personal and individual look.  See accented these quotes by making them a different color....their favourite color.  Smart.

One Direction

Louis Tomlinson

So the last question I had was "Where are they supposed to sign?"

In another unique twist, she's having them sign the back of the cards.

I thought that was pretty cool.

She kept the backs very simple and uniform.  Only the band member's name will change from card to card.  That's also the 'sweet spot' for the signature.

I'll admit, I thought there was a little bit of "I'm just doing enough to get by" rather than "Revise. Revise. Revise." to get the best possible result.  Still, these cards look really nice.

We assembled them on Friday and mailed them off Saturday.

While it's a longshot to see these five cards returned - all of them signed, I told my niece that it's a better chance than if you hadn't done them at all.

At worst, she has an unsigned set for herself.  Something she can be proud to say she created completely by herself.

Excellent job kiddo.  Fingers crossed.