RAISE THE CUP - I Think I Need To Trademark My Project

I was taking a peek at ITG's newest release - Lord Stanley's Mug - and couldn't help but notice a sweet little insert set that reminded me of something.....oh I don't know.

Hoisting The Cup looks like a pretty cool concept (I'll take a small fee for that thank you).   :)

In all honesty, I love the idea of players hoisting the Cup over their head.  Capturing that lifetime dream moment on cardboard forever.

But this latest take on the concept is not the first we have seen of this.

Panini Contenders had a subset called Contenders Legacies which shows (or almost shows) players raising the Cup in celebration.

I would have loved to have seen a more comprehensive checklist on this one.

But there is one release that really had me thinking that I was on to something.

The very first hockey product put out by Panini back in 2010/11 had an insert set called Certified Champions.  In it, a nice selection of players past and present celebrating the pinnacle of hockey excellence.

At first I decided to chase the set, but didn't pursue it with a whole lot of gusto.  I think I even need a couple cards still.  Things multiplied when the following season another round of Champions were released.

I'm still on the fence as to how to approach these cards.  Part of me likes what I've built because (for the most part) the cards are unique to the product.  They aren't parts of sets or anything.....they just fit together nicely when in my binder.

These purposeful product releases would mean that I have a checklist to babysit.  I don't know if I want that.

Don't get me wrong.....they're nice cards and all, but are they what I want for my collection?

That's the question.


By the way, this is the one time I think I'll ever say this.....

I'm really happy that my guy didn't win a Cup.  It's one less bit of checklist adding I have to do.  That Lord Stanley's Mug product looks really nice.  The auto set looks amazing.