A few years ago, I was made aware of a new type of hockey card collecting - digital trading cards. At the time it didn't overly sway me one way or another. I just thought it was cool that there was another avenue available for collectors to enjoy the hobby.
Then, Linden got his first digital card...and so I jumped in the pool. And to be perfectly honest, it was fun. I kept a very firm mindset that I wouldn't spend any money on these digital pieces (I'm not the biggest fan of buying something you can't physically hold on to) and I actually ended up with some very cool designs and "rare" chases.
As each year passed, there would be a handful of Linden cards that would be released. I had a grin when I saw his first autograph card as well as his first relic piece. And while I snickered a bit, I will admit, I did enjoy the process of trading for all the different Linden cards I could.
At the end of the last hockey season, as Topps usually does, they go into a mini-hibernation before launching into the new season. But the delay kept going...week after week. I don't follow the app on social media and such, but I finally figured out why they weren't introducing a new season.
Kinda bummed to be honest. That's it, that's all. And once again a solid reminder that nothing is a sure thing to last forever. So my digital card collecting is over for now. That is until I see some new Linden's pop up in the oasis.
Thankfully, Topps did announce that they would be transferring all the Skate assets to their online archive so at least I can enjoy the cards that I did collect over the years.
So, I thought I'd share my entire Linden digital card collection...
The Uncommon cards were the lowest tier of card that Trev had. The easiest to pull from packs and a breeze to trade for, these two really did nothing but fill the spots on my master list.
Some of the designs...I don't know. Ha ha.
The Rare cards. Sounds challenging, but really weren't. Many of the earlier years were given the rare designation even though they were easy to find or trade for. I do remember when I got the dual auto with Bo Horvat. I think it was around that time when I really felt like these digital cards were a legit outlet and additions to my collection.
I love many of the Topps designs and often would say "If only they had a license to make physical hockey cards again." I don't know if that will ever be a possibility in my lifetime.
The Super Rare cards. That's bigger than rare....wow. You can see that Topps really embraced the parallel world. A lot of the same designs but with a color shift and a lesser card rare ratio.
You'll also see that we venture into the world of digital relic cards. That jersey card in the bottom middle was a pillar moment in my digital card collecting, but it was the Alumni patch that had me think anything could be possible.
The free packs would reward you if you kept at it. I got the traders I needed to land the Linden patch and was blown away.
We're not even in rare air anymore...it's the Iconic class of cards. Tougher than rare.
If you'd have asked me when I first started collecting digital cards if getting any of these Lindens would be possible...I would have given you a hard "No!"
A lot of these cards are limited to 100 "copies" or less...the gold dual, just 25 were released.
Not a single one of these were "pack pulled" by me and I think that goes to show just how opening some of the trading was on the platform. If you comparable traders (in terms of the class of card and print run), you could find a suitor.
Again, that Alumni patch card was a pretty big moment for me when I traded for that one. I was sure I'd never land it...but I was fortunate to find the right trade partner.
Here we go. Some ghosted out cards (ones that never made it to my collection). No coincidence that they live in the toughest area of town...the Legendary cards.
These were the cream of the crop, the rarest of the bunch and pretty much impossible to pull or trade for. A couple of these are 1/1's...but I take enjoyment that I can just snap a photo and feel like they're my own. Ha ha.
For me, this section wraps it all up in a bow. I am more than happy to keep these digital cards listed on my master list, cross them off when I get one and enjoy the designs and variety of all of them (whether I have a copy or not) whenever I want. Nothing wrong there.
I hope that one day there will be a similar digital hockey card vehicle that can I explore and enjoy. It really was fun while it lasted.
Total Trevor Linden digital card stats...
# of unique cards = 27# of cards I obtained = 22
rarest card I own = limited to 25 copies
most common card I own = 3281 copies
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