As we head into the final few days of 2024, I spent a little time updating my Master Checklist of Trevor Linden cards. It's been a slow year - on more than one front, but I'm perfectly fine with that. And if what I added to the list just now is any indication for the new year, 2025 could be much busier.
Quick stat...
Total number of Trevor Linden cards on the master checklist for the 2023-24 season...
20. That's right...just twenty.
It hasn't been that low since 2009-10 when Linden had just recently retired. To put that in perspective, Panini had yet to produce hockey cards, In The Game hadn't created a hockey card of him since they had an NHL license...it's been a while.
And out of those 20 cards, 6 of them are digital offerings from Topps Skate......so the number of "in hand" pieces of Linen cardboard I could've obtained last year falls to 14. I ended up crossing off 3.
Like I said, slow year. :)
So what did I just add to the list?
2024-25 Upper Deck Artifacts. Linden is in the product full bore. It's been almost a decade since he's had a slot in the main checklist (there've been a couple years where he's had an auto or something). And I'm really excited at what there is to chase.
Oh...the number of Linden cards in this season's Artifacts.....19.
Ha ha!!! When they put a guy in Artifacts, they give you parallel hell. :)
This year's Artifacts definitely gives off a different vibe than the last time I was focused on it. It feels a little more "baseball inspired" shall we say. In addition to the normal Copper, Emerald, Ruby names that are synonymous with hockey parallels, there's now "Neon Green", "Foilboard Gold", "Plexi", "Seafoam Green" and my favourite - "Spectrum Jungle" just to name a few.
And while most of the cards are numbered to less than 100 (12 of them), I think many on the list will be easy to track down and obtain. It'll definitely have that traditional Artifacts chase feel.
So it'll be an exciting start to the 2025 hobby season for me. I'll see if things ramp up a bit or if I linger a little longer in the quiet state I'm in. Either way, I'm really enjoying what the hobby provides me - which is a lot more than just adding cards to my personal collection.
Very grateful for that.
Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas! And all the best in 2025.
