This past weekend I needed to go to the local hobby store to pick up some toploaders for my nephew who is creating some more Star Wars custom sketch cards. Be on the lookout for those....I know I am.
My niece Shauna came along for the trip as we had to run a few errands. Now, I think the rule is 'You're not allowed to go into a store with your niece unless you buy a couple packs of cards.' So I did. Three in fact.
She got to pick them and I think she did a pretty good job.
2010/11 Donruss
Now, I'm sorry to say, but if you happen to be under the age of nine, you can't view this blog post.....the wrapper says so.
Ever since seeing scans of the base cards pop up here and there, I've been drawn to the look and design of these. A bit of the retro feel and the team colors work nice with the white.
The photos though are a real 'hit or miss'. Some are boring shots, some are pretty good. Some are a little grainy or blown out while others have guys in their new uniforms (like Mike Modano - Red Wings, Simon Gagne - Lightning).
Still, a nice looking card.
My niece uncovered one Rated Rookie card. Sadly, not the one I was hoping to get, but for three packs of cards, not bad.
Again, I like the design. The 'Rated Rookie' graphic gets lost at the bottom of the card and could have been a little more predominant.
Now we're talkin'! What a great hit! My niece was pretty excited to pull this card and I was equally as thrilled to see the names and faces on the front (say for Mike Knuble.....why couldn't Alexander Semin have been on that line - just for one shift).
Three packs of Donruss cards, a fun moment or two of 'busting packs' with my niece and an overall great afternoon out and about.
Over the holidays I've had the opportunity to land some great additions to my Linden collection. A lot of new releases, a lot of parallels, a lot of low numbered cards.
Some I bought on ebay, some I bought on hobby trade boards. In all instances, they have been smooth transactions.
Say for one.
I had the chance last week to land one of the more rare Linden cards out there. An ITG Ultimate Memorabilia Fight Strap card /3. I was thrilled to see it and was anxious to get some info on it.
Immediately, I contacted the seller asking if the card was available and if so - how much. I received a prompt response saying he was looking for $150.
Now, I knew that one other copy of the card has already landed in the hands of a Linden collector - so that leaves two cards available. I felt that $150 was a good price and so we struck a deal.
I fired off the funds to him immediately and he said he would have the card off to me after the holiday rush. We both confirmed the deal on the trade boards and it was just a matter of time before I added yet another gem.
Awesome!
Wait.....not so fast.
A couple days later, I received a full refund from the seller. He contacted me to let me know that he had cut a deal earlier on another trade board for the card and he had forgotten about it. He said that while I was the first to pay, the other guy was the first to strike the deal. Coincidentally, we both bought the card for the exact same price. He said that he was torn as to whom to sell the card to - so he decided to just hang onto the card and refund us both.
Disappointed, I understood and asked to be given the heads up when he was looking to move the card again. He appreciated my understanding and said he would.
I was a little surprised then to find said card up for grabs on ebay tonight....with a rather healthy $500 'Buy It Now' price attached to it. While there is the chance to throw a 'Best Offer' his way, I started to wonder what the scoop was.
I confirmed with the seller that it was indeed the same card and asked what was up? He said that he's putting it out there for a ridiculously high amount not expecting to sell the card.
He's already received an offer of $250 for it. An offer he plans on turning down.
I told him that if I had known he was going to put the card up on ebay and was looking for that high a price, I'd have preferred him sell it to the other original buyer. No point in having neither one of us not get the card.
I wonder what the other original buyer of the card feels about the auction and the whole situation in general? If you're out there, drop me a comment and let me know.
I for one can't compete with at least a $250 bid - knowing that I had a done deal for $150 just a few days earlier.
In all honesty, it makes me feel like the seller had second thoughts at selling the card for what he considered to be a low price and is just looking to maximize his return. I hope I'm wrong...but that's what my gut says.
I think the point of all this is: If one makes a mistake and 'double sells' a card - at very least, one of the two buyers should get the opportunity at the card.
I smell something fishy when not only the seller neglects to contact the refunded buyers, but is looking to get probably double what he had sold the card for originally.
It's sad, because it would have been a great addition to the collection. I just see no rational way that I will be able to get my hands on it now. I refuse to pay twice what I originally had an agreement upon.
A note to all sellers - keep track of your ongoing sales. I understand mistakes do happen, but a lot of times, these situations can be avoided.
DISCLAIMER: I am going to have a hard time spitting this one out...let alone type it.
I chose this card for one main reason.
Chris Osgood recently became just the 10th goalie in the history of the NHL to reach 400 wins. I am still coming to grips with the fact that he will be a serious candidate for the Hall Of Fame.
Ugh.
1994/95 Topps Stadium Club #138 Chris Osgood
This is how I still remember Ozzy....doing a few stretches, taking a few laps and then taking off his helmet and plunking down on the end of the bench to watch an exciting game of hockey.
Before I dissect his career, let's take a closer look at the photo.
At first glance, the card might not seem very interesting. True....what is so exciting about a goalie warming up? What I like about this card is that is shows me stuff that I don't normally get to see.
For example...I like seeing the way the back of the pad wraps around and protects the back of the leg. I like how the straps feed through the skate. I like the simple detail of the snow built up on the skate blade. I like seeing the underside of the blocker.
The camera angle and the way Osgood is using the boards makes for a bit of an illusion photo. It took me a couple moments to realize he is at the players bench and that his right leg is up and he is stretching around to his right.
I also really like the focus on his face. If only the bar on his cage wasn't righ in front of his eye. That would have made for a much better photo.
The stream of banners in the background looks cool, but an empty arena isn't as great as it could have been.
I like photos like this (when done right) as opposed to just a 'skate around' shot or the infamous 'backup-goalie-holding-his-mask-and-skating-with-a-towel-around-his-neck-during-warmup' shot. Those are lame.
Now onto Chris' career.
Ugh.
First off, let's take a look at the exclusive list he just joined.
NHL GOALIES WITH 400 WINS 1. Martin Brodeur 607 2. Patrick Roy 551 3. Ed Belfour 484 4. Curtis Joseph 454 5. Terry Sawchuk 447 6. Jacques Plante 437 7. Tony Esposito 423 8. Glenn Hall 407 9. Grant Fuhr 403 10. Chris Osgood 401
Out of the other 9 goalies, only Brodeur (still playing), Belfour (eligible in 2011) and Joseph (eligible in 2012) are not in the Hall Of Fame. That's extremely impressive company.
What impressed me the most about Osgood's accomplishment is that he has had a winning record in every single one of his NHL seasons up until last year when he went 7-9-4-1. To have a winning record as a New York Islander and to have a winning record as a St. Louis Blue (when they were really not good) is very impressive.
He cracked the 30-win mark only 6 times (that's 30 wins....not 40) so it's his consistency and longevity that has taken him to the magical 400 mark.
While his career has had a lot of ups and downs, his numbers don't lie. To me, he still comes across as an underrated, often backup-ish type goalie. Never the one to take the reigns for an extended period of time.
In an era where the evolution of goalies was pretty dramatic, Osgood found a way to remain an important component to his team.
InGoalMag.com recently posted a really good article on Chris Osgood and how he had to re-invent himself in order to stay relevant in the ever changing league.
I'll admit, I have a little more respect for the guy.
Ugh.
The one final aspect of Osgood's career that should be taken into serious consideration when determining if he is HHOF worthy...(forgive the poor quality)
Yup.. He's one of 8 goalies to have ever scored a goal in the NHL.
It seems like Christmas just keeps on giving here early in the new year.
For the third day in a row I have had a nice little mailday that has resulted in some great cards for the PC. This time, it's a trio of cards for the 1 vs. 100 project.
And once again, it's the SPGU AutoDraft set that gets some face time.
2005/06 SPGU AutoDraft #AD-CD Chris Drury /72
Chris looks like he's just played a practical joke on his Junior High School classmates, but that didn't stop him from being drafted 72nd overall in 1994.
I don't believe he ever donned the Nordiques jersey for actual game play as the Quebec franchise moved to Colorado probably right after this photo was taken.
Those were some good ol' days for the Avs.
2005/06 SPGU AutoDraft #AD-TP Tom Poti /59
Wow. Poti was drafted 15 years ago. He's put together a fairly decent NHL career. Decent enough for a guy taken 59th overall in 1996? Tough to say.
2005/06 SPGU AutoDraft #AD-TG Tim Gleason /23
I wouldn't have guessed that it's Gleason who's the highest drafted player of the three listed here.
Interesting of note, he never played for the Senators as he was dealt to the LA Kings in 2003 for Bryan Smolinski.
After a couple seasons in Los Angeles, he was traded along with Eric Belanger to the Carolina Hurricanes for Oleg Tverdovsky and Jack Johnson (didn't know he was originally a Cane).
Sadly, Gleason arrived in Carolina just after the Canes won the Stanley Cup in 2006. That's too bad.
A gritty defenceman, maybe it's not that surprising he went so high.
Regardless, it's a great trifecta for the project and pushes me over the 70% mark!
Mailday #2 of the new year and another rock solid Linden card crossed off the wantlist.
2010/11 Panini Limited Legend Spotlight Gold /10
No....you're not seeing things. This card is almost identical to the one I posted yesterday say for the autograph and a couple minor details.
Another ebay pickup and another wallet grabber. This one came into my hands for a little more than I'd have preferred to have spent.
Often, I find that I get a little impatient when it comes to the real short printed cards (/10 or less). The window of opportunity to land these cards really is thin. I figure less than half of the copies will surface in the initial wave of the release, with maybe another 1 or 2 popping up later on down the road.
I have learned from past experiences that if I don't snag it sooner, there may never be a later.
It was never really an issue back in the day as Linden cards rarely hit less than 10 copies. Now though, there are quite a few cards with that distinction.
Not yet in a panic mode, but something to definitely keep mind of as I build my collection this year.
Now let's get back to looking at that card! She's a beaut!!
This insert set from In The Game's 2008/09 Between The Pipes release has been one that I haven't pursued with a lot of effort, but when I found nine cards on my wantlist from one person...I felt obligated to snag them.
It really is a nice set. The super shiny foil/mirror background really make these pop in person. What I think really left me feeling a little blah about it is the fact that out of the 50 card insert set, only a handful are of NHLers. A lot of junior players and such. Not really my cup of tea. Keeping in mind though that the BTP release focuses on the young up-and-comers makes it an obvious inclusion to the set.
Out of the nine cards I picked up, only two are currently in the NHL. Luongo, who's mask is one of my faves, and Dominik Hasek, who in my opinion shouldn't even be in the set since he technically doesn't even wear a mask - it's a helmet.
Well, that's a pretty good way to kick off the new year.
Panini's newest release adds 13 cards to the wantlist. Parallels and inserts adding up quickly on this one. The base set 'Legends' card has 5 parallels (2 of them autographed, hence the Monikers title). There's also a pair of insert releases - the 'Vintage Pucks' card (with a piece of game used puck, the first in Linden's illustrious card checklist) and an equally nice "Retired Numbers' card (showcasing cards of players with their numbers retired).
The one thing I'm not a fan about with this card is that it uses the exact same photo as the Certified release a couple months ago. Panini must have a shortage of Linden photos to draw from.
Out of the 13 cards, 3 are 1/1's and another 3 are numbered /10. Knocking this Linden auto /10 is a great start. And a tiny hint as to what is to come....it gets better than this one. Stay tuned.
