SCRIBBLES & SCRIBES - Legendary Signatures...Literally

I'll admit, it's been tough...real tough finding a signature of one of today's players that isn't a dud of an autograph.

It really is a sign of the times when you take a close look at some of the atrocious renderings out there.

So, it's time to appreciate some autographs from an era gone by.

SCRIBBLE
Wayne Babych

I can sort of make out a name....not HIS name, but a name.

It doesn't look like the signature is rushed. There's just too much 'pen to paper' time to justify that. In fact, his scribble looks somewhat premeditated - as if he meant to do it. Yikes!

SCRIBE
Harold Snepsts

Now this is how it is done! I really like this autograph from one of the most memorable Canucks of all-time. Legible and with authority!

The 'H' and 'S' are so unique, so fluid and dare I say graceful, it's hard to believe that this signature comes from a hard-nosed defenceman.

His autograph actually looks like it would be fun to write. C'mon, try it! Try to write that 'H'.

Yup. Fun!

You know, now that I take a closer look, I do see what that 'name' is in Babych's auto. It's Snepsts! Correct me if I am wrong, but I can see Harold's name in there easier than I can Wayne's.

That's not what you want in an autograph. I suggest going back to Snepsts.

CARDBOARD PHOTOGRAPHY - Ryan Smyth

I've recently gone through my base cards and pulled a bunch of singles out that I thought had some great photography on them. I hope to do a more in-depth look at hockey card photograph and photographers in the new year.

This is one of the cards that really caught my eye...for a number of reasons.

2000/01 Topps Stadium Club
#45 Ryan Smyth

Now, the card design is not complex at all - which often makes a great photo stand out even more (no distractions).

What this card design does though is make the photo space even more rectangular. There is a lot of space at the bottom of the card that is just not photo available.

This Ryan Smyth pic suits this card layout perfectly. The framing is bang on and the range from one side to the other is fantastic.

The wraparound shot is one that does not get used too often. I don't know why that is. It's a great opportunity for capturing the action. Take a look at the intricacies of the photo - the stretch of the stick and puck, the tight turn on the skates (creating just a bit of snow), the facial expression (which is timed perfect) and the opposing player trying to chase him down.

It's a split second away from determining whether he scores or not, and any earlier and the shot just wouldn't have the same level of anticipation or urgency.

A photo like this would never work on a vertical card, and if the horizontal layout allowed for more head to toe space, the shot would not have had the same impact. The tighter framing really gives accentuates the intensity.

A great photo.

BEHIND THE MASKS - Mike Smith Mask History & A Special Bonus

A very special mailday post this time around. I added a great 'oddball' item to my goalie mask collection, but first and foremost - a fantastic gift from someone who I am a big fan of.

I have been following the autograph collectiong adventures of 'Puckhound' over at Hound Central 5.0 for a number of years now. For those of you who have not yet checked it out - do so. It's a great blog that really showcases a true collector and his fantastic collection.

The blog has been a constant source of entertainment, information and inspiration for me. I look forward to the adventures he and his son have with great anticipation.

One of my favorite topics on the blog has been the acquisition of signatures on the infamous 'team sheet'. The blog's primary author has a son named Colin who is a HUGE Patrice Bergeron fan and braves the ice with his teammates for the P.A.L. Stars. Colin has had numerous successes with his team sheets when 'hounding' for autographs.

The team sheet is a simple sheet of white cardstock paper (letter size) that is prepped for autographs with nothing more than a hand drawn team logo.

For anyone who says the hobby is 'too expensive' or the hobby is 'too boring', just look at the inventiveness of some of the team sheets - and the amazing results.

Well, along with the Mike Smith card (which I will get to in a moment), I was thrilled to find in the envelope for me, a team sheet signed by Colin and his whole hockey team. In a nutshell, I was awestruck and thrilled!


It's such a simple idea (and as we all know, the best ones are). The teamsheet looks fantastic in person and I am honored that Colin would take the time to design it (great job on the star by the way) as well as obtain autographs from everyone.

It's just a real kind gesture and one that I greatly appreciate. Thank you very much Colin!!!

The Mike Smith cards also in the envelope were a kind gesture from Puckhound himself (thanks so much!)


A recent post of his showed off this sheet and my curiosity was immediately tweaked.

I had never seen this sheet before. What a great idea. A look at all the goalie masks that a goalie has worn. I wish more goalies would have one of these. Imagine...Sean Burke, Grant Fuhr, Ron Hextall. A very cool concept.

My favorite Smith mask would be his most recent one. It displays lightning-weilding X-Men character Storm. The bolts flying across the mask are really well done. In the end though, the whole collection is a very solid one.

A very generous gesture again from Puckhound for sending off a sheet for me. Thank you!

Now, to tear the perforations or not? That is the question.

LINDEN CARD OF THE WEEK - 2001/02 UD Mask Collection Dual Patch

That's right....it's an older card that has been selected as my card of the week.

Mailday today and I received a card that has been on my radar for a while.

2001/02 Upper Deck Mask Collection
#DP-TL Dual Patch /50

This is a great looking dual patch card. One of the nicest I have seen. The orange and yellow just leave strong reminders of those vintage jerseys.

I had seen this card on a trading board for a while but never decided to pull the trigger. Two reasons for that. First, I thought the asking price would be too high. Linden cards like this usually demand a bit of a premium.

Second, is that I already own a copy of the card.


It's a nice card in its own right, but there's no comparison which one is the nicer card.

After thinking for a while whether or not I should make an offer, I finally decided to contact the owner of the card and see what would happen.

As it turned out, I was able to land this card for a price that I was very happy with. My goal is simply to sell the other card for the same price (which I think I will be able to do).

Definitely not a problem to have an extra one of these lying around. You don't see this card floating around too much anymore.

BOX BREAK: 2008/09 ITG Heroes And Prospects

This box break comes from the 'Traders Night' I went to back in October. The box was on for a great price and I couldn't pass it up.

As it was, I almost missed the deal...I managed to land the last full box on the shelf.

Good thing as you'll see.

2008/09 ITG Heroes And Prospects

This is a 100 card set (with a 50 card update set which was later released), so a good chunk of the base set was built in just one box. There are some great names in this season's release. Most notable would be Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman, Luke Schenn and Simeon Varlamov. Add to that P.K. Subban, Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle and this is one stacked set.


This set has a real retro feel to it. The card color is not the white or off-white we are accustomed to. Instead, it's more of a tan color. It's a subtle change, but really gives the cards a different feel and look.


To add to the retro feel is the green, yellow, orange and blue backgrounds used behind the photo cutouts. That reeks of the 70's. Bold shapes and font styles really finish the cards off.

When it cames to the prospects side of the break, I landed a number of fantastic young players. In addition to the names mentioned above, I can add Michael Del Zotto, Alex Goligoski, Tyler Ennis, Matt Duchene, John Tavares and Drew Doughty. Awesome!


The heroes side of the break was a little less exciting. The cutouts of just the players heads really didn't do it for me one bit. And I have no clue what Chris Osgood is doing in this set. Hero.....really?

Still, to get an Ovechkin in the break can't be so bad.


The inserts really took this good break and made it a great one.

The Draft Picks insert is kind of a cool layout. A little photoshoppy, but nice. I wish I could have landed one of the other cards in the insert set. Boedker is not really the pick I was hoping to get.


The Calder Cup and Memorial Cup inserts have a nice horizontal design with some great background texture.

A pair of trophy lifters for me. Maybe they'll turn into something in the big show. That's part of what makes this set a great product. The potential.


Now onto the bigger hits. This jersey card has a nice sizable chunk of cloth in it. Something that I've noticed lacking with some releases this year (Certified and UD1). Again, a nice design. This silver jersey card is numbered to 100.


BOOM! What a great pull. Eberle looks to be one of the big three to rejuvenate the Oilers franchise for years to come. If his first ever NHL goal is a sign of things to come, the Oilers have a bright future.



That's a nice goal.


But not as nice as this card! BOOM TWO! A complete jersey card. I've never pulled one of these from a pack before. Marc Staal might be third in line on the Staal depth chart, but he's got the makings of a great star defenceman. This card is numbered to only 9!

I gotta say that this box break was a ton of fun, has a lot of variation and hits to it and is a small enough base set to build without breaking the bank.

While I doubt I'll buy another box of this stuff, I'm glad I picked this one up.

LINDEN CARD OF THE WEEK - 2010/11 Score Recollection Collection Autograph

A Friday mailday lands another newly issued Linden card into the collection.

Well, I guess 'new' should have an asterisk next to it.

2010/11 Panini Score
Recollection Collection
#32 Buyback Autograph /15

To think that this card minus the autograph, embossing stamp and serial number would not even be worth the cardboard it's printed on.

Amazing what a couple aesthetic changes can do to a card.

When I heard that Linden would be one of the cards included in the Score set this year, I was really anticipating something new, something fresh. I have to say I was initially disappointed to learn that they were just taking his 1990/91 card and getting Trev to sign a few.

That changed as I saw more of the product. That changed when I saw the other names included in the insert set. That changed when I saw Linden in other product releases.

By the time I tracked down and bought this card, I was really looking forward to having it in my hands.

Now, when I asked the seller about this card, I hadn't seen a scan of it. I was told by another hobbyist that his friend pulled a Linden card. I asked and he gave me a price. I ended up going with it and he mailed off the card.

It never crossed my mind to ask him for a scan. Not because I wanted to ensure the card was in good condition, but because there were rumblings of both an english version and a bi-lingual version being issued.

I have seen a couple english versions pop up (in fact there are a couple on ebay right now). So the confirmation of a bi-lingual version was not there.

Well, let's put the debate to rest...

Bi-lingual version

Yup, mine's got french on the back. Nice!

So while I am scratching one Linden card of my wantlist, I can add another with the confirmation of 2 versions of this buyback auto.

I can't complain about that at all.

OPINION: TRANSPARENCY

How much about this great hobby should we be allowed to know about? How much of a company's 'going's on' should we have access to? How much information from the head honcho should we expect? Demand?

Are some issues taboo? Are some a must have?

Things like quality control, exclusive contracts with players, pre-release checklists, promotions or consumer access. What should the average hobbyist be allowed to have? How about the store owners? How about those who just spend a lot of dough on product?

Where is the line drawn and who gets to draw it?

Back in the 80's, the only 'contact' I had with a card company was when they would send me my annual card locker after I mailed in my wrappers along with a few bucks. The only other thing I cared about was where I could pick up packs of cards. It was pretty simple.

Then again, I was only 8 or 9 at the time.

These days, it seems with the internet and social media becoming not just the norm - but a necessity, information flow to and from card companies seems abundant bordering on overkill.

Part of the fun of opening up the newest card release was the sheer excitement in all aspects - who was in the product, what would it look like, how many Flames cards are in the set? Whatever it may be.

Today, all of these questions are answered before I even leave my house to go to the local card shop. The passion and excitement has turned from something innocent to that which is way more calculated.

For example....stated odds of certain cards being in packs, boxes and even cases. It's not about picking up a few packs and opening them, it's become a task now of buying boxes and systematically eliminating the throwaway cards and showcasing the 'hits'. Why do we need that information?

I understand that the amount of information we are given by the company is mostly for marketing purposes. With multiple products from multiple companies now on the docket in a given year, competition is at an all-time high. Trying to get an edge is what the game is all about.

But do I really need this information? Why can't I get this 'on the go' or second hand from the consumers themselves? Why must I be told what's going to be in my 'Christmas present' before I open it?

Let's move on to pre-release checklists. Why is it so vital to know the entire extent of the player selection in a product before I go buy it? Why must I see sell sheet after sell sheet promoting the product and giving me detailed looks at the various card designs?

Again, why not get that info 'on the go'? Clearly it has become a case of people buying wax not to collect.....but to flip. The hobby has seen the development of 'businessmen' as opposed to collectors. You can even see it in the kids nowadays. How fast can I bust open the product, find the hits and sell them.

Finally, let's look at having the ear of the top guys in the industry. Why should I have access to them? Why should I be allowed to tee off on them when I don't get my 'money's worth' on a box of cards?

Should I be allowed to have the same face time with the boss as someone who buys 10 or 20 times the amount of product as I do? What if I buy just one card from a company and I don't like it. Should I be allowed to vent at the company brass? Why?

To be fair, they put themselves out there in certain instances, but I feel it is again a marketing thing. Those who can bs with the common collector and make themselves seem like my thoughts matter might make me (and others) feel a level of trust with the individual. Hence...I buy more product from them.

But I have no doubt that if their contact with consumers didn't affect the bottom line....they would not put themselves out there nearly as much as they do. There is definitely an aspect of 'work' going on.

If I go out and buy a painting or a cd or go to a movie and then come home and determine 'I got ripped off', I don't get on the horn with them and tell them what I'd like to see them do. I don't ask them for a replacement set of songs. I don't ask for a re-do of the canvas work.

So why do we have that expectation when it comes to cards?

I believe it is a result of the level of transparency (or apparent transparency) that we have been given with the card companies. We feel we are more than just a buyer.

It's as if we are board members or stock holders. We are not. We are consumers. And if we don't like the product....then don't continue to buy it.

The level of transparency is a luxury, a bonus. It should not be an expectation. And in my opinion, I'd like to see less of the business aspect of the industry. I'd like to get back to more of the innocence.