2013 Hockey Card Collecting Goals

Looking back on 2012, the year after I returned to the hobby of hockey card collecting, it's pretty obvious to me that the NHL lockout had an immense impact on my motivation. As a meager show of protest against the repulsive greed shown by the Bettman Bloc I have resolved not to purchase new NHL-licensed merchandise for the foreseeable future - which includes cards. Such a stance has clearly taken a toll on my ability to grow my collection, but I have indulged in the second-hand market (eBay) from time to time in order to get my fix. As most of you know, hockey card collecting is an addicting hobby and any period of inactivity is destined to be short-lived. So as I am once again swept up in the wake of the hobby, I've decided to set out some goals for 2013 (assuming the 2012-13 NHL season will not exist).

1. Organize. My collection is in complete disarray. I made some significant progress in 2012 thanks to Zistle and SCF, but there's still an incredible amount of work to do. While most of my trade stock is sorted, cataloged, and properly stored, the cards that comprise my collections are scattered. I need to get that under control - sooner rather than later.

2. Trade. I've completed two trades on SCF thus far, and none on Zistle, so I have to work on increasing those stats. Not only do I want to get away from the often ridiculous shipping prices demanded by eBay sellers, but I have thousands of base cards and low-value inserts that I'd like to unload - preferably helping other collectors out in the process. The problem for me has been, so far, twofold - lack of cards I need on other collectors' trade lists and what seems to be a general reluctance by other collectors to actually engage in online trading.

3. Expand. Right now my active collections are Red Wings, Blue Jackets, and TTM autos of American-born active players. I want to expand to include player collections of all Michigan-born players. I've already got that underway with Keith Aldridge, but in 2013 I want that collecting focus to play a more active role in my acquisitions.

So there they are - my three hockey card collecting resolutions for 2013. I'd love to hear about some collecting resolutions from others in the hobby!

eBay Score: Jaroslav Balastik

I got this nice on-card auto for just $0.99 from a seller in in York, PA, that I've bought a couple of cards from in the past. He's definitely got some quality items at very reasonable prices (and low shipping).

The design of this Fresh Ink subset of 2005-06 Fleer Ultra is so-so.  I'm not a huge fan of the spilled ink look, but it doesn't do enough to distract away from the player photo so I can live with it. Balastik (or Balaštík) is another of the Blue Jackets' Czech draftees, being taken in the 6th round of the 2002 draft. He emerged from the Czech Extraliga in 2005, playing in 14 games for Columbus' AHL affiliate Syracuse before being elevated to the Blue Jackets for the balance of the season. In 66 games, Balastik was 12-10-22 with 26 PIM, but stood out for his sniping skills during shootouts - 6 of 9 (67% for my fellow math illiterates)! Despite numbers that weren't too terribly off from the team as a whole, the Jackets sent Balastik packing back to Europe where he remains.

The reverse of the card is really rather disappointing. The certificate of authenticity aside, there's really nothing to the back other than the mailing address of Fleer. What the hell do I need that for?

eBay Score: Jordan Pearce

My first foray into the Between the Pipes offering from In The Game comes in the form of this 2011 Jordan Pearce Goaligraph.

During his collegiate career with Notre Dame, Jordan earned the CCHA Goaltender of the Year for the 2008-09 season - after which the Red Wings signed him to a two-year contract. For the last three seasons, Jordan has bounced between the Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL) and Toledo Walleye (ECHL) as the Wings extended his contract through the 2012-13 season - which we all know will soon be completely eliminated.

I managed to acquire this nicely signed (on-card) specimen from a seller in Warrenton, Virgina for just $0.99 plus a very reasonable shipping charge.

eBay Score: David Vyborny

Sticking with an unintentional Czech theme, I scored this 2008-09 Fleer Ultra Uniformity David Vyborny #UA-DV game-used jersey card (and once more, for the perfectionists - Výborný).  The swatch is rather bland, as are most of the Jackets relics on the market, but the card design isn't too terribly bad. Not necessarily exciting, the subdued wintry accents nevertheless convey a nice hockey "mood".

Originally drafted by Edmonton in the 2nd round of the 1993 draft, Vyborny was a rising star in the Czech Extraliga. He was tearing up the league as a member of Sparta Prague when he joined the Cape Breton Oilers of the AHL for the 1994 season, where he notched up 61 points in 76 games. For reasons that I don't understand, Edmonton didn't keep Vyborny in North America after that season. Although he returned to setting records in the Czech league, it wasn't until the 2000 campaign (the inaugural season of the Jackets) when Vyborny reached the NHL after Columbus signed him to add some offensive pop to the line-up. And pop he did. While not necessarily a superstar, he would set (over the next several seasons) franchise records for plus/minus and consecutive games before eventually returning to the Czech Republic after the 2007-08 campaign - where he continues to play though his numbers have dwindled significantly.

Purchased from a seller in northern Wisconsin for just $0.99 plus a fairly reasonable shipping charge, this pick-up wasn't a bad score.  Booking at $8, there haven't been very many of them on the market lately.

eBay Score: Tomas Popperle

Is it really a "score" when the player is someone that no one (or very few people) have ever heard of? If the card fills a void in your collection, then you bet your ass it is! Which, of course, is the motivation behind my eBay pickup of this 2007-08 SPx #160 Tomas Popperle 573/999 rookie card (or Tomáš Pöpperle, for the perfectionists).

Tomas was a product of the sometimes questionable draft practices employed by the then-GM of the Blue Jackets Doug MacLean. In the 2005 draft, which say the likes of Kris Russell and enforcer Jared Boll become Jackets, MacLean snagged Popperle in the fifth round. While those taken ahead of him in the draft have each laced up their skates several hundred times in the NHL, the Czech native saw action just twice - both times during the 2006-07 campaign. Tomas stayed in the AHL for a part of the following season before returning to the Czech Republic, where he continues to play.

As for the card itself, I'm not a huge fan of the design. Too much of the player is obscured by graphic flourishes, and the "digital" font is just a pain in the ass to read. Yet, it fills a void so the $.099 (plus shipping) I sent to the seller in Quarryville, PA is justified.

eBay Score: September 9th, 2012

When that little brown padded envelope arrived in the mail today, I got to thinking about the month-end eBay posts I've been doing. Originally, having won just a card or two a month, the posts weren't too bad length-wise. I've stepped up my hunt, so the acquisitions have been increasing and the blog posts are getting correspondingly larger. Therefore, I'm going to try posting as the packages arrive - starting today.

The first win of September is a three-card score from hockeycv in York, PA. I apologize for the lousy scan quality, but these foil cards and my scanner don't get along very well.

This Pavel Datsyuk 2005-06 UD Black Diamond #134 books for $8, but there are a number on the Beckett Marketplace for less than a buck. I ventured $0.99 on this card, which in itself isn't a great deal, but I needed multiple items to save on shipping so consider this an insurance purchase.

Next up is this Chris Osgood 2000-01 Be A Player Signature Series #235 Ruby parallel, numbered 35/200.

Booking at $5, this card is showing up for $2.50 on Beckett but not getting a lot of love on eBay. Another $0.99 snag.

Finally is this Marc Rodgers 1999-00 SP Authentic #102 rookie card numbered 368/2000. Booking at $5 and selling between $3.00 and $5 on Beckett, I grabbed it for $0.99.

Marc had a brief NHL career, playing in just 21 games with the Red Wings. His last season on the ice was 2001-02 with the Knoxville Speed of the UHL. This isn't a bad looking card, but if I were Marc, I would have sued over the use of that most unfortunate photo on the reverse.

August eBay Wins

Now that more than a month has passed since my last post here at Hockey Card Fanatic, I suppose it's high time that I get it in gear and write about something. Besides all of the typical excuses for posting so rarely, I suppose a lot of the problem rests with the state of disarray that my collection always seems to be in. I've been acquiring cards without pause over these summer months, but getting them organized, scanned, and on the blog tends to be where the logistics break down. I suppose that's just something I'll have to add to my New Year's Resolution list.  Until then....

August was a slightly more productive month on the eBay front, as I snagged nearly half a dozen cards at quite reasonable prices. First up is Fredrik Norrena's 2006-07 SP Game Used Edition #112. Numbered to /999, mine is relatively high at 812.

This RC is just a base card, but the design is pretty slick in a sci-fi sorta way. It books for $8 but there seem to have been very few on the market recently, with just one selling in July for $2 + shipping. I picked this one up for $2.24 (including shipping). From the same seller, and also for a total of $2.24, I picked up Norrena's 2006-07 SPx #157 jersey card. The numbering here was much better, coming in at 64/1999.

Also considered a rookie card, this piece also features a sci-fi motif that doesn't come across as tasteful as the previous card. The jersey swatch, which of course is certified as having been worn during an "official" photo shoot, is also nothing to write home about. Still, I'm happy with the bargain since the card books at $10 and seems to run between $3 and $6 on BIN listings. Norrena seemed to be on the rise as the SEL star took over the starting job in Columbus from Pascal Leclaire in the 2006 season. His grip on the position would soon be pried away by up-and-coming flash-in-the-pan Steve Mason. Displaced back to the AHL, Norrena eventually made his way back to Europe where he currently plays in the SEL.

Next up is Kyle Wilson's 2010-11 Donruss #265 Rated Rookie card.

This is definitely not a very remarkable card, but shelling out $2.07 including shipping for a card that books at $5 and lists between $2 and $5 on eBay was a fairly good bargain. The Ontario native suited up for 32 games with Columbus during the 2010-11 season (plus another 23 with Springfield) before moving on to Nashville for the 2011-12 campaign. From the same seller that I acquired the Wilson card comes my two Red Wing pickups of the month.

This Jimmy Howard 2010-11 Donruss The Goalies #9 card is a pretty sweet little find. You really can't tell from the scan, but it's mostly a clear plastic deal with an opaque splash of color along the lower third. Booking for $4 and listing on eBay for around $3, I obtained mine for $2.07. Making it a three-card deal is this Joey Kocur 2010-11 Donruss Tough Times #3 insert.

I really dig the vintage look of these inserts. Joey is the only tough guy that I need from this set, so the $2.07 I paid for a card that books at $4 and has been going as high as $2 on eBay is a fair bargain in my mind.

July eBay Wins

I thought I'd break up the monotony of my pack rips with a showcase of my eBay successes for the month of July. My hockey card buying on eBay is sporadic at best, mostly because I hate paying two to three times the cost of a card just for shipping, but this summer has been surprisingly bleak as far as trades are concerned. Of those who have cards that I want in their trade list, I'm encountering precious few who are interested in parting with them. Oh well. That's what eBay is for. Starting off my wins is a pair of Blue Jacket gems, literally.

This Steve Mason 2008-09 Upper Deck Black Diamond Rookie Gem could certainly fetch a decent price back in the day, and still books for around $15, but has been going for around a buck on eBay lately - which is what I snagged it for (plus shipping) from a seller in Maine.

Next up, and from the same seller, is this Derick Brassard 2008-09 UD Black Diamond Rookie Gem. Also booking at $15, Brass has also not been getting much love from collectors these days. Well, probably ever. But such is the joy that comes from being a Blue Jackets collector and my wallet is only .99 lighter because of it.

My highlight acquisition of the month, though for July it's not such a huge honor, is this moderately low-numbered 2002-03 Upper Deck Honor Roll dual jersey card featuring Mikael Samuelsson and Sergei Fedorov. As you can see from the card's reverse, the Fedorov swatch is from an actual game-worn jersey while Samuelsson's is from an "official" photo shoot - a fact that doesn't bother me since I picked this up for the Fedorov relic. Ironically, Samuelsson will don the winged wheel just a couple of years later while Fedorov soon departs for Anaheim. This card books at $30 and has been spotted as a BIN and in the Beckett Marketplace at around $8-$10. I picked it up for less than a buck from DNA Sportscards in PA.

Pack Crackin': 2005-2006 Hereos & Prospects

I know it's been nearly two weeks since my last post, but life managed to get in the way of writing about hockey cards - which it tends to do more often than not. Rather than whine or offer excuses, I'll get right back into it with a pack of 2005-06 Heroes & Prospects. I kinda dig these sets since a lot of attention is given to the guys toughing it out in the minors. They make for great TTM fodder, if nothing else. This particular pack revealed not much of anything of interest, however.

About the only thing even slightly remarkable was this card of Joe(y) Ryan. American-born, he is, but he was also a member of the Cincinnati Cyclone when I first moved down to Kentucky - and got my hockey fix up at U.S. Bank Arena. Yeah, quite a stretch for this card to warrant a post. Here's the rest of the breakdown. Tell me if there was anything more interesting...I dare ya!

192: Borje Salming - Swedish National Team
197: Eric Lindros - Oshawa Generals
212: Mark Hartigan - Syracuse Crunch
252: Nathan Marsters - Portland Pirates

Pack Crackin': 2008-2009 Collector's Choice

Moving on to the next pack in the Meijer value box, we have 2008-09 Collector's Choice. Now, this has always been considered a "lower end" offering and the design has typically reflected that line of thinking over the years. The base cards of this particular set aren't too awful, with the team logo in the background of the card reverse being a nice touch. That being said, the inserts aren't much to write home about.

Found one per pack, the Silver Choice Reserve cards are pretty basic, with an embossed log in the lower right and a silver border distinguishing them from the base set. The logo reminds me a little of the Stadium Club Members Only set, but other than that this isn't a bad parallel.

I guess I lucked out with this pack, scoring a second insert in the form of a Dany Heatley Stick Ums card. I'm not a fan of sticker cards, and the look is rather reminiscent of the junk wax era of the early '90s, so into the trade bin it goes. Also, isn't that an unfortunate photo of Dany?

The one keeper I snagged was this poorly scanned Lidstrom base card. It's not a dupe, so that's good. The rest of the breakdown:
172: Sergei Fedorov - Washington Capitals
199: Zach Parise - New Jersey Devils
253: Marc Savard / Tim Thomas / Zdeno Chara - Boston Bruins

Pack Crackin': 2007-2008 Fleer Ultra

Continuing on with the loot obtained via the Meijer value box purchase, here's a 5-card pack of 2007-08 Ultra. The base card design isn't too terrible, but something about the Gold Medallion parallels just doesn't sit right with me. For example, here's the Johan Holmqvist I pulled:

Besides the uncomfortable way Holmqvist seems to be cut-and-pasted onto the background, what this looks like to me is simply a blaring advertisement for Fleer Ultra. I mean, the product logo tiled in the background? Cheap, fellas. I could see maybe the team logo back there, though that would still be pretty busy. Anway, it is what it is.

Since the "insert" card was of no use to me, would the base cards be any more lucrative? No.

51: R.J. Umberger - Philadelphia Flyers
64: Chris Neill - Ottawa Senators
107: Mike Cammalleri - Los Angeles Kings
120: Dwayne Roloson - Edmonton Oilers

Pack Crackin': 2008-2009 Upper Deck

Dipping back into the good ol' value box, we have here a pack of 2008-2009 Upper Deck. Disappointment set in once more as I quickly discovered that there would be zero additions to my collections from this pack. Not only that, but the insert cards don't seem to be in very much demand despite their BV:

Although Michael Frolik had respectable rookie and sophomore seasons, the centerman's production dipped in the 2010-11 campaign and was nearly non-existent last season. Frolik has two more years remaining in his contract with the Blackhawks, but unless he can ratchet up his production it's doubtful that he'll crack the third line.

This Eric Staal Super Skills insert is pretty nice looking and shows a modest BV, but again the demand just doesn't seem to be there for this particular card of the Hurricanes' captain.

The rest of the pack came out like this:
7: Matthias Ohlund - Vancouver Canucks
26: Jeff Halpern - Tampa Bay Lightning
34: David Perron - St. Louis Blues
72 - Brandon Dubinsky - New York Rangers
117: Rostislav Olesz - Florida Panthers
180: Phil Kessel - Boston Bruins

Pack Crackin': 2010-11 Upper Deck Victory

A few days ago, whilst posting about the two 2003-04 Victory packs acquired via the Meijer value box purchase, I offered my opinion regarding the sheer ugliness of that particular set's card design. Apparently not ones to learn lessons, the Victory designers put together another questionable set in their 2010-11 product - a pack of which found its way into my recent bulk purchase.

Each pack is advertised as containing either a rookie or "Superstar" insert. My pack, of course, contained just this rookie:

Defenseman Adam McQuaid had a short, quiet start to his NHL career. He notched just one point in 19 games on the Boston blue line. His sophomore season was not much louder, but culminated in a Stanley Cup ring. Entrenched on Boston's third pairing, he's not one to shy from a fight or a big hit.

As for additions to my personal collections, this pack contained only one - #47 Steve Mason (CBJ). For some reason my scanner just couldn't handle the color contrast properly, so no scan. It's not like you're missing anything. At least the card isn't a dupe.

The remaining cards break down like this:
5: Lubomir Visnovsky - Anaheim Ducks
11: Patrice Bergeron - Boston Bruins
60: Kari Lehtonen - Dallas Stars
101: Jaroslav Halak - Washington Capitals

Pack Crackin': 2009-10 Upper Deck Series I

Now that the Stanley Cup hangover has subsided a bit, it's time to get back to crackin' open the packs from the $20 value pack I picked up at Meijer. Today we have Upper Deck's 2009-10 Series I, and what a disappointing pack of cards this is. First, the insert:

Yep, not much to get excited about. The card design is kind of groovy, in a '70s Studio 54 sort of way, but there's not a lot of demand for this particular card and it does nothing to plug the holes in my collections.

In fact, nothing contained in this pack helped me out on the Red Wings / Blue Jackets front. Ah well, such is life in the world of hockey card collecting. Here's the breakdown of the rest of the contents:

1: Phil Kessel - Boston Bruins
9: Ryan Miller - Buffalo Sabres
95: Semyon Varlamov - Washington Capitals
144: Loui Eriksson - Dallas Stars
145: Teemu Selanne - Anaheim Ducks
162: Matthew Lombardi - Phoenix Coyotes
192: Sam Gagner - Edmonton Oilers

Congratulations to the L.A. Kings, 2012 Stanley Cup Champions

I don't consider myself to be an L.A. Kings fan, but I've never liked the Devils. Besides, the Kings brought a nice backstory into this year's Finals. Barely making the playoffs as the 8th seed in the West, then knocking off (in short order, mind you) the 1st seeded Canucks, the 2nd seeded Blues, and the 3rd seeded Coyotes makes for quite a Cinderella story. Add to that the fact that the franchise has never raised the championship banner in their 44-year history, and some might say the Kings were destined to win the Cup. Destiny or not, I enjoyed watching L.A. climb atop the NHL.

Equally enjoyable was watching two Michigan natives share in the spoils. Matt Greene (Grand Ledge) is no stranger to the Finals, falling to the Hurricanes in 2006 while with Edmonton (also seeded 8th, coincidentally). Scoreless in that series, Greene's two goals this year were of the significant variety. His first, a shortie against St. Louis in Game 1 of the Conference Semifinals, was also the game winner. His second goal was against the Devils in Game 6 and was the final goal scored of the game and the 2012 season. Pretty impressive.

In just his third NHL season, Rochester Hills' Alec Martinez has seen the Playoffs twice - both times with the Kings. Although he also had a relatively quiet post-season, from a scoring perspective, his lone goal was the game-winner in Game 3 against the Devils. This particular goal didn't sit well with Devils' netminder Martin Brodeur, the puck having gone in after repeated whacks from Martinez while it appeared to be pinned underneath Brodeur's pads.

NOTE: Believe it or not, I don't have any cards of either Greene or Martinez to include in this post. I'm also not about to lift scans from someone else, so you'll just have to use your imagination.

Now, a bit of an op-ed on an ugly incident from Game 6. You know, of course, that I'm referring to the check-from-behind laid on Rob Scuderi by Steve Bernier. After all of the negative attention being paid to disproportionate hits this year, what the hell was Bernier thinking as he vectored in on Scuderi? He wasn't thinking and was most likely overtaken by emotion and adrenaline, what with the Devils' hopes for a championship on the line in the opposing team's barn. Even so, that's no excuse to relinquish his awareness and, in my opinion, his actions ended up sealing the Devils' fate.

Pack Crackin': 2003-04 Upper Deck Victory

Two of the sixteen packs contained in the "value box" that I picked up from Meijer a few weeks ago were 2003-2004 Upper Deck Victory. For the sake of brevity, I've combined the crackin' of these two packs into one post. First off, I have to say that the 2003-2004 UD Victory base set design is one of the worst in the history of hockey cards. Superimposing the player photo on the card graphic gives the cards a bit of a cheap look to them. I prefer the old-school look, with the focus being the players and not flashy use of "artistic expression". I must not be alone in that sentiment, since Victory sets subsequent to this one have ditched the extreme design elements.

Anyway, on to the 12 cards contained in the two packs. First up are my team collection pulls:

Both are Red Wings, obviously, and neither are dupes. That's not saying a whole lot, though, since I had zero cards from this set prior to this Datsyuk anad Legace pull. Despite my general dislike for the design, I will pursue completing the team sets for this issue since Victory is one of the sets I regularly include in my Red Wings and Blue Jackets collections.

Each pack contained an insert, but both were of the Freshman Flashback subset:

The scans don't do justice to the use of foil, and the cards do look better than the photos (and the base set, for that matter). I'm still not pleased with the excessive use of color on the left side of the cards, or the cheesy glow to the edge of the player, but the effect isn't as horrific as that of the base cards.

Igor Radulov played two seasons for the Blackhawks before heading to Russia during the 2004-2005 season, where he's been playing ever since. Niko Dimitrakos stuck with the NHL a little longer, being traded to the Flyers in March of 2006 for a 3rd round draft pick - ouch. After a couple of more seasons in the AHL, Niko headed East to play in Europe. In 2011 he was back in North America looking to make a return with Vancouver, but was released during training camp. A short stint with the AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins followed before Niko returned to Germany.

The remainder of the two packs worked out like this:
10: Simon Gamache - Atlanta Thrashers
77: Sammy Salo - Edmonton Oilers
118: Janne Niinimaa - New York Islanders
132: Todd White - Ottawa Senators
136: Ray Emery - Ottawa Senators
145: Shane Doan - Phoenix Coyotes
151: Rico Fata - Pittsburgh Penguins
197: Michael Nylander - Washington Capitals

Anyone else think that the 2003-2004 UD Victory set was one of the ugliest in hockey card history?

Pack Crackin' - June 8th, 2012

I'm normally not one for breaking open boxes of multi-brand packs, the likes of which lurk on the shelves of major retailers such as Meijer and Target. Lately, however, I've been intrigued by a few posts in the card collecting blogosphere touting some decent finds to be had in these types of products. So on my next trip to Meijer I snagged this hefty specimen for the grand sum of $20.

Boasting sixteen packs and two memorabilia cards - guaranteed - it seemed like a decent deal. I figured the "randomly selected" memorabilia inserts would be lame (more on that a little later), but the chances to pull some other inserts from the unopened packs was enticing. As far as the packs go, here's what the box contained:

The quality represented here isn't too shabby, though the duplicate Victory packs and the Power Play pack were somewhat disappointing. At least the variety is relatively contemporary - and there was no Pro Set to stink up the place.

First up from the guaranteed memorabilia cards is this 2006-2007 Joe Nieuwendyk SP Game Used Jersey, number AF-JN. The two-color swatch is actually kind of nice, but there's no place in my collections for this card so off to the trade list it will go.

The other memorabilia grab is this 2005-2006 Sergei Samsonov UD Game Jersey insert, number J2-SV. Less impressive than the Nieuwendyk card, but still avoiding the "plain white" pitfall, this card also does not fit with any of my collections. There appears to be little demand for it on eBay, so in the trade list it will sit.

Alright, on to the packs. To avoid an excessively long post (and to give me fodder to keep the blog active for several days), I'm going to dedicate one post to each pack. Working from left to right starting in the bottom row, first up is the 2006-2007 Upper Deck MVP pack. Of the eight cards in the pack, the only one earning a spot in my personal collection is this #88 Sergei Fedorov:

The card design of this set is quite nice and rather classy, though I never did like the silver signatures emblazoned across the front. Ruins a good TTM opportunity. Anyway, no matter what you may think of Federov, he's one of the very few players that appears in both my Red Wings and Blue Jackets team collections.

The insert card of the pack is this Markus Naslund Gotta Have Heart (HH24) pull. A nice looking card, but once again no place in my collections and practically no eBay value.

The remainder of the pack broke down like this:
116: Jarret Still - Edmonton Oilers
117: Jason Smith - Edmonton Oilers
171: Martin Brodeur - New Jersey Devils
225: Curtis Joseph - Phoenix Coyotes
240: Joe Thornton - San Jose Sharks
292: Alexander Ovechkin - Washington Capitals

So there you have it.  I'll have much more in the coming days, but now it's time to get ready for the short trip to Cincy to watch the Reds take on succumb to my Tigers.