tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1800542149066980452024-02-19T02:17:32.458-05:00Card BoardedA blog about hockey cards, my collection, and life as a collector.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485984791258722017noreply@blogger.comBlogger886125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180054214906698045.post-32028756495397531982022-10-19T20:07:00.001-04:002022-10-19T20:07:22.844-04:00Jimmy Howard: 2014-15 Black Diamond Orange<div><p style="text-align: justify;">I'm liking these shorter one card posts on here. They give me more space to work with than a Twitter post and don't take a long to throw together as some of my previous posts. A definite win win for me and showing off my new additions to the PC. <br /><br />Today's post is another pickup that brings me one card closer to completing a rainbow. Here is an orange parallel from 2013-14 Upper Deck Black Diamond. It is card #136 in the set and is serial numbered like the other versions. Still an awesome looking card though. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/YZjGqAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/YZjGqAM.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Black Diamond designs can be hit or miss for me. This one I actually like and somehow the scan even turned out nice for once. I love the small dot pattern near the bottom as well as the fact that the whole design is not symmetric left to right. <br /><br />In terms of the rainbow, I already have the Ruby version (/50), but that's it. I still need to come up with the base, Emerald (/10) and Sapphire (/1). I don't think I even seen either of the two big ones for sale, so who knows if I'll ever be able to track them down. <br /></div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485984791258722017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180054214906698045.post-11890342187062944052022-10-18T12:02:00.002-04:002022-10-18T12:02:35.996-04:00Jimmy Howard: 2013-14 Artifacts Ruby<div><p style="text-align: justify;">Continuing with my main player collection, I recently picked up another nice parallel of Jimmy Howard. This was another eBay purchase a few months back and it's just been sitting ever since. I actually forgot how nice of a card this was until getting ready to post it. <br /><br />Here we have a ruby parallel numbered 220/299 from 2013-14 Upper Deck Artifacts. This has to be one of the best looking Artifacts cards in my Howard collection so far. You can never go wrong with team colored foil like this, right?<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/IhT8E0S.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/IhT8E0S.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">One thing I really like about these Artifacts sets is the fact that they did not stick the Upper Deck logo somewhere on the front. These just feel right without it. The "Artifacts" text across the top tells you immediately what it is and is usually nicely done like this one. <br /><br />In terms of completing the rainbow, this is all I have so far. I still need the base (/999), Emerald (/99), Sapphire (/85), Spectrum (/25), and Black (/5). Definitely a lot of work, but at least there isn't a base 1/1 version, so this should be attainable someday. <br /></div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485984791258722017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180054214906698045.post-36298194485264428762022-10-17T12:34:00.001-04:002022-10-19T19:58:16.293-04:00Jimmy Howard: 2013-14 Panini Prizm Green<div><p style="text-align: justify;">Wow, just checked and I haven't posted here since April of this year. I guess at that point I wasn't as into the whole blogging thing and since then life just got busier and in the way of any further writing on here. I'd love to spend more time on this as I've always liked being able to use more than 280 characters to talk about my collection and recent additions. Call it old school or whatever you want, I still prefer it to the quick posts on other sites. <br /><br />I've actually got quite a stack of maildays for my collection to get posted on here, I just need to find some more free time to chip away at it. That being said, I wanted to ease back into things with just one card that I picked up several months ago for my Howard collection. Here is a green parallel from 2013-14 Panini Prizm.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/vSe6up3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/vSe6up3.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I've had this one on my radar for years and was finally able to grab a copy at a decent price on eBay. For all the love that Prizm gets in the other sports now, I think they did a great job with the hockey sets back in the Panini days. Here the green really pops against the red. Makes me think of Christmas time, which means this year has gone by way too fast. <br /><br />One of my favorite things about Prizm is the number of parallels out there. This green version is just one of I believe 12 different designs of this particular card. I have a couple others already including the rainbow, red and cracked ice. Chasing rainbows like this is my favorite part of collecting so it should be fun to keep searching for the rest.</div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485984791258722017noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180054214906698045.post-24979083175980109062022-04-27T10:23:00.001-04:002022-04-27T10:23:45.358-04:00Expanding My MVP Script Quest Again<p style="text-align: justify;">Two years ago I decided to more actively pursue script parallels for the regular MVP from 1999-00. I've loved those early MVP sets from Upper Deck since I was a kid and thought it would be another fun project to work on. While I am still pursuing that set, lately another MVP set has caught my attention and I've decided to make another PC project out of it. <br /><br />Before being into the Stanley Cup Edition set, I had gotten a hobby box of 1998-99 MVP as a gift back when it came out. That was one of my very first hobby boxes and every time I see cards from that set I'm reminded of those good times as a young collector. <br /><br />Fast forward to 2018-19 and for the 20th anniversary, Upper Deck created a Colors & Contours version of the original design to go along with the tribute Silver Scripts and Gold Scripts. While these have been around for a few years, they just recently came onto my radar and I cannot get enough of them. In photos and scans these things look amazing. <br /><br />Here is a look at an original 1998-99 base card of Wayne Gretzky and a Colors & Contours tribute of Nico Hischier. I love what they did with this design, especially how close they kept it to the original unlike the Stanley Cup Edition tributes. My favorite part might be the red foil. Something about that stuff just looks nice on a card like this. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg982u7UMZ8uLB-9LJphWh7bRij2CR7IXxVChF6Rb8HJbxmH6M5nmkCgY3ynxG8WFm2r7tXxyOE5F-siu9P77blcdovimtUZobnblyFbKy5dmX9HP3v7NpA2nsHrjYpxml7y3VGC1WTN_ZQaKxJ6oxf_lQ_VrY29awAsR-IQLDXFOdcE_IItOFdpZJdTg/s1000/image845.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="1000" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg982u7UMZ8uLB-9LJphWh7bRij2CR7IXxVChF6Rb8HJbxmH6M5nmkCgY3ynxG8WFm2r7tXxyOE5F-siu9P77blcdovimtUZobnblyFbKy5dmX9HP3v7NpA2nsHrjYpxml7y3VGC1WTN_ZQaKxJ6oxf_lQ_VrY29awAsR-IQLDXFOdcE_IItOFdpZJdTg/w400-h280/image845.png" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;">Between the three original MVP sets and the two tribute sets I've
got quite a bit to chase after for the foreseeable future. If my math is right then there are 3,290 different cards between all the different variations. Here's a
quick breakdown:</div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>1998-99 MVP Base [220]<br /><span> </span>1998-99 MVP Silver Script [220]<br /><span> </span>1998-99 MVP Gold Script [220]<br /><span> </span>1998-99 MVP Super Script [220]<br /><br /><span> </span>1999-00 MVP Base [220]<br /><span> </span>1999-00 MVP Silver Script [220]<br /><span> </span>1999-00 MVP Gold Script [220]<br /><span> </span>1999-00 MVP Super Script [220]<br /><br /><span> </span>1999-00 MVP Stanley Cup Edition Base [220]<br /><span> </span>1999-00 MVP Stanley Cup Edition Silver Script [220]<br /><span> </span>1999-00 MVP Stanley Cup Edition Gold Script [220]<br /><span> </span>1999-00 MVP Stanley Cup Edition Super Script [220]<br /><br /><span> </span>2018-19 MVP Tribute Silver Script [100]<br /><span> </span>2018-19 MVP Tribute Gold Script [100]<br /><span> </span>2018-19 MVP Tribute Colors & Contours [100]<br /><br /><span> </span>2019-20 MVP SCE Tribute Silver Script [100]<br /><span> </span>2019-20 MVP SCE Tribute Super Script [100]<br /><span> </span>2019-20 MVP SCE Tribute Colors & Contours [100]<br /><span> </span>2019-20 MVP SCE Tribute Colors & Contours Update [50]<br /><br />Some of these will obviously be harder than others to complete. The base sets shouldn't be a problem at all, I just need to go through everything I've got to get an accurate count. The only sets I know for sure I have completed are the SCE base and Silver Scripts. <br /><br />The Silver Scripts should be relatively attainable as well. There are maybe just a few names that would cost a bit more than the rest (e.g. Gretzky, McDavid, Crosby, etc.), but even then they're not that expensive in the scheme of things. Should be a fun build. <br /><br />The Gold Scripts are where things start to get trickier, especially for the original sets. While they show up for sale occasionally, they're still not super common to see. When I do find them, I try to avoid overpaying so those are even slower for me right now. <br /><br />The Super Scripts are still my favorites of the bunch and of course even harder to find. Rather than going for any of the big names, I just continue to be on the lookout for the less popular players and the great deals that can be had for them. <br /><br />Finally, the Colors & Contours are a bit of a mixed bag. There are a ton to be had for a great price on COMC and Sportlots, but there are also some that fetch big money, especially with the way things are in the sports card world right now. <br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I know I'll probably never actually complete this 3,000+ card project, but that's the fun part: I will always have something to chase. After all, I get more enjoyment out of these simple MVP cards than I do for a lot of the crazy autos and patches out there today. <br /><br />Anyone else really into the MVP script parallels? Or am I one of the oddballs going after these sets? Either way, as plenty of others have said, collect what you love. I love MVP and all the awesome script parallels, so that's what I'm going to collect! <br /></p>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485984791258722017noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180054214906698045.post-22649422428308013952022-04-26T15:22:00.001-04:002022-04-26T15:22:59.225-04:00Topps 75th: Rails and Sails<div><p style="text-align: justify;">While I've been off to a bit of a slow start blogging about cards in 2022, I still have a ton of posts in the queue, just not enough free time to squeeze them in as often as I would like. Among these is today's post about one of my favorite side projects: Topps Rail and Sails. <br /><br />Recently I was able to add another piece to my rainbow for the 2013 Topps 75th Anniversary set. This time it is the regular base version of the Locomotive 999 card from the original 1955 set. It is an exact replica of the original other than the 75th logo in the upper left and the fact that it is actually 2.5" x 3.5" in size. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/cm7Olil.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="700" height="286" src="https://i.imgur.com/cm7Olil.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Unlike the rainbow version I posted previously on here, this one is printed on the old school card stock and feels just like the originals in hand. Also, while it's hard to see in the scan, the 75th logo is actually done in silver foil, but looks great on the card. <br /><br />Back to the rainbow thing, there are four different versions out there: base, rainbow foil, modern gloss (/10) and diamond sparkle (/75). I'm halfway there now and hope to grab the other two someday when the price is right. Would make for a really nice display piece. <br /></div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485984791258722017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180054214906698045.post-49170012885566009012022-04-03T11:48:00.000-04:002022-04-03T11:48:09.781-04:00Masks: 2002-03 BTP The Mask II<div><div><div><div><div><p style="text-align: justify;">Mask cards are one of my favorite things about collecting hockey cards. I always thought they were the coolest thing when I was a kid just starting out back in the mid 90's. Back then it was the Pinnacle designs followed by the ITG designs, all of which were awesome. <br /><br />Thanks to a nice lot I picked up on eBay recently, I am nine cards closer to completing my 2002-03 BTP The Mask II set, at least the regular version. Up first is one of my favorites of the lot with Marc Denis and his Stinger themed Columbus Blue Jackets mask. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/M5BAVu8.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/M5BAVu8.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Up next is card #M-2 featuring Milan Hnilicka of the Atlanta Thrashers. I've always loved the Thrashers original look and any mask that was designed for it looks great. This one makes use of their secondary logo front and center on the top of the mask. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/yRGEJX6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/yRGEJX6.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Another random name from the early 2000's is Roman Cechmanek. While playing for the Philadelphia Flyers he had some pretty nice looking setups, especially his masks. I love the font used for the Flyers text on the chin of this one. <br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/MeP2xKI.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/MeP2xKI.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Up next is one that actually goes with the teal design of the set. Card #M-25 features Miikka Kiprusoff of the San Jose Sharks. There is a lot to love about this mask design from the fin logo on top to the splash effect to the Kipper nickname on the chin. <br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/hTRUWiw.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/hTRUWiw.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Another really cool mask design was Steve Shields' tribute to Gerry Cheevers of the Boston Bruins. I believe this was one of the first like it and I always thought it looked nice in photos. Glad they went with the white cage as it really completes the look. <br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/y61Cd35.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/y61Cd35.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Here's another mask with the goalie's nickname on the chin. Card #M-7 features Jocelyn "T-Bo" Thibault of the Chicago Blackhawks. There is a lot going on with the design, but it works. The black cage looks great in this case too. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/caSnU9T.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/caSnU9T.png" width="286" /></a></div><br />Up next is card #M-19 featuring Rick DiPietro's patriotic mask from his time with the New York Islanders. It is pretty simple overall with the primary logo on top and the wordmark on either side. Always like seeing the jersey number on the chin like this too. <br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/OHTw5u4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/OHTw5u4.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Speaking of masks with the primary logo on top and the jersey number on the chin, here is card #M-12 featuring Tommy Salo of the Edmonton Oilers. In addition to the team logos there is a really cool viking design on either side. The cage should've been copper though. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/6w1iZE9.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/6w1iZE9.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Last we have another of my favorites from the lot: card #M-14 featuring Felix Potvin and his iconic mask design, this time in the gorgeous purple of the Los Angeles Kings. <br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/yPyDsEW.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/yPyDsEW.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">These nine bring me a bit closer to completing this edition of the The Mask. Not sure how many I've got at the moment, but there are 30 total cards in the set. Plus, there are silver and gold versions as well, but those are a bit to pricey for me to go after. <br /><br />Since there are not any new Mask cards like these anymore, I am glad that I still have several of these BAP/ITG sets to chase after. They are some of the nicest looking hockey cards out there and I would like to have them all someday. <br /></div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485984791258722017noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180054214906698045.post-35973306218480931962022-03-11T14:22:00.001-05:002022-03-11T14:22:07.161-05:00Viktor Arvidsson: OPC Platinum Seismic Gold <div><p style="text-align: justify;">The hockey collecting community has been very great to me over the last ten plus years I've been doing this whole blog thing. Between fellow bloggers on here and collectors on the message boards and Twitter, pretty much everyone I've dealt with has been awesome. <br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The latest example of this was an amazing RAK from a fellow Predators fan and collector on Twitter. <a href="https://twitter.com/PeeryNotPerry">@PeeryNotPerry</a> sent me a package with some OPC Platinum Seismic Golds for my Viktor Arvidsson collection. Like I said, the hockey card community is great! <br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">This one from 2019-20 is my new favorite Arvidsson card. While it looks pretty nice in the scan here, this thing looks even better in hand. The gold goes very nicely with the Preds colors and I love that Arvidsson is isolated from other players in the photo. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/CPcVuQf.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/CPcVuQf.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The other awesome Seismic Gold was from 2017-18 OPC Platinum. I like that this one has the older style of Preds jerseys, those were the ones they wore during the run to the Cup Final back in 2017. The gold looks just as good with this as the other one. <br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/XPdw70w.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/XPdw70w.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I love all the parallels from OPC Platinum in recent years and hope they continue to expand and come up with new ideas for them. As far as Arvidsson stuff goes, I'll be focusing only on his Preds cards so I at least have a few years of his cards to chase for these rainbows. <br /><br />I actually have a few more versions of these two cards from my most recent COMC order, but I am saving them for a separate post. Once I get around to that I'll put together updated visual checklist grids so I can see how the rainbows are coming along. <br /></div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485984791258722017noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180054214906698045.post-90309276634976716472022-02-27T12:48:00.002-05:002022-02-27T12:48:43.716-05:00Predators: Pekka Rinne 2020-21 Allure<div><div><p style="text-align: justify;">This update for my Predators collection is only one card, but it seemed like a good time for it after watching the Stadium Series last night. Unfortunately the wrong team came away with the win, but one of my favorite Preds was there and a part of the pre-game. <br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Continuing where I left off with my last Preds post, I have another piece for my 2020-21 Allure rainbow of Pekka Rinne. This is the 1917 NHL Shield variation and is serial numbered /17 on the back of the card. It looks just like the 2005 Shield variation, only here the outline of the shield is yellow instead of grey. It looks really nice in person. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/eR9rgjU.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/eR9rgjU.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Being numbered /17 I wasn't sure how much this would set me back, but I was pleasantly surprised when it popped up for sale at just $10 on eBay. I couldn't hit the buy it now button fast enough. This one brings me to 10 out of 26 for all the possible variations.<br /><br />Here is a look at my updated visual checklist grid. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiMEPkpku38ihBShKOjsMOcSjUAowu4uK0BdCDYNsGAgDzxS96EN3Y3DVWrq4qUCn93eMxO10wj3ZU4Yz8028e9ElwOve8_qvyCYEYQ5mXvK18trjbVHMIsASbCXlqEDa2BJSzJtLtbq5G-x1KQwEEaOX9vhg2ZAcjyrEe_2vf5ETTd2kg-oVQ2Vh2yWw=s3500" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2800" data-original-width="3500" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiMEPkpku38ihBShKOjsMOcSjUAowu4uK0BdCDYNsGAgDzxS96EN3Y3DVWrq4qUCn93eMxO10wj3ZU4Yz8028e9ElwOve8_qvyCYEYQ5mXvK18trjbVHMIsASbCXlqEDa2BJSzJtLtbq5G-x1KQwEEaOX9vhg2ZAcjyrEe_2vf5ETTd2kg-oVQ2Vh2yWw=w437-h350" width="437" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">While there are still plenty of gaps here, I love seeing all of the ones I have together. I keep cards like these stored in top loaders so they are easy to flip through and arrange all together. As far as completing the rainbow, I am going to only go after everything down to the /10 Purple Diamond variations. I've got a ways to go, but this will be a long term project and something to keep me busy with between other collecting projects. <br /></div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485984791258722017noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180054214906698045.post-44877476898213127992022-02-17T19:18:00.001-05:002022-02-18T13:07:00.747-05:00SCE Super Script Update<div><p style="text-align: justify;">Time for my seemingly once a year update on my favorite set of all time: 1999-00 Upper Deck MVP Stanley Cup Edition Super Scripts. There are a handful of these for sale on various sites, but I avoid overpaying for them so I don't get them all that often.<br /><br />Speaking of cards for sale from this set, the one I am showing off today has been on my eBay watch list for over a year now. The price wasn't too bad at $10, I just never got around to hitting the buy it now button until just recently. <br /><br />Here is card #144 featuring Shane Doan of the Phoenix Coyotes and their gorgeous original kachina jersey. This one is serial numbered 07/25 and goes nicely with the other Coyotes I've already got for my set including Travis Green, Sean Burke and Keith Tkachuk. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/1hNGDeS.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/1hNGDeS.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Even though this MVP design isn't the fanciest in the world, every time I add one of these to my set I can't help but stare at it for a moment. I've been a fan of this set for over 20 years now and still get the same level of excitement with every new addition. <br /><br />This one bring my SC Edition Super Script total to 87/220 or 39.5% of the complete set. It also breaks the current tie I've had between the Golds and Supers for this project. I only need three more to complete the Coyotes team set at this point. <br /></div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485984791258722017noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180054214906698045.post-43962470384390070722022-02-06T20:12:00.000-05:002022-02-06T20:12:07.137-05:00SCE Tribute Update<div><p style="text-align: justify;">It has definitely been a while since my last update on this project. I have to go all the way back to April of last year for my most recent post. That one was for a tribute Super Script, this one is for one of the awesome Colors & Contours parallels, which I'm also collecting. <br /><br />This particular eBay pickup has actually opened up a whole new can of worms for me regarding this project. I say that because I didn't even realize there was an update set that was a part of the flagship Upper Deck set from 2019-20. There are actually 50 more of these, all of which are serial numbered /99 rather than the regular /249 version. <br /><br />Here is card #142 featuring Taro Hirose of the Detroit Red Wings. I only got this one because the starting bid was $0.99 and it never moved from there. He hasn't made much of an impact with the Wings yet, so maybe his cards are that desirable just yet. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/3BQ6FtA.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/3BQ6FtA.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I have to say these are really growing on me. At first I wasn't super into the die-cut designs, but now that I've got five of these things I am really starting to like them. The original MVP logo always brings back good collecting memories for me, especially when the Stanley Cup Edition is involved. I also really like the red foil, especially for the Red Wings cards. <br /><br />This puts me at 1/50 for the rookie update set and 5/150 when you include the original tributes from the main MVP set in 2019-20. These /99's might be a little trickier to complete just because of the names included in the set like Hughes, Dach and Fox. <br /></div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485984791258722017noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180054214906698045.post-8430289247045512272022-01-30T16:42:00.001-05:002022-01-30T16:42:33.752-05:00Jimmy Howard: Cardboard Cameos<div><div><p style="text-align: justify;">Now that Jimmy Howard is retired, the likelihood of him having a lot of new cards any time soon is pretty slim. That being said, I am obviously not going to be stopping my primary player collection and will continue to focus on his existing cardboard. <br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The fact that he is retired also has me going back and actually looking through my box of Howard cards more often lately. After all, what's the point of having them if you're not going to pull them out of the box and enjoy them every now and then? <br /><br />Anyway, after noticing the Wings backup goalie in the photo on Howard's 2021 MVP card, it got me thinking about the chance that Howard was in the background of any other Red Wings cards. That in turn made me think of the posts on My Hockey Card Obsession about Trevor Linden cameos. <a href="http://myhockeycardobsession.blogspot.com/search?q=cameo">Click here</a> for some examples of what I'm referring to. <br /><br />Another recent example that helped inspire this post is from @creasecollector on Twitter with his Jhonas Enroth collection. <a href="https://creasecollector.weebly.com/blog/cameo-cards">Click here</a> to check out his blog post on the subject. <br /><br />For my cameo cards of Jimmy Howard, I was able to grab three as part of my latest COMC order. I've been slowly building a want list for these as I stumble upon them and the price was just right so I had to have them for this neat little side project. <br /><br />Up first is my favorite of the three, a UD Canvas card of Mike Green from 2018-19 Upper Deck. This one has a cool shot of some action in front of the Red Wings net in what appears to be Nationwide Arena. Definitely easy to see it is Howard in goal.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/K1d4DGQ.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="700" height="286" src="https://i.imgur.com/K1d4DGQ.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Up next is another card from the same set, this time featuring William Nylander of the Toronto Maple Leafs. This one once again shows Howard in net, this time in the foreground at Scotia Bank Arena. This one is neat because all you see is Howard and one other player. <br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/ZdMQjsy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/ZdMQjsy.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">For the last of the three, we circle back to Mike Green. This time we have a base card from 2018-19 Upper Deck. You can clearly see Howard is the goalie behind Green, although his head is almost hidden by the Upper Deck logo in the upper right corner. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/S2vecAn.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/S2vecAn.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">These are just some of the examples of cameo cards for Jimmy Howard. There are plenty more out there, I just need to track them down for the collection. I always like finding new and exciting ways to enjoy collecting. After all when your main PC player is retired, you've got to find something like this to keep things interesting. <br /><br />As far as my Howard collection, I am not going to be counting these as part of the main collection. They will be their own separate category and I'll keep them in separate posts like this in the future. For me, that just makes it easier to keep everything organized. <br /></div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485984791258722017noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180054214906698045.post-34412060525756311152022-01-25T22:54:00.000-05:002022-01-25T22:54:37.037-05:00Predators: Pekka Rinne 2020-21 Allure <div><p style="text-align: justify;">I finished 2021 with a post about a newly started Pekka Rinne rainbow for my Predators collection, so why not start 2022 with a post about another Rinne rainbow? As you can tell from the title, this one is for Upper Deck's 2020-21 Allure set, which has a ton of parallels. <br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">There are actually 26 different Rinne cards needed to complete this Allure rainbow. Now, some of these are 1/1's, so it is very unlikely that I would ever be able to actually complete it. The next lowest numbering is /10, so those are likely the top end for me.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Since I have yet to pick up a base card, we'll get things started with the Black Rainbow, which is one of the non-serial numbered versions. This one takes the base design and swaps the silver chrome for a black rainbow type foil. It looks really nice in person. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/grmqDkx.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/grmqDkx.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Up next in the non-serial numbered category is the NHL shield version, specifically the 2005 design. There are actually three different shield parallels, the other two (1945 and 1917) are numbered /45 and /17 respectively. I didn't like these at first upon release, but they are growing on me and I am glad to have this one as part of my rainbow now. <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/aYzmRO2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/aYzmRO2.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Now we're getting into the more rare parallels. This one is the Yellow Taxi version and while not serial numbered, they only fall one per mass blaster pack. This is one of my favorites and it looks amazing in person. It goes nicely withe the Predators colors too. <br /></div></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/isN7QBF.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/isN7QBF.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Up next we have something completely new from Upper Deck: the Leopard Print parallel. Seems like a really cheesy idea, but the execution was excellent. These are one of my favorites too. Definitely not a pattern I ever thought we would be seeing on a hockey card. <br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/gLxMiGm.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/gLxMiGm.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Moving back to regular colored parallels, we have the Red Rainbow version. This is the same pattern as the Yellow Taxi, just a different color. I do like the contrast it provides against the Preds uniform. This one is 1:5 hobby packs and is not serial numbered. <br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/IeDqqb5.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/IeDqqb5.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Now we're getting to some of the better stuff. The first die-cut parallel available is this Orange Slice version. These are 1:10 hobby packs and are not serial numbered. I really like how the die-cut follows the shape of the base design in the center portion. <br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/jQI63gg.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/jQI63gg.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">My favorite of them all so far is this Pink Leopard print version. I mean, who would ever think of something like this? Love it. I mentioned this on Twitter a while back, but together this and the regular Leopard version remind me of Fred and Dino from the Flintstones.<br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/CKnXkG2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/CKnXkG2.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So we're eight cards in now and finally getting to the serial numbered parallels from 20-21 Allure. This is the White Diamond version and is serial numbered /50. They have a white border and a really cool looking diamond foil pattern that looks great under natural light. <br /><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/mJchn5g.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/mJchn5g.png" width="286" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Last but not least is my first memorabilia version: the Red Rainbow Jersey version. This is not serial numbered and shares the same design as the regular red parallel. I got a great deal on this one and had to have it just for the yellow swatch to match the photo. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/1Ae97ac.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/1Ae97ac.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I guess nine cards isn't a bad way to start off a new rainbow, right? In reality, I got these over a few months at the end of last year, I'm just now getting to scanning and organizing everything. Part of that process is putting together a visual checklist grid, something I've really gotten into doing for any new rainbow project I've started. </div><div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh1SKtBzgiIS4x5o-olOUSVQ_cao8N6vug_-gj_vVQJTTUO8wvxO2P3brzI_vPuwoDA61jmHNfUvG-J02VuxndjXYCXjNVKGdnwGzQvIr32GwhMHaAcoOhdT3mKDWRfJ4EHJfronkBMUg2qA5VbKUkFDjb7UmbIqBPVFoc4DvXUbCzilqN68QacpBprbw=s3500" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2800" data-original-width="3500" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh1SKtBzgiIS4x5o-olOUSVQ_cao8N6vug_-gj_vVQJTTUO8wvxO2P3brzI_vPuwoDA61jmHNfUvG-J02VuxndjXYCXjNVKGdnwGzQvIr32GwhMHaAcoOhdT3mKDWRfJ4EHJfronkBMUg2qA5VbKUkFDjb7UmbIqBPVFoc4DvXUbCzilqN68QacpBprbw=w437-h350" width="437" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">So between this and my Rinne OPC Platinum rainbow project, I've got plenty to be on the lookout for. Rinne was always one of my favorite Preds to watch so these will always be a good reminder of that. Now I just need to see what I can do about filling in the holes. <br /></div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485984791258722017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180054214906698045.post-90372784838403706662021-12-19T19:58:00.001-05:002021-12-27T15:59:53.167-05:00Predators: Pekka Rinne 2020-21 OPC Platinum <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p style="text-align: justify;">Continuing one of my recent Predators posts, I have a couple more awesome OPC Platinum pickups to share. These both come from eBay and help get me a little close to completing my newest rainbow project. They of course feature Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne.<br /><br />The first and my favorite of the two is the Yellow Traxx parallel. This one is serial numbered /249 and adds some color to the recent Traxx designs. I love the look of the yellow borders, especially with the Preds colors. Another cool feature is how on the backs of these cards the entire perimeter has been changed to yellow to match the front. <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/y25UYr4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/y25UYr4.png" width="286" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The other one is the standard Rainbow parallel. This one is not numbered and is the same as previous versions where the chrome foil just has a nice rainbow effect added to it. While these are not the rarest, they do look amazing in hand, especially under natural light. <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/wYXEjJN.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/wYXEjJN.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">These two bring my Rinne rainbow total to 5 out of a possible 18 versions. Below is an updated look at my visual checklist grid for this one. I really love the look of these things. Being able to see all the different versions at once is great. <br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjBiMJzpmB2uL00cZBW9JJuvl6bY87Co2wIGU6ogq53gevzkrwrVQemROZtApxVUx1tjdYn5hoTsnPNU-vW_0kxgvE0i9AcXzh5Pr9-6uTQgFpNdpXHKPnLhCSZapYz1AvcbzlIyuUmzoAVvGKMvPh_EqO3rJzEnJEkGCHFMozmjqVLw7lzz97RSteehw=s2800" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2800" data-original-width="2500" height="413" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjBiMJzpmB2uL00cZBW9JJuvl6bY87Co2wIGU6ogq53gevzkrwrVQemROZtApxVUx1tjdYn5hoTsnPNU-vW_0kxgvE0i9AcXzh5Pr9-6uTQgFpNdpXHKPnLhCSZapYz1AvcbzlIyuUmzoAVvGKMvPh_EqO3rJzEnJEkGCHFMozmjqVLw7lzz97RSteehw=w369-h413" width="369" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Not a bad start considering this product was just released. I'm on the lookout for the remaining versions, but will only pull the trigger on them when the price is right. I feel like some listings are way overpriced, so these might take a while to finish up. <br /></div><div><p></p></div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485984791258722017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180054214906698045.post-38114868044845344122021-12-16T20:02:00.000-05:002021-12-16T20:02:04.595-05:00Goaltending Gallimaufry: COMC Pickups<div><p style="text-align: left;"><i>Gallimaufry </i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="prondelim">[</span><span class="pron">gal-<span class="ital-inline" style="display: inline;">uh</span>-<span class="boldface">maw</span>-free</span><span class="prondelim">]</span><span class="prondelim" style="color: #333333;"> </span></span></span><i>- </i><span id="hotword"><i><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">A</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">hodgepodge;</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">jumble;</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">confused</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">medley.</span></i></span><span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">Having not gone to many card shows lately, pickups for my favorite side project have been few and far between. They have mostly been add-ons to COMC orders, which themselves have been few and far between. I've only placed two such orders in the last year.<br /><br />With my latest order, I was able to snag three new cards for this project. The first takes us all the way back to 1992-93 Upper Deck and arguably the greatest goaltender of all-time. Here is card #408 featuring Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils.</span></span><span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;"><br /> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/bv2gFYk.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/bv2gFYk.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Brodeur is shown wearing New Jersey's beautiful red, white and green home uniform, but he is sporting a blue glove and a blue blocker. Definitely a perfect candidate for this project. These are carryover from his time in the QMJHL with the <span>Saint-Hyacinthe Laser. </span><br /><span></span></div><div><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;"></span></span><span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">Fast forward a couple of decades and our next candidate is a Young Guns rookie card from 2015-16 Upper Deck featuring Jean-Francois Berube of the New York Islanders. He is shown playing with the Islanders, but is still wearing his gear from LA.<br /></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/yC97Pbf.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/yC97Pbf.png" width="286" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span id="hotword">Last but not least we have a Marquee Rookies card from 2017-18 O-Pee-Chee featuring Dylan Ferguson of the Vegas Golden Knights. He is pictured playing in the Golden Knights road white uniform, but is wearing blue, white and orange gear. This is from his time with the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL, where he spent four seasons. <br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/8Z8OkTY.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/8Z8OkTY.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">While I probably could've found some more like this on COMC, I like only having three to scan, research and post three at a time like this. These bring the project total to 206 unique cards. Not bad for a fun little side project like this. Finding stuff like this is right up there with my favorite parts of card collecting. These are for pure enjoyment of collecting. <br /></div><div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span id="hotword"><i><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;"></span></i></span></p><p><span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;"><span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">Goaltending Gallimaufry Count: 206</span></span></span></span></p></div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485984791258722017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180054214906698045.post-40170704289888270832021-12-12T10:42:00.003-05:002021-12-27T16:00:19.360-05:00Predators: Pekka Rinne 2020-21 OPC Platinum<div><div><div><p style="text-align: justify;">O-Pee-Chee Platinum has become one of my favorite products from Upper Deck lately with all the cool base card parallel designs every year. I love trying to put together the rainbow for any of these sets. They look amazing when completed. While I know I'll probably not get the Golden Treasures 1/1's, it is still a fun chase and relatively attainable. <br /><br />In the case of 2020-21 Platinum, of the Predators included in the checklist, I've decided to chase the rainbow for Pekka Rinne. He was always one of my favorite Preds to watch the last few seasons along with Viktor Arvidsson, who is not a part of this set. <br /><br />Knowing that there are 18 different versions of Rinne to go after, this seemed like a fun project. To get things started I picked up a Red Surge parallel from eBay. These are exclusive to the Target blaster boxes and fall 1:7 packs. Definitely a nice looking card. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/JUBn4Op.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/JUBn4Op.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Up next is the new Aquamarine parallel numbered /499. This one I picked up in another Twitter trade. While the idea is a bit out there for the background, it actually turned out pretty nice. I would think these are a must have for any Sharks collectors out there.<br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/n2tIB02.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/n2tIB02.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Last we have the returning Violet Pixels parallel, which is numbered /399. These have been one of my favorites the last few years. They just look amazing in hand when the light hits the surface. In the past they weren't even serial numbered, so this is an upgrade. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/0R3uNvL.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/0R3uNvL.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Similar to what I've been doing with some of my Jimmy Howard cards, I put together a cool visual checklist grid for these Rinne parallels. I find this is a neat way to look at the cards all together and quickly see what I'm missing from my rainbow. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0omf2iohHhjbkmleiMON877LL4DiqcucWhWvlTAdnLJnhO9wQP8dez0ydXAAPMNwy4kXtraebvFUk8z2CJ2GSzN-VPc3IrxHPMw29e2SiS5TBqh495wE0aXaqQXIsdj_o48gwm0IIz2gPk_6n2_G8-heL4xHyxxjcFrbKaO70y8Pvgy8tuRnn7YJJFA=s2048" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1829" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0omf2iohHhjbkmleiMON877LL4DiqcucWhWvlTAdnLJnhO9wQP8dez0ydXAAPMNwy4kXtraebvFUk8z2CJ2GSzN-VPc3IrxHPMw29e2SiS5TBqh495wE0aXaqQXIsdj_o48gwm0IIz2gPk_6n2_G8-heL4xHyxxjcFrbKaO70y8Pvgy8tuRnn7YJJFA=w442-h494" width="442" /></a></div></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As you can see, I'm only just getting started here. I've got three out
of a possible 18 different versions of this card. For now I'm making the
assumption that the Color Wheel design will be back like the last four
years. If not, then I will update accordingly. </div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485984791258722017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180054214906698045.post-17115142164925283002021-12-11T12:53:00.002-05:002021-12-11T12:53:46.066-05:00Jimmy Howard: BeeHive Signature Scrapbook<div><p style="text-align: justify;">When your main PC player's rookie season is 2005-06, finding some of the inserts and numbered parallels becomes somewhat difficult 16 years later now. While I do have a good number of rookie year cards in my Jimmy Howard collection, there are quite a few missing.<br /><br />One of the cards I've been after for years now is his Scrapbook Signatures card from 2005-06 BeeHive. I was lucky enough to find one last week for just $5 on eBay and I'm really happy to knock this one off the want list. The best part is it's hard signed. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/GdzQx0K.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="700" height="286" src="https://i.imgur.com/GdzQx0K.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I love this design. They even went as far as including the scotch tape holding the corners of the photo and the set name/logo onto the "scrapbook" surface. I think this is the only time I can ever say I'm happy to see scotch tape on a card. <br /><br />Howard's got a great looking signature on his older cards like this. This is one of the nicer examples I've got in my collection now. While the blue does look really nice, I wonder if it would've looked better in black or red to tie in with the overall look. <br /></div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485984791258722017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180054214906698045.post-40839573573270016242021-12-06T14:02:00.000-05:002021-12-06T14:02:29.312-05:00Jimmy Howard: Miscellaneous Pickups<div><p style="text-align: justify;">My favorite part about player collecting has to be chasing parallels, especially the serial numbered versions, in the hopes of completing those full rainbows. With 15 years worth of cards out there, Jimmy Howard has a decent number of these things for me to chase. <br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I'm not very picky about what I'm looking for. Other than some of the unlicensed and show stamped type stuff, I usually pick up anything Howard as long as the price is right. He's got over 1,600 different cards to there is still plenty of stuff for me to chase. <br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">While this first one is not serial numbered, it is one that I've been after for a while now. It is a red border parallel from 2019-20 O-Pee-Chee. These things look great for any of the teams with red uniforms and equipment, especially the Red Wings. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/HY4qWbq.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/HY4qWbq.png" width="286" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Up next is an awesome gold parallel from 2013-14 Panini Rookie Anthology. While the
idea of the set itself isn't my favorite, my main PC player was included
so I wanted to have it. Plus, the photo on this one is amazing and makes this card look very nice overall. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/Y2WGu3B.png" width="286" /><br /></div><br />Here we have another gold parallel, this time from 2011-12 SP Game Used. This one was another great deal from eBay and goes nicely with the regular base card I already have. Now I just need the Silver Spectrum /10 and the Gold Spectrum /1 for the rainbow. <br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/PWvXFS5.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/PWvXFS5.png" width="286" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />Moving onto O-Pee-Chee, this is the first of three Black Rainbow parallels I was able to snag from eBay recently. This one is the 2014-15 version and goes very nicely with the O-Pee-Chee Platinum rainbow I'm working on from the same season. <br /></div></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/L9rieFl.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/L9rieFl.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Going back a season, I was also able to get one from 2013-14. Overall this is a bit of a downgrade over the one above. My favorite part about this one is how they used a full body image. It gives the card a nicer overall look in my opinion. <br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/tKspaVS.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/tKspaVS.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Going back even further we have this one from the 2012-13 edition of O-Pee-Chee. I think this is equivalent to the design above where I'm not overly thrilled by it, but am happy to add it to the collection. You almost can't even see the O-Pee-Chee text on there. <br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/iAPwp5E.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/iAPwp5E.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Up next is one of several cards out there serial numbered to Howard's jersey number: 35. This one is from 2014-15 SP Game Used and is numbered 12/35. I love the overall look of this set. It is one of the better SPGU designs if you ask me. Definitely glad to have this one. <br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/dZmAWWC.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/dZmAWWC.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Last but not least we have this awesome Gold Script parallel from 2014-15 MVP, which is numbered 021/100. While it is not one of my favorite MVP designs, this one isn't too bad. I do like how they have the more original MVP font behind the player name at the bottom. <br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/HFrwxED.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/HFrwxED.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Well that's it for this stack of miscellaneous pickups for my main player collection. If I had to choose a favorite of these it would probably be the Rookie Anthology. I'm just happy to be able to knock these eight off the master want list. Slow and steady, right...?<br /></div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485984791258722017noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180054214906698045.post-89774526946009063542021-11-29T19:46:00.002-05:002021-11-29T19:46:33.715-05:00 SCE Gold Script Update<p style="text-align: justify;">I can't believe it's been over twenty years since 1999-00 MVP Stanley Cup Edition was released. I've loved this set ever since I got my first hobby box way back in 2000. While I didn't get any Gold Scripts until years later when I started this blog, I always liked them. <br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">It's been a little while now since my last update on this set, so it was really great to see another on in my mailbox recently. This one comes once again from a fellow Twitter collector (<a href="https://twitter.com/OTB_Cards">@OTB_Cards</a>) who has been a huge help with this impossible set build. <br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Here is card #212 featuring Denis Shvidki of the Barrie Colts. This one is serial numbered 018/100 and brings me one step closer to completing the CHL subset. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/ZSVn4Zu.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/ZSVn4Zu.png" width="286" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Shvidki was drafted 12th overall by the Florida Panthers in 1999. He would go on to play 76 NHL games, all with Florida. In those games he would put up 11 goals and 14 assists for 25 total points. His last season with the Panthers was 2003-04. After that he would go on to play in several Russian and other European leagues through 2013-14. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">SCE Gold Script Total: 86/220</p>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485984791258722017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180054214906698045.post-77486855022797003212021-11-28T14:41:00.002-05:002021-11-28T14:41:47.347-05:00Jimmy Howard: Game-Used Number Vault 1/1<div><p style="text-align: justify;">Thanks to another lucky eBay find, I have another first for my Jimmy Howard collection: a 1 of 1 Vault card from In The Game. In the past I've avoided these because the added stamps always seem to clash with the overall design, at least on most of the ones I've seen. <br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Here is a 2007-08 ITG Heroes and Prospects Game-Used Number card with an amazing number piece. In this case, the red foil Vault 1 of 1 stamp works perfectly with the design of the card. Add in the fact that I only paid $0.99 for this card and I couldn't pass it up. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/3xkCeVD.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="700" height="286" src="https://i.imgur.com/3xkCeVD.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Luckily the Vault stamp only obscures a very small amount of the four grey lines running across the card. The foil for the "Number" text was already red, so it actually ties it all together nicely. If I am going to pick up any more Vault cards they would need to be along these lines where the obviousness of the stamp is minimal. <br /><br />Now I just need to figure out how to include this on my master Howard checklist. I am definitely not going to consider it to be the regular version from the original 2007-08 release. However, I will consider it to be another unique card toward my Howard total. The problem is I can't seem to find it on TCDb yet, which is where I've been tracking lately. <br /></div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485984791258722017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180054214906698045.post-59706374394438009552021-11-25T20:33:00.000-05:002021-11-25T20:33:02.712-05:00 Jimmy Howard: Victory Gold<p style="text-align: justify;">One of the best feelings in this hobby is being able to cross a card off your want list that's been on there forever. In this case, I've been on the lookout for this card for almost ten years. I've seen one other copy in all that time, but it went way over my price range. <br /><br />Thanks to another recent eBay pickup, I can finally add this awesome 2005-06 Victory Gold parallel to my Jimmy Howard collection. I was lucky enough to end up getting it for less than $10 too. Not bad for a card numbered to 100 from fifteen years ago. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/kVYOg2i.png" width="286" /></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I've always love the look of this Victory set with the colors split right down the middle and all the 45 degree corners. The only thing that would make this particular card better is if Howard was pictured in his team colored equipment and an official game jersey. <br /><br />Now I just need to see if I can track down the black version numbered to 5. Now that is a card that I have never seen before. Hopefully that doesn't take another ten years. <br /></p>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485984791258722017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180054214906698045.post-56259172445130342192021-10-25T20:24:00.000-04:002021-10-25T20:24:01.083-04:00Topps Rails and Sails Update<div><p style="text-align: justify;">Time for another small update on my new favorite train related card set. Topps Rails and Sails is an awesome vintage set that I've been working on for a little while now. It's actually been over a year now since my last update. I'm only looking to pick these cards up when the price is right, so they are likely to be few and far between. <br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">A little while back I was lucky enough to grab a lot of three new cards from eBay for just $8 including shipping. That ends up just over $2.50 per card, which is right around where I want to be as I'm building this set. It's nice to finally be able to show them off. <br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Up first is my favorite of the lot: card #26 featuring a diesel switcher locomotive from the National Railways of Mexico. The green paint scheme provides a nice contrast with the rest of the card and the artwork surrounding it is excellent. I love the logo in the lower right-hand corner as well. The cards in this set with actual logos look much nicer. <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/bawtZRc.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="700" height="280" src="https://i.imgur.com/bawtZRc.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/SO2mnCZ.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="700" height="280" src="https://i.imgur.com/SO2mnCZ.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Up next is card #27 featuring a very odd looking rack-rail locomotive from the Mount Washington Railway. There is some really cool engineering going on with this design, especially the way the boiler remains horizontal while the wheels are on the incline. <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/JZNsgUP.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="700" height="280" src="https://i.imgur.com/JZNsgUP.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/bbfcwl6.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="700" height="280" src="https://i.imgur.com/bbfcwl6.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The last of the three is card #28 featuring an electric coal mining locomotive. This is another one of the oddball locomotives included in the set. While I prefer the standard diesel-electric locomotives that common today, it is still neat to have cards like these. <br /></div><div><p></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/VfTKpHw.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="700" height="280" src="https://i.imgur.com/VfTKpHw.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/todLcKO.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="700" height="280" src="https://i.imgur.com/todLcKO.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">While progress on this set has been slow, it is definitely one of my favorite side projects. These cards are the oldest in my collection and are a ton of fun to look at and sort through. While having 20 of them is great, there is still a long way to go for me to complete the set. <br /></div><div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Rails and Sails Set Progress: 20/130 = 15.4%</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Cumulative Cost (including shipping): $32.21</div>Average Cost per Card: $1.61</div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485984791258722017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180054214906698045.post-32423303301011739952021-10-14T20:22:00.000-04:002021-10-14T20:22:28.067-04:00Jimmy Howard: BTP He Shoots He Saves <div><p style="text-align: justify;">It isn't often anymore that I can say I've added something new and unique to my Jimmy Howard collection. There are only so many different types of cards out there. Today's post is about something you wouldn't consider to be a traditional card. I'm referring to the He Shoots He Saves redemption points that used to come in packs of ITG Between The Pipes. <br /><br />If you're not familiar with these, they are just like the puzzle back cards that Upper Deck has done with MVP lately. The only difference is these ones from BTP served as the decoys in the packs. You could also accumulate enough of them and send in for a prize card. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Rather than post nine separate single card scans, I thought it would be easier to just throw them all together as they would be in a standard nine pocket page. As you can see below they line up pretty well. There are just some minor differences with the border. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvAZuMGCWGS7KGQoRarf-jX5H9Kyuknc0-fN-hcWpQHghy_tTAIpBMc4hqVNf3fv0bm3BxrOqpYrTiSUX_T2Y_IHVRhyP7ifHf8L1uEhHE2rNLXTle7kTJp8P2ubCf8kb8ASJHci476x74/s2048/1314_BTP_HSHS_ALL.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1476" height="609" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvAZuMGCWGS7KGQoRarf-jX5H9Kyuknc0-fN-hcWpQHghy_tTAIpBMc4hqVNf3fv0bm3BxrOqpYrTiSUX_T2Y_IHVRhyP7ifHf8L1uEhHE2rNLXTle7kTJp8P2ubCf8kb8ASJHci476x74/w440-h609/1314_BTP_HSHS_ALL.png" width="440" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I've had my eye on these for years now, but never pulled the trigger on picking one up. I thought about doing it piece by piece, but that would've ended up taking too long and costing me way too much in shipping. Luckily I was able to grab the entire set of them for like $10 a few months ago on eBay. I couldn't hit the BIN button fast enough.<br /><br />The image used for this is actually the same as the regular base card for Howard. It is an awesome overhead shot and even captures the puck just off his blocker. Considering the alternative would've been a photo with the Red Wings logo photoshopped out, I'll take it. <br /></div><div><p style="text-align: justify;">I can't think of many cards where you can see Howard's nameplate like this. The only ones that come to mind are the Net Cam cards from Panini a few years back. <br /></p></div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485984791258722017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180054214906698045.post-58319774969885815012021-10-04T20:39:00.000-04:002021-10-04T20:39:09.567-04:00Jimmy Howard: More OPC Platinum<div><p style="text-align: justify;">I'm ten years into collecting Jimmy Howard's cards and I am still excited every time I find something new. That's tells me I'm into the right hobby, at least for now. Anyway, thanks to a couple of new eBay purchases I've got two new awesome serial numbered parallels. <br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">When it comes to serial numbered parallels, O-Pee-Chee Platinum is one of the best sets out there today. Howard was included in two of those sets: 2014-15 and 2015-16. Today's post is all about the latter. I actually only had one card from this set before this. <br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Up first and the more colorful of the two is this Red Prism numbered out of 149. These red versions are some of my favorites as they match the Red Wings colors. They also look pretty amazing when the light hits the rainbow patterned background. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/yMLFKOb.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/yMLFKOb.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The other was this White Ice numbered out of 199. This one has a cool ice pattern around the perimeter and also has a nice rainbow shine. While it does not stand out as much as the Red Prism, it looks pretty good on it own. It goes nicely with the Black Ice version too. <br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/Md6HeiG.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/Md6HeiG.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Now onto my favorite part of going after another complete rainbow for the collection. Below is a look at the full visual checklist. These things are actually fun to put together. I use Inkscape to make it and get all of the info on the various parallels from TCDB. <br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1S7_NXDvN_ET31ti8MEGZJL9779rhsofvvxUcOPoi06dxYjjRVNgijXUc4vAjnqGcLFEGw8hiG4wfsE4-P-rffDVmZg1rUFD4XOSxVCwrPPCNuI54x2e2vNaTCQGSnB4mFpDdtM_GA5L6/s2048/howard_1516_opcp_rainbow.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1950" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1S7_NXDvN_ET31ti8MEGZJL9779rhsofvvxUcOPoi06dxYjjRVNgijXUc4vAjnqGcLFEGw8hiG4wfsE4-P-rffDVmZg1rUFD4XOSxVCwrPPCNuI54x2e2vNaTCQGSnB4mFpDdtM_GA5L6/w381-h400/howard_1516_opcp_rainbow.png" width="381" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As you can see, I've got a ways to go for this one to be finished. Seeing how these things show up for sale at random, it's kind of funny that the first three I have are all grouped together in the middle of the grid. Maybe I should try to get the Traxx or Blue Cubes next. <br /></div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485984791258722017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180054214906698045.post-57906881050690225342021-09-27T20:36:00.003-04:002021-09-27T20:36:41.944-04:00Jimmy Howard: Some New Autographs<div><p style="text-align: justify;">Continuing with the theme of catching up on accumulating mail, today's post is all about the newest autographs for my Jimmy Howard collection. Some of these have been sitting in the queue for several months now, so it is nice to finally get them posted. <br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">There are five in total and they all came from separate eBay purchases over the past few months. They come from a variety of years and sets, which definitely helps diversify my Howard auto collection. A couple of them are even hard signed, which is always nice. <br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Up first and my favorite of the lot is this 2005-06 Upper Deck Rookie Ink numbered out of 35. I've seen one or two of these over the years, but was never able to acquire one until now. I think I got this for less than $10, which is a great deal if you ask me. I love the look of it too, although it would've been perfect if he was pictured in his full Red Wings gear. <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/0JNEF8M.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="700" height="286" src="https://i.imgur.com/0JNEF8M.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Up next is another nice horizontal design, this time from the 2010-11 Crown Royale Scratching the Surface set. Again, this is one I've had my eyes on for years, but never was able to pick up a copy for myself. This one is cool because the signature is on a separate piece inserted into the card like a jersey swatch. I just wish it was centered a little better. <br /></div><div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/3fCRmrM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="700" height="286" src="https://i.imgur.com/3fCRmrM.png" width="400" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Going back to Howard's rookie year, we have this Parkhurst Signatures card. This one has a really cool design with the tan borders and the team logo plastered all over the background. It also has a nice look at Howard in his first full set of Red Wings equipment. <br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/bOr6cAB.png" width="286" /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">2006-07 is a year where Howard has next to no cards. This one from Black Diamond is one of just two cards from Upper Deck that season. This one is looks great. The black and white UD logo looks pretty cool. I love the cross hatch patters on here too, definitely one of the better looking Gemography sets in my opinion. <br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/4RJWPYw.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/4RJWPYw.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Last but not least is this nice hard signed auto from 2010-11 Zenith Yours Truly. Again, I've seen a few copies of this in the past, I just never really went after them. The price was good on this one so I went for it and was lucky enough to end up with the winning bid. <br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/bYaM2L1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/bYaM2L1.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So there you have it, five awesome new autos for my primary player collection. Not sure how many I have all together now, I'll have to check on that one of these days. I'm still on the lookout for quite a few Howard autograph cards. Hopefully I can get some more soon. <br /></div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485984791258722017noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180054214906698045.post-76276392604654706342021-09-23T19:17:00.015-04:002021-09-23T20:07:49.114-04:00Jimmy Howard: UD High Gloss<div><div><p style="text-align: justify;">When it comes to player collecting, one of my favorite parts is tracking down those hard to find low numbered parallels. While expecting to get every one of one is pretty unrealistic, the other slightly higher numbered ones are just as fun to grab, especially when the price is good. My latest eBay pickup is another perfect example of this. <br /><br />I think most collectors would agree that the Upper Deck High Gloss parallels are pretty desirable. I only have one in my Howard collection so far and have always been on the lookout for more. They just don't show up all that often, especially for good prices. <br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Luckily, I was able to grab this 2019-20 Upper Deck HG parallel numbered 02/10 on eBay last week. It was an auction listing so I wasn't sure how high the price would get. I was pleasantly surprised when it ended with just my one bid. Including shipping it was only $5. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/2lHRtEw.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/2lHRtEw.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I love the look of this thing. The rainbow foil, while kind of hard to see here, looks amazing when the light hits it. The photo on this card is also very nice. Picturing Howard in the home red uniform provides a nice contrast with the rest of the photo and card design. <br /><br />So this is another hard to find card I can knock off the master want list. I also have the UD Exclusives as well as the silver foil version. I still need the base, speckled rainbow foil and clear cut versions to complete the full UD rainbow. That will be cool when it's complete. <br /><br />Here's a look an my visual rainbow checklist for this one: <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ncUy_uaL06shqQ17NH3i8lf4z_zlctrl5OILsmw3KAz-RdSopkd16Mx09EqXTRUffqmIObcUkdXTLUqUu4KrF0ShPffqfmP1AS-I1DlHVO0zz7-99XAzW4RoQC2rKWLHLg85Z3vmQY7K/s2000/howard_1920_ud_rainbow.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="2000" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ncUy_uaL06shqQ17NH3i8lf4z_zlctrl5OILsmw3KAz-RdSopkd16Mx09EqXTRUffqmIObcUkdXTLUqUu4KrF0ShPffqfmP1AS-I1DlHVO0zz7-99XAzW4RoQC2rKWLHLg85Z3vmQY7K/w400-h280/howard_1920_ud_rainbow.png" width="400" /></a></div></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We'll see how long this one takes to fill in the remaining four spots. At least I have some of the harder ones out of the way now. I've at least seen them all available except for the Clear Cut Exclusives. Not sure how many of those are even out there. <br /></div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08485984791258722017noreply@blogger.com2