Pack Break: 2009-10 UD ICE

Empty pop bottles = free hockey cards, at least that's the way I see it. After returning bottles this morning, I decided to take a trip to the LCS and see what I could get for $5.

Since there were no Jimmy Howard cards available I settled for a $4 pack of ICE. I have yet to purchase a pack of this product so I figured what the heck, why not?

Not bad for only $4. I really like the base card design, especially the raised circular pattern in the center of the card. The top fading to team colors is a nice touch and adds some variety to the set. 

I've had good luck with single packs from this store in the past and I think I was due for a hit. I definitely got it with this Gilmour Frozen Fabrics. It's a great looking card with a nice white jersey swatch. 

SCE Super Script Update

It's been nearly three months since my Super Script collection has seen any action, but that changed today when my latest ebay purchase arrived in the mail.

I was browsing ebay during a break between classes a few days ago and came across this Alexander Korlyuk numbered 8/25 and couldn't pass on the $5 buy it now option with $2.25 for shipping.

I've been trying to keep my spending to a minimum lately, during my last term of college and all, so this fit nicely under the limit I've set for myself for the time being. 

This one brings the collection to 11, one ahead of the Gold Scripts. It's also the second Shark in the collection, to go along with the two Penguins. Hopefully I can find a Red Wing here soon though.

Thoughts: Personalization

My recent influx of TTM successes has got me thinking about personalized autographs. Not one of them has been personalized. That's not necessarily good or bad, just something I noticed.

I've always been neutral toward personalization. On one hand, it's nice to have a neat and clean autograph that doesn't take up much space, especially on a card. On the other hand, it's nice to know that the person signing actually took some time to personalize it.

I can only think of two reasons an autograph would be personalized: either the person signing is actually trying to show some appreciation towards the fan or they don't want that same fan to simply turn around and try to sell the autograph just to make a quick buck.

I know there are people out there who would try and make the quick buck, I'm not one of them as I actually appreciate it when someone takes the time to sign something I've sent them through the mail.

How do you feel about personalized autographs?

Pack Break: 2008-09 OPC

This was the sixth pack to come out of the 15-pack value box from Target. It's another pack of 2008-09 OPC. I'd say this value box was worth it so far, only having two packs from the 90's.

I'd say this pack was slightly better than the last one, as it had both a rookie and an insert. I'm liking this set more and more with each pack too, mainly because of the great player selection. 

I mean how many sets out there will have both Dan Cleary and Trevor Daley as part of the base set. Other than that I just like the overall look of the set and would love to bust some more packs of it.

Jimmy Howard: 2005-06 Trilogy RC

It's been a little while now since I began my Jimmy Howard collection, which has stood at one card ever since I got the Artifacts rookie. I now have two cards with my latest eBay purchase: a 2005-06 Trilogy RC numbered 910/999.

Just like the Artifacts RC, it looks great except for the mismatch in equipment colors, but what can you do when he's brand new to the team and still has old gear? Its pretty much in the same value range too, being numbered to 999 as compared to 750.

Hey, a Jimmy Howard card is a Jimmy Howard card, and that's all that matters to me, so I'm happy with it. As far as the collection, I've found a likable player to collect and its a plus he's not in the same price range as other rookies from that year (i.e. Ovechkin, Crosby).

Pack Break: 2006-07 MVP

This pack was the fifth to come out of the 15-pack value box from Target. I've bought a few packs in the past and thought the set wasn't all that bad, but I'll take it considering there could have been worse.

MVP is one of the few sets from Upper Deck I have liked consistently other than one or two of them here and there. This set design is one of the better ones incorporating the revised MVP logo. 

Overall the design is pretty nice. I like the shield looking space for the player image and the way its shaded to look like polished metal. The black and whatever team color in behind add a nice touch. 

I also like the use of the arched name box on the bottom of the card with the old Upper Deck logo centered between the player's number and position abbreviation. 

What I like most about MVP is the facsimile signatures. For this set they were included on the standard base cards unlike previous years where there was the base then "Silver Script." 

One thing I would have liked them to do was just leave the card blank if they did not have the player's signature. Instead, they put the player's name in silver cursive text (i.e. Bourdon). 

My Picks # 38: Marty Turco

This pick is one of the most unique cards in my collection. Its a Marty Turco Frozen in Time insert from 2005-06 Trilogy numbered 92/599. It came from a random pack and its the only one that I have.

The scan does this card no favors whatsoever, its so much nicer when you're holding it. You need to be able to feel it and flip it around to see how awesome it really is.

These cards are massive, they're nearly 1/8" thick made of solid clear plastic. Forget about squeezing one of these suckers into a nine-pocket page or even a top loader for that matter.

The 3D effect comes from printing on both sides of the card. The picture of Turco, the "Frozen in Time" text and its white background as well as the UD logo are printed on the front while the ice pattern, "Trilogy" text and black portions are on the back.

I think this would be an awesome set to build, the only hard part would be finding a good way to store them other than keeping them loose in plastic or cardboard boxes.

Cardboard Creations: 79-80 OPC Part III

This is the last of three pages for my latest custom recreation project: 79-80 OPC. I really like how this set turned out, much better than my previous attempts at recreations. 

I stuck with butterfly stances most of these, with Kipprusoff being the one exception. I threw it in there because it was something different and it shows off his mask better than other shots. 

Again, I really like the use of the team colors for the base color of the cards. It gives the set a little more variety than simply changing the text and the solid color behind it. 

There were a few exceptions like Anaheim, Minnesota, and Los Angeles where I used a secondary color because I didn't want black borders and green would look much better than red for the Wild.  

This is all I've got for now as far as custom recreations. I've got one set in the works, but this one will take some time. I'll post something as soon as I feel they're ready. 

TTM Success: Don Beaupre

It's been a while now since I've received any of my TTM attempts back in the mail after a few quick successes. This time I received two autographed cards from retired goaltender Don Beaupre.

Beaupre began his career with the North Stars in 1980 and went on to play for the Capitals, Senators and Maple Leafs until he retired in 1997. Did you know he was the first goaltender to post a shutout in Ottawa Senators history?

The first card I sent is from 1993 Score depicting Beaupre with the Washington Capitals and the second card is from 1995-95 Topps depicting him with the Ottawa Senators.

Sent: 6/17/10
Received: 7/10/10
Updated Goalie TTM Total: 10

Another nice looking autograph from a former goaltender. Its always nice to see an autograph where you can actually make out what the name is, or at least the first letters. Either way, you can't complain about a free autograph.

Redemption: 2008-09 Fleer Ultra

Well, I finally received the one rookie redemption I pulled from a box of 2008-09 Fleer Ultra back in May. It was one of the ones where you just enter the code on the UD site then wait and see what you get.

Colton Gillies? I waited just over two months to end up with a rookie I have never even heard of. Oh well, I guess you can't expect that much from Upper Deck. 

Pack Break: 2008-09 OPC

This pack is the fourth from the 15-pack value box I purchased at Target several weeks ago. I haven't bought any of this product in the past so I didn't know what to expect.

This is one of the larger sets out there which means there is a pretty decent player selection, its not just limited to a few superstars from every team, as evident with the Skille and Hilbert cards. 

I like everything about the design of the base cards except for the size of the O-Pee-Chee logo. I think it takes up way to much space on the front of the card. 

I really like the use of team colors in the background and the borders. It gives the set a little more variety, something OPC didn't have in recent years. I also like how the images overlap only the top border of the card and not the sides, its an interesting effect. 

The best thing about this set is the retro parallels. I can't think of a better set to use for them other than maybe the 84-85 set, but this works for me. I think it would be awesome to build the parallel set. 

My Picks # 37: Martin Brodeur

This pick is a little bit on the old side and comes from 1999-00 Black Diamond. Its a Martin Brodeur insert from the Diamonation insert set, you have to love the play on words with that one. 

I don't know what it is about this set, but I really like the overall design. The diamond pattern in the background is just awesome. Really cool looking font with the "Diamonation" too. 

The design is pretty simple with the obligatory UD logo in the upper right corner and the Black Diamond logo centered at the bottom. Its hard to see, but Marty's name is between the Black Diamond logo and "Diamonation" and it says "Devils - G" at the very bottom. 

I also like the use of the team colors, red in this case, for the primary background color. I only know this because I have a Mighty Ducks one with a teal background. 

Overall not a bad insert set coming from Black Diamond, it could have been much, much worse. Its one of those sets I wouldn't mind building if I had the time to do it.

Finally, Happy 4th of July to everyone. Let's all celebrate America's 234th birthday in style with some illegal fireworks (at least the good ones are around here), just don't burn the neighborhood down. 

Cardboard Creations: 79-80 OPC Part II

This is the second of three pages from my most recent custom recreation project: 1979-80 OPC. I'm really liking how this set has turned out, probably the best looking yet. 

As much as I wanted to stick with the original design, I think changing to team colors for the borders of the cards was a good idea. It gives the set a little bit of a different look to it. 

As you can see, most of the shots are of the butterfly position, the only significant exceptions being Nabokov and Mason. It was difficult to find a variety of shots that actually fit nicely within the borders.

Of these nine, my favorites would have to be the Biron and Brodeur. There is just something about these two cards that makes them stand out from the rest in my mind.