Dominik Hasek: Some SCF Generosity

In my last post I mentioned that I picked up the Van Allen Super Script via trade from SCF. Well, in addition to that card, I received several Senators base cards including one of Dominik Hasek. Gotta love getting cards that you weren't expecting, especially cards for one of your player collections. Here's a look at my newest Hasek from 2005-06 Upper Deck.

I still think it's strange to see Hasek in a Senators jersey as I tend to forget that he even spent any time there. Even though it was just one season, 2005-06, there are plenty of cards of his featuring the Ottawa Senators. I will say that his mask was pretty sweet that season with the huge Senators logo on either side on top of a bold red background. 

This card is another great example from Upper Deck of how to do a horizontal base card. The picture is perfectly centered on the card and the only part of Hasek cut off is his pads.

SCE Super Script Update

Time for another update on my favorite parallel set. I've been moving along at a pretty good pace as far as additions to this project go the last two months, keeping well in line with my collecting goals for 2013. This Super Script once again comes from a deal on SCF and was another great example of a trade that worked well for both parties. 

Here's a look at my new Shaun Van Allen Super Script numbered 11/25:

This will be the 48th Super Script I've added to the project now. It still amazes me that I've been able to put together nearly 50 of these things now is just a few short years of actively trying. It just goes to show you that if you look hard enough and are patient enough, good things will happen in this great hobby.

Sal over at Puck Junk definitely hit the nail on the head in his last post when he said I enjoy this quest for variations of this particular base set. I still get the most excitement out of finding cards for this project, specifically the Super Scripts, given how rare they are.

Red Wings: More Trade Pickups

In addition to the Jimmy Howard goalie pulls card I got from Michael over at Collecting for Kicks, there were 20 more cards for my Red Wings collection. When we agreed on the trade, I didn't know exactly what base cards I was getting, only that there were going to be 20 of them, so that added a nice element of surprise. I ended up with a great mix of cards, all of which except for one were new to my collection.

Here's a look at nine of them:

My favorites are the Ultimate Collection Zetterberg and the Crown Royale Yzerman. The Score Stuart is pretty neat too with a great shot of him playing the puck with only one glove. That's something you don't see every day on a card now is it? 

Thanks again Michael!

Gold Script Update

Time for another update on part of my MVP master set project. In addition to all the Super Scripts I've been accumulating lately, I managed to come across a great deal on another Gold Script on eBay. These have been few and far between lately, so this was a welcome addition to the collection, especially considering it was only $0.99 plus shipping.

Here's a look at my new Alexei Kovalev Gold Script numbered 035/100:

The best part about this pickup is that it gives me another complete rainbow (base/silver/gold/super), the sixth one I've been able to put together now. Click here to see it over at SCF along with the other five. This one also gives me 51 for my set, and actually puts my overall master set exactly at the 50% mark, so that's kind of cool.

Box Break: 2012-13 Upper Deck Series 1

When it comes to determining if I'm into a product or not, I've found the easiest thing to do is grab either a couple packs or a blaster box from one of the local retail outlets.While there isn't usually a chance at any of the autos or memorabilia cards, the retail packs are great for checking out base cards and other inserts.

Anyway, onto my latest break, a blaster box of 2012-13 Upper Deck Series 1 from the local Meijer. For $19.99 I got 12 packs, which works out to $1.67 per pack, so not all that bad. First, here's a look at the box featuring Jonathan Toews of the Blackhawks. While I don't care for him at all, at least it's not Crosby again.

Base:

Unlike the last blaster I opened (2012-13 Artifacts), I was expecting to get more than just base cards among the 60 that should have been included in the 12 packs. This set is known for its superb photography and this years set does not disappoint. Here are nine of my favorite horizontal cards from the base set. There are plenty of nice vertical photos, but these are just nicer for whatever reason. 

Canvas Parallel:
Now for the non-base stuff. First, I ended up with one of the Canvas parallels featuring Jeff Skinner of the Carolina Hurricanes. These were a great idea on Upper Deck's part, especially considering they went as far as using a totally different awesome picture (usually) than on the regular base card.

MVP:
Then there were the MVP cards, which are actually pretty sweet looking if you take away the giant "MVP" plastered across the bottom of the card. I really miss the old MVP set logos from 1999 through 2003. Anyway, I got two of these: Holtby and Eberle.

Hockey Heroes:
I also managed to get one Hockey Heroes featuring Marvel Dionne. These are ok, I just wish the pictures would've been in color, as that would make for a nice card.

Young Guns:
And last but not least we have the Young Guns. The stated odds on the box are 1:6 packs, which meant I could expect two from the box. I did in fact get two, the one below featuring Matt Donovan of the Islanders and another of Colby Robak from the Panthers.

All in all this was a decent blaster. I got two Young Guns, a couple of inserts and parallels, and a bunch of cool looking base cards. I only plan on keeping the lone Red Wing from the break, so the rest of these are available if anyone is interested.

SCE Super Script Update

Back in December I put together a post summarizing the additions I made to my main collection projects in 2012. In there I mentioned I was able to get 18 new Super Scripts for my MVP SC Edition master set project. That works out to 1.5 per month, which isn't all that bad considering how rare these things are. My goal for 2013 was to at least keep that going and try to improve upon it if possible. 

I'm definitely on the right track after another deal I made on SCF recently. I got a message from another member asking if I was interested in three Super Scripts they had available. I made an offer and they accepted, then about a week later I came home to these in the mailbox yesterday. These three put me at 7 for just January and February.

The first is this Andrei Nazarov numbered 07/25:

The second was this Francis Bouillon numbered 20/25:

The third was this Alyn McCauley numbered 06/25:

I can't remember the last time I was able to land three of these at once, I'm not sure I ever have. While none of these are big name players, they are still just as important to me as I'm now three cards closer to completing the 220 card set. That being said, I'm perfectly comfortable with the fact that I paid $10 a piece for these. I've had some go as high as $30 and others end at $0.99, so this was a no brainer. 

I now have 47 of these things and I'm definitely not getting sick of them. I'm more excited to see one of these for sale or trade than any other cards for any of my other projects, which tells me I'm doing the right thing in continuing to go after this set.

Jimmy Howard: Certified Goalie Pulls

Thanks to a trade with Michael over at Collecting for Kicks, I can finally get to another post for my Jimmy Howard collection. It's been over a month now since I've been able to add anything to it after a couple of quarter box pickups. Anyway, a while back I saw that he pulled it from a few packs of 2012-13 Panini Certified. I inquired about it and now a few weeks later I'm glad to have it as part of my collection. 

Here's a look at the front of the card:

I love the front of these cards for some reason. I really like the red border on the top and left side as well as the font used for the "Goalie Pulls" text. I also like how the background of the card is free of any background action, ads on the board, or fans behind the glass.

The obvious difference between this and other insert cards is the fact that it's made up of two pieces. While I still don't understand the appeal, you can literally pull the acetate inner portion of the card out to the right side. Anyone a fan of this set?

My Picks #92: Martin Brodeur

Today is hockey day in America, but the only game that really matters to me is the one between the Red Wings and Wild. As I'm writing this post, the Wings are up 1-0 after the first period on a goal by newcomer Damien Brunner. He's been fun to watch, and its about time one of these European sensations actually came over here and did something productive. Anyway, enough about that and onto today's card. 

I picked this one up sometime last year at one of the Gibraltar shows along with a handful of other dime box cards. It comes from 2011-12 Pinnacle, a set that features a lot of interesting pictures, some good and some not so good. This one just happened to stand out among the others. Here's a look at it:

Anything seem out of place there? It actually took me a second to see that Brodeur's mask was about three feet in the air above him. Pretty cool thing to have in a picture on a card, right? I've seen a few cards were goalies are maskless during the play, but nothing like this.

Thoughts: Competition

Once in a while I will get on the computer and attempt a thorough search of the internet for singles for my MVP Stanley Cup Edition Super Script set. Occasionally this involves doing a general search through Photobucket, which surprisingly actually brings up quite a few of them. The only problem with doing this is that most of these cards are just part of someone's PC album. There is however a slight chance one may be in a traders folder, so I really have nothing to lose by doing a search. 

Anyway, one of the albums I found today led me to a fellow SCF member that appears to also be going after the same Super Script set. They have a few less than me according to their inventory, but most of them are different than the ones I have. This probably explains some of the bidding wars I get into over these cards on eBay now. 

What do you think here, is it a good thing to have a little competition for a set like this? I know from dealing with my Howard collection that competition for a single player is a given and you have to choose your battles. In this case, I'm after one specific thing and now I have at least one other person getting in my way of completing the set. 

Have any of you run into a situation like this? I'm not really sure if I should try to reach out and work together given the scarcity of this set, or if I should keep to myself and just keep doing what I've been doing. I mean I do have almost 50 of these things now, so I have to be doing something right.

Duplicity #3: Tony Amonte

Duplicity - The quality or state of being double or twofold. 

For whatever reason I have just not had the motivation to sit down and put a post together this week, until now. I'm sitting here listening to the Wings-Ducks game and staring at a stack of cards sitting on my desk. That's all it takes for me to get back into the swing of things with another post for my new Duplicity series.

Today's example features former Phoenix Coyotes right winger Tony Amonte. The card on the left comes from 02-03 Upper Deck and the one on the right comes from 02-03 MVP. Both feature what appears to be a picture from a photo shoot at America West Arena.

At least it looks like a photo shoot to me. What do you think? Something just seems off about the lighting and Amonte looks way too, I don't know, relaxed as he glides up the ice with the puck. As far as indicators that the picture is identical, the most obvious is probably the shadows on the back of his jersey. There is also the location of his gloves and stick relative to the "America" text on the boards in the background.

If these pictures are in fact from a photo shoot, at least it's better than just showing him pictured with his former team. I can see how this would make sense if these were early season releases for 2002-03 as Amonte signed as a free agent with Phoenix in July of 2002.

Duplicity #2: Dominik Hasek

Duplicity - The quality or state of being double or twofold.

Man, what a great weekend it was for the Wings beating the Oilers and the Kings in less than a 24 hour span. Between watching these two games and being tied up with a few other things, I didn't have much time to get any other posts put together, so I'll go with the only other one I had in the queue, another installment of my new Duplicity project.

This example features former Red Wings goaltender Dominik Hasek on two cards from 2001-02. The card on the left comes from that year's Upper Deck set and the one on the right comes from MVP. Both feature the same shot of Hasek at his press conference after being traded to the Wings back in the summer of 2001.

As far as the similarities that ensure this one is the same picture, the way the shadows of the microphone fall on the jersey is probably the best indicator. The only difference between the two seems to be the coloring of the skin, which is probably just the result of an auto-correct operation or something similar on the MVP picture.

I can see how this makes a bit more sense than the Ouellet from my first post, seeing that both are early season products from the same season. On the other hand, I still don't understand how a company like Upper Deck does not have access to enough useable pictures for their cards. I'm sure they do, and this one either slipped through the cracks or is just an example of pure laziness when it comes to photo selection.

Duplicity #1: Maxime Ouellet

Duplicity - The quality or state of being double or twofold.

Time for another new series of posts here on Card Boarded, which will be known simply as Duplicity. Over the years I've occasionally noticed several cards of a given player that use the exact same picture on the front, some more noticeable than others. I've actually already done two Thoughts posts on this subject for Pekka Rinne and Jimmy Howard.

The first example I have is a pair of cards featuring former Washington Capitals goaltender Maxime Ouellet. The card on the left comes from 2003-04 ITG Action and the one on the right comes from 2002-03 Between The Pipes.

In this case its pretty easy to see that the picture is the exact same, other than the fact that Ouellet has been cropped from the background for the BTP card. You can also tell by the shadows created by his mask and cage on his face.

I find it interesting that two separate products from the same manufacturer use the exact same picture. What's worse is the fact that the one on the left it a year newer than the one on the right. What do you guys think? Any other examples of this that you know of?

Captured on Cardboard #13: Rich Peverley

It's been a little while now since I've done one of these, so here goes nothing. This one comes from a stack of 2011-12 Pinnacle cards I picked up at one of the Gibraltar shows last year. This one is very similar to the one I posted for Patrice Bergeron back in August. Sorry Canucks fans, but I had to post this one. 

Gotta love pictures of goal celebrations, especially for those scored in the playoffs. This card depicts Rich Peverley's first period goal from Game 4 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals. It was the first goal of the game and the beginning of a 4-0 Bruins win.

The first look at the moment captured on the card comes around the 0:12 mark. Then there are a couple more looks at it during the replays following the goal. Just another great moment captured on cardboard.

Red Wings PC: A Little Organization

If you haven't already noticed, one of the sections of my PC project tracker has read "TBD" for the totals for the longest time. That one would be my Detroit Red Wings collection. I've been meaning to go through that portion of my collection to get a running total, but have just never actually sat down to do it. Since I'm not watching the Super Bowl tonight, I thought I would get the process started by going through all the base cards.

Up until today, my Wings collection has been split between one binder, a section of a monster box in my closet, and another row of a monster box in my desk drawer. I've decided to organize it into the following categories: base/rookies, inserts/parallels, autos/memorabilia, and miscellaneous. Beyond that I plan on putting all of the base and rookies into their own binder in chronological order. Then I would have another binder for inserts and parallels along with the miscellaneous stuff. Finally, I just plan on keeping my autos and memorabilia stuff in top loaders. 

As of writing this post, I've gotten all of my base and rookies accounted for from 1979-80 through 1997-98. In doing this I have also accumulated a great deal of extras, which is what's filling up the 800 ct box in the picture. Anyone want 300 dupes from 91-92 Score?

What do you guys out there with team collections do about organizing them? Binders seem to be the easiest way to store base cards while still being able to easily look at them all, but I'm interested to see what other things people do with their teams.

SCE Super Script Update

What better way to start off a new month than with another update for one of my favorite sets, plus it's Friday so that makes it even better. As the title suggests, I've got myself another Super Script parallel to add to my MVP Stanley Cup Edition master set project.

This will be the fourth one I've gotten so far this year. I would've had five if I hadn't been an idiot and missed the end of an auction for another one the other day. It's my own fault for not putting in a higher maximum bid up front, but I'm still annoyed with my eBay mobile app for not reminding me about the end of the auction. Oh, well can't win them all, right? 

Anyway, here's my new Norm Maracle Super Script numbered 01/25:

This one is neat because its of a former Red Wings goalie I remember watching on television as a kid. Maracle spent two seasons as a backup for the Wings from 1997-99 racking up 8 wins, a 2.22 GAA, and a 0.916 SV% in 20 games played. The best part is I think he's pictured playing his former team on this card based on the red and white striped pants in the background. Pretty sure based on these pics from Icethetics.

Surprisingly this is only the 4th goalie card I've been able to get for this set along with Hasek, Burke, and Boucher. It's also the third Thrasher for the set. Hopefully one of these days I can at least knock of an entire team set. That would be pretty neat.