Card Show Haul: Gibraltar Trade Center 6/28/14

This past weekend marked the first time in well over a year that I was able to make it out to a card show. It was the the same place I go to most of the time, the Gibraltar Trade Center in Mt. Clemens, MI. There is a monthly show there that usually has a good amount of hockey to choose from, although it was noticeably smaller this time. Maybe its because the hockey season is over and its summer time now. 

Despite the fact it was smaller, I managed to find some good boxes of singles to search through and spent a couple of hours doing that. One thing I love about that is getting to see all kinds of different cards from different years. It really the trip that much more worth it. 

Here's a breakdown of how I spent my $26 at the show: 

Parking/Admission = $2.00
(x50) $0.20 Box Pickups = $10.00
(x4) $1.00 Box Pickups = $4.00
(x4) Jimmy Howard Cards = $10.00

While this is not the most exciting lot of cards to most people, they all have a place in my collection, and that's what matters. I was able to find some cool stuff for several of my projects and also managed to come up with a nice variety. Now I just have to work on scanning and showing them off, so stay tuned for some updates.

Card Show This Weekend

Without going back through my older posts on here, I honestly can't remember the last time I made it out to an actual card show. I checked and its been since early 2013 now, so over a year. I guess I've just been preoccupied with other things like work, family and my other new hobby of model railroading. I've actually gone to three train shows since then, so its time to get back at this card show thing again.

For whatever reason lately I've been into just looking at various cards in my collection when I'm in my man cave and not working on my model railroad projects. That got me thinking that it would be nice to get out and raid some dime and quarter boxes to see what I can add to my various collecting projects (Captured on Cardboard, Goaltending Gallimaufry, etc). 

As of right now, I am planning on going to the show I've been hitting up for years, the Gibraltar Trade Center. They have monthly shows and the turnout is usually pretty good and I always manage to find something I either need or want. 

I plan on taking $20 with me, so no big ticket items this time. I will focus on the dime and quarter boxes and see just how far the $20 can take me. I've found over the last few years that I get the most enjoyment out of buying cheaper singles like this. There is just so much out there and most people couldn't care less about the base cards anymore, so they are always on the cheap side. 

Goaltending Gallimaufry: Back In Action

Gallimaufry [gal-uh-maw-free] - A hodgepodge; jumble; confused medley.

Wow, it's been over a year since I did a post for this project. Time really does fly by doesn't it? I've actually got a small stack of cards for this set aside, I just never really got around to scanning them. Now that I have a bit more free time for my cards and this blog, I figured why not get a couple more scanned and posted?

The first one for today is from 2001-02 Topps and features former Kings goaltender Felix Potvin. He is shown wearing the Kings purple jersey with equipment from his time with the Vancouver Canucks (back when their colors were blue, silver and red). The key here though is the mask. You can definitely see the red from the Canucks colors, which obviously clashes with the purple, silver, and black of the Kings colors. 

Up next we have one from 2010-11 Upper Deck Victory. It features current Montreal and former Tampa Bay goaltender Dustin Tokarski. He is shown wearing Tampa's road white jersey with a mask from his time with the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL. The large "S" on the side and the red colors are the obvious mismatch. Not sure if any of his other gear was mismatched because you can't see any of it on this card. 

That's two more cards for the project bringing the total to 163. I'm getting close and closer to the 200 mark and hopefully I'll be able to get there this year. This is one of the projects that has me really wanting to go out to a card show just so I can raid the dime and quarter boxes. Those are great places for these cards.

Goaltending Gallimaufry Count: 163

Jimmy Howard: Certified Masked Marvels

I seem to be in parallel mode with my Howard collection lately. The last five cards I picked up were all parallels numbered to 100 or less. Today's card will make it six in a row. For whatever reason, I really enjoy collecting parallels, a lot more than autos or memorabilia with all the stickers and event worn cards out there today. Some may think parallels are meaningless, but to me they are important and add a good amount of variety. 

This one comes from 2012-13 Panini Certified and is part of the Masked Marvels insert set. Specifically, it is a Hot Box parallel numbered 09/75, which can easily be seen right on the front. The rest of the text can't be seen so easily with the way this thing scans. It's got white print on top of a rainbow foil finish that looks great when you're actually holding it.

What I like about this one is the simplicity. There are some text elements noting the year, set and insert set name that don't take over the front of the card. Then you have the small serial number that is clearly visible. Beyond that, the best part is probably the picture and the way it stands out from the background.