Silver Script Update

If the time between Gold Script posts was long, then the last post for this one seems like an eternity ago. Now that I look back I realized I never even got any of these during 2013. The last time I added any Silver Scripts to my set was back in September of 2012. 

Along with the Elias Gold Script I posted yesterday, there were four Silver Scripts included that will help make a nice dent in the want list for this part of the set. The first one is card #31 in the set and features Cory Stillman of the Calgary Flames. 

Up next is card #160 in the set featuring Pavol Demitra of the St. Louis Blues.

Then there was card #180 featuring Alexander Karpotsev of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Last but not least is card #184 in the set featuring Adrian Aucoin of the Vancouver Canucks.

These four bring the Silver Script total to 135 out of a possible 220. That's 61.3% for anyone that doesn't feel like getting the calculator out.

Like I said in my last post, there is nothing better than getting something you need for your collection from someone just looking to help without necessarily requiring something in return. So if the person responsible for sending these my way is reading this post, thanks again, I really appreciate the help with this set. 

This is the kind of thing that make me glad to be back and more active in this hobby. I don't think there is a better group of collectors out there than those of us in the hockey world, but that's just my opinion because hockey is the only sport I deal with. 

Gold Script Update

It's been a while since I've had any kind of update on this set. The last time I got one of these was all the way back in March of 2013. For whatever reason, I seem to find more of the Super Scripts than these. Maybe it's because I tend to wait for a better deal on these since they are four times more common than the Supers. 

Anyway, this one came for the best price possible, free. It is from a fellow SCF member who was working on the same set and saw I could use it for my set. It features Patrik Elias of the New Jersey Devils, is card #108 in the set and is serial numbered 053/100. 

This brings my Gold Script total to 61 out of 220. I'd like to add a few more of these this year so I will definitely be on the lookout for them on eBay and anywhere else I can think of. I did manage 12 of them last year somehow, so I'll have to see if I can top that for 2014.

Gold Script Total: 061/220

Jimmy Howard: 2005-06 Black Diamond RC

This is one of the Howard cards that had been on the radar since I started collecting him back in 2010. I've seen it available plenty of times since then, but never for a price that I was comfortable paying. That was until a few weeks ago when I came across this one.

I placed an opening bid of $0.99 like usual and just waited to see what happened. I figured there was an outside chance at it for that price, but that it would likely go higher. Surprisingly it ended at that initial bid and I came away with a great RC for $2.31 delivered. Not bad considering this card is listed here on COMC for no less than $12 before shipping. 

Like most Black Diamond cards, this one doesn't scan well. It looks so much better in person. Another cool thing about this one is that it would fit right in with my Goaltending Gallimaufry project. Now that is something I want to get back to work on this year. 

Jimmy Howard: 2013-14 Dominion Base

It's been what seems like forever since I picked up anything for my Jimmy Howard collection. Actually, the last time I did get something was way back in April of 2013. Talk about a long gap between cards. Anyway, I'm happy to this project off to a good start in 2014 with one of the better base cards you can get. 

This one is from Panini's 2013-14 Dominion. It is card number 35 in the set and is serial numbered 069/299. It's printed on a super thick card stock and just has a "high-end" feel to it. The design is simple yet complex with all the intricate details on the silver foil. 

This is another auction win that falls into the $0.99 experiment. I wasn't sure if this one would stay at the initial bid, but it did and I'm glad to say I have this one as part of my collection now. Now I just need to work on getting some of the other Dominion base and all The Cup base cards Howard has. 

Super Script Update

If there's one thing I love about being back in the card game, it's that feeling you get when you find one of those elusive cards you been searching for. In this case for my Super Script set there are over 200 of them, but each one is just as satisfying as the one before it. 

This one is also from eBay and features former Predators right wing Patric Kjellberg. It is card #103 in the set and is serial numbered 13/25. This will be the third one for Nashville in my set along with Greg Johnson and Drake Berehowsky. 

This one brings me to 53 for the set. I'm getting closer and closer to being a quarter of the way done with this set. Right now I'm sitting at 24% completion for the Super Scripts. If we look at all three Script parallels together, I'm sitting at 37% completion right now. 

The $0.99 Experiment

This post is about something I've been trying to do with my eBay bidding lately. It's pretty simple, I just place a starting bid for $0.99 on any card that would be a decent addition to my collection. The idea is to see how many cards I can end up winning for just that initial bid.

Now that I've decided to more actively look for cards on eBay again, it's been pretty easy to find stuff that I like with a $0.99 starting bid. I've even had a couple of auctions end that way so far this year. I may even try to keep track of which ones work and which don't.

Obviously if there is someting I just have to have (i.e. Super Script, Jimmy Howard, etc.) I will probably go beyond just the one bid as anyone normally would. It's just that much more satisfying when I end up winning an auction for such a great price. 

The only real downside to this whole thing is that most of the time $0.99 never actually means $0.99 after you account for the shipping costs. Not sure how I feel about paying more for shipping than the item itself, but I guess that's just the way it is with things like cards.

Anyone else do this as a "strategy" on eBay?

Super Script Update

Happy new year everyone! I can't believe another year has come and gone already. Anyway, I'm keeping it simple this time and skipping the whole year end review and goals for next year stuff. That being said, I am just going to kick off the new year with a simple addition to one of my main set projects. 

This one also comes from eBay and features Brendan Shanahan of the Detroit Red Wings. It is card #67 in the set and is serial numbered 11/25. The cool part about this one is that it came all the way from Kanagawa, Japan. That's over 6,000 miles away. Pretty weird place for one of these to end up, but I'll take it.

This one brings my Super Script total to 52. Also, I can finally say I have a Red Wing for this set, something I've been wanting to do since I started it. While it set me back a little more than I thought it would, it is still a welcome addition to my collection. 

Jimmy Howard: 2014 Winter Classic Mask

In my last post I showed a few pictures of Howard's new Christmas mask. Well, that's not the only new mask he has this season. In addition to that, his primary mask and special breast cancer mask, he has a fourth to add to the list for this season. That of course is the mask for the upcoming 2014 NHL Winter Classic in Ann Arbor. 

This one is once again painted by Ray Bishop of Bishop Designs and looks awesome. It makes great use of the new Red Wings logo on the Winter Classic uniforms. It also uses the vintage white which goes great with this shade of red. 

It's even got some similarities to his other masks with the old school "D" on the chin and the stripes running up the center and along the sides. I love the addition of the spotlight reflections all over the mask. 

Hopefully Howard is back and ready to play in this game. If not it would be a shame to see this mask go to waste. It'll look great with the retro themed pads that he has in the works. Click here to see a picture of those. 

Jimmy Howard: 2013 Christmas Mask

Since I am still going to focus on collecting Jimmy Howard, I thought I would continue posting any new masks of his here on the blog. In this case Howard and Ray Bishop of Bishop Designs have come up with something pretty neat for the holiday season. Here is a look at the pictures posted on Bishop Designs Facebook page:

Not something you see everyday is it? I love the idea of doing a Christmas themed mask like this, especially with a team like the Red Wings that has red as a primary color. I like how the old fashioned "D" is showing through on the chin an how the Wings logo was worked in on the bottom of either side. What do you guys think of it? 

According to this article from The Windsor Star, Howard was supposed to wear this mask earlier in the season and auction it off for charity. That hasn't happened yet because of his recent knee injury, but he may be able to get it some game action here soon. 

Super Script Update

Man it's been a while since I got myself one of these for my collection. In fact, the last time I did land one was all the way back in April of this year. That was about when I started to get bored with collecting, so one of the last sets I bought things for is the first set I've jumped back into this time around.

This one comes courtesy of eBay and features Byron Ritchie of the Carolina Hurricanes. It's card #41 in the set and is serial numbered 18/25. Here's a look at it:

This brings me to 51 for the Super Scripts. 51 out of 220 may not sound like much, but it's still far more than I ever imagined myself getting to with this set. I guess with a little patience and a lot of time, you can pretty much go after any set out there. As long they're not all 1 of 1's though, right?

Refocusing My Collection

I've had a few months away from the hobby now and honestly it's been awesome. I found myself a new hobby (model railroading) this summer and really just lost interest in collecting cards for a while. Not sure why, I was totally into it from late 2009 through April of this year.

I even contemplated giving up completely and selling off my collection to help pay for my new expensive hobby. I came close but decided to hold onto everything and just wait until I felt the need to collect again. For whatever reason I think that time is now. The new hockey season is in full swing and I've been trying to follow the Red Wings as closely as possible, which has refueled my interest in hockey in general.

Now that I've had a chance to take a step back and look at my collection as a whole, I think there is some cutting back that can be done. I think having three separate player collections is too much for me. I think having so many set projects going at the same time is too much for me. All that being said, here's what I plan on reducing my primary collecting goals to:

1) Jimmy Howard
This has been the main focus of my collection for the last few years and I plan to keep it that way. Howard is still my favorite player and even though he's having an off-year, I still want to keep adding to the collection. He has some really neat cards out there right now and I've got almost a year's worth to catch up on at this point.

2) MVP Stanley Cup Edition Parallels
This set is one of the reasons I started the blog and it remains a top priority, although with a slight change in direction. Rather than trying to go for the master set, I'd like to focus on only the Silver, Gold, and Super Scripts for now. I'll hold onto the other inserts and what not, I just won't continue to pursue the rest of them. This makes completion feel a lot more attainable and the parallels are the only reason I started going after this set, it just got out of hand when I thought to do the entire master set.

3) Detroit Red Wings
I've been collecting Wings cards since the day I got into hockey cards. I like the variety that you get when collecting a team, especially one of the Original Six. I don't plan on going after any big ticket items, but I will continue to be on the lookout for cool base and inserts to add to this ever expanding part of my collection.

4) Metal Universe
Here's another one that I plan to stick with, only with more changes. I'm going to forget going after the inserts and focus solely on the base sets. I say sets because I'm adding the 12-13 set from UD Fleer Retro. I love the look of both sets and they would look great next to one another once completed. I'm just three cards away from having the original 96-97 set done and there are 60 cards for me to go after with the new set.

5) Side Projects
I'm going to lump together my Goaltending Gallimaufry, Captured on Cardboard and Masks into this category. I'm no longer going to keep track of which Mask cards I need on the sidebar, I'll just keep a count of what I have and add them as I come across great deals. The other two projects are probably the most fun I have collecting since they give new life to base cards, so I really want to continue to pursue both of them.

So that's the plan for now. I am not planning on coming back into the whole collecting thing at the level I was at before. Now that I have another time-consuming and relatively expensive hobby competing with this, I will be a lot more selective on which cards I buy and when. That being said, I do not plan on getting back into a post per day pace or anything, I'll just try to be more active than I have been for the last 8 months or so. 

Jimmy Howard: New Mask for 2013-14

I'm still here, alive and well, just haven't been very active in the whole card collecting thing for a few months now. So even though I'm still on a break from collecting, it doesn't mean I'm not excited for the 2013-14 season and all the new goalie mask art that comes with it. Jimmy Howard is still my favorite player and I was definitely looking forward to seeing what he would be wearing this season. Here's a look at his new lid.

Just like last year, this mask was done by Ray Bishop of Bishop Designs. It features the Spirit of Detroit holding up the Detroit skyline on either side of the mask. On the chin it's got the old school "D" inside a shield with red wings coming out of either side.

Bonus: Here is a look at Jimmy's other mask for breast cancer awareness. Click here to read the full story over at In Goal Magazine. It's a pretty cool looking mask if you ask me. I just really hope Panini or UD thinks to get pictures of it on some of his cards. They would go perfectly with my Goaltending Gallimaufry project. 

Anyway, I haven't completely given up on cards. I'm still searching eBay once in a while for any new Howard stuff, but none of it really makes me want them that badly. I may rethink some of my collecting priorities in the near future to better streamline my collecting goals. In the mean time, I'm kind of busy with other things, so who knows when that will be. 

Taking a Break

It's been over a month now since I've posted anything on here and that is the longest I've ever gone between posts. For whatever reason, I made a point of keeping up a post-per-day pace back in April and I just felt burned out after that. Since that time I've somehow completely lost interest in this blog and collecting hockey cards. 

Part of that was getting wrapped up in the Red Wings surprise playoff success against the Duck and near success against the Blackhawks. The rest just comes down to the fact that collecting has fallen on my list of priorities. I've got a lot going on at home and work, leaving little time for the hobby I love. Then I spent last week in Costa Rica away from everything and that felt great, so why not continue on with one less thing to worry about?

The view from our room in Cost Rica

All that being said, I contemplated giving up on the hobby entirely, but then thought about it for a second and decided that I would just take an extended break from blogging and collecting. I still pop on here once in a while to see what's going on with other blogs as I will continue to read them, but that's about it until I get motivated to collect again.

Until then, thank you to everyone that has stopped by over the last few years. I am glad to have been a part of the hockey card blogosphere and am definitely looking forward to a time when I can get back at it. By the way, one last thing: Go Bruins!

Pack Break: 2010-11 Upper Deck Series 1

Here is the last of the regular packs from my Meijer mystery cube. I've busted plenty of packs of 2010-11 Upper Deck Series 1 before, but you can never go wrong with a pack that can potentially yield a Young Gun rookie card.

Here are the listed odds for this pack: Young Guns (1:4), 20th Anniversary (1:4), 20th Anniversary YG (1:48), Brodeur Missing Link (1:5000), Hockey Heroes (1:12), All-World Team (1:12), All-World Team SP (1:120), UD Game Jerseys (1:24), EA Super Stars (1:8).

Here's another look at the wrapper:

And here's a look at the eight cards inside:

Well, no Young Guns this time, but I did at least get the Hockey Heroes header card that can help me complete the Steve Yzerman version of the set for my Red Wings Collection. I even pulled the portrait card a while back, so I should be pretty close to having all of them now. 

There was nothing special among the other seven cards. In fact, I think I already have copies of most of them so these are all going right into my traders box.

Thoughts: Consistency

Not sure if anyone even noticed, but I went the entire month of April averaging at least a post a day. I did this on purpose to see if I could stick to my goal of maintaining a post per day pace for at least one month. While I managed to achieve that goal, it was not the easiest thing to do given how little time I have for this hobby sometimes. 

Now that April has come and gone, I've gone almost a week without posting now and I have to say its actually kind of nice. It's good to get a break once in a while, isn't it? There's no scrambling to throw something together just to meet an arbitrary goal. 

Part of the reason for the lack of posts has been watching playoff hockey at night. he other part of it is that I ended up traveling this past weekend to see family instead of heading up to the spring expo like I had hoped. It actually ended up being a pretty nice weekend away and has got me refreshed and ready to get back into the hobby the best I can this month. 

Our vacation spot of choice: Michigan's Upper Peninsula

I don't know if I will be able to keep that one post per day pace going, but I will definitely try. Blogging about hockey cards and my collection is actually one of the more relaxing things I get to do, so why shouldn't I try to do as much as I can?