Jimmy Howard: Card Show Pickups

I was hoping to get to this by now, but I've just been way too busy at home to find any time until now. Anyway, in my last post I mentioned that I was able to get four new Howard's at the Gibraltar show last weekend. I think I got a pretty good deal on them at just $10 for the lot. Not bad considering I didn't have to pay almost $3 each to have them shipped to me. That puts them at $2.50 a piece, a sweet deal considering this show was in metro Detroit. 

The first one and my favorite of the bunch comes from 2013-14 Totally Certified from Panini. I recently bought a mirror gold parallel from this set and knew I needed a few more colors to get started on the entire rainbow. This one is technically a mirror platinum red according to Beckett. It is serial numbered 12/25 on the back of the card. 

Up next is another parallel Panini, this time a blue from 2013-14 Prizm. I'm assuming this is just the regular blue and not the blue Pulsar parallel, so correct me if I am wrong on that. It is not serial numbered and has a rainbow tint to it when you hold it up to the light. Another nice looking parallel for my collection. Definitely like the contrast between blue and red. 

Now it's time to switch over to Upper Deck. This one comes from the Shining Stars insert set from 2013-14 Upper Deck series one. Apparently this one is the parallel rainbow version that falls 1:144 fat packs according to Cardboard Connection. If that's the case, then I definitely got a great deal. I thought I was just buying a plain old insert card, not a rare parallel version of one. A quick look on eBay and I've save more than $10 on this one. 

Last but not least we have another cool insert from Panini. This one is a Freezers card from 2013-14 Select. It's printed on a really thick foil board and is definitely shiny. It's got a simple design and has a nice closeup of Jimmy's mask from last season. Gotta love the burst effect coming out of the background too. 

After finding a deal like this, I definitely want to get out and hit up some more card shows this summer. I may not always be able to come away with stuff like this, but you never know unless you check it out, right? Now that I have these four scanned and posted, I can get onto the rest of the huge stack of cards I brought home from the show. Stay tuned for more updates in the coming days. 

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. 

Outside the Box: Model Railroading

As I did once before for my collection of Dry Cell memorabilia, I'm borrowing the "outside the box" idea from My Hockey Card Obsession. This time its all about my new favorite hobby: model railroading, something a bit more hands-on than card collecting.

It was sometime last summer that I decided for whatever reason that I really liked trains again and wanted to start modeling again. I had been really into it when I was younger and even built a large 4' x 8' HO scale layout with my dad in our basement. I remember it being a ton of fun just getting to build basically whatever you want and being able to watch your creation come to life with when the trains started running.

Fast forward to late last year and I already had my first layout completed. It's just a simple display piece (no running trains) to put on one of our bedroom walls. It also served as a practice layout to help me learn some of the ways to do things that were not around back in the early 90's. Here's a look at the finished layout on the wall.

Just like in card collecting, I've got several different projects going on at the same time. For example, I am working on learning how to repaint some locomotives and rolling stock with my new airbrush. That is something I've never done, but am having a great time learning about. In addition to that I'm working on designing my own freelance fictional railroad with custom paint schemes and everything. I've actually started using Inkscape (the software I used to design my custom card designs) to do this. Beyond that I am working on a second shelf type display layout to practice a few more things.

While hockey and cards will likely remain my main hobby, I've gone through stretches lately where I feel that model railroading is so much more enjoyable just because of its hands-on nature. There is something really satisfying about coming up with a design and actually building it. There are so many things you can customize about a model railroad. Everything from the time period you're modeling to the type of scenery you use to the types of locomotives and rolling stock you have running around the layout.

I've been at this modelling thing for about 9 months now and have really enjoyed what I've been doing so far. So much so that I even started another entire blog dedicated to it, called Michigan Model Railroader. Click here to check it out if you are interested. I also have it linked at the bottom of the sidebar on the Card Boarded main page. Below is a look at one of my recent posts and the main page of the blog.

For now I plan on maintaining both hobbies as time permits. Some days I get really into looking for new cards and others I just don't really have the motivation to even look at them. Trains are the same way, some days I get so into a modeling project I lose track of time. Then there are days when I get frustrated with it and decide to take a break.

My Picks #94: Mike Richter

Showing off the Patrick Roy Power Deck card got me wanting to do a few more of these since I already had all of the cards scanned and saved into my computer. This one is just another plain old base card, but sometimes that what these posts are all about. This one is from 1995-96 Topps Stadium Club and features former Rangers goaltender Mike Richter. 

It's not the first base card I've shown off from this set either. There was one featuring Arturs Irbe  (click here) and one featuring Bill Ranford (click here). All three are great examples of excellent base set photography. 

As far as the specific photo on this card of Richter, I'm not sure if we are looking at a save or an attempted save that led to a goal for the other team. I'm going to guess that we are looking at a save, but who knows? Either way, it's another great looking base card I'm glad to have in my collection. 

My Picks #93: Patrick Roy

Lately I've been going back and reading through some of my older posts here on the blog. In doing that I noticed that I haven't done one of these posts since February of 2013. That's way too long between posts for such a simple thing to write about. The only real criteria for this series is that it's actually a hockey card and there's something I can write about it. 

That being said, I thought I would jump back into things with something a bit unique, at least at the time it came out. I've had this card for almost 15 years now and saw that I had already scanned it at some point for one of these posts so I figured, why not? Here is a Patrick Roy from 1999-00 Upper Deck Power Deck. 

While it's not a card in the traditional sense, it came in a pack of cards and is part of a set, so I think it qualifies just fine for use here. In case you didn't know, these are actually mini CD's that when loaded into a computer will have some video highlights and interactive stats for the player pictured on the front. I don't know where this thing is at the moment, or I would pop it in and get some screenshots. 

Jimmy Howard: 2013-14 Select Emerald Prizm

Here's another one to add to my list of $0.99 experiment results. I didn't think this one would end at only that much, but eBay proved me wrong once again and I now have another awesome parallel for my Jimmy Howard collection. 

This one is the emerald version of the red Prizm parallel I posted a little while back. It is numbered 10/25, although that is on the back so you won't see it in the scan. What you will see however is an amazing looking card. I love the way the red of the Wings uniform pops out of the green. It's much better than having red on red like the other one I posted. 

So this gives me two cards of a possible six for the complete rainbow. I still need the base version, the regular Prizm parallel, the gold Prizm numbered to 10 and the 1/1 black Prizm. I'll probably never see the black, so I will just focus on the others and go for a nice looking partial rainbow. Besides, does anyone really count 1/1's a absolutely 100% necessary for a rainbow? I guess some people would, and that's fine, but really what are the odds of landing a card like that? I've only got one such card in four years. 

Super Script Update

Time for another update on one of my favorite sets: 1999-00 Upper Deck MVP Stanley Cup Edition. It's actually be a few months now since I've had anything to show for this set, so its nice to cross another one off the want list. Like I said in my last post for these, no matter the card, I always get excited when I come across one of these rare gems. That tells me I'm doing something right by collecting this set. 

On to the card itself. This one comes from the CHL Prospects portion of the set and features former Oshawa Generals left winger Brad Ralph. While spending almost his entire carreer in the minors, Ralph did get into a single game with the Phoenix Coyotes in 2000-01. This card is #207 in the set and is serial numbered 15/25. 

This one set me back just under $10 including shipping, which is a bit high if you ask me, but I'll take it to help complete the set. I now have 54 out of a possible 220 or 24.5% of the entire set. I've still got a ways to go, but that's what I like about this set, there will always be something for me to go after.  

Jimmy Howard: 2013-14 Totally Certified Gold

This is the last of three Jimmy Howard cards I won on eBay recently. While it wasn't as cheap as the other two, it only set me back $2 plus shipping, so again not a bad deal. I may seem cheap going after these 'low-end' cards, but I'm all about finding bargains in this hobby right now. I have another hobby now (model railroading) that requires a good amount of money, so there is only so much to go around when it comes to buying cards.

Anyway, enough about that and more about the card itself. It comes from Panini's 2013-14 Totally Certified set and is one of the Platinum Gold parallels, serial numbered 21/25. Speaking of Panini, it's too bad that they will not be in the hockey card game any more. I was really liking some of their designs. They tend to stand out when I am sorting through my stack of Howard inserts and parallels. 

Its actually a cool looking card, at least when you hold it up to the light, not so much in the scan. The whole card is has a foil texture other than the picture, the team name, and the TC logo in the center. It makes it hard to read the player name at the bottom doesn't it? 

That's all I have for now, I'm hoping to get some more Howard stuff in the near future, but we'll see. I've got a ton of 2013-14 stuff to chase so there's definitely no shortage of cards out there. I just need to be a little more aggressive with my bidding if I want to land them. 

Jimmy Howard: 2013-14 MVP Gold Script

In my last post I showed off one of my new 2013-14 Jimmy Howard cards. Well, I actually went on a small winning streak at the time I was bidding on that one and came away with three of them all together. The second one I have is one that actually only cost me $0.49 plus shipping, so I can't really call it part of my $0.99 experiment. 

This one is also from Upper Deck and comes from 2013-14 MVP. It is one of the Gold Script parallels and is serial numbered 004/100. Like most of the gold scripts from Upper Deck, this one is just a gold version of the foil from the regular base card along with a facsimile signature, also in gold, hence the gold script. 

While this isn't one of the nicest looking MVP sets, I like the overall look. The red on the sides and bottom really help make the card stand out. Also, it helps that Jimmy has a nice signature, I just wish they would've used a version of it that has his number added. 

Jimmy Howard: 2013-14 Upper Deck Exclusives

I've haven't had much time for cards this year so far, but I have still managed to bid on a few eBay items. Most of them have been for my Howard collection and today I have one of them to show off. It is another example of a card for which I just placed a starter bid at $0.99 and ended up winning. Add $2 for shipping and I'd say this one was a great deal. 

It comes from 2013-14 Upper Deck and is one of the UD Exclusives parallels numbered 053/100. Its pretty much the base version of the card with gold foil instead of silver along with the added serial number and "UD Exclusives" stamp at the bottom. 

Not a bad looking card if you ask me. I really like the action shot they used for this one, although its hard to tell if the puck is actually in his glove on that one or if it sailed by and into the back of the net. Now I just need to find the regular base version and the high gloss numbered to 10 so I can complete another rainbow. 

Jimmy Howard: 2013-14 Panini Select Red Prizm

Two posts in the same week, that's actually a lot for me so far this year. As much as I wish I was posting on here more frequently, its been nice spending some time on my other hobby. I still am on the lookout for cards for my collection daily, I just tend to pass on more of them nowadays unless I can get a great deal. This one is another case in which I saw a card I really liked, put up a starting bid of $0.99 and just waited. Well, I was lucky enough to win the auction and get myself a shiny new, very limited, parallel for my Howard collection.

This one comes from 2013-14 Panini Select and is actually a red Prizm parallel. According to what I've read online, these were not inserted into regular packs, but were part of the Panini Black Friday promotion. Either way, it's an amazng looking card in person. It's even serial numbered 25/35 on the back. 

I really like the look of this set, especially this red parallel. The overall look is pretty simple, which is nice for a change. What's hard to see in the scan is how shiny this thing is. Its even got a kind of chrome rainbow tint to it when you hold it in the right light. 

Jimmy Howard: Four New Base and Inserts

It's been a little while now since I bought anything for my Jimmy Howard collection, mostly because I've been preoccupied with several model railroading projects, one of which is actually an entirely new blog. It's definitely nice having two hobbies at the same time, especially when it comes to blogging. If I ever get bored with one, or into one more than the other at any given time, there is always something to enjoy and continue working on. 

Anyway, on to the reason for this post, the cards. A while back I came across a lot of six cards on eBay for a few bucks and noticed that four of the cards I still needed for my collection. I thought it was more than worth it for just the four cards, so I placed my bid and ended up winning the lot. Here's a look at what I got.

The first one is a base card from 2011-12 Upper Deck SP Game Used

The second was another base card, this time from 2012-13 Panini Rookie Anthology.

The first insert was a sticker from 2013-14 Upper Deck OPC.

The other insert was a Chasing the Cup from 2010-11 Panini Zenith:

The other two that I already had were a 2005-06 Parkhurst rookie and a 2012-13 OPC Retro. I ended up winning the auction for just $3.26 including shipping, which works out to only $0.54 per card, not bad if you ask me. Now that I've gotten these and had a chance to scan and catalog them, it's got me wanting to get out and put some of my model railroading efforts back into cards, so maybe I'll have some more to show off soon.