Predators: MVP Postseason

Talk about good timing. The 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs start tonight and I have the perfect pair of cards for the occasion. As you may have seen in previous posts on here, I'm working on the 2017-18 MVP Postseason set for the Predators, which depicts their run from the previous season when they fell short in six games to the Penguins.

Up first is Filip Forsberg. This one is #PS6 in the set and unlike the Rinne and Subban I posted previously, this one shows the Predators in white playing one of the 2017 Stanley Cup Final games in Pittsburgh. Those were not fun to watch as a Preds fan, that's for sure.

The other one is #PS4 and features Colton Sissons, also shown playing in Pittsburgh. I will always remember him for his hat trick in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final against the Ducks that sent the Predators on their way to the Stanley Cup Final.

So that completes this cool little set from MVP and serves as a nice memento for that playoff run. While I usually keep my cards stored in boxes, I would actually consider somehow framing these up with like a Stanley Cup Final patch or something. That would be cool. Here's a quick idea I mocked up in Inkscape. Kind of makes me want to now.

The only displaying of cards on the wall I've ever done consisted of those small wooden plaques. I had a ton of those as a kid. I've never done any custom framing though. I might need to think about it now. Anyone have any experience with doing that?

Patrik Stefan: 2002-03 OPC Premier Red Line

When it comes to my Patrik Stefan collection, it is not the highest priority among all the other stuff I collect, so any pickups for it are usually few and far between. Every now and then I will see something on eBay that catches my eye and I'll throw a bid on it.

That was the case with this Premier Red Line parallel from 2002-03 O-Pee-Chee. I didn't even know these existed until I saw it. I remember the Topps version from back then as I got a hobby box as a kid, but I never really saw the O-Pee-Chee version. Both versions have red and blue parallels, the only difference being the lack of the "Premier" on the Topps.

Not a bad deal for just $0.81 plus shipping. Who knows how many of these will ever pop up for sale like this, so I'm glad I was able to grab it. Now I just need to work on tracking down the other versions of this card. That would make for a nice old school rainbow.

Another thing I like about this card is the photo. It shows Stefan in one of my all time favorite NHL jerseys and he's still wearing his original #13, which has always been one of my favorites too. It also makes me want to see Topps making hockey cards again.

Jimmy Howard: Championship Ticket 1-of-1

Anyone else miss the days of Panini making hockey cards? I definitely do and today's post features an awesome card from their first year back in 2010-11. Contenders is one of the sets that I immediately think of whenever Panini hockey comes to mind.

Like I'm sure a lot of player collectors do, I search eBay pretty much daily in the hopes of not missing anything nice for my PC. Well, that persistence definitely paid off again as I was able to snag another card I had never seen or even thought I would ever have.

Here is another 1-of-1 for my Jimmy Howard collection: a Championship Ticket parallel from 2010-11 Playoff Contenders. It is a gorgeous looking card and I'm thrilled to have it. Another example of a time where I bought something immediately once I saw it on eBay.

I love the overall look of this card even if some of the actual ticket design is a bit clunky, especially the Western Conference logo. I do really like how they gave the edges of the ticket a slightly worn look. It provides a bit of realism and helps it stand out.

Just like the Black Diamond 1-of-1 I picked up years ago, the actual serial number is stamped on the back of the card. I don't usually scan and show off card backs on here, but I made another exception in this case for obvious reasons. Here's the back:

This is my second true 1-of-1 in my Howard collection and third overall. I say that because one of them is a buyback stamped 1-of-1 from that Upper Deck 30th anniversary set. I'm not sure how everyone else treats those, but I see them along the lines of printing plates.

Now I just need to find the Playoff Ticket version numbered to 100.

Jimmy Howard: 2020-21 O-Pee-Chee Error

Mistakes happen, that's just how world works sometimes. When it comes to sports cards, there are inevitably going to be some errors made on the manufacturer's side whether that be printing errors, quality issues or a number of other possibilities.

In the case of 2020-21 O-Pee-Chee card #448, the error was actually made upstream of the card manufacturer. It was on the photographer's end and unfortunately was not caught in time. The error in question: the photo used on Jimmy Howard's card is actually of his teammate Jonathan Bernier. Here's a look at the card in question. 

Its a nice looking card and I was really excited to see my main PC player was once again included in the O-Pee-Chee checklist. However, once the singles started hitting eBay I saw one of these and was immediately disappointed. The issue also carries over to the Retro parallel design, so all the possible variations of Howard's card feature Bernier.

I say disappointed because I was looking forward to chasing all these variations for my Howard collection, but now I do not plan on it since the player I'm actually collecting is on the card in name only. Some people might still chase these if it were their guy, and that's cool, but I'm not interested in these anymore.

The worst part is now that Howard has retired and never actually suited up for the 2020-21 season, this might be his last major release base card, at least for a while.

So where does that leave me? Well, since I've enjoyed making my own custom card designs for years now, I figured why not at least make myself a digital copy of this card with an actual photo of Jimmy Howard on the front? It is pretty easy cut and paste.

I'm definitely happy with how this one turned out. If only the actual card looked this nice. On a side note, it is really weird seeing Howard with those CCM pads and gloves. He wore Vaughn equipment almost his entire Red Wings career. They do look cool though.

Jimmy Howard: SPGU All-Star Skills Patch

Apparently low-numbered cards are what's hot right now for my Jimmy Howard collection. Along with the long sought after Cup card I posted yesterday, I was lucky enough to find a really good deal on another numbered card, this time a patch card out of 35.

This one is from 2019-20 Upper Deck SP Game Used, specifically the 2019 All-Star Skills Fabrics insert set. It is basically the same as the regular jersey version other than the gold coloring, the patch call out and the serial number. Its a really nice looking card overall.

The swatch on this one is really nice. It appears to be from somewhere along the edge of the crest as you can see the base red jersey material. Not bad for $10 all in.

This one also goes nicely with the regular jersey version I picked up last year. As I said when I posted that one, the coolest part about these cards is that the jersey swatches featured in the card are from the exact jersey pictured on the front, at least that how it seems.

In terms of an actual "rainbow" for these cards, there are the two I already have (regular jersey, patch) as well as a tag version serial numbered out of two. Not sure I'll ever be able to get that one, but who knows. They definitely would look nice together.

Jimmy Howard: The Cup Platinum Rookie

On the list of Jimmy Howard cards I thought I would never realistically own, the one I'm posting here today would've been pretty high on that list. When it comes to The Cup, I always wanted to at least have a copy of the standard RPA. Luckily, I was able to make that happen last year and even added the Gold Rainbow version.

My latest eBay purchase brings me one step closer to a complete 2005-06 The Cup rainbow for Howard. This one is the Platinum version and is serial numbered 05/25. It even has him pictured in his Red Wings pads and mask, which makes for a much better overall look.

The funny part about this pickup from eBay is that it actually came from the exact same seller as the regular RPA and Gold Rainbow versions I bought last year. He was actually a Howard collector himself, but was moving on from his awesome collection. I even got my Howard Future Watch rookie auto from him as well.

Now this leaves me with needing just the Black 1/1 version. I've seen a photo of it in the past so I know it has at least been pulled. Who knows if it will ever surface again, but if it does I will be sure to make an attempt to grab it. These would look amazing all together.

For now though, here is a look at all three of mine together.

Outside of the 1/1's, these are probably my top three favorite Howard cards. I mean you can't go wrong with such an iconic set design. The only thing I can improve upon with these is the quality of the swatches. A part of the Wings crest would be awesome.

Predators: Forsberg SPGU Banner Year

Do you ever come across a set that you think is awesome, but then it feels like its not all that popular with other collectors? Well, for me that is the Banner Year sets from SP Game Used, specifically the Stanley Cup Final versions. I don't know what it is about these, but I really like them and its nice to have something a little different in my PC.

The latest addition to my Predators set from eBay is part of the 2017-18 SP Game Used set and features Filip Forsberg along with a piece of a banner used during the festivities surrounding the 2017 Stanley Cup Final between Nashville and Pittsburgh.

This one goes nicely with the Josi that I picked up a while back. In fact, both have nice two-colored yellow banner pieces, which look great with their uniforms. There are actually four Predators in the set, which leaves me needing the P.K. Subban and Pekka Rinne versions.

Even though my team ended up losing that year, these cards and any that show the Preds in the Final for that matter are cool little reminders of how much fun it was watching that playoff run. I think I mentioned this on one of my Knights posts, but I'm leaning toward focusing my Preds collection on players that were part of that 2017 team. 

These Banner Year cards along with the MVP Postseason cards specifically focus on the Final and all have images taken during that actual series. I think these will be my primary Preds focus moving forward, along with any base cards with pictures from the Final.

Golden Knights: Reilly Smith Super Script

Continuing with the Golden Knights theme around here, in addition to the SCE Super Script of Pacioretty, I was able to grab a regular Super Script of Reilly Smith from the same seller.

This one is card #31 in the set and is serial numbered 23/25. I really like the look of that MVP design other than the large black bar they placed behind the signatures. I understand it makes them stand out more, but it would've looked better without it.

Another thing I really like about this one is how they made the MVP logo and the actual serial number in the same rainbow foil as the signature. If only they had done the same thing to the UD logo. That would make it almost perfect.

On a side note, as far as my Golden Knights collection goes, I am leaning towards focusing on the players from the inaugural season. That was when I really got into following this team and it was a great time watching them make it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final.

For whatever reason, I have not really been following any of my teams as closely anymore, which in turn means I've got less interest in picking up their cards. At least with the players from that first season, I have more of a connection to them having followed them all the way to the Final. Same goes for my Predators collection and their 2017 run to the Final.

SCE Tribute Update

Well, its been a little while since my last update on this set. The last one I picked up was all the way back in June of last year. That's ok though as I've been treating this almost as a side project. While I want to get them all eventually, they just are not as high of a priority.

This one actually came paired with another Super Script, which I will share in a separate post later on. It is a Max Pacioretty numbered 06/25.

There are 100 cards in this set and I have three total now, so still quite a ways to go if I want to complete it. From a team perspective, I at least have one third of the Knights from this set. The other two are Marc-Andre Fleury and Mark Stone.

While I really love the idea of this tribute to my favorite set, I feel like they missed on a few things trying to re-create the design. The most glaring difference to me is the cross-hatch pattern extending all the way to the bottom of the card. It just looks off. One of these days I'll put together a post detailing all of these differences.

Jimmy Howard: BTP Masked Men

With my main player collection being a goalie, I am always excited to add Masks or Masked Men cards. When it comes to Jimmy Howard, he's had some amazing looking cards in those sets over the years. I have a few already and thanks to eBay I now have four more.

Up first and my favorite of the bunch is this Masked Men 5 card from 2012-13 Between The Pipes. This one just looks great in person with the ruby rainbow foil. I even think the painting type image on the front looks even better than previous versions where they did have real photos. Definitely one of my new favorite Howard cards.

 

Along with that one, and all the way from Russia I might add, is the Masked Men Memorabilia card from the same set. This one uses the same painting like image and turns the card sideways allowing for a cool jersey swatch on the right-hand side.

 

Up next is one that's been on my wantlist for quite a while now, a Gold version of the Masked Men 4 card from 2011-12 Between the Pipes. This one goes nicely with the ruby die-cut version I picked up recently. It looks a lot nicer in person than it does in the scan.

Keeping with the gold theme, I was also able to grab this nice Masked Men II card from 2009-10 BTP. This one also did not scan very well, but looks great in person. As far as Howard's masks go, this one with the dials of retired numbers on either side was always a favorite of mine. Sports cars on masks always look cool, right?

So that's it for today. These four help put a nice dent in the wantlist as far as the Masked Men cards. I'll have to sit down one of these days and actually come up with a list of what I still need. I'm guessing there are a few more gold versions I'm missing.

Jimmy Howard: 2019-20 MVP Super Scripts

If I had to choose my current favorite "rainbow" combination of base cards and parallels, it would be tough for me to choose between Upper Deck's MVP Script parallels and their awesome colored parallels from O-Pee-Chee Platinum. Luckily for me, Jimmy Howard has been included in both sets in recent years so I am able to chase some of each.

I might give MVP a slight edge because I've loved the Super Script parallels for over 20 years now, going all the way back to 1999-00 when I pulled my first one. That would be the Hasek that started my set build for the Stanley Cup Edition Super Scripts.

Howard has Super Scripts in pretty much every MVP set between 2014-15 and 2020-21, so there are definitely some for me to go after. I believe the only one I have before now was the 2021 version as well as its lower numbered Black counterpart.

It is funny how things work out sometimes because now I have both the Super Script and Black versions for 2019-20 MVP thanks to some more recent eBay purchases. The Black version is a beautiful card as you can see from the scan below.

 

 

While I really like the rainbow foil on the standard Super Script, the big black bar across the middle of the card kind of brings it down a notch if you ask me. I understand wanting to make the signature stand out more, but this just looks odd.

 

The other funny coincidence here is that this Black was numbered 2/5, which is the exact same numbering as the other Black from 2020-21. What are the odds that I get both of these MVP Black Scripts and they are the same serial number?

Here's a look an my visual rainbow checklist for this one:

As you can see I've still got a few to track down, but I do have the two lowest print runs out of the way, so that's definitely a good thing. We'll see how long it takes. The Gold Script will probably be the hardest to find at this point. It was for the 2020-21 version. 

Jimmy Howard: BY Cards IIHF 2017 WC

Now that Jimmy Howard is officially retired from the NHL, I'm starting to focus on filling in my collection of his stuff with some of the older cards out there. With nothing new likely any time soon, I've been trying to grab anything I can find a good deal on lately.

That includes oddball cards, kind of like the two arena giveaway cards I posted a little while back. My latest pickup is even a bit more out there and actually adds an entirely new card manufacturer to my collection. Haven't been able to do that in a while.

I had been watching this pair of cards on eBay for months and finally decided to pull the trigger and grab both of them in one go to save on shipping. They actually showed up pretty quickly considering they came all the way from Riga, Latvia.

Up first is card #1 from BY Cards 2017 IIHF Team USA set. This was a 27-card set featuring the players and head coach of Team USA. It is actually a really nice looking design and is printed on a quality card stock. I'm definitely glad to have it in my collection.

The second one is card #26 in the set and has an awesome closeup shot of is Team USA mask. While it is definitely strange seeing him in a non-Red Wings mask, this one still looks pretty cool. Even though this is from 2017, I believe it is the same mask from Sochi in 2014.

As you can see from the upper right corner, this set focuses on the 2017 IIHF World Championships that were held in Germany and France. Howard appeared in six games over the course of the tournament posting a 4-2 record, 1.86 GAA and 0.920 save percentage.

While the US did not win, it is still neat to have a couple of cards showing Howard in some international competition. They are the first such cards in my collection, but hopefully not the last. I'm on the lookout for similar cards, so we'll see what I can find.

Box Break: 1999-00 MVP Stanley Cup Edition

Its been over 20 years now since Upper Deck's 1999-00 MVP Stanley Cup Edition set was released and this will only be the fourth full box I've opened. I've probably said this on here before, but I consider this to be my favorite hockey card set. In all my years of collecting, I believe this is the only product that I've ever bought more than one or two boxes of.

There main reason I like the set so much is the parallels. I know there were two previous MVP releases with the same parallels, but this set was my first exposure to them back when I was lucky enough to pull my Dominik Hasek and Alexei Kovalev Super Scripts. Those two got me hooked on this particular set and I've been after them ever since.

Of the four Stanley Cup Edition boxes I've opened, three of them have only happened because of this blog. It wasn't until I started it up that I really dove into looking for Super Scripts to add to ones I already had. From there I expanded to the Gold and Silver Scripts and even all of the insert sets at one point.

I know it would be much easier and cheaper to build these sets through purchasing singles and lots, but box breaking has always seemed like more fun to me. For each of these boxes I've known there was little to no chance of pulling Super Scripts, but there's always that slight possibility so I figured why not give it a shot each time.

Before I dive into the details of my latest break, here are the links to my previous breaks:

        - Previous Box Break #1: October 6, 2010
        - Previous Box Break #2: January 20, 2012

A quick note on that first one from 2010: I realize now that it was actually a retail box and I never even had a chance at the Super or Gold Scripts as they were hobby exclusives. The dead giveaway is the "Retail Exclusive" written right on the wrapper. I'm not sure how I screwed that up, but it's kind of funny looking back on it now.

Back to the reason for this post, here are some quick details about my newest box:

        - Purchased on eBay for $45 plus shipping
        - From original sealed case the seller bought at release
        - Hobby version (28 Packs, 10 Cards per Pack)

I found the listing for this box a few months ago and it had been sitting in my watchlist ever since. It was originally listed for $50, but I after some back and forth offers with the seller I was able to grab it for $45. A little more than I was hoping to spend based on the ones I've bought in the past, but I decided to go for it anyway just for the fun of it.

Here is a summary of what is available in these boxes and what I actually ended up with.

        - 220 Base --> 238
        - 220 Silver Script (1:2) --> 14
        - 220 Gold Script (#/100) --> 0
        - 220 Super Script (#/25) --> 0
        - 20 Stanley Cup Talent (1:5) --> 7
        - 10 Cup Contenders (1:9) --> 3
        - 10 Playoff Heroes (1:84) --> 0
        - 12 Second Season Snipers (1:28) --> 1    
        - 10 Golden Memories (1:14) --> 2
        - 10 Clutch Performers (1:28) --> 1
        - Great Combinations (1:196) --> 0
        - Game Used Souvenirs (1:130) --> 0
        - 500 Goal Club (1:3995) --> 0

Overall this was not too bad all things considered. While I didn't get any of the Golds or Supers I was hoping for, it was still fun to sort cards from my favorite set. The players in this set are the ones I grew up watching on TV so its always nice to see them on cardboard.

A couple of general notes before I get into the details:

        - No serial numbered cards pulled
        - No autographs or memorabilia pulled
        - 7 packs did not have all 10 cards
        - 2 packs had more than 10 cards
        - 1 damaged card
        - 92% base set completion
        - 35 base duplicates

In the interest of trying to do something different for a box break post, I was crazy enough to keep track of which cards came from every pack of the box in a spreadsheet. I basically created a box break matrix and thought it would be fun to share on here.

The first column on the left is the pack # as I pulled them from the box. The top row is the card # in the order I pulled them from each individual pack. The cells contain the actual card numbers. The (S) notation is for Silver Scripts and the (D) is for damaged cards.

Pack #	Card #1	Card #2	Card #3	Card #4	Card #5	Card #6	Card #7	Card #8	Card #9	Card #10	Card #11	Card #12
1	57	84	111	61	89	113	118	142	166	192	201(D)
2	85	112	139	6	21	49	206	3(S)
3	79	105	18	149	36	57	84
4	70	96	100	77
5	127	155	182	208	122	150	106	133	40(S)
6	1	55	80	SC14	25	172	197
7	67	93	120	45	217	76	80	126(S)	207
8	167	15	62	90	SC5	163	190	179	5	28
9	43	91	114	214	143	CP8	135	12(S)	205	65
10	100	96	208	81	107	134	191	9	198	77
11	183	39	144	170	204	CC9	181	143(S)	194	13
12	127	155	182	122	150	172	GM4	162	214(S)	35
13	72	98	125	137	164	212	21	49	151	192(S)
14	153	11	187	30	71	97	200	178	8	CC3
15	147	175	103	129	SC2	123	161	109	136	159
16	37	58	185	124	97	71	102	128	152	SS10
17	1	25	197	7	SC18	189	23	69	95	211
18	53	78	104	34	68	94	51	73	99(S)	121
19	131	156	210	115	99	126	154	145	171	63
20	173	24	52	12	40	70	SC9	56	73(S)	165
21	50	199	110	135	163	190	215	101	123	22
22	86	116	82	108	148	176	176	220	42	209
23	140	168	10	130	216	158	SC20	148	195(S)	75
24	17	48	193	19	3	31	55	26	47	83
25	132	160	184	27	60	88	SC11	111	154(S)	74
26	177	38	59	20	46	203	GM6	124	181(S)	213	186	14
27	173	24	52	195	12	40	CC5	31(S)
28	2	29	54	157	196	180	188	219	166(S)	202

While that may not be interesting to anyone else, I thought it was a neat exercise to run through. This is a hobby after all and I'm just trying to find some new ways to enjoy it.

Since I've already completed the Silver Script set and posted most of it on here, I thought I would choose a random base card to show off first. Here is card #8 featuring Ray Ferraro of the Atlanta Thrashers and one of my all time favorite NHL jerseys.

As far as the inserts go, I did actually get a few new ones. While I'm not actively pursuing the full master set of inserts, it was still cool to add some to get me a little closer to finishing them. These are from back when people seemed to actually care about basic inserts so the designs are quite nice all things considered. 

We'll start off the run of inserts with Second Season Snipers. These are printed on a nice rainbow foil board and look great in person. This one is card #SS10 and features Jaromir Jagr of the Pittsburgh Penguins. I always liked those jerseys for some reason.

The Golden Memories were printed on a similar foil board and look just as good in person. I really like the old fashioned looking font on on the set name and player name. This one is card #GM6 and features Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils.

Clutch Performers is another nice looking insert set with a really cool double image effect. I will say these were a bit harder to scan and it took some editing to make it look this good. This one is card #CP8 and featured John LeClair of the Philadelphia Flyers.

Cup Contenders was printed on a silver foil board and is one of those sets that just does not scan very well. I did what I could to make this one look ok. This is card #CC3 and features Milan Hejduk of the Colorado Avalanche.

Stanley Cup Talent was the most common insert and I'm pretty sure between all the boxes I've opened I have them all. These are another example of the silver foil board that does not want to scan. This one is card #SC5 and features Patrick Roy of the Colorado Avalanche.

Overall this was a really fun experience. I got to bust some packs for the first time in quite a while and they were from my favorite set. While I didn't hit any of the big cards I was hoping for, it was still neat to sort through them all and sort them so I could place them in a binder. I guess its back to eBay for the Supers and Golds.

Unless I come across a great deal on one, I don't see myself opening any more boxes of this stuff. I know I'm better off just buying the singles, but there is just something about busting boxes and hoping to hit something cool that keeps me going back to it. In this case though I'm over it and just want to focus on singles to help finish my parallel sets.

Jimmy Howard: UD Clear Cuts

Upper Deck's Clear Cut base parallels are relatively new, I believe only going back to 2016-17. Seeing that Jimmy Howard was included in UD S1/S2 every year after that through 2019-20, he has some of these cool acetate cards out there.

The closest thing I have are his cards from the ICE sets that were actually acetate. I know for sure I have his ICE Premieres from 2005-06 and at least one other base card from later on. I always thought acetate cards were cool, so the more I can add here the better.

Thanks to a pair of eBay purchases, I now have two Clear Cut parallels. Up first is the 2018-19 version. This thing looks awesome in person and goes nicely with the base versions I already have like the rainbow foil and UD Exclusives. 

Next was the 2017-18 version. The best part about this one is the cool low-angle photo. I said that when I posted the other versions and I wanted to again here. This one is definitely up there in terms of base card photos in my Howard collection, probably top five.

If my math is correct, these give me two thirds of all the Howard clear cuts. The only one I am missing now is from 2019-20, so I will definitely be on the lookout for that to complete the trifecta. That would make for a neat type of "rainbow" on their own.

Jimmy Howard: OPC Platinum Blue Cube

Like I said in my previous post, I've gotten a bit behind in posting recent maildays. Today's post is for another one of many recent eBay pickups and one that helps get me closer to completing another aweome Upper Deck rainbow for my Jimmy Howard collection. 

Here we have a Blue Cube parallel from 2014-15 O-Pee-Chee Platinum. I've picked up several others from this rainbow recently and this one brings me to a total of seven out of the nine required to complete it. This one is serial numbered out of 65 and looks amazing.

Below is an updated look at my visual checklist grid for this rainbow. I'm down to needing just the regular rainbow version and of course the 1/1 Golden Treasure.

I'm definitely happy with my progress so far. I started off with the Black Ice version back in July of 2020, so to have this many in eight months of a set from 5+ years ago is pretty good if you ask me. The rainbow will be easy to get so I need to focus on the 1/1 now.