Signature Sundays - Closing the Curtain on Classics Signatures

At long last I've reached the end of my 2012-13 Panini Classics Signatures collection.  I had a blast collecting these autographs over the last two years or so since the set's release.  The final two that I saved for today are both HOFers and both short-printed autographs...

Lanny McDonald may be my favorite overall autograph in the set, although there are certainly many solid options to choose from.  That signature is just spectacular though; legible, stylish and used about as much card as possible.  I also commend Panini for selecting what I feel is the perfect photograph for a Lanny McDonald card, one which depicts him sporting the captain's C and the stylish mustache for the Flames.  I've wanted a Lanny McDonald autograph since I returned to collecting in 2007, and it's taken me this long to finally land one.

The final autograph I have is another player I admire very much, defenseman Chris Chelios.  While the Stanley Cup Championships, Norris Trophies and many All-Star selections are impressive, what I loved most about Chris was that he just couldn't stop playing the game he loved.  I think of him sort of as my generation's Gordie Howe, in that he was still seeing NHL action into his late '40s!

There are still 27 or 28 autographs out there that I don't have, but they're all either cards I've never even seen, or super expensive.  For example, Peter Stastny is still on my list, however one of his autographs just went for $150 on eBay the other day.  No thanks.

To celebrate the end of my run, below are scans of every single one of my autographs from the set.  If you're a fan of hockey history (and have a few minutes to spare), give it a scroll, I could almost guarantee there will be at least one or two players that interest you!

Wow, seeing all those together really makes me wish that Panini still had an NHL license.  Don't worry though, while I've been focusing on this set for the past couple of years I've built up quite a backlog of autographed cards.  I think I've got enough in hand to float me for a solid year of Signature Sundays posts.  Looking forward to getting rolling next weekend...