Signature Sundays - The Grim Reaper

Trying to get back into the swing of things with these weekly Signature Sundays posts, highlighting autographs from my collection that have never seen the light of day on the blog here.  Let's switch over to hockey this week...

This Notable Nicknames autograph from 2012-13 Panini Classics Signatures is definitely one of the more unique autos in my entire collection, hockey or baseball.

Not only was a nickname theme a great idea for an autograph set, but the majority of the players (not all, see Ron Francis' card) really embraced the theme and inscribed the nickname along with their signature.  I've always thought "The Grim Reaper" was the perfect moniker for Stu Grimson, and making the card even better in my own biased opinion is the fact that Panini depicted Grimson with the Whalers (he was featured with the Ducks in the regular set). 

I've wanted one of the 50 copies of this card that exist out there since the moment I first laid eyes on it.  At first they were a little pricey, certainly more than I was willing to pay for a Stu Grimson autograph, but as usual patience, and a saved eBay search, paid off and I was able to score a copy for less than $20 well over two years after the product's release date.

Now, if I can track down the Ray Ferraro "Chicken Parm" autograph from this same set then I will truly be a happy man!