Jambalaya!

Let's continue along with posting the huge backlog of trade packages I've got sitting on my desk in my office/card room.  Today's post comes courtesy of longtime friend of the blog Dave H from Wax Stain Rookie.  Dave and I have been exchanging cards for a long time now, and you can count me among those who were very happy to see him return from his recent blogging hiatus.

In this latest package, Dave packed quite a punch with just eight cards!  Kicking things off we've got a set that is very foreign to me, 2013-14 Panini Titanium.  I don't do a good job of keeping up with new releases each season to begin with, and on top of that I think I recall reading somewhere that this set was released in Canada only.

I could be wrong about this, but based on the five minutes of research I did I believe the foil Loui Eriksson that led off the post is actually a base card from the set, and this non-foil version is a "Retail Parallel".  Seems awfully confusing if that is indeed the case, but either way I'm happy to have a pair of new Erikssons in my collection.  There are rumblings about the Bruins trying to work out an extension for Loui, and I'm not sure how I feel about that as a fan.  The cynical side of me thinks they're just trying to keep him around so that they still have something to show from the Seguin trade...

Here's the other retail parallel in the package, if that's indeed what it's called.  I'm not sure how I feel about the design of this set on the whole, but I do like the sort of washed out effect they used on the photograph backgrounds.  There was a fourth Titanium card in the package, which I'll get to in a moment, but first let's see some of the other goods...

I went through a brief love affair with Panini Prizm hockey cards a year or two ago.  I've since drifted away from the set, but only because I've been trying to curb my hobby expenses.  The cards themselves are still every bit as beautiful in my opinion, and this Phil Esposito Endless Impressions insert is a perfect example of why I enjoy the set so much.  This card is everything a nice chrome card should be!  Perhaps I'll put 2013-14 Prizm back on my collecting radar for 2016 after all...

One insert set that seems to be universally loved is Upper Deck Canvas.  The folks at Upper Deck really struck gold when they began inserting these back in the 2011-12 flagship set, and they've been a staple ever since.  I have precious few from this year's release so far, so I'll gladly welcome this Brad Marchand into my collection.  I'd love to complete a Canvas set one year (minus the Young Guns rookies), or maybe a Canvas franken-set from all the different releases, but the reality is that I don't need another collecting project right now.

Now we're getting to the real meat and potatoes of this package!  This UD Portraits insert represents my very first Malcolm Subban card of any sort.  PK's little brother looked horrific in his lone NHL appearance for the Bruins last February, but the kid is just 22 years old and still a highly touted prospect in the B's organization.  His Young Guns RC in this year's UD set is one I'd like to pick up at some point when I find it at the right price.

Here's the other Titanium card I alluded to above, and boy is it a nice one!  You could almost miss this at a quick glance, but check out that serial number in the upper right.  Just ten copies of this gold parallel out there in existence!  Awesome stuff.

Now normally a card serial-numbered to /10 of a 600-goal-plus HOF lock would be the highlight of any package hands down, but in this case Dave included a card that surpassed even this great Iginla in my opinion.  Check it out:

The scan doesn't do the card justice, as is so often the case, but in hand this 2014-15 Fleer Ultra Jambalaya insert is truly a thing of beauty!  Die-cut with a hint of lenticular technology, the card is really stunning in the right light.

It made such an impression on me that I spent some time combing around the web to see if I could land any others "on the cheap".  Unfortunately, I found that these are quite rare at one per 112 hobby packs!  As such, they command a pretty penny.  It's doubtful that I'll be adding any others given what they sell for on the secondary market, but that just makes the fact that Dave went out of his way to send me this one even more impressive!

As I said above, I'm really working at curtailing my hobby spending in 2016, but after a delivery like this it's clear I'm going to have to find something cool to send back.  Thank you so much for the great cards Dave!!!