Card of the Month - December 2011

Just one day to go, I almost dropped the ball on a Card of the Month for December. After yesterday's lengthy baseball post it's back to hockey today...

Recently I've been focusing primarily on older hockey cards, but over the past couple of months I have accumulated a few Young Guns rookie cards of note. I've already shown two of the better ones in Steven Stamkos and Claude Giroux, which was actually last month's Card of the Month (can you really still get Giroux's Young Guns rookie for around $10? If so, get it now!). Those were both great additions, in fact it just so happens that as of this morning they are the two players leading the NHL in points and goals:

December's Card of the Month is the Young Guns rookie of a player who has the potential to join the likes of Giroux and Stamkos atop the NHL stat leader lists someday, perhaps in the very near future:

2010-11 Upper Deck - #456 - Tyler Seguin - Young Guns RC

Tyler Seguin has grown by leaps and bounds in his second year with the Bruins. Though he's admittedly cooled a bit after starting the season at a torrid scoring pace, he has improved dramatically from his rookie season in virtually every statistical category. It hasn't all been perfect, in fact he was benched one game for missing a mandatory team meeting on a road trip a few weeks back. Nevertheless, let's look at where he was at last year and where he's at now.

In his rookie season he played in 74 games, scoring 11 goals and assisting on 11 others, for 22 points. Not bad for an 18-year-old kid, although there were without question more impressive seasons from other rookies like Taylor Hall, who scored as many goals as Seguin had points, or Jeff Skinner, who surpassed 30+ goals and 30+ assists en route to the Calder Trophy. So far this year in just 33 games Tyler Seguin has 14 goals, 17 assists and 31 points, all improvements on last season's totals already. His 31 points are good for the top spot on the Bruins scoring chart. He's scored 3 goals on the power play this year, something he did only once last season. He's also tallied 3 game-winners so far, the first 3 of his career. Perhaps most impressive though is his improvement in +/-. Last year he seemed a bit too focused on offense at times, and his -4 on the season reflected that. This year? How about a +25 to lead the entire NHL! I know some of this is due to the fact that the Bruins play a tight defensive game and have the best goaltending tandem in the league, but I think Seguin deserves at least some measure of credit for improving his game at both ends of the ice.

The Bruins are playing some of the best, most consistent hockey I've ever witnessed these past couple of months. In the 24 games they've played since November 1st they are on an astounding 21-2-1 tear that has brought them from the basement to the top of the mountain in the Eastern Conference standings. Hopefully both Seguin and the team can keep rolling as we enter 2012...

Card of the Month - November 2011

For the fourth straight month now I've managed a Card of the Month post...I'm really on a roll! Every so often I browse the hockey or baseball card auctions on eBay just to see if there are any real bargains about to end that I can snipe at the last minute. This month's card is the result of one of those last minute bids, and in my opinion it was an absolute steal for the price:

2008-09 Upper Deck - #235 - Claude Giroux - Young Guns RC

Claude Giroux has emerged as one of the top two-way forwards in the league over the past couple of seasons. When he first broke into the NHL I always thought his game was very similar to David Krejci's, in that he had amazing puck possession skills and that every touch of the puck seemed to have a purpose. In fact, I believe Krejci and Giroux played together for Gatineau in Juniors. Fast forward a couple of years and I think most everyone can agree that he has become a better player than Krejci. If I were an NHL GM and had to select one of those two players to build a team around, I hate to say it but I'd be going with Giroux.

With very few exceptions, it seems to take the game's young stars a season or two to get comfortable at the NHL level. We've seen it with Steven Stamkos, who had more goals in his second season (51) than he did points in his rookie campaign (46). Tyler Seguin is another example, as he's currently sitting just a point out of the top 10 in league scoring, and just 21 games in has already surpassed his goal total from his rookie season. I would put Giroux in this same category. After about half a season of action in 2008-09, Claude registered 47 points in 2009-10, his first full season. Last year he really broke out though, crossing the 25-goal and 50-assist plateaus and falling just short of a point per game scoring pace (76 points in 82 games). Those 76 points were good for 11th place in the league's scoring race.

2011-12 has been even better for Giroux so far. Thanks in large part to great chemistry with linemate Jaromir Jagr in the early part of the season, Giroux's 13 goals and 16 assists in 22 games have him second in the NHL in both goals and points at the time of this post (just one point behind Toronto's Phil Kessel for top spot). Claude is generally successful regardless of who's he's paired with though. Even with Jagr missing some time lately, Claude has racked up 2 goals and 5 assists in his last 5 games. The Canadiens suffered at his hands just last night, when he scored two goals himself and made an amazing stick-handling play on the game-winning goal by Jakub Voracek.

After an off-season where the Flyers made some controversial moves including signing Jagr, and letting both Jeff Carter and Mike Richards go, Giroux has really answered the call and stepped up his game. Aside from being one of the league's top scorers so far, he consistently plays 24+ minutes a night and hasn't missed a game in over 2 1/2 seasons.


Given what the Young Guns rookies of some other top stars go for, I was amazed that I was able to win this auction for just over $7 ($10 shipped)! Giroux is definitely one of the game's future stars and I think this card has the potential to be worth much more than $7 someday.

Card of the Month - October 2011

For the third straight month I've actually managed a Card of the Month post, this time sneaking it in with just one day to spare in October! I'm glad I waited to make a selection though, because this month's card just arrived in the mailbox yesterday. For the second straight month, the card featured is a Hartford Whalers autograph:

2008-09 Upper Deck Legends Masterpieces - #MB-HO - Mark Howe Brushstrokes Green Auto (#'d/35)

What a beauty! This card looks even better in person than I thought it would. I loved the Legends Masterpieces hockey set when it came out, but despite completing it just over 2 years ago I had no idea this particular card existed until recently. When I stumbled across it on eBay I knew I had to have it. The Brushstrokes autographs are still fairly popular with collectors and the numbered colored parallels don't seem to pop up all that frequently anymore, so I was more than happy to pay the $26 I ended up winning this for. The green border on this particular parallel looks fantastic when matched up with Howe's early-80s road uniform.

Mark was with the Whalers franchise for 5 seasons (2 in the WHA and 3 in the NHL). Playing alongside his father for the first 3 of those 5 seasons, he recorded some remarkable numbers and was generally regarded as one of the best two-way defensemen in the league. In his two seasons with the New England Whalers of the WHA, Mark recorded 91 and 107 points! He scored 80 points the following year, Hartford's first in the NHL. Perhaps his best season came later in his career with the Flyers though, when in 1985-86 he tallied 82 points and led the league with a +85. +85?!?!?!

Howe always seemed to be overshadowed and under-rated. For example, in the same 1985-86 season that I just referenced, Howe's incredible year was lost behind Paul Coffey's record-breaking 138-point effort. It wasn't the only time Mark would finish runner-up for the Norris Trophy.


This past summer Howe finally got some well-deserved recognition when it was announced that he would be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. That just makes this card even greater, it's truly a welcome addition to my growing Whalers collection.

Card of the Month - September 2011

The Red Sox are currently in a game-162 struggle for the AL Wild Card, despite their horrific month of September. The game's in a rain delay at the moment though, so as promised here is my third and final purchase from 2010-11 The Cup:

#CE-RF - Ron Francis - Cup Enshrinements Auto (#/50)

This is my first Ron Francis auto, and in fact is the first Hartford Whaler auto in my collection. I've never paid much attention to The Cup in years past, but when I saw this card I knew I had to have it. There just haven't been many opportunities to own a Francis auto where he's depicted with the Whalers. In fact, I can't think of any, although I'm sure there may be one or two others out there.

I love the look of the card, much better than the black and white base card of Francis from this set. The auto is on-card, which for the most part is the only type of auto I'll buy. The card is also numbered to 50, so there aren't a million of these out there either. If there's one auto that belongs in every good Hartford Whalers collection, it's Ron Francis. I've gone on and on in recent posts about how under-rated Ron is, so I'll spare you. I will say that much like his rookie card, his autographs can be had at a pretty reasonable price considering where he ranks among the game's best. I snagged this one for just under $40.

This is definitely my new favorite hockey autograph, and even though it's brand new it's an instant classic in my collection.

Card of the Month - August 2011

The dog days of summer are upon us here in New England, and although pre-season NFL football started this past week, it's pretty much baseball and only baseball right now. What better time to show off a recent vintage addition to the collection. I've mentioned a few times that two types of cards I really enjoy are 1950's Bowman and vintage catcher cards. August's Card of the Month combines both:

Fine, so Matt Batts wasn't exactly spectacular in his 10 years in Major League Baseball. He was mostly a backup catcher, except in '53 when he started for the Tigers and appeared in 116 games. All I know is he's got a pretty nice-looking 1952 Bowman card.

Batts actually began his career with the Red Sox in 1947, but a couple of trades found him with the Tigers organization early in the 1952 season. He was known as a solid defensive catcher, and actually caught the second of Virgil Trucks' two no-hitters in the 1952 season.

This card brings me to 15 1952 Bowmans.

Card of the Month - March 2010

Well it's about time I got on track with the Card of the Month in 2010. I missed out on January and February, but March's card more than makes up for it. I mentioned in my last post that I'm not a big fan of relic cards, but like most collectors I do make exceptions:

2009-10 Upper Deck Trilogy Classic Confrontations - #CC-HABO

This recent eBay win just arrived in the mail yesterday, and instantly becomes one of my favorite Whalers cards. I am starting to see some Whalers cards in current sets, like the Gordie Howe from last year's Champs set. This particular card came from a set I would never even think about purchasing, 2009-10 Upper Deck Trilogy. This is one of those high end sets where nobody builds the base and it's all about the hits, at least as far as I can tell. A "hobby box" will run you over $150 and you'll get less than 50 cards altogether. The only reason I even knew about this card was that I stumbled across it while searching the term Whalers on eBay.

Those of you who are extra perceptive may have noticed the card number, CC-HABO. Well the HA obviously signifies Hartford. The BO? I think you know where I'm heading with this. Here's the back of the card:

Pretty sweet huh? Apparently the Classic Confrontations inserts pay homage to great rivalries from the NHL's past with one team per side and three jersey swatches per team. I can't think of a concept that's better suited for my collection. I grew up a die-hard Whalers fan and used to hate the Bruins, so the rivalry that this card represents is perfect. Then, when the Whalers moved to Carolina, I (reluctantly at first) adopted the Bruins as my new local team.

I paid $13 for this card, which seems pretty reasonable. It's definitely the most swatches I have on any one card in my collection and considering some of the big names on here I didn't think it was too unreasonable. Besides, this card so uniquely fits my collecting interests that I probably would've paid twice that for it. So there you have it, March's Card of the Month!

Card of the Month - December 2009

2007 eTopps Nolan Ryan Les Paul Bronze eConvention Something-or-other

December's card of the month is my very first (and likely only) foray into the realm of eTopps. To be quite honest with you I'm not even 100% sure of exactly what eTopps is. I bought this card to add to my Nolan Ryan collection based on the fact that only 10 of them exist and I won the auction at a mere $10, which seems pretty reasonable. I'm always partial to Ryan cards that feature him as a Met as well.

From what I can gather, eTopps is a site where you can create an account and accumulate and track "virtual" cards online. It seems as though Topps prints the cards though, and you can decide to have the physical slabbed card shipped to you (which this seller must've done prior to the auction). If not, Topps will store it for you in a climate controlled warehouse.

I've seen the "regular" instance of this eTopps card, a 1967 Topps Ryan that never was, but this one is a gold and foil disaster! I have no idea what an eConvention is, nor do I know what place a Gibson Les Paul guitar has on this card. As someone who plays guitar though, I thought it was a unique addition to my collection.

The back is pretty cool too, with the old school cartoons and all. In checking eTopps' website, it doesn't look like they've released any hockey cards since '03 (probably can't due to Upper Deck's exclusive licensing deal with the NHL). I doubt I'll ever purchase any of the virtual eTopps cards, but this slabbed beauty is a welcome addition to my growing Nolan Ryan collection!

Is there anyone out there who is familiar with eTopps and can shed any light on what exactly this card represents?

Card of the Month - November 2009

I haven't been doing very well with posting a "Card of the Month" this year, in fact I've managed to post only 4 in the first 10 months. With all the hoopla surrounding the Yankees winning the World Series last night, I figured a Yankees card was appropriate for November. I could've written a long rant about my dislike for many of the current Yankees players, but I doubt I could do a better job than this. I briefly debated presenting a few of my many arguments regarding the need for a salary cap and floor (yeah I'm talking about you Pittsburgh Pirates) in baseball, and I guess I will in a sense, but who really wants to hear my whining. I decided instead, and yes this is coming from a Red Sox fan, to focus on the positive.

My anger and disappointment over the Yankees winning the Fall Classic isn't directed at the Yankees, it's directed at the sport of baseball, the players union, the commissioner, greedy players, agents like Scott Boras, and anyone else who is responsible for the lack of a salary cap and floor in baseball. While I firmly believe that the sport will be somewhat tainted and unfair until a cap and floor system is put in place, it's not the Yankees' fault that it isn't. In fact, I'll go one step further and say that the Steinbrenner's would be bad owners if they didn't use their extra capital to their advantage year in and year out. Any good owner, general manager, or coach will use absolutely everything at their disposal to put themselves in a position to win, and large bundles of cash are certainly no exception. In fact, I would argue that owners of teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates are as much a problem for the sport. If you don't know why, read this. On the other hand, you'll see why the sport needs a cap when you look at the Yankees' numbers.

I know it's not all about money, but to me it's like a poker game where one player starts with $1,000 in chips, another starts with $500, and a third starts with $100. Sure, it's not completely inconceivable that the guy with $100 could win, but the odds sure as hell aren't in his favor. Teams like the Royals and the Marlins are the guy with $100. Anyway, enough is enough, this is supposed to be a positive post and the point is the Yankees are actually a pretty great franchise. When you think about the history of the team, the records, the World Series titles, the Hall of Fame greats, and even the heartache they've caused so many other teams (Bucky F'ing Dent), it's hard to argue that any other franchise holds a more important place in baseball history. Isn't a large part of what we love about baseball its history, maybe more so than any other sport? Imagine baseball history without the Yankees. That being said, here's November's card of the month, from a time before inflated salaries, instant replay debates, and steroids...

1952 Bowman - Casey Stengel

Casey Stengel is without a doubt one of the past Yankees who is most entwined in baseball's great history. Stengel devoted his life to the sport, from his playing days in the early part of the 20th century, to his 7 World Championships with the New York Yankees, to his stint as manager of the "Amazin" Mets teams of the early 60's. I mean this guy had to be told to step down as Yankees manager at age 70, that's a love for the game!

When I was watching those final outs last night I wasn't happy for Mark Teixeira or Alex Rodriguez. I was thinking about Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Whitey Ford, Yogi Berra and Casey Stengel. If baseball is America's pastime, then the Yankees must be one of America's greatest teams. If you're not sick of this debate yet, I'd love to hear any comments, especially from Yankees and Pirates fans (are there any?)...

Card of the Month - August 2009

1993-94 High Liner Greatest Goalies - #8 of 15 - Tony Esposito

I've said this before, but probably the single greatest thing to come out of writing a blog about sports cards has been all of the friendly and generous fellow collectors that I've had a chance to meet. This month's Card of the Month illustrates that point. Sal, who is an avid Chicago Blackhawks fan and runs the great blog Puck Junk, has become a great trading partner and friend, and we've helped each other get a whole lot closer to completing some of our hockey sets. When he attended the Blackhawks Convention recently (if you missed his write-up of the event on Puck Junk you really owe it to yourself to check it out!) he emailed me letting me know that he had found a great odd-ball card he thought I'd like and was sending it my way. A couple of weeks later I got a package in the mail and in it was this Tony Esposito card, the likes of which I'd never seen.

A quick search on the internet revealed that this was a 1993-94 High Liner Greatest Goalies card. Apparently High Liner is a company from Nova Scotia who markets frozen seafoods and pasta. They must've included these cards with some of their products back in the early 90's. The picture above is actually of just the card itself, however the example Sal sent along still has the perforated game piece that came with each card attached. Here's a full scan of the entire card:

As you can see, attached to each card is a Shoot & Score Contest game piece. As tempting as it is to scratch these I don't think High Liner would redeem a prize at this point, so I'm going to leave the card as is, mint and unscratched. Would this have won someone a Chevy Astro van or a Super Nintento (ha!) back in the day? I'll never know. The card has a nice clean, simple design. Here's the back:
The back features a black and white mug shot along with a brief paragraph explaining why Tony was chosen as one of the "greatest goalies". Career stats are also listed and broken down by regular season and playoffs.

I kept thinking when I first saw the card that the photo looked very familiar, and sure enough, I believe it's the same photo that the artist who painted Esposito's Upper Deck Masterpieces card used for reference:
Thanks so much Sal for thinking of me when you were at the Convention and for contributing such a cool odd-ball card to my up and coming Tony Esposito collection! I'll be showcasing another great card from Sal on Shoebox Legends very soon!

Card of the Month - June 2009

1974-75 Topps - #169 - Kansas City Scouts Team Card

For this month's card of the month, I've chosen this beauty from the 1974-75 Topps set symbolizing the entry of the Kansas City Scouts into the NHL. If you didn't realize this team ever existed, it would be hard to blame you. They were around for only two seasons before their owners, nearly 1 million dollars in debt, relocated the team to Denver where they became known as the Colorado Rockies. The Rockies didn't last too long either, and eventually became the modern-day New Jersey Devils franchise.

The Scouts were named after a famous statue (the "Kansas City Scout" obviously) that overlooks downtown Kansas City. Their two seasons in the league were absolutely abysmal. In their first season they lost their final 21 games of the season. In their second and final season they won only a single game out of their final 44 games!

Even though the Scouts are generally seen as an expansion failure, and it's hard to argue otherwise, this card to me symbolizes an unique period in NHL history and is a welcome part of my collection.

Card of the Month - February 2009 (Whoops)

2009 Topps - #1(A) - Babe Ruth - New York Yankees

What do you know, it's already March and I missed the boat on the February Card of the Month. This month's selection is this Babe Ruth card I pulled in one of only two packs of '09 Topps I've opened so far. I'm not really impressed by the base sets from either Topps or Upper Deck this year, which is probably just as well as I'm still trying to finish the monster 2008-09 O-Pee-Chee hockey set. After seeing 2009 Topps opened on some other blogs, I didn't plan to pick up any of these at all, and was going to search for a Red Sox team set on eBay. I came across a post on Night Owl Cards though featuring a Roy Campanella card that looks absolutely awesome. Since hobby packs were a mere $2.00 at my local hobby shop, I picked up two in hopes of pulling the Campanella. I didn't get one, but I did end up with this great looking Babe Ruth card that I believe is part of the same set of short prints featuring retired players.

Although I'm not a huge fan of the set, kudos to Topps for including retired legends in its base set this year (even if they are short printed variations). You know this is a nice looking card if it features the Babe in a Yankees uniform and a Red Sox fan is willing to include it on his new site banner. Yeah, it was time for a change. Considering my old banner was derived from the bottom portion of a 1953 Topps St. Louis Browns card and contained the words "Home of the 1953 Topps Project", which has all but died recently, I thought it was time for a banner that was a bit more reflective of the content of the site. Plus, I kept it simple so that I can change the cards that are displayed at any time. Hope you like it!

Card of the Month - January 2009

1971 Topps - #83 - Doug Roberts - California Golden Seals

This card is special to me for a number of reasons. For starters, 1971 Topps/O-Pee-Chee hockey is one of my favorite hockey card designs of all time, a set that I would love to complete someday. There's just something about the circular frame-type border and the bubble letters that are used for the team's name that strikes a chord with me.

This particular card earns extra points in my book because the California Golden Seals no longer exist as an NHL franchise, and haven't since 1976. Any card, baseball or hockey, depicting a team that's no longer in existence has an extra level of appeal in my eyes. The California Golden seals didn't last long in the NHL, they were only around from 1967 - 1976. They had a pretty cool logo though. I wish the NHL would've revived this franchise in the early to mid-90s, rather than expanding into areas where hockey just hasn't caught on (cough, cough, Florida Panthers, cough, cough).

The real reason I spent $5 on a graded version of this card though is because Doug Roberts is someone whom I met and even talked hockey with numerous times growing up. Every summer my brothers and I would load up my mom's huge Chevy Astro van with our hockey gear and head off to hockey camp at Connecticut College down in New London, Connecticut. This basically consisted of a solid week of just playing ice hockey and street hockey, swimming and hanging out with other kids my age who were also into hockey. It was one of the highlights of my summer each year.

Doug was the hockey coach at Connecticut College from 1980 - 2000 and was always a presence at the camp, along with his brother Gordie (who also had some NHL experience), giving on-ice advice to all of us. It's been quite a few years since I stopped playing hockey, but I have a lot of fond memories of playing while growing up, and going through practice under the watchful eye of Doug Roberts is one that I'll never forget.

Card of the Month - December 2008

2007 Upper Deck SPX - #205 - David Krejci - Boston Bruins

I consider myself a set collector, and don't usually go for high-end product or chase the big pull, so I didn't buy any 2007 Upper Deck SPX hockey at $120+ a box last year. But when I saw this card on Ebay a month or so ago, I had to go for it. I decided on my limit, placed my bid, and was shocked when I won the card for under $10. I can probably count on 2 hands the number of autographed cards I have in my collection, and I think this is the only dual-patch, autographed and numbered card that I own.

I watch every single Bruins game courtesy of NESN and David Krejci has quickly become one of my favorite hockey players. This guy is only 22 years old and in his second season in the league, and he's already one of the most exciting players I've watched. I had a feeling he was going to explode offensively this season, and I grabbed this card and a couple of others just in time. A lot of the national focus on the Bruins has centered around Phil Kessel, and deservedly so as he goes into tonight's contest against the New Jersey Devils with an 18-game point streak.

To me though, Krejci is just as exciting a player as Kessel. In his last three games he notched his first career hat trick in a Bruins win over Toronto, scored a key go-ahead goal in the second period in a Bruins win against the Carolina Hurricanes, and tallied 3 first-period assists in Sunday's win over the St. Louis Blues. The streak has bumped him up to 16th in the league in scoring, and I think people are starting to take notice. This very same card is up for auction on Ebay and is already going for a few bucks more than I paid for it with a couple of days left.

This has instantly become one of my favorite hockey cards, one that I will enjoy looking at for years to come. If you haven't had a chance to see this guy play, here's a clip of his first career hat-trick the other night against Toronto. The second goal especially is a thing of beauty...

Card of the Month - November 2008

2008 O-Pee-Chee - #591 - Jari Kurri (Retro Variation)

I've been on a huge hockey kick lately. My high-definition DVR is being put to good use, and between NESN (which televises every Bruins game unless they are blacked out by national coverage), VS and the NHL Network I'm able to catch a solid 5-8 games a week. I've got more hockey than I can keep up with without wasting a bunch of money on an expensive cable package.

To continue with the hockey kick, this month's card of the month is the retro variation of Jari Kurri's 2008 O-Pee-Chee hockey card. I already raved about this set when I ripped a rack pack for A Pack a Day a while back, but I just can't get enough of it. After opening that rack pack I learned that the regular packs (both hobby and retail) contained variation cards of the entire 600 card set based on the 1979 O-Pee-Chee design (Wayne Gretzky's rookie year). I've always thought this was one of the best Topps/O-Pee-Chee designs, in fact, one of my favorite hockey cards of all time comes from this set.

I've since picked up a second rack pack, 4 hobby packs and a blaster from Target. I love the regular set, but these retro variation cards are even cooler. I'd love to complete a retro set, but it would be quite an undertaking. For now, I'll just enjoy the retro cards I have pulled, like this Jari Kurri.

I think Jari, a Hall-of-Famer and current manager for team Finland, is one of the most underrated players from the 1980s/90s era NHL. His 1,398 points are good for 18th all time, his 601 goals good for 14th place on the all time list. Keep in mind that he missed an entire season right in his prime, deciding to play overseas. Some people may argue that his point totals are inflated because he had the benefit of being Gretzky's linemate in both Edmonton and Los Angeles for the better part of his career. Fair enough, but what about his 1989-90 campaign, when he registered 93 points in 78 games and led the Oilers to a Stanley Cup Championship sans Gretzky?

What do you think, is Kurri one of the top players from his era or did he simply benefit from playing with the greatest hockey player of all time?

Card of the Month - October 2008

1952 Bowman - #169 - Walt Dropo

I love the fall, but it's a bit upsetting to see the baseball season come to an end every year, and it was especially tough to see the Red Sox go down the way they did this year, losing game 7 of the ALCS to the Tampa Bay Rays. I suppose I can't complain too much, considering I've been lucky enough to see the team I've rooted for since I was a kid win not one, but two championships this decade. Nonetheless, the end of the baseball season means the leaves will soon be falling off the trees, and I'll be subjected to another cold, dark, New England winter. At least I have cards and the Boston Bruins to get me through these tough times...

October's card of the month is another from the 1952 Bowman set. This set has always been a favorite of mine, as I explained when I used my graded Bob Feller as the card of the month back in July. So, when I saw this Walt Dropo card recently for $7, I had to pick it up. It's in pretty decent condition; it's slightly frayed edges and the small crease on the right above Walt's shoulder just give it character in my opinion.

It's funny, coming across a few graded cards on Ebay was what got me back into the hobby almost two years ago. I had never heard of the concept of grading in my first go around, and I loved the idea of picking up a little piece of cardboard history that was examined thoroughly by a grader at PSA, proven to be authentic, and then enshrined into a slab of plastic for all eternity.

As time goes on, you mature as a collector though. I've realized that graded cards can be great, and I still pick them up every once in a while, especially the 1953 Topps cards that I need for my graded set. However, I quickly realized that more often than not, graded cards are just a waste of money. Collecting the cards is what I care about, and while condition certainly holds importance, there's something I love about being able to hold a 50-plus-year-old card right in my hand, creases, dinged corners and all, without any plastic in the way. Graded cards are expensive too...I'd take 10 1952 Bowmans with wrinkles or creases over a single graded 1952 Bowman any day. So, while I'll still go for graded cards in certain areas of my collection, I've really become attracted to cards that show signs of wear from the passing of time.

Do you have any graded cards in your collection?

Card of the Month - September 2008

1960 Topps - #55 - Bill Mazeroski

I've chosen this card as September's card of the month for a few reasons. First of all, 1960 Topps is my favorite set from the decade. What's not to love about this set? Horizontal cards, color and black and white photos of the player, multi-colored block lettering for the player name...this is one great set.

Secondly, with the post season fast approaching, what better time to commemorate the greatest World Series home run ever hit? Anyone who calls themself a baseball fan already knows of Mazeroski's walk-off home run in game 7 of the 1960 World Series. This is the only walk-off home run to decide a World Series game 7 to date (Joe Carter won the 1993 World Series for the Toronto Blue Jays with his game 6 walk-off), and best of all it prevented the New York Yankees from capturing yet another championship. What you may not know (I will admit that I didn't until writing this post) is that the 13-year-old who caught the ball allegedly traded it to Mazeroski for two cases of beer after the game. It now sits in Cooperstown.

Finally, and most importantly, this card symbolizes what I have come to love about the recent explosion of baseball card blogs over the last couple of years. Most of the blog owners and readers are incredibly generous, and it's resulted in a really great community for trading (and sometimes just giving). A while ago, a gentleman named Rob contacted me about a potential trade. A short while later, a package arrived in my mailbox containing a few 2007 Goudey base cards that I needed, the rest of the cards that I needed to complete my 1991-92 OPC Premier hockey set, and to my surprise, this Bill Mazeroski card! For someone who loves vintage cards it doesn't get much better than this, thank you Rob! Just an FYI, your package did not make it out until today (I can't conveniently send to Canada from work and it's been tough getting to the post office). This gift has inspired me to give away some cards myself, keep an eye out in the near future!

Card of the Month - August 2008

1971 Topps - #73 - George Brunet

I chose this George Brunet card as the card of the month for August in part because it's the first 1971 Topps card in my collection. But, more importantly, it helped re-affirm in my mind the fact that there's still a place for hobby shops in modern collecting.

I recently bought my first house in Rhode Island, and around here the card shops are few and far between. The couple of shops that I've found in the area have a very limited selection and the cards are generally overpriced. The end result of all of this is that probably more than 75% of the cards I've purchased in the last year and a half have come from eBay or online card stores. There's something to be said for the local card shop though. Making small talk with the owner, thumbing through the cards, watching a couple of kids come in for bubble gum and pokemon cards; all of these things are associated in my mind with a trip to the shop, and give me a sort of nostalgic feeling that you just don't get shopping for cards online.

The fact that Rhode Island still celebrates Victory Over Japan Day (can you believe that?) means I had the day off and $50 in my pocket which I intended to blow on small pieces of cardboard. I took off for the only really large card store around, remembering that the owner had bragged about his selection of vintage singles the only time I'd visited previously. I was in search of 1955 Topps cards specifically, but found that the owner was asking anywhere from $20 to $30 for commons in the same condition as others I'd paid just a couple of dollars for online recently. The guy was a jerk on top of it, and seemed aggravated that I'd made him drag out his binder only to pass on the cards when I heard the ridiculous asking price. I left 5 minutes later with some toploaders, a shoebox and a 1978 Topps Thurman Munson, $5 less in my pockets, and a general feeling of dejection. As my drive home continued, I got more and more frustrated, to the point where I was cursing the hobby shop and questioning its validity in the internet age.

My hobby shop void still unfullfilled, I stopped on my way home at the only other shop I knew would be open, a total hole in the wall about 10 minutes from my house owned by a scraggly, middle-aged guy with an extremely limited variety of packs. I was looking for something to rip for A Pack a Day, but what I found was a glass case in the back corner of this guy's store that looked like it had about a half inch of dust on it. Inside were tons of stacks of vintage cards in toploaders, a huge variety of stars and commons in every different condition. The owner was the exact opposite of the jerk from the first store, he wasn't bothered in the least to spend time opening the case and passing me different stacks of cards to look through. If it were up to him, I think he would've talked to me about baseball and cards for hours. I would've gladly paid his reasonable asking price for the cards I picked out, but without me asking he dropped the price on every single one.

This George Brunet cost me a measly $.50. I spent almost my entire remaining $45 and left there with a huge stack of vintage commons ranging from 1962 - 1977. I also left with a smile on my face. I think I've finally found a local card shop I plan on supporting for a long time...

Card of the Month - July 2008

1952 Bowman - #43 - Bob Feller

I chose this card as the card of the month for July for several reasons. 1952 Bowman has always been special to me, as the first (and only) two really old cards I had as a kid were a 1950 Bowman Maurice McDermott and a 1952 Bowman Fred Hatfield that my Dad bought for me when we were out at a local antique store.

Also, aside from 1953 Topps, I think this is one of the best sets produced in the decade. I love the simple design of the card, with the thin white border, full color painting and facsimile signature. In fact, I liked the set so much that I foolishly purchased 2 wax boxes of 2007 Bowman Heritage last year (which mimics the '52 set) in an attempt to complete the set before realizing that I was still many cards short and that I would have to spend probably more than what I did on this Bob Feller to complete it on my own by ripping packs. Also, it's already been discussed on other blogs but the collation on the Bowman Heritage Prospect cards was absolutely terrible. Every one I pulled was odd numbered, and as a result I have a huge pile of odd-numbered doubles and am missing half of the cards I need for the set. But enough about that, this post is supposed to be about the '52 Bowman Feller.

The main reason this card was chosen is that on this day in 1951 Bob pitched a no-hitter against the Detroit Tigers, becoming just the third pitcher in history to pitch 3 no-hitters. The Indians won the game 2-1, as the Tigers did manage to plate a run as a result of an error, a stolen base, a bad pick-off throw and then ultimately a sacrifice fly. I think Nolan Ryan's 7 career no-hitters is one of those records that will simply never be broken, but 3 by Feller is impressive enough. This is one of a handful of '52 Bowman cards that I own, you'll probably see a couple more posted here at some point...

Card of the Month - June 2008

1991 Pro Set - #101 - Wayne Gretzky

With the 2007-2008 NHL season likely to end tonight in my opinion (I hope I'm wrong as I was really looking forward to a high-scoring 7 game series between the Wings and the Pens), it seems only right to continue with the hockey theme for this month's Card of the Month.

I don't think it was possible for a kid who began playing hockey at age 5 in the late 80s not to become a Wayne Gretzky fan. Most hockey fans will tell you that he is the best to ever play the game, and it's hard to argue against that. Wayne finished his career with the most goals, most assists and most points (by almost 1,000!) of all time. He led the Edmonton Oilers to 4 Stanley Cup championships within a 5 year period, is the only player to ever tally 200 points in a season (a feat he accomplished an astonishing 4 times) and is the only player in NHL history to have his jersey number retired for all teams! Very few athletes in history have dominated their sport on the level that Gretzky did.

As a 9 year old, I had been collecting hockey cards for a year or two when I decided I would send the Great One a letter containing a 1991 Pro Set card in search of an autograph. I wrote my letter out, asked my mom for a ride to the post office, and dropped the envelope in the mail, fully expecting never to see the card again. A few weeks went by, until one day I arrived home from school to find an envelope addressed to me in the day's mail. My jaw dropped when I opened it and found a letter from Wayne inside. Folded inside the letter was my Pro Set hockey card with a huge signature (including #99) right on the front. The letter was nothing great, I'm sure it was the same exact letter hundreds of other fans received back in the mail, but nonetheless I've always been thankful that Wayne Gretzky took the time to sign my card.

Looking back on it, there are a couple of things that really amuse me about this card. First of all, I chose a Gretzky card with an awful lot of black on it, especially considering most athletes sign in black sharpie. This was a calculated decision though, as I didn't own many Gretzky cards and this particular card featured a photo where Wayne is facing my favorite team, the Hartford Whalers. Luckily, the signature is dark enough that it shows through pretty clearly on the card. Secondly, I sent the French version of the card (Pro Set issued English and French-Canadian versions of their hockey cards). This was also a calculated decision. Obviously the English versions were more valuable to me so I decided to send the French version in case the card never made it back to me. Pretty amusing that I was too nervous to send a Pro Set hockey card (which literally is not worth the cardboard it's printed on) in the mail.

These little quirks just make me love the card that much more though. Any time I look at it I laugh and recall some really fond memories from my youth. This is the only card I've ever sent out to a player in the mail to be signed, and it's also the only card in my collection that I will absolutely never part ways with...

Card of the Month - May 2008

1970 Topps - #630 - Ernie Banks

Card of the month for May is this 1970 Topps Ernie Banks. I started collecting Ernie's cards last year because he was one of the players that I idolized when I was younger. Banks' cards also come at a very reasonable price compared to other Hall of Fame players with similar numbers. He was appropriately nicknamed "Mr. Cub", which makes perfect sense to me as he is undoubtedly the single player that comes to mind when you think of the old school Cubs.

Ernie was the first black player to suit up for the Cubs, and he played there his entire career (first at shortstop and then eventually moving to first base). He became known for the saying "It's a beautiful day for a ballgame, let's play two!". Unfortunately for Banks, the saying could just as easily have been "It's a beautiful day for a ballgame, let's play 2,528 of them and never make the playoffs!". Yes, the Cubs were so terrible during Banks' tenure that he holds the record for most games played without a playoff appearance.

I can't imagine what it must've been like to be that great a player, play that many seasons, and never even get a shot at winning the World Series. If this happened it today's era, you'd probably see quotes from Ernie, demanding to be traded, splashed all over Chicago newspapers and SportsCenter. Maybe that's why I enjoy collecting his cards. It's refreshing in this day and age of high-pressure baseball and huge contracts to think of a Hall of Famer who loved the game and was perfectly content despite playing for a losing team for almost 20 years.

The reason I chose the 1970 Topps card is that it was on this day in 1970 that Ernie Banks connected for his 500th home run at Wrigley Field, a feat that only 23 players have accomplished so far (Manny Ramirez is just a few swings away from becoming the 24th).