Pack Rip - 2010-11 Pinnacle Rack Pack

I've seen a couple of boxes/packs of Panini's new Pinnacle hockey product ripped on other blogs and have been intrigued enough by the cards that I picked up this rack pack while at Target the other day:

I think what sold me the most on this was the value per card. I hadn't seen these rack packs yet but they contain 40 cards and are priced at a mere $4.99! That's just over 12 cents per card, which is pretty unheard of nowadays when it comes to busting wax. As usual I'm late to the party, and many of these have already been shown elsewhere. So, I'll keep the commentary to a minimum. Let's see what my Abe Lincoln netted me...here are all 40 cards in order:

#177 - Ryan Miller

Pretty good first card out of the gate. I like that the design is pretty minimal on these, leaving lots of room for the photo. As others have already noted, there are some great unusual shots in this set, some of them very different than what you would encounter in a typical hockey set.

I really like the card stock that these are printed on as well, a little thicker and sturdier than many other products.

#200 - Bobby Ryan

There are definitely some negatives with this set though. In fact, here's my biggest gripe:


Panini seems to have trouble with card backs in my opinion. I thought the backs were the weakest part of the Score release earlier this season, and these are no different. In fact, without one in front of me, I seem to recall the Score backs looking awfully similar to these if memory serves. If you're not going to give us any stats at all, could you at least use a different photo than you did on the front?

My other major complaint is that the set is just too small. It consists of a mere 250 cards, a base set (cards 1-200) followed by 50 short-printed Ice Breaker rookie cards (cards 201-250). With just 200 cards for the game's current stars, there are a lot of holes in this checklist. If you're a player collector there's a chance your guy was left out (as is the case with me, no David Krejci base card). This might've been alright if the set were released in two series like Upper Deck. A second series with base cards numbered 251-450 and then another set of short prints numbered 451-500 (maybe retired legends or something). However, with just a single release this late in the season, I think a 300 card base set with 50 short printed rookies may have been better.

#158 - Duncan Keith

#116 - David Booth

Fantastic photo!

#173 - Tyler Myers

Another good shot, Myers fending off Sid the Kid.

#130 - Jimmy Howard

#187 - Tobias Enstrom

Will there be Thrashers cards next year, or Jets cards instead? Here's hoping for Jets cards!

#145 - Antoine Vermette

#103 - Andrew Brunette

#120 - Ryan Whitney

#45 - Jordan Staal

#3 - Michael Neuvirth

This was one I was hoping to pull, a unique shot of Neuvirth watching the Zamboni, presumably clearing the center of the ice for an upcoming shootout.

#61 - Sergei Gonchar

#19 - Kris Versteeg

#42 - Sidney Crosby

It's a shame that a concussion prevented us from seeing just what kind of season Crosby may have pieced together this year. Sidney's been in the league for 6 seasons now, and the only thing that's prevented him from registering 100 points in all 6 of those seasons is injury.

#99 - Mikko Koivu

#57 - Jeff Carter

Another cool photo with the smaller view of Jeff on the video camera. That chubby kid in the orange shirt in the hallway probably has no idea he's immortalized on cardboard.

#15 - Tyler Bozak

#72 - Marian Gaborik

#29 - Jaroslav Halak

What a helmet!

#232 - Cam Fowler - Ice Breakers

My one rookie in the pack. Could any less effort go into differentiating the rookie cards? Snooze...

I have another gripe as well. The back on my Fowler rookie is positioned exactly the OPPOSITE way that the backs of the base cards are. So, when you have them all facing the same way on the front, the backs of the rookie cards are flipped compared to the base set. Are all the rookies like this or just my Fowler? Anyone?

#86 - Pekka Rinne

#44 - Marc-Andre Fleury

Couple of pretty good goalies back to back!

#2 - Mike Green

#60 - Chris Pronger

#84 - Steve Sullivan

#41 - Zbynek Michalek

#98 - Niklas Backstrom

#56 - Mike Richards

#135 - Loui Eriksson

#159 - Corey Crawford

#117 - Bryan McCabe

I love the look on the face of the Thrashers player (who I believe is Chris Thorburn).

#174 - Tyler Ennis

#131 - Henrik Zetterberg

#188 - Ondrej Pavelec

#146 - T.J. Galiardi

#104 - Brent Burns

#162 - Jussi Jokinen

Maybe the best photo in the pack. Using the team colors in the shading for the player name, team name and Pinnacle logo is a subtle design element that really ties the cards together nicely.

#14 - Alexandre Burrows

Wish they would've gotten the green men in this Vancouver penalty box photo.

#71 - Martin Biron

We close it out with Marty Biron sweeping up after a hat trick.

Despite not being big on the backs, wishing the set was a little larger, and not pulling so much as a single Boston Bruin, I was very pleased with this value pack. I was surprised that I could get 39 base cards and a short print for just $5. The solid design, thick cardstock, great photography and low price point made this a fun pack to rip. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I went back today and picked up the last two remaining packs, which I haven't ripped yet.

Hobby boxes of Pinnacle are selling for north of $80, and they yield just over 175 base cards from what I've seen. So, if you're like me and don't care much for the inserts, parallels, game-used or auto cards and just want to build the base set these rack packs are an incredible deal!

A Case for Graded Cards

Sal over at Puck Junk recently posed the question 'Do You Collect Graded Cards?'. I agree with the overall analysis that the competitive graded card market is bad for the hobby. Collectors one-upping each other to climb the ranks of the set registry and attain the most impressive specimens flies in the face of what this hobby should truly be about in my opinion. I also think paying $94,000 for a PSA 10 Gretzky rookie is an insane waste of cash (not to mention look at that right edge, that is NOT a gem mint copy!).

That being said, I do think graded cards can have a place in the hobby if approached correctly. While most of my collection consists of non-graded material, I do buy my fair share of PSA-slabbed cards. I don't view graded cards as the "pissing match of collecting" at all.

First of all, with very few exceptions all of the graded cards I've purchased are pre-1990. I think hundreds of collectors submitting their 2010 Steven Strasburg cards in hopes of scoring a PSA 10 example and cashing in is exactly the pissing match mentality Sal is referring to in his post. Instead, the bulk of my graded cards are from the 1950's and 1960's, with a few stragglers from the 70's and 80's. Let's look at a few examples of graded cards I've picked up within the last few months or so. I'll use each one to try to illustrate why graded sometimes makes sense for me.

Argument #1 - Validity

1968-69 Topps - #89 - Bernie Parent (RC)

Where I live I have little to no access to vintage hockey cards. I never seem to make it to shows, and the one hobby shop by me, while great, just plain doesn't have much in the way of vintage hockey. I've never run across this particular card in person, which means one thing, I had to buy it online. In cases like this, the graded copy is not for bragging purposes, is not meant to convey "my Parent rookie is nicer than yours is" (in a whiny voice).

I'm not in search of a Gem Mint 10 copy, I was perfectly happy with this Near Mint PSA 7. The reason is that I've heard of too many collectors being burnt by counterfeit, altered or trimmed cards. When I'm buying a rookie card of a Hall-of-Famer like this that's half a country away, and I'm basing my purchase on a couple of low resolution photos, it gives me good peace of mind to know that the card was inspected and has not been trimmed or otherwise altered in any way.

Argument #2 - Graded Cards Are Always Expensive (Myth)

1950 Bowman - #223 - Jimmy Russell

I think the argument that graded cards are always more expensive is a myth. Sure, a pristine 9 or 10 vintage Hall-of-Famer is going to cost you top dollar. But if you're willing to accept lower grades like I am there are deals to be had. This 1950 Bowman Jimmy Russell is a good example. I'm a sucker for 50's Bowman, especially the 1950 and 1952 sets. On top of that I try to accumulate Brooklyn Dodger cards whenever I can. So what did this card cost me? How about $6.51?

I think every collector at one point or another has spent far more than $6 and change on something they ended up being disappointed with. I definitely had no buyer's remorse on a 1950's Brooklyn Dodger card that cost me what many hobby packs go for nowadays.

Argument #3 - Graded Cards Are Always More Expensive Than Non-Graded Versions (Myth)

1953-54 Parkhurst - #96 - Woody Dumart

I think this 1953-54 Parkhurst Woody Dumart may possibly be my oldest hockey card. I paid $25 for it, which I think is pretty reasonable considering this one went for $14, and basically has four rounded corners. The Parent rookie at the beginning of this post suits this argument as well. I paid $32 for it, yet a search of completed auctions on eBay for a '68 Topps Parent currently turns up only this one, which went for $24 and is not centered as well as the one I picked up. Again, if you're not looking for absolute mint copies, and just want to know that the card you picked up hasn't been altered or doctored, you don't have to pay a premium for a graded example.

There are some other benefits to buying graded, like the fact that the cards tend to hold a higher resale value. If something happened and I had to part with my entire collection tomorrow, I know I'd get back for the graded cards roughly what I paid for them in the first place. The same cannot be said for a $150 hobby box that yields about $30 worth of market value. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a reason to buy graded. I buy plenty of wax and other things that don't "retain value", because I don't think the hobby is about retaining value, but it is a nice benefit.

So, in summary I agree that graded cards can lead to a pissing match about whose copy is "the best". I think paying 94K for a Gretzky rookie is nuts, when you can buy a near mint-mint copy like I did for around 300 bucks. But in all fairness I think that with the right approach they can be an integral part of a good collection. Then again, the great thing about this hobby is that everyone and every collection is different. What works for some doesn't work for others.

How about you, do you collect or have any graded cards?

Red Sox Collection - 2008 Topps Heritage Buyback Gene Stephens

Not a lot of time tonight, I'm busy watching the Bruins get destroyed by the Lightning. Hopefully the Seguin goal before the intermission will be a momentum changer and the B's can climb back in this thing in the second.

Here's a recent addition to my Red Sox collection, a 2008 Topps Heritage Buyback of Gene Stephens:

I'm a sucker for 1959 Topps, even if it has a pesky foil stamp. I'd love to see the Red Sox use this logo again.

I'm not sure if I've ever heard an outfield trio referred to as a picket line before...

Let's go Bruins!

Out With The New, In With The Old - WHA Lot

Time for my third and final (for now) Out with the New, In with the Old post. Basically these consist of me flipping a newer card that I pulled from a pack for vintage goodness. So far I flipped a 2010-11 Score Jordan Eberle Hot Rookie SP for two graded Johnny Pesky cards, and traded away a P.K. Subban Young Guns rookie for a 1968-69 Topps Phil Esposito. In my opinion I saved the best for last, but you decide for yourself.

Back in March of last year, I pulled this Logan Couture Young Guns rookie from a 2009-10 Upper Deck Series 2 wax box:

At the time, I was pretty bummed about the box as a whole, Couture was probably the best of the Young Guns I pulled. He hadn't seen much, if any, NHL action at that time, plus I was aggravated that I got 2 figure skater cards as inserts in the box. Really Upper Deck?

I learned though that sometimes what appears to be a crap box can turn out pretty decent in the long run. Fast forward a year and you have Couture turning in a fantastic rookie season, in fact he's even a (strong) candidate for the Calder Trophy this season. I capitalized on the hype by listing my card on eBay back in February when he was on a scoring tear, and in fact was leading all rookie scorers. The auction fetched $24.50, which I was very pleased with. You'll never believe what I was able to pick up with the PayPal balance. For less money than I made off the Couture card I won this:

1977-78 O-Pee-Chee WHA - #50 - Bobby Hull

I haven't really posted about it yet, but the 77-78 O-Pee-Chee WHA set is one I've been working on for quite some time. There are a ton of issues with centering and rough edges with this set, pretty much par for the course for O-Pee-Chee at that time. I'm not doing a graded set, but I have been trying to find PSA 8 versions of the two big cards from the set (Hull and Howe) for some time now, and I was beyond pleased to snag this well centered Bobby Hull for $22.

Here's the crazy part though...my $22 didn't just net me the Bobby Hull. The auction was actually for a lot of 5 O-Pee-Chee WHA cards. Check out the other 4!

1974-75 O-Pee-Chee WHA - #50 - Bobby Hull

My very first 1974-75 WHA card, and not a bad one to start with! I don't care for the 74-75 design as much as I do the 77-78's, but talk about a nice throw-in card. Before this auction win I didn't have any vintage Hull's in the collection, now I have two.

I do like the 74-75 backs quite a bit. Just the fact that they have a cartoon automatically makes them better than the 77-78 backs. Interesting that the back refers to Bobby Hull as Mr. Hockey. Bobby's known as The Golden Jet, not Mr. Hockey. No matter, the other 3 cards in the lot are the real Mr. Hockey!

1977-78 O-Pee-Chee WHA - #1 - Gordie Howe

Very nice, the other big card I was missing from the 77-78 set, card #1 commemorating Howe's 1,000th goal. Sure, this one's off-center from left to right and from top to bottom, but it's got 4 good corners with no scratches, scuffs or creases and has pretty good overall visual appeal. I'll track down a PSA 8 to go with my Bobby Hull someday, but for now this one is more than acceptable in my set. I love the see-through boards in the background and the classic O-Pee-Chee "Now with..." designation on the front.

You can see how the copyright print at the bottom of the back is cut off, and at the top of the back you can see a faint trace of the copyright print from the card that was above it on the uncut sheet. I think the watermarked number 9 is a nice touch.

1976-77 O-Pee-Chee WHA - #50 - Gordie Howe

My first 76-77 WHA card. I like the design that O-Pee-Chee went with this year, I may have to try completing this one once I've gotten through 77-78.

1975-76 O-Pee-Chee WHA - #66 - Gordie Howe All-Star

Possibly my favorite card in the lot. I love the way the All-Star subset looks in this set. Unlike all the other WHA cards in this lot, the back contains full stats for Howe's career, which at that point was a lot of information to cram onto the back of a single card:

That about wraps it up. No offense to Logan Couture, but I think this was an absolute steal. I doubt there's a hockey card collector out there anywhere that would take that single Young Guns rookie card over these vintage Howe's and Hull's.