Fifteen Random Hockey Cards

The post title says it all.  Let's dive in...

The first three cards here are from the 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee release.  I think I ended up with these from purchasing a small lot where my main interest was in the high-number WHA cards.  I certainly won't turn these down though.  You won't find many cards featuring more lime green ink than this one has.

Next up, Dale Rolfe, who looks like he finished smoking a doobie about 5 minutes before this photo was taken.  Like Paul Curtis above, Dale was a defenseman.

Last but not least, Dean Prentice.  Once again the level of flourescence is pretty astounding here.  I've never been able to figure out the seemingly low placement of many of the portrait shots in this set.  It's almost like O-Pee-Chee was trying not to show the logo on the player's sweater, even though they were clearly licensed to do so.  Anyway, not exactly three perennial All-Stars there, but I think just about all hockey cards from the '70s are fun.

A lot of three 1981-82 O-Pee-Chee singles that I picked out from a quarter box a long while back packs plenty of star power though.  I should really just pony up and buy this entire set one of these days.  For now though, Bill Barber...

...Bernie Federko...

...and the great Darryl Sittler really strengthen up my '80s hockey collection for just 75 cents total.  These are mint and fairly well-centered (by '81-82 O-Pee-Chee standards anyway), wish I could find this kind of stuff in quarter boxes more often.

How about a few 1995-96 Leaf cards next.  I bought a hobby box of this stuff not long after returning to collecting, probably in 2007.  It has sat (opened) in a box since, as I kept telling myself one day I'd collate and scan them all in.  It's never going to happen, and with my new purging attitude for this year I bagged up nearly all of them and shipped them to Billy of Cardboard History.

I kept a few select singles for myself though, including any Whalers cards I needed for that team collection.

Also kept one or two superstars that I sort of half player collect, like Teemu Selanne.  There were plenty of dupes too, so Billy may have gotten copies of these cards anyway.

I hung onto a couple of the inserts from that Leaf box as well.  I have fond memories of these Studio inserts that resemble credit cards from back in the day.  Pulled Jim Carey in my box, and have one or two others that I've picked up cheap over time.  This is an insert set I'd like to complete someday.

Here's the other insert, from a Mario Lemieux-centric set.  Purging mentality or not, there are certain players I have a hard time parting with a card of if it's not a duplicate.  Lemieux is definitely on that short list.  Besides, that's a great look at a Team Canada sweater from the late '80s/early '90s.

Sticking with the inserts for a minute, here's a trio that were also plucked from a quarter box.  I've always loved Jaromir Jagr, one of the greatest professional sports careers that I've had the pleasure to witness in my lifetime.  I will never turn down a Jagr card.

A Teemu Selanne insert, his second card of this post.  I think this card was a pretty big deal for at least a short time back in the day given his absolutely incredible rookie season.  Funny to find it for a quarter all these years later.

Finally, an obvious pick-up.  I really don't know how this Donruss Rated Rookie Chris Pronger card eluded my grasp for all these years.  Always feels good to close a gap in my Whalers collection.  Speaking of which, the final card in tonight's post is certainly my personal favorite...

My latest hockey buyback!  I'm not sure how feasible completing a team set of these (#'d /25) or the 2010-11 un-numbered (but equally rare) buybacks is, but I'm certainly going to try.  Unfortunately I'm noticing hockey buybacks drawing more money recently in some cases on the secondary market.  Case in point, I was outbid only a week or so ago for two common Whalers just like this one (Dean Evason and Brad Shaw).  I set my bids at a number I thought was well high at $10 Canadian, and lost both auctions!

Oh well, just makes the challenge more enjoyable in the long run I guess.  At least I can cross defenseman Doug Crossman off the list.

Well, there you have it.  Fifteen random hockey cards.  Hope you saw something you liked, or at least that intrigued you.  Thanks for stopping by!