An Amazing Package from Dave H

Recently I sent a holiday care package of sorts to my friend Dave H over at Wax Stain Rookie.  He really loved the package apparently, because the return bubble mailer he sent down here to the States absolutely blew me away!  I think Dave is one of my most loyal readers, at least based on the frequency of his comments, so he really has a good understanding of what I enjoy about the hobby.  Each and every card was thoughtful and hit on a collecting interest of mine.

For starters, inside my package was the entire 15-card Young Guns subset from 1996-97 Upper Deck Collector's Choice.  I didn't have any of them, in fact I'd never even seen these cards before (nor did I know that the Collector's Choice sets ever contained Young Guns cards).  The highlight of the set is clearly the RC of surefire future Hall-of-Famer and current Boston Bruin Jarome Iginla.

Here's a look at the back, you know you've got an older Iginla card when he's not sporting the captain's C.

Dave threw in some really great singles to accompany the Young Guns cards.  For starters, here's a '95-96 Collector's Choice Player's Club Platinum parallel of Jimmy Carson.  I have never owned one of these parallels, and this is a much appreciated contribution to my ever-growing Hartford Whalers collection.  I'm closing in on 1,200 unique Whalers cards, so to be able to send one that I don't have already is getting more and more difficult to pull off.  Dave nailed it with this one though!

Here's another new one for me, before this package I never owned a card from the 1991-92 Upper Deck Czech World Juniors set.  This Patrick Poulin was a thoughtful pick, as he kicked off his NHL career with the Whalers the same year that this set was released.  There are a few other cards I wouldn't mind picking up from this set in looking over the checklist, including Paul Kariya.

Dave knows I have a weakness for the colored parallels from the 2009-10 Champ's hockey set.  He sent me a couple of yellows previously, and this time it was an awesome Denis Savard  red parallel.  The red border really jives with the Blackhawks sweater to make a great looking card.

I wasn't collecting cards in 2006, so this '06-07 Be A Player Bergeron insert was definitely a card I did not have.  It's serial numbered to 499 copies on the back.  Patrice is one of the best two-way players in the game today, and is going to be with Boston for a long time thanks to a huge contract signed not too long ago.  He's one of those players that I will always gladly accept a new card of.

This card tripped me up a bit in the identification process, but I believe I've tracked it down to being a 2001-02 Parkhurst reprint of Milt Schmidt's '52-53 Parkhurst card.  This is a new Milt Schmidt for me, and represents the 18th unique Milt card in my modest collection!

Here's the back.  Thankfully Parkhurst inset the original back within a frame with a new card number, as the #117 was what allowed me to ultimately identify this one.  This reprint is especially awesome for me, because I picked up its original counterpart in what was one of my better hockey purchases of last year:

Here's another card that, while Dave couldn't have known it, I have coveted for quite some time!  Woody Dumart was one of Milt Schmidt's linemates on the famed "Kraut Line", and this cool little card comes from the 1994-95 Parkhurst Missing Link set.  These pop-up inserts, based loosely on the 1936-37 OPC design (sorry, I don't own an original to show you) are actually difficult to find and still demand decent change on the secondary market (try finding this card for under $5).

The parade of sweet Bruins cards continues with this Mirror Blue Materials Milan Lucic relic from 2011-12 Panini Certified.  This is just my second Lucic relic and as luck would have it both came my way via trade packages.

This one here is numbered to 99 copies...

As if all that weren't enough, Dave also threw in this sweet Dave Taylor autograph from 2006-07 Trilogy.  This card looks great paired with my other Taylor auto.  Just like with my first, Dave does not disappoint on the penmanship front.  Players of today, please take note that this is how you should sign an autograph (no, I'm not delusional enough to think that an NHL player will ever read this post, but I can rant, can't I?).

Now, if I stopped here this trade package would more than hold its own.  In fact I wasn't expecting anything in return, I was happy just to purge a few cards and I knew Dave would appreciate them and take good care of them.  Being the great guy that he is though, he included one more card in this package.  A card that really brought this bubble mailer to another level.  A card that made my jaw drop.  Check it out!

This well-loved beauty is my very first card from the inaugural 1951-52 Parkhurst set!  Pentti Lund here immediately becomes one of my oldest and most cherished hockey cards.  I've never held one of these Parkies in hand before, what a fantastic vintage card, and best of all it's a Bruins player.

Pentti is a very interesting guy, having moved to Canada from Finland at age 6.  He actually began his career with the Bruins, strangely appearing in just 3 total games (all in the playoffs) over his first two seasons before he was dealt to the Rangers.  In his first season in New York, he captured the Calder Memorial Trophy as Rookie of the Year in the NHL!  He was dealt back to the Bruins shortly thereafter, but unfortunately suffered a nasty eye injury in the '52-53 season which quite literally derailed and ended his NHL career.

Making this card even more special to me is the fact that Dave H was actually born in the same town that Pentti lived in.  In fact, Dave delivered papers for the Fort William Times-Journal while Lund was a sports reporter/photographer there!  Pentti even lived in the same building as Dave's grandmother during his retirement.  This added personal connection that Dave has with Pentti Lund is just the icing on the cake when it comes to this amazing card and this amazing trade package.

Dave...thank you, thank you, thank you!  I truly appreciate your generosity in sharing such a cool card with so much personal meaning, as well as the awesome trade package overall!  Just another example that our hobby is shared by some of the most generous people you'll ever meet...

My Most Prized Milt Schmidt

A while back I posted one of the highlights of my Milt Schmidt collection, a recently acquired 1952-53 Parkhurst.  At the end of that post I hinted that I'd picked up an even greater Schmidt card, and today I've finally gotten around to scanning and posting it.  Check it out:

This beauty is from the 1954-55 Topps hockey set, the very first hockey set ever produced by the Topps company.  I really love this set for that reason, and it doesn't hurt that the design is fantastic as well.  This is the third card I've been able to grab from the very small checklist, and it's far and away my favorite of the three.

Aside from featuring a Hall-of-Famer and one of my favorite hockey personalities of all-time, this card demands a premium whenever you can find one due to the fact that it's the last card on the checklist.  Those who collect vintage sets know how much rarer it is to find the first and last cards from any set in really good shape.  To give you an idea, Milt's "bookend counterpart" in this set, card #1, is Dick Gamble of the Chicago Blackhawks.  Never heard of him?  You're not alone, he's not a household name, a Hall-of-Famer, or even a star really.  Despite all that, I've never seen a Dick Gamble in the same grade as Milt here sell for less than $120, and I've seen them go north of $300 more than once!

Here's a better look at my copy.  I'm really happy with this one, it's the exact grade I was looking for, as my other two '54-55 Topps are PSA 6 as well.  I've desired this card for years, and have watched three of them sell before this one, each in the $300 to $340 range.  When I had the chance to take advantage of a poorly researched Buy-it-Now auction I jumped, and took this copy home for less than $200.  Sure, it was still one of the most expensive single hockey cards I've ever purchased in my life, but to me it was worth it.  I could easily flip this card for $100 to $150 profit, but I would never consider parting with this new cornerstone of my Milt Schmidt collection...

Here's a look at the back, the design here is maybe better than the front even as far as I'm concerned.  Just a great vintage hockey card, and a nice first effort from Topps.

So there you have it, my most prized Milt Schmidt card.  Have you ever had a case like this one during your time as a collector where you saw a card so discounted you just had to go for it?

A Monster Milt

A few weeks ago I was able to land a very significant piece for my modest Milt Schmidt collection:

This awesome 1952-53 Parkhurst card is now my oldest piece of cardboard depicting Schmidt.  It's a really beautiful card in person.  As someone who lists the early '50s Bowman releases among my favorite baseball sets of all time, it's about time I finally picked up my first smaller sized Parkhurst hockey card.  I guess I'm just a sucker for smaller, colorized vintage cards from either sport.

Here's a better look at the front of the card, great illustration of Milt posed in front of two levels of cheering fans.

Finally, a look at the back.  I'm going to try to resist the temptation to pick up more of these and instead try to focus on the million other hobby-related quests I've already got going.  It definitely won't be easy though.

This is actually the second really significant Milt Schmidt card I've added recently.  The other one, while not quite as old as this, is even more impressive, at least in my opinion.  I'll try to have that one posted sometime soon...

Milt-Jo! Let's Go Bruins!

Just a few minutes from face-off in what should be a thrilling Game 5 of the 2013 Stanley Cup Finals.  I wanted to post a Bruins card and wish the team luck, so here's a recent addition to my Milt Schmidt collection.  I cannot get enough of these Panini Classics autos.

Let's go B's!!!!!

Update:  Well, that sucked...

COMC Blaster - Goudeys, More Nolan Ryan and Some Hockey

Here's another "COMC Blaster", a $20 (give or take within $1) spending spree on COMC that reaffirms my choice to stay away from retail wax as much as possible. Let's see what $20 got me this time...

2007 Goudey #250 - Reggie Jackson Heads Up SP - $1.05

2007 Goudey was the set that got me back into collecting.  I am determined to finished the set one of these days.  The short prints are brutal, so whenever I can find one I need, like Reggie here, for a decent price I'm on it.  The Heads Up short prints are such great cards.

2012 Panini Black Friday Ice Kings #9 - Gordie Howe - $.64

Here's an interesting new Gordie Howe that I'll be featuring on my Hartford Whalers blog at some point.  Packs of these were given away at participating hobby shops on Black Friday last year as a reward for purchasing Panini product.  The "Kings" subset consists of Gridiron Kings for football, Court Kings for basketball and Ice Kings for hockey, in addition to the classic Diamond Kings for baseball.  A welcome addition to my Whalers collection for just $.64.  Didn't have to buy any Panini product either.

2007 Goudey #286 - Justin Verlander Heads Up SP - $1.00

I was particularly proud of this one.  One of the game's stud aces, had for just a buck.  Book value on this is $6, same as the Reggie Jackson that led off this post.

2007 Goudey #220 - Stan Musial SP - $2.74

I had to pony up a bit more to take home this Stan Musial short print.  Quite frankly I just don't see this one at a reasonable price all that often so I reluctantly shelled out just under $3 for my copy.  That's three more SPs towards my Goudey set, chipping away...

 1974 Topps Traded #330T - Juan Marichal - $.75

Of course there are some Red Sox included in my purchases.  I cannot believe I didn't have this Marichal card until now.  Granted he was well past his prime when this card came out, but it's cool nonetheless to have a card of one of the most (perhaps the most) dominant pitchers of the 1960s depicted with your favorite team.  You'd be hard pressed as a Red Sox fan to find a better piece of cardboard than this one for just three quarters.

 2010 Topps Wal-Mart Blue Back #8 - Nolan Ryan - $1.65

Here's a unique Nolan Ryan mini that I'd had my eye on for quite some time before I finally got an offer accepted.  I don't shop at Wal-Mart so had to grab this one on the secondary market.

 2011 Topps #425 - Adrian Gonzalez Diamond Anniversary Parallel - $.75

I've already shown this card previously in one of my Adrian Gonzalez collection posts, now you know where it came from.

 2010 National Convention VIP Topps Heritage #577 - Nolan Ryan - $3.85

Here's a case where, like the Goudey Stan Musial, I didn't mind shelling out slightly more than I typically would for a modern single.  A fantastic card from the National Convention a few years back of Nolan on the 1960 Topps design.

 2011 Topps Heritage #C193 - Adrian Gonzalez Chrome Refractor #'d/562 - $.88

This numbered refractor...

 2011 Topps Chrome #25 - Adrian Gonzalez Orange Refractor - $.75

...and this orange refractor have both been shown here previously as well.  Three nice additions to my Adrian Gonzalez Red Sox collection in this post, each for less than a dollar.

 2008 Goudey #319 - Nolan Ryan Sport Royalty Short Print - $2.75

Another Nolan Ryan, and another card I shelled out close to $3 for.  The more I think about it, Goudey short prints from almost all years have really held their value well.  I think I have almost every one of the Nolan Ryan Goudey SPs at this point.

 2007 Sport Kings #33 - Milt Schmidt - $2.95

Finally, my very first Sport Kings card, of one of my favorite hockey players, Milt Schmidt.  I will never bust any of this stuff, I can guarantee you that, but I couldn't pass on a single of a player I collect for under $3.  I have to say it is a really nice looking piece of cardboard, for sure.

There you have it, a dozen cards for a grand total of $19.76.  Like the last time I did one of these, I'd call this a success!

Signature Sundays - Another Milt Schmidt

Here's my latest Milt Schmidt autograph, this might be my favorite one yet.

This is an Original Six Signature from the 2007-08 O-Pee-Chee Premier set.  Numbered to 100 copies, it features a classic black and white shot of Schmidt from his playing days, and a really nice on-card signature over a Bruins watermark.  I've got a copy, and so does Casey from Drop the Gloves, so just 98 more of these out there if you want to snatch one up!

It continues to amaze me just how cheap cards of this Hall-of-Famer go for.  He's certainly one of the most interesting characters in the league's history, yet this card set me back just $15.  This is my fifth Schmidt auto, and it certainly won't be my last!

Signature Sundays - Milt Schmidt (and a Long Overdue Thank You)

This week's Signature Sundays post is the perfect time for a long overdue thank you to Douglas of Sports Cards from the Dollar Store.  Quite a while back now (must be close to a year ago at this point), he sent me a really cool oddball item:

This is a 1969-70 O-Pee-Chee Boston Bruins "mini-card album", which it seems were designed as a place for collectors to apply their O-Pee-Chee stamps.  The album is just about exactly the size of a standard trading card.

When unfolded there are four players from the album's team depicted inside.  What I love about this one is that someone stuck a Cheevers stamp in here many, many years ago, so you get a good idea of what the before and after looked like.  This is also the closest thing I have to a 1969-70 O-Pee-Chee Bobby Orr.

On the back are two more players prime to be stamped.  The Bruins weren't the only mini-card album that Douglas sent though, he also included the Blackhawks album:

This one's got a Bobby Hull stamp inside, how cool is that?

Yet another Hall-of-Famer on the back.  What does any of this have to do with Milt Schmidt or an autographed card?  I'm getting there.  Along with the two albums, Douglas included a single card in the package:

This is a new Milt Schmidt that I definitely did not have, from the 2006-07 In the Game Heroes & Prospects set.  This card was the perfect addition to my collection, Douglas certainly knows just what type of cards are in my collecting wheelhouse.  As proof of just how well he knows my collecting interests, here's a card that I had picked up just a week or two before his package arrived:

I got the autographed version, and Douglas sent me the base.  A nice couple of additions to the Milt Schmidt collection (even if the auto is a sticker).  This is the fourth Schmidt auto I've managed to pick up, and like the rest this one was criminally under-priced at just $10.36 with free shipping.

Thanks for sending this thoughtful package many months ago Douglas!  I'll have another post up later this week with your more recent package...

A New (Old) Milt Schmidt

With the 2012-13 (I guess really just 2013) NHL season getting underway today I figured it would be the perfect time to resurrect this card from the draft folder, where it's been for a long time now.  Here's the ninth Milt Schmidt card in my modest collection:

I'm sure you've seen this fantastic 1965-66 Topps Schmidt card elsewhere, Casey over at Drop the Gloves picked up an awesome copy a while back.  This card is all about the vintage Bruins sweater, which you can get a better look at on the card I posted on Milt's birthday last year.  I actually picked this one up just over a year ago, in January of 2012 but never got around to posting it.  It set me back less than the cost of a blaster, and that's including shipping if you can believe that.  Some of that may have stemmed from the fact that the seller listed this as a 1967 Topps Schmidt on the auction.  Not sure how they made that mistake with the year staring them in the face in bold type on the PSA slab but I'll take it!

I hope this card will be a good omen for the 2013 Bruins team, and I'm looking forward to the season opener tonight against the Rangers.  Happy hockey season to all NHL fans, whoever you cheer for.  Except Canadiens fans, of course.

Heritage Milt

There are many opinions out there when it comes to the "relic" card. Some collectors love them, some hate them, others are altogether indifferent. I guess I fall into this last category. I've probably got around 30 or 40 of them in my hockey collection, but I'd say around 3/4 of those ended up there by pure chance, either by a random trade or pulled from a pack. There are only a handful that I've actually sought out individually and consider keepers in my collection. Today's card is an example:

This is an Original 6 Arena Relic from 2000-01 Topps Heritage hockey. While I'm sort of apathetic towards relic cards on the whole, I'm even less enthusiastic about arena or stadium relics and "event-worn" relics. To me, if the jersey swatch, bat, or stick piece wasn't even used in an actual game it just doesn't have the same appeal. In this case though, I had to bite. If Topps can be trusted, then the small piece of wood on this card came from the old Boston Garden. As a venue that I experienced first hand once or twice as a kid, this is actually kind of cool.

The Garden hosted NHL games as far back as 1928(!), and as recently as 1995 (it was destroyed in 1997 and is now a parking lot). That means Milt Schmidt played his home games there, but it was around so long that Bourque and Gretzky played in the very same arena. I only saw a couple of Whalers/Bruins games there myself, but the garden was home to much more than just hockey and Celtics basketball. The Beatles played there on their first US tour. The Who played there as well, and so did Pink Floyd and Pearl Jam.

The card doesn't say anything about the relic, which is a pet peeve of mine. For all I know, this came from a folding table in one of the arena's offices. Since I don't know, I'll just assume that it came from a beer-stained, paint chipped seat. Either way, I thought it was an interesting card and something a little different for my slowly expanding Schmidt collection.

What's your take on relic cards? Do you typically keep them, or trade them away?