Belated Thank You to Sportscards from the Dollar Store

I got quite a ways behind on posting trade packages over the summer, largely thanks to one or two monster packages.  I am nearly caught up though, and wanted to take a moment to thank Douglas of Sportscards from the Dollar Store for a couple of great packages he sent a few months ago now...

One smaller PWE package contained a few new Hartford Whalers cards.  I think at least one or two of these I commented about when they were posted on his blog, and Douglas was kind enough to set them to the side for me.  This Sean Burke is from the 2012-13 Between the Pipes set, always nice to see the Whalers on a modern checklist!

I'm going to need some help identifying this one...anyone?  It's a sticker, and it's very shiny, but there's not really any telling information about what set this is from.  Please leave a comment if you know, or think you know, so that I can properly catalog this one...

Andrew Cassels hand signed Collector's Choice card!  Don't think there are many folks out there forging Cassels' signature so I'm willing to bet this is legit.  I've got a certified Cassels auto kicking around here somewhere that I can compare it to.

There was also a much larger package, in a bubble mailer, that helped me to make significant progress on two hockey sets.  First, there were a handful of '82-83 O-Pee-Chee cards.  I'm getting there with this one, but still have around 140 cards to go, including many of the big cards.  I'm sort of regretting not just picking up a set with this one, and I still may given that you can get one in really nice condition for under $100.

For now I'm happy to get a little closer to my hand collated set at least.

The majority of the bubble mailer was Douglas just about demolishing my 2010-11 Score want list!  There were dozens of cards I needed from the set.  In fact, after this package I'm now just two base cards and 5 Hot Rookies short prints away from knocking this one off!

I don't have time to show all the great Score cards included, but there were definitely some stars...

I'd say this package saved me a couple bucks on COMC just for those few superstars alone.  The absolute best part of the package is the card I've saved for last though, one I've been searching out for a LONG time...

Absolutely psyched to land this card!  If you've been reading my blog for a while you know that I've been in pursuit of the 2008-09 O-Pee-Chee Retro parallel set for years now.  I'm only working on Series 1, which is a 600-card behemoth, and I'm painfully close to finishing it off!  Trevor was one of four cards I had left to track down, and held a spot on my Most Wanted list in my sidebar before Douglas picked it off.  I'm so close now on this set I can taste it, just three more of these impossible-to-find cards to track down...

As always, thanks for the fantastic cards Douglas!  You're one of the few collectors I know who makes as much effort to find cards for others as he does for himself, and it's truly appreciated!

Signature Sundays - Three Forgotten Franchises

This Sunday we'll look at some autographs from three hockey franchises that have all moved on to new cities...

First up is Laurie Boschman of the Winnipeg Jets.  Boschman was a decent scorer (although again he played during a very offensive era), but was also not afraid to mix it up and rack up some PIM.  In fact, he's a member of the 500 point / 2,000 PIM club!  The Jets had a very balanced attack during those years in the '80s and no season illustrated that better than '84-85, when Laurie was one of six 30-goal scorers for the Jets!  Unfortunately the team never advanced far into the playoffs, and they were split apart after a few seasons.  As NHL fans know, the team ultimately relocated to Phoenix and became the Coyotes.  Thankfully for the city of Winnipeg, they got their beloved NHL franchise back a couple of years ago when the Atlanta Thrashers relocated and became the new Winnipeg Jets.

I did not know that Boschman began his hockey career as a goalie, props to Panini for that one.  Another random fact, Laurie was the first ever captain of the modern day Ottawa Senators franchise!

Joining Laurie Boschman in today's post is Bill Clement of the Atlanta Flames.  For those in my generation, Bill is much more recognizable as a broadcaster than a hockey player, but he did have a decent NHL career.  He was a member of the Flyers' Stanley Cup winning teams of the '70s as a fourth line center, before being traded briefly to the Washington Capitals, then finishing his career out with the Flames.  They were located in Atlanta when Bill first joined the franchise (and when this photo was taken), but would move to Calgary after the '79-80 NHL season.  You'd think the NHL would have learned from this and not bothered with the Altanta Thrashers a couple of decades later, but I guess not.

Anyway, I really love this photo, one of the few black and white shots in the set, and Bill has a really great signature as well.  I used to love the Bill Clement/Gary Thorne NHL coverage on ESPN back in the day, and as someone who played many of the NHL video games growing up I heard that same duo for hours on end many a day!

Finishing our trio of forgotten franchises is Craig Patrick of the California Golden Seals.  Like Clement, he's really made a name for himself by what he's done after hanging up his skates.  Patrick is one of those hockey guys who is just intertwined with the game in so many ways.  His grandfather was the infamous Lester Patrick.  He was an Assistant GM and Assistant Coach for the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" US hockey team.  On top of that, he was incredibly successful as GM of the Penguins for close to two decades.

Unfortunately, the Golden Seals never really drew many fans and ultimately moved to Cleveland in 1976 to become the Barons.  Never heard of the Cleveland Barons?  After just two seasons they merged with the Minnesota North Stars, who have since moved to Dallas and shortened their name to simply the Dallas Stars.  Man, the NHL franchise shuffle can be confusing sometimes...

This trio of autographs brings me up to 33 and counting now from the 2012-13 Signature Classics set...

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?

Signature Sundays - John Olerud

Let's take a break from Panini Classics Signatures hockey this week. With the baseball season winding down I wanted to squeeze this one in.  Today's autograph is a signature I've wanted for a while now, a player I really admired during my youth, John Olerud:

If you're a Blue Jays fan, this will remind you of better days.  Days when the Jays weren't finishing last in the AL East, 23 games back.  A fine looking card, and props to Topps for going with the '93 design.  Olerud enjoyed his career year that season en route to a World Series championship.  I'll never become a John Olerud collector, but I do enjoy picking up select cards of his from time to time.  This one would have to be right up there with my '93 Finest Refractor.

The only unfortunate thing about this one as a Red Sox fan is that the write up on the card back just happens to mention two separate occasions where he decimated Sox pitching.  That aside, in my opinion this one was an absolute bargain for $7.01 plus $1.95 shipping.

That's Why I Don't Buy Blasters - Volume II - Batter Up!

A couple of weeks ago I started a new series here on the blog, entitled 'That's Why I Don't Buy Blasters'.  Pretty self-explanatory concept.  In the first post I ended up with a really nice 1964 Topps Stand-Up Ernie Banks.  I wasn't sure I'd be able to top that one for some time, but I think I may have already done so...

This is a 1934-36 Batter Up card.  How cool is that?  These were made by National Chicle, the same company that produced the Diamond Stars cards during that same time period.  Like the Ernie Banks card I featured in my last post they were stand-ups, die cut around the player's photo and then perforated at the half-way point so that you could punch out your player and fold down the back of the card.  First series cards (1-80) measure 3 1/4" x 2 3/8".  Like most stand-ups, the backs are totally blank, so the card number is written in the lower right corner of the card front.

The subject of this card is Hal Schumacher of the New York Giants.  I was instantly drawn to these because of the awesome, old-timey photos.  I've never heard of Schumacher, but just look at those stir-ups and that glove!  Not to mention I think it's great any time I can add a vintage New York Giants card to the collection.  Speaking of New York franchises of yesteryear...

I like this one more than the first.  I've said it a few times before, but if I had an unlimited card budget I'd attempt to collect every single Brooklyn Dodgers card out there.  The highlight of this card is the patch on the sleeve for sure.  Both of these cards still have their top halves intact, which is something you don't always find if you're bargain hunting for them like I was here.

These are fantastic cards, and I would have been happy with just the two for the price of a blaster, but as it stands they set me back just $7 a piece.  In fact, they were just purchased as add-ons when I looked to see what other cards an eBay seller I was buying from had for sale.  Here's the original card that led me to those last two:

A great vintage catcher's card if I've ever seen one!  When I stumbled upon this card with a $7 Buy-it-Now price, it was one of those where you just react immediately and click buy.  All the usual care I take when purchasing a card, like price comparison, online research, etc. just went out the window because I had to have that card!  I didn't know it at the time but Hemsley had a decent career, he was a 5x All-Star and at one point was Bob Feller's personal catcher.  In fact, he even caught a Feller no-hitter!  I'm not sure I'll ever find any of these for this little cash again, but I'll certainly cherish these three for the time being.

1934 Batter Up Cards - $7 each
Shipping - Free!
Total - $21

Like I said, I like these for the same reason that I enjoyed the Conlon sets from the '90s, it's just so interesting to see these old black and white photos, a window back into baseball's great past.  These cards are nearly 80 years old now, you won't find that under shrink wrap at your local big box store...

1953 Topps Project - Minnie Minoso

Moving one card closer to my goal of collecting the 1953 Topps baseball set in grade PSA 6, this evening's addition will be card #66, Minnie Minoso:

A very nice card indeed!  Minnie is a fascinating figure who's led an interesting life.  His first Major League appearance came in the late '40s, and his last in 1980!  He's also the subject of one of my favorite '70s Topps cards.  Minoso had a great season with the White Sox in 1953, swatting an impressive .313 with 15 HR and 104 RBI.  He was elected an All-Star and finished fourth in MVP voting, feats he would accomplish again in 1954.

I'm happy to welcome Minnie Minoso to my set.  This card may not be listed in Beckett, but it's certainly more than just an average vintage common as far as I'm concerned.

Set Progress:  56 of 274 (20%)

Signature Sundays - New York Nicks

Yes, we're going back to the Panini Classics Signatures well again for Signature Sundays.  Today we've got a pair of "New York Nicks"...

First is Nick Kypreos, who was known mostly as an enforcer during his NHL career.  You can tell by the man's signature what his proudest accomplishment was at the NHL level, and that was winning the Stanley Cup with New York in 1994.  True, he played in just three playoff games that year (registering 0 points, 2 PIM and a -1), but he still got to experience being on a team that won it all.  Nick was pretty lucky in that he was dealt from my favorite team, the Hartford Whalers, to the Rangers during that 1993-94 season.  Had he stayed with Hartford he would have finished 6th in the Northeast Division and missed the playoffs entirely.

Joining Kypreos today is Nick Fotiu.  Also known for his ability to throw his weight around, Fotiu was a fan favorite in New York due in part to the fact that he was a local boy (Staten Island).  Like Kypreos, he spent some time with the Whalers.  In fact, he began his professional career with the New England Whalers of the WHA, and would play for the Hartford Whalers as well.

I like that Panini mentions his ventures in boxing on the card back.

Two Nicks, both of whom played for the Rangers, both of whom played for the Whalers, and both of whom knew how to throw down the gloves.  This pair brings me up to an even 30 autographs from this excellent set...

Premier League Week 5 - 1960 A & BC Gum Ron Wylie

Another exciting weekend of Premier League soccer, another card from the 1960 A & BC Gum set.  My favorite team, Liverpool, suffered a tough 1-0 home loss to Southampton this week.  Here's a card from a team that fared a little better earlier today...

How about that smile from Ron Wylie of Aston Villa?  Ron's a little off-center, and has well rounded corners, but other than that is looking pretty good.  He played quite a few seasons for Aston Villa, and was a member of the team that won the inaugural League Cup in 1961.

Aston Villa is a club I'm somewhat familiar with, having followed Premier League soccer for the past couple of seasons.  I didn't realize they had been around so long though, having been established in 1874, and playing their home games on the same field now that they did at the end of the 19th century!  Today they were successful on the road at Norwich, capturing 3 points with a 1-0 victory.

Thanks to the back we find out that Wylie was the "ball-playing type of inside forward".  Seems like the writers were really stretching there.  I don't think it's likely I'll ever finish this set in my lifetime given that I never seem to encounter these cards anywhere, but Ron here is my 4th and counting...

Mini Zistle Trade with goingdeepe

A couple of weeks ago I completed a very simple trade with Zistle user goingdeepe.  I've still got a couple of larger trades that I need to post, but this one was so simple it was easy to knock off my list.  I sent two cards his way (2009 Topps Heritage Billy Wagner and 2012 Topps Gypsy Queen David Ortiz) for two in return:

Julio Lugo here was one of the last few 2008 Allen & Ginter Red Sox cards I needed.  I felt so old when I looked him up and found that he's been out of the game for two years now.

Joining Julio in the envelope was this '87 Topps Mini Leaders Wade Boggs.

Sometimes you can't beat a nice, easy PWE trade.  Two cards gone from my doubles box, two lines crossed off my Red Sox want list.  That's a win/win for me.

Signature Sundays - Serge Savard

Just one autograph today for my Signature Sundays post, but I thought this one was significant enough that it deserved to be highlighted on its own.  I've shown a ton of autographs from the 2012-13 Panini Classics Signatures hockey set in recent months, but few of them have been Hall-of-Famers.  Milt Schmidt, Denis Savard, and last week's Bernie Federko card put my tally at three, and today's card is my fourth HOF auto from the set:

Serge Savard is certainly considered one of the all-time great Montreal Canadiens.  He played on a staggering 8 Stanley Cup championship teams in 17 seasons with Montreal.  The Canadiens won the Cup in each of his first two seasons with the club, and he became the first defenseman to capture the Conn Smythe trophy in just his second year.  He'd remain with the team through their amazing run in the '70s before finishing out his career with the Jets.

Savard was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 1986, and his number has been retired by Montreal.  He's remained involved with the team and was GM for the Canadiens' Stanley Cup wins in 1986 and 1993.

This one makes 28 2012-13 Panini Classics Signatures autos and counting...