Hockey Cards

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Anyone out there collect hockey cards? Past or present?

I figured with this year for my team (Leafs) it would be a good time to buy a couple packs of 2016-17 cards to see if I could pick up a Matthews. Then I figured instead of trying to find one in random packs, I looked it up on eBay. $250+ for a 2016-17 Upper Deck Auston Matthews card. Wait, what?! Collecting full sets of cards didn't used to be difficult. Did the whole collectible card game trend change the way the sports card industry worked, or what? Sure enough, I looked at the back of the pack and it actually lists odds of finding certain card types. Blew my mind.

Anyway, I picked up a packaged team set of Parkhurst cards (I guess the Parkhurst Matthews isn't ridiculously rare...) so I at least have them all. I also recently picked up a pack of about 20 various Felix Potvin cards that was on shop.nhl.com. 

I still have a bunch of random cards from the early 90s. 

I also have a pair of 1957-58 Parkhurst. Jacques Plante, and Ed Chadwick. I really need to send both of those into PSA, especially the Plante. 

[krisdrum 233]

My kid started collecting a year or two back.  The sticker books are apparently gaining popularity again as well.  I remember having a few back in the '80s for multiple sports.  Unfortunately they all were ruined by some water damage, as I had some autographs and stuff as well in there.  But I digress. 

We haven't approached the card collection from as much of an investment perspective as we have from a reward and recognition for him.  So, for the most part he is just excited to get some new cards.  And although he'd love to have cards of his favorite players (Matthews being one), that just drives him to want to do something good to get another pack. 

We have purchased a few one offs (at a reasonable price) that he has more of a connection to.

[puckpilot 312]

I used to collect way back in the late eighties and early nineties. Got a handful of gems, mostly the RC cards of  most of the stars of the 80's, but everything  else I bought in the 90s turned into a pumkin after the ball ended. :p But getting to pass along some of that to my nephews.

My impression now is that the money in collecting is about limited run cards. So some cards are rarer than others. For example an Mathews Rookie card from one set may be rare than another from a different set. If the card is considered common, it will never be worth anything, kind of like all the rookie cards from the nineties. 

[LowStoneWall32 3]

I collect a ton of hockey cards. Any era but I only keep the goalies and players I like. The rest I give away to neighbor kids.

BTW anybody here have an arturs irbe card to trade?

[tedpenguins 93]

I've been collecting on and off throughout my life. Basically anything from the early '90's to now. A few years ago I managed to find a box set of cards all labeled in French from '91-'92 for a few bucks at a garage sale, pretty neat find since they were all unopened. 

[NiCnoK 61]

I'm right in line with the guys who collected cards in the late 80's - early 90's, thinking they would provide a nice nest egg for my retirement. This has, unfortunately, been 100% not the case.

The positive of these cards being worthless is that they're cheap to buy now. I stumbled across some full, uncut sheets of cards from my youth on eBay. I've never paid more than 20-30 bucks per sheet (most even less) and found giant plastic "card protectors" to hold them. I mounted to the sheets to the walls of my hockey room. It pleases me to no end to glance over these sheets as I catch my breath and see the stars of my youth. Pretty sure there's an Irbe or two...

Sorry for the blurry pic.

[hawkeyfan 36]

As a Side note...I have a sheet of uncut cards from HOK Architects of some of their sports stadiums they designed in the mid 90's.  Kinda unique item of the other side of sports

[bondoao1 8]

I have a ton of them from the 1990's. They are in a box somewhere in my garage. 

[IPv6Freely 2092]

This years Upper Deck MVP Series has player name pronunciation on the back 

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Those in the Toronto area are much more likely to understand. 

It helps that it’s my home town team 

[NiCnoK 61]

18 hours ago, IPv6Freely said:

Those in the Toronto area are much more likely to understand. 

It helps that it’s my home town team 

1

Look at Hayes out there grit grinding!

[Dante2004 0]

Prior to the 90's, kids would collect them to play with them.  Trade them, set them up on the floor for that nights game based on who was playing, stick them in the spokes of their bike wheels, etc.

Then came the 90's and it was all about protecting your "investment".  People didn't play with the cards anymore.  As a result, the "rare" cards aren't so rare anymore.  Especially the "mint condition" cards.  Try to find a Gretzky rookie card in mint condition.  It might be tough.  But you could find dozens of Lindros, Crosby, Towes, McDavid,  or whatever star you like from those eras.

 

 

[IPv6Freely 2092]

That, and collecting a set is easy (mostly) but all the rare extras and such make it painful. Having to buy ridiculous amounts of boxes just to try to get something worth anything is frustrating.

I think the collectible card game phenomenon has contributed heavily to it. I read pages detailing what’s in the new sets and I don’t understand half the lingo they’re using. 

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Just opened up my first 2017-18 Upper Deck Series 1 hobby box. Some decent enough hits. 

The jersey card is nice, and the Bure is apparently a rarer alternate version. Getting Bill Barilko is nice as well. Not sure if any of the others are worth anything.

What's surprising to me about this set is how many non-action shots there are. Lots of guys standing for the anthem (no helmet on), a couple guys holding some pucks, Chara in a practice jersey, more than a few players taping their sticks, Carey Price with a brutal looking beard, Eckholm taking a belt sander to his stick, and Anton Stralman looking like he's drunk, and Jason Garrison looking like he absolutely HATES the new vegas jersey he's got on.