The Great Zo
Verified Trader,
This is another rather mixed-up mail post without a theme, but the lead card is a truly special commemoration, and the two cards at the end are both firsts for my collection!
Mail Post #11 for 2014
-------------------------------------------------------
13-14 Upper Deck Game Jerseys GWJ-MS Mandi Schwartz
"I encourage you to enjoy every time you step on the ice. Don't forget to play for the fun of the game. Every time that you go for a skate is a chance to make yourself better, do what you love the most and have the time of your life." -- Mandi Schwartz 1988-2011
Mandi Schwartz, the sister of Jaden Schwartz, battled Leukemia before her death in 2011. Her story became an inspirational one, and she was honored with a jersey card in 2013-14 Upper Deck Series 1.
Early in 2014, the cards also became available through The Mandi Schwartz Foundation as a fundraiser. I received this card through the foundation, which seemed like a much better option than buying one of the few on ebay for a much higher price. If you'd like to own one of the Mandi Schwartz jersey cards, you can get the ordering instructions from this web page:
http://www.mandi17.org/?page_id=197
From what I can tell, the version I received is identical to that of the version inserted in packs of UD1. Only available in UD1 was a patch variation, limited to just 15 copies. I've only seen one or two of those.
-------------------------------------------------------
10-11 Between The Pipes Deep in the Crease Nashville Predators
-- Pekka Rinne / Mark Dekanich / Jeremy Smith / Chet Pickard
10-11 Between The Pipes Deep in the Crease Philadelphia Flyers
-- Sergei Bobrovsky / Brian Boucher / Michael Leighton / Johan Backlund
10-11 Between The Pipes Deep in the Crease St. Louis Blues
-- Jaroslav Halak / Ty Conklin / Jake Allen / Ben Bishop
Next up -- six pictures worth of cards from Dave Rearick.
The first three are from one of the few post-license ITG insert sets I'm a fan of -- 10-11 BTP Deep in the Crease. I'm not planning to do the set, but all of these cards have a connection to the Blue Jackets or the Lightning. Two of the goalies on the Predators card (Dekanich and Smith) were once property of the Blue Jackets, yet never played a game in the NHL for Columbus. Another goalie on the Flyers card (Leighton) meets the same strange criteria, but Bobrovsky's done just a little better, winning a Vezina trophy. The fourth goalie listed on the Blues card went on to take third in the Vezina race in 2014 -- Ben Bishop for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
-------------------------------------------------------
13-14 Score Gold Nikita Kucherov
13-14 Panini Prizm Immortalized Steve Yzerman
Steve Yzerman won three Stanley Cups as a skater, and one day he'll win another as a general manager.
-------------------------------------------------------
13-14 Score Ryan Murray RC
13-14 Score Boone Jenner RC
13-14 Score Nikita Kucherov RC
13-14 Score Radko Gudas RC
13-14 Score Jonathan Marchessault RC (x2)
This takes care of my rookie needs from the Score update set in Rookie Anthology. Yes, I received two copies of the Marchessault card. As far as I know, it's the first-ever hockey card to picture a player with one of my favorite teams (Columbus) and list him on the other (Tampa Bay).
-------------------------------------------------------
13-14 Fleer Showcase Max Reinhart RC / Tyler Johnson RC / Alex Petrovic RC (100/399)
13-14 Fleer Showcase Radko Gudas RC / Ondrej Palat RC / Dmitry Korobov RC (269/399)
Upper Deck really blew it with Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat, didn't they? It's almost unfathomable that two of the three Calder Trophy finalists have yet to earn a single autographed RC in an Upper Deck product, and even got relegated to the three-player tier of Fleer Showcase. Ultimately, I guess it is fathomable, because it's Upper Deck.
The three players on the bottom card make sense, as they're all Lightning players -- this card counts triple for my RC collection. However, what's up with the seemingly-random grouping on Johnson's card? It's a real stretch. The best I can figure is that all three players were in the WHL at around the same time -- Johnson for the Spokane Chiefs, Petrovic for the Red Deer Rebels, and Reinhart for the Kootenay Ice. If anyone has a better idea, please let me know!
-------------------------------------------------------
13-14 Panini Prizm Mark Barberio RC
13-14 Panini Prizm Nikita Kucherov RC
These Prizm RCs are also from the Rookie Anthology update set. Barberio was eligible for RCs at the beginning of the season, but was skipped over in most UD and Panini products. Panini's been including him in their recent releases, however.
-------------------------------------------------------
13-14 Crown Royale Sean Collins RC (005/499)
The final card from Dave is my first standard autographed RC from 13-14 Crown Royale. Sean Collins -- alumni of the Waywayseecappo Wolverines -- has one of the better signatures of the 2013-14 double rookie class.
Dave, thanks once again for all your help!
-------------------------------------------------------
07-08 Upper Deck Ryan Callahan RC (SP)
07-08 Ultra Ryan Callahan RC (SP)
07-08 Upper Deck MVP Ryan Callahan RC (SP)
07-08 Black Diamond Ryan Callahan RC (Triple Diamond)
07-08 Upper Deck Mini-Jersey Jack Johnson RC
07-08 Upper Deck Mini-Jersey Nick Foligno RC
The next four pictures contain cards I received from Scott (bourquecollector).
Now that Ryan Callahan has been signed to a long-term contract with the Lightning, I will probably put a little bit more effort into acquiring his RCs. However, I'm not going to break the bank open for Callahan. I don't mean to be deprecating to my favorite team, but unless your name is Steven Stamkos, RCs of players on the Lightning usually don't hold a ton of value. Callahan's RC values seem a bit inflated by the location and popularity of his old squad in New York. I, presumably, have the next six years to take my time in acquiring his cards.
-------------------------------------------------------
07-08 Upper Deck Sweet Shot Jack Johnson RC (551/599)
07-08 Upper Deck Sweet Shot Ryan Callahan RC (506/599)
07-08 Upper Deck Ice Ryan Callahan RC (281/499)
07-08 SP Game Used Curtis McElhinney RC (118/999)
08-09 SP Game Used Colton Gillies RC (426/999)
I'm really happy with the two Sweet Shot cards -- two colors on Callahan (two blue and one white), and three on Johnson (white/black/purple). The Ice RC is also one of Callahan's best mid-tier rookie cards.
-------------------------------------------------------
08-09 O-Pee-Chee Darryl Boyce RC (SP)
08-09 O-Pee-Chee B.J. Crombeen RC (SP)
08-09 UD Champ's Brian Lee RC (SP)
08-09 UD Champ's Colton Gillies RC (SP)
Scott also helped me out with some inexpensive RCs that had been eating up space on my wantlist.
-------------------------------------------------------
08-09 Upper Deck MVP Darryl Boyce RC
08-09 Upper Deck MVP Colton Gillies RC
08-09 Upper Deck Victory B.J. Crombeen RC
08-09 Upper Deck Victory Ben Bishop RC
I still have very few Ben Bishop rookie cards, as his card values have defied the typical Lightning dead zone. That's what a Vezina nomination can do for a guy.
Thanks for the cards, Scott!
-------------------------------------------------------
Base Cards
Every mail post must include at least one picture of random base cards that were sent as filler with something better. Thankfully, this is the only one this time around!
-------------------------------------------------------
13-14 Select Mark Barberio RC (167/299)
This Mark Barberio RC was included in the Select update set, which was released as part of Rookie Anthology. There were two differences between this batch of autographs and the ones from the original Select product. First, the backgrounds are all colored yellow, rather than color-coded by team. That's not a good change. Second, the cards are limited to 299 copies instead of 399. That change prompted me to go after this card as quickly as possible, which was made more difficult by the fact that about half of Barberio's autographs weren't fully contained on the sticker. Thankfully, I found one that was.
-------------------------------------------------------
13-14 Panini Rookie Anthology Michael Kostka RC (087/249)
Here's the first of two of the base Rookie Anthology RCs in this mail post. Not all of the cards in the set seem to have versions with multiple swatch colors, but I was able to find one for Kostka -- one red and one white. I believe these swatches are likely from a Chicago Blackhawks jersey.
The print runs have really come down this year -- at 249, they now match the standard RCs from The Cup.
-------------------------------------------------------
13-14 Panini Rookie Anthology Boone Jenner RC (101/249)
I also found a card with two colors for Boone Jenner -- one white swatch, and one dark blue swatch. Jenner's RCs are definitely selling for levels above common status, whereas Kostka has been about as inexpensive as anybody.
-------------------------------------------------------
11-12 Dominion Matt Frattin RC (019/199)
Matt Frattin had an exceptionally short stint as a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets -- just four regular season games, and no appearances in the playoffs. His RFA rights were traded to Toronto, and he signed on to re-join the Maple Leafs in 2014-15.
Obviously, Frattin's going to be a low priority, but I was able to get this card -- one of his best RCs -- for just a few dollars. The card has a three-layer swatch, with blue jersey, white stitching, and white patch.
-------------------------------------------------------
12-13 Dominion Shawn Hunwick RC (61/99)
My quest to own all five CBJ/TBL rookie cards from 12-13 Dominion is finally complete! In my opinion, these were the nicest RCs from the 12-13 product year, and this Shawn Hunwick card certainly doesn't disappoint. The large patch swatch is from the bottom of the crest of the Blue Jackets' third jersey. The bottom-left spike of the star is visible, as well as a tiny piece of the banner. In all, there are 11 different layers on this swatch, with a variety of different fabric types and colors.
I have five Tim Thomas items which I'll use to close out the post.
-------------------------------------------------------
2014 Lord Stanley's Mug Spring Expo Decades 2000s Gold
-- DR-117 Zdeno Chara / Tim Thomas / Patrice Bergeron (1/1)
Let's begin the final section with this 1/1 redemption card from the 2014 Spring Expo. I'll say up front that I think this is a rather ugly card -- it's completely unlicensed and features no pictures of (or permission from) the players whose swatches are adorned on the cardboard. So, why is it in my collection? It was an inexpensive 1/1 with awesome jersey swatches, and that's always going to be hard to turn down for my Tim Thomas collection. All three swatches come from Boston Bruins jerseys. The swatches have the following layers:
Chara: yellow jersey / white seam / black jersey
Thomas: white seam (with black jersey underneath) / yellow jersey
Bergeron: yellow jersey / white jersey / black jersey
There is also a silver version with nine copies printed. I've seen a few, but haven't been able to purchase one yet.
ITG also did a similar redemption program at the Spring Expo for In The Game-Used. Perhaps one or two cards from that set will show up in a future post!
-------------------------------------------------------
2014 Panini Father's Day Absolute Tools of the Trade Tim Thomas
-------------------------------------------------------
2014 Panini Father's Day Absolute Tools of the Trade Autographs Tim Thomas
Here are two of four Tim Thomas cards from the recent Panini Father's Day release. These are, as far as I can recall, the first game-used puck cards to feature Tim Thomas.
I'll first start by saying that I really like the concept of the Father's Day set, and the opportunity to use different designs to create collectibles that wouldn't necessarily fit into any of the mainline Panini releases. With that said, I really dislike Panini's execution here. First, they have yet to release an actual checklist, or even confirmation of all the exact variations that were produced. Second, there is absolutely nothing to describe where this puck came from. The back of the card only has the standard statement: "The enclosed game-used puck is guaranteed by Panini America, Inc." Where was it used? In what game? In what league? This puck could be from a Chris Barr / Scott Prusha pickup game at a local rink in the Metroplex. I mean, in seriousness, I can presume it was used in some sort of NHL event, but does it have any connection to Tim Thomas? Third, outside of the sticker, the autographed parallel has nothing to mark the card as being different from the base version. I'd at least expect a standard autograph disclaimer on the card back, and I'd prefer something to make it a little more meaningful as a parallel -- even just a foil stamp. Unfortunately, they just slapped an autograph sticker on the base version and called it done.
From what I can tell, there are four versions of the Tim Thomas card from this set. In order of difficulty...
1) Base. I've seen plenty of these on ebay.
2) Lava Flow. I've seen several of these -- maybe 5 or 6 copies.
3) Cracked Ice. I've only seen two of these.
4) Autograph. I own the only copy to hit the market.
Without a checklist, I presume that Beckett had to simply guess for their database, and I think they got it wrong -- they don't have the autograph version listed, and they have print runs for Cracked Ice at 25 and Lava Flow at 10. Based on what I've seen, if those numbers are correct, I suspect that they're reversed.
I sort of feel bad ranting about this, especially since I'm generally a supporter of Panini's efforts in hockey, and I'm still very upset that they won't be back to produce cards in 2014-15. Overall, I really appreciate what Panini's brought to the table, as UD hasn't innovated much in a while, and ITG's offerings have become as bland as plain oatmeal. That praise absolutely includes Chris and Scott, who have done great work -- no intent to pick on them specifically. I just wish this set had been done better, because as I mentioned, I love the concept. I'm also going to love picking up the Lava Flow and Cracked Ice versions, if I can find them. Those cards look pretty stunning.
Speaking of stunning cards by Panini, I'll close with two they absolutely got right.
-------------------------------------------------------
11-12 Panini Prime All Star Selections Nameplate Tim Thomas (4/4)
This is a really interesting card, featuring a piece of Tim Thomas' locker nameplate from the 2011 NHL All-Star Game in Raleigh, North Carolina. It's the only nameplate card I own. With only four copies made, it's honestly not a card I figured I'd ever own, but I found what I was looking for right here at Hobby Insider. I acquired this card from Greg Sobeske, who messaged me and worked out a very easy deal.
I'm not sure what's on the other three copies, or the 1/1 autograph parallel, but I certainly can't be disappointed by the nameplate swatch on this card. It contains the entire logo from the 2011 All-Star Game. As best as I can tell, the background of the swatch contains part of a faded, enlarged version of the same logo.
Greg, thanks for letting me know about this card, and for helping me bring it to my collection!
-------------------------------------------------------
12-13 Panini Certified Mirror Ice Tag Tim Thomas (One of One)
This is one heck of a beautiful card, and it's also a first for my collection -- it's the only tag swatch I own. I admit, given what we know about Tim Thomas, that it's funny to see anything but an American flag next to his picture.
This is one of eight different versions of the Tim Thomas base card (from the Masked Marvels subset) in 2012-13 Panini Certified, and it's the only one with a memorabilia swatch. I also own the Mirror Red (/100), Hot Box (/75), and Mirror Blue (/50) versions. I don't even have the base card (/999) yet! I'm also missing the Mirror Gold (/25), Mirror Emerald (/5), and Mirror Black (1/1) parallels. This one is rather thick -- about as thick as a typical patch card -- and has a very bright silver holofoil finish. If I have one tiny complaint, it's that I wish the swatch window was a little bigger. It can't be seen from this picture, but when tilted at an angle, the words "MADE IN CANADA" are visible below the flag. Nice to know where the game-worn jerseys come from!
Between the ITG Redemption and this card, I'm now up to a total of 74 Tim Thomas 1/1 card in all.
-----------------
News and notes:
** In just under three weeks, I'll be leaving on the first of a series of trips that will put me out of card trading commission until September. As such, I won't be able to start working on any new deals until then, unless it's a minor purchase.
** Anton Stralman was signed by the Lightning, but by virtue of his early-career appearance with Columbus, I already own all but two of his rookie cards! Evgeni Nabokov is also heading to Tampa, and I already own both of his 99-00 RCs. Brian Boyle (signed by the Lightning) and Jerry D'Amigo (acquired by Columbus in trade) are going to be a little tougher to catch up on.
That'll be it. Thanks everyone!
--Andy
http://www.thegreatzo.com/cards/
-------------------------------------------------------
Mail Post #11 for 2014
-------------------------------------------------------
13-14 Upper Deck Game Jerseys GWJ-MS Mandi Schwartz
"I encourage you to enjoy every time you step on the ice. Don't forget to play for the fun of the game. Every time that you go for a skate is a chance to make yourself better, do what you love the most and have the time of your life." -- Mandi Schwartz 1988-2011
Mandi Schwartz, the sister of Jaden Schwartz, battled Leukemia before her death in 2011. Her story became an inspirational one, and she was honored with a jersey card in 2013-14 Upper Deck Series 1.
Early in 2014, the cards also became available through The Mandi Schwartz Foundation as a fundraiser. I received this card through the foundation, which seemed like a much better option than buying one of the few on ebay for a much higher price. If you'd like to own one of the Mandi Schwartz jersey cards, you can get the ordering instructions from this web page:
http://www.mandi17.org/?page_id=197
From what I can tell, the version I received is identical to that of the version inserted in packs of UD1. Only available in UD1 was a patch variation, limited to just 15 copies. I've only seen one or two of those.
-------------------------------------------------------
10-11 Between The Pipes Deep in the Crease Nashville Predators
-- Pekka Rinne / Mark Dekanich / Jeremy Smith / Chet Pickard
10-11 Between The Pipes Deep in the Crease Philadelphia Flyers
-- Sergei Bobrovsky / Brian Boucher / Michael Leighton / Johan Backlund
10-11 Between The Pipes Deep in the Crease St. Louis Blues
-- Jaroslav Halak / Ty Conklin / Jake Allen / Ben Bishop
Next up -- six pictures worth of cards from Dave Rearick.
The first three are from one of the few post-license ITG insert sets I'm a fan of -- 10-11 BTP Deep in the Crease. I'm not planning to do the set, but all of these cards have a connection to the Blue Jackets or the Lightning. Two of the goalies on the Predators card (Dekanich and Smith) were once property of the Blue Jackets, yet never played a game in the NHL for Columbus. Another goalie on the Flyers card (Leighton) meets the same strange criteria, but Bobrovsky's done just a little better, winning a Vezina trophy. The fourth goalie listed on the Blues card went on to take third in the Vezina race in 2014 -- Ben Bishop for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
-------------------------------------------------------
13-14 Score Gold Nikita Kucherov
13-14 Panini Prizm Immortalized Steve Yzerman
Steve Yzerman won three Stanley Cups as a skater, and one day he'll win another as a general manager.
-------------------------------------------------------
13-14 Score Ryan Murray RC
13-14 Score Boone Jenner RC
13-14 Score Nikita Kucherov RC
13-14 Score Radko Gudas RC
13-14 Score Jonathan Marchessault RC (x2)
This takes care of my rookie needs from the Score update set in Rookie Anthology. Yes, I received two copies of the Marchessault card. As far as I know, it's the first-ever hockey card to picture a player with one of my favorite teams (Columbus) and list him on the other (Tampa Bay).
-------------------------------------------------------
13-14 Fleer Showcase Max Reinhart RC / Tyler Johnson RC / Alex Petrovic RC (100/399)
13-14 Fleer Showcase Radko Gudas RC / Ondrej Palat RC / Dmitry Korobov RC (269/399)
Upper Deck really blew it with Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat, didn't they? It's almost unfathomable that two of the three Calder Trophy finalists have yet to earn a single autographed RC in an Upper Deck product, and even got relegated to the three-player tier of Fleer Showcase. Ultimately, I guess it is fathomable, because it's Upper Deck.
The three players on the bottom card make sense, as they're all Lightning players -- this card counts triple for my RC collection. However, what's up with the seemingly-random grouping on Johnson's card? It's a real stretch. The best I can figure is that all three players were in the WHL at around the same time -- Johnson for the Spokane Chiefs, Petrovic for the Red Deer Rebels, and Reinhart for the Kootenay Ice. If anyone has a better idea, please let me know!
-------------------------------------------------------
13-14 Panini Prizm Mark Barberio RC
13-14 Panini Prizm Nikita Kucherov RC
These Prizm RCs are also from the Rookie Anthology update set. Barberio was eligible for RCs at the beginning of the season, but was skipped over in most UD and Panini products. Panini's been including him in their recent releases, however.
-------------------------------------------------------
13-14 Crown Royale Sean Collins RC (005/499)
The final card from Dave is my first standard autographed RC from 13-14 Crown Royale. Sean Collins -- alumni of the Waywayseecappo Wolverines -- has one of the better signatures of the 2013-14 double rookie class.
Dave, thanks once again for all your help!
-------------------------------------------------------
07-08 Upper Deck Ryan Callahan RC (SP)
07-08 Ultra Ryan Callahan RC (SP)
07-08 Upper Deck MVP Ryan Callahan RC (SP)
07-08 Black Diamond Ryan Callahan RC (Triple Diamond)
07-08 Upper Deck Mini-Jersey Jack Johnson RC
07-08 Upper Deck Mini-Jersey Nick Foligno RC
The next four pictures contain cards I received from Scott (bourquecollector).
Now that Ryan Callahan has been signed to a long-term contract with the Lightning, I will probably put a little bit more effort into acquiring his RCs. However, I'm not going to break the bank open for Callahan. I don't mean to be deprecating to my favorite team, but unless your name is Steven Stamkos, RCs of players on the Lightning usually don't hold a ton of value. Callahan's RC values seem a bit inflated by the location and popularity of his old squad in New York. I, presumably, have the next six years to take my time in acquiring his cards.
-------------------------------------------------------
07-08 Upper Deck Sweet Shot Jack Johnson RC (551/599)
07-08 Upper Deck Sweet Shot Ryan Callahan RC (506/599)
07-08 Upper Deck Ice Ryan Callahan RC (281/499)
07-08 SP Game Used Curtis McElhinney RC (118/999)
08-09 SP Game Used Colton Gillies RC (426/999)
I'm really happy with the two Sweet Shot cards -- two colors on Callahan (two blue and one white), and three on Johnson (white/black/purple). The Ice RC is also one of Callahan's best mid-tier rookie cards.
-------------------------------------------------------
08-09 O-Pee-Chee Darryl Boyce RC (SP)
08-09 O-Pee-Chee B.J. Crombeen RC (SP)
08-09 UD Champ's Brian Lee RC (SP)
08-09 UD Champ's Colton Gillies RC (SP)
Scott also helped me out with some inexpensive RCs that had been eating up space on my wantlist.
-------------------------------------------------------
08-09 Upper Deck MVP Darryl Boyce RC
08-09 Upper Deck MVP Colton Gillies RC
08-09 Upper Deck Victory B.J. Crombeen RC
08-09 Upper Deck Victory Ben Bishop RC
I still have very few Ben Bishop rookie cards, as his card values have defied the typical Lightning dead zone. That's what a Vezina nomination can do for a guy.
Thanks for the cards, Scott!
-------------------------------------------------------
Base Cards
Every mail post must include at least one picture of random base cards that were sent as filler with something better. Thankfully, this is the only one this time around!
-------------------------------------------------------
13-14 Select Mark Barberio RC (167/299)
This Mark Barberio RC was included in the Select update set, which was released as part of Rookie Anthology. There were two differences between this batch of autographs and the ones from the original Select product. First, the backgrounds are all colored yellow, rather than color-coded by team. That's not a good change. Second, the cards are limited to 299 copies instead of 399. That change prompted me to go after this card as quickly as possible, which was made more difficult by the fact that about half of Barberio's autographs weren't fully contained on the sticker. Thankfully, I found one that was.
-------------------------------------------------------
13-14 Panini Rookie Anthology Michael Kostka RC (087/249)
Here's the first of two of the base Rookie Anthology RCs in this mail post. Not all of the cards in the set seem to have versions with multiple swatch colors, but I was able to find one for Kostka -- one red and one white. I believe these swatches are likely from a Chicago Blackhawks jersey.
The print runs have really come down this year -- at 249, they now match the standard RCs from The Cup.
-------------------------------------------------------
13-14 Panini Rookie Anthology Boone Jenner RC (101/249)
I also found a card with two colors for Boone Jenner -- one white swatch, and one dark blue swatch. Jenner's RCs are definitely selling for levels above common status, whereas Kostka has been about as inexpensive as anybody.
-------------------------------------------------------
11-12 Dominion Matt Frattin RC (019/199)
Matt Frattin had an exceptionally short stint as a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets -- just four regular season games, and no appearances in the playoffs. His RFA rights were traded to Toronto, and he signed on to re-join the Maple Leafs in 2014-15.
Obviously, Frattin's going to be a low priority, but I was able to get this card -- one of his best RCs -- for just a few dollars. The card has a three-layer swatch, with blue jersey, white stitching, and white patch.
-------------------------------------------------------
12-13 Dominion Shawn Hunwick RC (61/99)
My quest to own all five CBJ/TBL rookie cards from 12-13 Dominion is finally complete! In my opinion, these were the nicest RCs from the 12-13 product year, and this Shawn Hunwick card certainly doesn't disappoint. The large patch swatch is from the bottom of the crest of the Blue Jackets' third jersey. The bottom-left spike of the star is visible, as well as a tiny piece of the banner. In all, there are 11 different layers on this swatch, with a variety of different fabric types and colors.
I have five Tim Thomas items which I'll use to close out the post.
-------------------------------------------------------
2014 Lord Stanley's Mug Spring Expo Decades 2000s Gold
-- DR-117 Zdeno Chara / Tim Thomas / Patrice Bergeron (1/1)
Let's begin the final section with this 1/1 redemption card from the 2014 Spring Expo. I'll say up front that I think this is a rather ugly card -- it's completely unlicensed and features no pictures of (or permission from) the players whose swatches are adorned on the cardboard. So, why is it in my collection? It was an inexpensive 1/1 with awesome jersey swatches, and that's always going to be hard to turn down for my Tim Thomas collection. All three swatches come from Boston Bruins jerseys. The swatches have the following layers:
Chara: yellow jersey / white seam / black jersey
Thomas: white seam (with black jersey underneath) / yellow jersey
Bergeron: yellow jersey / white jersey / black jersey
There is also a silver version with nine copies printed. I've seen a few, but haven't been able to purchase one yet.
ITG also did a similar redemption program at the Spring Expo for In The Game-Used. Perhaps one or two cards from that set will show up in a future post!
-------------------------------------------------------
2014 Panini Father's Day Absolute Tools of the Trade Tim Thomas
-------------------------------------------------------
2014 Panini Father's Day Absolute Tools of the Trade Autographs Tim Thomas
Here are two of four Tim Thomas cards from the recent Panini Father's Day release. These are, as far as I can recall, the first game-used puck cards to feature Tim Thomas.
I'll first start by saying that I really like the concept of the Father's Day set, and the opportunity to use different designs to create collectibles that wouldn't necessarily fit into any of the mainline Panini releases. With that said, I really dislike Panini's execution here. First, they have yet to release an actual checklist, or even confirmation of all the exact variations that were produced. Second, there is absolutely nothing to describe where this puck came from. The back of the card only has the standard statement: "The enclosed game-used puck is guaranteed by Panini America, Inc." Where was it used? In what game? In what league? This puck could be from a Chris Barr / Scott Prusha pickup game at a local rink in the Metroplex. I mean, in seriousness, I can presume it was used in some sort of NHL event, but does it have any connection to Tim Thomas? Third, outside of the sticker, the autographed parallel has nothing to mark the card as being different from the base version. I'd at least expect a standard autograph disclaimer on the card back, and I'd prefer something to make it a little more meaningful as a parallel -- even just a foil stamp. Unfortunately, they just slapped an autograph sticker on the base version and called it done.
From what I can tell, there are four versions of the Tim Thomas card from this set. In order of difficulty...
1) Base. I've seen plenty of these on ebay.
2) Lava Flow. I've seen several of these -- maybe 5 or 6 copies.
3) Cracked Ice. I've only seen two of these.
4) Autograph. I own the only copy to hit the market.
Without a checklist, I presume that Beckett had to simply guess for their database, and I think they got it wrong -- they don't have the autograph version listed, and they have print runs for Cracked Ice at 25 and Lava Flow at 10. Based on what I've seen, if those numbers are correct, I suspect that they're reversed.
I sort of feel bad ranting about this, especially since I'm generally a supporter of Panini's efforts in hockey, and I'm still very upset that they won't be back to produce cards in 2014-15. Overall, I really appreciate what Panini's brought to the table, as UD hasn't innovated much in a while, and ITG's offerings have become as bland as plain oatmeal. That praise absolutely includes Chris and Scott, who have done great work -- no intent to pick on them specifically. I just wish this set had been done better, because as I mentioned, I love the concept. I'm also going to love picking up the Lava Flow and Cracked Ice versions, if I can find them. Those cards look pretty stunning.
Speaking of stunning cards by Panini, I'll close with two they absolutely got right.
-------------------------------------------------------
11-12 Panini Prime All Star Selections Nameplate Tim Thomas (4/4)
This is a really interesting card, featuring a piece of Tim Thomas' locker nameplate from the 2011 NHL All-Star Game in Raleigh, North Carolina. It's the only nameplate card I own. With only four copies made, it's honestly not a card I figured I'd ever own, but I found what I was looking for right here at Hobby Insider. I acquired this card from Greg Sobeske, who messaged me and worked out a very easy deal.
I'm not sure what's on the other three copies, or the 1/1 autograph parallel, but I certainly can't be disappointed by the nameplate swatch on this card. It contains the entire logo from the 2011 All-Star Game. As best as I can tell, the background of the swatch contains part of a faded, enlarged version of the same logo.
Greg, thanks for letting me know about this card, and for helping me bring it to my collection!
-------------------------------------------------------
12-13 Panini Certified Mirror Ice Tag Tim Thomas (One of One)
This is one heck of a beautiful card, and it's also a first for my collection -- it's the only tag swatch I own. I admit, given what we know about Tim Thomas, that it's funny to see anything but an American flag next to his picture.
This is one of eight different versions of the Tim Thomas base card (from the Masked Marvels subset) in 2012-13 Panini Certified, and it's the only one with a memorabilia swatch. I also own the Mirror Red (/100), Hot Box (/75), and Mirror Blue (/50) versions. I don't even have the base card (/999) yet! I'm also missing the Mirror Gold (/25), Mirror Emerald (/5), and Mirror Black (1/1) parallels. This one is rather thick -- about as thick as a typical patch card -- and has a very bright silver holofoil finish. If I have one tiny complaint, it's that I wish the swatch window was a little bigger. It can't be seen from this picture, but when tilted at an angle, the words "MADE IN CANADA" are visible below the flag. Nice to know where the game-worn jerseys come from!
Between the ITG Redemption and this card, I'm now up to a total of 74 Tim Thomas 1/1 card in all.
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News and notes:
** In just under three weeks, I'll be leaving on the first of a series of trips that will put me out of card trading commission until September. As such, I won't be able to start working on any new deals until then, unless it's a minor purchase.
** Anton Stralman was signed by the Lightning, but by virtue of his early-career appearance with Columbus, I already own all but two of his rookie cards! Evgeni Nabokov is also heading to Tampa, and I already own both of his 99-00 RCs. Brian Boyle (signed by the Lightning) and Jerry D'Amigo (acquired by Columbus in trade) are going to be a little tougher to catch up on.
That'll be it. Thanks everyone!
--Andy
http://www.thegreatzo.com/cards/
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