1998 Valu-Net Team Canada Phone Cards

[HansViktor]

I'm searching for additional info about these phone cards.

Maybe other player collectors could find this thread interesting as this set contained 24 of the best Canadian players at the time and as I will describe there's a big potential for unknown existing cards of these players. Time to update your wantlists.

I thought I had the only version available for my Curtis Joseph collection. But recently I found out there's several other versions available.

It began with me purchase an autographed Joseph version that I didn't know existed.
Front: https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/zr8AAOSwM11g8ONF/s-l1600.jpg
Back: https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/6CEAAOSwxiFg8ONT/s-l1600.jpg

It's a different front picture than the common card. Don't know if this is the case for the other players.
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/5MsAAOSwh19fSXf9/s-l1600.jpg

So I started researching these cards and found some info on Bamlindens blog:
http://myhockeycardobsession.blogspot.com/2010/02/linden-card-of-week-199798-esso-olympic.html

According to that info there's two different cards on each player. One $5 version (the most common) and a 15 units version (unknown for me before). Then there's 3 variations of both the $5 and the 15 units cards:

$5 card variations:
1. card with silver scratch bar on the back.
2. card with "Promotional" on the back.
3. card is in a cello pack.

Questions:
Do you find the Promotional by scratching the silver bar and hope you'll find one?
The cello pack card seems identical with the common card (nr 1). Is it the same card that's just wrapped in cello?

Promotional version.
https://www.comc.com/Cards/Hockey/1...paid_Phone_Cards_-_Base_-_Promotional,sr,i100

15 units card variations:
1. card with silver scratch bar on the back.
2. card with "Promotional" on the back.
3. card with an auto on the front.
Question:
All these variations seems very rare. But any idea how many autos each player signed?

Every new info is appreciated.

 

[Greg Brown]

So, here are the Yzerman's I have found over the years. I have seen the same versions of the "base phone card", still sealed in packs, but never bothered to pick them up, since having that type of variation didn't concern me.

I checked the back of all 3, but they all have unscratched silver on them still. I do not ever recall seeing one with a PROMO or anything across that scratch stripe instead.

The autograph was pert near impossible to find. If my memory serves me, I've only ever seen the auto twice ever and for all I know, I ended up buying it the second time around. Pretty certain I got it at auction from a seller in the Dakotas. (why I can remember that in particular, I can't tell you).

 

[HansViktor]

Thanks for your post and showing your Yzermans!

I agree with having the one in cello pack is unnecessary for a player collection if it's true this is the exact same card that's just wrapped.

Did you see the Sakic Promotional I linked on COMC?
https://www.comc.com/Cards/Hockey/1...paid_Phone_Cards_-_Base_-_Promotional,sr,i100

So apparently they exist in some way. Don't know if there's Promotional variations for all 24 phone cards. I wouldn't look to hard after these but if I came by one cujo for a reasonable price I would pick it up.
I scratched the silver bar on my cujo common card to see what's behind. Only a couple digits.

The autos surely seem very rare. Not sure about the value though. I bought mine cujo auto for 7$ and waited maybe one day before I pulled the trigger as I didn't know if this was a legit card. No else showed interest it seems.

There's a couple autos on ebay now and a seller who demand very high prices for them and states these are more rare than the Esso Olympic Autos. Could be for sure. But while the Essos go for big money I don't think the demand is as high for these signed phone cards.

 

[HansViktor]

Oh...looking for the common 15 units card for Joseph if any reader of the thread have one to spare.

 

[creasecollector]

I don't have any information on this set or your CuJo's, but I wanted to chime in to say how much I appreciate threads like these. So awesome finding little tidbits about sets like these.

 

[HansViktor]

I don't have any information on this set or your CuJo's, but I wanted to chime in to say how much I appreciate threads like these. So awesome finding little tidbits about sets like these.

Thanks for your comment creasecollector and glad you appreciate the reading. Let's see if it turns up any new information in the thread otherwise we have to be satisfied with what we know