2015-16 ITG Final Vault - 10 Box Case Break - The Vaultening

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reoddai

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Hello Everyone,

I've got a 10 box case of ITG's final Vault to break. You can view all the photos here:
http://s240.photobucket.com/user/reoddai/library/Box Breaks/2015-16 ITG Final Vault

If you want to read meandering posts about 100 cards. This is the place. Otherwise, scroll as fast you can. I get pretty salty in the middle, but it ends on a high note.

The goods:
10 box case of cards from OT sports. OT sports is a nice shop located in Vancouver & run by Derek. Paid $775x2 (half to reserve, half to buy), all in.

I was super happy with ITG's Superlative Vault where I also did a case break in this style. Lots of vintage and names of players I knew and didn't with a good amount of original 6 teams. In terms of Value, I was super happy and would do one again, but breaking one case per product I like is kind of my max. Because of that previous prodcut, I had to get in on the "Last Vault", if only to show some ITG support and get some ITG from product that I never had an opportunity to buy the first time around. I only started collecting in the tail end of 04-05 and missed Franchises and anything prior to that. While I suspected that there would be some stuff in there I wouldn't like (H&P), I had high hopes that there would be at least value and some fun stuff.

After picking up my case from Derek today, he showed me what a typical box might look like. I was less impressed as there was a lot more "H&P" and "no-name" goalies than I expected, but I'm still willing to take the plunge. Some other tidbits that Derek shared:
- there may not be a "case hit" (that will suck, if true)
- the last card always tends to be the "hit" of the box ("okay, but I prefer random hit distribution)

Some cards I want:
Montreal, vintage, goalies

Some cards I loathe:
Rookies

Anyways, without further adieu, let's see the first box I hit. This box was opened at OT Sports card because last time I did it, I had a wicked case. Let's hope for some OT sports luck.
 
Box 1, Card 1

I'm actually really happy with this start. Its a good sign. Goalie, check. Turco, Check Check (and PC). Gold Mask version. Great. and a Silver /5 stamp. This was the first of the Masked Men where ITG showed the man behind the mask while wearing the mask and was a great year for BTP. I think that this was 08-09. Not blown away, but a very solid and PC hit.

Box 1, Card 2

Letang GU from Canada vs the world. I really like the Canada vs the world series and wish I had gotten more of it. Specifically, the Canadian complete jerseys. Those are some really nice piecs and I like that fact that many of these GU pieces (this one incl) say that the jersey piece was worn while playing for canada. That's a great type of card. Letang is not my type of player, but he's played with Pittsburgh a lot, has many international and a few NHL awards. Solid player, solid card. For those who want to know, green foil stamp (at least 3rd copy)

Box 1, Card 3

Robin Lehner. From what I remember, he was the Ottawa sens goalie for a time? Maybe?.... and apparently, he still is. Goalie piece - great! Current Goalie, Great! White swatch with a thingy sticking out of it. Probably trade bait. the H&P set doesn't help. Neither does the act that its a Black jersey (very common) with a.. I want to say "Teal" stamp (10th and last (?) copy). The teal stamp also isn't centred very well. Going down hill, but not too fast.

Box 1, Card 4

My first Montreal card! Huzzah! Bobby Smith who? Holy geez, this guy was apparently a good player who quietly put together a solid career. 1st round draft pick in 1978. Calder trophy winner for Minnesota North stars between Mike bossy and Ray Bourque, Stanley cup in 86 with Montreal, another stint with Minnesota. +1000 NHL points. Went on to GM Phoenix. This guy is probably the bext NHL player I've never heard of. And although you look better than me on the card Mr. Smith, its like they squeezed your face on the case. This picture is bad. Great guy, white swatch card, off to trade bait.

Box 1, Card 5

Urgh. H&P, Michael St. Croix. Selected 106th overall in 2011. Has not managed to crack the NHL. Good luck buddy, I hope that you make it. Your signature is awesome, but is likely a 1$ pickup.

Box 1, Card 6

Its all been freaking down hill here. but..... BTP auto of Matt Murray. When I pulled this at OT sports, Derek told me he's the current Penguins goalie even since Fleury went down. Sorry to see you go Fleury, but Keep doilg it Murray. Become the Stanley cup champion goalie and I'll keep your auto in my PC!

Box 1, Card 7

A very classy 04-05 Franchises autograph from Pierre Larouche. These cards just look awesome and his signature just all over the freaking place. As the 8th overall pick by Pittsburg, Larouche's career brought him to 5 NHL teams in total. Not as many points as Bobby smith, but this card is as classy as they come. Things are looking up! Is this box a Penguins box? Lemieux on the way perhaps?

Box 1, Card 8

Another Canada vs The World card and a great auto from Scott Niedermayer. I've pulled a lot of autos and great patches from this guy. Although he played for Anaheim for a bit, he was mostly with New Jersey and was like... CAnada's main D guy for the early 2000. HOF auto showing him in Canada jersey? really tempted to keep this as PC and I very well might, but it'll make me want to do the set. Things are looking way up. Penguins box and Canada vs the world case, lets keep it going.

Box 1, Card 9

Ron Francis green stamp (at least 3 copies) 500 goals card. Ron Francis was in Hartford for a long time, then the penguins when he hit his stride, then off to Caroline where he continued to produce, albeit at a lower rate. Its also where he hit his 500 goals, so I'm super happy that they showed him in a caroline jersey. Its way more meaningful. Back of the card also says that the jersey came from Carolina.

Box 1, Card 10

Hit of the box! Stickwork, Stick Rack triple stick of... not Pittsburgh, but Philly, their main rivals! and some well known guys to boot. I didn't buy any stickwork because it wasn't my thing, but I know that it was well received. Lindros, LeClair and Hextall. Hextall makes the card for me, but I know some people really love Lindros. Not so sure about Leclair. However, that Leclair lettering is great. If you look at it upside down, it kinda looks like "JOH" as in "John LeClair". Not sure what the scratching means on the Hextall, if anything, but its a great all around card. Not blown away, but still super solid.

Thanks for everyone's attention. Box #2 coming later!
 
I mixed all the boxes up, so Box 2 is not necessarily the second box in the case, just the second that I opened.

Box 2, Card 1
Masked Men 4 with a blurry picture of Rogie Vachon in a LAK uniform. Green vault stamp which could mean anything. Vachone was actually a MON player for a while near the beginning of his career, so I won't hold his LAK times against him. That being said, I don't want this card. The fuzzy picture really blows it for me and the poorer mask designs of the later years are really why I didn't purchase all that much BTP. That and the declining quality of checklists. A Clear picture is a must. Not a great beginning for this box.

Box 2, Card 2

Ohh... A Dual jersey. Rookie / retired from 1993-94. Looks like we have a Darren McCarty and a Dave Taylor. Darren I've heard of as a rough and tumble kind of guy and his 1500 PIM attest to that. Dave Taylor, I'm less familiar proably because he retired in 1994. He's a 1000 pt, 1500 PIM player, so a tough guy who could also produce. Its tough guys, so I'm not a big fan of them, but its an intereting card from the 1990s.

Box 2, Card 3

Andy Rogers..... Silver Emblem. A two shaded silver black affair. Who is this guy? Apparently, selected 30th overall in 2004, he never cracked the NHL and is now retired. May a thousand pucks sing you to thy retirement Andy Rogers, cause all I've got for you are snarky comments about another H&P I don't want.

Box 2, Card 4

Stanley cup Finals Chris Drury. I do like the art for this card. Chris was a solid player on a stacked Avalanche team when they won the cup, so this Stanley cup Finals turned into a winner. Nice purple swatch to match your purple stamp (at least 8 copies). Hey, from a non-HNL player to a stanley cup winner, that's a HUGE step up. The next has to be an even bigger step up, right?

Box 2, Card 5

Sergei Gonchar in a Washington capitals jersey, with a kicking auto. I followed him mostly in his PIttsburgh days when he was one of their Main D. This guy was a monster points D guy right behind Nicklas Lidstrom, but I never remember hearing how hard he was to play against, like Nicklas. He played on a lot of high point teams, but I think his D may have been a little weak, but ™™™ do I know right? Not a bad card, but a solid "Meh", just like this box and case is shapping up to be. PLease be wrong about this... onto the next card

Box 2, Card 6

Another 04-05 Franchises Card of Wayne Carelton. Again, these cards look awesome and I'm happy to have them. Wayne Carleton's wikipedia entry seems to suggest he was best know for "being on the ice when Bobby Orr scored his famous Cup-clinching goal in the fourth game of the 1970 Stanley Cup Final". Kinda sucks that your most prominently known fact involves being on the ice when someone else did something. Sorry Wayne. your signature is full and classy and you played in the NHL, but someone needs to update your wiki entry... "Swoop".

Box 2, Card 7

Going for the Gold Danielle Goyette... this.. this looks like a Canada women's Olmpic winning team auto. She's no Haley wickenheiser, but apparantly she "It would be the first Canadian goal ever scored in an Olympic women’s ice hockey gold medal game." That pretty awesome in itself. These going for the gold autos were really hard to fid as I think they came in at one per box. Its also a nice photo of her celebrating although I cant' really tell from the photo... can anyne chime in from what year that photo would be from? Could it be a photo of that very first goal? If so, what an amazing card. Things are looking up.

Box 2, Card 8

This was was kinda Curvy and pretty thick. Its a nice Lord Stanley's Mug back to back cups of Jacques Lemaire. Montreal, A+. He played his whole career there and is now moslty known as their Coach for a couple seasons, then New Jersey's coach during the dead puck era and a long time coach of minnesota where he was endlessly criticized. Don't Worry Jacques. You're with Toronto now as an assistant. I hear their coaches are never subjected to scrutiny. Tee hee.

Box 2, Card 9

Ed Giacomin! A nice vintage Auto... that's I've probably pulled about 4 times before. At Least you're a hall of fame buddy, but known for the NYR instead of Montreal. Glad to have you. Onto the next.

Box 2, Card 10

"Vuthentic Memorabilia" (sic). The V stamp covered up the A. In this card, we get our second double of the pack from Brendan Shanahan and Martin brodeur. The good news is that these jerseys are from the Toronto All-star game in 2000. Its always nice to have specialty jersey pieces. I was hoping for a little more Oompf from the hit of the box, like the last one. Personally, I'm calling the Danielle Goyette auto as the hit of the box as its something particularly unique. Dual black jersey of a pair of NJD players.. well, its nice, but its not "belongs in my collection" nice. Onto the next box!
 
Were onto Box 3. Two boxes in, what's the opinion?

Well, if these first two are representative, I would not recommend this to others. The hits are not as unique as expected and feels more like a dumb of stock, which it was, than a release of hits that had to be held back. As I mentioned in box 2, I liked ITG for the "Unique". And truthfully, each box has delivered the unique. Going for the gold womens and the triple stick work in box one. But those uniques have been buried in mundane.

I will keep going as I want to see how this ends. Wish my luck!

Box 3, Card 1

Masked Men Gold (bonus) or Chris Mason (double bonus). Chris is a canadian (pretty sure) and played internationally for them. I remember him more for his time in Nashville where his values probably benefitted from their highly defensive play. I didn't remember his stint in Winnepeg, but wiki says he was in 4 clubs in 6 years and is player overseas now, or, more likely retired. I think his helmet is supposed to be a fighter jet pilot. I'm not crazy about it because of all the teeth. I'm not a fan of things that look like skeleton heads. Neat card. Not my style

Box 3, Card 2

Wooo!!!! Mac Engel!!!! WOOO!!!!! Game Used Jersey red GOLD stamp (5 copies). What's that? You don't know who this guy is? Well, in 2012, he was THE HOTTEST GOALIE PROSPECT IN THE WORLD!.. Wait.. its 2016 and he went nowhere? Well, then. Next card.

Box 3, Card 3

Mike Moore Game used jersey from H&P... I just did a psych on the previous guy. I'm not going to that length for two in a row. Although, I am impressed that they put him in a card. He looks thinner than I expected.

Box 3, Card 4

Eric Daze. This guy is an actual bonafide NHL player whom I don't know. He played an entire average career in Chicago. He played in the NHL all-star a year after he hit his best career point tota. The last two cards are making me too depressed to do much else. I will saw that the card looks cool and is a two colour.

Box 3, Card 5

Brian Elliot authentic Goalie autograph. OMG! HEY! HEY! This guy is a CURRENT NHl player. He;s like the 1A goalie in St.Louis now and they're player him off Halak (I think). We have the beginnings of a box people... the beginnings of a box.

Box 3, Card 6

And we hit what could only be called a home-run compared to everything else I've pulled to date. The ITG 1972 series cards were a HUGE autograph checklist, but the cream of the crop were Summit series parallels. Dennis Hull, part of one of Hockey's famous familiers (Bobby, Brett and strangely enough, Bart). Denis probably slots in at #3 considering I've never heard of Bart Hull. The Silver Jet played nearly his entire career in Chicago and represented Canada in the Summit series.
I'm super stoked, guys. Two actual hockey players in a row and a card that's actually coveted. What's next? What does the future hold for me? Can we do even better? I can only hope, cause so far, I'm pretty disapointed.

Box 3, Card 7

Brad Stuart Signature series. Come and get your signature series cards. One per box, guaranteed. Most players still playing in the NHL.

Box 3, Card 8

A dual jersey in the non-his position. What does this mean? Its a dual All-Star of Teemu Selanne and Mats Sundin. I think a finnish guy somewhere is jumping up and down at this card. Any finish guys jumping up and down at this card? Send me a Pm.

Box 3, Card 9

Mats Sundin Game Used Jersey! Are you a Toronto Fan? Cause this card rocks. Are you a finish fan cause I just got two Mats Sunin cards in a row. Don't get me wrong, these are way, WAY better than the nobodies I hit early on in the box. Its just... this isn't what I expected. PLus, that swatch is tiny. You hear that Mats? I said you have a tiny swatch.

Box 3, Card 10

Mike Modano! An American HOF Millenium Signature series! Its a very shiny card And the signature is very nice. I'm actually impressed. Its a good card design, prominently shows mike in his North Stars outfit. He's american, but he's considered one of the best Americans to play the game. That's like being the best Baseball player to ever play soccer. I joke of course, he's a great player, but I collect Canadians.... What a box hit.... unless...

Box 3, Card 11

Uhh.. card 11? The box hit position is a MIKE VERNON MOWTOWN MADNESS AUTOGRAPH. WOO!!... next box.

EDS: Turns out that the Vernon is only released in ITG Vault, so this may actually be a sought after hit, but due to rarity.
 
4th box? What's my recommendation. Well, take a look and see for yourself. Some neat things, some crummy things. Nothing really stellar so far. I would not pre-order again, but I am picky when it comes to cards.

I ill also say, my will to pontificate on these cards is lessening. Its this box can boost my spirits, It'll stay up and talkative. If not well... it'll be a fast break.

Box 4, Card 1

Oliver Roy Mask Card. At one time I remember Oliver was highly touted. But I never hear his name anymore. His Mask is also pretty cool. Maked Men II is okay. Not bad. Not bad.

Box 4, Card 2

That's a neat Patch. H&P prospect Emblem. Set I hate, but the letter E is really lnice looking. Kiel McLeod has... never played in the NHL.... Hey Kiel, I've got one of your patches from one of your ten teams. Which one, I have no idea.

Box 4, Card 3

SHAYNE... CORSON! I know that guy. I have a mini PC of him. He's a bit of a thug, but he played for Montreal and I might even keep this card. My problem is the blood splatters. I prefer to think of Hockey as the skilled man's game, not the goon's. Shane could play, but why play up the blood?

Box 4, Card 4

Francois Tremblay. Another non-NHL player. Look at that awful gold stamp. its flaking like crazy.

Box 4, Card 5

Decades 1980's Bernie Nichols! This guy has like... a 20 year playing career. He's kinda like one of those "best guys who never got the cup" kind of list. Frequently in the playoffs, never the cup. Sorry Bernie.

Box 4, Card 6

Igor Larionov. Russians are always interesting and this guy no less so. a HOF auto is tough to beat and its a nice Shiny Card. The theme for this box is.. no theme so far, so let's continue.

Box 4, Card 7

Come and get your Signature series cards folks... one per box. Definitely an NHL player, but no one really super famous... just solid player autos. come and get your Signature Series autos, one per box!

Box 4, Card 8

Another Mike Modano card. This guy is following me around now. Looks like its a Team Scoring Leads with a nice super clean White jersey.

Box 4, Card 9

Holy crap. I nearly fell out of my chair. a Mark Messier two colour Game Used Jersey Gold from Captains C. This... THIS card belongs in a vault set. Finally! 4 boxes in and we have a true, honest to goodness vault card in a non-hit position. Okay guys... Box 4, slot 9 is when it all takes off.

Box 4, Card 10

Heroes and prospects.... but its Alex Ovechkin! and I think... this is his rookie year auto, isn't it? This is a pretty Damn good card and his auto hasn't totally degenerated yet as you can see the 8 in the bottom right of the signature. Okay, this is it fellahs. This is what I was talking about. Two consecutive actually "Vault" cards. Come-on Montreal. You can make an appearance in this break!. Edmonton did it. The current superstar did it. You can do it too.
 
Box 4 is the only box I would legitemately call a "Vault" box. It has nice highs and lows and frankly is now the box to beat for the break. Let's hope my luck can continue!

Box 5, Card 1

Ohhh... This one is nifty. Finally, a pre-08-09 Mask card. These are the masks that everyone wants. Quality card, quality stat to the box. This mask belongs tooo... Fleury! So the Pittburgh traadition continues!

Box 5, Card 2

An actual player card from a non-H&P set. Usually my 2-4 are crummy. This one is two colour and looks to be a two colour All-star Jersey piece. Phil played for Buffalo and was Mike Modano before Mike Modano. A really nice card for hit #2

Box 5, Card 3

Holy crap, a quad! in position #3. This is like unprecedented. Evgeni Malkin, Marc-Andre Fleury, Derrick Pouliet & Matt Murray. Matt Showed up earlier in the break, so this is definitely a Penguins box. Red stamped, so first copy, but wow, what a nice card to hit. Things are looking way way up and I don't even care that its a H&P card.

Box 5, Card 4

BTP Ryan miller. Ryan is a goalie for Vancouver Now, but he doens't quite have the impact that Vancouver expected sice he came from Buffalo. Especially since he's filling Luongo's shoes and that guy was awesome. Maybe the guy needs snow outside to perform, but he aint getting any in the city. White Jersey piece with a tuff of something in the top left. Keep working hard in Vancouver Ryan. You've got my support.

Box 5, Card 5

Duncan Macintyre. Not every pull is awesome, or even of an NHL player. The good news is that he still plays hockey with is a HUGE plus compared to the other cards I pulled.

Box 5, Card 6

Comeone, come all... pull your Signature series autograph. Pull your very own autograph of a totally average player who played in the NHL for a long time... Sandis Ozolinsh is a way better hockey player than me, so I'll stop this here.

Box 5, Card 7

AHL All-star patch from a goalie called... Philippe Sauve. Heplayed 32 games in the NHL with a save PCT of 0.888. Which is 32 more games than I'l ever play in the NHL. Plus that patch is totally crazy. The card is a little busy so its hard to see, but wow.. what a patch.

Box 5, Card 8

One patch followed by another. Brad Marsh, with his +1000 PIM played all of 75 games for detroit over two years. The patch is a very nice solid Red Wings name plate style patch. Nearly won the stanley cup in 86-87 with Philly, but lost to Edmonton, even though he only had PIM about twice as high as his points. Usually that ratio is 4 PIM for every point.

Box 5, Card 9

Another ITG 1972 Summit Series Auto for Ron Ellis. These guys were super tough to find. This guy was about as impactful and well known as Dennis Hull, but Ron played for Toronto his entire caeer where he put up totally solid support numbers and he never won a Stanley cup (get it, cause he played for Toronto). ACtually, that's not true. He played on Toronto's last staley cup winning team.... ever. Cause they'll never win it again. Montreal will win it every decade.... hopefully.

Box 5, Card 10

this looks super familiar. Its a Patrick Roy Signature X autograph. He's not shown in his Montreal jersey so I'm not exstatic, but its a really nice closer to this box and really improved the mood. What a nice box. Boxes 4 and 5 are really competing for the top spot now.
 
Half the boxes are down and half to go. The first 3 very disapointing, but the last two have been slightly uplifting and give hope for the rest of the case. How will the rest of these boxes play out? Follow along as I break the rest!

Box 6, Card 1

Ohhh. a very sligh Sharks mask from the first ever mask set. I'm not a fan of the dripping blood on the mask design, but the dufex technology is great and really causes the mask to pop. The player is probably Toskala, so not a great hit player wise, but its a nice mask card none the less. I just checked the back. Turns out that its Brian Hayward. Better than Toskala in my books.

Box 6, Card 2

Looks like a game-used jersey gold version of Spencer Martin. Two colours are nice, as is the good seam. He doesn't appear to have cracked the NHL, but it looks like he's still playing, although I'm not sure. If he's still playing that's a great sign as goalies tend to need longer to get into the NHL and the longer you play, the better your chances as you are still deemed potentially good enough. Good luck Spencer.

Box 6, Card 3

Adam Lowry all white game jersey silver. This guy actually made it on the Jets team for a season. I think he's back down in the NHL. All white swatch says move onto the next card.

Box 6, Card 4

Ohhh... a nice Saku Koivu two colour All-star patch card. I thin kthis is my 4th or fifth all star patch and you generally don't see all star jerseys inserted into cards anymore. They're starting to grow on me and Saku is like the FIRST genuine Montreal Canadiens card to come out of these boxes. You've even got a nice shoulder crest of montreal right in the middle of the card. Are we starting to see the beginnings of a Montreal streak?

Box 6, Card 5

Signature series Pat Verbeek. This isn't funny anymore. One signature series card per box of mid range guy. Tap!

Box 6, Card 6

A nice Nikolai Khabibulin, "The wall" autograp showing him in his Chicago jersey. I remember after Tampa bay's stanley cup win, this guy went to so many teams trying to replicate his success and once again earn the nickname "the wall". I don't think he ever managed to match the success that he had with Tampa ever again. Is he with an HNL team now? I don't think so. Still, a Stanley Cup wining goalie. with 300+ wins.

Box 6, Card 7

A REALKLY nice Yann Dannis patch. When Yann Danis was with Montreal, I remember that his stuff was going for solid dollars. Then he bounced around the NHL and had brief stints in like... 3 or 4 other teams. NYI was one. Edmonton was another I think. Is he still playing? Hopefully. Be the hype again Yann. Your had an awesome patch in this card regardless. Looks like a gold verion too.

Box 6, Card 8

HOF Detroit Goalie Dominik Hasek. Here's where the box hopefully starts to get great. The same card design as the Eric Daze from earlier, but an actually great player on the front. I do still like the card design and the red swatch is bonafide. Way to go Dominik. You did great in Buffalo and Detroit.

Box 6, Card 9

Now isn't this intereting? A Paul Coffey Franchises signature for his time in Carolina. I totally forgot that he played in Carolina. Afterall, Paul Coffey is more known for his time in Edmonton and to lesser extends in LA, Pittsburgh and Detroit. I just went to check it out and he's got the award for "most different teams played on by a 1000 pt scorer - 9". He had 50 points in Caroline over two seasons. They probaby wanted him more for his star draw than anything, but still, 50 pts is 50 pts. HOF D. Can't complaign about this card! What's the box hit?

Box 6, Card 10

International Ice Henrik Zetterberg. Don't get me wrong, Zetterberg is an awesome player. He's the cornerstone of Detroit. He's as clever as they come and although he's been in the league a long time, he's still an impact force (although declining) and if you'r enot careful, he'll make you look stupid. But he's a sweede. I collect Canadians. Nuff said?
 
Box 6 wasn't bad. It had HOF. It had future HOF. it also had has beens and never wases. Not a terrible box by any means, but also missing that omf. As Dr. Price says, let's continue down this trip of memoery lane! Onto big hits and beyond!

Box 7, Card 1

Another gold Mask card. Actually, these cards from the first mask set are quite delightful. Realy great design and they pop indeed. This one also appear to have a gold 1/1 so its a tru 1/1 in the vault release set. Mr. Khabibulin also makes a second appearnce and this mask apparaenlty was from his days in the lightnig

Box 7, Card 2

National pride game used glove of Steve Downie. Seve isn't playing anymore as far as I know, but he was a bruiser when he was playing. Quick wiki check shows 200 points and 1000 PIMS. The glove is a great piece and its Canadian. You know, I'm seeing a lot of enforcers and mid range players. I'd hate to think that the Vault's theme was mediocrity and pugalism.

Box 7, Card 3

Scott Niedermayer appearance #2. This time as a Captain C jersey for his time in Anaheim. Despite being NHL license deficient, they did a nice design on this card by using colours that evoke the team's emblem. The jersey is a nice piece too.

Box 7, Card 4

Alexi Yashin.... oh my. The ITG Vault player of the NHL. Lots of hype, very expensive and .... I can't say that it fails to deliver because we haven't gotten to the end of the break, or Yahin's contract. Let's see how it goes and hope that we aren't all dispointed. Well, at least its a good looking card.

Box 7, Card 5

Roland McKeown. I never heard of the guy. From the card, he played for the Kingston Frontenacs and I used to live in Kingston, so you get 0.5 points.

Box 7, Card 6

Josh Morrissey. What have we learned everyone? That in the second half of the break, the guys who never got to the NHL end up in the 6-7 break positions instead of the 2-3 like we saw earlier in the break. Moving on. He's got a nice auto though.

Box 7, Card 7

Johan Backlund H&P auto. He played 1 NHL game. And by played, I mean he had two periods, let in two goals, had a groin injugy and got credited for the loss because his team only scored 1. Poor guy. He literally had his 40 minutes of fame. And, now we know that its not just the 6 & 7 positions who are the never made it players, but the 8th as well. Wooppee.

Box 7, Card 8

Daymond Langkow signature series autograph. This signature series frequency and regularity is so sadly funny, I could cry.

Box 7, Card 9

Holy crud! Actual vintage. Frank Brimsek BTP vintage memorabilia. This was very closely PC. I've been looking for a Broda and/or Gardiner from this set because its such a cool set and these guys are SO hard to find. You know what, I think I will call this PC. Frank played most of his career with Boston and won two stanley cups as well as two Vezina trophies. He's HOF and the photo and card layout are both excellent. Does this make up for the box? NO, but there's one more hit!

Box 7, Card 10

Pavel Datsyuk signature X autograph. Well, we pulled Zetterberg in the last box, its only fair that we pull Datsyuk in the second. This is also the same set as the Roy I pulled earlier. Detroit heavy hits, I suppose. onto the next box.
 
Bov 7 had our VERY FIRST PIECE OF VINTAGE. ITg, which is so well known in this trip down memory lane, we have exactly one vintage piece. I'm also developping a particular mood during this break and its not "elation". Let's get through this boys. 3 more boxes to go.

Box 8, Card 1

Silver Masked Men 4 of Ed Belfour. The Eagles gave it away buddy. Eddie the eaglie was in Toronto for so long and never got any love for how well he was because Toronto was perpetually sucking. He was like the best worse goalie of the league. No matter how hard he tried, he was always on the leafs. And now he shows up as the first card in an ITG Vault break. poor Eddie just can't catch a break.

Box 8, Card 2

Jacob Markstrom Game used jersey silver with a seam or a something comming out of the top left. Markstrom was a pretty highly touted prospect at some point (Florida?). and he represents Sweeden really well in the world championships. He may still have a future. I hope so Jacob. Good luck!

Box 8, Card 3

Canada vs the world Ulf Nilsson silver Jersey. A great set featuring a ton of canadian, and I'm pulling sweedes left and right here. Ulf was really well regarded in the WHA and transitioned over the to the NHL, I think his impact was less. Apparently, he's the source of the "Potvin sucks" changes in New York. Ponts per game player. Sweede.

Box 8, Card 4

The sweedes, they keep comming. Henrik Sedin card to match my Alexi Yashin. This design looks really nice like they actually embeded the jersey into a typical hockey card as opposed to the most common technique today to design around the swatch. Its a throw back to a simpler time. The design is snazy and complements the colours well. Nice blue swatch. I can almost forget about Yahin. Almost.

Box 8, Card 5

Mikka Kiprusoff. Finnish goalie. What is going on in this box? This was meant to be shipped to central Europe of something. A nice two colour swatch for a good goalie who could never get Calgary to go anywhere. Could steal a game when needed. He hated to sign hockey cards. Getting that guy's auto was SUPER tough on a hockey card and I only have one, which also happened to have a jersey on it too. This jersey piece is a nice two colour. Finn.

Box 8, Card 6

When I saw this card I though, oh, that's very similar to the signature series cards that I've been seeing throughout the break. I wonder what kind of player this guy was. He's a long career middle of the road player... this is another signature series card isn't it. One in every FREAKING BOX. I am fed up with these guys. I guess shaking it up wasn't an option when you have 10K of these lying around. Can you imagine a full box of signature series autos?

Box 8, Card 7

I was wrong... the signature series auto was right behind the previous one. The previous one was a BAP auto which was probaly the precursor to the signature series set. Rod'Brind'amour perfectly fits the quality of this signature series cards. Another Caroline pull. Yah.

Box 8, Card 8

Kjell Samuelsson. Sweede enforcer. This is depressing. Another sweede in this box. If this case hit is in this box and its a sweede, I swear I will be so pissed.

Box 8, Card 9

Ray Bourque in a Boston Jersey stick piece. Finally a card worth talknig about. The stick pieces is just jumping out of the card and features a nice "O". so far, the only two stick cards pulled have some really nice lettering on them. I also like Ray Bourque cause I followed him a little while growing up, so I'm really happy to see him in a boston jersey instead of the Avalanche where he's typically shown because that's where he won the cup. Great card. Happy to have it.

Box 8, Card 10

Patrick Kane H& autograph with an absolutely gorgeous autograph. This card is from 07-08 and if I remember correctly, I also think that this is a RC auto. Wow. After all those sweedes, I'm so happy that the last two hits have been a canadian and an American. I never though that I'd say that, but thank you Kane for showing up here. Solid card that, with the Bourque, took the sting off the box.
 
We've done 8 out of 10 boxes so far. I have a bad feeling that my case hit was the triple stick picked up in the first box. I really hope I'm wrong as I've seen cases with a jersey auto in it and I can only hope. There have been some strong-ish cards in here, but nothing that would blow me out of the water or make me want to buy this product again, or even to recommend it. Two boxes left. Send me your luck guys.

Box 9, Card 1

i'm actually laughing at this one. Vokoun Panthers. Masked Men III gold foil stamp. Actually, the background foil looks particularly shiny. I don't remember the MAsked Men III so well, but I don't remmeber them being this Shiny. Just checked the back and its a rgular silver version. They did III pretty well.

Box 9, Card 2

Marian Hossa Signature X series Ottawa jersey. Hossa don'e really well for himself in Chicago. I wish he could have somehow brought the cup to Ottawa of course. Good player. Card is a lottle wonky. Makes me think its a lock puzzle.

Box 9, Card 3

ITG 1792 Pat Stapleton, red Jersey. I think Pat was also in the summit series. Good job Pat.

Box 9, Card 4

Alexis Pepin. Not yet in the NHL, but still playing hockey and looks to be doing pretty well too. Here's hoping!

Box 9, Card 5

Signature series Patrick Lalime. At least his auto is nice and he played for Ottawa. Plug, its a really good photo of the guy. He blocks the card just like he blocks the net. Typicaly player type for this card inclusion.

Box 9, Card 6

Followed immediately by a signature series card. Janne Niinimaa. Exactly the kind of guy for this card too. They sorted these hits REALLY well. - Midling player with a long career on a signature series autograph card? Put that in slot #6

Box 9, Card 7

Troy Passingham. So begins the H&P, BTP stuff of players who never cracked the NHL.

Box 9, Card 8

I am pleasantly surprised to see that I was wrong. Ed Belfour Vezina Hopeful in a Toronto Jersey. I already made fun of Eddie earlier. HOF GU who did win a Vezina, but never in Toronto. Thanks for showing up again Eddie.

Box 9, Card 9

Game Used scraps of Tie Domi and Bob Probert. I totally don't care about Enforcers. Hopefully someone somewhere does.

Box 9, Card 10

Gold Millenium Signature Series Brett Hull. I do not have a Brett Hull autograph, mostly because he's an american, but he was like, THE guy in St. Louis for a long long time. HOF auto. Can't complaign... except about everything else.
 
Okay. Box # 10, before I do, whatever it holds here's a recap.

Each box has generally had at least one solid hit. And I don't mean solid as in valuable or even rare, but a hit that a collector of diverse products would be happy with. Its not always the top hit, but if you like Hockey, there will be something in there for you.

That being said... and to use some hyperbole, I will quote Red from the Shawshank redemption:
Red said:
Andy crawled to freedom through five hundred yards of ™™™™ smelling foulness I can't even imagine, or maybe I just don't want to. Five hundred yards... that's the length of five football fields, just shy of half a mile.
Click to expand...

There are some turds in these boxes. I expect that many, many will hit the 2/1$ bin if you're lucky.

Freedom my friends is one box away. I would have opened 3 cases of Superlative Vault instead of 1 box of this. This was such a phenomenal let down compared to the hits that Dr Price advertised on his blog and the quality of the other vault products that came out. This didn't feel like a money grab because there are some genuinely good things in here and its not all bad.

Still, when I was at OT sports and I saw all the stuff that UD has for sale.....If someone said I HAD to buy something and it HAD to be now and I HAD to choose... I still would have bought this over any of that. That being said, I would have preferred to keep my money instead and just pass this by. This will teach me to pre-order stuff. Never again!

Thanks for watching. Feel free to contact me if you see something you like. lots are available.

Cheers,
reoddai
 
Box 10, Card 1

A really nice looking Mask 5 from Phoenix (David Abischer). Just like my first box that held the Turco, this card is stamped silver, 1 of 5. The Mask cards were really what made ITG well know and have always been highly sought after cards. The one thing that will impact the greatest number of hobiests is that these mask cards won't be around anymore. Bye ITG. Thanks for the memories.

Box 10, Card 2

A really nice dual jersey showing the Russia rocket, Pavel bure. Inducted in the hall of fame in 2012, Pavel played 7 years in Vancouver before he was sent to Florida in 1998. He never won the Stanley cup on any team, but came really close in Vancouver, as Vancouver is ought to do. The on the move cards by ITG have been featured many times and the colours and jersey sizes are well chosen and generous, respectively. Its not their best ever design for this type of card, but its still a well done card. Thanks again ITG.

Box 10, Card 3

Jordan Binnington, Net Prospect, H&P. while Jordan has had a taste of an NHL game, he hasn't managed to crack in full time yet. Being a goalie is hard and there's lots of competition. He's shown here in his Owen sound ATTACK jersey. The H&P set was well known for showcasing up and commers into the NHL. It was a niche product, but a well loved niche product. Most times, AHL and OHL teams would release a "team hockey card set", but to get them, you often had to go there personally. H&P allowed collectors of the next generation of talent to really folow and prospect. You did the prodcuct well ITG. Thanks.

Box 10, Card 4

Enforcers II, Jay Caufield. Encofers are a short lived breed. Generally, the local team loves their enforcers and hates the opposing. Unless you had the gift, Enforcers also tended to be recycled very quickly. If you can't punch, out you go and in comes the next puncher, slotted right in. Jay managed to get through 5 seasons in Pittsburgh where he played just over 200 games, scored 5 goals and racked up nearlly 800 PIM. he probably protected Lemieux and that was his claim to fame. He wasn't there because someone wanted them, he was there to protect Pittsburgh's asset. Before Enfocers, Jay had one card. A Pro Set RC. You can guess how well that was collected and is regarded to this day. Jay, I don't know if your position was a throback to a bloddier sport, or a necessary evil to protect the stars. ITG recognizes your contribution and now, I have a piece of your jersey. Kudos to the fighter. Thanks ITG.

Box 10, Card 5

Arthur Irbe white jersey piece from Parkhust. One of the best sets was when ITG had Parkhurst. They didn't always get it right, but what a legacy that had to be filed. When Irbe first came to the NHL it was with the San Jose Sharks and he helped bring them to the playoffs in that first year. He's still very well regarded in San Jose. After Irbe went to Carolina, he continued to help his team and nearly brought them a Stanley cup, but Detroit beat them in the end. Irbe has a bit of a cult following of card collectors as well. ITG was frequently the only company that produced Irbe cards in recent years. Thanks ITG.

Box 10, Card 6

Steven Reinprecht was a centre journeyman in the NHL and player for 11 years in the NHL for 5 different teams. Amzingly, he has a Stanley cup on his Resume because of his time in Colorado, probably the year after he signed this card. The Signature X series, I can't say much about as it was before my time. However, every card is hard signed, a rarity now a days. The pictures are vibrant and the backgound is nice and shiny. The black auto on dark background doesn't help, but its still visible and every auto I've seen so far has been both solid and a good looking auto with frequently a player's jersey number. ITG had good relations with their players when it came to signatures and it seems that the situation was no different in 2002. Thanks ITG.

Box 10, Card 7

Ryan O'Mara O Canada Autograph. ryan never quite made it in the NHL and now plays in Europe. However, he did help bring home with gold in the 2006 and 2006 World Junior Championships for canada. This card came from the O Canada set which was a phenomenal set for Canadian fans. While the hits were rare, the designs were clean and incredible. You had frequently, nearly full rosters of Canadian teams and all levels were represented. I remember pulling a Wickenheiser from the set and always regretted selling it later. This set was great and I wish, I WISH ITG had the license to do one for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics because it was just done SO WELL and the 2010 olympics desperately need one. Alas, it was not meant to be. Thanks ITG.

Box 10, Card 8

Tyson Sexsmith BTP autograph. This guy's autograph is so tiny ans squired, but its also so clean. Who signs like that? Its like he was trying to fit his signature in a stamp. I'm pretty sure that this BTP was from 07 because I think I have a Carey Price auto from this set and it was his rookie year. Or maybe I have a Patrick Roy auto because this set had Patrick roy shown in a Team canada jersey. Eitehr way, its a well designed card and the autograph box gives the impression of a signature in a goalie net. how cool is that? Thanks ITG!

Box 10, Card 9

Wow, what a nice ard and a nice way to almost end the set. I must admit taht looking at the front of this card I can't tell who the player is, but that almost doesn't matter. The patch in the bottom right is absolutely breaking the card. Judging from the number on the side of the sleeve and the partial name visible on the back, I'm going to say that this card is a Record Breaking Season for John Tavares. I don't need to talk much about JOhn because he's killing it in NYI. ITG had many of these "complete" jersey cards and I've always considered them the pioneer of this style. I could be wrong, but my favourite cards have all been "complete jersey" this or "complete jersey" that. I think I have 4-5 in my PC which is saying quite a bit. I've always trusted the quality of the GU from ITG, ESPECIALLY because of the way they say where the Game used pieces comes from on the back. Be it from a game, or an all-star game, or an AHL game, or if its a glove and they can't say definiteively that its from a game. That kind of honesty was so refreshing in a hobby that is continually rocked by scandals. I will miss this most of all. I do collect GU, but how can I be sure that its a true GU if the back of the card doens't certify it? ITG, this is what I will miss the most. Thanks for everything.
After flipping the card, this appears to be a gold version 1 of 1, with a red stamp 1 of 1 on the front.

Box 10, Card 10

No box would be complete without a signature series autograph. However, this time, instead of a midling player, we have Jarome Iginla. Team Canada and Team calgary. This guy has won so many awards, but never a Stanley cup, although he team hoped for some years at the end of his career trying to chase it down. He's been on so many Team Canada Olympic gold medal teams, its not even funny and here we have a super nice hard signed autograph. He may not be a HOF lock, but in my book, hes one of the greatest Canadian players to every play the game. ITg, you really pushed the signature series cards down my thoat in this break, to the point where I refuse to say anything nice about them, but I will say this. These signature series cards are the perfect embodiment of ITG. Even when you didn't have an NHL license, you stuck around the hobby. Year after year, producing more and more cards. Always there... every box, every release, every case. An annoyance to some people, but not to your die hard fans. Most releases were middle of the pack with moderate reception, but you always tried and sometimes, you hit one out of the park. Thanks for all the collecting over the years. My last box of ITG.

Cheers,
reoddai
 
Mats Sundin is SWEDISH btw. :) We don't want our Scandanavian friends to buy into the "Ugly American" ("Ugly Canadian"?) setreotypes about our knowledge of the world. :)

Also, Adam Lowry was with the Jets much more this season than he was with the farm club Mb Moose. :)
 
Thanx for taking the time and do this thread i really enjoyed reading all your comments you really made my day :).
And if you want to get rid of your sweedes send me a pm.
 
reoddai said:
Box 3, Card 11

Uhh.. card 11? The box hit position is a MIKE VERNON MOWTOWN MADNESS AUTOGRAPH. WOO!!... next box.

EDS: Turns out that the Vernon is only released in ITG Vault, so this may actually be a sought after hit, but due to rarity.
Click to expand...

Sacrebleu Dave posted on here specifically looking for this card the other day, so there's probably an easy sale there if you want it.

Joe
 
I usually hate commentary on card hits, but yours are spot on!

Entertaining and brings back memories of collecting ITG!
 

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