bamlinden
Upstanding Member,
Well, with the year soon coming to an end (and a very exciting bubble mailer arriving today) I thought I'd take a moment to share some of my favourite Linden pickups of the past year.
It was definitely a slower year for me in terms of purchasing. A tighter wallet, less than exciting products and just a general collecting funk had me focusing on other projects.....which was great. I have been building my Oscar Gamble PC (and it might just be the most fun I've had with any project), I added to my goalie mask cards, I picked up a few hard-signed HHOF autos, there were a couple 51/52 Parkies in the mix and I finally organized a couple small projects like my 'Cup Raisers'. That said, things picked up for my Linden PC as the year went on and it finishes up with a bang today. Overall I like where I'm at with my collecting and I've always stood firm with the motto "I'm the one in control of my collecting".
With that, here are a few Linden cards that really made me smile when I crossed them off my master list.
2015/16 Leaf In The Game Superlative Emblems 3/6
OK.....I'll confess, this wasn't a 2016 pickup. I got it in December of 2015. Sue me.
I can appreciate what Leaf was trying to do with the Emblems cards but I kind of irked when I saw it sectioned up the way it is. That said, I can take this one out of its case and actually touch the swatch, unlike my UM12 Emblem.
2013/14 In The Game Lord Stanley's Mug Cup Rivals Dual Gold (limited to 10)
I know, I know....Messier is on this card. How could I possibly include this. Well hear me out. This card was a very generous gift from our very own sedinfan (Dave). I was quite taken aback when he offered this card to me with no expectation of receiving anything in return. I've been the fortunate recipient of a few gifts over the years and I really appreciate all the kind gestures. I have tried to "pay it forward" and do my best in the generosity column (and you don't need to give away cards to do that).
Thanks Dave!! And a thank you to everyone here who has followed Dave's lead.
2015/16 Leaf Ultimate Signatures Silver /30, Blue /9, Gold /3
This was an odd trifecta when all was said and done (if only they were hard signed). Take a wild guess which card cost me the most? Yup....the silver /30. Hilarious. It was nice to scratch a few newer cards off the list this year, although not nearly as many as I could have (boy there are a lot of new adds to the list in 2016).
2005/06 Upper Deck MVP Prosign
This card was the true white whale for me. I had pretty much given up hope of ever seeing one surface. The product never goes on sale (as it is the Crosby and Ovechkin rc year) and nobody seemed to have an extra Linden Prosign to chuck up on eBay. Until this spring. I was prepared to go big on this one as I felt it might be my last shot at obtaining one. Thrilled to add it to the collection.
2014/15 Upper Deck The Cup Program Of Excellence (unreleased proof)
Now I'm not normally one who goes out and buys these proof cards on eBay. They just don't do it for me. But this card is most definitely the exception. I take pride in keeping my Linden master checklist up to date and I also take pride in keeping tabs on what the new cards are of his coming out. I knew there would be a few Cup cards of his in 2014/15 and I knew that there was a redemption for a POE triple auto (with Sakic and CuJo). What I also knew was that the regular POE card he was supposed to have never made it to the final checklist. So imagine my surprise when I saw this show up on eBay.
I asked the seller if there were any more of them available. I was told no...this was the only one. Sweet. I bid quietly on it hoping it would go under the radar.....and it did. When the seller found out after that this was an unreleased Linden, I think there might have been a little disappointment (because I would have paid twice, maybe three times as much).
Huge add to the collection. I really like this card. Not too many Linden Team Canada items out there.
1996/97 Score Golden Blades Winner Punched
Wow. This was another big one to cross off the list. Big thank you to gobuffalo2331 (Seth) for the assist on this one. There are literally a handful of cards (non 1/1s) from before 1999 that are still missing from my collection. This one was so great to finally see in person.
1998/99 Topps Game Day Islanders Card (Powerplay Magazine Insert)
Another crazy rare card that I just never saw - ever.....until I discovered the wonders of COMC. Yes, I took the plunge and joined COMC. It has been fantastic (except for that time when I bought Black Friday stuff a week before Black Friday....but we won't talk about that). I could not believe my eyes when I saw MULTIPLE copies of this card up for sale. I couldn't pull the virtual cash out of my pocket fast enough.
You can see on the flip side of the card, it is numbered NY17 as opposed to the normal 117 (his card number in the Topps base set). I love stuff like this.
2011/12 Panini Limited Back To The Future Signatures w/ Ryan Kesler /25
For years I was convinced that this card didn't exist....Panini just didn't release it in their Limited product in 2011. So it just sat on my wantlist, never to be crossed off. Then last year I saw this card somehow show up on eBay. What the heck??!!! So I texted kmitchel (Kevin) to see if he knew what was going on. He up and bought the thing (I wasn't looking to buy it at that moment). Found out later that when Panini was no longer going to produce hockey cards, they put all 25 copies (and the 1/1) on their website store. Someone must have scooped up all the copies because over the next 6 months a new copy would show up on eBay every few weeks...only to be gobbled up.
So I waited.....and waited. I knew there were 25 copies of this card (a lot these days) and sure enough the price came down. A couple copies hit COMC and just sat there for months....staring me in the face each time I logged in. Seller wouldn't budge on the price so I decided to grab it as part of my botched Black Friday purchase.
Happy to get it as I really do like the card.
2010/11 Panini Dominion Private Signings Vancouver
For those who know this card (and have a copy) congrats. There are few cards out there that have a story with me before I even purchase it. When this card first hit the open market, I just thought I'd treat it like many others - wait for the first wave to pass and then buy when the price comes down. Little did I know that this would be a sought after card for Canucks fans, Linden collectors and set builders. It is quite a nice set.
So the cards didn't come down in price as much as I thought. Then when they stopped showing up....I noticed that the demand shot up enormously. When the odd card would hit the open market...it had a much higher price tag. Drat. So I waited.....and waited.....and waited.
When I saw this one show up recently with a very inexpensive BIN - I struck. Now if I would have bought way back in the day I'd have made out better....but waiting for as long as I did give me a better story. Ha.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST......
A card popped up on eBay last month the likes I haven't seen in quite some time. I haven't pulled the trigger on a big ticket Linden for a few years but when I saw this one I really felt like I wanted to go for it.
I was still on the fence the evening it was to end. I was at a local trade night and had the urge to open some product in the meantime. There was no UD Series I packs so I bought a tin. Wouldn't you know it....I pulled an Auston Matthews YG. That cemented the decision for me....I would be bidding on the Linden.
And I won.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
2013/14 Upper Deck The Cup Property Of 1/1
Yeah.....I like this card. It's my first Property Of/Nameplate card and I think it looks stunning. I really like the design and how the stick is nicely settled in under the cut window. Fits like a glove.
So......anyone wanna buy an Auston Matthews YG? :dance:
Anyways, if you made it this long, thank you. It's been yet another fun year card collecting for me. I have enjoyed these boards quite a lot, I love going to the local card shows and trade nights. This is such a great hobby.
I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable holiday season and all the best in 2017!!!!
It was definitely a slower year for me in terms of purchasing. A tighter wallet, less than exciting products and just a general collecting funk had me focusing on other projects.....which was great. I have been building my Oscar Gamble PC (and it might just be the most fun I've had with any project), I added to my goalie mask cards, I picked up a few hard-signed HHOF autos, there were a couple 51/52 Parkies in the mix and I finally organized a couple small projects like my 'Cup Raisers'. That said, things picked up for my Linden PC as the year went on and it finishes up with a bang today. Overall I like where I'm at with my collecting and I've always stood firm with the motto "I'm the one in control of my collecting".
With that, here are a few Linden cards that really made me smile when I crossed them off my master list.
2015/16 Leaf In The Game Superlative Emblems 3/6
OK.....I'll confess, this wasn't a 2016 pickup. I got it in December of 2015. Sue me.
I can appreciate what Leaf was trying to do with the Emblems cards but I kind of irked when I saw it sectioned up the way it is. That said, I can take this one out of its case and actually touch the swatch, unlike my UM12 Emblem.
2013/14 In The Game Lord Stanley's Mug Cup Rivals Dual Gold (limited to 10)
I know, I know....Messier is on this card. How could I possibly include this. Well hear me out. This card was a very generous gift from our very own sedinfan (Dave). I was quite taken aback when he offered this card to me with no expectation of receiving anything in return. I've been the fortunate recipient of a few gifts over the years and I really appreciate all the kind gestures. I have tried to "pay it forward" and do my best in the generosity column (and you don't need to give away cards to do that).
Thanks Dave!! And a thank you to everyone here who has followed Dave's lead.
2015/16 Leaf Ultimate Signatures Silver /30, Blue /9, Gold /3
This was an odd trifecta when all was said and done (if only they were hard signed). Take a wild guess which card cost me the most? Yup....the silver /30. Hilarious. It was nice to scratch a few newer cards off the list this year, although not nearly as many as I could have (boy there are a lot of new adds to the list in 2016).
2005/06 Upper Deck MVP Prosign
This card was the true white whale for me. I had pretty much given up hope of ever seeing one surface. The product never goes on sale (as it is the Crosby and Ovechkin rc year) and nobody seemed to have an extra Linden Prosign to chuck up on eBay. Until this spring. I was prepared to go big on this one as I felt it might be my last shot at obtaining one. Thrilled to add it to the collection.
2014/15 Upper Deck The Cup Program Of Excellence (unreleased proof)
Now I'm not normally one who goes out and buys these proof cards on eBay. They just don't do it for me. But this card is most definitely the exception. I take pride in keeping my Linden master checklist up to date and I also take pride in keeping tabs on what the new cards are of his coming out. I knew there would be a few Cup cards of his in 2014/15 and I knew that there was a redemption for a POE triple auto (with Sakic and CuJo). What I also knew was that the regular POE card he was supposed to have never made it to the final checklist. So imagine my surprise when I saw this show up on eBay.
I asked the seller if there were any more of them available. I was told no...this was the only one. Sweet. I bid quietly on it hoping it would go under the radar.....and it did. When the seller found out after that this was an unreleased Linden, I think there might have been a little disappointment (because I would have paid twice, maybe three times as much).
Huge add to the collection. I really like this card. Not too many Linden Team Canada items out there.
1996/97 Score Golden Blades Winner Punched
Wow. This was another big one to cross off the list. Big thank you to gobuffalo2331 (Seth) for the assist on this one. There are literally a handful of cards (non 1/1s) from before 1999 that are still missing from my collection. This one was so great to finally see in person.
1998/99 Topps Game Day Islanders Card (Powerplay Magazine Insert)
Another crazy rare card that I just never saw - ever.....until I discovered the wonders of COMC. Yes, I took the plunge and joined COMC. It has been fantastic (except for that time when I bought Black Friday stuff a week before Black Friday....but we won't talk about that). I could not believe my eyes when I saw MULTIPLE copies of this card up for sale. I couldn't pull the virtual cash out of my pocket fast enough.
You can see on the flip side of the card, it is numbered NY17 as opposed to the normal 117 (his card number in the Topps base set). I love stuff like this.
2011/12 Panini Limited Back To The Future Signatures w/ Ryan Kesler /25
For years I was convinced that this card didn't exist....Panini just didn't release it in their Limited product in 2011. So it just sat on my wantlist, never to be crossed off. Then last year I saw this card somehow show up on eBay. What the heck??!!! So I texted kmitchel (Kevin) to see if he knew what was going on. He up and bought the thing (I wasn't looking to buy it at that moment). Found out later that when Panini was no longer going to produce hockey cards, they put all 25 copies (and the 1/1) on their website store. Someone must have scooped up all the copies because over the next 6 months a new copy would show up on eBay every few weeks...only to be gobbled up.
So I waited.....and waited. I knew there were 25 copies of this card (a lot these days) and sure enough the price came down. A couple copies hit COMC and just sat there for months....staring me in the face each time I logged in. Seller wouldn't budge on the price so I decided to grab it as part of my botched Black Friday purchase.
Happy to get it as I really do like the card.
2010/11 Panini Dominion Private Signings Vancouver
For those who know this card (and have a copy) congrats. There are few cards out there that have a story with me before I even purchase it. When this card first hit the open market, I just thought I'd treat it like many others - wait for the first wave to pass and then buy when the price comes down. Little did I know that this would be a sought after card for Canucks fans, Linden collectors and set builders. It is quite a nice set.
So the cards didn't come down in price as much as I thought. Then when they stopped showing up....I noticed that the demand shot up enormously. When the odd card would hit the open market...it had a much higher price tag. Drat. So I waited.....and waited.....and waited.
When I saw this one show up recently with a very inexpensive BIN - I struck. Now if I would have bought way back in the day I'd have made out better....but waiting for as long as I did give me a better story. Ha.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST......
A card popped up on eBay last month the likes I haven't seen in quite some time. I haven't pulled the trigger on a big ticket Linden for a few years but when I saw this one I really felt like I wanted to go for it.
I was still on the fence the evening it was to end. I was at a local trade night and had the urge to open some product in the meantime. There was no UD Series I packs so I bought a tin. Wouldn't you know it....I pulled an Auston Matthews YG. That cemented the decision for me....I would be bidding on the Linden.
And I won.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
2013/14 Upper Deck The Cup Property Of 1/1
Yeah.....I like this card. It's my first Property Of/Nameplate card and I think it looks stunning. I really like the design and how the stick is nicely settled in under the cut window. Fits like a glove.
So......anyone wanna buy an Auston Matthews YG? :dance:
Anyways, if you made it this long, thank you. It's been yet another fun year card collecting for me. I have enjoyed these boards quite a lot, I love going to the local card shows and trade nights. This is such a great hobby.
I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable holiday season and all the best in 2017!!!!
