thestreak
Formerly: kurpisp, Verified Trader,
Hi all,
I don't normally make these kinds of posts but figured I'd give it a shot this year. This year was not a very busy collecting year for me at all. I tried to take a few steps back and only pick up things that really fit my PC or that I thought were cool. Thus, the below top 10 are really the only 10 cards that I picked up this year. Also, other than maybe a few, its hard to really nail down the order of the top 10, but I'll do my best.
#10 - 97 Pinnacle Be A Player Rod Brind'Amour auto
Long story, but long story short I have really been getting into fitness and working out/exercising almost daily since about the winter of 2019 (thanks COVID). Obviously we know that Rod 'the bod' is jacked, and when I first saw this card pop up I thought it was super cool. IMO something you don't see all the time. Add on top that its autographed and from an older set, it started checking more boxes on my internal criteria checklist.
IMG-2064 by Petar Kurpis, on Flickr
#9 - 05-06 SP Authentic SOTT Jeff O'Neill
Not sure how many of you within the GTA or elsewhere listen to sports radio, but recently I've been listening to Overdrive on TSN 1050 with Jeff Hayes, Jamie McLennan, and Jeff O'Neill. Man, what a good show - I would highly recommend it. I can't remember really loving O'Neill when he played for the Leafs, but after listening to the show for a while I thought I wanted to pick up one of his hard autos (in Leafs uniform). I'm pretty sure this one came from someone on HI, but I can't be certain.
IMG-2068 by Petar Kurpis, on Flickr
#8 - 2004 UD Legends Classics Triple Auto Esposito, Mikita, Wilson
As you all know I'm a sucker for hard autos of the old guys, especially from older sets. What I also look for is a clean looking card and a nice photo/picture of the player. This one came up on Facebook and although I am not a hawks fan in the least, its hard to beat these three (maybe save for Wilson). I didn't really care much that it was graded, but was more drawn to the clean crisp autos and the overall look of the card. Best part about it was that it was totally affordable.
IMG-2063 by Petar Kurpis, on Flickr
#7 - 2014 Team Canada Master collection Inscriptions Mike Bossy
I'm a big fan of this card. It's currently (and probably will stay) my only Bossy auto, but when I saw it come up for sale I couldn't resist. Clean auto, nice photo (and not in a NYI sweater), inscribed, and from a really nice set. I was all over this one and made sure it was going into my PC.
bossy auto by Petar Kurpis, on Flickr
#6 - 99 SP Signature Edition Roy Halladay Auto
I'm not a massive jays fan but I do like to follow them and try to get to as many games as life allows. I knew I always wanted to grab a Halladay auto, but for this one it needed to be in a jays uniform only and I wanted the other criteria (clean auto, nice photo, etc) to apply. I actually reached out to a member on HI to get their opinion on it before I bought it and boom, I scooped it up. Ironically this is the only jays auto I have in my PC, but who knows, maybe Ill continue adding. The only downfall to this card was the price...I've purchased cheaper cards, but 'yolo'.
IMG-2067 by Petar Kurpis, on Flickr
#5 - 2020-21 Artifacts Esteemed Endorsements Darryl Sittler
I think I saw a picture of this card come up either here on HI or somewhere on facebook and as soon as I saw it I wanted it. Beautiful inscribed auto of one of the best leafs ever - and a nice photo to boot. I don't think there's a cooler inscription around. Normally artifacts isn't a set that really excites me, but these cards are awesome.
IMG-2066 by Petar Kurpis, on Flickr
#4 - 1999 Pokemon Game Charizard Holo PSA 8
Alright - this one is not new this year, but its newly graded this year. I pulled this Charizard back in '99 and its sat in pretty decent condition ever since. I recently went through the majority of my big Pokemon cards from when I was a kid and pulled out the ones that I thought would grade well, including this one. I really have no attachment to Pokemon anymore but I was happy when this one came back a PSA 8. Its not shadowless or first edition, so it's not going to make the huge bucks if I was to sell it, but regardless I think this one (along with some of my other Pokemon cards) are goin to the kids down the road.
IMG-2070 by Petar Kurpis, on Flickr
#3 - 1952 Parkhurst George Armstrong PSA 5
Here's another one that's not new but is newly graded. I re-watched the 67 Stanley Cup that they had playing on TV when COVID hit and instantly knew I wanted an Armstrong RC after he scored that winning goal and lifted the cup with his kids by his side. What a gentleman.
I picked this one up raw and thought it was in great shape, and I guess PSA agreed. More so than a high grade, I wanted this one slabbed so that it can stay in its good shape.
IMG-2069 by Petar Kurpis, on Flickr
#2 1961 Parkhurst Dave Keon PSA 4
I'm on this mission to get RCs of the big Leafs over the years (cough cough looking for Mahovlich cough cough) and knew that adding a Keon would be critical. I'm not crazy about the grade, but the price was right at the time, and, again, happy to have it slabbed. Hard to beat a Keon RC...
IMG-2062 by Petar Kurpis, on Flickr
#1 1951 Parkhurst The Winning Goal PSA 6
Full disclosure, I actually do not like the Hip. They're starting to grow on me but I just never saw the appeal. The only song that I really enjoy (and probably because I'm a leaf fan) is Fifty Mission Cap.
My brother has a PSA 4 of this one which I was always jealous of and on one of my daily searches I saw a PSA 6 come up for a super-reasonable price and immediately pulled the trigger. I enjoy it more and more every time I look at it. Sometimes its hard for me to believe that a card 71 years old can be in this good of shape.
IMG-2061 by Petar Kurpis, on Flickr
Thanks for stopping by y'all. Looking forward to what 2023 brings in terms of collecting. Hopefully I can add some more nice clean hard autos of the guys who helped build the game, other things I just find to be cool (like the Rod Brind'Amour) and please Lord a Mahovlich RC!
Cheers, and Happy New Year.
I don't normally make these kinds of posts but figured I'd give it a shot this year. This year was not a very busy collecting year for me at all. I tried to take a few steps back and only pick up things that really fit my PC or that I thought were cool. Thus, the below top 10 are really the only 10 cards that I picked up this year. Also, other than maybe a few, its hard to really nail down the order of the top 10, but I'll do my best.
#10 - 97 Pinnacle Be A Player Rod Brind'Amour auto
Long story, but long story short I have really been getting into fitness and working out/exercising almost daily since about the winter of 2019 (thanks COVID). Obviously we know that Rod 'the bod' is jacked, and when I first saw this card pop up I thought it was super cool. IMO something you don't see all the time. Add on top that its autographed and from an older set, it started checking more boxes on my internal criteria checklist.
IMG-2064 by Petar Kurpis, on Flickr#9 - 05-06 SP Authentic SOTT Jeff O'Neill
Not sure how many of you within the GTA or elsewhere listen to sports radio, but recently I've been listening to Overdrive on TSN 1050 with Jeff Hayes, Jamie McLennan, and Jeff O'Neill. Man, what a good show - I would highly recommend it. I can't remember really loving O'Neill when he played for the Leafs, but after listening to the show for a while I thought I wanted to pick up one of his hard autos (in Leafs uniform). I'm pretty sure this one came from someone on HI, but I can't be certain.
IMG-2068 by Petar Kurpis, on Flickr#8 - 2004 UD Legends Classics Triple Auto Esposito, Mikita, Wilson
As you all know I'm a sucker for hard autos of the old guys, especially from older sets. What I also look for is a clean looking card and a nice photo/picture of the player. This one came up on Facebook and although I am not a hawks fan in the least, its hard to beat these three (maybe save for Wilson). I didn't really care much that it was graded, but was more drawn to the clean crisp autos and the overall look of the card. Best part about it was that it was totally affordable.
IMG-2063 by Petar Kurpis, on Flickr#7 - 2014 Team Canada Master collection Inscriptions Mike Bossy
I'm a big fan of this card. It's currently (and probably will stay) my only Bossy auto, but when I saw it come up for sale I couldn't resist. Clean auto, nice photo (and not in a NYI sweater), inscribed, and from a really nice set. I was all over this one and made sure it was going into my PC.
bossy auto by Petar Kurpis, on Flickr#6 - 99 SP Signature Edition Roy Halladay Auto
I'm not a massive jays fan but I do like to follow them and try to get to as many games as life allows. I knew I always wanted to grab a Halladay auto, but for this one it needed to be in a jays uniform only and I wanted the other criteria (clean auto, nice photo, etc) to apply. I actually reached out to a member on HI to get their opinion on it before I bought it and boom, I scooped it up. Ironically this is the only jays auto I have in my PC, but who knows, maybe Ill continue adding. The only downfall to this card was the price...I've purchased cheaper cards, but 'yolo'.
IMG-2067 by Petar Kurpis, on Flickr#5 - 2020-21 Artifacts Esteemed Endorsements Darryl Sittler
I think I saw a picture of this card come up either here on HI or somewhere on facebook and as soon as I saw it I wanted it. Beautiful inscribed auto of one of the best leafs ever - and a nice photo to boot. I don't think there's a cooler inscription around. Normally artifacts isn't a set that really excites me, but these cards are awesome.
IMG-2066 by Petar Kurpis, on Flickr#4 - 1999 Pokemon Game Charizard Holo PSA 8
Alright - this one is not new this year, but its newly graded this year. I pulled this Charizard back in '99 and its sat in pretty decent condition ever since. I recently went through the majority of my big Pokemon cards from when I was a kid and pulled out the ones that I thought would grade well, including this one. I really have no attachment to Pokemon anymore but I was happy when this one came back a PSA 8. Its not shadowless or first edition, so it's not going to make the huge bucks if I was to sell it, but regardless I think this one (along with some of my other Pokemon cards) are goin to the kids down the road.
IMG-2070 by Petar Kurpis, on Flickr#3 - 1952 Parkhurst George Armstrong PSA 5
Here's another one that's not new but is newly graded. I re-watched the 67 Stanley Cup that they had playing on TV when COVID hit and instantly knew I wanted an Armstrong RC after he scored that winning goal and lifted the cup with his kids by his side. What a gentleman.
I picked this one up raw and thought it was in great shape, and I guess PSA agreed. More so than a high grade, I wanted this one slabbed so that it can stay in its good shape.
IMG-2069 by Petar Kurpis, on Flickr#2 1961 Parkhurst Dave Keon PSA 4
I'm on this mission to get RCs of the big Leafs over the years (cough cough looking for Mahovlich cough cough) and knew that adding a Keon would be critical. I'm not crazy about the grade, but the price was right at the time, and, again, happy to have it slabbed. Hard to beat a Keon RC...
IMG-2062 by Petar Kurpis, on Flickr#1 1951 Parkhurst The Winning Goal PSA 6
Full disclosure, I actually do not like the Hip. They're starting to grow on me but I just never saw the appeal. The only song that I really enjoy (and probably because I'm a leaf fan) is Fifty Mission Cap.
My brother has a PSA 4 of this one which I was always jealous of and on one of my daily searches I saw a PSA 6 come up for a super-reasonable price and immediately pulled the trigger. I enjoy it more and more every time I look at it. Sometimes its hard for me to believe that a card 71 years old can be in this good of shape.
IMG-2061 by Petar Kurpis, on FlickrThanks for stopping by y'all. Looking forward to what 2023 brings in terms of collecting. Hopefully I can add some more nice clean hard autos of the guys who helped build the game, other things I just find to be cool (like the Rod Brind'Amour) and please Lord a Mahovlich RC!
Cheers, and Happy New Year.
