PC Mailday!

It seems that I have finally found a collecting system that works for me. About a month ago I decided I would focus on only BUYING game used and auto's, while my second love, collecting 90's inserts would be done through trade. Although I have no problem spending money on 90's inserts at card shows as I can find them cheap. On eBay they really seem to add up with shipping charges.

I have done really well lately building up my collection with game used and autos. I will have some nice cards to display in the future man cave.

A really nice pickup for my Montoya PC. I slightly over paid for this card but I was locked up in a bidding war. I love the look of this card and I was looking to acquire it for sometime. I hope to upgrade this card in the future as it's just a plain white swatch.





Another card I had been looking out for. I managed to pick up a Leland Irving card from this set previously and I am really happy to land the Montoya card. I got this card for cheap as the seller had listed the same card but with a better glove piece, so most of the attention was drawn to that card.

I saw this card listed on eBay and I thought I already had it. I went through my Mclean PC to see I had this card, although the photo was slightly different.Upon doing some research I discovered that McLean has two game used cards in the series and I only owned one of them.The auction went higher then I thought but I am glad to add this card to the PC. I find it strange that some of these Titanium game used cards can sell way over book. There must be some set collectors out there that bid up the prices.

TTM Mailday and Kirk McLean Pickup

I am really happy to land this McLean, as I have had my eyes open for it since I started collecting Kirk. One has been posted on eBay for a while at the buy it now price but it was much too expensive. This is the silver version jersey  /70.

I sent this card out last fall when I went to Vegas and a year later I am getting this card back. I'm really happy to land this card for my autograph collection. At one point Jumbo Joe was my favourite skater in the NHL.

I seem to be losing a lot of nice stuff on eBay as it reaches out of my price limit. I was relieved when I could land the McLean in my price zone as I was worried I would never see the card again for a long time.

TTM Mailday X 2

I decided to try out using my phone to add pictures. It turned out to be pretty difficult as I don't have a fancy iPhone. I'm a bit of a dinosaur when it comes to technology and prefer to be modest with my devices.

It's nice to start getting some cards in the mail with hockey season right around the corner. I sent this one out to Lehtonen last season around this time and finally got my four cards back signed.

Can't remember when I sent this one out either! I'm glad to have landed the 90-91 Topps card for my sent as I'm approaching the 140 mark out of 396 cards for the set.

I plan on getting some more stuff out soon, especially making some custom "in the crease" cards I really like to make. Stay tuned.

Last of the Summer Pickups

My baseball season ended today and that always signals the end of summer. I was lucky to land on a great ball team this summer and the teams carry over year after year. When players leave the team, they are replaced from players in a draft of new players to the league. The draft is based on the final result of the teams last three seasons.

It was quite a memorable summer as I got my first big promotion in my career and landed on a ball team I can see myself sticking with for a long time.

While I'm sad ball season is over, hockey season is going to be starting soon, which helps ease the pain. Without further ado, my final summer pickups!

Another pickup for the 06-07 ITG stick and jersey set. It's crazy that this guy is in contention for the number one job in Phoenix. While he's a decent NHL goalie, he is a backup at best.

I have always loved the look of this set. I really like the green glove piece and that it's from his time on the Silvertips. I don't really see Irving making a big impact in the NHL but he should at least get a cup of coffee. He is a solid goalie at the AHL level.

Another card for the Al Montoya PC. I really have wanted this card for sometime and I popped on it when I saw it on eBay. If I had only waited two weeks I could have picked one up for half the price, as another came on eBay. One of my very few non-steals of the summer.

So there you have it, the last of my summer pickups and the end of a great summer.

Summer Pickups Continued!

Since this set came out, I've really wanted to pickup a few cards from it. As a kid I was obsessed with scoring a goal while playing goalie and I managed to do it many times while playing street hockey but never on ice.

When the set came out, singles were going for un-reasonable amounts but now singles can be had at under $30. I landed this Mason for $10 plus shipping.

I had never seen Masons goal, although I figured that it was most likely one where he was the last person to touch the puck before the other team put it in there own empty net. Thi youtube video confirmed I was correct:

I could not find a video of just Masons goal but I found a video that shows all goalie goals. It's a great video and I hope you all enjoy!

Yet Another Summer Pickup

Can you tell that I like the 06-07 BTP series? I really like the stick/jersey combo as I find the cards are always reasonably priced. Even in beckett these cards are priced low. I really like the simple design and not trying to do too much. The emphasis is on the jersey and stick piece.

The seller said this card was numbered to /10 but it is not numbered anywhere so I have no clue! Considering I paid about $10 delivered for this card, I think that's a good deal,s o numbered to /10 or not I'm happy.

I really like the stick piece on this card and it's one of the better I've seen. Since going after this set in the last quarter year, the Nitty is the one I've seen the most of.  I held out on the others but when this card was posted, I knew I had to have it for my set.

I'm posting like crazy right now trying to catch up on all my summer grabs. I hope to be adding some nice stuff this fall but I have been losing about 80% of my auctions.

Summer Pickups - Autos

I managed to pick up a nice group of 06-07 ITG BTP autographs from one seller on eBay who offered a really good combined shipping rate, so I paid a little over a dollar on average per card.

Easily my favourite autograph of the bunch thanks to some fine penmanship. Seriously this guy actually took the time to sign his name very legibly and was a decent goalie in his time. I have really wanted to add a Richard Brodeur autographed card to my PC for sometime now and I couldn't have found a more nicer one.



I purposely selected this card second to compare it to the Brodeur. Here is a guy who has 22 games of NHL experience and he couldn't even take the time to sign his name. This is more then a scribble then anything. It's a shame because I really had high hopes for Leneveu after he dominated the college ranks but he hasn't been able to find much success in the pro game.

Jeff Deslauriers has spent his time in the NHL backstopping some weak Oiler teams and his stats reflect it. While his career GAA may be high, he has posted a career .901 save percentage. With the talent ahead of him in the Oilers net, think Roy and Dubynk, I think we have seen the last of Deslauriers in the NHL.

Journeyman goalies and highly touted prospects who never really made it to the NHL full time have always have a place in my collection. I wrote an article a short while ago on Finley and the challenge he has faced moving on to post-hockey life. I have always wanted a nice Finley autograph card and I'll always remember how great of junior player he was.

Holmqvist made it to the NHL despite being the 175th overall pick in the 1997 NHL entry draft. He never really excelled in North American hockey and returned to Sweden in 2008 to continue playing pro, where he still plays today.

I admit it, I got this card because I love Stephan's old school mask. Despite being an average goalie in the Swiss league, Stephan got a shot in the NHL with the Dallas Stars. He barely spent three seasons in North America before going back to the Swiss league, playing one more season in 2009-10 with no record since.

Another autograph I have wanted to add to the collection for sometime. Leclaire had a bright future ahead of him before injuries derailed him and have put his career in jeopardy. He is currently on the outside looking in and is a free agent but his hip issues are still lingering. He may have to hook up with a European team when he gets healthy to try to make his way back to the NHL.

This was the most expensive card of the lot at just under $3. I tried to snag the SP'ed version as well but lost that one in a bidding war. I was really impressed with how Montoya preformed in the NHL with the Islanders, especially with the Nabokov soap opera. It was nice to see someone appreciate an NHL opportunity even if it was with the struggling Islanders.

So there you have it, a bunch of 06-07 ITG BTP autos for about $13 shipping included. Not a bad deal considering these are one a box, with boxes going for about $50 plus shipping.

Summer Pickups

I picked this beauty up on the cheap for my 06-07 BTP stick and jersey set. I have always wanted to add a nice Bernie Parent piece to my PC, so I got to kill two birds with one stone.

The buyer stated that this was the gold version /10 but the card is marked nowhere and it looks the same as the regular version. Does anyone know how to tell the difference?

Regardless it's a sweet card and even if it's the regular version and I got it for under $20 delivered, so I'm happy. I really like the jersey piece, as it's two colors and has a big seam down the middle.

If anyone has any other cards from the set I'd love to try to work out a deal so please let me know!

Summer Pickups Part 2

Summer is pretty much over now so I'm going to start trying to post my pickups quicker.

I really like the ITG products from this past season. I have been chasing a lot of goalie cards. This card is actually a 1/1 from the Cross Canada Tour and I landed it for under $5.

Beaupre had a few nice seasons in the NHL but for the most part he was an average goalie at best. I have always been a big fan of Beaupre's Caps mask and it was a big reason for chasing after the card.

Some of my favourite cards as a kid featured Beaupre making a dirty pad save or glove save. He was a flashy goalie with the knack of making tough saves but letting in easy goals at the worst times.

This is a card that I don't see ever leaving my PC. It's always nice owning a 1/1 card of a childhood favourite, especially one that features a sweet mask!