Like every hockey fan, I'm incredibly bummed about the current state of the sport.  It's a sad day when, on the cusp of December, I'm more interested in baseball hot stove talk than the sport of hockey.  I won't be buying any 2012-13 product while there aren't any games being played, but maybe 5 older cards plucked from the dollar bin at the local hobby shop on my last trip will cheer me up:

Even though there are some very light blue print marks across the top, I couldn't leave this Tony Esposito behind.  1975-76 Topps is probably the set I have the least number of cards from out of the entire '70s Topps run so I was happy to add Tony here, who represents just my 15th card.  This card just looks really odd, almost as if they photoshopped Tony's head onto another player's body.

I know $1 is overkill for a base card from a Parkhurst set but I have this rule for just a few players, Howe and Gretzky included, where I'll grab pretty much any card I don't have if it's a buck or less.  This set is very high on the list of sets I'd like to complete once I get through my '80s Topps run, in fact it may be tops on the list.

Golden mullet for a bill?  Yes please.

Even though it's got a couple of soft corners I was surprised to find this '71-72 Parent in the dollar bin.  I have yet to actively pursue this set but I will soon and this is certainly an acceptable copy for my set binder when the time comes.

Last but not least, another Champ's Yellow parallel.  It was not until I got home that I even realized this is the rarer "Yellow Animal Icon" parallel.  The standard yellows are 1:20 packs, and these fall at 1:80 packs.  I can't find one of anybody for less than $10 on eBay or COMC, so I have a feeling this Hall-of-Famer was quite a steal at a buck.

Well that was fun, but I think I'm still so soured by all the greed that I like this one better:

Last but not least, I'm still looking to fill 3 spots in my upcoming card draft.  I'm going to cut off sign-up for 6pm EST tomorrow, so if you're interested you can sign up here.  Some really nice cards up for drafting!

Last year I picked up a handful of '52 Topps Reprint Autos from 2011 Lineage, including the above Ike DeLock.  I thought they were some of the nicer autos from any 2011 release, a great job by Topps of celebrating its history and getting on-card signatures of some lesser-known guys.  I ended up with 4 Red Sox in the end, which is probably all I'll ever own.  There was a 5th on the checklist, Johnny Pesky, but his card was extremely short-printed and available through a redemption only.  I've only seen two redemption cards ever listed, and they both went for well beyond what I'm willing to pay for one.  Still haven't seen a redeemed card to date.

Anyway, I was browsing around eBay the other day and was surprised to find a variant of this auto that I didn't know existed.  I was even more surprised to win the auction for less than the original DeLock auto above.  Here's the card:

This shiny version of the DeLock auto was apparently available via the 2011 Topps Black Diamond Wrapper Redemption program.  It sort of has the same finish as the Diamond Anniversary parallels from the flagship set, and is numbered to a relatively scant 60 copies.  I never knew these cards existed, and I'm happy to add Ike here to the collection for a mere $12.50.  I noticed after the card arrived that my copy is numbered 52/60, which is kind of cool I guess given that this is the '52 Topps design.

I've been adding a ton of Red Sox to my cataloged collection lately, and this morning I ran across these 5, which I really like:





These are from the 2007 Topps Turkey Red set, which was one of a couple of sets that got me back into collecting in 2007.  At first I was bummed when Topps scrapped this one, but they brought it back more than once as an insert set, which I think almost works better.

That's all for today.  I've still got 3 slots I'm looking to fill in my first ever card draft, if you're a baseball or hockey collector you can get some really great cards on the cheap.  Happy Sunday everyone!

UPDATE:  Just 3 Spots Still Free! - $22 gets you 15 16 17 rounds of drafting plus at least 3 4 bonus rounds!

Scans of all 170 draft cards below.  Need 3 more participants and we'll be ready to roll!  Anyone who has signed up please prepare to send me a list by the weekend.  It does not need to be a complete list but at least your top 25 to get things rolling...

-buckstorecards
-jacobmrley
-CaptKirk42
-Rayzor
-Squires32
-Dan
-The Daily Dimwit
-open
-open
-open

I recently participated in my first ever card draft over at The Diamond King.  Kevin did an absolutely awesome job running it, and I had a great time picking out my cards and watching how the draft played out.  In fact, I had so much fun that it got me thinking, and if there's enough interest I'm going to do my own draft here.  That's right, it's time for the Shoebox Legends Card Closet Clean-out Draft!  We'll see how this plays out, but here's what I'm thinking for rules, basically the same as the draft I just participated in:

• I would like to restrict the draft to 10 participants.  Any more than 10 and I think the load gets spread too thin.  The first 10 people to comment on this post will be in.  Entry fee will be $22.  You're basically paying the price of a blaster, plus $2 to cover shipping supplies and postal costs (especially since I have a feeling at least a couple of participants may be up in Canada).  This will guarantee you at least 17 rounds of drafting, plus a couple of bonus rounds that will be cropping up here throughout the draft, another idea I'm borrowing from Kevin.  Think of it as paying roughly a buck per card.  I'd like all participants to come out of this feeling like they got some bang for their buck.  All cards will be securely packaged with painter's tape and mailed in a bubble mailer.
• If $22 seems steep, I think you may feel differently once you see some of the cards.  I've gone through my entire card room and purged through a lot of areas for the first time since I started collecting again nearly 6 years ago now.  More than anything I'm doing this to clean out some space and condense a bit, so the selection is going to contain a mix of really anything that doesn't fit in my collection any longer.  There are rookies, game-used, autos, Hall-of-Famers, parallels numbered as high as 2000 and as low as 10, chrome, blank backs, minis, you name it!  The cards range from the '50s to modern day.  The draft will reflect my collection, predominately baseball and hockey with some other stuff sprinkled in.  You could probably do an entire draft of just Young Guns rookies, or draft only vintage if that's more your thing.  I am trying to vary this so that there's truly something for everyone.  Many of the cards have a book value of $5 or greater, and some have a book value close to the entire entry fee.
• The draft order will be determined by random.org, and will flip each round.  So if you get the second overall pick for example, you'd go ninth in round 2, second in round 3, ninth in round 4, etc.  In an added twist, I will allow trading between participants for a 3-day period after the draft completes.  If both parties agree to a trade in the comments I will swap the cards before sending out the packages.  Might be a good chance to flip that baseball card you didn't really want if you're a hockey collector, or vice versa.  If you decide you don't want to trade, or are done trading, you can simply contact me and I'll mail your cards right away.
  

We've got 7 people in so far, I'm looking for 3 more..  If you'd like a spot, please leave a comment here.  Do not send me a PayPal payment just yet!  Once we get 3 more people who want in I will then have everyone send payment.  At that point I'll get all the cards posted, I'll randomize the draft order, and you can send me your lists so we can get started.

Not sure if you want to sign up yet?  Here's the official draft list with scans (click for a larger image):

CLAIMED  #1 - Press Pass Legends Robert Parish
CLAIMED  #2 - 2008-09 Upper Deck Rookie Material James Neal Relic
#3 - 1996-97 Be a Player Derek Armstrong Auto
CLAIMED  #4 - 2008-09 O-Pee-Chee Retro Blank Back Martin Straka
CLAIMED  #5 - 2005 Upper Deck All Star Classics Midsummer Swatches Moises Alou Relic
CLAIMED  #6 - 2011 Topps Gypsy Queen Jason Castro Auto
CLAIMED  #7 - 2007 Topps Turkey Red Chrome Mickey Mantle #'d/1999
CLAIMED  #8 - 1990 Topps Frank Thomas RC
CLAIMED  #9 - 1953 Bowman Color Ken Raffensberger (creased, dinged)

CLAIMED  #10 - 2008-09 Fleer Ultra Ice Medallion Brad Lukowich #'d/100
CLAIMED  #11 - 1979-80 Topps Bobby Smith RC
CLAIMED  #12 - 1972 Topps NL Batting Leaders (soft corners, stained)
CLAIMED  #13 - 2011 Topps Gypsy Queen James Shields Mini
#14 - 2007 Topps Updates & Highlights Gold #'d/2007 Francisco Rodriguez
#15 - 2006-07 Upper Deck Michael Blunden Young Guns RC
CLAIMED  #16 - 1970-71 Topps Field Goal Percentage Leaders (soft corners)

#17 - 1992-93 Upper Deck Gordie Howe Heroes
CLAIMED  #18 - 2007 Bowman Heritage Glenn Gibson Auto
#19 - Upper Deck 20th Anniversary Retrospective Tiger Woods
CLAIMED  #20 - 1958 Topps Bill Skowron All Star PSA 6 (ST)
#21 - 1996-97 Be a Player Alex Karpovtsev Auto
CLAIMED  #22 - 2010 Topps Gold Parallel #'d/2010 Tim Lincecum

#23 - 2008-09 Upper Deck Mark Fistric Young Guns RC
#24 - 1993-94 Upper Deck SP Insert Teemu Selanne
CLAIMED  #25 - 2008 Upper Deck Heroes John Maine Light Blue Jersey #'d/200
#26 - 1993-94 Fleer Ultra Premier Pivots Insert Jeremy Roenick
CLAIMED  #27 - 2009 Goodwin Champions Cole Hamels Relic
CLAIMED  #28 - 1974-75 Topps NHL Semi-Finals
#29 - 2006-07 Upper Deck Lars Jonsson Young Guns RC
CLAIMED  #30 - 2009 Topps Heritage Nick Markakis Chrome #'d/1960
CLAIMED  #31 - 2009 Upper Deck Sweet Spot Carlos Lee Relic

CLAIMED  #32 - 2007-08 Upper Deck SP Game-Used Rich Peverley RC #'d/999
#33 - 2009 Topps Heritage Chrome Ian Kinsler #'d/1960
CLAIMED  #34 - 2008 Upper Deck Yankee Stadium Legacy Joe Torre
#35 - 2008 Upper Deck Presidential Predictors John McCain/Hillary Clinton
#36 - 2009-10 Upper Deck David Laliberte Young Guns RC
CLAIMED  #37 - 1980 Topps Burger King Nolan Ryan (soft corners)
CLAIMED  #38 - 1953 Bowman Color Harry Byrd (creased)
CLAIMED  #39 - 2007 Upper Deck Goudey Alex Rodriguez Short Print

CLAIMED  #40 - 2007 Bowman Heritage Mantle Insert
#41 - 1993-94 Leaf Hat Trick Artists Teemu Selanne Insert
CLAIMED  #42 - 2005 Topps Update Gold Parallel Ken Griffey Jr. #'d/2005
CLAIMED  #43 - 2007 Upper Deck Goudey Reggie Jackson SP
CLAIMED  #44 - 1953 Bowman Color Toby Atwell (gently loved!)
CLAIMED  #45 - 2009-10 Upper Deck Samuel Pahlsson High Gloss #'d/10
CLAIMED  #46 - Trio of 1988-89 Topps Hockey (Hawerchuk/Francis/Stastny)

#47 - 2008-09 Upper Deck John Mitchell Young Guns RC
CLAIMED  #48 - 2007 Upper Deck Sweet Spot Classic Signatures Brooks Robinson Auto
CLAIMED  #49 - 2007-08 Upper Deck SPX Winning Combos Ryan Miller/Thomas Vanek Dual Relic
#50 - 2006-07 Upper Deck Triston Grant Young Guns RC
CLAIMED  #51 - 1974-75 Topps Bep Guidolin
CLAIMED  #52 - 2009 O-Pee-Chee Black Parallel Justin Morneau

CLAIMED  #53 - 2008-09 O-Pee-Chee Jason Pominville Winter Classic Insert
#54 - 2008 Upper Deck Yankee Stadium Legacy Willie Randolph
CLAIMED  #55 - 2008 Upper Deck Heroes Scott Rolen Light Blue Jersey #'d/200
#56 - Topps Co-Signers Randy Moss
CLAIMED  #57 - 2005 Upper Deck Past-Time Pennants Felipe Alou Auto
#58 - Pack of 1991 Fleer Football
#59 - 2006-07 Upper Deck Jesse Schultz Young Guns RC
CLAIMED  #60 - 2007 Topps Turkey Red Mickey Mantle Chrome Refractor #'d/999

#61 - 2008-09 O-Pee-Chee Retro Parallel David Krejci
CLAIMED  #62 - 1953 Bowman Color Saul Rogovin
CLAIMED  #63 - 1995 Studio Gold Will Clark Insert
CLAIMED  #64 - 1994-95 Fleer Ultra Scoring Kings Eric Lindros Insert
#65 - 2007-08 Upper Deck SP Game Used John Zeiler RC #'d/999
CLAIMED  #66 - 2009-10 Upper Deck Matt Duchene Young Guns RC
CLAIMED  #67 - 2007-08 Upper Deck SPX Jonathan Sigalet Dual Relic RC

CLAIMED  #68 - 1970-71 Topps Archie Clark
#69 - 2008 Goudey Magglio Ordonez SP
#70 - 2007 Topps Turkey Red Chien Ming Wan Chrome Refractor #'d/999
CLAIMED  #71 - 2007 Bowman Heritage Signs of Greatness Stephen Englund
#72 - 2006-07 Upper Deck Young Guns Ryan Caldwell
CLAIMED  #73 - 2009-10 Upper Deck Exclusives Rick Nash #'d/100
CLAIMED  #74 - 2007 Goudey Cal Ripken Jr. Short Print
#75 - 2009-10 Upper Deck MacGregor Sharp Young Guns RC

#76 - 2000 Stadium Club Chrome Manny Ramirez
CLAIMED  #77 - 2008 Topps Stadium Club Photographer's Proof Burke Badenhop Auto RC #'d/50
CLAIMED  #78 - 2007 Topps Turkey Red Ulysses S. Grant Insert
CLAIMED  #79 - 1953 Bowman Color Art Houtteman (creased)
#80 - 2011 Topps Diamond Anniversary Jimmy Rollins
#81 - 2008-09 Upper Deck Young Guns Michael Repik RC
CLAIMED  #82 - 2008-09 O-Pee-Chee Alex Goligoski Retro Rainbow #'d/100
CLAIMED  #83 - 2008-09 Upper Deck Ilya Zubov Young Guns RC
CLAIMED  #84 - 2009-10 Fleer Ultra Rod Brind'Amour Ice Medallion #'d/100

CLAIMED  #85 - 2009-10 Upper Deck Game Jersey Brad Richards
CLAIMED  #86 - 2008 Upper Deck Goudey Mini Red Back Marlon Byrd
#87 - 2002 Donruss Diamond Kings Alex Rodriguez
CLAIMED  #88 - 2011 Topps Gypsy Queen Green Framed Nelson Cruz Parallel
#89 - 2007-08 Upper Deck SP Game Used David Moss RC #'d/999
CLAIMED  #90 - 1974 Topps Ron Santo (creased)
CLAIMED  #91 - 2008-09 O-Pee-Chee Thomas Vanek Winter Classic Insert
CLAIMED  #92 - 2008 Upper Deck Ballpark Collection Jonathan Herrera Auto
CLAIMED  #93 - 2008-09 Upper Deck Daniel Girardi Exclusives #'d/100

CLAIMED  #94 - 2008-09 Upper Deck Black Diamond Triple Diamonds Marian Hossa
#95 - 2009-10 Upper Deck Young Guns Luca Caputi RC
#96 - 1993 Flair Cal Ripken Jr.
CLAIMED  #97 - 1980s Topps Baseball Trio ('84 Schmidt AS, '82 Bench IA, '82 Perry)
CLAIMED  #98 - 2008 Upper Deck Starquest Rare Felix Hernandez Insert
CLAIMED  #99 - 2008 Upper Deck Brandon McCarthy Jersey
CLAIMED  #100 - 2007 Topps Updates & Highlights Tadahito Iguchi Gold Parallel #'d/2007

CLAIMED  #101 - 2007 Upper Deck Ultimate Chris Carpenter Jersey
CLAIMED  #102 - 2001 Topps Archives Jim Lonborg Auto (not official Topps auto)
CLAIMED  #103 - 1985-86 Topps Ron Francis
CLAIMED  #104 - 2007 Topps Turkey Red Richard Nixon Insert
CLAIMED  #105 - 2009-10 Upper Deck Rookie Materials Ivan Vishnevskiy Relic
#106 - 2007-08 Upper Deck SP Game Used Shay Stephenson RC #'d/999
CLAIMED  #107 - 1953 Bowman Color Jim Hearn
#108 - 2007-08 Upper Deck TJ Hensick Young Guns RC
CLAIMED  #109 - 2008-09 O-Pee-Chee Jonas Hiller Retro Rainbow Parallel #'d/100

#110 - 2009 Upper Deck Luke Scott Gold Parallel #'d/99
CLAIMED  #111 - 2003 Fleer Greats Classic Numbers Game Used Ozzie Smith Relic
CLAIMED  #112 - 2008 Topps Stadium Club Burke Badenhop Auto RC
CLAIMED  #113 - 2008 Allen & Ginter World's Greatest Victories Kerri Strug Code Card
#114 - 2009-10 Upper Deck Kris Chucko Young Guns RC
CLAIMED  #115 - 2006 Fleer Lumber Company Ken Griffey Jr. Insert
CLAIMED  #116 - 2009-10 Fleer Ultra Ultra Uniformity Rick DiPietro Relic
CLAIMED  #117 - 2008-09 Upper Deck Artifacts Silver Spectrum Nathan Horton #'d/10
CLAIMED  #118 - 2007 Goudey Ichiro SP

CLAIMED  #119 - 1970-71 Topps Happy Hairston
CLAIMED  #120 - Pinnacle Be a Player Joel Otto Autograph
CLAIMED  #121 - 2008 Goudey Sport Royalty Barry Sanders SP
CLAIMED  #122 - 2007 Topps Heritage Roger Clemens Yellow Team Name Variant
CLAIMED  #123 - 2004 Bowman Heritage Tim Welke Official Umpire Autograph
CLAIMED  #124 - 2008-09 Upper Deck Rookie Materials James Neal - BV $15
CLAIMED  #125 - 2007-08 Upper Deck SPX Tyler Weiman RC Dual Relic #'d/1599
#126 - 2010-11 Score Playoff Heroes Patrick Kane Insert

CLAIMED  #127 - 1953 Bowman Color Solly Hemus
CLAIMED  #128 - 2007 Topps Turkey Red Chrome Danny Putnam RC #'d/1999
CLAIMED  #129 - 2007-08 Upper Deck SPX Winning Combos Dion Phaneuf/Al MacInnis Dual Relic
CLAIMED  #130 - 2008 Upper Deck Heroes Chris Carpenter Jersey #'d/125
#131 - 2007 Bowman Heritage Mantle Chrome/Refractor?
CLAIMED  #132 - 2008-09 Upper Deck Karl Alzner Young Guns RC
CLAIMED  #133 - 2005 Upper Deck All Star Classics Dontrelle Willis Jersey
CLAIMED  #134 - 1979-80 Topps Guy Chouinard
CLAIMED  #135 - 2007-08 Upper Deck SPX Ville Koistinen RC Dual Relic #'d/1599

CLAIMED  #136 - 2007 Upper Deck Ultimate Joe Mauer Jersey
CLAIMED  #137 - 1974-75 Topps Penalty Minute Leaders
CLAIMED  #138 - 1997 Topps Stadium Club Millennium Insert Wendell Magee Jr.
CLAIMED  #139 - 2011-12 Upper Deck Bobby Ryan Game Jersey
CLAIMED  #140 - 2009-10 Upper Deck Joel Rechlicz Young Guns RC
CLAIMED  #141 - 2008 Topps Stadium Club Beam Team Jayson Nix Auto #'d/50
CLAIMED  #142 - 2007-08 Upper Deck SPX Tobias Stephan RC Dual Relic #'d/1599
CLAIMED  #143 - 2007 Upper Deck Goudey Albert Pujols SP
CLAIMED  #144 - 2007 Bowman Heritage Mantle Chrome/Refractor?

CLAIMED  #145 - 2008 Upper Deck Ballpark Collection Callix Crabbe Auto
CLAIMED  #146 - 1993-94 Upper Deck Eric Lindros SP Insert
CLAIMED  #147 - 2005 Topps Rookie Cup Mark Kotsay RC Auto
#148 - 1994-95 Parkhurst Missing Link Hall Makes the Save
#149 - 2007 Topps Turkey Red Tadahito Iguchi Chrome #'d/1999
#150 - 2006-07 Upper Deck Young Guns Nate Thompson RC

CLAIMED  #151 - 1983 Topps Nolan Ryan
CLAIMED  #152 - 2001 Fleer Platinum Ryne Sandberg Rookie Reprint
CLAIMED  #153 - 2006 Fleer Ultra Prince Fielder Lucky 13 RC
CLAIMED  #154 - 1973 Pro Superstars Wilbur Wood
CLAIMED  #155 - 2008 Bowman Chrome Freddie Freeman

CLAIMED  #156 - 2000 Topps Michael Young RC
#157 - 2007 Topps Finest Prince Fielder Finest Moments
CLAIMED  #158 - 2001 Topps Combos Griffey Jr./Aaron
CLAIMED  #159 - Bowman Strasburg
#160 - 1996 Fleer Ultra Rickey Henderson Call to the Hall

#161 - 2008 Upper Deck Presidential Predictors Mitt Romney
CLAIMED  #162 - 1981 Topps Nolan Ryan
CLAIMED  #163 - 2008-09 Upper Deck Champs Derick Brassard Relic
CLAIMED  #164 - 1953 Bowman Color Bobby Adams (creased)
CLAIMED  #165 - 2010-11 Panini Threads Avery Bradley RC Jersey #'d/399

CLAIMED  #166 - 2007 Topps Turkey Red Mickey Mantle Chrome #'d/1999
CLAIMED  #167 - 2008 Goudey Hit Parade of Champions Joe Montana
#168 - 2006 Bowman Heritage Foil/Chrome Francisco Liriano RC
CLAIMED  #169 - 2008-09 Upper Deck Rookie Materials Jakub Voracek
CLAIMED  #170 - 2008-09 Upper Deck Matt D'Agostini Young Guns RC


That's a wrap folks, some pretty fine cards in that lot of 170 if you ask me!  Don't forget there will be at least 4 bonus rounds to go with the 17 rounds of drafting, so each participant will be taking home at least 21 cards total.  Good luck and happy drafting!

Really trying to fill these last 3 open slots for my draft. I am knocking a dollar off the price down to $22 which includes shipping, and adding another 10 cards to the draft, which will now be 17 rounds long. Add to that at least 4 bonus rounds during the draft and each participant will be taking at least 21 cards home. Here are the 10 cards I just added to sweeten the pot:


You can see a complete list of all 170 draft cards with scans, and sign up for the draft here.  Some really great cards to be had for what comes out to a buck a piece...

I'm putting together my first ever card draft, and I'm looking for 3 more people.  To sweeten the pot I've added a 16th round for all drafters, adding these 10 additional cards that I acquired myself in the recent draft held by The Diamond King.  Plus I'm now guaranteeing at least 4 bonus rounds during the draft, meaning each participant gets at least 20 cards...

The '83 Topps Nolan Ryan was actually my 3rd round choice in The Diamond King draft, but I realized too late that I already have a copy!

If you're interested, check out the scans of all 160 draft cards and be one of the next 3 people to comment on the official draft post.  For about a buck a card there is some really good stuff to be had, including a Matt Duchene Young Guns RC, Brooks Robinson and Felipe Alou autographs, and a whole slew of rookies, game-used, autos, serial numbered, inserts, shiny cards, vintage cards, etc.  The bonus rounds that you don't see yet have some really big cards as well, the quality of those rounds will be at least on par with the 160 cards that are posted, I would say better...

I recently completed a quick Zistle trade, something I haven't done in some time. This was a quick few cards for a few cards exchange with user bdlehman18. I sent a few 2002 Donruss Diamond King cards and a 2011 Topps insert his way, and in exchange he sent the following 5 cards:

This 1992 Pinnacle Team 2000 Mo Vaughn insert was the card I was most excited to add to my collection.  I've had this one on my Zistle want list for a while now.  I'm a total sucker for the Team 2000 baseball and hockey inserts from the early Pinnacle releases, and Mo was one of the most exciting Red Sox players to watch back in my days as a kid Red Sox fan.

This header card from the Upper Deck Baseball Heroes Nolan Ryan set is much appreciated, as it was the only card in the 10-card set that I was missing.  Nice to cross this one off the list all these years later.



Also included in the package were these three cards from 2012 Topps Archives, a set I've been lazily pursuing since I opened a couple of blasters many months ago now.  These three take me to 137 cards out of the 200-card short set.  Short prints are another story though.

Thanks for the trade bdlehman18!

In other news, if you've got some extra card cash burning a hole in your pocket I've still got 6 slots open for my upcoming card draft.  I've got the first 60 cards posted and will have a bunch more up tonight, so check in this evening if you're considering grabbing a spot!  If you're a hockey fan, I'll be adding a Matt Duchene Young Guns RC (BV $25) to the pot as part of this evening's additions!

As promised, here are the next 20 cards in my second attempt to identify my top 60 hockey cards...

Card #21 - 1979-80 Topps #175 - Gordie Howe

I started the last post with Gordie Howe and I'll do it again this time.  I think this card will be a permanent resident here, no matter how many times I re-do this list.  It's one of the best Hartford Whalers cards ever made.  What I love most about the card though is the season it represents.  51-year-old Howe played in all 80 games for the Whalers in '79-80, scoring 15 goals, 26 assists and 41 points, and leading the Whalers to the Stanley Cup playoffs.  We will never see anything like that again in the NHL.

I don't see how I can possibly leave this card featuring Mario Lemieux and George Bush Sr. on my list when I now have this one:

Card #22 - 1985-86 Topps #9 - Mario Lemieux RC

I don't really think much explanation is necessary here.  That might have been the single easiest decision to make throughout my whole process.  One of the premier rookie cards from the first decade that I ever collected cards.  This is actually one of the cards that made me start to think about doing this list over.

Card #23 - 1972-73 Topps #1 - Boston Bruins Stanley Cup Champs

Here's a survivor from the first list, card #1 in the 1972-73 Topps set, which pays tribute to the 1972 Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins.  Growing up a Whalers fan, I wasn't exposed to much post-season play at all, much less post-season success.  When the team left Hartford and I became a Bruins fan by default, it wasn't exactly a pretty stretch for the B's either.  So, for the longest time this was the card I had in my collection that most closely represented my favorite team winning it all.  I also like the card because Topps did not issue team checklist cards in the '72-73 release, so as Stanley Cup Champs the season prior the Bruins were the only team to get their own card in the set.

Last time around I chose this 1976-77 Topps Tony Esposito to be included in my list.  It doesn't hold any special significance to me, I just picked it up on eBay because I was able to win it for very little coin.  It really is a nice looking card, and I do want to include Tony Esposito in my list, but I'm going with this one instead:

Card #24 - 1974-75 Topps #170 - Tony Esposito

Maybe I'm a bit biased because I just finished this set off, but I think this Esposito is much nicer than the one above.  This has to be one of the best goalie cards of the '70s.  I don't think there's one thing I'd change about this card, it's close to perfect.

I can see why I chose this card for my first list.  Back in the day, as a 12-year-old at the time, I would have thought that this Eric Lindros SP die-cut insert from 1994-95 Upper Deck was about the best card one could possibly own.  Back in the day they didn't have cards like this one though:

Card #25 - 2010-11 Panini Dominion Brass Bonanza #1 - Bobby Hull Auto

Look, I know he only played 12 total games for the Whalers at the very end of his career (9 regular season, 3 playoffs), but that doesn't detract from my love of this card.  First of all, I've wanted a Hull on-card auto for years, so when I heard about this one I knew it was time to bite.  I also wanted to include this card because it represents my favorite insert set from any product over the past few years, the Brass Bonanza autographs from 2010-11 Panini Dominion.  I don't ever buy high-end wax, but I do snipe singles on the secondary market if I'm interested enough, and like most collectors I agree that Panini hit a definite home run with the inaugural release of their super-high-end product.  I liked these so much that I ended up completing the entire 10-card set.  I am really grateful to own one of the 24 copies of this Hull auto that exist out there.  Sorry die-cut Lindros, you didn't stand a chance...

I can see what I was going for when I chose this card last time around.  I was on a pretty big 2008-09 Upper Deck kick at the time, in fact I actually selected three cards from that flagship set for my list of 60.  I think this photo of the Sedin twins is great, and it's certainly a unique card.  Top 60 material though?  Not really.  Don't worry Canucks fans, I've selected another 'Nucks card to replace this one:

Card #26 - 1984-85 O-Pee-Chee #327 - Cam Neely RC

I didn't really have much '84-85 O-Pee-Chee the first time I put my list together, but since then I've come a long way, in fact I'm just a few commons away from finishing the set I believe.  Like most hockey card collectors, I feel that it's up there among the best sets of the decade, and may actually be the best set of the decade.  Neely's rookie is one of the best cards in the set, and certainly a more fitting choice here than the Sedin twins.

I picked this '82-83 Stastny In Action card last time, and even at the time I knew that what I really wanted to go with was his rookie card from '81-82 Topps.  Time to correct that, '82-83 O-Pee-Chee Stastny is out, and '81-82 Topps Stastny is in:

Card #27 - 1981-82 Topps #39 - Peter Stastny RC

I have no problem admitting that I'm very biased towards the 1981-82 Topps set.  I think it's a really nice-looking, extremely under-rated set that can be had very, very cheap.  I'll cover that in another post, but for now I feel good that I got the Stastny rookie in here.  This is another of those cards that I like enough that I bothered to chase down a graded copy as well:


I selected this 1962-63 Topps Ted Hampson for the original list simply because it was one of my oldest cards at the time.  Well, a lot has changed since then and I have quite a few older and more interesting cards now.  Time for Ted to shuffle his dinged, wrinkled, creased and stained self on out of my list, in order to make some room for this card:

Card #28 - 1954-55 Parkhurst #99 - Plante Foils Teeder

This is a card I don't think I've shown here before, although I've had it for well over a year now.  I still don't have very many cards from the '50s at all, but of the few I do have this is one of the two or three I like most.  I really, really like '54-55 Parkhurst, enough that it might be the first set of the '50s that I try to chase some day.  I'm a ways off from that, since I'd like to finish off the '70s and '80s Topps runs before moving onto anything older, but for now I'm happy to have this one at least.  This cost me less than a blaster shipped, which I thought was more than reasonable given the condition.

There's no shortage of Wayne Gretzky on this list, but I think this one was a mistake.  Sure, it's kind of unique that the card is #99, and I did pull it myself from a pack which gets the card more points in my book.  Even still, it just doesn't belong here.  Instead, I'm going with a different horizontal card from the previous decade:

Card #29 - 1973-74 Topps #160 - Syl Apps

I think it's fairly obvious why this card was chosen.  Why Topps would go with posed off-ice portraits for much of the decade instead of using great in-game photos like this is beyond me.  I could see this one coming off the list someday, but for now I think it's a solid upgrade over the Gretzky O-Pee-Chee leaders card.

Card #30 - 1988-89 Topps #120 - Wayne Gretzky

See?  Still plenty of Gretzky.  Much like the '79-80 NHL Entries card I chose in the last post, this one is on the list due to the historical event that the card signifies.  This trade and the Ron Francis trade come to mind as the most memorable trades of my lifetime as a fan.  I think this also represents one of the few times in the decade where in my opinion Topps did something better than O-Pee-Chee in a hockey release.  I've always preferred this photo to the one O-Pee-Chee used for its '88-89 Gretzky card.  This is another one that I thought was slab-worthy:


Ron Francis belongs on this list for sure.  He is the player that you think of when the Whalers are mentioned.  An absolute classy professional who made everyone around him better, and one of the most under-rated players ever to lace up skates.  This particular Francis card has gotta go though.  I did pick up an on-card auto a while ago, which I really like, but I'm going with this card instead:

Card #31 - 1982-83 O-Pee-Chee #123 - Ron Francis RC

Last time I did the list I didn't select this card because it was fairly new to my collection.  I don't really get that logic in retrospect, this card is just much, much better than the '85-86 Topps Francis.  Besides, it's not new to my collection anymore.

I think we can all agree that Rob Zettler is unquestionably a bad-ass, but selecting this card for my first list was one of my biggest errors a couple of years ago.  Here's a much nicer card:

Card #32 - 1970-71 O-Pee-Chee #254 - The Stanley Cup

Ah, much better!  I fell in love with this card when I stumbled across it on Check Out My Cards over a year ago now.  I have a few Stanley Cup cards, but this one from the '70-71 O-Pee-Chee set is my favorite because it reminds me of a pop art piece.  I think it's appropriate to dedicate one of my 60 selections to the greatest trophy in professional sports.

Card #33 - 1981-82 Topps #18 - Jari Kurri RC

Jari's rookie survives the cut and makes the second list as well.  I admit that this selection is based largely on feelings of nostalgia, but nonetheless it is a rookie card of a Hall-of-Famer.

I told you I have a thing for '81-82 Topps...

Al Arbour and his goofy glasses were lucky to make the list previously.  He's getting replaced by what I feel is one of the weaker selections from this attempt:

Card #34 - 1980-81 Topps #190 - John Davidson

This John Davidson is one of my favorite goalie cards from the early-'80s.  It's basically here for three reasons; the brown goalie gear, the low crouch, and the mask.

Bernie Federko doesn't look very pleased at being removed from the top 60.  Sorry Bernie, it's nothing personal, I just can't leave a guy with this many Stanley Cups out:

Card #35 - 1970-71 Topps #55 - Jean Beliveau

One of the most successful individuals in NHL history, and by all accounts one of the game's true gentlemen.  One day I hope to own an even older Beliveau, but this late-career Topps card is certainly more than a worthy placeholder in the meantime.

Card #36 - 1989-90 Topps #113 - Joe Sakic RC

I had to keep at least one '89-90 Topps card on my revised list since it was the very first set I collected and hand-collated as a kid.  Sakic's rookie was the obvious choice.  I selected this one for my Ultimate Hockey Card franken-set a while ago as well.  I know this card is over-produced and not worth a whole lot, but that's all the more reason that everyone should have a copy.

Card #37 - 1968-69 Topps #123 - Tim Horton

1968-69 Topps is probably the set from the '60s that I've made the most progress on, with 26 cards in hand.  This Tim Horton is my favorite Maple Leaf card, and one of my better cards from the '60s period.

Here's an original selection that I've been anxious to eliminate.  I did enjoy watching Gilmour as a player, but as a card this leaves quite a bit to be desired.

Card #38 - 1984-85 O-Pee-Chee #185 - Doug Gilmour RC

Here's Gilmour's rookie instead, another Hall-of-Fame rookie card from the vaunted '84-85 O-Pee-Chee set.  Until recently I only had '84-85 Topps cards, and Gilmour wasn't on the checklist for the Topps set, so this is a relatively new card for me.

Gary Smith's '79-80 Topps card certainly had its place in my original list, because I wanted to include some more obscure, goofy cards to keep the list from simply becoming my "Top 60 Most Valuable Cards".  I went a little heavy on '79-80 Topps overall, so I'm going to remove Gary this time in favor of another bizarre card from the year prior:

Card #39 - 1978-79 Topps #243 - Jim Bedard

This card is just awesome.  Bedard didn't have a long career in the NHL, but he did play for many years overseas.  Here he just looks like the last kid to be picked for a team in gym class.

It pains me a little to see this Glen Sather rookie card fall off the list, but it's only being bumped for an even better Bruins rookie:

Card #40 - 1980-81 Topps #140 - Ray Bourque RC

In case you can't tell, I am a big rookie card guy when it comes to hockey cards.  Bourque's one of the game's all-time best defensemen, and would have been the best defensemen to ever wear a B's sweater had it not been for Bobby Orr.  Even though the 1980-81 Topps scratch-off puck design drives me nuts, I still like this card quite a bit.

There's the second batch of 20.  I'll have the third and final post up by mid-week...