Winning the Calder Trophy as the NHL's Rookie of the Year will often help player's stock within the hobby - but what happens going forward? In the case of young Vancouver Canucks sensation Elias Pettersson, the sky is the limit and his rookie cards were certainly a must-have for many collectors from the start. How hot was that start? Well, he kicked things off with … [Read more...]
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Best Buys in Vintage Hockey Card Packs
For hockey collectors of a certain vintage, there are few experiences like opening up a pack of cards from their youth. Granted, the older you get, the more expensive the experience might be, but there are certainly some bargains out there if grew up in the 1970s and 1980s. Realistically, there are some options that have become quite pricey. Nearly everything issued … [Read more...]
Mistaken Identity: 1937-38 V356 World Wide Gum Hockey Cards
The largest single-issue hockey card set issued before World War II, the relatively plain 1937-38 V356 World Wide Gum release has never had a sparkling reputation in the hobby. However, it is a collection which still deserves the respect of modern fans since it is a perfect snapshot of the NHL as it edged toward the Original Six era and holds a few secrets that took decades to … [Read more...]
1910-11 C56 Imperial Tobacco Set: The Dawn of Hockey Cards
The first true set of hockey cards, 1910-11 C56 is iconic within the hobby as it dates back to a time before the National Hockey League was formed and the game's early pioneers were playing for the highest bidder. Issued is packs of cigarettes produced in Canada by Imperial Tobacco, the 1910-11 C56 collection came out as hockey stars were emerging as sporting heroes in an … [Read more...]
Capital Punishment: Hockey Cards of the Original Washington Capitals
With the World Hockey Association spreading into markets throughout North America in the early 1970s, the National Hockey League needed to combat the rival league - even if it meant expanding at a dangerous rate and watering down the amount of talent playing at the highest pro level at the time. Enter the 1974-75 Washington Capitals - a club whose auspicious start ranks as the … [Read more...]
Astro-nomical Start: Yordan Alvarez Pre-Rookie Card Guide
A hot start by a rookie often gets collectors salivating over their baseball cards and Houston Astros freshman Yordan Alvarez is no exception to this trend. A native of Las Tunas, Cuba, Alvarez was originally signed as an international free agent by the Los Angeles Dodgers in June, 2016 and was traded to the Astros within two months of inking a deal. By 2018, he was regarded … [Read more...]
1954-55 Parkhurst: Preparing For Battle
The hockey card world was turned upside down in the mid-1950s. Canadian kids had a difficult choice to make as they could check out the new competition from Topps or stick with what they already liked with the 1954-55 Parkhurst collection. 1954-55 Parkhurst was the last set to feature all of the Original Six together in one offering. Topps made deals with the teams … [Read more...]
Demolition Durby – The Hockey Cards and Career of Wild Man Steve Durbano
Every sport has their wild and outrageous characters and hockey is no exception to that rule. With a lush history which dates back over a century to the Cleghorn brothers, Sprague and Odie, to today's controversial figures like the widely-despised Brad Marchand, there may be no other that draws the curiosity of old school fans like Steve Durbano. An untameable force on the … [Read more...]
A Collector’s Guide to the 2019 Hockey Hall of Fame Inductees
The annual announcement of new inductees by the Hockey Hall of Fame always creates discussion among fans - especially in years where there are some controversial choices made by its Selection Committee. This year, there has been plenty of uproar over the talents that are being enshrined in November. No matter how they feel, many hobbyists are already on the hunt for rookie … [Read more...]
Vintage Pack Facts: 1986-87 O-Pee-Chee Hockey
With the Montreal Canadiens fresh off a memorable Stanley Cup victory, kids north of the border were chomping at the bit in order to get the first hockey card of Conn Smythe Trophy winner Patrick Roy and that piece of cardboard hit them straight in the fact with boxes of 1986-87 O-Pee-Chee. After a era of heavy production, the London, Ontario-based company had scaled things … [Read more...]
