The 1960s were a time of upheaval and growth for the NHL, and the 1969-70 Topps hockey set put the finishing touches to a decade of change. Topps' wax packs now carried a few more cards but the prices in each sport had morphed from a nickel to a dime between the spring release of baseball and the fall and winter sports. Each pack contained a pair of player stamps (more … [Read more...]
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Orr, Other Stars to Appear at Spring 2018 Sportcard & Memorabilia Expo
Trading card collectors in the United States swear by the annual National Sports Collectors Convention and everything it has to offer. Those of us that love cards and live North of the border have something special of our own in the Sportcard & Memorabilia Expo that is our own paradise, especially for hockey collectors. This time, it aims to be bigger than ever with a rare … [Read more...]
1968-69 O-Pee-Chee Hockey Set an Important Issue
2018 will mark the 50th anniversary of the landmark 1968-69 O-Pee-Chee hockey card set. The issue featured an innovative design, a key rookie card, and plenty of stars. It was also the largest hockey set issued to that date. Here's a closer look at what became the first modern O-Pee-Chee issue. 1968-69 O-Pee-Chee Basics Working closely with American brand Topps, … [Read more...]
1967-68 Topps Hockey Set Kept to Original 6
Expansion came to the National Hockey League in 1967--and in a big way. The league doubled in size from the longstanding "Original Six" franchises to a 12-team league that was now coast-to-coast. The move came too late to be reflected in the nickel wax packs of cards that arrived on candy counters that season. The 1967-68 Topps hockey checklist included only … [Read more...]
1976-77 Topps Hockey Short on Rookies but Big on Subsets and Inserts
For the most part, the 1976-77 Topps hockey set was your standard run-of-the-mill 1970s hockey issue. But in addition to numerous subsets in the release, Topps also introduced a unique insert, which helped it stand out from others. Here's a closer look at Topps' issue for the 1976-77 hockey season. 1976-77 Topps Hockey Overview The 1976-77 Topps hockey set was a 264-card … [Read more...]
1974-75 Topps Hockey Continued Shift Toward Larger Sets
After producing several issues that included only a few dozen cards, Topps made a major push in the 1970s to increase the size of its hockey sets. Here's a closer look at the 1974-75 Topps hockey issue that continued that model of growth. 1974-75 Topps Hockey Overview At the start of the decade, Topps' hockey sets consisted of 132 cards. That was double the size of what … [Read more...]
Notes: Goodwin Results; Judge Soars; Why’d Augie Steal Julian’s Cap?; Hotel’s Bobby Orr Suite
A PSA 8 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle rookie card sold for $151,652 early Friday as Goodwin and Company closed out its ‘Masterpieces and Uncommon Commons LXXI’ auction. Only 16 Mantle rookies have rated higher than an 8 on PSA’s Population Report. The sale was the tenth of a PSA 8 Mantle rookie since the card first topped the $100,000 mark in February 2016. Goodwin sold an … [Read more...]
1973-74 O-Pee-Chee Hockey Set Fueled By Key Rookies, Inserts
The 1973-74 O-Pee-Chee hockey card set represented the sixth consecutive year of production for the Canadian-based firm. Working closely with Topps through a special marketing agreement, as usual, the two sets from the companies that year were largely the same. O-Pee-Chee's inclusion of some key rookies, though, helped them stand out from U.S. based Topps. 1973-74 O-Pee-Chee … [Read more...]
Hall of Famers, All-Stars Anchor 1972-73 Topps Hockey Set
Topps continued production of its hockey cards in 1972. The 1972-73 Topps Hockey set included a few rookie cards, but the set was led by the usual collection of Hall of Famers along with an All-Star subset. Here's a closer look at the issue more than 40 years later. 1972-73 Topps Hockey Basics The 1972-73 Topps hockey card set was fairly typical for what Topps produced in both … [Read more...]
Ken Dryden Rookie Card Headlines 1971-72 Topps Hockey Set
Even with recent expansion, there were just 14 teams in the National Hockey League when the puck dropped on October 8, 1971. While going deeper into rosters for the O-Pee-Chee brand, Topps' 1971-72 hockey set remained at just 132 cards. 1971-72 Topps Hockey Basics The 1971-72 Topps hockey cards maintained the standard 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" size. However, the cards were much … [Read more...]
