Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk turned 72 on Thursday. That was his uniform number with the Chicago White Sox in the 1980s, who eventually retired it. Interestingly, his rookie card is in the ’72 Topps set…and he hit 72 homers after turning 40 according to historian Christopher Kamka. It was while wearing that number with the Sox that Fisk was featured on a 1982 Topps In … [Read more...]
Mystery Solved: The Story Behind Cam Neely’s Rookie Card Photo
Before the age of online statistics databases for sports, there was a great deal of mystery surrounding the origins of the photos that appear on some of the hobby's greatest cards. Researchers are starting to scrutinize vintage cards more and more these days and the discovery of the exact date of a shot reveals an exciting story. In the case of Cam Neely's rookie card from the … [Read more...]
Notes: Big $ for Gretzky Jersey; Bleier Explains Decision to Sell; Bruins/MeiGray Winter Classic Auction
A Wayne Gretzky game jersey photo matched to the 1986-87 regular season and Stanley Cup Finals sold for $201,009 via Classic Auctions last night. A 1980 Team USA jersey donned by “Miracle on Ice” team member Mark Wells netted $58,888. Photos match it to wear during the Gold Medal game against Finland. One of the hobby’s toughest pre-War hockey cards, a 1923-24 … [Read more...]
eBay Drops Lists of Top-Selling Teams, Players
With the year heading into its final two months, eBay has released some information detailing 2019’s most popular players and teams across major sports leagues. Their data includes both collectible items and fan-related items. Among the trends: Most In-Demand Teams NBA - Chicago Bulls The Bulls ranked #1 in overall merchandise sales on eBay with an … [Read more...]
Frank Brimsek: Mr. Zero, American Hero
The days of old time hockey had a scant few American-born stars outside of Hall of Famers like Frank Goheen and Hobey Baker, but no player from the United States had been a superstar in the NHL before the arrival of Frank Brimsek with the Boston Bruins in 1938-39. Today's collectors may not realize his significance within the game and the hobby itself, but now is as good a time … [Read more...]
Beantown Beginnings: Collecting the Original Boston Bruins
With the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup Final once again, it is a perfect time to reflect on the team’s rather humble beginnings and examine the first hockey cards featuring one of the game’s most popular franchise. Before the 1924-25 season, the National Hockey League was in its infancy and limited itself to just two Canadian provinces. In Ontario, you had the Ottawa … [Read more...]
David Pastrnak’s Crazy Winter Classic Stick Now Up for Auction
He has many talents on the ice but the most talked about part of David Pastrnak’s 2018-19 season might just be a piece of game-used equipment. If every picture tells a story, Pastrnak is proof that a hockey stick can do the same thing. The colorful and creative piece used by the Bruins’ right winger in their 4-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks at Notre Dame Stadium … [Read more...]
1963-64 Topps Hockey Set Sported Horizontal Look
Topps continued its pattern of a 66-card set for its 1963-64 hockey set. Like the previous year, the set was split among the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers as Parkhurst took care of the Leafs, Canadiens and Red Wings. It would be the last year for the split with Parkhurst exiting the hockey card market before the following season. And again, the … [Read more...]
Bruins Gamers from NHL’s China Series Hit Auction Block
There’s no Yao Ming just yet, but the NHL continues to work on growing the sport of hockey in the world’s most populated country. Now, jerseys from the league’s second ever set of pre-season games in China are up for grabs. MeiGray Auctions is offering two dozen Boston Bruins jerseys from last month’s games in an auction taking place this month. The Bruins and … [Read more...]
Normand Leveille: A Promising Career Tragically Cut Short
One of hockey's most heartbreaking tales involves the premature end to the career of Normand Leveille - a left winger who was showing potential for the Boston Bruins a little over 35 years ago. Leveille was the 14th overall pick in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft and was selected immediately before a future Hall of Famer in Al MacInnis. Coming off a breakthrough campaign where he … [Read more...]