Archive for April, 2010

Okay, this post is inspired by this entry over at Hand Collated. Like him, I tend to forget about the Topps Million Card Giveaway until I read a post about it. And like Hand Collated, I didn’t really have anything special in my collection. In fact, I only had three cards: ’87 Winfield, ’05 Carpenter, and an ’07 Glaus. No great shakes, really. Certainly nothing worth paying postage for. Anyways, a long time ago, I proposed a trade to some random dude offering those three cards for a 1970 Lowell Palmer card. And then I forgot about it because I knew it was a long shot. I mean, I had previously offered those cards for an ’86 Marty Barrett (my all-time favourite player) and was rebuffed.

So I just checked my account and lo and behold, the guy accepted my offer and now I own a 1970 Lowell Palmer card. Not only that, but someone is offering me a 1969 Ron Willis card for it. This could potentially turn into One Red Paperclip all over again and I could end up with a ’52 Mantle.

BUT!

Do you think I’d actually ever trade this kick-ass card?

The only card I’d trade Lowell Palmer for is another Lowell Palmer!

Which one would you prefer?

Lowell Palmer FTW!

Went to the monthly card show on the NH/MA border with my usual $100 budget. Sort of like the $50k eBay challenge, only on a much smaller scale.

Don Awrey was signing, but I passed. What in the world am I going to do with a Don Awrey autograph? Anyways, the usual dealers were there. I like this show because it’s not just filled with new stuff. There is very little wax to be had and a nice variety of all sports. One guy had a ton of vintage non-sport tobacco cards that really caught my eye, but I need to stick to my collection.

I passed on buying anything from the vintage Bruins guy because I wanted to go for quantity over quality today. That’s not to say I picked up beat-to-hell stuff, just no high end vintage. I bought two cards from the Islanders dealer (you’ll be able to guess which two). The other cards were all purchased from one guy who hadn’t been set up before. A real nice guy with tons of bargains.

Onto the goods!

1965-66 Topps #41 Sid Abel

Hall of Fame player and former Hart Trophy winner, mediocre coach. Easy on the pomade, Sid.

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1967-68 Topps #37 Don Awrey

This is not Don Awrey. Topps got his and this guy’s photo switched on the cards. An apparently, no one told Topps because they did the same thing the next year with the same players and photos. Can anyone guess who it is without looking it up?

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1968-69 O-Pee-Chee #123 Tim Horton

Donuts!

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1970-71 O-Pee-Chee #249 Johnny Bucyk

He just looks like he’d be a class act, doesn’t he?

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1971-72 O-Pee-Chee #220 Ed Giacomin

This is what you would look like coming off a Vezina Trophy winning season.

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1971-72 O-Pee-Chee Bookley #4 Jacques Plante

Oddball alert! Oddball alert!

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1972-73 O-Pee-Chee #28 Gump Worsley

All the Gumper is missing is a cigarette hangin’ out of his mouth.

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1972-73 O-Pee-Chee #68 Wayne Cashman

Wayne enjoys water skiing. Wayne would also enjoy being inducted into the Hall of Fame.

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1972-73 O-Pee-Chee #92 Jacques Plante

This is Jacques last NHL card  (he’d be featured on a WHA for the 74-75 season).

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1972-73 O-Pee-Chee #114 Brad Park

I don’t have much to say about this card. It’s Brad Park and it’s a solid set. That is all.

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1974-75 O-Pee-Chee #151 Dave Keon

Ah, now we get into the era of hockey cards that feature really crummy photography. Hey Dave, stand in front of this blue tarp and look menacing, will ya?

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1974-75 O-Pee-Chee #202 Jacques Laperriere

Okay, Jacques? I need you to comb your hair ALL THE WAY over to the side and then look creepily into the camera. Okay? Hold that pose. GOT IT! But next time could you grow a creepy moustache?

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1975-76 O-Pee-Chee #73 Derek Sanderson

How many lines do you think Turk did before this photo? 1? 15? 50?

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1975-76 O-Pee-Chee #181 Steve Shutt

Whoa, an action shot! Way to step it up, O-Pee-Chee!

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1975-76 O-Pee-Chee #241 Larry Robinson

Jacques, THIS is how it’s done!

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1976-77 O-Pee-Chee #30 Yvan Cournoyer

Where the heck was this photo taken? There are not other players to be seen nor are there any lines on the ice?

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1976-77 O-Pee-Chee #60 Brad Park

Damn right Park was a 1st Team All-Star. I wonder what that patch is on this shoulder. Anyone?

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1976-77 O-Pee-Chee #90 Rod Gilbert

Hi, I’m Rod Gilbert and I just nailed your wife.

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1976-77 O-Pee-Chee # 180 Gilbert Perreault

Again with the lonely shot. Are he and Cournoyer playing one-on-one?

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1976-77 O-Pee-Chee #207 Darryl Sittler

I just learned that Sittler had 10 points in a single game. I also learned that his head of hair is all natural.

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1978-79 O-Pee-Chee #50 Ken Dryden

Was Dryden crazy good or just the beneficiary of a great system? Same argument applies to Brodeur. Martin, not Richard. Richard relied on his own talent.

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1979-80 O-Pee-Chee  #230 Mike Bossy

I love everything about this card, front and back. A perfect card, really.

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1980-81 O-Pee-Chee #40 Bryan Trottier

Why is this card only worth $2.50?!?!?

So that’s it. The highlight of the show was when the promoter brought in a couple large cheese pizzas for the dealers and every single one of them practically sprinted from their table to get a slice leaving customers behind. I’ve never seen a 200-250 pound, middle-aged white men move quite that fast before.

Let me ask you, would you rather rather spend $80 on a Tavares rookie or some low-serial numbered card OR buy a nice stack of vintage O-Pee-Chee Hall of Famers?