Hockey Cards - What to buy?

[Crusher20]

I have heard good things about ebay but I have never used it. I just have some good card stores that I frequent to get my singles.

same here. but i will eventually try ebay. with paypal only. i heard anyother payment method is risky.

 

[Sens Rule]

same here. but i will eventually try ebay. with paypal only. i heard anyother payment method is risky.

Paypal is actually riskier for fraud than any other payment method besides mailing cash. However since Ebay owns paypal and gets a significant percentage off all paypal transactions many buyers and sellers are using paypal. But there is no need to do so and but don't bid on Paypal only auctions if you don't have it . Also Pay pal gives you a terrible exchange rate between US-Canada and Canada-US funds. I have completed 1200 transactions as a buyer and seller on Ebay WITHOUT ever using paypal.

 

[Sens Rule]

Finished opening my box, I got 4 rookies, Campoli, Lundqvist, Brule, and a Crosby "Quad Diamond Ruby Parallel" numbered XX of 100. Other notable cards were the Havlat autographed card, Modano game used jersey card, and a Sakic game used Sakic card. But I really just enjoyed all the cards, the only thing I hated were the duplicates .

The Crosby #'ed to 100 rookie went on Ebay for $418 US ebay # 8739022493, and $660 US ebay # 8734102486. That was an excellent pull. I wish I had got that box!

 

[StorminZ]

Hockey card collecting ... ah, I remember those days ... the hobby's not like it used to be ... then again, I've been collecting since the early 70's, so not much today looks like it did in the early 70's!!!

First off, IMHO, there's too much "what's this card worth?" where "worth" is measured only in real dollar values. When I was a kid, a cards worth was measured in what cards you got in return. Hey, I'll trade you Bobby Clarke and Moose Dupont for Guy Lafleur and Claude Larose!!!! LOL!!! Today, it's more (if not all) about the money and that sends the wrong message to kids. Whoa, kids collect cards??? Yea, hockey card collecting used to be a kid thing you kept up as you grew older. But at $4, $5, $6 a pack, it's pretty hard for a kid to collect a set. And, yea, sometimes you collect things just because they're fun to collect ... who cares what the card may sell for!!!

I attribute the change in attitude towards sports card collecting to the boom in the early 90's. The Hockey News even got in on the action at the time -- though short-lived -- by issuing a monthly insert in THN dedicated to collecting. I recall dealers like Smokey's in Las Vegas advertising ... offering to buy up "lots" of Lindros, Jagr, Fedorov, etc. rookie cards, all on speculation of the future value of the card. I hadn't ever thought about the hobby as an investment ... still don't (an heirloom as one poster noted above) ... I said at the time that the hobby would never be the same and it really hasn't been.

And while hockey cards look colourful today with the glossy pics, foil print and heavy card stock, it comes with a price ... afterall, someone has to pay for the technology it takes to produce the cards. Frankly, a simple design on good cardboard stock with a nicely varied player base keeps me happy. My 71-72 OPC is my favorite set, yet there's nothing flashy about it. The appearance AND the narrative (including the cartoon captions) on the back kept me busy for hours on end as a kid. In recent years, the Topps Heritage series and UD Vintage series were great retro sets simply because they were simple and had the appearance of cards from when I was a kid (yep, old man lamenting days long gone, LOL!).

And I hate redeption cards and insert sets!!! Talk about the fun of opening a pack of cards (versus buying the set at once) ... hoping to find your favourite rookie just for the fun of it?? Not necessarily! There's just something about paying for a pack of cards and then having to pay further (a la the mail) just to get a card that's really part of the set. Fine, let supply and demand rule, but that is artificial IMHO ... it's all about creating scarcity so as to drive up the price ... yep, there's that dollar thing, again! Yea, I suppose that's good marketing/merchandising ... but really is a gimmick ... and I still hate it! And as for insert sets, they'd be okay if there were one or two, but my goodness, you need a roadmap to keep track of all the options ... and good luck even putting some of the insert sets together (speaking in terms of cost and availability).

Much like the sport of hockey itself, business has gotten in the way of hockey card collecting. And for the NHL/NHLPA to issue a license only to UD is unfortunate for the hobby. I've nothing against UD, but competition is good ... kinda like "free agency"??? Where's my OPC? I'm all for a few good players in the game, but restricting it to one company has the potential for "monopoly" and that's not good.

For me, the cards to collect this year (and probably in year's to come) are older sets I don't have, like the 69-70 OPC. (Thank goodness for eBay at that!) And while it will cost me $$$ ... that's the reality of hunting down the older, more scarce cards ... that's ok ... I may never see my money back, but the enjoyment of collecting is worth it!

OK, time for the old man to get off his soapbox ... before he falls and breaks a hip!!! LOL!!!!!! My advice, collect for the love of it and hopefully you'll enjoy it all the same!!!

 

[Ogopogo*]

And I hate redeption cards and insert sets!!! Talk about the fun of opening a pack of cards (versus buying the set at once) ... hoping to find your favourite rookie just for the fun of it?? Not necessarily! There's just something about paying for a pack of cards and then having to pay further (a la the mail) just to get a card that's really part of the set. Fine, let supply and demand rule, but that is artificial IMHO ... it's all about creating scarcity so as to drive up the price ... yep, there's that dollar thing, again! Yea, I suppose that's good marketing/merchandising ... but really is a gimmick ... and I still hate it! And as for insert sets, they'd be okay if there were one or two, but my goodness, you need a roadmap to keep track of all the options ... and good luck even putting some of the insert sets together (speaking in terms of cost and availability).

!

I couldn't agree more about "gimmick" cards. I hate them. They are artificial and I would never pay the ridiculous amounts people are asking for them. The people that do pay for them are getting ripped off. Get a Crosby card next year for $3 forget this $600 gimmick crap.

I collect cards of players I like - NO foil. I HATE foil cards. Give me a nice photo with a decent border and I am sold. 95% of the time I will NOT pay more than $2 for a card and I will virtually never pay over $5. I have about 2000 cards now of great players from the 70s, 80s, 90s and 00s.

My favorite set is the 78-79 OPC set. Great looking cards.

 

[Porn*]

just bought a pack of the new MVP set... and got an ovechkin RC

anyone know what its worth? just curious...

 

[Sens Rule]

just bought a pack of the new MVP set... and got an ovechkin RC

anyone know what its worth? just curious...

$7-$35 (there is a really wide range on Ebay for this one) It will be AO's least valuable RC card though.

 

[Crusher20]

I got 2 box of SPx and turned out with these cards..

Milan Jurcina spXcitement Rookie 2/5!!!! signature.
Keith Ballard RC Rookie Jersey signed x/1499
Cam Ward RC Rookie Jersey signed x/1499
David Leneuveu RC Rookie Jersey x/1999
Jeff Gorge RC Rookie Jersey x/1999

and other jerseys.. like Forsberg/Sakic Jerseys winning combo /x99

anyone in the montreal area is invited for trade proposals.. i also have 2 sidney Crosby RC UD serie 1.

 

[Hedberg]

SPX is overpriced

 

[Souray44]

Is it true that if you have a Sidney Crosby UD Series 1 YG RC it's worth it to sell it now for maximum dollars?

Will it go up in price in 5 years if he puts a few good years together?

I used to collect as a kid and now i'm getting back into it far more seriously with my first 2 boxes of UD Series 1 arriving here on friday.

So far i've bought about 15-20 packs of UD Series 1 and got the following;

Tootoo jersey card
Guerin jersey card
2 Perezhogin YG RC
Clowe YG RC
Seabrook YG RC

Nothing really overly special yet. The Perezhogin RC's mean something to me as a Habs fan though.

 

[PecaFan]

Is it true that if you have a Sidney Crosby UD Series 1 YG RC it's worth it to sell it now for maximum dollars?

Absolutely. Long term, almost all cards will drop in value. Especially rookie cards that will be replaced with more desirable releases later.

 

[Porn*]

$7-$35 (there is a really wide range on Ebay for this one) It will be AO's least valuable RC card though.

meh... i'm just happy to have one

 

[BCCHL inactive]

I've been seriously browsing eBay over the last few days. I am about 2 paycheques away from buying a box of 05-06 UD Trilogy. The cheapest I can buy a box in the only store that carries it in Prince George, is well over $300 after GST and PST ($32.99 per pack, 9 packs in a box). I found one seller on eBay who is selling a box for $199 CDN plus shipping and GST.

A few weeks ago, I broke and bought a few packs of the Trilogy, and their odds are amazing to get something spectacular. I ended up with Frozen In Time (plexi-glass card) of Saku Koivu (497/599) and Nikolai Zherdev (387/599), and an Ice Scripts (plexi-glass also) autograph of Gilbert Perreault!

As for 05-06 UD, I busted two boxes and then some, and ended up with no Crosby rookie. Nobody I know who has bought multiple boxes has pulled the card.

 

[Sens Rule]

I've been seriously browsing eBay over the last few days. I am about 2 paycheques away from buying a box of 05-06 UD Trilogy. The cheapest I can buy a box in the only store that carries it in Prince George, is well over $300 after GST and PST ($32.99 per pack, 9 packs in a box). I found one seller on eBay who is selling a box for $199 CDN plus shipping and GST.

A few weeks ago, I broke and bought a few packs of the Trilogy, and their odds are amazing to get something spectacular. I ended up with Frozen In Time (plexi-glass card) of Saku Koivu (497/599) and Nikolai Zherdev (387/599), and an Ice Scripts (plexi-glass also) autograph of Gilbert Perreault!

As for 05-06 UD, I busted two boxes and then some, and ended up with no Crosby rookie. Nobody I know who has bought multiple boxes has pulled the card.

Trilogy sells for $225 in Ottawa for a box (no taxes) Trilogy is kinda crappy though. You get 45 cards (or less since Plexi cards count for 3 cards) I bought a box and wasn't all that impressed though the Plexi cards are neat. It is nearly inpossible to get god value for your money on Trilogy unless you get some really great cards.

 

[BCCHL inactive]

Trilogy sells for $225 in Ottawa for a box (no taxes) Trilogy is kinda crappy though. You get 45 cards (or less since Plexi cards count for 3 cards) I bought a box and wasn't all that impressed though the Plexi cards are neat. It is nearly inpossible to get god value for your money on Trilogy unless you get some really great cards.

It's not the number of cards that counts, it'd the drawback value. I bought 2 packs today, and I got an Ice Scripts Andrew Raycroft auto, and a Frozen In Time Marc-André Fleury. Odds are you're getting a plexi-glass card, autograph or some kind of memorabilia in every pack.

 

[Sens Rule]

It's not the number of cards that counts, it'd the drawback value. I bought 2 packs today, and I got an Ice Scripts Andrew Raycroft auto, and a Frozen In Time Marc-André Fleury. Odds are you're getting a plexi-glass card, autograph or some kind of memorabilia in every pack.

But you are paying $25-30 a pack! You better be getting some great cards in that pack!!!!!

 

[BCCHL inactive]

But you are paying $25-30 a pack! You better be getting some great cards in that pack!!!!!

That's what I was saying. Odds are that you'll get a plexi-glass card, an autograph or a memorabilia card in every pack.

 

[Ogopogo*]

These $35 packs of cards with plexi-glass cards in them are gimmicks. Anything you have of value, you better sell NOW. In 2 years, everybody will have forgotten about them and they will be virtually worthless no matter what Beckett says. It is an artificial market for artificially inflated values. Long-term, these cards have no lasting value - if you want my opinion. I am a guy that was a card dealer during the hey day. Nothing newer than 1988 will ever be worth much. It is all artificial hype value. Kinda like hot potato - the last one holding the card gets burned.

 

[BCCHL inactive]

Nothing newer than 1988 will ever be worth much.

The card collecting market is much different now than it was 20 years ago. People don't buy to collect complete sets anymore. It's all about inserts and rookie cards.

Even if I'm a buyer, I'm looking to more recent sets than something in the 1980s. Just as an example, Patrick Roy's RC is listed in Beckett at $100 US. Arguably the NHL's greatest goaltender ever... $100 US. Sidney Crosby's RC is almost quadruple that in value already.

As for the rant on plexi-glass cards being gimmicks.. it depends on who is on the card, and whether or not it's signed. This set in particular has autograph cards from the greats like Gretzky and Howe. You can't tell me those won't be worth much in the future. I could probably go to Edmonton and get a decent penny for my Ryan Smyth Ice Scripts signed card, and same in Buffalo for Gilbert Perreault.

There's that point, and also some people collect for their own value. I finally got a Pavel Bure RC 2 years ago, and it's never coming out of it's screwdown case. I don't care if it couldn't buy me lunch according to Beckett, but Bure (along with Linden) was always my favourite player.

 

[Shane]

just bought a pack of the new MVP set... and got an ovechkin RC

anyone know what its worth? just curious...

They had some at the gas station I went to today. Right at the counter, total impulse buy. I bought two packs and got a Corey Perry RC and a Jim Howard RC. Heh. Nothing like opening a pack of hockey cards. I love it.

 

[Shane]

They had some at the gas station I went to today. Right at the counter, total impulse buy. I bought two packs and got a Corey Perry RC and a Jim Howard RC. Heh. Nothing like opening a pack of hockey cards. I love it.

I bought several more packs today. 9/10 for rookie cards now. I'm awesome.

 

[boredmale]

get the packs with gum in it, even if you don't get a good card you get a great piece of gum

 

[The Nemesis]

The card collecting market is much different now than it was 20 years ago. People don't buy to collect complete sets anymore. It's all about inserts and rookie cards.

Even if I'm a buyer, I'm looking to more recent sets than something in the 1980s. Just as an example, Patrick Roy's RC is listed in Beckett at $100 US. Arguably the NHL's greatest goaltender ever... $100 US. Sidney Crosby's RC is almost quadruple that in value already.

As for the rant on plexi-glass cards being gimmicks.. it depends on who is on the card, and whether or not it's signed. This set in particular has autograph cards from the greats like Gretzky and Howe. You can't tell me those won't be worth much in the future. I could probably go to Edmonton and get a decent penny for my Ryan Smyth Ice Scripts signed card, and same in Buffalo for Gilbert Perreault.

There's that point, and also some people collect for their own value. I finally got a Pavel Bure RC 2 years ago, and it's never coming out of it's screwdown case. I don't care if it couldn't buy me lunch according to Beckett, but Bure (along with Linden) was always my favourite player.

I totally agree with you about the change in the nature of cards. I was in my local card shop a couple of weeks ago, and there were a pair of rookie cards sitting next to each other. Each one had a $150 price tag. One was Henrik Zetterberg. The other was Tony Esposito. Come on, no disrespect to Zetterberg, but should his RC be considered on par with Tony ****ing Esposito? I also have like 6 duplicates of Mike Modano's RC, and they're not even worth five bucks a piece. It's not that I really care how much my collection is worth, I just thought that I should be able to fund more of the collection with my extras. But thanks to "investors", most of my early 90s cards aren't worth the paper they're printed on, and the late 90s sets I'm missing are far too expensive for me to buy because companies decided to indulge the wealth-seekers by doing inserts and super-rare cards.

Years ago when I was little, I could collect a second complete set, and then sell it to cover a decent amount of the cost of my own set. Now, I have 3 complete sets of common cards of this season's Upper Deck Series 1, and I might be lucky to get $20 for a set.

It's also ridiculous that rookie cards have become so obscenely valuable. Nobody here knows who the heck Petteri Nokelainen is, but his RC is still $15.

 

[Shane]

Nobody here knows who the heck Petteri Nokelainen is, but his RC is still $15.

Got it.

 

[PecaFan]

People don't buy to collect complete sets anymore.

That's because they stopped making sets we *could* collect.

In the 70's, a set would often have 18 to 20 players from each team in it. If you collected the entire set, or just the team set, you had a real representation of who was on the team.

Nowadays, you get a handful of players from a team, and you get the same players in every single set. "Hey look gang, it's Nazzy, Bert, and Mo!".

I'd love for them to make *one* set for us set collectors. No inserts, autos, Holo GRFX, 1 of 1's, etc. Just plain cardboard, covering most every player in the league.