Nice autos. Good luck on the Hull, it is a nice card. I don't know if I would have the guts to get that signed, assuming I ever reacquire one.
The Dryden is very cool. Isn't Vito putting the Topps set together in autographed form? I wonder if he has that one. Wasn't it him who posted a Wayne Maki awhile back, or was that you?
I'd love to get back to the Expo in the next few years. Congrats.
AWESOME stuff Casey ... Congrats on that Dryden ... nice looking auto and well placed.
STAY HEALTHY!
Doug
Liquidating my collection for the 3rd and final time. Time for others to enjoy what I have enjoyed over the last several decades. Money could be put to better use.
George--yep, Vito is doing the 71 Topps set. He does have a Dryden (and a very nice one at that). He was also the one with the Wayne Maki, which is tough on an order of magnitude higher than the Dryden. The Expo was a ton of fun and I definitely recommend that you consider heading back sometime.
Scans from the highlights of most recent PSA results. Would love to add these above, but editing does not seem to be much of an option right now...
More grades came in the week before Thanksgiving. This time, I decided not to post them and instead to wait for the cards to arrive before showing them.
Overall, it was good, with only one card of the batch falling short (a 69 T. Esposito that graded a 6 -- probably an 8 with a qualifier). That card will probably be re-subbed.
First, a couple of cards that I bought earlier with a large batch of signed rookies. I deemed 2 to be probable upgrades for my set and they were. The Savard bettered my previous 7 and the Fetisov was much better than my 5.
I grabbed a signed 53 Bathgate rookie from a friend on Facebook. Tough card, as he is still living but long done signing. Nicer than my previous copy. Funny enough this card was once owned by another poster on CU (I'll try to add the link later). It must have changed hands a few times before getting to me.
Curtis Joseph rookie, done at a private signing @ St. Louis Sports Collectors. So far, so good with this dealer.
Iginla rookie. He's solidly in the "future HOFer" category, a lock once he is retired. This card was in a SGC 8.5. holder, I believe. It will be a tough one to eventually upgrade, with the foil and dark corners. Hard to see a signed "10" of this card ever materializing.
1953 Parkhurst Harry Howell. Signed TTM. Upgrade over my previous "3". Was happy with this grade, as I felt the range was 4-6. It was a SGC 7 crackout.
65 Giacomin. This was sent in a bit ago and graded a 4. I didn't agree and thought it was a 6, so I cracked it out and sent it back. I guess PSA agreed to meet in the middle. I'll probably settle with this. Good deal.
Last, the star of the show: Vachon. My only regret is that I wish this was of a HOFer! I guess Rogie still has a chance - maybe '16 is his year? Anyway, this was a real surprise as it was a PSA 6 crack-out that was sent TTM, handled, and returned. Usually cards only go down with that much movement... This one jumped 2 full grades! I overpaid for the 6, but way, way underpaid for an 8. So, I was thrilled by the grade on this one. Made the sub.
Liquidating my collection for the 3rd and final time. Time for others to enjoy what I have enjoyed over the last several decades. Money could be put to better use.
The Dryden that I picked up at the Expo crossed over to PSA, which was a relief. Even scored a 1.5. I thought it'd be either a 1 or 2 and more likely a 1, so it makes sense. I think the overall eye appeal of the card justifies the half point here.
Hard to say, but maybe... 50? There maybe a dozen that are PSA'ed between Topps and OPC. At least 2 in SGC holders. And I'm sure many raw in collections. Not sure, good question. I'd be interested to hear what others think.
I've added some more signed cards over the past few weeks. Used a variety of sources - as the post-HOF weekend lull is in full effect and signings have been infrequent.
1998 UD Martin St. Louis RC - future HOFer - private signing @ Steiner. Sent this in May. Briefly thought it would never get done. Glad that it did. Purchased the card from EagleEyeKid - thanks, Bryan.
2005 UD YG Corey Perry RC - future HOFer - consignment via FB
2015 UD YG Dylan Larkin RC - beastmode rookie for the Red Wings, already looking like the truth and future of the team - purchase on FB
1978 OPC Doug Wilson RC - for the Norris Trophy winners registry set. There are only 2 retired non-HOFers on the list (Wilson and Randy Carlyle), so I figured I'd just get it done - consignment via SCN
2014 UD YG Nathan MacKinnon RC - potential future HOFer and Calder (ROY) winner - consignment via SCN
2011 UD YG Gabriel Landeskog RC - Calder winner - consignment via SCN
That's all for this week.
As I said, signings have been slow. I have cards out at Messier (Steiner), Brodeur (St. Louis Sports Coll.), Tretiak (Sportauthentix), Kurri (Sportauthentix), and Brett Hull (St. Louis Sports Coll.). Probably a good thing, as I should probably be banking it up before the Spring red flip group sub comes together.
Hope that you all had a good holiday. Mine was great, but, as I imagine for most, busy! Lots to do and a fair bit of travel. I got home from a week out of town on Sunday and had a return package from PSA waiting for me at the PO on Monday. I haven't posted the grades for any of these yet, so I'll try to do a little bit of recapping on them. The submission was 14 cards for PSA/DNA red flips, most of which were from the Expo (Nov. 6-8), Fanatics Philly (Halloween weekend), and other signings in October. The order was for 20 days and popped on day 20. For several of the cards, I subbed multiple copies. So, these are the "best of the best" and the other cards will be FS.
Overall, it was an excellent sub. It was probably my best "large" submission of the year (though I'd say the Orr PSA 4.5 and the last sub with Dryden/Hull were perhaps a bit better). 12 of the 14 were as good or better than expected. I've learned that you can't really beat that.
Anyway, the cards:
1968 Topps Bernie Parent. Signed @ Fanatics. Card was a PSA 8 crackout, purchased from BBCE on eBay. I paid a little extra for the HOF inscription and am happy that I did.
2013 UD Vladimir Tarasenko YG. Signed @ St Louis Sports Collectors. For this signing, I bought a bunch of raw copies of the card and mailed in the 6 best that I had. From there, I sold 1 signed copy to VitoCo and subbed the 2 best signed copies that remained. PSA graded one a 10 and one a 7--so I guess that I am lucky (or is that unlucky?) that I sent in multiples. Either way, the mission was to get a gem mint copy and it was accomplished.
2009 UD John Tavares YG. Signed @ Frameworth. Raw card purchased on eBay. Happy to get a 9; it would be hard to see someone getting a signed copy of this dark bordered card into a 10. Frameworth has given me issues in the past with their choice of pen (streaky, thin, etc.), so I was happy with how this one turned out. Placement was good (though I helped with the suggestion and it is really the only good place to do it).
1973 Topps Billy Smith. Signed @ Fanatics. Card was a PSA 8 crackout, purchased on eBay. I sent in 3 Billy Smiths (2 OPC and 1 Topps) and this was the only one that graded an 8. Both OPCs were 6s, a slight disappointment (I think one was a 6 crackout and the other a 7). Anyway, I am not going to sweat it. Check the card off the list. Billy Smith, done for now.
1991 UD Nick Lidstrom. Signed @ Expo. Card was a PSA 10 crackout, purchased on eBay. I brought 2 to the event for Nick and carried them through the line myself. Both graded 10s, which was great. Nick was an outstanding hockey player and was the standout of the 2015 HOF class. He is also one of my personal favorite players, so it is cool to own this card and to have had the opportunity to shake his hand.
1984 OPC Chris Chelios. Signed @ Expo. Card was a PSA 9 crackout. This one was a bit of a gamble because I already had a PSA 8 and was looking to upgrade. It is usually a recipe for failure when you establish a grading window that narrow. Fortunately, the grading gods smiled upon me and granted the card a Mint 9. Of the 84s, I now have Gilmour, Chelios, and Neely in PSA 9. The other cards from that year in the set are LaFontaine (6) and Yzerman (8). I have a couple LaFontaines at PSA now that should be done at the end of January and I am hoping one of them will grade that highly. The Yzerman will be tough to upgrade, as again it will be a small window and his signing fee is steep, but I may take a shot if it gives me the chance to finish the year with 9s across. I have made worse decisions in the past and will do so again!
1983 OPC Phil Housley. Signed @ Expo. Card was a PSA 10 crackout, purchased from 4SC. Meticulously handled personally, so you know where this is going... But, anyway! The previous highest graded example of this card was a 6.5, so a 9 will do. Housley was a new addition to my set as well, so closer to "completion".
Other than grading, I have still been working the signings. I posted a list of ones that I was participating in two weeks ago and, since then, I have gotten a return only from Tretiak at Sportauthentix. Still waiting on the others--so hopefully will have more to share soon. I've also resumed TTMing recently and had a few returns roll in. Time consuming, but a lot of fun. I recommend it if you haven't tried.
Some great cards, especially the Parent, but my favorite part of this post was the Lidstrom recap. I know what it was like when I met my favorite players, and in a lot of ways the handshake and brief chat are more valuable than the autograph. Great stuff.
Happy New Year! Hope that everyone's collecting year is off to a good start. Mine has been going along nicely and, with a resolve to stay focused, I have been consolidating and selling off more pieces than I have added. Autographed sets have been my recent target, as you can see, and I made big gains in 2015 that I hope I can continue this year. I would still love to finish off my 1961 Parkhurst sets, as well. More on that later.
I recently returned from a 10 day trip to San Francisco. While I was there, I got some grades and feel like I have been on a roll lately in terms of beating my pre-sub expectations and goals. I'll post the highlights below, but the "stats" of the sub were 20-day red flip regular PSA/DNA, logged on 12/17 and shipped on 1/5, for a total turnaround time of 7 business days.
The cards...
1981 OPC Peter Stastny HOF RC. Signed @ Frozen Pond. He is great TTM, actually one of the best. Still, I paid for it because I wanted to get a really nice all-time keeper example. As pop 1, this one will be that. I feel fortunately because I already had a PSA 8, so the window for success was narrow.
1984 OPC Pat LaFontaine HOF RC. Signed @ Frozen Pond. Finally! This card had been such a pain for me, with numerous TTMs landing in the PSA 3-6 range. I sent 2 to FP and both graded a 9. I slightly preferred this one and will be keeping it, but both were beautiful. As I said earlier in the thread, I now have all the 84 HOFers in PSA 9 except Yzerman.
1971 OPC Marcel Dionne HOF RC. Signed @ Sportauthentix. Absolutely beautiful autograph and sharp card, IMO. In a PSA 8, it is hard to imagine a nicer example. Was a PSA 8 crackout and is an upgrade over my previous signed PSA 5.
1975 OPC WHA Mark Howe HOF RC. Signed @ DC Sports. Was a PSA 8 crackout and upgrade over my previous 7. I really like Sportauthentix and do a lot of business with them, but have to say that DC is batting 100% on mail order with me. Every time signed perfectly, handled with care, and shipped back promptly with tracking. If anyone else is considering sending them mail order, don't hesitate.
2001 UD YG Pavel Datsyuk RC. Future HOFer. Signed @ DC Sports. This card is plagued with a specific manufacturing defect where the top edge on 90% or so of the production run is "dinged" such that a PSA 7 or so is the max. Very tough in high grade, I received a BGS 9.5 as a birthday present in August and held it until a November signing. A PSA 9 is a fair grade, as I think the top right corner is touched very slightly. Still an excellent card, pop 1 none higher and grading PSA 7.5 or better before this. Upgrade over my previous PSA 7.
1974 OPC Borje Salming HOF RC. Signed @ Frozen Pond. Was a PSA 8 crackout. Decided to go for the longball on this one and it panned out. Also a pop 1, none higher. Upgrade over my previous Topps PSA 7.
Liquidating my collection for the 3rd and final time. Time for others to enjoy what I have enjoyed over the last several decades. Money could be put to better use.
The quality and flair of the actual signatures themselves seems to be tops with hockey players. I don't see too many "scribble line" autographs. Keep up the great work.
Joe
IG: goatcollectibles23
The biggest lesson I've learned in this hobby, and in life, is that if you have a strong conviction, you owe it to yourself to see it through. Don't sell yourself, or your investments, short. Unless the facts change. Then sell it all.
Also, on the Billy Smith, I would guess that photo was taken about a minute after the photo on the Phil Roberto card. Really like the Bernie Parent, too.
I managed to pick up a card that I needed for my signed 1961 Parkhurst hockey set.
When you get so close to completing a project like this, each additional card becomes special, so I was pretty excited when this hit eBay and I was able to grab it for a reasonable price. While this card does not fall into the elite tier of "possibly impossible" cards, it still was one that I had spent the better part of 2 years searching for without even being sure that it existed.
1961 Parkhurst #16 Allen Stanley. HOF.
That leaves the following cards remaining to complete the set:
#1 Tim Horton
#7 Ron Stewart
#11 Bob Nevin
#16 Billy Harris
#32 Terry Sawchuk
#49 Jacques Plante
#50 Claude Provost
Stewart, Nevin, and Harris should be possible and then the sledding gets rough. Only a matter of time and patience....
It's been a little while since I last updated. Spring seems like it has been slow. Still progressing on a few projects.
My biggest purchase of 2016 was this card for the HOF signed rookies set, a 1953 Parkhurst signed Jean Beliveau rookie. Nice eye appeal for a 2:
I got some grades today. Normally, I pick over my modern stuff pretty good and shoot for all 10s. For this batch, it was primarily for keeps, a bunch of Red Wings cards for myself, so I just subbed them all. As a result, a few more 9s than usual, but all in all a decent result. I also included a few older cards to grade and sell (Gilbert, LaFontaine, Kurris, Prongers). Probably the best card of the bunch is the 2013 Prizm Petr Mrazek Auto Prizm. It's the parallel /35, a decently tough card. I am very close on completing the whole rainbow for that year. I have to check but I need the Gold /10, Black 1/1, and I think 1-2 of the red/blue parallels (there are few of them).
I am going to try to post the grades here as an image and see how that goes.
It's been a little while. I've been meaning to post an update but work and life have interceded. Tonight I got enough time to scan some recent additions, so here we are.
I got some grades in at the end of last week. Going with a redux of the picture approach:
They were, on balance, good. I like subs like these--with highs and lows--much better than a solid mediocre. The "hits" were the 98 St. Louis (toil foil edges) and the 2010 Seguin (solid color border). The misses were the Tretiak and Hull--both attempts to upgrade that failed. Oh well, I can always try again. Better to have a few keepers and a few misses than a bunch of meh. Pieces of it will be for sale as I try to sell the lows to pay for more highs...
I had another sub of blue-to-red flip PSA/DNA crossovers that was generally a bloodbath. I'll spare the details. Let's just say...not good. Fortunately, there were a couple of redeemable moments and this card came out of it. Featured earlier ITT, I believe.
Other than that... pick-ups:
1963 Parkhurst Kent Douglas - Calder set RC (eBay - d. 2009 - tough?) 2000 UD YG Andrew Raycroft - Calder set RC (public signing - thanks to VitoCo for the tip) 1990 OPC Kelly Chase - King Clancy set RC (TTM) 1972 OPC Craig Ramsay - Selke set RC (TTM) 1971 OPC Butch Goring - Conn Smythe, Masterson, and Lady Byng set RC (TTM) 1980 OPC Richard Sevigny - Vezina set RC (TTM) 1991 Impel Herb Brooks - HOF Builders RC (eBay) 2006 UD YG Shea Weber - future HOFer? - (private signing @ AJ Sportsworld) 2005 SP Authentic Pekka Rinne - future HOFer? - (private signing @ AJ Sportsworld) 1966 Topps Brit Selby - Calder set RC (TTM) 1966 Topps Emile Francis - HOF Builders RC (TTM - upgrade over smudged copy I previously owned)
I have been slowly requesting registry sets for key card autos--Art Ross, Calder, Conn Smythe, Selke, King Clancy, and Norris are now up. Vezina and Hart are in the pipeline, but PSA has a huge backlog of set requests, so those are still probably a few months out. I don't have any near term plans to grade a bunch of this stuff. Most of the key card set cards that are not HOF rookies are really low value and can't justify the expense of grading. Maybe one set/year at the group sub discounted rate could work.
Comments
The Dryden is very cool. Isn't Vito putting the Topps set together in autographed form? I wonder if he has that one. Wasn't it him who posted a Wayne Maki awhile back, or was that you?
I'd love to get back to the Expo in the next few years. Congrats.
Doug
Liquidating my collection for the 3rd and final time. Time for others to enjoy what I have enjoyed over the last several decades. Money could be put to better use.
George--yep, Vito is doing the 71 Topps set. He does have a Dryden (and a very nice one at that). He was also the one with the Wayne Maki, which is tough on an order of magnitude higher than the Dryden. The Expo was a ton of fun and I definitely recommend that you consider heading back sometime.
Scans from the highlights of most recent PSA results. Would love to add these above, but editing does not seem to be much of an option right now...
Overall, it was good, with only one card of the batch falling short (a 69 T. Esposito that graded a 6 -- probably an 8 with a qualifier). That card will probably be re-subbed.
First, a couple of cards that I bought earlier with a large batch of signed rookies. I deemed 2 to be probable upgrades for my set and they were. The Savard bettered my previous 7 and the Fetisov was much better than my 5.
I grabbed a signed 53 Bathgate rookie from a friend on Facebook. Tough card, as he is still living but long done signing. Nicer than my previous copy. Funny enough this card was once owned by another poster on CU (I'll try to add the link later). It must have changed hands a few times before getting to me.
Curtis Joseph rookie, done at a private signing @ St. Louis Sports Collectors. So far, so good with this dealer.
Iginla rookie. He's solidly in the "future HOFer" category, a lock once he is retired. This card was in a SGC 8.5. holder, I believe. It will be a tough one to eventually upgrade, with the foil and dark corners. Hard to see a signed "10" of this card ever materializing.
1953 Parkhurst Harry Howell. Signed TTM. Upgrade over my previous "3". Was happy with this grade, as I felt the range was 4-6. It was a SGC 7 crackout.
65 Giacomin. This was sent in a bit ago and graded a 4. I didn't agree and thought it was a 6, so I cracked it out and sent it back. I guess PSA agreed to meet in the middle. I'll probably settle with this. Good deal.
Last, the star of the show: Vachon. My only regret is that I wish this was of a HOFer! I guess Rogie still has a chance - maybe '16 is his year? Anyway, this was a real surprise as it was a PSA 6 crack-out that was sent TTM, handled, and returned. Usually cards only go down with that much movement... This one jumped 2 full grades! I overpaid for the 6, but way, way underpaid for an 8. So, I was thrilled by the grade on this one. Made the sub.
Doug
Liquidating my collection for the 3rd and final time. Time for others to enjoy what I have enjoyed over the last several decades. Money could be put to better use.
My Podcast - Now FEATURED on iTunes
1998 UD Martin St. Louis RC - future HOFer - private signing @ Steiner. Sent this in May. Briefly thought it would never get done. Glad that it did. Purchased the card from EagleEyeKid - thanks, Bryan.
2005 UD YG Corey Perry RC - future HOFer - consignment via FB
2015 UD YG Dylan Larkin RC - beastmode rookie for the Red Wings, already looking like the truth and future of the team - purchase on FB
1978 OPC Doug Wilson RC - for the Norris Trophy winners registry set. There are only 2 retired non-HOFers on the list (Wilson and Randy Carlyle), so I figured I'd just get it done - consignment via SCN
2014 UD YG Nathan MacKinnon RC - potential future HOFer and Calder (ROY) winner - consignment via SCN
2011 UD YG Gabriel Landeskog RC - Calder winner - consignment via SCN
That's all for this week.
As I said, signings have been slow. I have cards out at Messier (Steiner), Brodeur (St. Louis Sports Coll.), Tretiak (Sportauthentix), Kurri (Sportauthentix), and Brett Hull (St. Louis Sports Coll.). Probably a good thing, as I should probably be banking it up before the Spring red flip group sub comes together.
Hope that you all had a good holiday. Mine was great, but, as I imagine for most, busy! Lots to do and a fair bit of travel. I got home from a week out of town on Sunday and had a return package from PSA waiting for me at the PO on Monday. I haven't posted the grades for any of these yet, so I'll try to do a little bit of recapping on them. The submission was 14 cards for PSA/DNA red flips, most of which were from the Expo (Nov. 6-8), Fanatics Philly (Halloween weekend), and other signings in October. The order was for 20 days and popped on day 20. For several of the cards, I subbed multiple copies. So, these are the "best of the best" and the other cards will be FS.
Overall, it was an excellent sub. It was probably my best "large" submission of the year (though I'd say the Orr PSA 4.5 and the last sub with Dryden/Hull were perhaps a bit better). 12 of the 14 were as good or better than expected. I've learned that you can't really beat that.
Anyway, the cards:
1968 Topps Bernie Parent. Signed @ Fanatics. Card was a PSA 8 crackout, purchased from BBCE on eBay. I paid a little extra for the HOF inscription and am happy that I did.
2013 UD Vladimir Tarasenko YG. Signed @ St Louis Sports Collectors. For this signing, I bought a bunch of raw copies of the card and mailed in the 6 best that I had. From there, I sold 1 signed copy to VitoCo and subbed the 2 best signed copies that remained. PSA graded one a 10 and one a 7--so I guess that I am lucky (or is that unlucky?) that I sent in multiples. Either way, the mission was to get a gem mint copy and it was accomplished.
2009 UD John Tavares YG. Signed @ Frameworth. Raw card purchased on eBay. Happy to get a 9; it would be hard to see someone getting a signed copy of this dark bordered card into a 10. Frameworth has given me issues in the past with their choice of pen (streaky, thin, etc.), so I was happy with how this one turned out. Placement was good (though I helped with the suggestion and it is really the only good place to do it).
1973 Topps Billy Smith. Signed @ Fanatics. Card was a PSA 8 crackout, purchased on eBay. I sent in 3 Billy Smiths (2 OPC and 1 Topps) and this was the only one that graded an 8. Both OPCs were 6s, a slight disappointment (I think one was a 6 crackout and the other a 7). Anyway, I am not going to sweat it. Check the card off the list. Billy Smith, done for now.
1991 UD Nick Lidstrom. Signed @ Expo. Card was a PSA 10 crackout, purchased on eBay. I brought 2 to the event for Nick and carried them through the line myself. Both graded 10s, which was great. Nick was an outstanding hockey player and was the standout of the 2015 HOF class. He is also one of my personal favorite players, so it is cool to own this card and to have had the opportunity to shake his hand.
1984 OPC Chris Chelios. Signed @ Expo. Card was a PSA 9 crackout. This one was a bit of a gamble because I already had a PSA 8 and was looking to upgrade. It is usually a recipe for failure when you establish a grading window that narrow. Fortunately, the grading gods smiled upon me and granted the card a Mint 9. Of the 84s, I now have Gilmour, Chelios, and Neely in PSA 9. The other cards from that year in the set are LaFontaine (6) and Yzerman (8). I have a couple LaFontaines at PSA now that should be done at the end of January and I am hoping one of them will grade that highly. The Yzerman will be tough to upgrade, as again it will be a small window and his signing fee is steep, but I may take a shot if it gives me the chance to finish the year with 9s across. I have made worse decisions in the past and will do so again!
1983 OPC Phil Housley. Signed @ Expo. Card was a PSA 10 crackout, purchased from 4SC. Meticulously handled personally, so you know where this is going... But, anyway! The previous highest graded example of this card was a 6.5, so a 9 will do. Housley was a new addition to my set as well, so closer to "completion".
Other than grading, I have still been working the signings. I posted a list of ones that I was participating in two weeks ago and, since then, I have gotten a return only from Tretiak at Sportauthentix. Still waiting on the others--so hopefully will have more to share soon. I've also resumed TTMing recently and had a few returns roll in. Time consuming, but a lot of fun. I recommend it if you haven't tried.
I recently returned from a 10 day trip to San Francisco. While I was there, I got some grades and feel like I have been on a roll lately in terms of beating my pre-sub expectations and goals. I'll post the highlights below, but the "stats" of the sub were 20-day red flip regular PSA/DNA, logged on 12/17 and shipped on 1/5, for a total turnaround time of 7 business days.
The cards...
1981 OPC Peter Stastny HOF RC. Signed @ Frozen Pond. He is great TTM, actually one of the best. Still, I paid for it because I wanted to get a really nice all-time keeper example. As pop 1, this one will be that. I feel fortunately because I already had a PSA 8, so the window for success was narrow.
1984 OPC Pat LaFontaine HOF RC. Signed @ Frozen Pond. Finally! This card had been such a pain for me, with numerous TTMs landing in the PSA 3-6 range. I sent 2 to FP and both graded a 9. I slightly preferred this one and will be keeping it, but both were beautiful. As I said earlier in the thread, I now have all the 84 HOFers in PSA 9 except Yzerman.
1971 OPC Marcel Dionne HOF RC. Signed @ Sportauthentix. Absolutely beautiful autograph and sharp card, IMO. In a PSA 8, it is hard to imagine a nicer example. Was a PSA 8 crackout and is an upgrade over my previous signed PSA 5.
1975 OPC WHA Mark Howe HOF RC. Signed @ DC Sports. Was a PSA 8 crackout and upgrade over my previous 7. I really like Sportauthentix and do a lot of business with them, but have to say that DC is batting 100% on mail order with me. Every time signed perfectly, handled with care, and shipped back promptly with tracking. If anyone else is considering sending them mail order, don't hesitate.
2001 UD YG Pavel Datsyuk RC. Future HOFer. Signed @ DC Sports. This card is plagued with a specific manufacturing defect where the top edge on 90% or so of the production run is "dinged" such that a PSA 7 or so is the max. Very tough in high grade, I received a BGS 9.5 as a birthday present in August and held it until a November signing. A PSA 9 is a fair grade, as I think the top right corner is touched very slightly. Still an excellent card, pop 1 none higher and grading PSA 7.5 or better before this. Upgrade over my previous PSA 7.
1974 OPC Borje Salming HOF RC. Signed @ Frozen Pond. Was a PSA 8 crackout. Decided to go for the longball on this one and it panned out. Also a pop 1, none higher. Upgrade over my previous Topps PSA 7.
Doug
Liquidating my collection for the 3rd and final time. Time for others to enjoy what I have enjoyed over the last several decades. Money could be put to better use.
IG: goatcollectibles23
The biggest lesson I've learned in this hobby, and in life, is that if you have a strong conviction, you owe it to yourself to see it through. Don't sell yourself, or your investments, short. Unless the facts change. Then sell it all.
You have a visually awesome collection.
Also, on the Billy Smith, I would guess that photo was taken about a minute after the photo on the Phil Roberto card.
Really like the Bernie Parent, too.
When you get so close to completing a project like this, each additional card becomes special, so I was pretty excited when this hit eBay and I was able to grab it for a reasonable price. While this card does not fall into the elite tier of "possibly impossible" cards, it still was one that I had spent the better part of 2 years searching for without even being sure that it existed.
1961 Parkhurst #16 Allen Stanley. HOF.
That leaves the following cards remaining to complete the set:
Stewart, Nevin, and Harris should be possible and then the sledding gets rough. Only a matter of time and patience....
My Podcast - Now FEATURED on iTunes
My biggest purchase of 2016 was this card for the HOF signed rookies set, a 1953 Parkhurst signed Jean Beliveau rookie. Nice eye appeal for a 2:
I got some grades today. Normally, I pick over my modern stuff pretty good and shoot for all 10s. For this batch, it was primarily for keeps, a bunch of Red Wings cards for myself, so I just subbed them all. As a result, a few more 9s than usual, but all in all a decent result. I also included a few older cards to grade and sell (Gilbert, LaFontaine, Kurris, Prongers). Probably the best card of the bunch is the 2013 Prizm Petr Mrazek Auto Prizm. It's the parallel /35, a decently tough card. I am very close on completing the whole rainbow for that year. I have to check but I need the Gold /10, Black 1/1, and I think 1-2 of the red/blue parallels (there are few of them).
I am going to try to post the grades here as an image and see how that goes.
I got some grades in at the end of last week. Going with a redux of the picture approach:
They were, on balance, good. I like subs like these--with highs and lows--much better than a solid mediocre. The "hits" were the 98 St. Louis (toil foil edges) and the 2010 Seguin (solid color border). The misses were the Tretiak and Hull--both attempts to upgrade that failed. Oh well, I can always try again. Better to have a few keepers and a few misses than a bunch of meh. Pieces of it will be for sale as I try to sell the lows to pay for more highs...
I had another sub of blue-to-red flip PSA/DNA crossovers that was generally a bloodbath. I'll spare the details. Let's just say...not good. Fortunately, there were a couple of redeemable moments and this card came out of it. Featured earlier ITT, I believe.
Other than that... pick-ups:
1963 Parkhurst Kent Douglas - Calder set RC (eBay - d. 2009 - tough?)
2000 UD YG Andrew Raycroft - Calder set RC (public signing - thanks to VitoCo for the tip)
1990 OPC Kelly Chase - King Clancy set RC (TTM)
1972 OPC Craig Ramsay - Selke set RC (TTM)
1971 OPC Butch Goring - Conn Smythe, Masterson, and Lady Byng set RC (TTM)
1980 OPC Richard Sevigny - Vezina set RC (TTM)
1991 Impel Herb Brooks - HOF Builders RC (eBay)
2006 UD YG Shea Weber - future HOFer? - (private signing @ AJ Sportsworld)
2005 SP Authentic Pekka Rinne - future HOFer? - (private signing @ AJ Sportsworld)
1966 Topps Brit Selby - Calder set RC (TTM)
1966 Topps Emile Francis - HOF Builders RC (TTM - upgrade over smudged copy I previously owned)
I asked you this privately, but are there registry sets for auto RCs of winners of these various awards?
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