2012-13 Panini Classics Box Break

  There are times when the buyer remorse sets in immediately after you click that Buy It Now button, and this was one of those times.  I was really drawn in by the base cards.  An odd assortment of retired superstars, stars, veterans and forgottens.  I fought off the first urge to buys a box at $180 plus s/h, but then I saw a box at $170 with free shipping, and I did dumb. 

   The fronts of the base cards didn't disappoint.  I love the design and the fonts used.  I can see myself trying to fill out a set and then getting extras for TTM.  After one box, I had the set 9% complete.  That's right, I got 18 base cards out of the box.  It did register at some point before I bought the box that I would only get a very small portion of the set but it didn't hit home until I finished opening my packs.  As for the photos, the set seems hit and miss.  In the three above, I really like the Nicholls picture.  The picture is really clear and he jumps out from the background.  On the other hand, when did Brent Sutter play?  Was it the 80s or 90s, or was it the 40s or 50s.  Seriously, a black and white photo??  Totally unacceptable for a player who wasn't Original Six.

   At first glance I like the backs of the cards.  I'll take the brief bio of the player as opposed to complete stats.  I can get season-by-season stats for any of these players on Hockey Reference.  I actually found the bios to be interesting.  Milt Schmidt's first paycheque, the runner-up to Bobby Orr for the Calder, Marty McSorley building up his credits for his IMDB page by making appearances in Bad Boys and Con Air.  No, there isn't a hyperlink on the card itself.  I wonder if IMDB paid for that ad?  The only thing I'd like to have added is the first and last year of the players career.  It' be nice to have, especially for the obscure players.  I am looking at you Bruce Shoebottom.

Dear Mr. Shoebottom.               Please don't punch me in the face.  I loved you in Zamboni Rodeo.

  In each pack there is a Retired Numbers Banner card.  I didn't realize they came one per pack.  They suck.  I am not even going to scan one.  "Hey, I got a banner card in this case of beer"  "Awesome!"  "Hey, I got this banner card in a $30 pack of cards"  "You're a sucker!" 

   Speaking of being a sucker, let's look at my auto haul.  Craig Hartsburg, a three time all-star, as in all-star game, not 1st or 2nd team.  Geoff Courtnall, a one-time 40 goal scorer.  Brent Sutter, one time 100 points and one all-star game.  I actually passed up on the Geoff Courtnall auto on eBay, it went unsold at 97 cents + s/h.  I have nothing against these three players, they are just not $30 a pack material.  But that must mean something good is still on its way..

  Errrr..... no.  Anton Stastny, one all star game.  Darren Pang, perhaps the worst player out of the six autos but the most famous due to his tv appearances.  John Ogrodnick, a 50 goal scorer and a 1st team All-Star in 1984-85.  (Goulet was injuried, Messier moved to center, and also got injured)  Again, a trio of players I like, but nothing that justifies paying $170 for the box.  Hell, I couldn't see myself paying $30 combined for all six autographs.  I would have preferred a Bruce Shoebottom autograph.  Although, I do think Pang has a sweet signature.

  So in the end I regret getting this box.  I wish it had 24 packs instead of 6, but kept the 6 autographs and 6, or preferably less, banner cards.  I have a feeling this set will follow the path of last year's Donruss Elite, which was originally around $120, but in a little over 6 months, is now a $60 box.  Once this hits $90, or less, I might be tempted to try my luck again.  It can't be much worse. 

  Did you know; Panini has produced more Bruce Shoebottom NHL licensed cards that all other card companies combined?    Panini 5 - Pro Set 1

Group Break: My First Ever

  I have always been curious about group breaks.  The high end boxes are a high-risk, high reward proposition, so group breaks give collectors a chance to be involved in a high-end break without breaking the bank.  You pay the fee, and hope you get a good team for the break.  It's like watching the lottery live and praying for the instant win.  I had been eyeing them for awhile over at Clouts and Chara.  Eventually I took the plunge and got the Blues... literally.

  The break was a  23 box "Monster Break". The boxes are listed below.  So I took the plunge with both feet and sent over $140 to be part of the event.  It took a while to fill the group break and I was actually having supper when they created the random draft order.  I came back just in time for the picks to start.  So you can imagine my anticipation as the announced the current pick and next pick.  I had no idea where I was.  Of course I wanted top 5 but I would been happy with getting a chance to pick the Islanders.  But the top five past without my name.  Then the Islanders got drafted and then we went past the top 20 without my name being called.  Finally at pick #25, my name was called.  I had my choice of either the Blues or any team in the Southeast division.  As mentioned above, I got the Blues, both as my team and for my emotion.  My first group break ever and even before it started I lost interest.  Sure, I really like David Backes and the Blues have a great goalie tandem, but there is no Wow factor with the Blues.  There aren't even any great legends with the Blues.  Any HHOF who played with the Blues made the HHOF based on thier play with out teams.  Such as Gilmour, Plante, Hall, or Fuhr.  Can anyone name a top rookie from the Blues in the past two years, other than Cade Fairchild?  Huh, who?  Any ways, let's see what boxes will be broke and my bounty.

10-11 UD The Cup
11-12 Panini Prime x 8 (Sealed Case)
11-12 UD SP Authentic
11-12 Panini Titanium
11-12 Panini Limited
11-12 UD SPX
11-12 ITG Canada Vs The World
11-12 UD Series 2 Tin
11-12 ITG Between The Pipes
11-12 Panini Donruss Elite
11-12 ITG Enforcers
10-11 UD Artifacts
10-11 ITG Decades
10-11 Panini Luxury Suite
05-06 UD Series 2 Hobby
05-06 ITG Heroes Update

  The boxes above were broke in reverse order of the listing.  So it it took about 8 boxes before my first hit.  

 

Jake "22" Allen is a solid young prospect who moved up the depth chart after the trade of Ben Bishop.  I could have bought this on eBay for $6.57 including s/h.

  I didn't even see this one get pulled.  The only base we got was if it was high end.  Jaroslav Halak card #82, #/249.  The Prime base cards are really thick.  This card goes for $4-5 shipped on eBay.

  I finally got something to be excited about.  Brian Eliott and Jaroslab Halak patch card #/25.  I can count 5 colours in those patches.  Definitely a card to get excited about.  Too bad it won't get me even remotely close to breaking even on the break.  Past five auctions have ended between $20 and $26 including shipping. 

  At this point there is about 4 boxes of Prime left and a tin of the Cup.  The Blues threw up a shutout in the remaining boxes.  So in the end I paid about $140 for what I could have bought on eBay for under $40.  I don't even think that was the worst of it.  The worst was that I lost interest.  There was no big rookie or star I was hoping get pulled for me.  It was several boxes between hits and it was the freaking Blues.  So not only did I not get my value in cards, but I didn't get the excitement value either. 

  Will I ever do it again?  Probably.  The break was well run.  And what are the chances of me getting a bottom 6 pick again?  When will I ever learn?

Box Break: 03-04 ITG Toronto Star

  The 2003-04 ITG Toronto Star set was available in the Greater Toronto Area.  For those of you who do not live in the centre of the universe, the Toronto Star is a daily newspaper.  Dave and Adams had boxes for $10, so I threw one on to my order.  The one thing that struck me immediately was the suggested retail price of each pack - $3.49!  For 4 base cards and a foil insert.  I got 20 packs for $10.  I saved $60 by waiting 9 years to buy a box.  Lets take a look at the base.

  I don't card what A Pack a Day says, I like the base a lot.  A nice full body picture of the player, team logo in the top corner and a single bare across the bottom with set logo and player name.  I find the front of the base cards to be very simple and attractive.  The backs are okay.  A single year of stats and a brief blurb on the player.  The head shot on the back is from the same image as on the front.  What I couldn't find was what position the player was.  For some reason, I feel that detail is a must on every hockey base card, especially the low end sets. I got bit lucky with my box and one pack had an extra card.  So I ended up with 81 of 100 cards.  The collation was not random.  I'd have 8-9 cards and then need the next two and the pattern would continue. 

  I like the foil cards as well.  Full body with head shot in background all wrapped up in a shiny package.  The foil cards is a 30 card set.  Although I have to admit I didn't get to see any foil cards other than Joe Thornton.  Every pack had a Joe Thornton foil card.  In fact, there is a small picture of him on the box.  Seriously, who is the joker who thought that up?  So I have 19 Joe Thornton foil cards available for trade.

  Even with the Joe Thronton debacle, I like this set.  A low risk, low reward box, but it scratches the itch.  I think it'd be a good TTM set as well.  No buyer remorse on this one.

Although I still need 19 base cards.  Looking for the following.

#	Player		#	Player
1	Jean-Sebastien Giguere		60	Eric Lindros
2	Petr Sykora		65	Jason Spezza
11	Ryan Miller		66	Marian Hossa
20	Alex Tanguay		75	Evgeni Nabokov
29	Brendan Shanahan		76	Pavol Demitra
37	Mike Comrie		85	Martin St. Louis
38	Ryan Smyth		86	Owen Nolan
46	Marian Gaborik		96	Markus Naslund
47	Manny Fernandez		97	Todd Bertuzzi
59	Anson Carter

Box Break: 2011/12 Elite

After getting unbanned from Dave and Adams Cardworld, I was able to get my order processed.  One of the boxes was a 2011-12 Donruss Elite.  This would be my second box of Elite.  I bought one at the Toronto Sportcard Expo back in May.  I wasn't really impressed but the prices has dropped on Elite and I wanted to get the base set.  I really like the card design.  I decided to get another box.

 

The scan doesn't do the card justice.  I love the shiny silver frame.  I even like the back of the card.  Unfortunately, I did not do good with the base.  I got more doubles than cards I needed.  I have 120 out of 200 and will need to make a decision about whether (and how) to go for the rest of the set. As the for the non-base, I prefer to skip the inserts and parallels.  Not impressed at all with either of them.  There are several insert sets but they all seem to appear to be the same.  The only good part is that they have several 6 cards insert sets of a single star player.  So at least you get a good chance of getting a star player.

 

   While I like the design of the RC, what I find disheartening is the lack of resale value.  Not that I base everything on what it goes for on eBay, but when you spend $80+ on a box, or $110 like the first box I bought, you'd like to check on the cards you got and at least see that you could get half your cost back for them.  The Adam Henrique goes for less than $2 on eBay, same with the Blum auto.  My other disappointment is that while the non-auto rookies are numbered, they didn't bother numbering the auto'd RCs. 

   I am not impressed by the New Breed jerseys/patches/auto, I got two in the other box as well.  The white swatch on the Palushaj card is dull city.  The Vincour has huge seam and is the prime variation, numbered out of 25.  I wish they could have filled the blank spot with something, maybe the team's logo.  I know that they basically printed the same card front for the auto variations. 

  The biggest hit in the box is a redemption of a dual auto, Passing the Torch, Jaroslav Halak and John Davidson.  Debating on what to do with this one.  I think it'd be a cool card but I am not a big fan of either player.

  I think I'll keep an eye on Elite and hope that it follow the same path that the 2010-11 Donruss did, and the boxes will be under $50 or even $40 within the year. 

2003-04 Pacific Exhibit Box Break #2

I decided to get another box of 2003-04 Pacific Exhibit.  I was hoping to finish off the set and also get a Time Warp card that wasn't an expired redemption.  I was a bit disappointed in both regards.  I got 39 cards I needed, but I am still 40 cards away from the 200 base card set.  About 2/3rds of the base cards I pulled were doubles.  If you want a more detailed breakdown and review of the product, check out the first box break.

For inserts, I got bunch more yellow backs and my three blue backs, #/275, were Andrew Brunette, Rick DiPietro and Patrick Marleau.

3.5x5 Blue Backs, #/445 were Rick Nash and Nikolai Khabibulin.

I got more doubles with the inserts, as the Dany Heatley and Ed Belfour were pulled in the first box.

Martin Biron 3.5x5 jersey card.

I did get a Time Warp card in this box, but if I had ranked the Time Warp cards from 1-10, #10 would have been the Hull-Hull redemption, which I got in the 1st box, and #9 would have been the Sittler/Theodore, which I got in the second box.  

I still want to complete the set and I am debating buying another box.

Box Break: 2003-04 Pacific

I received my first ever order from Miraj Trading.  I received three boxes including a box of 2003-04 Pacific.  I ordered hoping to hit a few nice inserts and some cards for two of my projects, TTM and One Star, One Sheet.  Here's how it went.

I like the card design and I certainly like the photography overall.  Some of the photos are very original and full of action, but others are just too full of action.  The cards backs are one of my all-time favourites.  The card back includes a head shot, yearly stats for the player's entire career, some informative tidbits and the teams logo in the background.  The only item missing was the player's birthplace.  I was almost considering to collect this set until I started seeing the same cards over and over again.  A box of 2003-04 Pacific is made up of 2 mini-boxes of 18 pack each and 10 cards to a pack.  Out of my 360 cards, I got 40 inserts.  Out of the 320 base cards, I got 64 doubles and 3 triples.  The unique rate of base in this box was a pathetic 79%.  Good for a B+ in school, but a D- for a card box.  With only 253 cards out of a 400 card set, I don't think I will doing this set and this one will strictly be for projects.

The other reason I won't be collecting this set is that one of my mini-boxes had some issues.  I had to literally snap the cards apart.  The cards were actually making cracking noises as I took them apart.  Most cards came away unharmed but 2-3 in each pack had residue stuck on the card, including this Red Parallel of Mario Lemieux.  The other mini-box had some cards stuck together but nowhere near as many or any damage to them.

2003-04 Pacific has two levels of parallels, Red and Blue.  Red come one every two pack and the Blue come one per box and is numbered to 45.  I ended up with 19 Red Parallels and a Blue Parallel of Mark Bell.

There are 6 insert sets available in the 2003-04 Pacific.  I'll save the suspense and tell you I didn't get any Cramer's Choice Awards, 1:732 packs.  Impact Zone comes in at 1:9 packs and has 10 in the set.  I beat the odds and got 6 Impact Zones; Mario Lemiex, Jarome Iginla, Brendan Shanahan, Teemu Selanne and 2 Joe Sakics.  So even with the inserts I was getting doubles.  

Maximum Impact is a 16 card insert set made up of goalies.  It comes 1:12 packs.  I got 5 in my box, beating the odds by 2.  I got Dominik Hasek, Jose Theodore, Evgeni Nabokov and 2 Curtis Joseph.  Yes, another double.

The most attractive inset set, Main Attractions is a 20 card inset set with odds of 1:12.  Of course the inset set I like the most, the odds are correct.  I got Keith Tkachuk, Jeremy Roenick and Jose Theodore.

The next insert set, Shining Moments, is a 10 card insert set with 1:20 odds.  The set is made up of 2002-03 rookies.  I got 2 of them; Kristan Huselius and Dan Blackburn. 

Lamplighters is a 14 card set showcasing some the NHL's top snipers, circa 2003.  The odds are 1:20 but I got two, Dany Heatley and Mats Sundin.

The box also touted 2 Game Used Jersey cards.  My first pull was Jiri Dopita.  Not a great name but I actually like the design of these.

My second GU was a better name and a Holographic Silver Variation to boot.  Jaromir Jagr, number out of 40.  Books for about the same price I paid for the box, including S/H.  Plus it has a nice shiny box in the middle of the card.  

Overall, I was disappointed with this box.  The damaged cards were a bummer, especially the Red parallel of Lemieux, but the amount of doubles I was getting is unacceptable, especially once I started getting doubles of inserts.  The dispersal of inserts was strange as well.  I got 5 of the Impact zone in one of the 18 pack mini box and all the Main Attractions in the other.  While the set gets high marks for photography and back design of the base cards, I can't justify laying down more $$ to buy another box or to buy singles to complete the set.

Box Break: 96-97 Donruss

Part of my DACardworld order included a box of 1996-97 Donurss.  The box had 48 packs, each with 5 cards.  The set is 240 cards, which matches the number of cards in the box.  I don't know the odds of any inserts so I can't comment on the accuracy of the insert drops.  7 of my 240 cards were inserts.  Out of the 233 base, 3 were doubles (Hull, Roenick and Coffey Checklist), which gives 96-97 Donruss a 98.7 unique rate for base and a 95.8 completion rate. 

 

The base cards have a nice basic design and consists of mainly full or upper body shots; no head shots.  The photography is good and it's great to see some of the old gang, even if there are unfamiliar places.  The rookie subset is made up of 25 cards with very few being actual rookies.  The top rookie card is Steve Sullivan.

The back includes another body shot.  Stats are provided for there entire NHL career, not just one year, and if space provides, there is a brief blurb on the players exceptional abilities.

  The parallel set is Press Proof, with each card boasting to be one of the first 2000 printed.  There is no actually numbering but the card is blinged out with gold foil and the star is punched out on each card.  Felix Potvin and Scott Mellanby were the two I pulled.

There are several other insert sets.  I pulled a Doug Weight Hit List and a Patrick Roy Donruss Elite.  Both cards are serial numbered out of 10,000.  The Roy insert is actually one the top cards I could have pulled from the box with a high BV of $15.  It is a sharp, and shiny, looking card.

  The worst insert set is the Rated Rookies.  I got three of them.  Eric Daze, Petr Sykora and Todd Bertuzzi.  The Hit List inserts have less BV than the Rated Rookies but the Hit List card looks so much cooler.

  Overall a decent box for a cheap price.  It was a nice journey down memory lane.  One so nice, I am going to do the set instead of using the cards for TTM or other projects, as originally planned.  The box had good value and was great for a pack ripping fix.

  Since opening the box, I have snagged a few more cards and I am done to 3 needed for the set.  I am looking to trade for #15 Todd Gill, #51 Denis Savard and #56 Dimitri Khristich.

That's a lot of Bull!

I like checking the clearance pages when I shop D&A. and I don't exclusively buy hockey cards.  At the very bottom, there were boxes of cards from the Professional Bull Riders.  I have been to a PBR event before and it part rock show, part rodeo, but very entertaining.  I wouldn't hesitate to go again.  So for under $10, before shipping, I added it to the cart.  

When it arrived, the box, it was shrink wrapped but had a shelf label stuck to the box.  24 packs and 5 cards per pack.  $1.99 per pack.  Do Not Sell As Full Box.  It was a retail box and I must assume it is a repack and not factory sealed.  I don't remember the item details and the item is no longer listed on D&A.

The set is 100 cards and is basically made up for 5 subsets; Riders, Bulls, Luck of the Draw, Bullfighters and The Short Go.  I got 92 cards for the set and 21 doubles, for a 81% unique ration among the base cards, which I consider to be pretty poor.  Within the subsets, it becomes hard to tell the cards apart since the photography composition is so similar.  I also wish they had more action shots of the riders getting bucked.  A subset called Airtime would have been cool.  The highlight of the base cards is reading the bulls names.  Names that strike fear into cowboy's hearts everywhere.  Names such as Booger Butt and Little Yellow Jacket.  The Bulls even have thier career stats on the back.  Booger Butt has been successfully ridden 35.9 percent of the time.

  There are two insert sets; Spur Crazy and Belt Buckle.  In a 24 pack box, the odds are I'll get 4 Spur Crazy and 2 Belt Buckles.  I got 5 Spur Crazy and no Belt Buckles.  Spur Crazy looks like the Luck of the Draw cards except shiner and with a cropped shot of the rider.

  Surprisingly, I got a hit in the box.  Signatures drop a 1 for every 2 boxes.  I got a signature of JB Mauney. It appears I got a decent card.  From what I read JB is still fairly young and seems to be always knocking on the door to win his first championship.  Not sure of the value but other 8 Second Signature cards are going from $2-$7 on eBay.

This has to hurt....

Overall I was happy with this box.  It was cheap and a bit of a novelty.  I like watching the PBR but I don't schedule time for it.  I do wish I could have got the complete set.  I still need cards #3, 12, 22, 29, 33 41, 50 and 78.  

Box Break: 2003-04 Pacific Exhibit

  I finally received my DACardWorld order.  On Christmas Eve I got a message on the answering machine saying that I had to call some guy about my card order.  I called it and it turns out D&A put my cards and invoice in the wrong box and had sent it off.  The guy who got my cards was pretty pissed.  I think he was hoping that I had his package and we could switch them in time for Christmas morning.  Or perhaps he thought since I was so close to the North Pole that I could get Santa Claus to drop them off.  I didn't have his cards.  I had only order the previous week and didn't expect to see them in another 2-3 weeks at least.  In the end, I did get his cards.  D&A told me to keep them.  The other guy sent my cards back to D&A and they reshipped them.  I can see why he was so mad.  He got a bunch of sportscards when he had order Lord of the Rings game cards.  Everything worked out in the end for me.  I had to pay customs on both boxes, but I assume I can get that back if I sell the Lord of the Rings cards.  I sure don't have any use for them.

  First box to be broken, or should I say posted, is the 2003-04 Pacific Exhibit.

  Collation was very good.  I hit all the stated odds plus a little extra.  For base, I got 105, including 8 doubles, for a 92% unique rate.  There is 150 regular sized cards in the base set.  For the yellow-back parallels I got 25, including one double.  I like the yellow backs, cause they are easier to read, better but what a stupid way to make a parallel set. At least the blue-back versions are numbered so it makes them slightly more interesting.
  Other than the stupidity of the parallels, I really like the base set.  The design is simple and attractive.  The backs have the career stats and  some info on each player.  The pictures themselves tend to lack action but every one is a full body shot of the player.  One issue I have is that this set must have been an early season release since there are many cards of players in their former teams jersey but with their current teams logo.   I love the feel of the cards.  It's a thicker cardboard stock and the backs remind me of the vintage style.  As a collector and a TTMer, I am a big fan of the base.

  The three blue back variations I got, each numbered out of 275, were Brendan Morrow, Ales Hemsky and Keith Tkachuk.  The card front is the exact same as the base and yellow back version.  Other than the numbering, it's a very underwhelming parallel set, but then again, aren't most parallels underwhelming.

  The rest of the inserts are simple and once again, underwhelming.  I like my base cards to be simple, but I like by inserts to wow.  They feel more like subsets rather than inserts.  The Standing on Tradition design, which is exclusively goalies, is the only one that makes me look twice.

  For the oversized 3.5"x5", collation was perfect and then some.  I got a jersey card, time warp, 3 blue backs, #'d out of 425, and 24 base.  The base have a different design on the front but has the same back.  Just the regular base, I really like these.  The player stands out against the sepia tone background.  The stock and the design gives a real vintage feel to it.  There are 50 over-sized cards in the base set.  Player selection for the regular sized cards vs the oversize is mutually exclusive.  My three blue backs were Patrick Roy, Vincent Lecavalier and Olaf Kolzig.

 One of the two hits is the box is a over-sized jersey card.  There is one jersey card per box.  The design is decent.  Although with such a big card, you'd think the jersey piece would be bigger.  There are 20 jersey cards in the set but the player selection is fairly mediocre.  Most of them wouldn't make the the all-star game.  Considering the options, I am happy with the card I pulled, Sean Burke.  

  Now it's the moment you have been waiting for, coming in at one per box, the Time Warp card

  WTF?  Are you kidding me?  Get out of town!  I fart in your general direction.

  There are 10 Time Warp cards and one of them is a redemption.  Of course, I pulled the redemption.  Expiration date, December 31st, 2004.

  Overall, even with the expired redemption, I am quit pleased with the box.  After shipping costs, it came out to around $1.50 per pack.  I am on the fence about collecting the set.  If I went for the set, I'd buy another box, with hopes of pulling a non-redemption Time Warp.

All inserts and parallels are for trade.  

Pack Break: 2010-11 Zenith

  Had a big mail day yesterday.  I had orders from eBay, D&A Cardworld, SportLots and Sportscardforum all come in.  Cards that came in ranged from personal collection, set building needs, boxes and rummage sale inventory. 

  One of the items from D&A Cardworld was a pack of 2010-11 Panini Zenith.  It was the last item I ordered.  It was a impulse buy.  I believe I added it since I saw some Zenith cards on eBay and I liked the design.  I really wished I hadn't.  Here's what I got.

  I really do like the design of the base cards.  The background is very simple and clean, it really draws your eyes to the player image.  I just wish I got some better cards.  I am indifferent to the players I got. (Yes I am indifferent to Brad Marchand.)  The Belfour in a Sharks jersey is sight you don't see often, but it's only a novelty to me.  The pack hit, the one in a box insert, was the Red Hot Parallel of Niklas Backstrom.  It is the only semi-interesting card of the pack.  It might be useful as a trader or to get a buck or two from eBay.
  Anytime you buy a $10 pack of cards, you are taking a gamble.  From a resell perspective, I lost.  These 5 cards can be bought for $2.29 + S/H on Sportlots.  From a personal interest perspective, I lost as well.
  So I guess I'll never do that again.  Although we all know I will.