OOPSIES! Contest #1 - Benoit Hogue

About three weeks ago I posted the first edition of "OOPSIES" in which I showcased a Joe Thornton card with a very obvious error on the back. I was rummaging through boxes of base cards trying to find errors when the question came to me: Why tell the answer right away?

As a reader of Collecting For Kicks, what anticipation or excitement is there when I give you the answer to the error right away? Therefore, I'm making a dramatic change to this segment. Instead of just showcasing a card, asking can you find the error and just answering that sentences later; I'm gonna actually see if you can FIND THE ERROR.

This is how it will work. First, I will show a card with an error either on the back or front of the card. After you examine and identify the mistake, post a comment telling me what the error is. If you get it right, you get 2 points! I'll do ten contest post of "OOPSIES" and the reader with the most points will get a prize that is TBD!

Fun right? But there is more! Here are ALL THE WAYS YOU CAN GET POINTS:

1) Find error and comment correctly (2 points)
2) Be the first person to find the error and comment correctly (3 points)
3) Find the error partially, but not in it's entirety (1 point)
4) READ, but can't find the error although looking. Comments saying "I dunno" or something along those lines (0.5 points)

So, even if you can't find the error, you can still have a chance to win great cards! So come and read! Since we don't want others simply copying answers from previous comments, I've switched my comments to always be moderated. So NO COMMENTS WILL BE VISIBLE UNTIL AFTER THE CONTEST CLOSES.

This is gonna be the test run, so PLEASE PARTICIPATE (even if you don't know the answer).

Without further introduction...

1991-92 UD Benoit Hogue (#159)

This card is actually one of my favourites from the set because of the picture on the front, but there is an error! 

Can you find the mistake?

One last thing, no cheating! We are working on the honour system so please don't Google it or look in your Beckett, but use your hockey card knowledge and try!

Have fun and good luck!

GO NUCKS GO!

TRADE - Thanks Paul!

For the past little while Paul and I have been exchanging e-mails back and forth trying to figure out some sort of deal to send some Howard cards his way and Canucks cards my way. A week ago we confirmed the final deal and voila! they arrived on Thursday.

The actual trade broke down like this:

TO PAUL:

2012-13 Jimmy Howard Score Base
2012-13 Jimmy Howard OPC "Pop Up"
1997-98 Marian Hossa BAP AUTO

TO ME:

2006-07 UD MVP Luc Bourdon RC

It's an unfortunate thought to think how prominent Bourdon may be in the league at the moment. At the time of his passing he was considered the Canucks number one prospect. A question that has occurred to me in the past years from all the deaths in the league is: should the team get some compensation for the loss of a player? Of course, the death of a teammate is the one moment in sport where you can put the competitiveness aside. But, after all is said and done, should a team get an equal number draft pick of the player that passed? 

Nonetheless, this card gets a special spot in the collection. We will never forget you Luc!

2008-09 Fleer Ultra Brendan Morrison "Ultra Uniformity"

These Fleer GU jersey cards are simple and can be put together into a nice little set. Morrison was part of the Westcoast Express line but didn't get as much of the spotlight as Big Bert or Nazzy. Nice blue swatch to bank in the collection.

2007-08 ITG BTP Drew MacIntyre "Goalie Graphs"

Last but not least was this Drew MacIntyre AUTO I've had my eye on for over a year. I've seen many copies come and go on eBay and when I saw this on Paul's trade list, I pounced. I don't know why but, I really like Drew's signature and this will fit perfectly in my "Part 2" plans for "The Goalie Project".

What wasn't included in the trade were the extra Goalie Project cards Paul threw in. Another example of a fantastic trader in the hockey card community!

                                                                                           

Included were two Luongo's (above), a nice Corey Hirsch (right), as well as a Mike Fountain RC (right). Plus another Luongo, this time a Champs mini (not pictured).

Those bottom two McLean cards are probably my favourite of the four above but especially the one on the left. I'm gonna go out on a lim and say that bottom left card named "Painted Warriors" is my favourite McLean in my entire collection. It really showcases Kirk's mask well, plus I've never seen that  insert set before.

To finish off the package were five Cloutier's (four of which I did not own)! I appreciate how Paul really sent off cards that would aid with my various projects, it is a huge help!

Alex Auld - 3/3 COMPLETE! 27 TOTAL
Murray Bannerman - 1/2 COMPLETE! 1 TOTAL
Martin Brochu - 3/3 COMPLETE! 4 TOTAL
Richard Brodeur - 1/3 COMPLETE! 16 TOTAL (1 JERSEY, 1 EVENT-USED, 1 AUTO)
Gary Bromley
Bruce Bullock - 0/0 COMPLETE! 1 (TEAM PHOTO) CARD
Sean Burke - 2/3 COMPLETE! 21 TOTAL
Frank Caprice - 0/0 COMPLETE! (NO ISSUED CARDS)
Jacques Caron 
Ed Dyck - 0/0 COMPLETE! (NO ISSUED CARDS)
Ken Ellacott - 0/0 COMPLETE! (NO ISSUED CARDS)
Bob Essensa - 3/3 COMPLETE! 14 TOTAL
Mike Fountain - 3/3 COMPLETE! 12 TOTAL
Troy Gamble - 2/2 COMPLETE! 21 TOTAL
George Gardner 2/2 COMPLETE! 2 TOTAL
John Garrett - 2/3 COMPLETE! 3 TOTAL
Glen Hanlon - 1/3 COMPLETE! 6 TOTAL
Johan Hedberg - 3/3 COMPLETE! 7 TOTAL
Rick Heinz - 0/0 COMPLETE! (NO ISSUED CARDS)
Corey Hirsch - 3/3 COMPLETE! 54 TOTAL (1 AUTO)
Charlie Hodge - 2/2 COMPLETE! 3 TOTAL
Arturs Irbe - 3/3 COMPLETE! 29 TOTAL
Jason LaBarbera - 2/3 COMPLETE! 4 TOTAL
Ken Lockett - 0/0 COMPLETE! (NO ISSUED CARDS)
Roberto Luongo - 3/3 COMPLETE! 65 TOTAL (2 JERSEY)
Drew MacIntyre - 1/3 COMPLETE! 1 TOTAL
Cesare Maniago - 1/3 COMPLETE! 3 TOTAL
Bob Mason - 1/1 COMPLETE! 1 TOTAL
Dave McClelland - 0/0 COMPLETE! (NO ISSUED CARDS)
Steve McKichan - 0/0 COMPLETE! (NO ISSUED CARDS)
Kirk McLean - 3/3 COMPLETE! 157 TOTAL (1 AUTO)
Rob McVicar - 1/1 COMPLETE! 1 TOTAL
Alfie Michaud - 1/1 COMPLETE! 7 TOTAL
Tyler Moss - 3/3 COMPLETE! 5 TOTAL
Mika Noronen - 3/3 COMPLETE! 6 TOTAL
Maxime Ouellet - 2/2 COMPLETE! 3 TOTAL
Félix Potvin - 3/3 COMPLETE! 32 TOTAL (1 AUTO)
Andrew Raycroft - 1/3 COMPLETE! 7 TOTAL
Curt Ridley - 2/3 COMPLETE! 2 TOTAL
Dany Sabourin - 2/3 COMPLETE! 2 TOTAL
Curtis Sanford - 3/3 COMPLETE! 7 TOTAL
Cory Schneider - 1/2 COMPLETE! 12 TOTAL (2 JERSEY)
Corey Schwab - 2/3 COMPLETE! 2 TOTAL
Petr Skudra - 3/3 COMPLETE! 4 TOTAL
Gary Smith - 1/3 COMPLETE! 2 TOTAL
Garth Snow - 3/3 COMPLETE! 23 TOTAL (1 AUTO)
Kevin Weekes - 3/3 COMPLETE! 10 TOTAL
Steve Weeks - 1/3 COMPLETE! 11 TOTAL
Kay Whitmore - 3/3 COMPLETE! 20 TOTAL
Dunc Wilson - 1/3 COMPLETE! 2 TOTAL

Wendell Young - 1/2 COMPLETE! 5 TOTAL 

WANT LIST:

Murray Bannerman (RC)

Richard Brodeur (RC - Non-Canucks Card)

Gary Bromley (ALL THREE)

Sean Burke (RC)

Jacques Caron (Non-Canucks Card)

John Garrett (RC)

Glen Hanlon (RC - Canucks Card)

Jason LaBarbera (Canucks Card)

Drew MacIntyre (RC - Non-Canucks Card)

Cesare Maniago (RC - Non-Canucks Card)

Andrew Raycroft (RC - Canucks Card)

Curt Ridley (Non-Canucks Card)

Dany Sabourin (Non-Canucks Card)

Cory Schneider (RC)

Corey Schwab (Canucks Card)

Gary Smith (RC - Non-Canucks Card)

Steve Weeks (RC - Non-Canucks Card)

Dunc Wilson (RC - Non-Canucks Card)

Wendell Young (RC)

Thanks again Paul!

GO NUCKS GO!

HOCKEY CUBE BREAK - Last Three Packs

This is a long overdue post of the last three packs from my hockey cube I bought back in the summer. Now that I'm home for the day and it's raining cats and dogs outside I decided to take some time to write. It's much nicer writing when you can be warm inside all cozy, I can't wait for winter and hopefully some snow!

But I digress, first up is a pack of MVP from the 2006-07 season (I think it's that season).

This is a really nice looking low end set; modern, sleek and eye-catching. I know MVP's big idea is the facsimile AUTO's but for me, they just don't work. I think the set would look a lot better as a whole without the fake signatures.

I guess you could say the "HIT" of the pack is the Tim Comboy RC. You'd be right, and I might be excited if it wasn't for the fact that I don't know who the hell Tim Comboy is. 

NEXT!

Okay so it gets better... A mid end product from 2006-07 with a chance of "AUTOGRAPHED ROOKIE PATCH CARDS (numbered to 599 or less)!" Golly-gee this has to get me something good right?

Well not exactly... The base cards aren't bad looking and I didn't get bad names by any means but, no patch card. Wasn't like I was expecting it anyways, but one can dream right?

I did get this nice little RC though...

Now that's a name I know! Seeing Grabovski in Canadiens gear is odd but I have yet to acquire a RC from the man so this is a welcomed addition. That space below the picture where the team logo is must be where the signature goes for the signed copies. In this regular RC though, it seems like a waste of space.

Last up is the 1997-98 Pinnacle BAP set. This pack of card boasts an AUTO a pack which would guarantee my second of two AUTO's promised in the hockey cube. The first of which was a nice little signature of Matt Calvert from 2011-12 Score "Rookies and Traded".

Obviously my AUTO from the pack was the above scanned Craig Johnson. I don't know a whole heck of a lot about Craig, so I wasn't all that excited in pulling him. But hey, it's an autograph I didn't have before so it's always a positive.

For the twenty bucks I spent on this hockey cube it provided a nice quick little hockey card fix and I picked up a couple nice AUTO's in the process. Well worth it in my books!

GO NUCKS GO!

OOPSIES! - Joe Thornton with 6.1 points per game?

Hockey cards, just like every other collectable card, have had their share of errors over the years. From wrong pictures, teams and names, a seasoned collector has seen it all.

I've decided to start a regular segment here at C4K called "OOPSIES!" where I discuss the numerous outrageous errors on hockey cards. Tonight we start with...you guessed it: Big Joe. Yup you heard it here first, Joe Thornton apparently once had an incredible 6.1 points pre game average over 144 games according to Upper Deck.

Looks all good from the front. The baby faced Joe Thornton still in his B's gear looks comfortable gliding across this piece of cardboard. But what really shows the incredible "skill" of Joe is on the back!

Lets do some math, shall we? 880 points in 144 GP is 6.111111 points per game. Incredible right? Not so much. Thornton came about 832 points short of that total on the bottom. Looks like Williams of UD was having his second grade son do the math for statistics on this one. 

First of all 55 + 81 DOES NOT equal 144, 3 + 16 DOES NOT equal 25, 4 + 25 DOES NOT equal 43; get the idea? But probably the most exaggerated mistake was the 880 freaking points they gave him in two seasons! What? How does that even happen??!!

But probably even more humorous is the PPG (Power Play Goals) stat. Joe Thornton put up a whopping -17 goals. Don't know how that happens in the game of hockey, but apparently this is a real thing. 

Most likely this entire thing is a giant computer error, but funny nonetheless. Can't wait to dig up some more cards in the collection with some great errors! Any big errors stick out in your mind?

GO NUCKS GO!

2012-13 Collecting Goals

With the first few products of the new season out on shelves and the last of the past season released, it's time to look at my goals for the up coming season. I pride myself on organization and clear cut goals in my collection, so this is very important for my personal collection. First lets look at my collection growth compared to October 9th, 2011.

CANUCKS CARDS: 2, 745 (+ 255 Cards)
VALUE: $1, 278.50
NOT YET VALUED: 105 (+ 59 Cards)

AUTOGRAPHS: 52 (24 Canucks) (+ 16 (11 Canucks))
GAME USED MEM. CARDS: 40 (24 Canucks) (+ 30 (19 Canucks)
GU/AUTO: 4 (1 Canuck) (+ 4 (1 Canuck)

TOTAL CARDS: 11, 359 (+ 1, 300 Cards)
VALUE: $3, 877.91 (+ $429.25)
NOT YET VALUED: 2, 121 (+ 1, 017 Cards)

So I'm in the green in all categories which is a big plus. The biggest growths being an almost 8% increase in my overall total card collection, as well as a 300% increase in my total GU card collection. So in the statistical department of my overall collection I have succeeded, but the key area is the four collecting goals I set for myself last year. How did I do?

#1: INCOMPLETE - Finish the Goalie Project
Although I have made great progress within the past year and am close to finishing this project there are still a few cards left on the want list. Thirty cards left to be exact, some will be tough to track but I'm up to the challenge.

Murray Bannerman (RC)

Richard Brodeur (RC - Non-Canucks Card)

Gary Bromley (ALL THREE)

Sean Burke (RC)

Jacques Caron (Non-Canucks Card)

John Garrett (RC)

Glen Hanlon (RC - Canucks Card)

Jason LaBarbera (Canucks Card)

Drew MacIntyre (RC - Non-Canucks Card)

Cesare Maniago (RC - Non-Canucks Card)

Andrew Raycroft (RC - Canucks Card)

Curt Ridley (Non-Canucks Card)

Dany Sabourin (Non-Canucks Card)

Cory Schneider (RC)

Corey Schwab (Canucks Card)

Gary Smith (RC - Non-Canucks Card)

Steve Weeks (RC - Non-Canucks Card)

Dunc Wilson (RC - Non-Canucks Card)

Wendell Young (RC)

#2: KINDA COMPLETE - Bulk Cody Hodgson PC to 25

Since the Cody Hodgson PC died pretty quickly, I'm not really taking into account this goal I set a year ago. Instead, I'm twisting it a little bit. Substitute name "Cody Hodgson" for "Dan Cloutier" and I passed this with flying colours. My Dan Cloutier PC is at over 100 cards and growing! Probably my favourite project at the moment.

#3: COMPLETE - Build GU collection to 17 cards

I absolutely destroyed this goal. As many may know, I'm a huge fan of GU Mem. cards. I think they are innovative, fun and different. A signature may never change of one single player but his GU patch, jersey, stick, glove, pad etc. WILL change from card to card. That's what makes it so exciting! With 40 GU cards at the moment, I more than doubled my goal!

#4: COMPLETE - Make more trades

I went really gung-hoe with this goal at the beginning of the last collecting season and it kind of teetered near the end. I made about 6 or 7 trades this year and enjoyed every exchange.

I can't say I'm disappointed with my accomplishments this last season but their is always room to improve. Therefore, I have a new list of goals coming up for the upcoming season whether there is an NHL season or not. 

NEW COLLECTING GOALS FOR THE 2012-13 SEASON:

1. a) Complete Goalie Project

    b) Start new Goalie Project addition (will be revealed after Part A is complete)

2. Set up"Group Break" or create a fun new way for the blogging community to interact and win cards!

3. Gain 50 more Dan Cloutier cards (currently at 110 [estimation]) 

Hopefully I can soar through these new goals with no problem! Here's to another year of collecting and sharing the hobby we all love with fellow collectors!

GO NUCKS GO!

VERSUS - Score Vs. OPC/SpX/Donruss (Part 2)

In the conclusion of the very first "Versus" post at C4K. We will be considering the other end of the 35 dollar purchase. Here's how we came up with that total in terms of loose packs:

5 OPC Packs - $15
1 Pack of SpX - $9
1 Pack of Donruss - $8

TOTAL - $32 + tax

Let's see if any of these packs could beat the 7.5/10 score of "Score Hockey".

OPC

The base set from OPC is impressive with the most obvious difference being that UD shrunk the gigantic OPC logo on the front of the cards.

What I really do like about the OPC product is the all cardboard brown backs. I know OPC had always had colour in their backs but for some reason this raw cardboard feel is really quite nice. But, look at all that wasted space on the lower third of the Fedotenko card! Score - 1; OPC - 0. Nonetheless, an attractive build.

Speaking of attractive, these cards are beautiful. Simple, vintage and very collectable! The backs are really impressive IMO. I like the big honkin' retro OPC logo along with that cursive font for the players name. I pulled 5 of these bad boys.

The rainbow parallels are seeded one every four packs. I bought five packs which gave me a better chance at pulling one and voilà! I'm not the number one fan of rainbow parallels but whatcha gonna do?

I can't say I'm a supporter of either of the Rookie or Legend cards this year. The fronts look like a hodge podge of fonts and cheesy "Price is Right" designs. The back of the RC's on the other hand, look neat. I like those 3 logos in the middle stating year of draft, round and selection. Much more interesting than putting them tucked in the corner nowhere to be found.

Stickers! My question is, are they actually stickers? Theoretically, could I actually peel off the front of the card? I don't wanna damage the card so I didn't jam my nail in between the cardboard, but from what I can see, I think not. If UD made real stickers, with team logos, numbers etc. I think I could get behind it, but for now it's kinda a dud for me.

This card was definitely the card of the break. The idea is spot on, the design is intriguing and the overall feel of the card is awesome. Great idea! I have a feeling someone else my want this card more than I do though...

DONRUSS

This pack contained 5 cards and set me back almost an entire 10 dollar bill...

Not what I had in mind. Five base, no parallels, no inserts, no GU hit and no AUTO. This was a bust any way you look at it. But what can I expect, I only tried one pack; the odds were always against me.

SPX 

This is my last hope, with four cards per pack there has to be something good in it right?

Waaan, waaan, waaaaaaaan! Another bust, the only positive being a Daniel Sedin card.

So when it's all said and done, the only positive from this second break was the OPC cards. Donruss and SpX gave me the shaft pretty good.

So without further a due, here are the final scores...

OPC - 8/10

Score - 7.5/10

Donruss - 2/10

SpX - 3/10

OPC/Don./SpX - 4.5/10   <   Score 7.5/10

The winner is most definitely Score, but it was still a fun break. Can't wait to do it again!

GO NUCKS GO!