ITG question

[newton615]

is ITG the equivalent of leaf and sage for football? ive been looking at their heroes and prospects stuff and loving it, i was just wondering why its so cheap

[zPens87z]

The do have a lack of the NHLPA license. They just can't show the logos from the NHL teams.
But they are not at the level of sage for football.
They still use their AHL, and CHL licenses and put out a TON of old school memorabilia from retired and HOF type players.
Usually the checklists for the different products are a mix of all three, being prospects from the junior leagues, to a sprinkle of current stars and the aforementioned legendary players.

The market for the ITG cards seems to vary quite a lot. They have high-high end type cards that sell for hundreds of dollars, but just like every other company they have the standard jersey card that sells for under ten dollars. It all depends on what or who you want to collect or find.

I would recommend giving ITG a chance. They're boxes will give you a fun break and there is a chance to pull a great card in each on of the products they have made. Plus, the game used cards from ITG are second to no one.

Just my opinion.

[Bauldie]

Unfortunately, ITG doesn't have an NHL license so they make do with what they can. Lots of vintage, minor league/junior and international to mix in with current NHL'ers.

[sjw241]

i love ITG products. They are better than Panini, and on par with Upper Deck in my opinion.
they have a lot of autos from minor league players which I love, and they also have lots of stars and old timers that other companies wouldn't think to put in their sets. And as someone mentioned, they put out some amazing game used material cards, especially the Ultimate Emblems from Ultimate Memorabilia!

So to answer your questions, they are not equivalent to SAGE of Leaf in football

[Wickabee]

Those that like ITG LOVE it.
Those that don't like ITG HATE it.

[Kessel_fan_87]

Not true Wickabee, I think its ok lol

[Wickabee]

I like it for player collectors, but for set collecting not so much.Once you've seen one set, you've pretty much seen 'em all.

[30ranfordfan]

I don't know what Sage is..... so I can't really answer the quesiton, but I can mention a bit about ITG.

They do not have a license from the NHL or NHLPA, so any cards they make of NHL players come from an agreement with the individual player, and don't have any NHL logos. They do have an agreement with both the CHL & AHL - so players from those leagues do appear with full action shots, logos & all.

Does this hurt the collectibility? Yes it does - simply becuase it means that some people are not interested in them.

What they've done an exceptional job at, is carving out niche products that fans of the company buy up. Captain-C, the latest release (out today) has already sold out from the manufacturer..... so it's pretty clear that they are hitting their sales targets, and the lack of a license can't be killing them as much as some people would have you believe.

Back to the collectibility thing - I think everyone will admit that they have limited appeal..... there are some members here who have no interest in trading or buying ITG cards (which is obviously their choice) but that's also true about the licensed companies.


Put me down as a fan. Where else would I get a dual memoribilia card with a piece of a Bill Ranford emblem, and of Georges Vezina's leg pad?

[ravens_creed]

the game used cards from ITG are second to no one.

Just my opinion.

Agreed! I've recently been really turned on by collecting/chasing GU cards of really old players, like pre-50s and 60s stuff even, and only ITG seems to offer cards that captured hockey's earlier years of glory. They're also a thrill to chase, because you know there is only a limited supply of them and the will hold their value (or increase in value) over time. Some incredible jersey pieces, but lots of great gloves, pants, skates and sticks in there too. I would go as far as saying that collecting ITG memorabilia cards has even enhanced my knowledge of the history of the game, especially from many many decades ago.

I don't know what Sage is...

+1 ... what is Sage? Someone familiar with football explain the reference please.

Where else would I get a dual memoribilia card with a piece of a Bill Ranford emblem, and of Georges Vezina's leg pad?

That's an easy answer... nowhere!! ... seeing as you had the card CUSTOM made (also an incredible idea/card offering from ITG.... the "Made to Order")

[Estovia]

ITG is worth every penny if you like hockey as a whole and not just NHL superstars.
If you like retired players and Hall of Famers, it's easier to find them in ITG products.
If you like AHL/OHL/etc.. Hockey, rising stars and prospects, you'll find them in ITG products.
If you like the idea of collecting current players in their olympic/international gear, or cards featuring international team lineage, it's in ITG products.

If you want a box full of Crosby and Ovechkin in their Pens and Caps unis only, you won't find that in ITG.

I can tell you this.. Leaf and Sage, you can find in the 99 cent bin at target.
ITG products tend to sell out of their print runs.

No. There's a definite difference in quality.