Nostalgic and sad, NOT a rant tho........

[jbudny]

I don't bother buying new product anymore and pretty much stick with collecting product from the early 80's to early 00's. However this has gotten tough now because my wantlist is pretty much cards that never come onto ebay.

It was fun collecting in the 90's, cards shops were every where and the local flea markets were packed with sellers. Now in my area in the hobby is pretty much dead with just a few shops/booths at flea markets and crabby owners..

My thrill comes twice a year from going to the expo and digging through dump boxes to find cards on my wantlist!

[CoolHandLuke]

Hi all, I'm new to this board but not to collecting.
Reading this post bought me back to a time i was a lot younger, in my teens. We bought the hockey card packs as they came out, loving seeing our favorite players and hating the gum. Yes we collected but not really seriously.
What we did, which i don't think is happening anymore, is played games with them, in an effort to win your buddies cards.
We'd flip the cards, throw them towards a wall, the closest throw wins, and we would each stand up say 5 cards against the wall. We would then throw cards at them to knock them down, with the person who knocks down the last card getting all the cards.
It was a lot of fun (unless you got cleaned out lol)
As time went on, as we grew up, I moved on, forgetting about buying hockey/baseball cards at all.
That was until about 1979 when my parents sold their house and called me and told me they found some "old" hockey cards of mine and asked if i wanted them. I got them and of course the corners are all frayed from being used but they were mine.
Then in the 90's with the sudden upswing in card collectiing I was back.
As an adult I now bought card packs and boxes in an effort to complete a set of some sort, something I never attempted when I was younger.
Yes there were "high end" insert autographs and game used cards but I didn't buy the high end product.I enjoyed completing the sets. Then over time, card packs became more and more expensive as well as boxes. So I slowed down on my purchases to the point that I stopped for a number of years. I would buy a pack or tow or a box every now and then just to see what was out there. As a matter of fact the last box I bought was 2009-10 Trilogy but man was it pricey. I only bought the one box, haven't bought anything since.
I've had some nice cards that I've pulled over the years, but nothing earth shattering like people are looking for now.
This "hobby" has become a "business" to pretty well everyone, and that's too bad. As soon as they open the packs, the first thought is "I wonder how much it's worth", not "wow what a great card, he's my favorite player" or something like that. Imagine my surprise when one day a few years ago i was looking up those old cards from my childhood in a Beckett guide and discovered one of them was a Glenn Resch rookie card. Who knew?

On your last comment on today's value. I think for many, it's still hey I pulled the player I wanted and with the same happiness. But remember back then you had to win the cards to get other cards and at time you could also do a few trade but the wall game was the best way to get them. Today as adult, we have more money and more product. So the result is that if you pull a nice Yakupov RC then it become a really trader or you can sell it and buy the player you want. SO to me the fun is still there but we can now sell cards and some can really have a high value. So it just add to the fun, IMO.

Also the cards are so much better. So yes we pay more but we also get a more diversified product as well.

[odjickfan]

The wow factor changed for me over the years.

I remember my first autograph card, a Biron Pro-Sign from MVP SCE 99-00. My first parallel was a card /56 out of Pacific Omega. I was thrilled with these.

Later, I pulled a Hossa Proof /10 insert out of Paramount.

After that, a Maurice Richard auto out of Beehive 97-98.

I did well with the Centennial set: Henri Richard auto, Lafleur/Richer /50, LeClair/Damphousse/Muller /15.

From that, my good pulls were mostly ITG. A Messier Complete jsy, a Roy patch /7, ...
My case of Forever Rivals was sick: Joliat 2 colors /9, and the big monster of all my pack breaking career: a Bill Barilko cut autograph 1/1. Gold jsys /10 were normal.


After holding so many great cards over the years, I'm getting really hard to impress. I now have a box full of common AU, jsy and parallels. What were hot pulls back then are now sitting in a box.

I'm more and more specific on what I collect. Gino Odjick, updates to my M-A Pouliot collection, Habs and Nordiques retro stuff, and specific stars.

[hossa18sens]

Any chance you still have the Hossa Proof /10 insert out of Paramount lol

[kylemclaren7]

The last box I bought (2011/12 UD Series 1) I pulled 2x jersey cards and a /10. I got really excited about it (might have been because it was the day after my wedding). I don't really buy boxes and I was all "Oooh, a jersey card, shame it isn't a patch, but I still like it." (Jordan Staal and Steve Mason were the players).
I suppose it's a case of too much of a good thing these days for some. I mean, I have loads of jerseys, patches, serial numbered & autos, but I got really happy because I pulled these ones myself, so they mean more to me.

I have this EXACT feeling always. If I pull a card from a pack myself it means infinitely more than if I bought a single

[RGM81]

If you guys want to be impressed by a box of cards, you should see what gomaz and RAVMAN have in their travelling 3200ct boxes. Some just AMAZING cards to see all in one place. Between those guys and a few others at trader night last night, we probably had sufficient stock in hand to put on a pretty darn good card show that would top a lot of monthly events. I was in awe at more than a few of the cards I held in my hands last night for a few fleeting moments.

[87sluggo]

If you guys want to be impressed by a box of cards, you should see what gomaz and RAVMAN have in their travelling 3200ct boxes. Some just AMAZING cards to see all in one place. Between those guys and a few others at trader night last night, we probably had sufficient stock in hand to put on a pretty darn good card show that would top a lot of monthly events. I was in awe at more than a few of the cards I held in my hands last night for a few fleeting moments.

Did Jason say "hi" for me? :D

[Wickabee]

Crap. I gotta get out to one of those tradenights.

[centrehice]

I bought one Retail Box of 99-00 MVP/SCE. I knew that if I bought 10 cases, that would be the only way that I would ever find a Stan Mikita 500 Goal Club Stick.

Halfway through the only box I bought, I pulled that very elusive 1:2,500 packs, Stan Mikita 500 Goal Club Stick. I was so excited, I called every person that I grew up with in Canada in the 50's and 60's (we all collected from 1960-1975) like madmen.

Now, I am not a game used junkie, I am a cardboard guy. It was those incredible odds that I clown-punched in the face, and Stan Mikita, and nothing to do with game-used materiel.

It was really something, and I still have the card. Nowadays I cannot sell the 3rd or 4th best player on any team with a Serial Number of #/35 for more than $2.50.

Beyond sadness is what it's come down to.

[oogabooga99]

uuuuugggg yeah.... Reading this post just brought me back to when I first started collecting. Riding my bicycle to the local 7-11 to buy a pack of cards. 98-99 UD MVP was a favorite... those had some stylish inserts haha. Back then I would always hope for that ProSign card that was bloody impossible haha... I must say... I enjoyed breaking packages/boxes much more in those days. The expectations of a pack are much different now.

I remember buying a pack of 2000 Pacific Aurora and pulled a Patrick Roy championship fever #/100... booked for $320 back then. It felt like a millions bucks. Last time I checked it was $60/80? but now a days very few will pay that value on an insert.
(I shoulda sold sold sold while the market value was high haha.... it coulda bought me a lot of slurpees :p)