Grab popcorn, maybe some refreshments. The biggest Giacominmail day EVER!!!!

[ChuckNorrisFearsS]

OK, this is going to be long winded but hang in there as this is a pretty epic event and mail day. Let’s start with some background.

I’d been collecting solid for a few years after selling off my collection for the second or third time in 10 years. I tore through every ITG product I could find. Anyone remember my thread showing the results of something like 15 cases of BTP I broke the one summer? I always loved breaking wax and my PC focused around cards I got really excited about hitting. Could be a massive hit like the McDavid Premier ARP I pulled from a single tin, or the Esposito One Of A Kind from 13/14 BTP with just a RIDICULOUS patch, to a John Garrett BTP patch with a nasty old Nordiques patch. Just whatever I got jacked about stayed in my PC. Needless to say my PC was all over the place.

Products I was interested in had dried up and I was starting to rationalize boxes I wasn’t interested in just because I felt like breaking something. That caused me to burn out to some extent and the collecting stagnated for a while. I hit a point where I debated just giving it up. Not collecting actively and sitting on such a pile of cards didn’t seem to make sense so I came to the conclusion to give it up and sell it all. I kept a handful of cards I was fond of ad sold off the rest figuring the money could be better served on upgrading my fishing boat.

Fast forward and my boat is all decked out with the latest gear, still can’t catch fish but can’t blame the boat! Anyway the collecting bug began to creep back in. I decided to buy a couple tins of Dominion just to see if the excitement was still there and it was. I started looking around for ITG options to break and there weren’t a lot but I still wanted to break something. It was also at that time that I started missing a couple cards I had sold off that I shouldn’t have. Those consisted of a Plante 12/13 BTP Big League Debut 1/1 with a great piece of pad, and a Worters 13/14 BTP Vintage Patch 1/1 with the letter A” from his Americans jersey. I got entirely too excited when I pulled each of those cards but figured they held good value for the sale so I let them go. They were still with the jerkface I sold them to so we worked out a deal for those, and a couple Giacomin cards.

In one of my previous iterations of collecting I collected vintage memorabilia from ITG products. Along the way I tried to learn some history on those players and after watching Giacomin’s “Legends Of Hockey” video I became a really big fan of his. I’d lightly collected him previously, and after rewatching said video I started looking for Eddie cards again. I went a little crazy for about a week and had something like 55 Eddies incoming. I was just about to call it a night after another bender of eBaying for Giacomin stuff when I got a PM late regarding a “very large” Giacomin collection for sale. Big thank you to Pacman69 for thinking of me when he saw the post. He pointed me in the right direction and I texted the previously mentioned jerkface, M35Richter, to tell him about it.

He took the ball and ran with it and got in touch with the seller about the collection. The ensuing morning kicked off with a bunch or frantic phone calls with Justin as it turned out the collection was local to him. He was kind enough to offer to go see it in person and give it an appraisal. The collection turned out to be pretty massive, way more than I expected or was prepared for. After some phone calls and discussion on price, Justin closed the deal and had the collection in hand for me.

Here’s where it gets painful for me. I have given Justin at least 5 lifetimes worth of crap through the years when we’ve worked out various sale deals, and probably made his life miserable at times. Insults galore, endless haggling, etc. We’ve never met in person and I think had only spoken briefly on the phone once before. His willingness to take time out of his day to drive to see the collection, subsequently getting caught in hurricane weather, as well as his generosity in closing the deal and allowing me to square up later with him was unbelievable. I never would have obtained this collection had it not been for his help and generosity. Not even a chance. I wouldn’t have felt comfortable enough in a deal of this scale.

So, it is with great pain, I have to say I cannot thank him enough. Absolutely amazing generosity on his part and without his help none of what you’re about to see would have ever happened. It’s an act of generosity I will not soon forget. Just don’t tell him I said anything nice about him. With that being said, have a look at an absolutely INSANE Eddie Giacomin mailday! Thanks for reading, enjoy the show, leave some comments, and again, an absolutely huge thank you to Justin.




The Ultimate Memorabilia portion of the show!The GU stuff, just a couple!Show stamped base cards and some oddballs next.And a group shot of the damage. I literally had to stand on a kitchen chair to get them all in the photo, and couldn't fit the show stamped base cards!

Mind is blown! So much cool old ITG stuff, especially licensed stuff. Absolutely INSANE day and still can't believe this is all sitting in front of me!Thank you to Pacman!Thanks to HammerHawks for the killer banner!And last, and most painful, a HUGE, HUGE, thank you to Justin!Hope you all enjoyed! Time to start cataloging and working on organizing this mess!

Ron

[pwskelly]

Congrats on all your acquisitions, your Giacomin collection is insane!

[creasecollector]

What a mail day. Wow. Huge congrats to you! Seeing all of those cards on display like that make me feel so stoked for you!

Well done.

[30ranfordfan]

Great thread. ITG had so many nice sets during that era, and a lot of the old GU stuff is showing up here. Show Stamps arn't everyone's cup of tea..... but I've always liked them, and they can be painful to find if you don't get that THAT year.

Congrats!

[WillyC]

awesome collection... ITG was years ahead of this hobby, and I believe ITG has not reached it's calling yet.