Hockey Cards - Part III

[Gatorbait19]

I think I prefer the Cup subset year for Splendor but yes they are all nice. I’ve noticed a lot of the Crosby cards have been hoarded in particular.

I have this Matthews from the Subset year and it’s one of my favorite cards. Love how the blue from the jersey, patch and auto pops out of the card.View attachment 551837

That’s one of if not the nicest Cup Splendor I’ve ever seen. Gorgeous card dude

 

[CutOnDime97]

The Cup, Premier, Ultimate, off the top of my head

True. Those are expensive products though.

But the other nice thing is autograph cards may appeal to memorabilia guys as well rather than just card collectors. Guess it just depends on your taste. Still more scarce than Young Guns

 

[Cubs2024wildcard]

True. Those are expensive products though.

But the other nice thing is autograph cards may appeal to memorabilia guys as well rather than just card collectors. Guess it just depends on your taste. Still more scarce than Young Guns

Ok, there’s a guy called Topps Leaker who posts production numbers.

This guy is 100% legit and has called current stuff to the number.

If he says there’s 325k McDavid YGs produced, I’m believing him over idiot breakers yelling on tiktok.

And I’m not trying to knock UD, but if they’ve been caught turning the presses back on in the past (which they did, twice) I’m not buying anything current that isn’t numbered.

Autographs? Sure, but McDavid has how many autographs circulating right now? More then enough and almost to the point that anybody who wants one can get one.

Now a high grade Bobby Orr rookie? That’s tough

 

[kaiser matias]

I pulled a gold Samsonov one day buying a pack. It was awesome because I was a fan of his at the time. That pack also somehow had a red Messier, a couple of bobblehead cards, a prime choice reserve, and a bunch of WJC players that I was looking for. Probably is my best open ever.

I loved that set as a kid. Have piles of cards from it, including most bobbleheads (though they were detached so able to become bobblehead), several of the choice reserve, and I think all the WJC cards (which was a weak year, except for the Sedins and Luongo, if I'm remembering right).

 

[Bixby Snyder]

Ok, there’s a guy called Topps Leaker who posts production numbers.

This guy is 100% legit and has called current stuff to the number.

If he says there’s 325k McDavid YGs produced, I’m believing him over idiot breakers yelling on tiktok.

And I’m not trying to knock UD, but if they’ve been caught turning the presses back on in the past (which they did, twice) I’m not buying anything current that isn’t numbered.

Autographs? Sure, but McDavid has how many autographs circulating right now? More then enough and almost to the point that anybody who wants one can get one.

Now a high grade Bobby Orr rookie? That’s tough

We're basically in the 2nd junk wax era and I'm not sure the serial numbered stuff is gonna save it, there's simply too many variations of the same card. You can't manufacture scarcity.

 

[CutOnDime97]

Autographs? Sure, but McDavid has how many autographs circulating right now? More then enough and almost to the point that anybody who wants one can get one.

Now a high grade Bobby Orr rookie? That’s tough

Vintage stuff is great but I personally don't have much attachment to those players. I prefer to collect modern players I grew up watching or enjoy watching now.

 

[miscs75]

TBD. UD is a joke.

LCS got charged today for it so my guess is within the next 2-3 weeks.

 

[Cubs2024wildcard]

We're basically in the 2nd junk wax era and I'm not sure the serial numbered stuff is gonna save it, there's simply too many variations of the same card. You can't manufacture scarcity.

You sir, are a real one who gets it.

Topps, UD and Panini are in this business to make money, not sell something “limited” at a low price so sellers can make quadruple their investments while they leave money on the table.

Case and point- investigators started this rumor that there were only 10k Topps traded Trout rookies produced. Then it was pointed out there’s more then that number 10/9.5 graded by the two top companies, so 10k became 50k. Then, it was pointed out there’s no way MLB and the players association will allow Topps to only produce 50k sets of its flagship brand in this day and age, so that number again creeped up, etc.

Now, it’s to the point that everyone has realized this shit isn’t rare and many of the pandemic collectors are leaving in droves. Prizm basketball, which was on fire two years ago, is suddenly dirt cheap yet the big distributors are acting like it’s packaged gold.

Did anybody see the joke that WWE Prizm was? That silvers were selling for hundreds and in some cases thousands of dollars and now they’re selling for less then 10?

 

[JianYang]

I am stunned to find out early 90s cards are worth anything!

I mean 50% of us had a second childhood at that time there are literally millions of new out of pack grade cards. We all saved them nicely.

Anyhow haven't looked at them in years time to go through and move them I guess.

I have no idea where my cards went. But this thread reminds me of the smell, and excitement of opening a brand new pack.

 

[OvieGreat8]

Now your talking.

Anybody who invested in young guns during the pandemic bought into the pump and dump. And sorry, that’s exactly what it was. The Gretzky sale didn’t help, but that’s a tough card high grade regardless.

And they are higher than ever while Gretzky rookies and vintage has gone down.

Ovechkin/Mcdavid/MacKinnon/Makar/etc. All the top players playing well are higher than during covid boom so not sure what you are talking about.

Vintage is not rare either just certain grades are more rate but who cares its the same card and/or they'll be trimmed or faked well enough to increase population.

 

[OvieGreat8]

Now, it’s to the point that everyone has realized this shit isn’t rare and many of the pandemic collectors are leaving in droves. Prizm basketball, which was on fire two years ago, is suddenly dirt cheap yet the big distributors are acting like it’s packaged gold.

No one thought prizm was rare ever...
Demand was high now its low.

Tatum prizms are going up...why...demand....simple...

A card does not need to be rare to have value just enough demand.

 

[Cubs2024wildcard]

No one thought prizm was rare ever...
Demand was high now its low.

Tatum prizms are going up...why...demand....simple...

A card does not need to be rare to have value just enough demand.

Where did I say Prizm was rare?

 

[OvieGreat8]

Where did I say Prizm was rare?

You said people thought Prizm was rare and then found out it was overproduced.
Everyone knew Prizm was never rare. That was never the point of it.

Old year prizm silvers are rare and pop counts reflect that.

 

[Cubs2024wildcard]

You said people thought Prizm was rare and then found out it was overproduced.
Everyone knew Prizm was never rare. That was never the point of it.

Old year prizm silvers are rare and pop counts reflect that.

You are seeing things

 

[ElLeetch]

We're basically in the 2nd junk wax era and I'm not sure the serial numbered stuff is gonna save it, there's simply too many variations of the same card. You can't manufacture scarcity.

Thats my feeling as well.

Yes, you have a subset numbered out of 10. but you have ten sets of ten variations of them in Product A, ten sets of ten on Product B, and ten sets of ten in Product C.

 

[Bondurant]

Cardboard Connection is reporting 6/15 release for UDS2.

 

[CutOnDime97]

Thats my feeling as well.

Yes, you have a subset numbered out of 10. but you have ten sets of ten variations of them in Product A, ten sets of ten on Product B, and ten sets of ten in Product C.

Agreed. Example: PMG, PMG Retro, PMG All Star

 

[ElLeetch]

The only thing i really see a true 'limited' cards are Autos, because it require buying time from the players. There is no 'printer go BRRRR' for that.

 

[Gatorbait19]

Ok, there’s a guy called Topps Leaker who posts production numbers.

This guy is 100% legit and has called current stuff to the number.

If he says there’s 325k McDavid YGs produced, I’m believing him over idiot breakers yelling on tiktok.

And I’m not trying to knock UD, but if they’ve been caught turning the presses back on in the past (which they did, twice) I’m not buying anything current that isn’t numbered.

Autographs? Sure, but McDavid has how many autographs circulating right now? More then enough and almost to the point that anybody who wants one can get one.

Now a high grade Bobby Orr rookie? That’s tough

I think we’ve reached a real cross roads with the card hobby/industry where the common/mass-produced stuff (YGs in hockey and the like in other sports) is going to start falter. However, the truly rare, high high end stuff is going to continue to increase (and could increase significantly) in this social media and “look at what I have” age we live in.

I view it a lot like art though. Often times the value is what someone is willing to pay for something. However, like art, you can encounter situations where there’s a high valued card/piece of art, but no one willing to buy it at that price it’s valued at.

I think you could include things like a high grade Orr rookie in that high high end/rare category, but do think you’ve overlooked the rare modern cards and peoples’ recency bias + desire to collect/invest in guys they’re watching play currently. With that said, I agree that UD has pumped out so much McDavid stuff (including high end like a cup tribute for every rookie year) that makes it not so rare, which will definitely hurt the value of a lot of McDavid stuff in general.

 

[Cubs2024wildcard]

I think we’ve reached a real cross roads with the card hobby/industry where the common/mass-produced stuff (YGs in hockey and the like in other sports) is going to start falter. However, the truly rare, high high end stuff is going to continue to increase (and could increase significantly) in this social media and “look at what I have” age we live in.

I view it a lot like art though. Often times the value is what someone is willing to pay for something. However, like art, you can encounter situations where there’s a high valued card/piece of art, but no one willing to buy it at that price it’s valued at.

I think you could include things like a high grade Orr rookie in that high high end/rare category, but do think you’ve overlooked the rare modern cards and peoples’ recency bias + desire to collect/invest in guys they’re watching play currently. With that said, I agree that UD has pumped out so much McDavid stuff (including high end like a cup tribute for every rookie year) that makes it not so rare, which will definitely hurt the value of a lot of McDavid stuff in general.

I don’t knock current, just the whole pump and dump many have bought into and refuse to comprehend that they’ve been duped.

In one of these threads, I was told YG’s are solid buys, gem rate drivel, and that PSA suddenly started being more frugal with giving out 10’s compared to before the pandemic. Cup rookies are the only rookies in this sport that will have value, like it or not.

That said, hockey is a niche sport that is on par, if not lower then pro wrestling. It’s not a sport to invest in compared to baseball or certainly basketball. If a company made a set of YouTube influencers and twitch streamers those autographs of their top stars would trump those of NHL players.

 

[Gatorbait19]

I don’t knock current, just the whole pump and dump many have bought into and refuse to comprehend that they’ve been duped.

In one of these threads, I was told YG’s are solid buys, gem rate drivel, and that PSA suddenly started being more frugal with giving out 10’s compared to before the pandemic. Cup rookies are the only rookies in this sport that will have value, like it or not.

That said, hockey is a niche sport that is on par, if not lower then pro wrestling. It’s not a sport to invest in compared to baseball or certainly basketball. If a company made a set of YouTube influencers and twitch streamers those autographs of their top stars would trump those of NHL players.

Absolutely agree with the pump and dump aspect. You see so many guys’ cards (especially the YGs, commons and garbage) being sold for silly amounts, and it’s just not sustainable or reasonable.

It happens every year with new crop of rookies and the shiny-new toy syndrome. But if you look at the guys that are more established (and oftentimes better) than those rookies, and they sell for a fraction of what the rookies sell for.

That issue is across all sports though. You see something like a lamelo ball rookie selling for $70k and it just blows your mind. I think the big Zion investors are going to be up shit’s creek without a paddle sooner than later.

The hockey market is obviously small potatoes compared to basketball/football and others, but I do think it’s growing still (along with the sport in general) and there’s avenues to make big money. But as you’ve hit on, you’ve got to be very selective and smart with that (high end rare cup stuff). I think the biggest/most valuable things are the ones that there’s crossover from the collectors of other sports as that’s what they’re familiar with.

Oh and as for psa/grading in general - It’s a scam and always has been. It definitely can add value and prestige (particular the 10s), but it’s not the be all end all, and people need to focus more on actual rarity than grades.

 

[Bondurant]

Checklist for UDS2 is out.

2021-22 Upper Deck Series 2 Hockey Cards Checklist

2021-22 Upper Deck Series 2 Hockey checklist, release date, info, pack odds, buy boxes, reviews. Find the 2nd round of Young Guns rookies.

www.cardboardconnection.com

 

[Bixby Snyder]

Anyone here subscribe to Card Ladder and if so do you think it's worth the price?

 

[Rorschach]

I know this is about hockey cards but whats the Baseball and Basketball equivalent to the Young Guns?

None. YG is very special in the hobby. Partially this is due to UD only being in hockey and there continuously for so many years, and the uniqueness of hockey fans in the hockey card market.

Now SP Authentic FWA does have somewhat equivalent/s in baseball. Topps has been in baseball even longer than UD in hockey. Bowman Chrome regular autos on 1st Bowman Card designations from Bowman Chrome/Chrome Draft/Chrome Prospects are similar.

Basketball is tougher because NBA an their PA change licensees frequently the last few decades while hockey and baseball have continuously had UD and Topps.

Edit, added next day: in a nutshell, to collectors, the subsets of YG, SPA FW and The Cup patch auto RCs are considered as “living” subsets, expected to come out every year because they have done so for 15 or more years. Kinda like in comics where titles like Action, Detective, Amazing Spider-Man or Uncanny X-Men continue for decades so all those issues have extra special-ness in the hobby.

 

[Cubs2024wildcard]

Checklist for UDS2 is out.

2021-22 Upper Deck Series 2 Hockey Cards Checklist

2021-22 Upper Deck Series 2 Hockey checklist, release date, info, pack odds, buy boxes, reviews. Find the 2nd round of Young Guns rookies.

www.cardboardconnection.com

That is a ridiculously loaded checklist

Anyone here subscribe to Card Ladder and if so do you think it's worth the price?

Use past eBay sales. It’s free