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Collector's World 0204

The Hockey News Collector's World 0204

<div class="byline">BY PAUL ABRAMOWITZ</div>Long before Mark Recchi played for the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins, he was with the Muskegon Lumbeijacks.Likewise, years before Ed Belfour made a clean sweep of NHL awards with the Chicago Blackhawks, he played for the Saginaw Hawks.Both appeared on cardboard long before Upper Deck sold its first pack of hockey cards. Recchi and Belfour have the two most valuable cards in three years of ProCards, minor-league sets produced by a company in, Pottstown, Pa.But. just how prudent an investment are these minor-league cards? Many of the players appearing in these sets don&rsquo;t make it to the NHL. Several are no longer in pro hockey.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s nice to have their minorleague cards, but their pure rookie cards are ones in their first year in the NHL,&rdquo; said Paul Chiasson of Roily&rsquo;s Cards and Collectibles in Moncton, N.B. &ldquo;My advice is to buy the more established company, such as O-Pee-Chee or Upper Deck.&rdquo;Chiasson&rsquo;s biggest knock on ProCards is the way it&rsquo;s marketed. Very few are sold at his store as most of the sales are out of the Moncton Coliseum, home of the AHL&rsquo;s Hawks.Therefore, it&rsquo;s not a high-profile card and the average collector is not aware of it. They are not listed in the monthly price guides. The only minor league cards to appear are baseball&rsquo;s, which are in the Beckett Future Stars magazine.&ldquo;The NHL has not done the same kind of groundwork for the minor league cards as baseball has,&rdquo; Chiasson said. &ldquo;Until they do a better job of merchandising and make them higher profile, they&rsquo;ll be in the background.&rdquo;One of the most coveted minorleague cards is Brett Hull&rsquo;s 1986-87 Moncton Golden Flames Police card distributed by radio station CKCW. Ron Arsenault, of Atlantic Hobby Supply in Moncton, said the card goes for about $50. Hull&rsquo;s Topps 1988-89 rookie card is listed for $90 and his O-Pee-Chee is at $125.&ldquo;Everyone keeps asking me how valuable these minor-league cards are,&rdquo; Arsenault said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a tough question. It all depends on how the public perceives them. If they perceive them positively, then everyone would want them and it&rsquo;d be a positive investment.&rdquo;Arsenault said the star cards are a positive investment, but it&rsquo;s the noname players that are the drawback. The sets can only be bought by team.Belfour&rsquo;s card is listed for $20 and Recchi&rsquo;s is $15 in The Sport Americana Hockey Card Price Guide. Belfour&rsquo;s most valuable NHL card is $10, Recchi&rsquo;s is $6. Both are in the 1990-91 Upper Deck set.&ldquo;I&rsquo;d say your best bet is to get the brand-name card,&rdquo; said former Maple Leaf Dave Reid, who owns a card store in Ajax, Ont. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d recommend that because a lot of magazines don&rsquo;t put price guides in for them. I tried selling them and they didn&rsquo;t sell.&rdquo;The front of the minor-league cards are posed shots with just the basic biographical information on the back.&ldquo;They&rsquo;re risky,&rdquo; said Charlie Sacheli of Card Collectors Closet in Springfield. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d be careful buying anything that is minor league because the percentage of the players that make it is very small.&rdquo;But Bill Fuhrman of Bill&rsquo;s Card House in Hershey, Pa., said these cards have potential.&ldquo;Hockey collectors have a dedicated following,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Of the major four sports, hockey is the only one that has been untapped. Any time I get the sets in my store they sell. I think these cards are for the more refined and learned collector, someone who will want something that is not common.&rdquo; &#9632;

IN THIS ISSUE

SHOULD YOU BE INVESTING IN MINOR-LEAGUE CARDS?

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0031-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-011406/10219710-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-011536/10219703-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="6940" height="4040"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-011560/10219696-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg" title="f0034-01" width="7000" height="4050"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-011461/10219689-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg" title="f0036-01" width="6950" height="4030"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-011416/10219682-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg" title="f0038-01" width="6860" height="3950"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-011014/10219675-1-eng-US/f0040-012.jpg" title="f0040-01" width="6880" height="3925"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-01944/10219668-1-eng-US/f0042-012.jpg" title="f0042-01" width="7035" height="3945"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-01824/10219661-1-eng-US/f0044-012.jpg" title="f0044-01" width="6883" height="3937"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-01737/10219654-1-eng-US/f0046-012.jpg" title="f0046-01" width="6875" height="3920"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-01524/10219647-1-eng-US/f0048-012.jpg" title="f0048-01" width="6870" height="3985"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-01511/10219640-1-eng-US/f0050-012.jpg" title="f0050-01" width="6924" height="4040"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-01391/10219633-1-eng-US/f0052-012.jpg" title="f0052-01" width="3372" height="4075"></div> &#9632;

f0031-01

PRICE GUIDE

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0025-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-011357/10219540-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-011573/10219533-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg" title="f0026-01" width="3957" height="4560"></div> &#9632;

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<div class="byline">BY BOB DICESARE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0014-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-012341/10219330-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg"></div>Donald Audette scored 76 goals during his final season with the Laval Titan. He was rewarded by lasting until the ninth round of the 1989 NHL entry draft.Audette scored 42 goals and was named American Hockey League rookie of the year in 1989-90, his first pro season. His reward was a reassignment to the Rochester Americans to begin the following season.Audette always has had a tough time measuring up to standards. People see a player who stands 5-feet-8, weighs 182 pounds and figure he can&rsquo;t possibly withstand the rigors of life in the pro game.But Audette is, once again, proving them wrong. And this time his reward might be the Calder Trophy presented to the NHL&rsquo;s top rookie.Audette, 22, was the NHL&rsquo;s prolific rookie goal-scorer through the first quarter of the season with 13 goals (and six assists) in 20 games. Eight of those goals came during a five-game unbeaten streak that took the heat off Buffalo Sabres&rsquo; coach Rick Dudley.The Sabres were five games under .500 and had lost four straight when Audette scored in overtime to beat the Philadelphia Flyers Nov. 7. He followed up with goals in each of the next four games, scoring twice in three of them. The Sabres went 4-0-1 during his surge and were ruminating about having their first 50-goal scorer in more than a decade. Danny Gare, also a diminutive right winger, was the last Sabre to net 50 in a season, that coming in 1979-80.&ldquo;When you play with Dale Hawerchuk or Pat LaFontaine, a player that has the skills of Audette is going to score a lot of goals,&rdquo; Dudley said. &ldquo;I believe he&rsquo;ll score at least 40 goals.&rdquo;Next to the injured LaFontaine, Audette is Buffalo&rsquo;s most dangerous sniper. He is smart, fast and tough. He darts in and around the lower slot like a water bug. The majority of his goals come within 15 feet of the net.Opposing teams bristle at the sight of this little torpedo sticking his nose in their business. So they do their best to intimidate him. The Flyers pound-ed Audette repeatedly during back-to-back games. With 11 minutes left in the second game, Terry Carkner sent Audette face first into the boards. He lay motionless for 30 seconds with a broken nose. And two minutes into overtime he scored the winner from just outside the crease.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021755/10219323-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="643" height="880"></div>Audette has displayed this fearless tenacity as far back as Larry Carriere can remember. Carriere and Mike Racicot are the scouts who explore Quebec for the Sabres. They were the ones who, on draft day in 1989, politicked for Audette until Buffalo selected him 183rd overall.&ldquo;Mike Racicot and I pushed for him,&rdquo; Carriere said. &ldquo;Anytime you see a player who is small you want something to stand out. What Donald had was intensity home and away. He had a burning desire to win and be the best. We saw that on the ice, and when we talked with him off the ice.&rdquo;Audette&rsquo;s career path is testimony to his relentless nature. He went undrafted at age 18 despite scoring 48 goals for Laval. So he came back with 76 and 161 points at age 19.Audette impressed in his first Buffalo training camp and his stock rose as he scored 42 goals in 70 games with Rochester. So Audette figured he had a roster spot with Buffalo when he reported for training camp in 1990. Instead, he was assigned to the minors.Audette forced his recall by scoring four goals in five AHL games. He then scored four goals in eight games with Buffalo. But on Nov. 16, he suffered a season-ending knee injury in a collision with Edmonton Oiler Craig Muni that required surgery.Including last year, Audette had 17 goals in 29 career games-a 47-goal pace in 80 games. Size is no longer an issue. Instead, the focus is on whether he can produce a 50-goal season. &#9632;

f0014-01

ROOKIE REPORT

Could you please tell me if the Dimitri Khristich who appears on the 1990-91 Upper Deck card is the same player who appears on the 1990-91 O-Pee-Chee Central Red Army card. If this is the same player, which company has the proper statistics on him? There seems to be a big difference in height, weight and age.Steven BourkRichmond, Ont.We&rsquo;re not sure where O-Pee-Chee got its information from, but Upper Deck is right in having Khristich sled at 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds with a birthdate of July 23, 1969. Both photos are of Khristich but the O-Pee-Chee back obviously contains information on someone else.I have a set of Wayne Gretzky Neilson hockey cards and I was wondering how much they are worth.Ken MurphyKerrobert, Sask.While there have been very wide price differences reported on this 50-card set, it usually sells for around $150.What is the story behind the Upper Deck card of Wayne Gretzky which only shows him from he shoulders up in a Kings&rsquo; road jersey? I have seen this card on Upper Deck boxes, but it&rsquo;s not the one I have in my set Mike Anderson Calgary, Alta.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-012440/10219137-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="633" height="839"><figcaption class="caption-body">This Wayne Gretzky card does not appear in the regular set.</figcaption></div>The card you are writing about is a promo which was introduced at the 1990 National Sports Collectibles Convention in Dallas. It was made in limited quantities along with a card of Patrick Roy. The two are usually sold as a pair for about $80.I have in my possession a set I&rsquo;m trying to sell but have no idea what it&rsquo;s worth. It&rsquo;s the 1983-84 Canadian national junior team set which includes players such as Mario Lemieux, Steve Yzerman and Pat Verbeek. These pre-rookie cards are larger than normal cards.Michael DiMassimoLaSalle, Que.This set has drawn little collector interest because of its large size. Dealers usually ask about $100 for this set, but is not quick to move at that price.I recently opened my first pack of 1991-92 O-Pee-Chee cards and I was surprised to see a photo of Jeff Jackson on Stephane Morin&rsquo;s card. Was this card corrected?Eric FournierSt-Anaclet, Que.O-Pee-Chee says it has a policy of not correcting mistakes, so this card will likely go uncorrected. It is worth about 10 cents and isn&rsquo;t made more valuable by the mistake.I have an error checklist from 1988-89 O-Pee-Chee which reads 1-99 on the front instead of 1-132 (which I also have). Since the error was corrected, would the error checklist be worth more?Matthew EwanchukLangley, B.C.This was one of the rare cases where O-Pee-Chee did correct a mistake. It is believed there are roughly the same amount of both the error and the correct version and both are worth the same-about 50 cents.At a card show, I bought a five-card Eric Lindros limited-edition set for $20. Each card is exactly the same except for the photo on the front. On the back, it shows his 1989-90 OHL playoff stats and says, &ldquo;No. 4534 of 12,000.&rdquo; How much are these cards worth?Graeme McCauslandSt. John, N.B.Most people in the hobby consider those cards to be totally worthless They are non-licensed, illegal reproductions of photographs. Furthermore, because of the illegal nature of their production, there&rsquo;s no guarantee 12,000 sets were made. Likely far more than that were produced.Could you give me an idea of the value of the first-year issue of Pro Cards&rsquo; 1988-89 American and International Hockey League sets? Dominic GalaniAstoria, N.Y.Both sets are listed in the second edition of The Charlton Hockey Card Price Guide. That guide says the AHL set is worth $25 and the IHL set is worth $20.In each issue of Collectors World, we&rsquo;ll answer your questions about hockey cards and memorabilia. We&rsquo;ll only be able to respond to questions which appear in the magazine. Send all inquiries to:Collectors WorldAttention: Rand Simon85 Scarsdale Rd., Suite 100Don Mills, Ont., M3B 2R2 &#9632;

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READER WANTS TO KNOW WHICH KHRISTICH IS WHICH

If I had a nickle for everytime I was asked a question about sportscards, I might even be able to afford to buy a box of Topps Stadium Club hockey.Sometimes I even have the answers. But one question I can&rsquo;t answer is one that is frequently asked-what&rsquo;s going to happen to the hobby?Kevin Allen&rsquo;s story on page 22 examines the question regarding a hobby experiencing growing pains.You would think something more than 100 years old wouldn&rsquo;t have such problems but that is exactly what&rsquo;s going on right now.Pro Set alone will make more than 1,500 cards this season and that doesn&rsquo;t include their French versions. Score has a 660-card Canadian Series (in two languages), a 440-card American version and will soon announce it is entering the premium hockey card market with a 400-plus card set called Pinnacle. Including Bowman. Stadium Club and its regular issue. Topps is making three sets this season.Where is it all headed? The experts agree some stores will close, there will be fewer shows, there may even be a card company go out of business or cut back on the number of sets it produces.If that happens, you can be sure the first set to go will be the low-priced regular issue one which kids can quite easily afford.Hopefully the hockey card companies will remember the kids and won&rsquo;t follow Donruss&rsquo; lead. The baseball card company has decided to turn its regular-issued set into a premium issue even though the company already makes two premium card series. As long as the kids have something they can afford, 1 have no problems with all the high-quality sets being produced.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021875/10219168-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="664" height="862"><figcaption class="caption-body">RAND SIMON</figcaption></div>Eric Lindros was a somewhat surprising addition to the Lipper Deck Low Number Series this season. Despite Lindros&rsquo; exclusive deal with Score, Upper Deck included Lindros as part of its 36-card Canada Cup subset.While no one at Score ever mentioned the possibility of trying to prevent Upper Deck from shipping its cards, as soon as the Lindros card appeared, the rumors began that the card would be limited.While there were rumors of an injunction against Upper Deck, some dealers were telling stories of Upper Deck burning thousands of Lindros cards at Score&rsquo;s insistence. Everyone wanted to know if the Lindros card would be included in all Upper Deck shipments or if it would be pulled. To say the stories got a little out of hand is an understatement.It appears all the rumors were unfounded. Score has never commented for the record but it is believed the company is just trying to forget about having to share Lindros with Upper Deck.For his part. Lindros isn&rsquo;t pursuing any action against Upper Deck. And the company stands firm that as part of its Canada Cup agreement, it had every right to make the card. The result is there should be as many Lindros cards as there are of anyone else in the Upper Deck set.A new kind of hockey card set is about to make its mark on the hobby. Actually, there are four of them.Arena Holograms, Classic, Star Pics and the Ultimate (produced by Smokey&rsquo;s of Las Vegas) will be in the stores to compete with the NHL-licensed sets just in time for Christmas.While most collectors don&rsquo;t consider the cards in these draft pick sets to be rookie cards, they will make a welcome addition to any collection. Their somewhat limited availability (about 250,000 sets from each company) should make them a decent investment.The best part about the sets is their hockey educational value in giving fans a glimpse of the players they&rsquo;ll be watching in the NHL in a few seasons. &#9632;

f0008-02

RANDOM THOUGHTS

<div class="byline">MIKE CRAIG</div>It shouldn&rsquo;t be surprising that Mike Craig has already surpassed his point total from last season. After all. from his first season of major junior hockey to his second, he increased his offensive output more than four times.But after seven games this season, it looked extremely unlikely the rugged right winger would have any chance of matching his total of 12 points in 39 games he posted in 1990-91. He was scoreless in the Minnesota North Stars&rsquo; first two games of the season and then sat out the next five.Just when it was looking like Craig would never get an opportunity to play, he was inserted into the lineup against the Philadelphia Flyers Oct. 24 and recorded his first assist of the season. Then, against the New York Rangers Oct. 29, Craig scored twice and he was back in the lineup to stay.Craig reached 12 points with two goals against the Toronto Maple&rsquo; Leafs Nov. 12 and then passed last season&rsquo;s total with an assist against the St. Louis Blues Nov. 16.Craig gives the Stars a combination of skill and toughness on the right side. With talented Mike Modano being moved from right wing to center, Craig is getting more tee time with better linemates. Lately, he has taken Modano&rsquo;s spot on the No. 1 line with Dave Gagner and Brian Propp.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-031336/10219199-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg" title="f0008-03" width="630" height="823"></div>While collectors have shown an awareness of Craig&rsquo;s cards, he tends to get lost in the 1990-91 sets which include rookie cards of players suchWhile Craig isn&rsquo;t in their class, his cards aren&rsquo;t as expensive to invest in cither. From Pro Set Series 11(50 cents) to O-Pee-Chee Premier ($2.50), his cards are still quite affordable. And the way he has been playing, a good investment.The Craig Checklist: 1990-91 O-Pee-Chee Premier: No. 19; Pro Set: No, 613; Score: Na 59T; Upper Deck: No. 472; 1991-92 Bowman: No, 130; O-Pee-Chee: No. 187; Score: No. 181; Upper Deck; No. &#9632;

f0008-03

TIP OF THE MONTH

<div class="byline">BY RAND SIMON</div>O-Pee-Chee may not make the largest sets anymore but when it comes to making cards of players named Igor and Andrei, the only Canadian manufacturer of hockey cards has the competition beat.Once again, a large Soviet contingent is part of the O-Pee-Chee hockey series. But unlike last season when 28 of the Soviet cards were part of the regular set, all 56 cards this season are inserts, available only in wax packs. The exception is three cards of Soviet players-Sergei Nemchinov, Valeri Kamensky and Dimitri Mironov-which make up the &ldquo;Future NHLers&rdquo; subset.While many of the Soviet players are past their prime and will never play in the NHL, there are some interesting prospects worth watching. Heading that list is Moscow Dynamo&rsquo;s Alexei Zhamnov, the No. 1 center on the Russian national team and a fourth-round draft pick of the Winnipeg Jets in 1990.Two other players to keep an eye on are a couple of New Jersey Devils&rsquo; draft picks, Alexander Semak and Valeri Zelepukin. Both players should be in the NHL by season&rsquo;s end.The other insert set, featuring nine players drafted by the San Jose Sharks from other NHL teams, is much less interesting. Of the nine, only one-Link Gaetz-was in the NHL as of Nov. 27. His card will likely never be worth much, no matter how many televisions he tosses from hotel windows.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-012420/10219237-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="638" height="831"><figcaption class="caption-body">The best Soviet prospect is named neither Igor nor Andrei.</figcaption></div>Aside from the poor player selection in the San Jose Sharks&rsquo; insert, O-Pee-Chee did a good job in choosing its players for the 528-card set. The top prospect subset consisting of one player from each team includes rookie-of-the-year candidates Tony Amonte of the New York Rangers and Donald Audette of the Buffalo Sabres and several other highly regarded players such as Mike Craig of the Minnesota North Stars and Trevor Kidd of the Calgary Flames.O-Pee-Chee did goof in some of its selections (left winger Bill Armstrong of the Philadelphia Flyers and Shaun VanAllen of the Edmonton Oilers are career minor leaguers) but overall made good choices.Other subsets include the traditional O-Pee-Chee fare of trophy winners, season highlights and all-star teams. Not very exciting stuff. A nice touch is cards of the three NHL expansion teams, giving collectors a good look of the Sharks&rsquo;, Ottawa Senators&rsquo; and Tampa Bay Lightning&rsquo;s logos.Another subset, dubbed &ldquo;Super Rookie&rdquo; gives collectors another second-year card of players&rsquo; such as Jaromir Jagr of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Rob Blake of the Los Angeles Kings and Sergei Fedorov of the Detroit Red Wings.The card fronts are clean and attractive, although the player&rsquo;s name is a little difficult to read on some of the colors, especially the orange ones.Card backs are radically different, appearing in full color instead of the usual boring black and white. However, the information on the backs is exactly what we&rsquo;ve come to expect from O-Pee-Chee with complete NHL stats and a short bio, made even more brief by the bilingual format.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021770/10219230-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="642" height="830"><figcaption class="caption-body">O-Pee-Chee was wise to include Tony Amonte as a top prospect.</figcaption></div>One very noticeable difference with the cards is the brighter, better action photography. O-Pee-Chee has finally got into the game with fewer warm-up shots than ever before. It&rsquo;s a nice change to see so much game action photography from O-Pee-Chee. The only, ahem, negative about the photography is that some good shots are wasted on a far too frequently used horizontal format. It appears as if O-Pee-Chee decided before looking at the photos which cards would be horizontal. The result is some weak cards-especially Esa Tikkanen&rsquo;s and Ray Sheppard&rsquo;s-which would have been fine on a regular vertical format.For the first time ever, the Topps issue is the same number of cards as the O-Pee-Chee series. Another change for Topps is a welcome switch to white card stock from the hard to read grey backs. Topps card backs remain in English only. The Topps&rsquo; inserts is a 22-card glossy set featuring the leading point-getter from each team.But there are no special Soviet or San Jose Sharks&rsquo; cards in the Topps series. Oh, and by the way, there are eight Igors (not including Larionov) and seven Andreis in the 1991-92 O-Pee-Chee series.Coming next from O-Pee-Chee is the second edition of Premier. Once again the company will hope to cash in on the premium card market with a 132-card set full of stars, rookies and traded players. After the product&rsquo;s popularity last season, you can be sure this season&rsquo;s version will be far more plentiful. &#9632;

f0010-01

MORE IGORS AND ANDREIS THAN EVER BEFORE

<div class="byline">BY SHANE KENNY</div>Rookie prospects can either skyrocket or fizzle out. A card company can overproduce one year then short the market the next. In a hobby full of inconsistencies, just about the only thing that is constant is that attitude, &ldquo;what have you done for me lately?&rdquo; Such is the case with two of the biggest movers in the hobby-Eric Lindros and Upper Deck.Lindros burst onto the hockey scene amidst controversy three seasons ago when he refused to report to the Ontario Hockey League team that drafted him the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. One rule change later enabling teams to trade their first-round draft pick, and Lindros became an Oshawa General.He was part of two World Junior Championships, one Memorial Cup title and a Canada Cup victory over the next two years.Then came more controversy when Lindros refused to report to the NHL team that drafted him the Quebec Nordiques. Both sides have remained firm in their stance and the result is one of the best player&rsquo;s in the world is not in the NHL.Lindros&rsquo; cards are losing their lustre due to his absence from the NHL. It doesn&rsquo;t help that he has been accused of being anti-francophone.Meanwhile, Lindros continues to work on his game with the Canadian Olympic team, probably wondering if he will be in the NHL before the Nordiques&rsquo; draft rights lapse in June 1993.Upper Deck, on the other hand, has followed up its extremely popular and award-winning rookie season with an even better set. The slightly larger (500 cards instead of 400) and eagerly anticipated set has arrived and disappointed no one.Upper Deck has yet to solve its problematic distribution system so there is little product available, but what is out there, is being gobbled up.Like any good seller, Upper Deck has its share of controversy. Curiously, it involves Lindros.Since Lindros is not a member of the NHL Players&rsquo; Association, and since he did not agree with Upper Deck to appear, there is question whether the card should be in the set.Lindros&rsquo; card inclusion in the set may be causing a delay in the full distribution of Upper Deck and is causing a subsequent price increase.In spite of this, the Upper Deck set has the best selection and finest quality of this season&rsquo;s sets to date.<h2>POWER PLAY</h2>1. &rsquo;91-92 Upper Deck(NR)2. JAROMIR JAGR (2)3. WAYNE GRETZKY (1)4. SERGEI FEDOROV (5)5. OWEN NOLAN (10)6. PAVEL BURE (NR)7. BRETT HULL (6)8. LUC ROBITAILLE (9)9. B. SHANAHAN (NR)10. PATRICK ROY (NR)12. JARI KURRI (7)13. JEREMY ROENICK (3)Number in parenthesis is last month&rsquo;s ranking.<h2>PENALTY BOX</h2>1. 1990-91 PRO SET(1)2. WENDEL CLARK (8)3. RON HEXTALL (4)4. JOHN CULLEN (3)5. BILL SMITH (5)6. BRAD PARK (6)7. GUY LAFLEUR (7)8. BERNIE NICHOLLS (2)9. ED BELFOUR (11)10. OPC PREMIER (NR)11. ERIC LINDROS (NR)12. RON FRANCIS (NR)Number in parenthesis is last month&rsquo;s ranking. &#9632;

SO ERIC, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY?

Many people are upset and angry at the way our hobby has changed in recent years.They long for the days before high prices, cut-throat dealers and product explosion became the order of the day.While I agree that much is wrong in the current card game, I suggest collectors take a more constructive attitude.For example, I&rsquo;ve stopped attending large shows with their huge crowds, rude dealers and unfriendly atmosphere because they annoy me. Instead, I take advantage of the now numerous small, local card stores which give friendly and high-quality service to ensure customer loyalty.Smalltown hobby shows and flea markets are also a favorite as people will actually talk about the players whose cardboard images they are selling, the crowds are small and a bargain is still possible.Also positive is the current avail ability, quality and cheapness of hobby supplies. While few enjoy spending money on set boxes, sheets, binders, snap cases and card holders, it is necessary eventually. Now is the perfect time to organize your collection and make it more accessible rather than scrambling to collect the latest &ldquo;hot&rdquo; product.In short, focus on the positive, ignore the negative in the current situation. Sooner or later, a semblance of reason will return to our hobby. For now, all we can do is shorten our sail and ride out the storm.Leslie Beaver,Downsview, Ont.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-04720/10219292-1-eng-US/f0012-042.jpg" title="f0012-04" width="602" height="826"><figcaption class="caption-body">It can help to have a degree in languages to collect cards.</figcaption></div><h2>PAT ON THE BACK</h2>I am a card collector who is grateful for every issue of Collectors World. I appreciate the informative articles as much as the Price Guide. It&rsquo;s a joy to see how much the hobby has grown, especially in the last few years.However, I have two suggestions. First, if you could have a regular column dedicated to teach the collector what to look for to prevent buying fake cards. I believe this is of utmost importance since it endangers the actual survival of the hobby. Many collectors are being scared off from buying because they fear certain cards are fakes.Second, in your Price Guide, you should include the price for an unopened wax box for that year. I&rsquo;ve collected a fair amount through the years and would like to know what they&rsquo;re worth.Keep up the good work, guys.Paul GiannettiSt-Leonard, Que.(Ed. note: Collectors World has always made collectors aware of what fakes are out there and how to recognize them. We will continue to report on any counterfeits as they become known. In regards to your Price Guide suggestion, we will publishing a special listing of wax pack and wax box prices in a future issue. We do include wax pack and wax box prices for all issues released either last season or this season.)<h2>LANGUAGE ISSUE</h2>As I write to you in early November, I have found 1991-92 Pro Set French Series I in several Dallas area shops including a nearby grocery store.I have also completed a set of 1991-92 Score Canadian Series I from a box purchased in a Dallas hobby shop. Score American, however, is non-existent here.What are collectors in Canada finding? Score American? Pro Set Russian? Come on manufacturers and distributors, get real.I am pleased to say that my Score Series I was put together from one box. Collation of both Score and Pro Set has been excellent. Keep up the good work.Likewise, keep up the good work on Collectors World. I am really enjoying it.John D. GondolKaufman, Texas<h2>ANY INTEREST?</h2>I would like to know where to get a couple of cards from two of the pre World War II sets.The cards I&rsquo;m looking for are the 1910-11 C56 card of Skinner Poulin (No. 24) and the 1911-12 C55 card of George Poulin (No. 44).I am a distant relative and would really be interested in having his cards.If anybody could give me any information on these cards, please reply to #111-6730 Willingdon Ave., V5H 2V8.JoAnn PoulinBurnaby, B.C. &#9632;

f0012-04

ATTITUDE IS KEY TO GETTING MOST OUT OF OUR HOBBY

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN ALLEN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0020-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-03867/10219385-1-eng-US/f0020-032.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Pittsburgh Penguin coach Scott Bowman is not only a collector of wins, but a collector of hockey cards as well.</figcaption></div>Scott Bowman was introduced to the business aspect of collecting by Nolan Ryan-the card, not the man.In 1989, the interim coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins was in a Mt. Vernon, Ill., card shop looking to buy Upper Deck&rsquo;s debut baseball set when he was offered a Ryan rookie card for what seemed like an outrageous price for one piece of cardboard.&ldquo;It was more than $100- and it seemed like a lot of money at the time,&rdquo; Bowman says. &ldquo;But I bought it and I would say I got lucky on that card.&rdquo;The Ryan rookie card, worth more than $1,000 today, is part of the continually growing Bowman family card collection. He shares his hobby with son, Stanley, a Notre Dame freshman, and Bobby, who is still in high school.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t really sell anything, so I guess I&rsquo;m more of a collector than an investor,&rdquo; Bowman says. &ldquo;It seems like we have always collected something, my wife collects Hummels (German figurine). And we have a lot of fun with the cards.&rdquo;In 1989, Bowman even considered opening a store in the Buffalo suburb of East Amherst, before deciding neither he nor his sons had enough time to make it successful.&ldquo;There were only a few stores in Buffalo then, and now they&rsquo;re all over,&rdquo; he says.Since returning to the NHL last season as the Penguins&rsquo; director of player development, Bowman&rsquo;s collecting has been curtailed. But he still finds time to buy sets and wax boxes of the latest issues.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll put away a case if I think it&rsquo;s a good one,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;When I was working for Hockey Night in Canada, I had more time on the road to look for shops.&rdquo;Bowman was introduced to collecting by his wife&rsquo;s nephew, Michael Chitty of St. Louis, a basketball players at Hardin-Simmons University.&ldquo;He was strictly into the baseball cards and he would tell us what we should buy,&rdquo; Bowman says. &ldquo;But since then, I&rsquo;ve moved more or less into hockey.&rdquo;Before heading to hockey, Bowman landed Robin Yount and George Brett 1975 Topps rookies, plus plenty of Don Mattingly and Will Clark rookie cards. The Bowmans also have a noteworthy football and basketball card collection. The family&rsquo;s hockey collecting was aided by Canadian relatives, who found O-Pee-Chee cards for them.The Bowman&rsquo;s have purchased O-Pee-Chee vending cases for the last few years, which means they spent pennies for the family&rsquo;s large cache of O-Pee-Chee Brett Hull rookie cards.&ldquo;Before last season, I told the kids that if they were looking at it as an investment, they should probably sell some of their Hull rookie cards,&rdquo; Bowman says. &ldquo;But they didn&rsquo;t want to. And then he went out and scored 86 goals and his rookie card is worth more than $ 1 (X).&rdquo;Two years ago, the Bowmans also found a deal on 1984-85 O-Pee-Chee boxes-which is coveted for several reasons, including the presence of the Cam Neely rookie card. He didn&rsquo;t appear in the Topps set that season.Bowman doesn&rsquo;t keep up with the value of cards, he just knows the cards he enjoys. Many of his older cards were purchased at flea markets, or small card shows. He still has never spent more on any card than he paid for the 1969 Topps Ryan rookie.The Bowman collection includes older Parkhurst cards-including a Bowman personal favorite Howie Morenz card-a few Ken Dryden rookie cards, a Bobby Orr rookie card and sets of every St. Louis Blues&rsquo;, Montreal Canadiens&rsquo; and Buffalo Sabres&rsquo; team he coached. A friend in Buffalo, whose son Brian Clifford was chosen by the Penguins in the sixth round of the 1991 NHL entry draft, gave him those cards as a gift.&ldquo;There are some big mistakes on those cards-Doug Risebrough on Bob Gainey&rsquo;s card. The Mario Tremblay card has someone else&rsquo;s (Gord McTavish) picture,&rdquo; Bowman says. &ldquo;But I have to say my favorite cards are of players from teams I coached.&rdquo;Bowman also has a fascination with Soviet players and their NHL cards. He says last season&rsquo;s O-Pee-Chee issue, which included a Central Red Army subset of 18 players, is highly desirable.&ldquo;With (Sergei) Fedorov, (Arturs) Irbe and (Valeri) Kamensky-he&rsquo;s going to be good-it&rsquo;s a good set,&rdquo; Bowman says. &ldquo;Dealers are making sets of those and selling them.&rdquo;One card Bowman always looks for when he wanders into a new store is card No. 261 from the 1974-75 Topps and O-Pee-Chee sets. Coaches were pictured that season, and Bowman made his only appearance. He was coaching Montreal at the time.He may be the NHL&rsquo;s winningest coach but his card still hasn&rsquo;t moved beyond a dollar or two in most stores. He owns about two dozen of his own card.&ldquo;Don Cherry&rsquo;s card is No. 161 that year,&rdquo; Bowman says. &ldquo;(At $6), it&rsquo;s worth more than mine and I like to kid him about that. He has the personality.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0020-03

GREAT SCOTT: BOWMAN COLLECTS CARDS, TOO

<div class="byline">BY MIKE CHARK</div>Now that the good editors of this magazine have seen the light to present a different perspective on the hockey card hobby, I welcome you to B. sC.ene.Normally this&rsquo; space will be reserved for providing a West Coast view of the hobby. You&rsquo;ll see it&rsquo;s quite different than what goes on in the East.But talk about the effect the Vancouver Canucks&rsquo; hot start has had on the hobby will have to wait another month. Seeing this is the debut of this column, I thought I&rsquo;d provide a personal note as my introduction.Presumably, everyone reading this magazine has had the experience of answering a dealer&rsquo;s ad, placing an order and waiting. You know that anyday your friendly letter carrier will deliver that parcel. You race home everyday and seek out the mail; only to discover bills and a fast-food take-out menu stuck in your mailslot.Then, one day, the package finally arrives. Your wife will have dinner ready and you haven&rsquo;t seen your kids all day, but you have priorities-finding those scissors and wrestling with wads of tape until your prize is safely tucked away in your collection.Several months ago, I received a phone call from a fellow collector. He has a great love and understanding for the most esoteric pieces and soon his latest discoveries were on their way to me.Which takes me back to the original topic of this article; the excitement of waiting for new hockey collectibles to arrive. The moment the UPS truck left, I tore at the wrapping paper faster than an Al Maclnnis blast from the point.Within seconds, I had two pieces of hockey card history in my hands. Two uncut sheets-1965-66 Topps and &rsquo;69-70 O-Pee-Chee-were ready to become a part of my collection.The 1965-66 set has always been my favorite. It was a great time in hockey and in hockey cards. The NHL had established superstars Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull in the peak of their careers. Gordie Howe was entering his 20th season and was on the verge of scoring his 600th goal. Veterans such as Jean Beliveau added class to the game and fresh-faced kids appeared in arenas and on cardboard.You think the 1987-88 O-Pee-Chee set is loaded with rookies, how&rsquo;s this for a crop of &ldquo;Young Guns", &ldquo;Top Prospects&rdquo; or whatever the card companies are using these days: Phil Esposito, Yvan Coumoyer, Ken Hodge, Dennis Hull, Gerry Cheevers, Eddie Giacomin and Paul Henderson.The 1969-70 O-Pee-Chee sheet is also quite eye-catching, featuring cards from the first series, Nos. 1-132. As you search the rows of cards, you will find all the stars of the era-Dave Keon, Frank Mahovlich, Jean Ratelle, etc. Prudent collectors will also find a key rookie card-Serge Savard&rsquo;s- and the second-year card of Bernie Parent.An added bonus is the sheet&rsquo;s bottom row. How&rsquo;s this for a power play: Howe, Orr and Mikita.To own and display vintage uncut sheets is the ultimate hobby high. There is so much more to this hobby than the latest pre-rookie card of the next overhyped 18-year-old.It often seems in our haste to acquire a 500-count lot here and the lattest hot case there, we tend to lose sight of an important fact: In 1965 or 1969 when a Topps factory worker fed stacks of these sheets into giant card-cutting machines, they had more than just a monetary value. They were a rite of childhood, an innocent diversion that helped us make new friends and let us get closer to our heroes.I don&rsquo;t in any way begrudge today&rsquo;s card market. It&rsquo;s just sad our kids will likely never know or understand those wonderful feelings. &#9632;

ULTIMATE HOBBY HIGH COMES FROM UNCUT SHEETS

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN ALLEN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0022-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-011618/10219440-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Collectors are faced with several choices-some would say too many-when attending card shows. Complaints of too much product are commonly heard from collectors and dealers.</figcaption></div>Many who anted up to become a high-stakes gambler in the business world of collecting discovered some of those holding all of the cards may have to fold.Even with the hobby in its Golden Age with alluring products and increasing consumer interest, profits are down and tension is up on both sides of the border. Dealers are bracing for an expected significant slump in the sports card market over the next year.&ldquo;There will be a tremendous correction in the market and it&rsquo;s happening right now,&rdquo; says Smokey Scheinman, who owns a Las Vegas-based national card distributorship.How serious is this downturn? &ldquo;You might even see a card company or two gone in the shakedown,&rdquo; Scheinman says.Unsold new wax boxes cluttering dealers&rsquo; stores, wildly fluctuating prices for new products, a sluggish market for older cards and weakening show attendance are red flag indicators putting fear into dealers, particularly proprietors with small operations who can&rsquo;t afford to tie up money for long periods of time.The arrival of new hockey editions has pumped some life into the industry. In fact, hockey cards continue to be the blue chip issues of the market. The new Upper Deck release has all but sold out in the Toronto area at $40 per box. Pro Set Platinum has added freshness to the hobby. The heaviest slump appears to be in the baseball card market.&ldquo;No one is buying because of the economy,&rdquo; says collector Steve Smith of Wayne, Mich. &ldquo;We are almost in a depression and collecting is a hobby for most of us. There is no money now for life, let alone a hobby.&rdquo;Minnesota North Stars&rsquo; equipment manager Mark Baribeau, in a card partnership with North Stars&rsquo; left winger Brian Bellows, views the market dip as a natural correction. A weak economy, he says, merely expedited its arrival.&ldquo;If you look at the card market, the graph goes straight up,&rdquo; Baribeau says. &ldquo;In the stock market there are many peaks and valleys. We all know the card market can&rsquo;t continue to go up forever.&rdquo;Los Angeles Kings&rsquo; owner Bruce McNall owns the industry&rsquo;s most valuable card, a 1909 T-206 Honus Wagner. McNall and Wayne Gretzky paid $410,000-plus a $41,000 broker-age fee-to buy the high-grade Wagner at the prestigous Sotheby auction March 22.He sees the sluggish memoriabilia and card market as a reflection of a weakened economy and relatively new industry realizing it may have grown too fast.&ldquo;When you go from where collecting was to where it is now in such a short period of time there has to be a sell-off.&rdquo; McNall says.Not everyone is convinced the marketplace is in a stall. Many stores remain profitable, and more open their doors each day. Former NHL defenseman Robert Picard started up a combination card shop and hockey equipment store just five months ago.&ldquo;And business is booming,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;Baseball is slow, but I can&rsquo;t keep hockey in the store. No one buys the sets, but everyone is buying wax boxes. I get so many calls every day about when hockey is coming in it&rsquo;s ridiculous.&rdquo;But there is finger-pointing in the industry today as the struggling dealers seek a cure for an ailing market-place. Over-production by card companies, some cry. Too many different products are flooding the market, others say.&ldquo;The industry is going through a metamorphisis,&rdquo; says David Upton, president of the Sportscard Association of Canada. &ldquo;It is in for a settling down period. It is not a get-rich-quick scheme any more.&rdquo;Scheinman is among the industry&rsquo;s most bullish analysts-he predicts world-wide growth after the market correction. But he says too many collectors became dealers without proper preparation. Many of those will be the victims of a market slowdown.&ldquo;This is going to affect a lot of people,&rdquo; Scheinman says. &ldquo;Seventy-five per cent of the card dealers have come into the business in the last two years and 50 per cent of those are probably going to go out of business. Too many collectors said: &rsquo;I&rsquo;m going to be a dealer&rsquo; and found out it&rsquo;s not that easy.&rdquo;Wildly fluctuating prices soured some on collecting. &ldquo;Greed took over,&rdquo; Baribeau says. &ldquo;People went a little crazy for a while. Dealers took advantage of the situation. Now everyone is being more selective.&rdquo;He points to Pro Set Platinum football that started out selling for $1,400 a case some places in Minnesota.&ldquo;Now you can&rsquo;t sell it for $500,&rdquo; Baribeau says. &ldquo;And $500 is where it should be at. If a dealer pays $350, he should sell at about $500. Dealers were trying to make $1,000 on a case right out of the gate.&rdquo;Other card issues experienced similar nosedives on the price scale. O-Pee-Chee Premier baseball started out at $100 a box before settling in at $60 in some stores. Fleer Ultra baseball was selling for $45 a box one week and $30 the next. Pro Set Platinum has also experienced price drops.Some collectors fear Stadium Club hockey-selling at $150 a box pre-order from some stores-is another product that will ride a rollar coaster.Scheinman says one of the market problems is smaller dealers mortgaging their bankroll in a few products.&ldquo;The heavy fluctuation of the product occurs as dealers go from product to product.&rdquo; Scheinman says. &ldquo;If they can&rsquo;t get rich, they dump it. They need to get their money out to get to their next product.&rdquo;Dealers aren&rsquo;t necessarily the only reason prices have risen sharply. Card companies are now demanding more for their product; particularly the premium sets.Weekend shows, despite being hit hard by the recession, remain a competitive nuisance for shop owners.With virtually no overhead, a collector can undercut store owner&rsquo;s prices. Many order five cases and sell at minimal profit-just enough to support their collecting habit.&ldquo;If they get 10 boxes for free they are happy,&rdquo; Cacciatore says. &ldquo;That kills the dealer.&rdquo;But Cacciatore believes all&rsquo;s fair in business. &ldquo;To be honest, if I was on the other side of the table I would be doing the same thing,&rdquo; he says.The decrease of show attendance reflects the economy, overkill in terms of the number of shows available to a consumer, and perhaps collector concern about credibility.&ldquo;The public has become more educated about what is going on out there,&rdquo; Upton says. &ldquo;The unfortunate part is that it takes no special requirement to be a dealer.&rdquo;Upton&rsquo;s association is trying to improve credibility by having its members offer certificates of authencity.&ldquo;At some weekend shows you don&rsquo;t know who you are buying from,&rdquo; Upton said. &ldquo;At four o&rsquo;clock, they pack up and go home and if you have a complaint whom do you call?&rdquo;Instances of counterfeiting-including the Wayne Gretzky and Brett Hull rookie cards-has also put a scare into the buying public.Unopened material is supposedly a consumer&rsquo;s safest buy. But even the integrity of that product has been undermined by criminal acts.Upton witnessed a dealer buy a seemingly unopened box of Premier from a kid for $50. When he opened one pack, he found the cards had been replaced with worthless regular edition cardsand resealed.Collectors are also frustrated by the inconsistency of pricing of the older cards. Guy Seguin, a collector from Brighton, Mich., attended the Upper Deck sponsored show in Detroit and found high-grade 1971-72 Gordie Howe cards priced from $30 to $65. He had just purchased one for $16.&ldquo;I might have gotten a great deal, but as a consumer when you see that same card for $65 you wonder what the guy is thinking,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;Everyone is entitled to a fair profit. But some are being unreasonable.&rdquo;Part of the reason for that is even star rookie cards rarely sell at guide price.Several dealers say Gretzky rookies in near-mint to mint condition are almost impossible to sell. Collectors are willing to settle for poorer condition cards to save money.No one believes the industry&rsquo;s slump or problems are beyond repair. Many positive signs for growth exist-including high demand for older wax boxes. Anything before 1986 still sells well.Scheinman is hoping consumers will demand a more limited product. He is one of the unlicensed companies offering a numbered, limited edition, hockey pre-rookie set this winter.He says it&rsquo;s not enough just to say a product is limited: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s good that companies say it is limited, but how limited is it? Instead of 200,000 cases are they making 100,000 and just charging twice as much?&rdquo;This is not the time to panic. Smith says: &ldquo;Just don&rsquo;t expect to get rich quick and it&rsquo;s going to work out.&rdquo;&ldquo;They are collecting now in Europe and Japan,&rdquo; Baribeau says. &ldquo;People have been saying for 10 or 15 years that the hobby would die. But it is still here. There will always be collectors.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0022-01

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN ALLEN</div>The card and memorabilia industry, by most accounts, is starting to experience a slump in the marketplace. Supply seems to be outgaining demand in every sport except hockey. Here are some collecting thoughts and advice by those in the industry.Minnesota North Stars&rsquo; equipment manager Mark Baribeau, in a card partnership with Brian Bellows:&ldquo;Patience is the key. The products are all beautiful. Buy the stuff that&rsquo;s limited and put it away. If someone said you could double your money in two or three years at a bank you would think it was great. So why do you have to do it in two months with cards?&rdquo;Pittsburgh Penguins&rsquo; interim coach Scott Bowman, who collects with his two sons.&ldquo;I think the older cards are going to rise in value. Every chance I get to buy some older hockey cards I buy them. Take the price of baseball cards from the 1950s and 1960s&hellip;hockey cards have been underpriced and there are fewer of those.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-011383/10219471-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="606" height="846"><figcaption class="caption-body">Put your money where premium cards are say experts.</figcaption></div>Postal carrier Steve Smith, a Wayne, Mich., collector and card speculator for 18 years.&ldquo;Put your money into premium cards. That&rsquo;s where the money is in the long run. But you can&rsquo;t expect to get your money out in a hurry. Dealers are all struggling now because money is tight.&rdquo;Smokey Scheinman. president of Smokey&rsquo;s of Las Vegas.&ldquo;I believe the hobby is still growing world-wide. We&rsquo;re going through another turn. Older cards will continue to grow. The demand was there before the boom started, it will be there after the shakedown. The demand for all cards is still there, but it&rsquo;s changing. You see that with the (interest) in premium cards. What makes stamps or art increase in value? People want something not everyone has.&rdquo;Los Angeles Kings&rsquo; owner Bruce McNall, who owns many rare cards, including the 1909 Honus Wagner.&ldquo;The bulk of the real common new stuff-the mass production sets-I have no interest in. But rare stuff is still a good investment. The interest in memorabilia seems to be ever expanding.&rdquo;David Upton, president of the Sportscard Association of Canada.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s time for the public, dealers and maybe even the government to take a good, hard look at the industry. It&rsquo;s not a hobby anymore. It&rsquo;s a billion dollar industry. You are going to see fewer dealers, less hype and a concentrated effort by dealers to promote credibility. I think you will see some card manufacturers taking a bath because of competition. We are going to get back to good, solid collecting.&rdquo;Former NHL player Robert Picard, who owns a Michigan card store.&ldquo;My customers are coming in buying hockey wax boxes and putting them away in a closet somewhere.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0023-01

EXPERTS SPEAK OUT ON STATE OF HOBBY

<div class="byline">BY WAYNE HEPBURN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0024-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-03775/10219502-1-eng-US/f0024-032.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">This program, from the 1934 Ace Bailey Benefit All-Star Game was signed by several of the players.</figcaption></div>Hockey programs differ from caret, coins, photos and other items that are produced as promotional items. Programs fall into the souvenir category of collectibles along with game-used sticks, jerseys and the puck you caught after it bounced off your girlfriend&rsquo;s head at that Canucks&rsquo; game back in &rsquo;82.Most hockey fans probably have at least one or two of these they&rsquo;ve kept as souvenirs. These are historical documents; part of the record of an actual event. They are meant to be read.Hockey program collectors tend to be students of the game. Randy Faist of Cambridge. Ont., has an extensive collection of programs dating back to the 1920s. His oldest NHL program is a Jan. 1. 1927 Montreal Canadiens vs. Ottawa Senators&rsquo; game for which he paid $16 though the Cartophillium monthly auction two years ago.&ldquo;Collecting programs is still affordable.&rdquo; Faist said. &ldquo;Prices haven&rsquo;t gone up that much and you don&rsquo;t have to get a mint one to get the real value out of it. A lot of the old programs have in-depth profiles that include the player&rsquo;s backgrounds and hobbies.&rdquo;Faist has found reading programs from the past has given him a greater understanding not only of hockey but of our culture as well.&ldquo;1 find the ads are neat,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You get a feel for an era the fashions hats, shoes for $6, and three-digit telephone numbers.&rdquo;Historical and cultural perspective is one thing, but how about values? Paul Kenny, owner of Canadian Sports Cards, is a long-time collector of programs and media guides.&ldquo;They&rsquo;ve gone up a little over the past few years, but not like cards,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I used to bring them to every show 1 set up at but 1 think 1 only put them out twice last year.&rdquo;There is no price guide for hockey programs, but both Kenny and Faist confirmed the following rule of thumb: current programs cover value, 1980s: $4-5. 1970s: $5-6, 1960s: $10, 1950s: $10-20, 1940s: $20-30. 1930s: $30-40.1920s: 550-100&ldquo;The big sellers are special games, all-star games. playoffs,&rdquo; Kenny said. &ldquo;The value of these is approximately 10 times a normal game.&rdquo;For serious program collectors, it is essential team rosters and scorecard be included. It&rsquo;s preferable the score card be unmarked although Kenny prefers the scorecard completed. &ldquo;I like to see what happened that game,&rdquo; he said.Player autographs on the program are considered a bonus provided it is not personalized. &ldquo;To my friend Bob,&rdquo; is a great souvenir if you hap pen to be Bob- or sell it to someone named Bob-but it usually lessens the market value of the item.Condition is not defined the same way cards are. The condition guide most commonly used is the Over street Comic Book Guide. The following is an abbreviated list of conditions and definitions found in that guide:Mint (M): perfect; Near Mint (NM): one minor imperfection such as a rounded comer or a tiny crease; Very Fine (VF): two io five minor imperfections; Fine (F): more than five minor imperfections or one major imperfection such as a severely off center cover; Very Good (VG): more than one major imperfection, loss of gloss on cover; Good (G); many creases on spine, dog-eared comers, faded cover, worn edges; Fair (F): small rips but nothing missing; Poor (P): missing sections or pieces or accumulation of above defects.Old programs can he found at card shows and collectibles shops. Some detective work may be in order to find these hard-to-find items.For currently published magazines, the best way to obtain a copy is to call the team ahead of time and ask they send you a copy for a particular game Be sure to ask that the rosters and scorecard be included.Speculation is uncommon, collect mg programs is still a hobby.The Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto has a large collection of programs and the public is welcome Libraries across North America provide similar access Check it out. &#9632;

f0024-03

WORD TO COLLECTORS: GET WITH THE PROGRAM

<div class="byline">BY CW STAFF</div>For the first time since the 1963-64 season, hockey fans will be able to collect Parkhurst cards.Pro Set has signed an agreement with Dr. Brian Price of Toronto, the owner of the Parkhurst license, to produce two series of cards bearing the Parkhurst name before the end of this season.Price purchased the Parkhurst name in 1985 from the original owners of the company. He is partners with two Toronto-area card store owners.&ldquo;We looked around to see who would fit best with the comeback of Parkhurst,&rdquo; Price said. &ldquo;I talked to some manufacturers and frankly they weren&rsquo;t even interested and others didn&rsquo;t want to meet our conditions. We have a good agreement with Pro Set that&rsquo;s forever.&rdquo;One of the conditions Price set out was a requirement that Pro Set publish its production numbers. Pro Set said it is making 12,500 English cases and 2,500 French cases of Parkhurst. Each case will be numbered.Price said distribution of the product was also an important consideration. His main concern was the French product actually reaches French collectors and doesn&rsquo;t end up being a dealer product like Upper Deck High Number French.Since Pro Set owns the NHL license to make the cards, the company name must appear somewhere on the cards, foil packs and boxes. How-ever, the predominant name on the card will be Parkhurst.Series I, due out early in the new year, will consist of 225 cards, including 10 honoring the active members of the 1,000-point club. Series II will come out just after the playoffs end.The final design of the cards hadn&rsquo;t been determined, but some of the designs on the original Parkhurst cards may be incorporated.&ldquo;The Parkhurst set we are producing is based on what we think the cards would look like today had Parkhurst never stopped production,&rdquo; said Pro Set president Lud Denny.The first set of Parkhurst cards was produced during the 1951-52 season. The company made cards every season except for 1956-57 when no company made NHL cards. Parkhurst ceased production after the 1963-64 season when Topps had taken over much of the market.<h2>PREMIER PRICES</h2>Collectors who paid high prices for O-Pee-Chee Premier hockey last season can expect more of the same this season.O-Pee-Chee has more than doubled its selling price to dealers, from $267.60 to $540 per case. Add in the GST, and the case price increase is $291.47. This season&rsquo;s price works out to $24.08 per box.What will drive up the price of the product further is dealers are being limited to an order of five cases. Last season, dealers were able to order up to 100 cases.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-011439/10219571-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg" title="f0027-01" width="613" height="854"><figcaption class="caption-body">Buying Premier hockey will again be an expensive proposition.</figcaption></div>O-Pee-Chee said the change in purchasing policy was dictated by the &ldquo;unprecedented growth of requests to purchase our sportscards.&rdquo;The new purchasing policy sent to dealers said, &ldquo;we believe that implementation of this new policy will best service the industry by recognizing the needs of the legitimate dealer.&rdquo;Some dealers are pleased with O-Pee-Chee&rsquo;s plan. They say that by limiting orders, it will prevent hoarding of cases which helped drive the cost of 1990-91 Premier hockey to $300 a box and $6,000 a case.&ldquo;Perhaps it will cut out some of the people who are only buying large case lots for investment purposes,&rdquo; said one southwestern Ontario dealer. &ldquo;I know a lot of people are upset by the five-case limit ^because they thought they would cash in by buying up to 100 cases.&rdquo;One dealer who won&rsquo;t be buying Premier hockey this season is Buffalo&rsquo;s Dave Cacciatore. He is upset with the high case price.&ldquo;I would have to sell at $2 a pack to make anything,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to pass on it and put my money elsewhere.&rdquo;<h2>COIN COLLECTIBLES</h2>Every NHL star appears on hockey cards, and now several of them will be appearing on hockey coins produced by Chicagoland Processing Corp.The company, which produced the popular coins for each of the six teams in the Canada Cup, announced the release of a Paul Coffey coin to honor the Pittsburgh Penguin for setting the all-time defenseman scoring record.In addition to Coffey, plans are in the works for several other players to appear on coins including Joe Sakic, Steve Larmer, Grant Fuhr, Al Maclnnis and Patrick Roy.Chicagoland also produced coins for each of the division winners and Stanley Cup champions since 1988.<h2>REPORTED SALES</h2>Our monthly look at reported sales of older hockey cards includes a report of the sale of the oldest hockey card set, the 1910-11 C56 set. The set, in good condition, sold for $ 1,000.Consistently hot are 1951-52 Parkhurst and 1964-65 Topps Tall Boys cards.Reported sales on the &rsquo;51-52 Parkkurst set includes a very good condition Gordie Howe for $1,000 and a very good condition Maurice Richard for $200.It was reported that a near-mint 1964-65 set sold for $5,200 at a Toronto auction while a near-mint checklist from that same set sold for $135. &#9632;

f0027-01

PRO SET COMPLETES PARKHURST COMEBACK

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0028-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-011548/10219602-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">OWEN NOLANQUEBEC NORDIQUES</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0028-01

POSTER

<div class="byline">BY MATT NICHOLLS</div>Professional football Yankee style is arguably North America&rsquo;s most popular spectator sport, but it barely makes the taxi squad in the eyes of Canadian card collectors.Despite the fact many Canadians participate in NFL pools and eagerly follow their favorite team every Sunday afternoon, it&rsquo;s clear hockey (NHL), baseball (Major League) and basketball (NBA) are the hippest sports with card hounds.According to some football dealers in Canada and the U.S., uninspired gridiron card sales north of the 49th parallel is attributed to several factors, the most prominent being almost total anonymity of many NFL players.Each of the NFL&rsquo;s 28 teams has a 45-man roster of which only a few players are recognizable the quarter-back, running backs, wide receivers and in some instances, linebackers.Collectors new to football buy sets in anticipation of landing a big name star-someone such as Detroit Lions&rsquo; running back Barry Sanders or San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana.What they don&rsquo;t expect are six Kent Hill cards (the Bills&rsquo; excellent 6-foot-4, 275-pound center) or four Mike Munchak cards (Houston&rsquo;s six-time Pro Bowl guard).&ldquo;There are so many cards in football sets and most people can&rsquo;t put names with the faces,&rdquo; said Mike Djonlic of The Cardshark in Victoria, B.C. &ldquo;Hockey&rsquo;s easier to understand. When collectors open a pack and get a Rick Zombo, they know who he is.&rdquo;A lack of Canadian content south of the border also contributes, said Duke Scheinman of Smokey&rsquo;s Sportscards in Las Vegas, Nev. When the Montreal Expos and Toronto Blue Jays entered the major leagues in 1969 and 1977 respectively, Canadian interest in baseball cards rose because fans could identify with the players.Because Canada lacks an NFL team, that bond isn&rsquo;t quite the same. Canadians may be willing to purchase a team jersey or pennant, but getting involved in a more time consuming hobby like cards isn&rsquo;t as popular.&ldquo;They&rsquo;re interested, but not to the point where they&rsquo;ll buy cards,&rdquo; Scheinman says. &ldquo;But if the NFL had a Canadian team, it would jump to No. 2 guaranteed.&rdquo;The calendar also plays havoc with football&rsquo;s ranking in the Canadian card market. With the NFL season coinciding with the start of the NHL schedule-not to mention baseball&rsquo;s pennant races-football often gets lost in the shuffle.As Jeff Thome of The Sportcard Network in Ajax, Ont. puts it: &ldquo;It comes at an awkward time because collectors are finishing off their baseball sets and starting on their hockey. Many don&rsquo;t have lime or the extra funds to go full out with football.&rdquo;Steve Morgan, general manager of Toronto-based Lindale Trading, said many Canadians believe football cards don&rsquo;t offer enough long-term investment potential.&ldquo;Many people aren&rsquo;t interested because prices don&rsquo;t fluctuate that much,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;In basketball, you&rsquo;ve got high-profile rookies signing million dollar contracts-like San Antonio&rsquo;s David Robinson. Card prices go up faster and the same holds true for baseball and hockey.&rdquo;There are several examples illustrating large price discrepancies in rookie cards between hockey and football. One of the best can be seen with former New England Patriots&rsquo; lineman John Hannah-arguably the NFL&rsquo;s best lineman of all time- and NHL holdout Eric Lindros.Hannah&rsquo;s rookie card (1974 Topps) is worth about $4. Eric Lindros-who has yet to play a pro game-had his first card valued at four times that and it&rsquo;s growing. &#9632;

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