2012-13 Panini Limited Box Break #3

Along with the box of Between the Pipes that I picked up this weekend, I also grabbed me another box of 2012-13 Panini Limited. I'm a huge fan of this line, and whenever I have money to burn, and I'm not sure what to pick up, it's always a safe bet. Each box contains three hits and four non-hits, but every card, hit or not, is serial numbered.

I've posted my Limited breaks in many different ways, but for this one, since there are only seven cards in the box, I figured I'd just go down the list from least to best

7. Nathan Gerbe base card 99/299
Gerbe is a left-winger for the Sabres and finished the year with 5 goals and 5 assists in 42 games. During the season, Gerbe took part in the Ticket for the Troops program, in which he donated Sabres tickets to soldiers. Another fun fact about him is that at 5'5" he is currently the shortest player in the NHL.

6. New York Rangers Rookie Redemption
Due to the lockout, the NHLPA is not allowing companies to print official rookie cards of players debuting in the 2012-13 season until their 2013-14 releases. To get around that, Panini printed rookie redemption cards, which will be redeemed for rookie cards of those players once they are able to be released. The Rangers redemption will most likely be for center J.T. Miller, the club's 1st round pick in 2011.

5. Joe Nieuwendyk Stanley Cup Winners 19/199
These are some of the best looking insert cards throughout Limited this year. They have a bright, shiny, silver background, with the Cup placed front and center in all its glory. Nieuwendyk is a multiple cup winner, getting it in 1989 with the Calgary Flames, 1999 with the Dallas Stars, and 2003 with the New Jersey Devils. He was the Stars GM  up until a couple weeks ago, when he was relieved of his duties with the team.

4. Pavel Datsyuk Silver Parallel (10/49)
The nice thing with Limited, is that not only do they change up the foil with their parallels, but the background of the card as well. This Datsyuk is Limited to just 49 copies and with there being some average players (like Gerbe) in the set, it's always nice to pull one of a player of this caliber.Datsyuk has earned his fair share of hardware in the NHL, too, being awarded the Frank J. Selke Award (best defensive forward) in 2008, 2009, and 2010, the Lady Byng Trophy (sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct) in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009, and the Stanley Cup in 2002 and 2008.

3. Cody Goloubef Phenoms Auto/499
The Phenoms cards are the manufactured patch cards with a canvas of white for the player's signature. They really are fantastic-looking, and I shouldn't have to wait too long for this, as some of the actual signed cards themselves are on Ebay. Anyway, Goloubef played in just one NHL game during the 2011-12 season to earn him this card, but the defenseman picked it up this year, making to 11 games, and picked up his first NHL goal Feb. 11 against the San Jose Sharks.

I copied an image off of Ebay of one that has already been redeemed, so once I get the card, here's what it'll look like:

2. Joe Sakic Limited Jersey 77/99
Just a great-looking card of a great player. The long-time captain played his entire career with the Nordiques/Avalanche franchise, picking up 625 goals and 1,016 assists to go with his two Stanley Cups. As if that wasn't enough, Sakic is apparently the reason that this year's likely No. 1 draft pick, Seth Jones, is even playing hockey in the first place. When Seth's dad, Popeye, was playing basketball for the Denver Nuggets, he ran into Sakic and asked him for advice on helping his kids become better players, as they had begun playing in-line hokey for fun with friends. Sakic, knowing that their father's genes would give them size and athleticism, told him to have his boys work on their skating. Seth actually begun taking figure skating lessons at age five, before transitioning to ice hockey the following year. Now, years later Sakic may very well be part of the Avalanche front office that drafts Jones witht he first pick of the 2013 NHL entry draft.

1. Ron Francis Limited Travels 55/99
Three boxes in and I FINALLY get me a Penguins hit! Not only that, but how cool is this card!!! The idea behind limited travels is that it takes the different destinations a player has had, and not only picture them in those teams but include swatches from jerseys of those actual teams as well. ITG actually takes the time to do this with almost all of their releases, so it's nice to see Panini putting in the extra effort. The only downside is that all three swatches are white, BUT that is made up for by the fact that you can actually see the evolution of jersey fabric in these three swatches, with the different type of material he wore with Hartford, Pittsburgh, and finally, Carolina.

Well, that's it for this box. So far, out of three boxes, all three of my guaranteed autographs have been from the Phenoms set, which is a little lacking on the rookie quality, due to the lockout. Still, my memorabilia hits were pretty stinkin' good, and I LOVE getting what I'll call the "evolution of jersey fabric" card of Ron Francis. It's definitely a keeper, and one more for my Hockey HOF Relic Project.

I'm keeping the Francis and Sakic, but all the others are up for trade. I haven't scratched off the two redemptions yet, just in case there are any Rangers or Blue Jackets fans who want to take a bit, but if I haven't heard anything by Friday, I'll scratch them off and keep them for my greedy self.