A Fortnight of Penguins Hits Part 12 of 14: "Le Magnifique" Autographe

Recently, I made a significant purchase for my Pittsburgh Penguins Collection. I found a seller who was unloading a bunch of Penguins cards, and when I combined an itchy trigger finger along with a lack of Ebay self-control, I found myself the new owner of 16 phenomenal cards of Pittsburgh Penguins Players. I didn't want to just unload them all on one post, so I decided to stretch it out to 14, mostly just because I wanted to use the word "fortnight" in the title.

Anyway, here's today's "Fortnight" card:

2011-12 The Cup Mario Lemieux Stanley Cup Signatures 32/50

My second autograph of Lemieux comes from Upper Deck The Cup, and belongs to the same set as the Ron Francis/Paul Coffey card I posted a few days ago. It also comes one year after the Jordan Staal Stanley Cup Signatures card, but I like the 2011-12 version much better. I don't need all of the foiling that was used on the Staal, and instead, prefer this much more simple design. To me, high-end doesn't need all of the extra stuff on it. Give me a colorful card, that makes the signature the star, and I'm a happy collector. This one was smart, in that it gave lots of space to the signature, while still giving space for a full-colored player image.

Once Again, Collectors Lose (Upper Deck Granted Exclusive License From NHL & NHLPA)

Some very disappointing news came out today, when it was announced that  both the NHL and NHLPA reached an exclusive licensing deal with Upper Deck, which will begin with the 2014-15 season. The company had been sharing the license with Panini since 2010, but was previously an exclusive license holder from 2004-2010.

Of course, this news sucks for hockey card collectors, especially those who are fans of Panini's products (like me). Over the past few years, Panini really has made an effort to put out some unique and innovative products. Just look at Dominion, with Engravatures, Tape to Tape and Had It Stamped It, or even with Prime, and cards like Prime Ties, Skates, and Laces, or their Prime Colors patch cards. Now, I also like Upper Deck, but in my opinion, their products rely more on reputation than innovation. We get those Panini products because we want to find the newest type of card, whereas Upper Deck is purchased because it's "Upper Deck" and The Cup is purchased because it's "The Cup."

Now, truth be told, I'm not trying to bury Upper Deck as a company. It's obvious, that the NHL's intention was to go exclusive, because Panini didn't really give them any particular reason to cut ties. The NHL and NHLPA simply decided to go with who they have been with longer.

Hopefully, this doesn't mean that Upper Deck sits back and takes it easy. I really hope they examine Panini's ideas and adopt some of the innovative things they were doing. Even though Panini lost this battle, there were some really cool things they were working on, and I would hate to see them lost forever.

The Winner

The Loser

A Fortnight of Penguins Hits Part 11 of 14: Sid's Sig

Recently, I made a significant purchase for my Pittsburgh Penguins Collection. I found a seller who was unloading a bunch of Penguins cards, and when I combined an itchy trigger finger along with a lack of Ebay self-control, I found myself the new owner of 16 phenomenal cards of Pittsburgh Penguins Players. I didn't want to just unload them all on one post, so I decided to stretch it out to 14, mostly just because I wanted to use the word "fortnight" in the title.

Anyway, here's today's "Fortnight" card:

2010-11 Dominion Sidney Crosby All Decade Signatures 1/24

This is a Dominion card, but for some reason, across the board, the All-Decade cards sell for dirt cheap. That works out well for me, as I was able to get an on-card autograph, from a high-end set, with a low serial-number, for about the same price as most mid-to-low-end unnumbered sticker autos go for. The card is pretty basic, but or some reason, I like that on my high-end cards. I don't need all the bells and whistles, just give me a clean card, with a good surface for the signature, and I'm happy. The focus of the card should be on the autograph, and this one certainly accomplishes that.

Also, just as a teaser, I've been trying to organize these cards from least to greatest, meaning that there are still three more cards that I think are better, or at least cooler, that an autographed Dominion card of Sidney Crosby. So, stay tuned!

A Fortnight of Penguins Hits Part 10 of 14: 2 Penguins, 1 Cup

Recently, I made a significant purchase for my Pittsburgh Penguins Collection. I found a seller who was unloading a bunch of Penguins cards, and when I combined an itchy trigger finger along with a lack of Ebay self-control, I found myself the new owner of 16 phenomenal cards of Pittsburgh Penguins Players. I didn't want to just unload them all on one post, so I decided to stretch it out to 14, mostly just because I wanted to use the word "fortnight" in the title.

Anyway, here's today's "Fortnight" card:

2011-12 The Cup Ron Francis/Paul Coffey Dual Stanley Cup Signatures 7/25

Hey, here's an awesome card, autographed by two hall-of-famers, who won Stanley Cups with my favorite team! Both Francis and Coffey were a part of the Penguins' 1991 Stanley Cup win, and Francis was on the team the following season for the team's second Cup. Coffey was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in the 1991-92 season, but he had already had won three Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers in 1984, 1985, and 1987. There are six Stanley Cups between the two players, but it's cool to have a card that recognizes the one season the stars aligned to have them win one together.

2012-13 Limited Rookie Redemptions are Here!

After close to a year following the product's release, Panini has produced and distributed its XRCs from 2012-13 Limited. The product was produced before lockout restrictions from the NHLPA were announced, which prevented any rookies debuting in the 2012-13 season from appearing on 2012-13 cards. Of course, that now has given us a loaded 2013-14 double rookie class, which has been great for this season's releases.

Since it was unknown at the time, though, Panini included redemptions in 2012-13 Limited and Certified, which would be good for rookies after they made their debut. However, since it turned out that their "rookie cards" would not be produced until the 2013-14 collecting season, these will be considered XRCs for the players involved.

I actually managed to do a redemption replacement for one of them, but I had three remaining. After getting all three in, here's a quick look at them:

Pittsburgh Penguins - Beau Bennett/Olli Maatta 181/499

Toronto Maple Leafs - Morgan Rielly 69/499

New York Rangers - J.T. Miller & Jesper Fast

These are actually good looking cards and fit right in with the base set design. I do, however, wish that they would have just kept it to one player per card, like they did with the Rielly, but if these aren't true RCs anyway, what does it really matter? Anyway, the Bennett/Maatta is staying with me, but the others are up for trade, if anyone''s interested.

A Fortnight of Penguins Hits Part 9 of 14: Pinnacle Penguins Patch of Crosby

Recently, I made a significant purchase for my Pittsburgh Penguins Collection. I found a seller who was unloading a bunch of Penguins cards, and when I combined an itchy trigger finger along with a lack of Ebay self-control, I found myself the new owner of 16 phenomenal cards of Pittsburgh Penguins Players. I didn't want to just unload them all on one post, so I decided to stretch it out to 14, mostly just because I wanted to use the word "fortnight" in the title.

Anyway, here's today's "Fortnight" card:

2011-12 Pinnacle Sidney Crosby Threads Patch 21/25

This card is similar to one I already have, but with a slight difference. I already own the base version of this insert, which contains a solid white jersey swatch. This version not only has a scarce serial number, but features a patch piece in place of the jersey swatch. Pinnacle made its return to the hockey market for the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons, but was cut for the 2012-13 lockout-limiting year. I'm not sure if it will return to hockey this year, but Panini has been producing baseball and basketball cards under the Pinnacle banner, so we shall see.

A Fortnight of Penguins Hits Part 8 of 14: Wang Dang Sweet Letang

Recently, I made a significant purchase for my Pittsburgh Penguins Collection. I found a seller who was unloading a bunch of Penguins cards, and when I combined an itchy trigger finger along with a lack of Ebay self-control, I found myself the new owner of 16 phenomenal cards of Pittsburgh Penguins Players. I didn't want to just unload them all on one post, so I decided to stretch it out to 14, mostly just because I wanted to use the word "fortnight" in the title.

Anyway, here's today's "Fortnight" card:

2011-12 Limited Stanley Cup Signatures 69/99

Like the Jordan Staal I posted a few days ago, this card features a silver signature on a black background, next to a player photo and the Stanley Cup. Unlike the Staal, though, I do not already own this card. For some reason, it took me a while to acquire my first Letang auto, but the ball has certainly begun rolling, as this one brings me up to five. It is easily the second-coolest, right behind my Peerless Patches patch/auto from 2012-13 Dominion.

A Fortnight of Penguins Hits Part 7 of 14: A Crosby Sweater

Recently, I made a significant purchase for my Pittsburgh Penguins Collection. I found a seller who was unloading a bunch of Penguins cards, and when I combined an itchy trigger finger along with a lack of Ebay self-control, I found myself the new owner of 16 phenomenal cards of Pittsburgh Penguins Players. I didn't want to just unload them all on one post, so I decided to stretch it out to 14, mostly just because I wanted to use the word "fortnight" in the title.

Anyway, here's today's "Fortnight" card:

2011-12 Dominion Sidney Crosby Jersey 44/50

This is just a basic jersey card from Dominion, where they essentially take the base card, cut a square out of the bottom, and slap a piece of fabric into it. It's simple, but Dominion finds a way to still make these work every year, without seeming lazy. This is actually my second jersey card of Crosby's from Dominion that year. The first one, however, features a white piece of fabric, so it's just different enough to keep both in my collection.

Olympic Medal-Winning Penguins

Congratulations to the Olympic medal-winning Penguins!

Sidney Crosby: Gold Medal - Canada

Chris Kunitz: Gold Medal - Canada

Olli Maatta: Bronze Medal - Finland

Jussi Jokinen: Bronze Medal - Finland

Four Penguins will be going home with hardware, but there were also three Penguins who left empty-handed:

Brooks Orpik - USA

Paul Martin - USA

Evgeni Malkin - Russia

Win or lose, congratulations to all seven players for being selected to represent their country at the 2014 Olympics.

A Fortnight of Penguins Hits Part 6 of 14: There's "Staal" One More Card of This Guy

Recently, I made a significant purchase for my Pittsburgh Penguins Collection. I found a seller who was unloading a bunch of Penguins cards, and when I combined an itchy trigger finger along with a lack of Ebay self-control, I found myself the new owner of 16 phenomenal cards of Pittsburgh Penguins Players. I didn't want to just unload them all on one post, so I decided to stretch it out to 14, mostly just because I wanted to use the word "fortnight" in the title.

Anyway, here's today's "Fortnight" card:

2009-10 The Cup Jordan Staal Signature Patches 14/75

This one was purchased, not only because it's an autographed patch card from The Cup, but because I needed to replace a card I sold a long time ago. My very first card I ever purchased from The Cup was an autographed patch card of Staal, but I can't find any scans of it, so I'm not exactly sure what set it came from. I really liked the card, but when money was tight and we were about to move up north, I ended up selling a portion of my collection, which included that card. As Staal is no longer with the Penguins, his cards have become even more affordable than they were to begin with, so I made the decision to snatch this card right up.

2 Packs of 2013-14 Totally Certified Hockey

I went to my LCS last week hoping to pick up a box or two of Totally Certified, but by the time I got there, all that was left was two packs. I guess that's a good sign for Panini, or maybe just bad timing, but either way, I picked up the remaining two packs of Panini's latest hit-per-pack offering and here's a quick look at what I pulled:

Pack 1
Base: T.J. Oshie, Taylor Hall, Thomas Vanek, Drew Shore Rookie

Hit: Anthony Peluso Rookie Autograph Jersey Redemption

(Here's an image of a Seth Jones card, just to show you what my Anthony Peluso will look like once it has been redeemed.)

Pack 2
Base: Sergei Bobrovsky, Patrice Bergeron, Shawn Matthias, Drew Shore Rookie

Hit: Valeri Nichushkin Rookie Roll Call Jersey

There you have it. It's a quick sample of what this product can provide. I was happy with both my hits. The Peluso will be a cool card once I get it in the mail, and if not, I'll just get it replaced with something else, and the Nichushkin was a great pull, too. So far, he has played the entire regular season at the NHL level, scoring 13 goals and 15 assists in 55 games. A pretty good start to a promising NHL career.

2013-14 SP Game Used Edition Box Break

After waiting a few weeks for it to show up at my LCS, I finally got my hands on a hobby box of 2013-14 Upper Deck SP Game Used Edition. I busted open a box of the stuff last year, with some amazing results, so I figured I'd try my hand at this year's offering. Each box contains five packs of five cards each, with one autograph or memorabilia card in every pack. Also this year, as in every other product, you get the double rookie class, which gives the rookie content that extra bit of extra top-tier talent.

Here's a video of the break, with scans to follow:

My lone Penguins base card was of Paul Coffey. The Hockey Hall-of-Famer only played a season and a half with Pittsburgh, but won a Stanley Cup with the team in 1991, to go with the three he had already won while with the Edmonton Oilers.

My one dual jersey card if of Boston Bruins defensemen Zdeno Chara and Ray Bourque. Next to Bobby Orr, Bourque is considered to be the second greatest defenseman in franchise history, and Chara is right up there with him. I do like with this card that even apart from the same team that they went with a theme for matching the two players up. It also helps that they are two top-notch players. That's always nice.

I ended up with three Rookie Fabrics cards, the first one being of Anaheim Ducks goaltender Victor Fasth. The rookie goaltender played split time with Jonas Hiller during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, getting the Ducks off to a great start with a 8-0-0 record. He finished the season 15-6-2, and now is serving as Hiller's backup for the 2013-14 season.

My second Rookie Fabrics card was of Bruins defenseman Dougie Hamilton. He was selected ninth overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, with a pick acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Phil Kessel Trade. In return for Kessel, Toronto sent a 1st round pick in 2011 (Hamilton), a 1st round pick in 2010 (Tyler Seguin), and a 2nd round pick in 2010 (Jared Knight). Hamilton made his NHL debut in 2012-13, playing the full lockout-shortened season in the NHL.

My third Rookie Fabrics card is of Detroit Red Wings goaltender Petr Mrazek, and it is a bit different. This one is a gold parallel, numbered 28/34, to match his jersey number. A fifth round draft pick (141st overall) in 2010, Mrazek made his NHL debut during the 2012-13 season. He only played in three games, but did pretty well, posting a 2-1-0 record with a 2.02 GAA and .922 save ptg.

My final hit of the box was a big one. A couple of years ago, I pulled an autographed jersey card of Neely from 2011-12 Limited, but soon after, I ended up posting it on Ebay, getting a lot less in return that I wanted, and have regretted that one more than any other card I have posted. So, that being said, I was very happy to be able to add a Neely autograph to my collection. Even apart from that, any time you can add an autograph of an NHL Hall-of-Famer to your collection, that's a good thing.

With my second box of SP Game Used being opened, I'm 2-for-2 on pulling at least one major hit. As far as I'm concerned, this is a product that is absolutely worth a look for anyone wanting to take a chance on a box of hockey cards.

A Fortnight of Penguins Hits Part 5 of 14: He Could've Been Toews

Recently, I made a significant purchase for my Pittsburgh Penguins Collection. I found a seller who was unloading a bunch of Penguins cards, and when I combined an itchy trigger finger along with a lack of Ebay self-control, I found myself the new owner of 16 phenomenal cards of Pittsburgh Penguins Players. I didn't want to just unload them all on one post, so I decided to stretch it out to 14, mostly just because I wanted to use the word "fortnight" in the title.

Anyway, here's today's "Fortnight" card:

2010-11 The Cup Stanley Cup Signatures 1/50

This one comes from Upper Deck's super-premium The Cup set, and features its namesake big and bold on the right-hand side of the card. I have a few Staal autographs, but unlike yesterday's card, this is one that I don't already have. The card features foil everywhere, except for the player image and white space for the signature, which do a great job of spotlighting both elements. Here's the interesting thing about Staal, though. The Pittsburgh Penguins drafted him second overall in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, right behind defenseman Erik Johnson. Number three that year was Jonathan Toews. So, in theory, had that draft gone differently, you could have a Penguins team with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Jonathan Toews at the center position. Of course, there's also the fact that you'd have to keep all three once their contracts were up, along with Kris Letang, Pascal Dupuis, etc., and there's also the fact that Toews' biggest asset is his leadership, which would be diminished on this roster, but still, it's amazing to think of the possibility.

A Fortnight of Penguins Hits Part 4 of 14: Yeah, I Already Have This Card

Recently, I made a significant purchase for my Pittsburgh Penguins Collection. I found a seller who was unloading a bunch of Penguins cards, and when I combined an itchy trigger finger along with a lack of Ebay self-control, I found myself the new owner of 16 phenomenal cards of Pittsburgh Penguins Players. I didn't want to just unload them all on one post, so I decided to stretch it out to 14, mostly just because I wanted to use the word "fortnight" in the title.

Anyway, here's today's "Fortnight" card:

2011-12 Limited Stanley Cup Signatures 78/99

This card is from 2011-12 Limited Stanley Cup Signatures, and features a cool-looking silver signature in front of a black background. The design makes all the elements (player, cup, & signature) stand out, without one overshadowing the other. I actually pulled this card from my very first pack of Limited that I ever opened, and this card, along with a prime jersey card of Sidney Crosby, are a big reason that Limited made such a great first impression on me. Like I said, I already have this card, and there's really no reason for me to own a second one, but I got a good deal on it. If anyone wants to trade for this one, let me know. Otherwise, I'm sure I'll re-list it at some point.

A Fortnight of Penguins Hits Part 3 of 14: A Duo of Despres

Recently, I made a significant purchase for my Pittsburgh Penguins Collection. I found a seller who was unloading a bunch of Penguins cards, and when I combined an itchy trigger finger along with a lack of Ebay self-control, I found myself the new owner of 16 phenomenal cards of Pittsburgh Penguins Players. I didn't want to just unload them all on one post, so I decided to stretch it out to 14, mostly just because I wanted to use the word "fortnight" in the title.

Anyway, here are today's "Fortnight" cards:

From 2011-12 Prime: Simon Despres Prime Time Rookie 62/99 & Prime Signatures 12/99

Despres was one of four Penguins rookies in 2011-12 products, but so far, is the only one who has yet to find permanent residency in the NHL. Center Joe Vitale and defenseman Robert Bortuzzo have spent the entire 2013-14 season in Pittsburgh, and defenseman Brian Strait is playing for the New York Islanders. Despres, however, is right on the edge, going back-and-forth between Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, as injuries occur. Luckily, Pittsburgh has had a hard time fielding a healthy team this year, so Despres has had a few opportunities at the top level.

Trade with Wax Stain Rookie

I sent a few cards to Dave at Wax Stain Rookie about a month ago, and while I wasn't expecting any cards in return, I'll never turn any away either. He sent me two packages filled with Penguins cards and set builders, and I was very happy with what was included.

I got four Sidney Crosby cards for my Crosby Collection: 2006-07 Power Play, 2007-08 Ultra Gold Medallion, 2009-10 Upper Deck Face of the Franchise, 2005-06 Parkhurst Season Highlights. The grand total now sits at 296 total cards, which is a pretty good start.

I also got some retro-ish Penguins cards. The Mario Lemieux and Rob Brown cards are sticker inserts from 1989-90 Topps, and the Helmet & Stick Decals card is an insert from 1979-80 Topps Helmet & Stick Decals. The circular logo is a mystery to me. I'm not sure where it came from, but I always appreciate any Penguins oddballs I can get my hands on.

Lastly on the Penguins front, I also got these: 2007-08 McDonald's In the Crease Marc-Andre Fleury, 2011-12 ITG H&P Marc-Andre Fleury, 2007-08 MVP Marc-Andre Fleury, 2009-10 McDonald's Evgeni Malkin, 2006-07 BeeHive Evgeni Malkin Wood Parallel, 2012-13 Certified Simon Despres/Kimmo Timonen Patch to the Cup 207/399, 2011-12 Certified Max Talbot Certified Champions

He also sent me a few set-builders:
2013-14 Select - 17 Cards
2013-14 Upper Deck - 13 Cards (Series 1 now complete!)
2013-14 Prizm - 1 Card
2011-12 Certified - 3 Cards

Thanks for the cards, Dave! There wasn't any need for it, but I certainly appreciate all the new cards for my collection.

A Fortnight of Penguins Hits Part 2 of 14: Hey, It Was Cheap

Recently, I made a significant purchase for my Pittsburgh Penguins Collection. I found a seller who was unloading a bunch of Penguins cards, and when I combined an itchy trigger finger along with a lack of Ebay self-control, I found myself the new owner of 16 phenomenal cards of Pittsburgh Penguins Players. I didn't want to just unload them all on one post, so I decided to stretch it out to 14, mostly just because I wanted to use the word "fortnight" in the title.

Anyway, here's today's "Fortnight" card:

2010-11 Zenith Mark Letestu Rookie Roll Call Jersey

First of all, Zenith cards scan horribly. I don't know what you'd call the type of foiling used on these cards, but they just don't work on a scanner. That being said, they do look pretty nice in person. Letestu spent only one full season (2010-11) with the Penguins, before being traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets early in the 2011-12 season for a fourth round pick. Since then, he has become a mainstay with Columbus and has earned himself an alternate captaincy with the team.

Even though he is no longer with the team, it's still a Penguins card, and besides, this is all I paid for it:

Trade with Sportscards from the Dollar Store

Doug from Sportscards from the Dollar Store has been one of my favorite traders so far, not only because of all the set-building help he has given, but also because of the nature of our trades. Instead of actually negotiating something, we usually just send a stack of cards whenever we get them. It's as simple as that, and as far as I can tell, neither of us ever end up disappointed.

Here's a quick look at the most recent trade package he sent me.

2011 Canadiana Angela James Mega Memorabilia Jersey
This one is going into my Hockey HOF Relic Project and features 2010 HOF inductee Angela James. James is featured in her team Canada red and white, and the jersey swatch is inside of a die-cut maple leaf. I think the only way this card could be more Canadian would be if I dunked it in Maple Syrup and poured a bottle of Molson over it.

2013-14 Score Marc-Andre Fleury Gold Parallel
This one doesn't fit any of my set needs specifically, but a gold parallel of Pittsburgh's top goaltender? I'll take it!

Lastly, here's a look at all of the set-builders he sent my way:
2013-14 Prizm - 19 cards
2013-14 Select - 5 Cards
2013-14 Upper Deck - 16 Cards
2013-14 Artifacts - 1 Cards
2013-14 lack Diamond - 1 Cards
2011-12 Titanium - 2 Cards
2011-12 Certified - 7 Cards

Thanks for another great trade, Doug! As soon as I get my hands on some Senators, I'll be sure to send them your way.

A Fortnight of Penguins Hits Part 1 of 14: Drop the Base (Cards)

Recently, I made a significant purchase for my Pittsburgh Penguins Collection. I found a seller who was unloading a bunch of Penguins cards, and when I combined an itchy trigger finger along with a lack of Ebay self-control, I found myself the new owner of 16 phenomenal cards of Pittsburgh Penguins Players. I didn't want to just unload them all on one post, so I decided to stretch it out to 14, mostly just because I wanted to use the word "fortnight" in the title.

Anyway, here are today's "Fortnight" cards:

2011-12 Prime Sidney Crosby 192/249
2012-13 Limited Marc-Andre Fleury 64/299

While, yes, neither of these cards would be classified by most people as "hits," that's why I'm knocking them out right away. Besides, for being base cards, they still are pretty awesome. The Crosby comes from Panini's inaugural Prime release, and goes right into my Sidney Crosby Collection. The Fleury is from the most recent release of Limited, and while I'm not collecting him in the same way I collect Crosby, I do love me some Limited.

J.M. Piotrowski Autographed Puck

With the Fargo Force hosting Family Fun Day on Sunday, naturally, it gave me a great excuse to bring the girls out to the game. Although the Force lost 5-3, we were actually treated to a very competitive game. The home team got up to an early 2-0 lead. (Both goals were scored while my two-and-a-half-year-old and I were on a hot dog run). They kept the lead going throughout the game, until two quick goals were scored by the Lincoln Stars halfway through the third to give them a 4-3 lead. Lincoln then closed out the game with an empty-netter.

Still, we had a fun time, as we always do, and although my 5-year-old has no desire to play (I'm still working on that one), she loves watching hockey. After the game's conclusion, we were able to meet forward J.M. Piotrowski, who signed a puck for me, and a Force cowbell for her.

What the girls really got a kick out of, though, was getting to meet Spiderman, who was taking pictures with all of the younger fans, before doing the ceremonial puck drop at the beginning of the game.

2013-14 Panini Select Box Break #3 (Feat. a BIG Toews hit!)

Earlier this week, I stopped by my local card shop, looking not only to pick up some supplies, but a box or two as well. I wasn't sure of what to lay my cash down for, and while a box of 2013-14 ITG Heroes and Prospects was tempting, once my LCS owner informed me about the $20 price drop on 2013-14 Panini Select, I was as good as sold. I still have plenty of cards left for my set, and with four autographs guaranteed, I figured it was a good investment.

As it turns out, I managed to not add 21 cards to my set, which is getting closer to completion by the day, but I managed to pull what has so far been my best pack pull of the early 2014 calendar year.

Anyway, apart from the base cards, here are the inserts, parallels, and hits that I pulled from my box.

Prizm Parallel: Antti Niemi, Ryan Kesler, Claude Giroux, Marian Gaborik
With a 200-card checklist featuring both great and not-so-great players, I did pretty well with my four Prizm parallels.

Inserts: Ryan Getzlaf Cornerston, Marcel Dionne Honored Selections, Alex Chiasson Select Future, Vladimir Terasenko Fire On Ice, Patrick Kane Fire On Ice
Scans really don't do these cards justice. Every one of the Select inserts, especially Cornerstone and Honored Selections look absolutely phenomenal in person. 

Lane MacDermid Select Signatures Prizm Parallel /25
Select Signatures is what I refer to as the sticker dump of this set. I say that because, when looking at the checklist, it is filled mostly of players who were rookies in the last few years who still have yet to pan out. Still, the fact that I have a redemption from that set means that maybe that's an unfair assumption. Either way, this Lane MacDermid card comes from the Prizm parallels, and if nothing else, maybe the low serial-numbering can work to my benefit when I inevitably request a replacement four months down the line.

Jarred Tinordi Rookie Autograph Prizm 81/99
Not bad. I'll take a serial-numbered parallel, especially one from a member of the Montreal Canadiens, not because I am interested in that team, but because it tends to add a little bit to Ebay sales. Still, even if I decide to hold on to it, I'll have an autographed rookie card of one of Montreal's brightest young prospects.

Jamie Tardif Rookie Autograph
Select, being an early -season release, was forced to put pictures of players in their former uniforms, designating the transaction on the right side of the card. While being pictured as a member of the Boston Bruins, Tardif went over to Buffalo as a free agent. I'm not sure if it would have mattered, though, as Tardif has not yet made his regular-season debut with Buffalo, spending the 2013-14 season with the AHL's Rochester Americans.

Jonathan Toews Select Stars 18/25
Easily the best hit out of the three boxes of select that I have opened up so far, Select Stars is one of the few auto sets to feature some of the game's best players. With Select being one of the earliest products to feature bot sides of the double rookie class, the product mostly focuses on those rookies. These are quite a rarity, too. There are 44 cards in the Select Stars set, with the base level being numbered to just 25 copies. Not only did I pull a card that's pretty rare to begin with, but I managed to get one of one of the very best players in the game. By the age of 25, Toews has won an Olympic Gold Medal, a Frank J. Selke Trophy (best defensive forward), a Conn Smythe Trophy (Playoff MVP), and has captained his team to two Stanley Cups (2010, 2013).

Well, this was certainly a very successful box break for me, and I'm sure there will be one or two more on the horizon. I still have plenty of base cards left to go, and I think the inserts and hits on this one have made it worth another shot. Even without the big hit, Select still has some of the best looking cards of the 2013-14 hockey card season thus far.