The One and Only: Looking at Iginla Serial Numbers

The picture of the stadium was too impressive to scale down, so the cards associated with it are on page 4.

 

I’m always looking for new ways to explore and enjoy my Iginla pc, and this is an idea that has been floating around in my head for awhile now. We’re all familiar with true one of a kind cards (#1/1), but this show and tell is about a different kind of one of a kind cards. Each of these cards is the only example of that particular serial number in my Iginla pc. As an example, the 2003/04 Titanium Patch #/155 is the only card to have that serial number. On the other end of the scale there are 529 different Iginla cards #/10, a massive number of cards sharing the same serial number. When I first started thinking about highlighting these cards, I wanted to tie them in with something else, so that it wouldn’t just be a long list of cards. That’s how the “largest, tallest, fastest, & longest” items come into play. Each of them is the “one and only” in it’s area, so for example Mount Everest is the one and only tallest mountain in the world, the blue whale doesn’t share the distinction of being the largest mammal with any other animal, etc. My idea is to share  small random groups of cards and connect them with an item from the largest, tallest, fastest, & longest categories. There are 67 Iginla cards that fit that description, I own 58 of them. This will be a long term project for me, so for now I will be showing 20 cards. Other pages with new cards will be added to this thread as I complete the pages.

 

 

Here are some additional pages that I just finished.

 

 

 

 

 

This newest page includes something new, VIDEOS!! With the recent update to Book Creator you can now embed all kinds of things onto your pages, including YouTube videos. This is an exciting development for me, as I want to explore how I can use this feature when documenting my Iginla collection.

 

September, 2018

 

 

With the Windsor Castle page I now have all 58 of my cards displayed. I thought it would be neat to put all of the pages together onto one page as a great way to review the entire book. I guess I need to practice my counting, as I only put 15 pages instead of 16 onto that final page. So here is the review page, and below it is the review page plus page 16. At a later date I’ll revisit this and fix it.

 

 

This has been a very enjoyable project, and once again shows the versatility of Book Creator. I will continue to find ways to catalog and display my Iginla collection in this way.

 

October, 2018

 

I recently pulled in the card #/555.

 

Millenium: The BUG Didn’t Bite Me, But BAP Did

My wife and I bought our first computer back in 1984. It was an Apple IIC, and was a 7.5 lb notebook-sized version of the Apple II that could be transported from place to place.

I’m surprised that I didn’t go blind from staring at the screen while playing some of my favorite games such as Pirates, Sundog, The Seven Cities of Gold, & Colonial Conquest. (I’ve still got them)

Gradually I started hearing more about IBM machines from my friends, until in 1989 I got my first Windows based computer, a 286. Upgrades to 386, 486, & Pentium followed over the years, and my gaming experiences broadened with games such as Civilization, Warcraft II, and Age of Empires. Even the opening videos for these games were spellbinding to me.

I have to admit, there were more than a few days when the sun was coming up and I was just going to bed.

[url]https://www.giantbomb.com/warcraft/3025-4/games/[/url]  (Warcraft)

[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rd7zcKYZKU[/url]   (Evolution of Age of Empires)

But I had also discovered the record keeping side of the computer, by using Microsoft Works (kind of like Excel) to keep track of my collections. The computer had become an integral part of my life, and life was good.

Then in the late 90″s a new term starting appearing in more and more conversations, “Y2K” (Millenium Bug). It referred to upcoming problems that computers might have with the switch over to the new millenium in the year 2000. Major corporations and governments were studying the problem and preparing plans of action.

Y2K (Millenium Bug)

Of course all that talk created opportunities to create several different kinds of merchandising, I’ve even got a t-shirt.

I do remember the heightened sense of uncertainty at the time, and it was something that I worried about. When January 1, 2000 rolled around I wasn’t sure what to expect when I turned my computer on. In the end everything turned out ok, and the new millenium didn’t affect my computing experience.

Now to turn this over to the hockey side of things. There is a 1999-2000 BAP Millenium Series put out by In The Game, Inc. There was one card produced for my Iginla pc, card #39, but it has a bazillion parallels. Not only different colored parallels (eg. emerald, ruby, sapphire), but also a Signatures & Signatures Gold card. The parallel numbers really ramp up when you start looking at the show cards. We have the All-Star Fantasy, the Anaheim National, Chicago Sun-Times, Japan Sports Card Show, & the Toronto Spring Expo. They all have different colored parallels as well. You don’t see them listed very often, and I was fortunate to pull in a few show cards recently.

 

I’ve never seen the Chicago or Japan versions for Iggy in this series.

Iginla: 4 Years of Pacific Revolution

Pacific Revolution cards make an appearance in my Iginla pc for 4 seasons. They start in 1997-98 and go through the 2000-01 season. If you like shiny cards and chasing parallels, then Revolution fits the bill. For 1997-98 we have 5 cards with different colored foil, but no serial numbers. I’ve seen a red parallel listed in a checklist, but I have it on good authority from several fellow hobbyists that the red version was never produced. The 1998-99 season saw 3 cards, and we now have serial numbers appearing on the back of the cards.

 

In 1999-00 there were 9 cards produced, including one of the oddest Iginla cards in my pc. It was described as an “ornament”, and came with a cord included so that you could hang it on your Christmas tree. I am missing the Copper and Premiere Date cards from this series. There are also a couple of very tough parallels that I managed to pull in, the CSC gold (1/1) and CSC silver (#/25) parallels. CSC stands for Continental Sports Cards, a dstributor of hockey cards in Canada.

 

 

Lots of parallels again for 2000-01, and we now have the addition of a jersey and a patch variation card. The 4 color patch variation card is a recent acquisition from eBay, just proves that if you keep searching those older cards can still show up. I’ve included scans of the backs of the parallel cards so that you can see the serial numbers.

 

Iginla: Artistic Impressions 2002-2003

Released on April 11, 2003, there were 5 cards per pack, 20 packs per box, and 7 boxes per case. A box sold for around $70 US, and there was a case incentive framed and signed jumbo card (Case Topper). Rather than using game photos for the cards, Upper Deck used artist renderings.

This is a smallish set, and I haven’t quite completed it, but the cards were too colorful to ignore. I am missing the Retrospectives Gold card (#/25), but I believe all of the other cards are here. To my knowledge there is no silver parallel in the base set. There is also some artwork that is part of this series: a) Original Artwork (#24 in the set), and b) Original Artwork Signed (#5 in the set), both of which I am missing. I was fortunate to pick up the Signed Case Topper from my buddy Chris (forsberg21), something that I am very grateful for. I had to take a picture of it from the side in order to have the signature show up. When I tried taking a picture from straight ahead you can’t see the auto.

Here is a link to the checklist, with a picture of the Iginla from the Original Artwork Signed Set as a bonus.

http://www.checklistcenter.com/ninja…c-impressions/

 

Warriors of Ice

 

This small group of 6 cards comes from 2009-2010 Collector’s Choice. It’s a neat idea for a series, and I thought I’d put together a page using Book Creator to display the cards. There is a card for Jarome Iginla in the group, which is one of the reasons that I chased the group.

The Bees are Buzzing: A Visit to Iggy’s Bee Hive 2003-2004

 

The 2003-2004 season was a memorable one for Jarome Iginla. Not only did he win the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy (shared with Ilya Kovalchuk and Rick Nash), but also the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, which is awarded to the NHL player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice, and who has made a significant humanitarian contribution to his community.

Iggy was also named a 2nd team All-Star for his performance during the season. The Flames made it to the Stanley Cup finals, and became the first team to defeat the 1st, 2nd and 3rd seeded teams in their conference en route to the Stanley Cup finals.

There were 10 cards produced for Iggy in the Bee Hive series for the 2003-2004 season. One of them is an oversize 5″x7″ card, a nice change from the usual cards that are made. My UD PROMO card just arrived, so here is the group in it’s entirety.

 

 

Here are a couple of pages to continue the Bee Hive theme. I believe that I do have all of the Iginla cards for that season.

2018 FIFA WORLD CUP SOCCER HOST CITIES

 

The 2018 FIFA World Cup was hosted by Russia, and was the first World Cup to be held in Eastern Europe. There were 32 teams, and matches were played in 12 venues across 11 cities (Moscow had 2 stadiums in use).

Stadiums  (from Wikipedia)

A total of twelve stadiums in eleven Russian cities were built and renovated for the FIFA World Cup.

• Kaliningrad: Kaliningrad Stadium. The first piles were driven into the ground in September 2015. On 11 April 2018 the new stadium hosted its first match.

• Kazan: Kazan Arena. The stadium was built for the 2013 Summer Universiade. It has since hosted the 2015 World Aquatics Championship and the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. The stadium serves as a home arena to FC Rubin Kazan.

• Moscow: Luzhniki Stadium. The largest stadium in the country was closed for renovation in 2013. The stadium was commissioned in November 2017.

• Moscow: Spartak Stadium. The stadium is a home arena to its namesake FC Spartak Moscow. In accordance with the FIFA requirements, during the 2018 World Cup it is called Spartak Stadium instead of its usual name Otkritie Arena. The stadium hosted its first match on 5 September 2014.

• Nizhny Novgorod: Nizhny Novgorod Stadium. The construction of the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium commenced in 2015. The project was completed in December 2017.

• Rostov-on-Don: Rostov Arena. The stadium is located on the left bank of the Don River. The stadium construction was completed on 22 December 2017.

• Saint Petersburg: Saint Petersburg Stadium. The construction of the stadium commenced in 2007. The project was officially completed on 29 December 2016.  The stadium has hosted games of the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup and will serve as a venue for UEFA Euro 2020.

• Samara: Samara Arena. The construction officially started on 21 July 2014. The project was completed on 21 April 2018.

• Saransk: Mordovia Arena. The stadium in Saransk was scheduled to be commissioned in 2012 in time for the opening of the all-Russian Spartakiad, but the plan was revised. The opening was rescheduled to 2017. The arena hosted its first match on 21 April 2018.

• Sochi: Fisht Stadium. The stadium hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2014 Winter Olympics. Afterwards, it was renovated in preparation for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup and 2018 World Cup.

• Volgograd: Volgograd Arena. The main arena of Volgograd was built on the demolished Central Stadium site, at the foot of the Mamayev Kurgan memorial complex. The stadium was commissioned on 3 April 2018.

• Yekaterinburg: Ekaterinburg Arena. The Central Stadium of Yekaterinburg has been renovated for the FIFA World Cup. The arena’s stands have a capacity of 35,000 spectators. The renovation project was completed in December 2017.

Panini produced a series of cards for the World Cup, with a variety of interesting sets included. The host city set has 11 cards, and fortunately they appeared with regularity on eBay. I was able to pick up the last 3 cards that I needed by mid September.

I want to give a shout out to Chris, an employee at COMC (@CheckOutMyCards), who helped me complete the set. Due to high shipping costs from some of the eBay auctions, I  sent a few  cards to my COMC account. Apparently while donating some cards to their charity account I had accidently included my Kazan card. I was unaware of that at the time, and it wasn’t until much later that I realized that it was missing from my inventory. By that time Kazan listings  had dried up on eBay, so I contacted the COMC help department, and Chris was able to quickly find the card and move it back into my inventory for shipping. Much appreciated Chris!

I used Book Creator to create this page. The Saint Petersburg and Moscow cards inspired me to try some funky colours/designs in the background. You’ll also notice a qr code at the bottom right of my page, it will lead to a video on YouTube that shows details of the cities and stadiums. I love the fact that I can make my page interactive. At some point down the road I might print out smaller versions of my Book Creator pages and frame them. With my smart phone in hand I can view some awesome videos to enhance my viewing pleasure. I also want to thank the people from Vexels.com for allowing people to use their wonderful map (with attribution).

 

<a href=”https://www.vexels.com/vectors/preview/146832/russia-2018-host-cities-map”&gt; Russia 2018 host cities map </a> | designed by Vexels

Iginla set completion: Upper Deck MVP

 

With Iggy’s retirement things have slowed a bit, although there are still high end cards to chase (ie. Splendor). This is giving me a chance to organize my cards and revisit some of the early cards that I haven’t looked at for awhile. With my pc approaching 3300 cards there is definitely a need for a system to be in place so that I’m not just bouncing around from box to box.  My preferred method is to look at small year sets, and follow that series up through the years. This thread will be looking at Upper Deck MVP cards, and I’ll only be showing completed sets. I’m going to start at the beginning with the 1998-1999 set, which is comprised of 5 cards. They are: base #34, Silver Script, Gold Script #/100, Super Script #/25, and ProSign (auto). I’ve managed to complete the first 5 years of MVP cards, so I’ll be adding up to the 2002-2003 season as I complete the pages.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Player Plaque: Joe Szura

 

Born in Fort William, Ontario, Joe Szura played his junior hockey with the home town Fort William Canadiens from 1956-57 until the end of the 1958-59 season. That was followed by nine seasons in the minors, playing for teams in the EPHL and AHL. He was the playoff scoring leader in  1963-64, helping the Cleveland Barons win  the AHL Calder Cup. Over 9 games he scored 13 goals and assisted on 6 more for 19 points. His best offensive season came 2 years later (1965-66), also with the Cleveland Barons, when he scored 46 goals and had 30 assists for 76 points. That led to him being named to the AHL First All-Star Team. Claimed from Montreal by the California (soon to be Oakland) Seals of the NHL in the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft, (9th round, #53 pick), he played 20 games with them in the 1967-68 season, and added a full season in 1968-69. Then it was back to the AHL for 3 seasons before jumping to the WHA.  He was selected by the Los Angeles Sharks in the 1972 WHA General Player Draft, and played one season with them. In September of 1973 he was traded to the Houston Aeros, playing on a team that included Gordie, Mark, & Marty Howe. The Aeros won the Avco World Trophy that year. He lost his spot in the lineup for the following year, and finished his career after playing 10 games with the Cape Cod Codders of the NAHL-Sr.

Some of his notable teammates over the years included Gilles & J.C. Tremblay, Willie O’Ree, John Ferguson, Bob Baun, and Gordie Howe along with his sons Mark and Marty. If you look at the card that I created you can see that he played over 1000 games, and played in parts of 3 different decades. To me that shows a true dedication to the game of hockey!

Player Plaques: Larry Hale

 

Larry Hale played in 7 leagues and on 8 teams during a career that spanned from 1962-1979.

NHL Expansion opened up a lot of opportunities for hockey players in the minor leagues. On June 11, 1968 he had been claimed by Minnesota from Seattle (WHL) in the Inter-League Draft. The next day he was claimed by Philadelphia from Minnesota in the Intra-League Draft. His break into the the lineup came because of an injury to Dick Cherry – Don Cherry’s brother.

The World Hockey Association started up in 1972, and opened up more possibilities for players. Hale played 3 full seasons with Philadelphia, and was briefly Atlanta property after the Flames drafted him in the 1972 NHL Expansion Draft. He never did sign with Atlanta, and jumped to the Houston Aeros of the WHA.

As a member of the Houston Aeros of the WHA he played on two teams that won the Avco World Trophy, and was a teammate of Gordie Howe and his sons Marty and Mark. Ron Grahame, one of the goalies on the team said, “With the defense we have, it’s no secret why we won. Larry Hale, John Schella and Poul Popiel block shots or force play wide, resulting in long shots from the side. If I can’t stop those shots, I shouldn’t be playing.”

http://thirdstringgoalie.blogspot.com/2012/05/1976-77-houston-aeros-ron-grahame.html

He played for 6 seasons with the Aeros before heading out west in 1978 to play one final season with the Spokane Flyers of the Pacific Hockey League. 

 

Looking at Larry Hale’s card reminds me of one of my favorite scenes from Beverly Hills Cop II (1987).  Paul Reiser as Det. Jeffrey Friedman is in Inspector Todd’s office, looking for information to help Det. Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy). When Inspector Todd returns, Reiser utters one of the funniest lines in the movie, “This is not my office”. I think we would understand if Larry Hale looked at his card and said, “This is not my team”.

Splendor: Normally I’d be talking about the Sun King, but …

As a wannabe historian, mention the word splendor to me and the first thing that pops into my head is Louis XIV, the Sun King. It’s an automatic reaction, I can’t help myself. Louis XIV was king of France from 1643-1715, and it was during his reign that the palace of Versailles was expanded and became the principal royal residence. Versailles is a wonderful example of splendor in all areas (eg. furnishings, grounds, architecture, etc.).

 

Since Upper Deck has now introduced the name Splendor into it’s hockey products, it’s time to start making a new hockey connection with that word. There are 16 cards for Jarome Iginla in Splendor, with 4 of them being 1/1 cards. My focus has been on pulling in the other 12 cards, and I now have 11 of them. The Silver Sticks card is still in the mail, so I won’t be including it at this time.  For those of you unfamiliar with Splendor, there are a couple of parallels within the group of cards that I’m showing. Cards numbered out of 5 (gold parallel), 11 (red parallel), 22 (silver parallel), and 36 (base) come in a bordered and borderless version. There is a black & white base #/27, a black & white copper parallel #/12, and a black & white gold parallel #/6.

 

The card that I am missing is the Borderless Gold Parallel #/5.

 

 

I made the scan large so that hopefully you can see the serial numbers. If you have old eyes like mine, here is a list of how the cards are displayed.

Left side top to bottom: Bordered Gold Parallel #/5, Bordered Red Parallel #/11, Borderless Red Parallel #/11

Middle: Black & White Gold Parallel #/6, Black & White Copper Parallel #/12, Black & White Base #/27

Right side top to bottom: Bordered Silver Parallel #/22, Borderless Silver Parallel #/22, Bordered Base #/36, Borderless Base #/36

It’s nice to see that Iggy is maintaining a presence in a higher end product without having a ton of cards to chase. Hopefully I can find that last card that I need. Book Creator was used to create the pages, I hope you enjoy the show.

 

UPDATE

 

Thanks to the generosity of one of the local collectors that I know from Hobby Insider (HI) I’ve managed to pull in the Borderless Gold parallel #/5 that I needed.  The updated Book Creator page is shown above. The Silver Sticks card has arrived, so I’ll include it here as well.