I was Googling us the other day (don't give me that look -- you do it too) and came across a mention of a card pulled in our shop a few months ago.
Turns out The Hamiltonian is your source for all things Josh Hamilton -- even word about his impending surgery for what may be a sports hernia after crashing into a wall in the process of making a great catch. Hopefully his recovery will be speedy and the Rangers will get him back right after the All-Star Break.
Hamilton's a great story -- you can read his own words here in an ESPN The Magazine piece -- and if you get some neat Josh Hamilton cards or stuff, I think you know who to talk to now!
Check out our web site at Hit The IceBox!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Mark and John hit it big!
Mark and John stopped by before the spelling bee being held in the Kozlov Centre on Saturday and picked up a few packs of 08-09 UD MVP Hockey.
They were glad they did, pulling the 2-On-2 quadruple-swatch game-used jersey of Sidney Crosby, Dany Heatley, Rick Nash and Jason Spezza. Congrats, guys!
Friday, January 16, 2009
Friday, November 28, 2008
Bringing Henderson's goal home to the HHOF
Pat Stapleton recently finally admitted he has the puck from Paul Henderson's famous 1972 Summit Series goal. Of course, people are now going nuts about what Stapleton should do with it -- donate it to the Hockey Hall of Fame, selling it at auction, keep it.
I made a similar suggestion to the following for the Barry Bonds home run ball, and I'll suggest it now for Labatt's, Research In Motion or some similar Canadian company:
1) Determine a fair market price for the puck.
2) Labatt's writes a cheque in that amount to Pat Stapleton. They also write another cheque for the same amount in the name of every single player on the '72 team and give it to Stapleton's favourite charity.
3) Labatt's, Stapleton and whichever team members want to attend then hold a press conference and donate the puck to the HHOF.
Whatever Labatt's (or whomever) pays for the puck, the company will get 10 times the amount of positive publicity for the gesture, the puck ends up in the Hall of Fame where it belongs and everyone goes home happy.
Oh, and I'll promote the card show/autograph signing surrounding the '72 players being in town. :D
I made a similar suggestion to the following for the Barry Bonds home run ball, and I'll suggest it now for Labatt's, Research In Motion or some similar Canadian company:
1) Determine a fair market price for the puck.
2) Labatt's writes a cheque in that amount to Pat Stapleton. They also write another cheque for the same amount in the name of every single player on the '72 team and give it to Stapleton's favourite charity.
3) Labatt's, Stapleton and whichever team members want to attend then hold a press conference and donate the puck to the HHOF.
Whatever Labatt's (or whomever) pays for the puck, the company will get 10 times the amount of positive publicity for the gesture, the puck ends up in the Hall of Fame where it belongs and everyone goes home happy.
Oh, and I'll promote the card show/autograph signing surrounding the '72 players being in town. :D
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
The Scourge of Pack Searching
Adam McFarland over at The Sports Lizard has an interesting article on pack searching where he used calipers to find the thick packs in a football box.
Adam actually picked a product that is a little weird in this respect, as Donruss tends to seed its autographs in packs that don't have a memorabilia card. Other possibilities for search were raised by readers, including weighing the packs.
And it's not even that tough. There are any number of products that come out every year that can easily be searched. 2007-08 Upper Deck SPx, for example, generally contains four jersey cards per 18-pack box. It's very easy to feel which packs have the jerseys in them because UD doesn't put decoys in the other packs.
There are tons of other examples, and they are the reason we don't allow customers to pick their own packs.
The more insidious problem, however, is store owners searching the boxes. I pledge to you that we don't, and here's why -- we have a reputation to maintain. We have a large enough number of regular customers that even if we decided to go the dishonest route, they would quickly ascertain that we were searching our boxes and stop frequenting us.
We also regularly tell our customers to be careful purchasing from retail outlets because no one at Wal-Mart is watching for searchers. Of course, there's already so few good cards in most retail products, it's tough to pull anything great even if you aren't cheating.
As for eBay, caveat emptor is the best policy. It's possible the best boxes have been pulled from cases, or boxes have been opened and resealed -- and I would never purchase a single pack on line, period.
If you have concerns, ask us, whether you're buying from us or anyone else. We're here to help. But as for us and pack searching -- never have, and never will.
There are also a couple of other blogs linked in Adam's article -- be sure to jump over and read those also.
Adam actually picked a product that is a little weird in this respect, as Donruss tends to seed its autographs in packs that don't have a memorabilia card. Other possibilities for search were raised by readers, including weighing the packs.
And it's not even that tough. There are any number of products that come out every year that can easily be searched. 2007-08 Upper Deck SPx, for example, generally contains four jersey cards per 18-pack box. It's very easy to feel which packs have the jerseys in them because UD doesn't put decoys in the other packs.
There are tons of other examples, and they are the reason we don't allow customers to pick their own packs.
The more insidious problem, however, is store owners searching the boxes. I pledge to you that we don't, and here's why -- we have a reputation to maintain. We have a large enough number of regular customers that even if we decided to go the dishonest route, they would quickly ascertain that we were searching our boxes and stop frequenting us.
We also regularly tell our customers to be careful purchasing from retail outlets because no one at Wal-Mart is watching for searchers. Of course, there's already so few good cards in most retail products, it's tough to pull anything great even if you aren't cheating.
As for eBay, caveat emptor is the best policy. It's possible the best boxes have been pulled from cases, or boxes have been opened and resealed -- and I would never purchase a single pack on line, period.
If you have concerns, ask us, whether you're buying from us or anyone else. We're here to help. But as for us and pack searching -- never have, and never will.
There are also a couple of other blogs linked in Adam's article -- be sure to jump over and read those also.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Welcome to our newest collector!
Big Mike Jenkins, one of our best customers and a big baseball guy, has a new addition to his family -- 8 lb, 2 oz Chelsea! Congratulations, Mike!
The IceBox II -- The Empire Strikes Back!
Okay, so it isn't that big a deal, but we're in our new digs! The store is more than 2,000 square feet, with a big pack wall (and only getting bigger), plenty of singles, NHL RBK replica jerseys, gameworn items, replica masks, autographs, framed pieces, custom framing ... well, you get the idea!
In addition, we now have The Brick Collectible Comfort Zone ready for your viewing and relaxing pleasure! Thanks to the fine folks at The Brick, we now have:
* A 52-inch Samsung plasma screen HD TV
* An 11-foot leather sectional couch with a pair of recliners
* A full wireless surround-sound system and DVD/iPod/CD/XM receiver
* A nice foldout coffee table for breaking boxes!
Stop by and check us out, and we'll post pictures soon!
In addition, we now have The Brick Collectible Comfort Zone ready for your viewing and relaxing pleasure! Thanks to the fine folks at The Brick, we now have:
* A 52-inch Samsung plasma screen HD TV
* An 11-foot leather sectional couch with a pair of recliners
* A full wireless surround-sound system and DVD/iPod/CD/XM receiver
* A nice foldout coffee table for breaking boxes!
Stop by and check us out, and we'll post pictures soon!
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Say hello to Mario in Sweet Shot!
We just picked up a few more tins of 2007-08 Upper Deck Sweet Shot Hockey, and Clarence stopped by to pick up a card and decided to try his luck with a tin with oddball numbering in relation to the others on the shelf.
As his reward, he nailed the Sweet Show Stick Signatures Mario Lemieux autographed stick card numbered 12/15. Nice pull, Clarence!
As his reward, he nailed the Sweet Show Stick Signatures Mario Lemieux autographed stick card numbered 12/15. Nice pull, Clarence!
A kind word to the folks at Inkworks!
Just a shout out to the folks at Inkworks, makers of fine non-sport cards such as Family Guy and The Simpsons, among others. I was fortunate enough to meet Inkworks owner Allan Caplan at a distributor's day a few years back, and he is a super-nice guy.
One of our customers, Chris, picked up a box of Scooby Doo 2 and cracked it with his kids. They were fortunate enough to pull the redemption for an autographed Alicia Silverstone card.
Unfortunately, the redemption expired September 30, 2004!
Both I and another of my customers advised Chris to send in the redemption anyway, just to see if there was any chance of getting the autograph. Lo and behold, in his mailbox this morning:
Thanks, Allan, and everyone else at Inkworks!
One of our customers, Chris, picked up a box of Scooby Doo 2 and cracked it with his kids. They were fortunate enough to pull the redemption for an autographed Alicia Silverstone card.
Unfortunately, the redemption expired September 30, 2004!
Both I and another of my customers advised Chris to send in the redemption anyway, just to see if there was any chance of getting the autograph. Lo and behold, in his mailbox this morning:
Thanks, Allan, and everyone else at Inkworks!
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Kane do!
We've blown through more than a case of the new 2007-08 SP Authentic since Thursday! Congrats to Marty, who nailed the Patrick Kane FW authographed rookie card in the last pack of his box!
Of course, he also pulled the die-cut HoloFX Sidney Crosby in the first pack -- nice box!
We're out temporarily, but we will have boxes back in stock on Monday! Grab them before they go even higher!
Of course, he also pulled the die-cut HoloFX Sidney Crosby in the first pack -- nice box!
We're out temporarily, but we will have boxes back in stock on Monday! Grab them before they go even higher!
Friday, March 28, 2008
A little insight into our autograph business
We've recently had a discussion over on the Spawn boards about bringing in players for autograph signings. Rather than rehash everything here, here's a link to that conversation.
If you have any questions, feel free to make a comment here or send me an email.
If you have any questions, feel free to make a comment here or send me an email.
Friday, February 8, 2008
What's up with this year's SP Game Used?
Every year I'm a huge fan of Upper Deck's SP Game Used. Even two years ago when the player selection for the base jerseys was awful, I cracked boxes and wholeheartedly recommended it to my customers.
This year, the cards are fantastic. Dual jerseys as the base memorabilia cards, lots of interesting patch inserts and autographed cards -- UD really could have hit a home run here.
Instead, there are tons and tons of damaged cards coming out of packs. Take a look at the people breaking it on the Beckett Hockey forum -- complaints galore. I have pulled two patch cards and both of them have had huge chunks out of the sides.
When will this stop? It's annoying for me, because by the time I get these cards back from UD, the resale value will be half of what it is now. For customers, it's frustrating to pony up big $$$ for a box and then get cards that look as if Richard McWilliams has been tap dancing on them.
I also don't know if this is substantiated or not, but I've heard the reason SPGU was delayed was so Upper Deck could work on quality control in these cards. I hope that's not true.
I trust Upper Deck to make good on these cards -- they generally do. I also understand damage will happen (despite the fact I mailed out an entire box of damaged cards last year for a customer and never received anything back from Upper Deck). But there's no excuse for the frequency with which these cards are coming out trashed.
This product will still sell and sell well. Heck, I'm still going to crack another box. But come on, UD -- pick it up a little. This is embarrassing.
This year, the cards are fantastic. Dual jerseys as the base memorabilia cards, lots of interesting patch inserts and autographed cards -- UD really could have hit a home run here.
Instead, there are tons and tons of damaged cards coming out of packs. Take a look at the people breaking it on the Beckett Hockey forum -- complaints galore. I have pulled two patch cards and both of them have had huge chunks out of the sides.
When will this stop? It's annoying for me, because by the time I get these cards back from UD, the resale value will be half of what it is now. For customers, it's frustrating to pony up big $$$ for a box and then get cards that look as if Richard McWilliams has been tap dancing on them.
I also don't know if this is substantiated or not, but I've heard the reason SPGU was delayed was so Upper Deck could work on quality control in these cards. I hope that's not true.
I trust Upper Deck to make good on these cards -- they generally do. I also understand damage will happen (despite the fact I mailed out an entire box of damaged cards last year for a customer and never received anything back from Upper Deck). But there's no excuse for the frequency with which these cards are coming out trashed.
This product will still sell and sell well. Heck, I'm still going to crack another box. But come on, UD -- pick it up a little. This is embarrassing.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
A golden oldie from this year's O-Pee-Chee!
People have been raving about this year's O-Pee-Chee, and I don't blame them. A nice low price point, tons of RCs and a shot at pulling out a quad jersey or something even cooler.
Customer Stewie's definitely raving after nailing this beauty out of a box purchased from The IceBox on Christmas Eve:
That's right -- a 74-year-old card! When the redemption comes in, we'll put up a scan for you! Congrats to Stewie!
Customer Stewie's definitely raving after nailing this beauty out of a box purchased from The IceBox on Christmas Eve:
That's right -- a 74-year-old card! When the redemption comes in, we'll put up a scan for you! Congrats to Stewie!
Sunday, December 23, 2007
A customer goes Bolland in UD Ultimate!
Okay, it was a lousy pun, but Adam's not laughing. He's now pulled these two beauts from packs of 2006-07 Upper Deck Ultimate:
We're still carrying Ultimate at $369.99 per box or $94.99 per pack. Stop by and try your luck!
We're still carrying Ultimate at $369.99 per box or $94.99 per pack. Stop by and try your luck!
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Crosby Ice RC /99 BGS 9.5 on eBay!
Just for fun, you might to keep your eyes on this beauty. I think it could hit $4K easily, and I wouldn't be surprised to see someone hit the BIN.
We had two of these bad boys last year -- man, do I miss them!
Thanks for the head's up, Big Bob!
We had two of these bad boys last year -- man, do I miss them!
Thanks for the head's up, Big Bob!
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Gretzkymania runnin' wild!
Chris stopped by this afternoon and busting a pack of our newly cheaper 2006-07 UD Ultimate at just $99.99 a pack, and pulled a Wayne Gretzky autographed jersey out of 50!
Not to be outdone, Adam dropped in just a few minutes later, bought a box of Ultimate (for just $369.99!) and pulled a Gretzky Ultimate Signatures autographed card!
That's right -- two Gretzky autos in five minutes! Top that!
Here are their smiling mugs, and the sweeeeeet cards!
Not to be outdone, Adam dropped in just a few minutes later, bought a box of Ultimate (for just $369.99!) and pulled a Gretzky Ultimate Signatures autographed card!
That's right -- two Gretzky autos in five minutes! Top that!
Here are their smiling mugs, and the sweeeeeet cards!
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Props to the Canadian dollar!
Thanks to the strength of the Canadian dollar, prices are falling on many products! Check these changes out:
* 2005-06 UD Series II Hobby -- was $4.49 per pack or $84.99 per box; now $3.99 per pack or $74.99 per box!
* 2006-07 UD Ultimate -- was $119.99 per pack or $429.99 per box; now $99.99 per pack or $369.99 per box!
* 2006-07 Fleer Hot Prospects -- was $9.49 per pack or $129.99 per box; now $6.99 per pack or $99.99 per box!
There are more great deals to be had! Call us for great case pricing with no-hassle CANPAR shipping inside Canada -- and no customs fees either!
* 2005-06 UD Series II Hobby -- was $4.49 per pack or $84.99 per box; now $3.99 per pack or $74.99 per box!
* 2006-07 UD Ultimate -- was $119.99 per pack or $429.99 per box; now $99.99 per pack or $369.99 per box!
* 2006-07 Fleer Hot Prospects -- was $9.49 per pack or $129.99 per box; now $6.99 per pack or $99.99 per box!
There are more great deals to be had! Call us for great case pricing with no-hassle CANPAR shipping inside Canada -- and no customs fees either!
Hello, Quad!
No scan on this one, but Dave opened the rest of a box of 2006-07 BAP and pulled the quad auto of Peter Forsberg, Nicklas Lidstrom, Daniel Alfredsson and Markus Naslund! Numbered 1/10, this one is a beaut!
Nice pull, Dave!
Nice pull, Dave!
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
One nifty Ultimate pull!
Chris, one of our very best customers and a big help in the store, came in last night and pick up a couple of packs of 2006-07 UD Ultimate.
He did okay on the first break, pulling a Malkin Ultimate Signatures auto, but the second box had something a little juicier in it:
This card is listed on eBay and will close on Sunday, Sept. 16.
Nice pull, Chris!
He did okay on the first break, pulling a Malkin Ultimate Signatures auto, but the second box had something a little juicier in it:
This card is listed on eBay and will close on Sunday, Sept. 16.
Nice pull, Chris!
Friday, July 27, 2007
A big hit in The Cup!
Mike came in last week and bought a box of 2006-07 Fleer Hot Prospects. It bore a serial number ending in "66".
Just to get people a little geeked up, I make a habit of looking at the last two numbers of the serial numbers on the boxes, and then mentioning a corresponding player. "Hey, it can't be Lemieux," I said, "but it could be Staal or Malkin, right?"
Well, Mike came in tonight and reported he had indeed pulled out a Jordan Staal patch auto.
Our attention turned to the two tins of The Cup sitting on the shelf.
A "98" ... and a "99".
That was it -- Mike was sold, and he opened his tin in the back of the store right before close. He did get a Gretzky base card, but both of us were just a little happier with his pull in the middle of his pack.
Look more closely -- Mike's son Liam has good reason to look a little shocked.
Here, I'll help with the optics:
That's right -- the dual NHL Shield 1/1 card of Toronto Maple Leafs Darcy Tucker and Michael Peca! AMAZING!!
Congrats to Mike and Liam, and we'll let you know right here if he decides to sell it!
Just to get people a little geeked up, I make a habit of looking at the last two numbers of the serial numbers on the boxes, and then mentioning a corresponding player. "Hey, it can't be Lemieux," I said, "but it could be Staal or Malkin, right?"
Well, Mike came in tonight and reported he had indeed pulled out a Jordan Staal patch auto.
Our attention turned to the two tins of The Cup sitting on the shelf.
A "98" ... and a "99".
That was it -- Mike was sold, and he opened his tin in the back of the store right before close. He did get a Gretzky base card, but both of us were just a little happier with his pull in the middle of his pack.
Look more closely -- Mike's son Liam has good reason to look a little shocked.
Here, I'll help with the optics:
That's right -- the dual NHL Shield 1/1 card of Toronto Maple Leafs Darcy Tucker and Michael Peca! AMAZING!!
Congrats to Mike and Liam, and we'll let you know right here if he decides to sell it!
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Photos from the Vezina Show!
Thanks to everyone who came by Shoppers World in Brampton for the Vezina Winners Show in Brampton! I know I'm a little late in getting these photos up, but hope you enjoy!
Tony Esposito is not only a friendly guy, but one of the snappiest dressers in the sports world!
Johnny Bower is always a big hit with the fans. He also said he approved the art work for his new McFarlane figurine due out in December, just in time for Christmas -- and The IceBox will have plenty of them!
Ed Giacomin chats with a big fan -- see more below! Giacomin was extremely personable and looks like he could hop back in goal right now (we hear Phoenix could be interested!)
This young lady had a Rangers jersey with "FAN" and "1" on the back, and said she had worn it several times to Madison Square Garden. Ed was so impressed he invited her around the table and we had to shoot pictures! If our Rangers fan will contact me through the web site or this blog, we'll get you copies of this photo!
Denis DeJordy was a big hit with fans. Here he signs a beautiful 16x20 piece for one of our best customers.
Not only did Charlie Hodge draw well, but he also was a real trooper at the end of his signing time! We had several people show up right at 1 p.m., but Charlie stuck it out and signed for everyone -- even a couple people who had to catch him having lunch!
Finally, Bernie Parent is always a favourite of ours and the fans too! Bernie signed, told stories and generally kept us all entertained through the afternoon. I understand he even made it out of the parking lot safely, even with Glenn giving the directions!
Thanks again to everyone who came out, and watch the web site for more big signings coming up in the near future! We also have plenty of signed photos and pucks left for sale, along with our gorgeous 11x14 Vezina Winners prints signed by all six goalies and limited to 100!
Tony Esposito is not only a friendly guy, but one of the snappiest dressers in the sports world!
Johnny Bower is always a big hit with the fans. He also said he approved the art work for his new McFarlane figurine due out in December, just in time for Christmas -- and The IceBox will have plenty of them!
Ed Giacomin chats with a big fan -- see more below! Giacomin was extremely personable and looks like he could hop back in goal right now (we hear Phoenix could be interested!)
This young lady had a Rangers jersey with "FAN" and "1" on the back, and said she had worn it several times to Madison Square Garden. Ed was so impressed he invited her around the table and we had to shoot pictures! If our Rangers fan will contact me through the web site or this blog, we'll get you copies of this photo!
Denis DeJordy was a big hit with fans. Here he signs a beautiful 16x20 piece for one of our best customers.
Not only did Charlie Hodge draw well, but he also was a real trooper at the end of his signing time! We had several people show up right at 1 p.m., but Charlie stuck it out and signed for everyone -- even a couple people who had to catch him having lunch!
Finally, Bernie Parent is always a favourite of ours and the fans too! Bernie signed, told stories and generally kept us all entertained through the afternoon. I understand he even made it out of the parking lot safely, even with Glenn giving the directions!
Thanks again to everyone who came out, and watch the web site for more big signings coming up in the near future! We also have plenty of signed photos and pucks left for sale, along with our gorgeous 11x14 Vezina Winners prints signed by all six goalies and limited to 100!
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Crosby Future Watch RC hit!
Paul just came back in to pick up a few things and reported he nailed a Sidney Crosby Future Watch autographed rookie out of his box of 2006-07 SP Authentic he purchased a couple weeks ago! We just keep hitting the Penguins stuff!
We'll have a photo of his pull up soon -- no trading, though, it's going out for grading!
We'll have a photo of his pull up soon -- no trading, though, it's going out for grading!
Monday, July 2, 2007
Oh, the wrong box (but the right one for a customer!)
I was feeling lucky Saturday, so I cracked a box of 2006-07 Upper Deck Series I. I didn't get anything too exciting, but it's hard to complain with the quality of rookies available in the set.
Our part-timer, Colin, however, called on Sunday to tell me that another lucky customer bought the other Series I box and pulled the Crosby checklist High Glossy! Congrats to our mystery customer!
In other news, we had three big strikes in a row out of 2006-07 Fleer Hot Prospects:
Box 1) Jordan Staal two-colour patch auto RC out of 199!
Box 2) Hotagraph pack with a Sidney Crosby auto!
Box 3) Phil Kessel redemption patch auto RC out of 199!
With a guaranteed auto patch RC in every boxes, plus 2-3 jerseys and the chance of a five-auto pack, these boxes are becoming more popular by the day! Swing by and grab one -- or a case!
Our part-timer, Colin, however, called on Sunday to tell me that another lucky customer bought the other Series I box and pulled the Crosby checklist High Glossy! Congrats to our mystery customer!
In other news, we had three big strikes in a row out of 2006-07 Fleer Hot Prospects:
Box 1) Jordan Staal two-colour patch auto RC out of 199!
Box 2) Hotagraph pack with a Sidney Crosby auto!
Box 3) Phil Kessel redemption patch auto RC out of 199!
With a guaranteed auto patch RC in every boxes, plus 2-3 jerseys and the chance of a five-auto pack, these boxes are becoming more popular by the day! Swing by and grab one -- or a case!
Friday, June 22, 2007
Oh, my achin' jaw!
After an extended bout with a jaw infection and a burned-up fuel pump (hey, Saab's are great -- until you get the repair bill!), we're back and writing again. Thanks to Dr. Steven Mocrae in the Kozlov Centre for the diagnosis and the quick prescription.
Reviews seem to be pretty mixed about this year's Upper Deck Ultimate. I've only seen a couple packs broken here, and it's nice stuff -- but as always with the higher-dollar product, your results will vary wildly from pack to pack.
I haven't cracked a box yet -- and I'm not sure if I will -- but it keeps calling to me from the shelf right over my left shoulder where I type this. I may give in b the end of the weekend.
In other news, we have placed our preorder for The Cup, and we'll be getting only one case to start. If you want to get your tin(s) (limit two per customer) in advance, let me know via email or through the web site. Tins will be $449.99 each plus tax. I think that's pretty reasonable, but we won't hold them -- you can only buy them in advance.
We also just had a nice run of consignment stuff sell, from a large whack of Blue Jays game jerseys courtesy of Ed Belfour to a bunch of nice high-end cards. Up next through our eBay store (eBay ID: hit_the_icebox) is a nice group of 1952-53 Parkhurst single with both set fillers and a couple beauts, some gameworn Blackhawks jerseys and a few other choice goodies!
On preorder this week: 2007 Benchwarmer Gold Edition at $114.99 + tax per box; 2007 UD Premier Football at $299.99 + tax per box; 2007 Razor Poker (6 autos per box!) at $119.99 + tax per box. Call or email with questions!
Reviews seem to be pretty mixed about this year's Upper Deck Ultimate. I've only seen a couple packs broken here, and it's nice stuff -- but as always with the higher-dollar product, your results will vary wildly from pack to pack.
I haven't cracked a box yet -- and I'm not sure if I will -- but it keeps calling to me from the shelf right over my left shoulder where I type this. I may give in b the end of the weekend.
In other news, we have placed our preorder for The Cup, and we'll be getting only one case to start. If you want to get your tin(s) (limit two per customer) in advance, let me know via email or through the web site. Tins will be $449.99 each plus tax. I think that's pretty reasonable, but we won't hold them -- you can only buy them in advance.
We also just had a nice run of consignment stuff sell, from a large whack of Blue Jays game jerseys courtesy of Ed Belfour to a bunch of nice high-end cards. Up next through our eBay store (eBay ID: hit_the_icebox) is a nice group of 1952-53 Parkhurst single with both set fillers and a couple beauts, some gameworn Blackhawks jerseys and a few other choice goodies!
On preorder this week: 2007 Benchwarmer Gold Edition at $114.99 + tax per box; 2007 UD Premier Football at $299.99 + tax per box; 2007 Razor Poker (6 autos per box!) at $119.99 + tax per box. Call or email with questions!
Saturday, June 9, 2007
A little help!
A customer brought it this patch today. It's about eight inches across and could be linked to the Beehive family of memorabilia?
Do you know what it is? Email us!
Update: Ken from the Bee Hive Hockey Photo Museum has written and informed us this is actually a 1957-58 Star Weekly crest with a value of around $200 in mint condition. Check out his web site, which has just about everything you'd want to know about Bee Hive memorabilia available!
Thanks, Ken!
Puppies and coincidences ...
It's Saturday morning, and as usual, I start the day off by making up some of our world-famous $5 grab bags. If you're not familiar with them, I put in 10-12 cards of each of four different issues, then add star, rookie or vintage cards in between. Each bag also contains a 5x7 card and either a jersey, autographed or numbered card. They're a great buy.
So the phone rings and it's Mitch and his mother asking about a Mark Visheau card. I do a search on hockeydb.com and find that he has only one NHL issue in the 1998-99 Pacific Omega, and because that set isn't very popular, it would difficult to find a single of him.
I tell Mitch's mom they'd probably be best served to do an eBay search for Visheau. While we're talking, I do an eBay search for Visheau and turn up a copy of his RC, which he shares with Josh Green. I glance at the photo -- and it's the set of cards I had just been sorting into grab bags!
I ask her to hold on a moment, go to the sorting tables and sift through a few bags I had already partially put together -- and there it is, the 1998-99 Pacific Omega #116 Mark Visheau RC!
The odds of me having this card readily available are pretty slim normally, but to have had it in my hands just seconds before the customer called? Suffice it to say, I'll be buying a Lotto 6/49 ticket this afternoon.
It turns out Visheau is going to be purchasing a dog from Mitch and wanted a card for him to sign. The family has fifteen purebred Golden Retriever puppies right now, so if you're interested, you can reach them at (705)322-4438.
So the phone rings and it's Mitch and his mother asking about a Mark Visheau card. I do a search on hockeydb.com and find that he has only one NHL issue in the 1998-99 Pacific Omega, and because that set isn't very popular, it would difficult to find a single of him.
I tell Mitch's mom they'd probably be best served to do an eBay search for Visheau. While we're talking, I do an eBay search for Visheau and turn up a copy of his RC, which he shares with Josh Green. I glance at the photo -- and it's the set of cards I had just been sorting into grab bags!
I ask her to hold on a moment, go to the sorting tables and sift through a few bags I had already partially put together -- and there it is, the 1998-99 Pacific Omega #116 Mark Visheau RC!
The odds of me having this card readily available are pretty slim normally, but to have had it in my hands just seconds before the customer called? Suffice it to say, I'll be buying a Lotto 6/49 ticket this afternoon.
It turns out Visheau is going to be purchasing a dog from Mitch and wanted a card for him to sign. The family has fifteen purebred Golden Retriever puppies right now, so if you're interested, you can reach them at (705)322-4438.
Friday, June 1, 2007
Adam strikes in SP Authentic again!
Okay, I have to tell the full story now.
A few days ago, Adam came back in with his prize pull from a box of Upper Deck SP Authentic. It was the dual Sign Of The Times Evgeni Malkin/Mario Lemieux -- and it came out of a box that's serial number ended in "71"!
When he came in, I was out of SP Auth boxes, so he bought the remaining 12 packs I had in the box on the shelf. Before he left, though, Stew came in with an order from our supplier, Grosnor, and in the order were more boxes of SP Authentic. Adam asked if he could swap the 12 packs back toward a full box, which I of course did.
When Adam left, Stew bought the 12 packs Adam had put back -- and pulled the triple Malkin/Lemieux/Fleury redemption. I felt terrible for Adam, as he could have had both the double and the triple Penguins!
Today, Adam came back in -- and I don't feel bad for him after all.
Those are the three big cards he pulled from the box he bought Tuesday -- an Anze Kopitar autographed Future Watch RC, a triple SOTT Staal/Heatley/Nash, and the redemption for this year's SOTT Sidney Crosby!
Adam picked up another box while he was in. I'm almost scared to see what he comes back with this time!
A few days ago, Adam came back in with his prize pull from a box of Upper Deck SP Authentic. It was the dual Sign Of The Times Evgeni Malkin/Mario Lemieux -- and it came out of a box that's serial number ended in "71"!
When he came in, I was out of SP Auth boxes, so he bought the remaining 12 packs I had in the box on the shelf. Before he left, though, Stew came in with an order from our supplier, Grosnor, and in the order were more boxes of SP Authentic. Adam asked if he could swap the 12 packs back toward a full box, which I of course did.
When Adam left, Stew bought the 12 packs Adam had put back -- and pulled the triple Malkin/Lemieux/Fleury redemption. I felt terrible for Adam, as he could have had both the double and the triple Penguins!
Today, Adam came back in -- and I don't feel bad for him after all.
Those are the three big cards he pulled from the box he bought Tuesday -- an Anze Kopitar autographed Future Watch RC, a triple SOTT Staal/Heatley/Nash, and the redemption for this year's SOTT Sidney Crosby!
Adam picked up another box while he was in. I'm almost scared to see what he comes back with this time!
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
It's a plethora of Penguins!
No, the plethora didn't involve those guys, but on back-to-back days two different customers pulled big Pittsburgh cards!
Adam yanked the short print Sign Of The Times dual autographed card of Mario Lemieux and Evgeni Malkin. The next day, Stewie pulled the SOTT triple autographed card of Lemieux, Malkin and Marc-Andre Fleury! Awesome!
This year's Upper Deck SP Authentic, in case you didn't know, is smoking hot! In addition to the normal autographed rookies, duals, triples and more, many autographs that ended up not being released last year (long story -- ask me about it) are seeded in this year's boxes. That means 3-4 autos per box, plus rookies and short prints!
It's drying up already, so if you're interested, come in and grab some now!
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Welcome to our newest feature!
If you're a customer of The IceBox, you know we love to share information and talk about card collecting, gameworn jerseys, autographs and everything else to do with hockey and sports.
Unfortunately, trying to make changes to a web site and add all this good stuff is tough, because it keeps moving information about upcoming signings and new products down the page at our store web site, Hit The IceBox. So now there's this blog to allow me to add little tidbits about box breaks, new products, big pulls and whatever else strikes me.
Feel free to leave your comments (no profanity, please!) and hopefully we'll have a new way of communicating!
Thanks!
Unfortunately, trying to make changes to a web site and add all this good stuff is tough, because it keeps moving information about upcoming signings and new products down the page at our store web site, Hit The IceBox. So now there's this blog to allow me to add little tidbits about box breaks, new products, big pulls and whatever else strikes me.
Feel free to leave your comments (no profanity, please!) and hopefully we'll have a new way of communicating!
Thanks!
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