Wax Stain Wednesday will be a regular feature on Dirty Dangle. Our pal Dave at Wax Stain Rookie is an avid autograph and card collector and has some cool experiences to share with us. Warning: these posts may make you want to buy a Beckett and get those dusty hockey cards out from under your bed that you hide from your girlfriend like a secret porn collection.
So what I will try and do is share a little bit of info about the box, who might want to buy the product, as well as share my opinion on the product. Also, I am going to give away one of the box hits by the end of the review.
First ever Wax Stain Review is:
This product was released Feb 23rd, 2012 and this
is the second box I have opened from this release. For those curious, this is
what my first
box looked like.
Details:
11-12 Heroes and Prospects Set Size 200 Base Cards
Product price: Originally the boxes where about $89.99, but
I landed this box for $63.95 as a buy it now on eBay.
Each Box should yield at least (on average)
140 Base Cards
2-3 Special Non-Memorabilia Insert Cards
15-16 Heroes and Prospects Point Cards (Can be used to exchange for cool insert cards if you
collect enough)
2-3 Autograph Cards
2-3 Game Used Memorabilia Cards
A typical box will yield a combination of 4-5 Auto or Memorabilia
cards, with an advertised 4 “hits” per box.
Who does this product target:
This set is great for collectors who like Junior and AHL hockey, or
want to collector future NHL superstars before they have NHL cards on the
market. Also included are a few stars from years past including players like
Cam Neely, Henri Richard, Teemu Selanne or Brad Park. It is a fun set to put
together and there is a good range of players from the CHL and AHL. Most
players are just emerging as NHL’er or are in position to be drafted reasonably
high in the upcoming NHL draft(s).
Product Value:
Because this product doesn’t feature NHL players in their uniforms or
even has an NHL license, there are no “true” rookie cards in this set. But, as
of right now the only card manufacturer with an Aaron Ekblad autograph on the
market is ITG so they do have some cool aspects there.
The base set “books” in the Oct 2013 Beckett Hockey magazine for 50
dollars and the typical base card lists for 40 cents. The most expensive card
in the set is Nathan Mackinnon who books for 5 dollars. The value in this
product is primarily in the inserts. The
product does offer some really rare cards limited to 1 copy which makes them
both valuable and hard to obtain. Other inserts like a Nathan Mackinnon auto
are currently listed at a value of about 150 dollars with many other inserts
booking in the 15-100 dollar range. The typical game used card books around 15
dollars but you can often find them for sale online for less or more depending
on the player.
Base Cards:
With 200 base cards in the set, getting 140 out of a box allows you to
get a good start on completing the base set. After buying two boxes, I am
nearly done the set of 200 with about 3 cards missing. The base cards
themselves are nice when you look at them. Both sides feature a nice gloss and
the card stock is a good thickness and has a good feel to them.
Here is what the base cards looks like. Since ITG doesn’t have an NHL
license, all players are featured in their CHL, AHL or International jerseys.
Here is Mikhail Grigorenko while he was a Quebec Rempart.
Here is what the back sides look like.
Each features a very solid write-up with some vital stats and the stats
from the previous season. Every collector has their preferences, and I like
both text and stats on the backs of my cards so this is a great design in my
opinion.
Game Used Hits:
Now let’s look at the hits of the box. These are often what many
collectors chase and put premiums on when they decide what products they are
looking to purchase. As a collector myself, I usually look at many factors before
I purchase but one is the cost per hit ratio. Typically you can expect to spend
anywhere from $25-40 per hit on new products and over time they do drop a
little but not much below $15-20 per hit. This particular product is in the
15-20 dollar range so let’s what and how many hits I had.
Game used cards are not new anymore, but if you haven’t bought a pack
in the last 20 years then they would be new to you. Each game used card usually
has a piece of memorabilia framed or embedded into the card. When they first
came out they were super rare chases often 1 in every couple thousand packs.
Now many products have a few in each box. This product suggests that you can
expect 2-3 of these per box. What is nice about ITG is their swatch sizes are
among the largest for this price point and even though they are of their Junior
or International club, they are still game worn by the player and a nice
addition to any collection. Here are my hits.
First hit was Michael St. Croix who was the Rangers’ 4th
round pick from the 2011 NHL entry draft. This card features a photo of him
playing for the Oil Kings and the swatch is from an Oil Kings jersey. With it
being a Black Version, it is the most easily obtainable parallel with a print
run of 100 copies. Unlike some companies, ITG doesn’t serial number many of
their hits but instead they just release the print run and you are assumed to
have one of the xx number produced. There is also Silver (limited to 30) and
Gold (limited to 10) parallels as well as patch variations which can be as rare
of 1 of 1.
Michael’s last three seasons of junior have been excellent and he is
the all-time leading
scorer in Oil Kings history. He even has NHL pedigree with his father (Rick St. Croix)
having been a long-time NHL goalie. Not a bad hit, interesting to see if he can
crack the Rangers line-up in the next couple seasons.
Charles
Hudon may not be a household name yet, but for Habs fans he will likely be
getting some more serious looks over the next few seasons. He was drafted in
the 5th round in 2012 and currently with Chicoutimi he has 9 points
in 7 games and with his age and experience he should be a lock to tear it up
this season in the QMJHL. Like the St. Croix, this is limited to 100 copies.
A bonus hit is always welcome and my bonus is a gem. The swatch is a
nice seam piece featuring two colours from a Cape Breton Screaming Eagles
jersey. Logan
Shaw is my last game used hit and this swatch actually bulges out of the
card. Logan was a Panthers’ pick from back in the 2011 NHL Entry draft and currently
he is playing in the AHL with the San Antonio Rampage. While this isn’t a
Huberdeau caliber hit, it is still very nice to end up with three game used
cards in my box. All of these game used cards book for about 8 dollars apiece
which is still a decent value considering the box price.
Autograph Hits:
Each box should yield two autographs per box. ITG does a nice job
merging the stickers which have the autos on them with the look of the card.
All the card companies use auto stickers on some or all of their autograph
products. Since it is difficult to have products ready for players to sign,
many will sign sheets of stickers and then the stickers are applied to the
cards when they are ready to be released. Some collectors dislike this practice
while others are indifferent. As a result, sometimes there is a larger price
premium on “on-card” autos. Here are my
two autographs:
My first autograph is of Zach O’Brien. Despite scoring 97 goals and 193
points in the last two QMJHL season, Zach is an undrafted player. Zach recently
tried out for the St. John’s Ice Caps in the AHL and was cut but seems to have
found a home
in the ECHL with the Ontario Reign. Given his size, 5’9”, and proficiency
for offense, hard not compare him to Martin St. Louis and like Martin he could
be a late bloomer. Cards like this keep
a collector prospect watching because you never know when a late bloomer will come
in to his own.
My last hit and auto of the box was the best hit in the box. I ended up with blue-chip prospect Morgan
Rielly. Morgan
currently is playing for the Maple Leafs after being drafted 5th
overall in 2012 and proving in training camp that he deserves a shot this
season. I am sure he is more than willing to admit his first NHL game was a bit
of a stinker, but given his age and talent I am sure that will be long
forgotten by the time he hits his prime.
Well there you have it, a box of 2011-12 ITG Heroes and Prospects. You
are certainly always going to get good value and loads of fun breaking a box of
this stuff. ITG always does a great job making use of their different players’
licenses and their products are every bit as good as Upper Deck’s and Panini’s.
However, due to that same lack of license, no official rookie cards and a
smaller collection market are some dents in an otherwise solid product. Check out
your local card shop and give a box a try, you won’t be disappointed.
Hey Dave, nice box! Especially nice Rielly!
ReplyDeleteAs you know, I am a collector. :) So, I'm in the contest please!
Kyle - BTHCC
I'm a card collector, so enter me in.
ReplyDeleteI have a Teeder Kennedy autograph which I think came out of one of these sets. It's not a half-bad card!
ReplyDeleteI have also collected for way, way, way too long. A lot of stuff people now call vintage are things I pulled from wax. It's sad.
That patch on the Logan Shaw card is awesome. I love how ITG isn't afraid to use what other companies call "premium" pieces as their regular old jersey swatches. Always been a fan of ITG, always will be.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I am a collector.
Oh, btw, if you pulled an extra Keven Veilleux base card I can use it.
Question:
ReplyDeleteDo those game played patches ever smell like sweat or gatorade?
Not that I have noticed, but sometimes you see some interesting stains. I have a Cam Neely one with what is clearly a puck mark, and I have seen one online which appear to look like a blood stain!
DeleteI usually am all over ITG, but I haven't busted any H&P the last two years, choosing instead to go with Between the Pipes.
ReplyDeleteNice to see an H&P review...
I usually have a love/hate relationsihp with ITG, since Dr. Price never seems to be able to get an NHL license for them. But, damn, those cards almost always look pretty slick. You can't help but buy them, regardless.
ReplyDeleteLove these posts.
ReplyDeleteI do collect cards, but have been out of the game for awhile.
Really appreciate your analysis on some of these young prospects. Excellent Review - spot on!
ReplyDeleteThanks to all those who have entered so far. I am going to make the cut off for entries Sunday night at 11:59 pm EST.
ReplyDeleteLove ITG products----long time collector--always love to add to my collection
ReplyDeleteThe way I see it, the NHL should just give these guys the licensing already.. they have paid their dues.
ReplyDelete