Killing them slowly...

or is that softly? Whatever.

This past weekend saw Calgary host their version of a huge card show. It's not really that big. But everything's relative. And around here, we'll take what we can get.

It's always good to see new sellers. After seeing the same group lug around the same stuff for a year, anything different is extremely appreciated.

I managed to spend a little bit of cash with almost all the sellers. I try to support them for coming out, some of them a long way.

One of the nice surprises was being able to jump on some cards that have been on my want list for quite some time. In the age of the latest and greatest 17 colour autographed game used patch mojo sickz L@@K! cards that are all the rage with the kids nowadays,  I was really pleased to knock off some older set needs.

My NRMT 1979-80 OPC set is almost complete.

 

 I have a couple of EX condition sets, but now after adding this Flames TC, I only need the Winnipeg Jets TC and my nice one is done. Finished. So close and yet.....

Speaking of upgrading.... I found a stack of NRMT-MT 1977-78 OPC glossy inserts (rounded corners). I've been needing to upgrade two of them and now I have.

Mr Dionne

 and Mr MacLeish.

 These are pack fresh. Really sweet. You can get complete sets of these online cheap, but I enjoy the chase, and was happy to finally cross these off my list.

And talk about the chase... after what seems like years, I found someone selling 2010-11 OPC black bordered retro inserts /100.
He had about 40 of them in a binder on his table. I didn't need any of those, but I asked if he had any more. He said he had a bunch more, but not with him. He'd bring them in on Sunday. So back on Sunday I went, and snagged five more cards towards completion.

 Not exactly big names....

 but to a set collector, one is as important as another.

I was thrilled with finding these.

All cards seen here cost a total of $15. A very cheap high to be able to cross off so many cards off of my old, worn out list.

because you just never know.

At the February card show, I didn't bring home too much. In fact, the show was fairly disappointing.

But since I was waiting to meet someone, I stuck around a bit longer.

It's a good thing for me that I did.

Someone was unpacking a box of miscellaneous stuff, and my eye caught a stack of OPC mirrored retros from 2010/11.

As I casually shuffled through them, I found this...

Black bordered Josh Gorges /100 AND I needed it for my team set.

I asked him how much.... he replied with; " How about $2?"

As I was fishing out my toonie, he said to me; "what's up? you never buy from me!"

I wanted to say that's because your crap is usually WAAAAAY over priced, but I was nice and said it's because he never has anything I want.

And off I went.

15 minutes later as I was wondering past his table once more.... I see even more OPC retros. So I leaf through them quickly and find this!

AND I need this one too!!! Big Hal only cost me a buck.

Sweeeet!

It just goes to show.... after not being able to find any of these for well over a year, I find TWO of them from a guy I normally never deal with.

Never give up, and always keep digging, because you never know.

Now if I could just find the rest of these that I need....... *sigh*

Knocking off a White Whale. Well actually, a black one....

I have been after this card ever since the day it was released into the wild. A lot of you know I'm chasing not only the '10/11 OPC set, but the master team set for Montreal. That means the base, retro parallel, rainbow retro parallel, and the uber black rainbow retro parallel card for each Habs player in the entire set. This also includes the 100 card SP hi numbers, for which Montreal has 5 players included.

The black bordered rainbow retros are #/100 and are included at 2-3 per box. If the SP's are dropped at the same rate as the regular base inserts.... then you will find them at 1 per 200-225 boxes. So me not finding one in the 5-10 packs I rip every trip to my local card shop should not come as a surprise to anyone. And yet somehow I'm always disappointed when I don't get it. I almost always pull at least one black border... but it's never the one I want.

To the secondary market we go. I found one at a card show, but the guy wanted $80 for it and wouldn't budge. Although he would sell me the black bordered Gretzky SP for $50. Figure that one out.

Saw one, then two on ebay... the first went for $77... the second one I missed and have no idea about the final price. Then I saw another.... and I bid. I went all in. For a cheap bastard like me, this was new territory. I put a max bid into my sniping program (don't judge me) of $50.

Later I changed my mind... spending $50 on a new card... on any card... isn't me. So I decided to cancel my snipe.

Except I got distracted and forgot.

So the day before the postal strike began, I won my White Whale, which is actually a black bordered whale, for $38.77 shipped.

 I was so happy and so confused at spending that much for one card I didn't know what to do. But I paid my bill, to wake up the next day to a nation wide postal strike.
Awesome.
Two weeks later, still no mail. Crap.
But then the strike ended, and 11 days later, I found a yellow bubble envelope in my mailbox with one lone card inside.
It was finally mine.

I think the black bordered Patrick Roy SP will be the next killer on my list.

Does the search ever end?????????

If you're still with me... what's your current White Whale?