Oh boy! What a year 2021 was! It was a hectic one, in so many ways that we know.

It was also the same for the collection! I was able to purchase the largest personal collection ever of Bure, definitely the biggest transaction I ever made in my life! That moment was the highlight of my year!

Furthermore, I was also able to thin out my collection. I dropped nearly 200 cards that I'm in the process of selling and trading for other cards in need in my want list.

If I checked my resolutions of 2021, I checked all the boxes! I almost finished scanning the collection, I purged the collection and I find some gems. I definitely went up to 2250 cards with the purchase of the personal collection, but with the purge, I didn't last long though. Finally, I was more active on social media, but I think that I can be there a bit more.

For 2022, my resolutions changed. Here are my five:

1- Focus my collection more on his playing years

My purge was solely on his period after his retirement, because I want to focus on his playing years period. I kept only the cards I thought that fit in the collection (until another purge). There are still tons of cards on my want list, so let's hunt them!

2- Add 75 cards this year

Another milestone I reached last year was that I reached 80% of all his licensed cards during his playing years, which is awesome. This year, since it'll be tougher to add new entries, I wanted to add 75 new cards to reach 1800 licensed cards from 1990 to 2006, the year he officially announced his retirement. It will place me at 84,7%, which is insane!

3- Finishing scanning the collection

I'm very close as you can see. So let's give it a boost and finish that before the end of 2022!

4- Reach 1000 followers on Instagram

I know, that's a selfish one, but it's a cool milestone! I'm right now at 848, so I'm not that far away! 

5 - Again, be more active on social media

I deserted the platforms at the end of the year for multiple reasons, but I'll try to change that in 2022. Be more active, congrats other collectors with milestones and insane adds, sharing some knowledge etc! 

So, happy new year fellow collectors! Hope that 2022 will be better than 2021! 

Cheers!

Hello guys! Sorry for being so distant here. Since I retrieved my job as a writer, blogging and put some new entries on the side is less tempting after my shift. 

But hey, I have a bit of free time! So why not bringing you some news about the collection! Here it is :

First, as I said earlier, I started to thin my collection past his retirement. I'm just keeping the cards that fit some criteria. I finished checking up to 2013-14. It's a long and exhausting task, but one step at a time, I might be able to complete it before the end of the year.

I said it on Twitter a couple of weeks ago, but I surpass the 80% mark on every licensed and oddball card in his playing years! That's quite the accomplishment for a super collector with many cards! As of now, I have 1711 out of 2124 (1936 out of 2399 if you count the oddballs)!

That being said, I know I always say #roadto2200 since a while now. With the purge of my collection, I don't think that in the end, I will be close to it. Up until 2013-14, I have 1950 cards. I can surely say I'll surpass the 2000 mark, but 2100 isn't sure. I'll need to change my hashtag! 

I'm still in the process of sorting the personal collection I bought in March. I sold some of the doubles so far, but I still haven't post all of them on my social media! They are still cards that I don't know if it fits in the collection or not, but I'm not far!

Since that bought, I haven't found many new cards, maybe five at the top. But the ones I need will be tougher to get, but hey, it's part of the game and what makes the hobby great!

I will try to find time to continue scanning the collection and put it on the site. I'm so closed to finish that monstrous task I need to complete! After that, I will be just additions, the big part will be done!

Hope you are all safe in these strange times. 

See you soon guys, and happy collecting!

Cheers!

While checking my lot for cards I wanted to keep and sell, in the lot there was this 1996-97 Be A Player Link 2 History Silver Autograph, which I already have. So I put it on the "sell" pile.

This weekend, while getting ready to take pics, I realize that something was odd with it. The background looks brighter and Bure too, plus the auto was sharp. So I look at mine at noticed that the color for the border wasn't the same. Mine was orange and the background is more "foily", greener. 

Look at them for yourself :

​So I decided to keep both of them! I don't know if it's an error, but I don't care! And it can't be sun-damaged, because the auto is sharp, and not faded.

Anyways, that's a cool find!

Stay tuned on my Twitter and Instagram for the rest of the lot!

Cheers guys!

Finally! We can finally put aside this crappy, shitty, nasty year behind us! 2020 was rough for me, but like every story, it ends up well. My collection didn't escape it.

2020 was a year of reflection, projection, and milestones. It was a roller coaster of emotions, from hitting 2100 different cards to making the hard decision of letting go of some to narrow my focus. 

And with every end of the year, it's time to make some resolutions for the next one, which, I think, will be brighter than this one. So here are my five resolutions for 2021, in no particular order!  I'll come back next December to see if I was able to check some of them!

1 - Continuing scanning my collection

It's a freaking hard task to accomplish, but when it'll be done, I'll be more than happy! In one year, with seven months at scanning every day, I was able to scan from 1990-91 to 2000-01, so a decade of cards. My goal is to finish until the year of his official retirement, so 2006-07. The next two years will be long because it's the two with the most cards, but one set at a time, I think I'll be able to do it!

2 - Continuing my purging process

Like I said in an earlier post, my quarantine taught me to slack a bit on the "have them all" mentality, and focusing a bit more on the cards of his playing years. With that in mind, I've decided that it was time to purge a bit of my collection and reinvesting the money I made for those I sold in the collection. I've already started, but I'm not in a hurry. I checked each set and card with attention and decide if I want to pursue them or not. If I have it and don't want it anymore, I just trade it or sell it to another Bure collector.

3 - Make it to 2250

I know it sounds a bit crazy. But right now I'm a bit over 2100, so it's not too far. But with the cards I'm gonna get rid of, the task will be a bit tougher, but I'm up for the challenge! 

4 - Find some gems

In the same lineage of number 3, it's cool to find some inserts, but I want to find some gems and rare cards. 2020 was a good year for the collection, and I want to pursue it that way. I know with that amount of cards, the ones I need are low-numbered. But it's okay for me, it's part of the challenge!

5 - Be more active on social media

I lack time, but I will try to be more active on social media and not only posting photos of my collection. Interacting with you guys make this hobby great, so I'll try to be a bit more present! 

With that being said, I wanted to wish you guys a happy new year! May 2021 be full of surprises, health, and crazy cards for your pc! 

Cheers!

I made a big decision.

In the two months of my hibernation of hockey cards, I had a lot of questions that needed an answer. Some were quick, and some took a lot of time. The biggest that grew on me a lot weeks before my break was this one:

What do I do with cards AFTER his retirement?

My big concern was the number of cards after he retires. Two years ago, I decided to make ways with all the Leaf and ITG cards and it unloads a lot of pressure from my shoulders as a completionist. I was able to focus more on his licensed cards instead of buying the same card 8 times just because it has a different serial number.

But with the resurgence of the hobby since the pandemic, the rest of the bunch after he retires was either base cards or high-end ones. And these high-end cards are not for my budget now (thank God I was able to grab some before the explosion). And that's where I struggle with this question.

You see, as all collectors out there, we put blood, sweat, tears, hours, and a crazy amount of cash into the collection. And we love that, don't get me wrong. But when you want them all, the problem is the bottomless pit that comes with it. One day I wanted to just sell them all and concentrate only on cards in his playing years, and the other, when I find one at a decent price, I was just like "hey, that's not too bad man, keep it up!"

Remember my poll a couple of weeks ago? I was curious about players collectors opinions on the question, but more about the answers. And to my surprise, 83% of them collect his player even after his retirement.

So I made a decision, which I'm happy about it. My 2100th is coming my way in a couple of days. I am proud of that accomplishment. But I think it's time to thin a bit the collection.

So in the next weeks, I'll pass every card of Bure past his retirement and see if I want to keep it or not. With that, I'm technically still collect him past his retirement, but I'll be pickier about the cards I'll add to the collection. Furthermore, it'll give me a bit of margin for the ones I need. I still want everything up until his official retirement in 2005-06 though. That will never change.

I'm happy and at peace with this decision. I still won't be able to grab those The Cup, but I can be more patient about the cards I need and want to grab. My budget will still be the same, but instead of grabbing everything I need, I can take my time and spend a little more for a card I really want if I can let go of a couple of hundreds of cards in my want list and others I have in my collection but doesn't want to keep anymore.

I can wait to show you guys the 2100th, because it's a big one! Until then, take care of yourself, and I'll see you around!

Cheers!

I only bought one card since the beginning of my "diet" of the hobby. 

One. Single. Card.

For me, it was unimaginable a couple of years ago. But I get used to it. I feel way less pressured to buy cards I need now. I also have better things to do. My mind is interested in something else right now. I know for a fact that I'll jump back into it someday, I just don't know when, and you know what? It's ok for me.

But let's get back into that card. If I get back into the hobby for a brief moment, it's because of cards like that, the ones I didn't know the existence and when I'm aware of it, couldn't find anywhere.

It was when I started to put my ultimate checklist of Bure five years ago. I literally dozens and dozens of hours onto it, writing each line by myself, the year, the set, the number, and the print run. I bought the annual Beckett and going through each line of text to see his name. I thought that my checklist was near perfection, but damn I was so wrong, mostly on the oddball side.

Here comes the 1991-92 Parkhurst auto from The Score Board company. 

My first glimpse at that was through my good friend Henrik and his website. When I first saw it, I was: "there's a card who is 24 years old, and I didn't know that? How cool is that!" I start beginning my researches on this card numbered to 1991 autographed by Bure with this COA of president Paul Goldin.

The Score Board company was an autographed/memorabilia enterprise back in the late '80s. It was a father/son business. It was essentially baseball and basketball, but later on, they incorporate hockey as well.

It took me a heck of a time to finally being able to grab one. I found it three weeks ago, and it finally arrived at my door last Friday. I'm thrilled to get this one into the collection, its an interesting piece for sure! I think it deserves the right to have its blog post at this point!

So, I'm going back to my hibernation and into scanning my collection. A lot of cards are in the verge of coming into light and I can't wait to show them to the community.

Stay safe my friends! Cheers!

It's already been a month since I started my break. Man, times flies! During this period, I took more time with my girlfriend and family, going to the chalet with friends and advancing scanning my collection on the website. It felt good.

I needed this break. Really.

I also reduced my time on social media and time researching for new cards. I still posted from time to time cards I didn't show yet, because all my shipments arrived. Surprisingly, I haven't felt the urge to buy new cards. I think I can now apply the "Patience is a virtue" proverb! 

Joke asides, I still have so many questions unanswered. On the other hand, I found some:

• I still want to collect, that's for sure! I love this hobby, the community, and all that comes around. The bug bit too hard on me!
• I still want to have every Bure cards from his playing time (1990 until his official retirement in the 2005-06 season). 

​
I need more time to understand what I want to do with the collection in the future. Do I want to pursuit everything after his retirement? Or do I want only the ones I love and forgot the rest?

Nonetheless, taking a couple of steps back had the positive side of connecting me more with my collection. Touching them while scanning them and taking the time to contemplate them put a smile on my face and kept passion inside me burning. I know I'm close to finding answers to all these questions, but for now, I'll go with the flow. I don't want to rush things.

Cheers guys! And thanks for the support!

One of the main challenges of being a player super collector is to own them all. I know that I can't complete this goal, and I've accepted that fate a couple of years ago. But that doesn't mean you can achieve a minor objective, like completing a year for example.

Besides his rookie year (1990-91), which only has his Upper Deck card in French and English, I didn't manage to accomplish this feature. I've completed what I called "license year", with every manufacturer at the time, but I always missed some oddballs. That changed today with the arrival of the first two packages from the last four I'll be having for quite some time.

With the Kenner Starting Lineup and the POGS #274, I have all the 139 cards and oddballs of 1995-96! I've never thought one day to achieve it! It was a long grind, but totally worth the wait!

And you guys, what's your small achievement in your collection? Let me know in the comments!

​See ya!

One day or another, I knew that this was coming. I didn't know when. It struck me this week, after a month or so of struggling. 

I need a break from the hobby.

I don't know how to express it correctly, too many questions are popping in my head at the moment. But all of them conclude to the fact that's inevitable; I need to step back for a bit, trying to get answers to my interrogations, and came back with a new (or the same) mindset for the future of the collection. 

The first thing that comes to my mind about this wall that I hit is I was way too invested in the collection. For the past five years, I spent countless hours (and dollars) into the hobby, always with the fear of missing a great deal. My mind was locked into a "buying, buying, buying" mode. If I don't have it, I need it. Plain and simple.

I am lucky to have a good job, I can spend money on the hobby. Sometimes though, when many cards popped over a quick period, I didn't limit myself to certain of them. I want them all, and sometimes my credit card bill was a little bigger than expected. My mindset was "Hey, the more I purchase, the lesser it remains to have them all right?". Truth is it didn't go down as low as I thought.

That was my first flag. The second one is something I knew that I wasn't gonna be able to achieve, but the completionist that I am didn't think the same way. Since the pandemic, sports cards have literally spiked to the point I didn't expect. It starts with baseball and basketball, as the pool of collectors is bigger. But slowly but surely, it gains the hockey cards world (at a lesser level of the two sports though).

At first, only the big names of today's game gain a boost; Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, Elias Pettersson. Sure values like Wayne Gretzky, Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin, Mario Lemieux, and Patrick Roy have also seen a jump in their value. Like baseball and basketball, collectors turned themselves to upcoming stars like Alexis Lafreniere and Quinton Byfield in the hopes they turned into superstars and make some bucks out of them.

But where it hurts the most for me is here: collectors came back into the junk wax era and 90's stars like Bure, and the rare inserts, two areas that impacted my collection. If I was able to keep the pace, now I just can't when I saw some inserts go for 400-500$. 

Don't get me wrong here. It's good for the hobby in a sense, it's healthier than ever. But for me and my completionist OCD, it's not. Over the past few weeks, I saw some cards I chased for some time goes by at a crazy high price, and it frustrates me. It hits me harder than usual because my mind was "you need it for your collection".

Flag number three is similar to number two in the sense that as a super collector, your goal is to have them all. But even though I'm aware that I'm not the only one who collects him, they are many niches collectors out there (only autos, only cards in his Vancouver sweater, etc). So I'm battling over collectors who spend their money on certain cards in particular, while I spend mine on all of them, which gave me a disadvantage.

Again, don't get me wrong here. I consider many Bure collectors as friends. We help each other and share knowledge on rare oddballs, want lists, and trading, and I will never change that. So when it comes to cards we both need, I'm more on the losing side than on the winning side. Like I said earlier, I am lucky to have a good job, but I can't compete with collectors able to drop 1000$ for a piece of cardboard.

The last flag, that crosses path with the second one, is that nowadays, everybody is into the high-end stuff. My assumption is that super collectors are a different breed. They are still players collectors in the hobby, but they only tend to collect the high-end stuff and don't care about the rest, which is not my case. I made a survey on Twitter just by curiosity, and the results are this: 57% of the pollers said that it's more impressionable to have 90% of a player's collection with no high-end than have all the high-end cards, but nothing else. It was pretty close, but it gives insights on the hobby. 

I have some wonderful conversations with other members of the community who has many constructive comments on the subject. It helped me expand my comprehension of the question and have partial answers regarding the ones I had.

Which leads me to this: what do I do now?

That's a really good question to which I can't answer now. That's why I need to step back and think of the future of my collection. 

My main objective is the website, to which I will continue to add new entries as I go through scanning my cards. I think it will bring me closer to what I have, and cherish them a bit more.

Also, I still continue to be around on social media, talking with you guys. Even though I will distance myself from collecting as long as I need to, you will see me posts cards I haven't shown yet. There are also some packages that are still needed to come by. Furthermore, if I see an offer I cannot refuse or a card I need badly (ie for completing a rainbow or a year), I will do it. But for now, I won't force myself to spend hours searching the Web for cards I need (and dollars too). 

So with that said, thanks for the ride guys. Now I need introspection and time to think about what's ahead, what do I want to chase in the future, the foundation of my collection, and most importantly, me as a collector. I don't know how much time I need, but be sure that when I come back, I'll be hungrier than ever!

See ya!

I think the most satisfying thing in the hobby of collecting is to cross a card from your want list, but above all, it's crossing a card that completes a rainbow! Today I felt this while erasing the 1993-94 The Investor's Journal Rainbow from my want list! This one is the toughest to get by of the four. The only one I saw passed by, except from a personal collection, was this one!