And the Award Goes To...

... Canada Card World - The Blog?

Upper Deck has released the finalists for the inaugural Upper Deck Best Blog award and thanks to our loyal fans, we have been nominated.



Now. It's great to be nominated. Most definitely. But... just like everyone else, we would like to win the Best Blog award from Upper Deck.

And you can help! In return... we might have free stuff for you!

To win the award, we need you to vote for us. Voting is simple. Just click a vote on our blog, enter the 4 digit number so they know you're not a spammer, and that's it. No emails addresses, no pains. The link is:

Upper Deck Best Blog Award Voting

After voting for the Canada Card World blog, visit our newly re-designed blog at www.canadacardworldblog.com and post a comment on one of our stories. We'll give you credit. Vote everyday and we'll give you more credit. Recruit friends to vote for us and we'll give you and them credit. Only one vote per person per day but if you can recruit friends then you can really increase your chances.

If Canada Card World - The Blog wins the Upper Deck Best Blog award we'll win free stuff from Upper Deck. Free stuff for you! In exchange for your comments and the credit you receive, you'll get entries into a contest for free stuff. We'll post a video of these draws and who knows... you might be a winner!

The more you help us... the more you help yourself get free products from Upper Deck!

So vote! And maybe we'll both win!

Upper Deck Unveils Social Media Online Awards

The online world can be a lonely place... but Upper Deck is trying to making it a rewarding place as well. As collectors, we all look for places to belong, trustworthy information, and most importantly, fun. It is not always easy finding the best and the brightest on the internet but Upper Deck is attempting to shine the spotlight of those select few who deserve our attention.

This week, Upper Deck unveiled a program to honour the best online trading card communities, most influential bloggers, and favourite video box-breakers on the internet. The company is also preparing to give massive exposure and phenomenal prizes to the winners of the new Upper Deck Social Media Awards. The awards will be voted on by collectors through an online poll in the coming weeks.

“It’s pretty difficult for collectors to work their way through cyberspace to find the online trading card community, informed opinions or videos they are looking for,” said Chris Carlin of Upper Deck. “We felt that creating an award program that helps collectors find the best sites on the web would be a win-win for our collectors and for those who have put so much into these communities, blogs and videos.”



The top five online trading card communities will each receive high-profile links on Upper Deck’s Community page to help increase their exposure. In addition, the hobby communities will be featured in an article on the Upper Deck Blog. Finally, the top rated online trading card community will receive a crystallized trophy, a variety of unopened product, a LeBron James-signed UDA basketball, and a 2009 NFL Rookie Photo Shoot signed football to use as giveaways within their online community.

As for bloggers, it’s hard for them to get the attention they deserve. As a reward, Upper Deck is hoping to identify the best bloggers as voted on by collectors. The top five bloggers will receive links on the Upper Deck Blog along with a review on their blogs. The top-rated blogger will receive a trophy, unopened product, and a 2009 NFL Rookie Photo Shoot signed football.

And last but not least, Upper Deck will reward some of collectors’ favourite online box-busters. The top five video box-breakers will each receive a free box to review that will then be shown on the Upper Deck Diamond Vision site. The top online box-breaker will also receive a trophy, various product over the upcoming year, and have their videos featured on Upper Deck’s Diamond Vision site.

Nominations for the three awards began yesterday on Upper Deck’s Facebook page and voting will begin on March 29th, 2010. Upper Deck will announce the winners on April 7th, 2010 and will hopefully recognize them at the 2010 Las Vegas Industry Summit the following week.

If you feel this blog deserves some recognition, feel free to voice your opinion on UD's Facebook page.

Who to Collect (In Retrospect) - Justin Peters

Sometimes the road to the NHL is longer than expected for some prospects. There are many unexpected twists and turns in the path to recognition and then stardom. And even when there is a well-defined starter in place like Cam Ward, all a player needs to do is make an impression. If you need an example, check out Craig Anderson's career and where he is today.

Justin Peters is a young goaltender currently playing for the Carolina Hurricanes in the NHL. It's been an interesting journey through many leagues but at the moment he is the starting goaltender for one of the hotter teams in the league, although the 'Canes have no illusions of making the post-season this year.



After Peters was invited to the CHL Top Prospect game as one of the top goalies in the CHL, he was drafted 38th overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. He started his professional career in 2006–07 with the Hurricanes' AHL affiliate, the Albany River Rats. He was demoted to the ECHL for parts of the 2007–08 season, but returned to the River Rats in 2008–09. During his ECHL time, he was selected as an ECHL All-Star.

On February 5, 2010, the Carolina Hurricanes recalled Justin Peters to the NHL after Cam Ward suffered an injury. He made his NHL debut for the Carolina Hurricanes on February 6, 2010 starting against the New York Islanders and made 34 saves in a 3-1 victory.



Justin Peters is a big butterfly goalie who possesses superb agility and instincts. A fantastic competitor, he plays consistently and always gives his team a chance to win. In his short time this season, Peters has compiled a record of 6 wins and 2 losses and a stellar .916 save percentage to go with a 2.48 GAA.

Upper Deck Series Two 2008-09 containing Justin Peters Young Gun RCs is out now and available at Canada Card World

Sunday Fun-Day Fun-Facts

Wizards of the Coast (WotC) is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes. Wizards of the Coast was founded by Peter Adkison in 1990 just outside Seattle, Washington.

Originally a role-playing game publisher, the company popularized the collectible card game genre with Magic: The Gathering in the mid-1990s. Magic: The Gathering was originally called Manaclash. The game proved extremely popular at Gen Con in August 1993, selling out of its supply of 2.5 million cards, which had been scheduled to last until the end of the year.



WotC acquired the popular Dungeons & Dragons by purchasing the failing company TSR and experienced tremendous success by publishing the licensed Pokémon Trading Card Game.

In January 1999, Wizards of the Coast began publishing the highly successful Pokémon Trading Card Game. The game sold nearly 400,000 copies in less than six weeks. There was such a high demand for Pokémon cards that some sports card series were discontinued in 1999 because so many printers were producing Pokémon cards.

Seeing the continued success of Pokémon and Magic: The Gathering, toy giant Hasbro bought Wizards of the Coast in September 1999, for about US$325 million.

Wizards of the Coast also started a chain of retail gaming stores after the company's great success in 1999 with Pokémon, run under the names "Game Keeper" and "Wizards of the Coast". The stores were closed in the spring of 2004.

Hobby News - The Saturday Edition

Rumours have begun to float around the hockey hobby world that the exclusive which Upper Deck has had in the hockey market for the past five years is ending. Rumours continue with the potential news that Panini will be brought into the mix. No one is saying much and no one is saying whether it is a Panini-exclusive or Panini in addition to one or more companies. Upper Deck and Panini have remained silent.

Dr. Brian Price of In the Game, which has produced hockey cards for the past five years while respecting the rules of the licensing agreements by not using logos and team names, had this to add to the discussion on a recent post on Hobby Insider:

"Although we have applied for a license with both the NHL and NHLPA and have repeatedly contacted them for more information about our situation, nothing has been forthcoming.

They continue to say that they are assessing the situation and will get back to us. However it has been quite a while and we have had no negotiations. Draw your own conclusions.

We are hearing that there will be NO exclusive next year and we are also hearing that Panini is in the mix.

This is not what I would like to be reporting but it where things are at from my position.

Nothing has been fair about the situation so far, we have paid our dues over the last five years and deserve an opportunity, since no negotiations have taken place with us at this late date, I am doubtful that the NHL or NHLPA are giving us anymore than lip service.

Sorry, I wish I had better news for our loyal collectors. But on a bright note, you're going to love BTP and Superlative Hockey Volume Two will be out for the Expo and it is our best product ever."

Of course, these are all rumours. Until the official news is revealed, it is all speculation. Most collectors have opinions on the situation however it is unclear as to whether the NHL or the NHLPA has any interest in listening to collectors as opposed to the almighty dollar.

Video Vault - Topps TV

In today's Video Vault, we look at a classic video from four years ago where reporter Brian Kilmeade visits the Topps Headquarters and investigates what goes into making a baseball card.

Rookie Update - John Tavares

Despite a brilliant start to the NHL season as well as a massive slump, John Tavares has continued to battle every night. His persistance paid off Tuesday night with a career-best 5 points in one game in a surprising New York Islanders win over the Vancouver Canucks.

The blue-chip prospect had an amazing pass to set up a Matt Moulson goal as shown below:



Although it's doubtful that Tavares can finish in the running for the Calder Trophy due to his slump, this 5-point night proved beyond a doubt that he'll be a force to be reckoned with in the years to come. After all, a Calder Trophy doesn't guarantee greatness. Just ask Andrew Raycroft who won the Calder earlier this decade. Collectors will still be excited beyond belief to pull a John Tavares SP Authentic rookie card.



John Tavares has appeared previously in ITG Heroes and Prospects but his first Upper Deck rookie cards are available in most 2009-10 Upper Deck products available at Canada Card World.

2009-10 NHL Calder Trophy Race Revisited

As the Olympic break approached, five players were still in the running as the best rookie of the 2009-10 NHL season. In no specific order, John Tavares, Jimmy Howard, Matt Duchene, James Van Riemsdyk, and Tyler Myers were at the top of the rookie class. Other players were either too old (Antti Niemi) or too hurt (Semyon Varlamov) to be considered. With the Olympic break behind us, two of those players seem to have hit the wall. This does not mean their futures aren't as bright though, as Tavares had a 5-point night last night and Van Riemsdyk continues to play well. In fact, only three strong contenders remain.

Jimmy Howard



Jimmy Howard was supposed to be a good goalie from day one. Detroit knew it too. They just took their time releasing him and his skills to the world. His play after October cemented him as the Red Wings #1 goaltender and this late-bloomer seems to be the real deal.

Matt Duchene



Matt Duchene wasn't even the best rookie on his team in October and November as Ryan O'Reilly drew most of the attention. However, steady play and a super burst in December put this favourite of Don Cherry into the spotlight.

Tyler Myers



Tyler Myers was supposed to be a project defenseman. His splendid early season play was no fluke and this massive Zdeno Chara clone is a franchise player of epic proportions. Not only is he playing big minutes against the NHL's best but he is putting up amazing offensive numbers for a defenseman as well. A big 4 point night in March proved that he can play a full season and continue to make an impact.

Prediction - Barring a late season charge by one of the other two, this award will go to Tyler Myer. As stated earlier... Who dares steal this trophy away from the hulking defenseman?

Duchene and Myers have rookie cards available in most 2009-10 products available at Canada Card World. Jimmy Howard has rookie cards available in many 2005-06 products.

Topps - The Official Card of USA Baseball

As spring training continues to roll on, recent news has brought Topps back to the fore-front of American collectors. For those who missed the exciting news, USA Baseball and the Topps Company announced an exclusive multi-year licensing deal to make Topps the official baseball card of USA Baseball. Topps will have exclusivity on USA Baseball trademarks, logos and other intellectual property, for use on cards featuring USA Baseball players.

“Twenty-five years after collectors were first introduced to USA Baseball, our organization is pleased to have Topps, the industry leader, return as the exclusive home for USA Baseball trading cards,” said Paul Seiler, USA Baseball Executive Director/CEO. “We look forward to working closely with Topps as together we provide collectors with a look at the future of America’s game on trading cards.”



From 1984-1993 Topps was the exclusive card manufacturer for USA Baseball, producing cards for the U.S. Olympic Baseball Team. The new agreement calls for cards, autographs and game-used equipment of USA Baseball’s Collegiate, Under-18 and Under-16 National Team players to be featured in various Topps products each year.

“Now we’re the only trading card licensed by Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball and USA Baseball,” said Warren Friss, Vice President – General Manager of Topps Sports and Entertainment. “We are covering the game of baseball at every level.”



Each year USA Baseball selects about 60 of the best young baseball players in the country for its national teams. This gives collectors the first opportunity to see the future stars of baseball on cards. The first release with the new USA Baseball content will be 2010 Bowman Baseball which will be released in May. Bowman Baseball 2010 will feature cards of the 2009 Collegiate National Team and 2009 Under-18 National Team.

In addition to the Topps sets featuring USA Baseball inserts, the annual USA Baseball National Teams Box Set will also be manufactured by Topps and will continue to be the exclusive place to get all members of the USA Baseball National Team in one set. The box set is scheduled for a December release in 2010.

2010 Topps and Bowman baseball cards will be available soon from Canada Card World.

Product Preview - 2009-10 UD Champs

UD Champs has rolled off the production line and is ready to be busted open. With 2009-10 UD Champs, Upper Deck continues their visit to the land of the dinosaurs. Definitely not your typical hockey card product, UD Champs contains hockey players as well as dinosaurs, fossils, artifacts, bones, historical figures, and endangered species on tobacco-style mini cards. You can collect subsets which include Wonders of the World and Museum Pieces as well. Or you can just collect the all-stars and the rookies. It's all up to you!



Typical Box Break Summary:
4 Signature or Jersey cards
1-2 Mini Signatures and 5 Mini Rookie Cards
2 Mini Threads
10 Wonders of the World/Natural History/Historical Figures cards
1 Red Back mini parallel card
8 Regular-Sized Parallels



Projected Key Inserts:
Museum Pieces:
Dinosaur Teeth, Golden Jurassic Amminites, Paradoxides Trilobite, Turtle Claw, Great White Shark Tooth, Giant Armadillo Claw, Woolly Mammoth Molar Tooth, Wild Boar Fossil Teeth and more.



Mini Signatures:
Alexander Ovechkin, LeBron James, Sidney Crosby, Wayne Gretzky, Dr. J, Bobby Orr, Steve Yzerman, John Tavares, Gordie Howe, Martin Brodeur and others!

2009-10 UD Champs is being released tomorrow and will be available at Canada Card World.

Sunday Fun-Day Fun-Facts

In 1949 there were many post war shortages in England, including the rationing of sweets. In London four young men, all recently demobilized from their military service, Simon Anysz, Rudy Braun, and brothers Douglas and Tony Coakley decided to form a company with the aim of producing and selling chewing gum. The partners decided on the name A&BC Chewing Gum Ltd. Contrary.

In the early days, there were many difficulties, including fighting establishment who thought chewing gum was disgusting and not worth considering during these times of shortages. Since there was no sugar available without a license, one of the first ever-sugarless chewing gums were produced using an artificial sweetener so that the product did not require sweet rationing coupons.



A&BC remembered the popularity of the children's craze for cards from before the War and thought that cards would improve the sales of their gum. Their first bubble gum was produced and included cards of Film & TV Stars wrapped with a fake dollar bill, hence the name "Dollar Bubble Gum".

In 1952, Topps came to England and visited A&BC Chewing Gum. According to the recollection of the Coakley brothers he advised A&BC that they were getting nowhere and advised them to partner up with Topps. A&BC ignored this advice and declined the Topps offer. In 1959, Topps approached A&BC again and this time, the terms of the deal suited A&BC. The two companies negotiated a license for A&BC to produce Bazooka Bubble Gum and to reproduce some of Topps' card gum series, starting with Elvis Presley.



Over the next 15 years A&BC continued to produce their own series of cards, increasingly focusing on the popular football (soccer) cards, though they also produced the Topps U.S. series range of cards. Regardless of the source, all A&BC cards were printed in England.

A&BC Gum began with an 'All Sports' series in 1954, a set of 120 cards which included 36 footballers. They followed this in 1958 with a set of 92 footballer cards, and thus began a run of 16 unbroken years of football card production. During this 16 year period A&BC produced both English and Scottish sets.

In 1962/63 Douglas Coakley approached Brian Epstein, manager of the Beatles, and obtained the rights to produce cards of the Beatles. A set of 60 cards were first produced and issued. In the U.S., A&BC gave Topps the photographs and helped to negotiate the rights for Topps to produce these sets in America.



At the time the company folded it had 350 employees and they left behind six card/gum machines which could produce 200 packs per minute and wrap pieces of Bazooka per minute.

Topps Chewing Gum took over for A&BC in 1974. They produced their first set of football cards under the Topps Bazooka Limited name in 1975. They continued each year until 1981, after which they became occasional producers of football cards.

The A&BC cards were 8 cms long by 5.5 cms wide and really set the benchmark that all football cards would subsequently be judged against.

Hobby News - The Saturday Edition

For several months Upper Deck was on a mission to find two Canadian hobby shops that hockey card collectors could call Shangri-La. Upper Deck and its two major Canadian distributors, Grosnor and Universal, created an exciting campaign encouraging hobby shops in Canada to host more events, programs, and promotions to create excitement for new Upper Deck products. The two winning stores would be anointed Upper Deck’s “Hockey Card Heaven” and receive an in-store visit from an NHL player.



Comic Connection in Hamilton, Ontario was chosen as one of the winners of the campaign. With a stroke of ingenuity, they created a window display using 1990-91 Upper Deck hockey cards that spelled out “HOCKEY CARD HEAVEN." The store also ran different specials every day during the entire promotion (more than three months) to thank customers for their support. Every Saturday was designated as “Kids Day” and the store offered a variety of specials. Comic Connection also included charities such as the Canadian National Autism Foundation in their promotions.



Ted Krieg, owner of Comic Connection, was excited about being chosen. “We’re big hockey fans and it's fantastic to have something like this happen for us. We thought it was a great promotion and all of our staff just jumped at the opportunity. We worked really hard for this, but it’s also been a lot of fun, especially for our customers!"

Wayne’s Sports Cards in Edmonton, Alberta was also chosen as “Hockey Card Heaven.” The team at Wayne’s held colouring contests for kids while older collectors were invited to show off their collections during “Open House” events. One of the larger promotions which they created was called “Score with Upper Deck” where customers purchased a box of product, in exchange for an opportunity to shoot on the owner. The owner, who was decked out in Edmonton Oilers gear, handed out a prize if the collector scored.

“Programs like 'Hockey Card Heaven’ really help a retailer get motivated to come up with new and exciting ways to engage our customers,” said Wayne Wagner, owner of Wayne’s Sports Cards. “Anytime you can bring in a professional athlete to the store, it creates a buzz. Getting to meet a player face to face is such a great experience for fans and I know our customers are going to love it.”

Congratulations to Wayne’s Sports Cards and Comic Connection!

Who to Collect - Luca Caputi

Luca Caputi grew up in Maple, Ontario, a suburban community northwest of Toronto. And just before the Trade Deadline, Caputi became property of the nearby Toronto Maple Leafs in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins. As many scouts know, Caputi has all of the physical tools needed to develop into a power forward at the NHL level. At 6-2, 184 pounds, Caputi scores a lot of his goals from in front of the net and is more than willing to muck it up in the corners.



Luca Caputi began his junior career with the Mississauga IceDogs of the OHL in the 2004–05 season. After his 2006–07 season, Caputi was drafted in the fourth round in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. In his final season with the IceDogs, Caputi found his stride with an amazing 51 goals and 111 points in only 66 games. His 111 points were fourth in league scoring and his 51 goals were third in the OHL. Following his breakout season, Caputi signed a three-year contract with the Penguins. He then helped the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League reach the Calder Cup Finals with 8 points in 19 games.



After starting the 2008–09 season with Wilkes-Barre, Caputi made his NHL debut on February 3, 2009, scoring his first NHL goal on his first shift. Now with the Maple Leafs, Caputi is firing on all cylinders as the opportunity to play big minutes on a young team has presented itself. In only 5 games, Caputi has one goal and 3 assists and seems to be clicking with fellow young gun, Viktor Stalberg.

Luca Caputi has cards in some 2008-09 ITG products and rookie cards in most 2009-10 Upper Deck products which are available at Canada Card World.

Topps TV - Fun Ways to Collect

Everyone collects for different reasons. Some collect certain players, favourite teams, Hall of Famers, goaltenders, or rookie cards. In this video, Topps TV give us more interesting ways to collect.



Collecting is all about the fun. If you can't enjoy your hobby then you need to find some new ways to collect. Does anyone have any other ideas on interesting collecting habits?

Who to Collect (In Retrospect) - Chris Stewart

Chris Stewart was born in Scarborough, Ontario and currently is the hottest player in the NHL as he plays for the Colorado Avalanche. Chris is the younger brother of Anthony Stewart, who plays for the Atlanta Thrashers. Stewart is a big power forward who is a strong skater and is very hard to knock off the puck. He's not afraid to get physical but he has great hands for a big man. Stewart’s size, physicality, and soft hands will make him a force to be reckoned with in the NHL



On June 24, 2006, Stewart was drafted 18th overall in the first round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft by the Colorado Avalanche. Although usually playing in his brother Anthony's shadow, Chris has had much more success in the NHL than his older brother. On December 5, 2008, Stewart received his first NHL call-up by the Avalanche and made his NHL debut in a 2-1 loss to the Dallas Stars. Stewart scored his first NHL goal against the LA Kings a few nights later. On January 21, 2009, Stewart recorded his first Gordie Howe hat trick also against the Kings. During Stewart's 60th game of the 2009-2010 season, he recorded his first career hat trick against the St. Louis Blues. He had two even strength goals and one goal on a penalty shot.



Although he didn't burst onto the scene in his rookie season, his sophomore season has been far from the bust which plagues many players. Stewart has 25 goals and 27 assists in 61 games this season. The newly stocked Avalanche will be a force for years to come with Stewart joining Matt Duchene, Ryan O'Reilly and the newly acquired Peter Mueller.

Chris Stewart has cards in many 2008-09 and 2009-10 products which are available at Canada Card World

In The News - NL Collector Suffers Big Loss

At Canada Card World, we know how much collecting means to you. We are attaching an abridged version of a story which ran in a Canadian newspaper yesterday in the hopes that it might help lead to a happy ending for all involved.

Canada Post officials say they have no idea what happened to a valuable collection of hockey cards that went missing after being accepted for shipping at its Shoppers Drug Mart outlet on Gibson Drive in Mount Pearl, NL.

As originally reported by Terry Roberts in the March 8th, 2010 issue of The Telegram in St. John's, NL, Canada Post has no explanation for the missing hockey card collection. "We've done everything we could. It's nowhere to be found," Canada Post spokesperson Genevieve Latour said Friday.

Hockey card fanatic Joe Yetman of St. John's is willing to pay a $2,500 cash reward to anyone who can provide information on the whereabouts of the cards.

Yetman has been collecting hockey cards since he was seven and has accumulated quite a large collection. He has had multiple rookie cards of Hall of Famer's Gordie Howe, Maurice Richard, and Wayne Gretzky. He also has more than one collection of some valuable sets and recently decided to sell some to help pay for a high school graduation gift for his son.



He recently sold a rare set of 1957 Parkhurst hockey cards on eBay for $5,000 to another collector in Thunder Bay, ON. There were 50 cards featuring players from the Toronto Maple Leafsand the Montreal Canadiens. Included in the set were Frank Mahovlich and Henri Richard rookie cards as well as players such as Maurice Richard, Dick Duff, Charlie Hodge, Bernie Geoffrion and George Armstrong.

He's made many similar transactions over the years with no problems but things were different this time. After receiving the payment from the buyer, Yetman took the set to his local Canada Post outlet on January 2nd, 2010. Confident that the package would reach its destination, Yetman insured the item for $1,100, well below its actual value.

"After sending cards Xpresspost for over 10 years with no problems, I figured there would not be any issues," Yetman said. Ten days later, Yetman said he received an e-mail from the buyer saying he hadn't received the cards.

Yetman checked the tracking number on the package which showed it was received by Canada Post. However, it's now been more than two months and the package still hasn't turned up.

Latour said it's possible the package could have been stolen. She said postal inspectors have carried out an investigation but with no positive results. "We do apologize. This was an unfortunate incident," she said. "It's not the type of result we like to have. We try to deliver on time, all the time, and we do that over 95 per cent of the time."

Yetman had to return the $5,000 to the buyer and has lost some confidence in Canada Post but he'll make sure to insure his packages for the full value in the future. Canada Post has settled Yetman's insurance claim, but he's still out several thousand dollars.

If you or someone you know has any information regarding the missing cards, please contact the The Telegram at telegram@thetelegram.com

Kenny Lofton Talks Baseball Cards and More with Upper Deck

Upper Deck's Terry Melia was able to land a one-on-one interview with former major leaguer Kenny Lofton during this year's MLB Players Trust event in January at San Diego's Torrey Pines Golf Course.



Watch and listen as Lofton recounts his playing career and shares his thoughts on everything from fans and autographs to big league records and unusual signing surfaces.

Sunday Fun-Day Fun-Facts

Norman Saunders was a commercial artist who produced paintings for pulp magazines, paperbacks, adventure magazines, comic books, and trading cards. Born in Badger, Minnesota, Saunders' earliest art training was though a correspondence course.



Saunder's career was launched when his contributions to Captain Billy's Whiz Bang resulted in a job with Fawcett Publications, where he was employed from 1928 to 1934.



In 1958, Saunders obtained his first assignment from the Topps company which involved painting over photographs of baseball players who had been traded. This was done so that the players would appear to be wearing the jersey of their new team. Topps also employed Saunders to create artwork for many other cards.

Saunders was hired to paint scenes for one of the most successful non-sports card sets of all-time, Mars Attacks in 1962. Letters of protest poured in from parents, prompting Topps to issue the cards under a different company name.



His Wacky Packages cards were even more commercially successful. He also produced a number of less well known trading-card series, including: Ugly Stickers, Nutty Initials, Your Own Name and Civil War News.

Hobby News - The Saturday Edition

Upper Deck Settles Lawsuit with Major League Baseball

This week, the Upper Deck Company and Major League Baseball announced that both parties have mutually agreed to settle the lawsuit brought by Major League Baseball against Upper Deck. Upper Deck has agreed not to use MLB trademarks including team names and/or logos on its trading cards going forward. As such, many of Upper Deck’s scheduled baseball product launches already in production for 2010 will not be released. Upper Deck can continue to sell three recently released baseball products which are currently on store shelves: 2009 Signature Stars, 2009 Ultimate Collection and 2010 Upper Deck Series One.



“Upper Deck is pleased with the settlement including the amount the company paid as it relates to the trading cards released in 2010,” said Jason Masherah, Upper Deck’s director of Sports Brands. “As a company, we are changing the direction of Upper Deck’s baseball products going forward. We are looking forward to creating fresh and innovative set content that will continue to get collectors excited.”

"Great cards of great players have always been the cornerstone of Upper Deck products,” added Upper Deck Founder and CEO Richard McWilliam. “We’ll just have to see how innovative and creative we can become now. Hopefully, this settlement paves the way for stronger relationships with our other licensors.”

Eddie Guardado Talks Baseball Cards and More with Upper Deck

Upper Deck's Carrie Peterson was able to land a one-on-one interview with former major leaguer Eddie Guardado. The discussion took place during this years MLB Players Trust event in January at San Diego's Torrey Pines Golf Course.



In the video, "Everyday" Eddie recounts his playing career and shares his thoughts on everything from fans and autographs to big league records and unusual signing surfaces.

Remember baseball fans in the USA that this Saturday, March 6th is Upper Deck's 2010 National Packtime Event. When collectors visit an Upper Deck Certified Diamond Dealer shop they can receive a free 10-card pack of Upper Deck National Packtime Baseball cards.

Spring Sports Card Expo 2010 - Toronto

The 40th Sports Card and Memorabilia Expo will be held at the Toronto International Centre on 6900 Airport Road in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada from April 30th to May 2nd, 2010. Always a large draw, collectors and dealer will be able to browse hundreds of tables of rare and not-so-rare sports cards, non-sports cards, and various non-card related items that you would have trouble finding elsewhere.

Sports Card Expo Website.

Admission for the weekend:
$12/day for adults, $3/day for kids, or $25 for the weekend.

Show hours:
Friday 1pm-10pm
Saturday 10am-6pm
Sunday 10am-6pm.



Autograph guests this year include the greatest Boston Bruins of the late 1960's and early 1970's including Johnny Bucyk ($25), Wayne Carleton ($15), Fred Stanfield ($15), Jim Lorentz ($15), Derek Sanderson ($25-$35), Rick Smith ($15), Ed Westfall ($20), Don Marcotte ($15), Gary Doak ($15), Phil Esposito ($39-$79), Wayne Cashman ($25), Ed Johnston ($20) and Don Awrey ($25). A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for some fans to get autographs from their Bruins heroes.

Also, on Saturday May 1st, Ferguson Jenkins will be at the Expo with special guest Reggie Jackson in aid of the Ferguson Jenkins Foundation.



Joining Mr. October will be Gaylord Perry, Bob Feller, and Harmon Killebrew.

Upper Deck and In The Game will also have corporate booths with give-aways and product redemption offers.

Canada Card World will be on-site and we hope to meet collectors, fans, and hobbyists during the weekend.

NHL Trade Deadline Day

NHL Trade Deadline Day 2010 is today. Unlike the other major sports, the NHL sees a flurry of action on this day, whether big names or small names. Most importantly, a change in location for a player can change his fortune, his future, and his value to collectors.



In the lead up to Deadline Day, the two biggest names traded were Dion Phaneuf and Kari Lehtonen. Both were highly regarded young players who needed a change. Phaneuf was going through a year and a half of uninspired play in Calgary and Lehtonen was playing through another injury-filled season. Phaneuf will now be the centrepiece of the Toronto Maple Leafs organization and Lehtonen will be the starting goaltender next year for the Dallas Stars as Marty Turco will more than likely move on through free agency.



As seen earlier this season with the swap of Guillaume Latendresse and Benoit Pouliot by Minnesota and Montreal, a trade can be beneficial to both players. Not only did these two young players get more ice time, they also lit the lamp at an impressive rate in their new surroundings.

Who will be traded today and how many futures will change? Team collectors and player collectors will be swarming hobby boards and eBay as new players join and leave their teams. Rookie card speculators will also be lookng for that certain player who now has a mammoth opportunity with a new team.

CCW hopes you enjoy the day from a collecting stand-point and for the best of your favourite team.

Product Preview - 2009-10 ITG Between The Pipes

Another new week and more amazing news from In The Game.

ITG has given collectors more to talk about with the release of the cards within the various subsets of memorabilia cards. The goaltender checklist is phenomenal as usual. With names like Pelle Lindbergh, Bernie Parent, Jacques Plante, Vladislav Tretiak, and Patrick Roy to go along with all the best youngsters, ITG BTP is a must-break product.

2009-10 ITG Between The Pipes Game-Used Memorabilia Checklist

In The Game has released more pictures of the big hits and included below are some of the available cards. For more pictures and names, visit the link above.

Game-Used Jersey/Number/Emblem
Game-Used Number
Game-Used Emblem



Limited Jersey/Emblem/Number
Auto/Jersey
Auto/Emblem
Auto/Number



Home Grown
Origins
International Crease



Complete Package
Stick Save
Glove Save
Pad Save
He Shoots He Scores
Mega Stars
Complete Jersey
AutoThreads
Made To Order

2009-10 In The Game Between The Pipes will be released on March 25, 2010 from Canada Card World.

The Golden Goal!

Team Canada won a stressful 3-2 victory in overtime to give the country a second Olympic gold medal to celebrate in eight years. For Canada, it also marked an Olympic-record 14 gold medals by a country in a single Winter Games. Sidney Crosby provided the heroics on Sunday in the extra period. He capped off a give-and-go with Jarome Iginla for the winner.



The atmosphere was electric from the moment the first person stepped into the building. The game was fierce and physical in the first period as both teams tried to establish themselves. After Canada took a 2-0 lead, the Americans fought back and, in the end, tied the game in the final minute on a goal by Zach Parise.

Ryan Miller earned MVP honours for the Olympics. Brian Rafalski was named the tournament's top defenceman, while Jonathan Toews was named the top forward. The Olympic tournament all-star team was Ryan Miller, Brian Ralfaski, Shea Weber, Pavol Demitra, Jonathan Toews and Zach Parise.



The game brought the Olympics to a close in a perfect fashion for most Canadians.

After a lacklustre tournament, Crosby waited until the final moment to make his mark. After three games with no points, Canada needed a big goal and Crosby provided it. For the tournament as a whole, youngsters like Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, Drew Doughty, and Jonathan Toews led the team with Toews ultimately being named the top forward.



Card value winners - Roberto Luongo, Ryan Miller, Jaroslav Halak, Zach Parise, Jonathan Toews and Drew Doughty.

For cards of these players in upcoming products from In The Game and Upper Deck, visit Canada Card World.