ONLINE DOLLAR BOX PART 1: HOCKEY GAS

FOR A BRIEF PERIOD OF TIME THE ONLINE DIME BOX WAS AN ONLINE DOLLAR BOX AND HONESTLY? I KINDA LIKED IT.  THINGS HAD STARTED TO BECOME EXTREMELY FRANTIC ON THE SITE WHEN TRYING TO SNAG THE GOOD CARDS BEFORE SOMEONE BEAT YOU TO IT. PEOPLE ARE MUCH MORE DISCERNING AT A DOLLAR BOX AND IT GAVE ME SOME TIME TO BREATHE AND PICK UP STUFF I REALLY REALLY WANTED WITHOUT HAVING TO REFRESH THE SITE AT 3AM. ALL IN ALL, I PICKED UP SIXTEEN CARDS FROM THE DOLLAR BOX AND THEY WERE SENT ALONG WITH CARDS FROM A SECOND ONLINE BLASTER. I'M GOING TO SPRINKLE THE DOLLAR CARD POSTS IN WITH THE BLASTER CARD POSTS TO KEEP THINGS INTERESTING AND BECAUSE THESE ARE EASIER TO WRITE. I BOUGHT THESE THREE THE MOMENT THEY POPPED UP

YOU MIGHT RECOGNIZE THIS FROM A PREVIOUS POST. THIS IS THE CHECKLIST OF THE 1988-89 ESSO STICKERS ALBUM. I FOUND A PAUL COFFEY CARD TO ADD TO MY PLAYER COLLECTION, THEN PICKED UP MIKE BOSSY BECAUSE HE'S COOL AND THEN... WELL WE'LL GET TO THAT SOON. NOTICE THE CHECKMARKS ON THE LIST. I ORIGINALLY THOUGHT THESE WERE AN INSERT IN THA ALBUM THAT YOU COULD TEAR OUT AND STICK INTO THE ALBUM BUT POKING AROUND ON ETSY I FOUND A PHOTO THAT MAKES IT LOOK LIKE THEY ARE ACTUALLY PRINTED RIGHT ON THE PAGE

THANK YOU, RANDOM ETSY SELLER THAT I CAN'T FIND NOW THAT IT'S TIME TO WRITE THE POST. AS YOU CAN SEE NORM ULLMAN IS PLASTERED AWKWARDLY ONTO THE PAGE WHILE PIERRE PILOTE IS JUST RIGHT THERE. THIS IS GOOD BECAUSE THERE ARE ONLY 48 CARDS IN THE SET NOW BUT BAD BECAUSE YOU NEED TO TRACK DOWN AN ALBUM IF YOU ARE A COMPLETIONIST. TWO IF YOU FEEL THE NEED TO CUT OUT THE 'CARD' STRAIGHT OUT OF THE BOOK TO KEEP WITH THE REST OF THE CARDS. I DUNNO IF ANYONE WANTS TO PASTE THESE INTO THE ALBUM BECAUSE THESE STICKERS ARE LIKE STAMPS WHERE YOU HAVE TO LICK THE GLUE ON THE BACK TO PASTE THEM IN. ACTUALLY, STAMPS HAVE BEEN SELF ADHESIVE FOR OVER 20 YEARS NOW. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT YOU'D COMPARE THESE TO ANYMORE

ANYWAY, HERE ARE THE CARDS I COULD NOT LIVE WITHOUT ENOUGH TO PAY A BUCK EACH FOR WITHOUT HESITATION

BOBBY ORR HAD BEEN RETIRED FOR A DECADE WHEN THIS SET CAME OUT BUT I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING EVEN APPROXIMATING A VINTAGE CARD OF HIS. THIS IS VINTAGE ENOUGH FOR ME, IF YOU SAW THIS CARD IN A DARK ALLEY YOU COULD EASILY BE CONVINCED IT WAS FROM THE 70S. WHILE I DON'T CARE FOR 21ST CENTURY HOCKEY I STILL HAVE WARM FEELINGS TOWARDS 70S HOCKEY. I'VE SEEN THAT PICTURE OF BOBBY FLYING THROUGH THE AIR LIKE SUPERMAN A HUNDRED TIMES AND ORR IS A GREAT GET

KEN DRYDEN IS BASICALLY A CANADIAN LEGEND AND SINCE HE WAS A SUPERSTAR WHO ALSO RETIRED IN 1979 I NEVER GOT ONE OF HIS CARDS. HIS CARDS WEREN'T IN THE 70S COMMON BRICKS I PICKED UP CHEAP AND WEREN'T IN THE PACKS I BOUGHT IN THE 80S. I PICKED UP A FEW TRIBUTE CARDS OUT OF SOME 90S RELEASES BUT THAT WAS IT. DRYDEN HAD A RIDICULOUS CAREER, SIX STANLEY CUPS IN EIGHT SEASONS AND HE EVEN TOOK A SEASON OFF TO WORK FOR A LAW FIRM WHEN THE CANADIENS STIFFED HIM ON HIS CONTRACT AFTER WINNING THE CUP AND VEZINA AWARD. FUCKIN' HERO IS WHAT THAT IS

YOU KNOW WHO THIS IS AND WHAT HE DID AND WHY I INSTANTLY BOUGHT THIS CARD. I LOVE DIRT COMMON JUNKWAX ERA GRETZKY CARDS, AN ACTUAL ODDBALL CARD IS JUST WONDERFUL. GRETZKY CARDS SEEM WEIRDLY UNDERVALUED TO ME, I NEED A GRETZKY FOR MY 85-86 SET AND IT APPEARS I CAN PROBABLY FIND ONE PRETTY EASILY FOR TEN BUX. IMAGINE FINDING A COMPARABLE JORDAN CARD AT THAT PRICE!

THESE THREE ARE ALL HOCKEY SUPERDUPERSTARS BUT THAT'S NOT THE ONLY REASON I INSTABOUGHT THE TRIO. I HOPE YOU LIKE THESE CARDS BECAUSE... WELL YOU'LL SEE SOON

SINCE I WROTE THIS, BASEBALLCARDSTORE DOT CA HAS ADDED A DOLLAR BOX FEATURE TO THE SITE WHICH IS PRETTY COOL. I'VE ALREADY PICKED UP ANOTHER POST'S WORTH OF CARDS BUT THAT'S FOR ANOTHER DAY