Jargon is prevelant everywhere, and all fields have their own peculiar jargon that is understood only by the people familiar with that field. This is very true with the world of hockey card collecting. A new collector to the world of hockey card collecting is often left bewildered and lost because of the peculiar jargon used by avid sports card collectors. While most of the jargon is game related, some of it is created by the card manufacturing companies and these are the ones that confuse the uninitiated. While it is not possible to explain all the jargons, we have attempted to simplify some of it so that you can begin your hockey card collection.

The most important in the world of hockey cards is parallel hockey cards. These are cards, designed in the same manner as a regular hockey card with the same card number and design but have a distinguishing feature that makes it unique and different. These cards are fewer in number and hence a collector’s item and worth the investment. You will find parallel cards for base cards, memorabilia cards and even subset cards. The problem with these cards is that they are so similar to the original that you might end up buying a parallel card at the price of an original, so be sure to understand the underlying terminology before you start investing your time and money in buying hockey cards.

Another variety of cards is the subset cards that are identical in design to the base cards but are numbered as whole numbers. These are rare cards and add rarity to your hockey card collection. After the subset cards, come the insert cards that come in your base card pack that have a distinct design. Some of the insert cards are memorabilia cards and hence add that special touch to your hockey card collection. Memorabilia cards are nothing but cards that are either autographed by the players or have something from the game they played to remind you of the player and his game.

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Hockey, in the United States is a very popular sports, so it follows that hockey card collecting is one of the oldest card collecting hobbies known to hockey fans. A beginner to the hobby of collecting hockey cards is often left puzzled and confused with the variety of choices and cards. A lot of companies have started manufacturing hockey cards which causes some confusion. Even the terminology used by hockey card collectors is special and needs some initiation before one plunges into collecting hockey cards. When you enter into sports card collecting, the first question is where to begin and what to buy. The rational answer is to collect what you love. However, many will suggest, not unreasonably, that you buy hockey rookie cards, they are the best. But what are rookie cards is the next question?

Rookie cards are the first cards published of a hockey player when they make their debut in the NHL, National Hockey League. Almost immediately after the player has been drafted, hockey card manufacturing companies sign deals with various players to produce their rookie card. The demand for these rookie cards depends upon the hockey player, season and other factors.The hard part of collecting rookie cards is identifying the ones that are worth investing for your hockey card collection. You have to decide whether you want to buy rookie cards of all players or only of those who you like or believe will go on to a great NHL career.

If you are starting or expanding your hockey card collection for the love of the game and love for collecting, then you could buy all the rookie cards, irrespective of their actual value in the market or choose only those that you like and forget what the markets say. However, if you are in to hockey card collecting for investment or other purpose then you might want to look out for rookie cards of players like Sidney Crosby, Jason Spezza, Henrik Zetterberg, Marion Gaborik, Vincent Lecavalier, Roberto Luongo. In the alternative you might even want to look out for the yet to be released rookie card of Evgeni Malkin or of any of the new players, playing for the first time this season.

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Gone are the days when you had to visit the local sports card store for buying hockey player cards and having to wait until the released card versions actually reached the local hobby stores. In the Internet age, the entire buying and selling of sports cards has become virtual, resulting in the card being shipped to you and everything is carried out online. In the earlier days, the options were limited to the local card store or grocery store or 7-Eleven, but today, you have the official websites of the card manufacturing companies featuring their products, and, hordes of online retailers and auction sites to cater to your needs and help you find the rare hockey card you want. Whether it is a Topps set of cards or those of Upper Deck, they are easily available on the company’s website and this gives options for hockey card collectors to choose their type of hockey card. Vintage or current, your hockey card can be found online.

Apart from these, there are hordes of online retail outlets that sell hockey player cards, both individual as well as sets, at very reasonable prices. A list of these sites can be easily available by using a search engine like Google or Yahoo. Retailers like Collecting Sports Cards, Sports Card Attic, Dick & Jane’s Sports cards are good options to check out, if you want good bargains. Also a look at the price guides and their online lists will give you some more information about the cards. In fact, online price lists like Beckett also sell card sets at bargain prices. Look out for special offers and deals online and you may be the lucky one to get hockey cards at great discounts.

Finally, of course, you have the online auction sites like eBay which is a good place to buy and sell hockey cards. Here you have the flexibility of choosing the best bargains, as you may find more than one seller for a particular card. Also you have the choice of buying individual cards, also known as singles, as opposed to packs. This would not only be less expensive but also ensure that you buy only those cards you need and are not saddled with other useless cards or duplicate hockey cards.

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Card collecting, like any other hobby, can be quite a daunting task, particularly for a beginner. Given the wide range of companies that manufacture hockey player cards and also the large number of cards and card sets promoted by each, it is very difficult to choose without fear of having an unmanageable hockey card collection. We deal here with valuable tips on buying hockey cards and maintaining hockey cards

What are the types of hockey card collectibles that collectors buy? Well, you could either buy individual player cards or sets of player cards. Buying a set means that you have all the possible cards released of a particular player. Another collectible is the team cards or team set cards that give you an idea about the team’s performance. Lastly, of course, you have collectors sets that contain a checklist of the players that form the set and you either buy the entire set or collect so as to form that particular set. Collector sets include rookie cards, autographed cards, special edition cards, all of which form a collectible set by themselves. Vintage cards have a charm of their own and delight a true collector. It is important to scour the Internet for any such bargains that may be available.

Once you have decided what to buy, you should then identify the seller. It is very helpful to be able to actually see the card properly, especially if you are buying through the internet from an individual seller. You have to ensure that this is not a counterfeit card and you can determine this by gauging the seller through the various reviews available about him, written by other buyers. Price of the card should be agreed upon only after thorough research using the Internet and the various price guides as your resource. This is the safest bet to buy hockey cards.

Lastly, having a collection does not end with just buying the cards but includes maintenance of the cards. Proper storage facilities should be available to store and maintain these cards. It is more important if you are buying the hockey cards for investment purposes as condition of the cards determines its price and also it is important how long you would be storing hockey cards before you sell them. If you are planning to store hockey cards for long time, ensure that the storage area is free of rats, rodents and other insects as they may tear the cards, in addition ensure that the storage area is water proof and has adequate security measures in case of fire.

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Hockey as a game was conceptualized and played as early as 1875. But, formally, the NHL and its teams were established only in 1917. Next to baseball, the game of hockey grew quickly, a fanbase was created and started relating with its players. Taking full advantage of the situation, companies like Champ’s Cigarettes started giving player cards of the leading hockey players as freebies with their products. This resulted in two things, firstly increased profits for the company because of the increase in sales, and secondly, and most importantly, the hobby of hockey card collecting was born! However, the cards printed were few in number. Hockey cards also went out of production during the First World War and hence the hockey cards produced during this period are hard to find, rare and very valuable.

Along with Champ’s cigarette company, a leading Canadian candy manufacturer, O-Pee-Chee also started promoting their products by giving away free hockey player cards with their candies. However, this production was stopped during the Second World War and it was not until the beginning of the 1950’s that production of hockey player cards came into full swing. At that point, the first real hockey card collectors began their collections. Today, hockey card collecting is now a multi million dollar industry.

Cards printed during this early period, like the Billy Coutu cards, have become holy grails for any collector’s card collection. However, today vintage cards mean and include cards printed after the 50s and include mostly the players and the game statistics sometime during the early 70s. This is because, the earlier cards are either lost or, given their rarity, are untraceable. It was during the 1970s that the leading sports card manufacturer Topps, came into the picture and started producing hockey player cards. It was only after their entry into the hockey player cards market that the industry starting booming into what is presently known as the million dollar industry. Later on, companies like Score, Proset and Upper Deck started manufacturing hockey player cards and they have become quite popular with the public.

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Finding hockey cards that you were interested used to be a frustrating exercise of searching stores, opening packs, contacting dealers and going to sports card conventions. Now, if you need a specific hockey card for your player sports card collection, you can find it, with HockeyCardChase.com.

Starting your search for that elusive hockey card for your sports card collection starts with a name. Once you know the correct spelling of the hockey player you are interested in, just type the name into the player field. The hockey card search engine will be based off of the name you enter here, so be sure to spell the name correctly. Looking for that vintage hockey card only needs a first name, last name or both. Obviously, if you enter the hockey player’s first name and last name together, the search results will be more relevant.

If you need a hockey card from a specific year, you can type in the year. This is optional and not required to use the hockey card search engine. Please note that you need to enter all four digits and not just two for the year.

That’s it. When you click the search button, HockeyCardChase.com will search the Internet for the old or modern hockey card that you are looking for.

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HockeyCardChase.com is finished with the initial beta of the site. Whether you are searching for old Gordie Howe cards or Wayne Gretzky or Joe Sakic cards, the search engine for hockey cards is now working. Player cards with values and prices are being displayed in the search results. Sports card dealers and online hockey card retail shops are stored in the database and showing up in the results.

With the close of beta, we will now be posting blog entries centered around hockey cards and the hobby of collecting sports cards. Please feel free to write us with your suggestions by clicking on the contact us page.

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Collecting hockey player cards is an age old hobby that began way back in 1910, when the first set of hockey player cards were manufactured. However, because of the two World Wars and the resulting shortage of sports card manufacturing material, fewer cards were manufactured and this resulted in scarcity as well as loss of original cards. Companies did come up with newer versions of old cards and these have formed great collectibles today. These cards now fetch very high prices in the market and are treated as gold in hockey card collectibles.

The hobby of collecting hockey player cards is, however, slightly different from collecting other sports cards. Where the player is the most important aspect in the other games, in hockey, the player and the team are rated together. Even if a player were good, his value would largely depend on the performance of the entire team. Hence, if you want a true assessment on the value of a hockey card, then you should assess the performance of the entire team and this helps determine the need for the player’s card. Unlike other games where the value of rookie card is dependent on player, in hockey rookie cards, value depends on both player performance as well as the team. In hockey card collecting, both the team and the individual player are given equal importance. I’m not sure why this is so, perhaps due to the fact that there aren’t as many big name stars in the early years as today.

Along with the team’s performance, the year the player and his team had also plays a role in determining the value of a card. In other words, if the year of manufacture of the card symbolizes a great season for the player, then its value increases. Milestones achieved by the player impacts the value of his card. You should also pay attention to the details of the card itself, whether it has a hologram or it is an autographed card or it has other inserts, this will help determine its value and all this needs thorough research on the part of hockey card collector.

Lastly of course, proper research by asking around and verifying price guides will help determine the real value of the card. Experts in the field of collecting hockey player cards are a good resource along with leading price guides like Beckett and Tuffstuff. Finally, use the the global online marketplace found on the Internet to gauge the value of your hockey cards.

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