A Year In Review: My Top 10 Additions of 2023

Another year down, and another Top 10! 2023 was an incredible year for my collection. Not only did I add more cards than last year, but I was able to add plenty of rarer cards that I would have never thought I would land, let alone in the same calendar year. Going into this year I didn't really know what to expect, as many of you know with an player collection you've kept up with for many years, you just never know when that next new collection piece will arrive. For the past few seasons I have been anticipating a quiet year for my collection, but have been pleasantly surprised each and every time. This was also the case for this past year. 

A always - It's tons of fun providing these little recaps on my blog. It allows me to take a good look at my collection and see how much progress I've made. I routinely have searched the archives for my other yearly recaps, as they serve as a reminder to me that no matter how long you've been collecting, you truly never know what's around the corner and what cards will finally see the light of day after years of searching. 

If you're up for viewing more cards and would like to review my additions from last year in 2022, please click HERE. 

Now, without further ado, here are my most notable pickups from 2023:

Honourable Mentions:
Johnny Bower 2008-09 Upper Deck Legends Masterpieces Brushstrokes Blue Border Autograph /25

I shared this recently, but for those who haven't seen, I added this sweet Johnny Bower autograph from 2008-09 Upper Deck Legends Masterpieces to my collection.

This is the first Bower auto in my PC, and you'll be hard-pressed to find a better one. This is the blue bordered parallel /25, which is a nice touch as well featuring a Leafs alumni. This was one of the final cards I received in the mail to finish 2023 on a high note - So I figured it had to be mentioned here in this countdown. 

Honourable Mentions:
​Ed Belfour 2004-05 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection Game Jersey Patch /35

Although this one didn't make the Top 10, I felt it was worth noting as a honourable mention. Ever since seeing this Ultimate Collection set in a Beckett magazine many years ago, I have always wanted to add one for the collection. I managed to make a deal for this sweet Belfour patch at the 2023 Fall Expo in Toronto. Not a bad patch, either! I was very fond of Belfour during his days with the Leafs, so this was a biggiue for the collection.

10) Mike Mole 2008-09 The Cup Masterpieces Rookie Printing Plate 1/1

This card might not mean a lot to anyone, but that is okay.

​Mike was my goalie coach back in the 2010-11 season, and it was during this time I started to collect his cards. He only has a few of them out there, but I am still trying to track down a few that I need, with the majority of those being 1/1 printing plates. Always enjoyed UD's MVP hockey brand, so to get one of the plates for this collection was really neat. Not many people would bother listing a card like this in 2023, so I am glad it found it's way into the collection.

If you want to view this collection so far, please check it out HERE on my goalie collections area of this site. 

9) 2009-10 O-Pee-Chee Premier Artist Proofs (x3)

These 2009-10 Upper Deck O-Pee-Chee Artist Proof cards are beyond rare. They first surfaced back in 2010, but I never payed much attention to them at the time. I wasn't interested or had the capabilities to super collect back then, so going for these types of cards wasn't a priority back then. Fast forward to today, and I love cards like these. The mystery that surrounds them will never not be cool. 

Since artist proof cards from 2010 aren't exactly on the radar for collector's these days, it be hard for people to care about them, let alone list any of them up for sale. With my luck, 3 of them would come up for sale at the same time on eBay. I was lucky to snag all three and be on my way. I had these on the wantlist because I knew they existed,  but I didn't think I would ever find any of them. While there still are a few handfuls of these AP cards left to find, I am content with these 3 for now. Happy I was at least able to make some strong progress all these years later. Better late than never is what they always say!

8) Buffalo Sabres 2022-23 President's Choice In The Crease StickRack /3

When I saw this card on the In The Crease checklist, I just knew I had to have it. Paired up with some Sabres legends, and you've got quite the card. While it's hard to compare to some other mighty additions I was able to find in the loaded In The Crease product release, this one is definitely up there.

I managed to connect with a collector on HobbyInsider who made this availible to me after one of his box breaks. It always helps to cast a wide net in this hobby, as you never know who might pull those cards you need. This was the first and only copy of this card I've seen to date, and the product has been live for a little over a year now.  Not surprising due to the print run numbered to just 3 copies in total.

This was one of a handful multi-player Enroth cards Dr. Price included inside the In The Crease product, which was a breath of fresh air for my collection. Here's hoping he can create a few more multi-player cards in the near future, making for some for some interesting card combos no doubt. 
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7) Jhonas Enroth 2009-10 The Cup Rookie Masterpieces 1/1 Printing Plates (x3)

Some collectors might not be fan of printing plates, but I love them - Esecially the ones from The Cup. I picked these 3 plates up from 3 different people in about a span of two months last year in late summer / early fall, which was pretty awesome. 

There is another Enroth collector out there who has over 20 printing plates from his 2009-10 rookie year, making these plates a lot harder to come by all these years later. Picking up 3 in one year was a pretty good success story if you ask me! 

6) Jhonas Enroth 2021-22 SeReal One World One Team KHL Platinum Jersey Logo Patch /24

Released in early 2023, this card was a long time coming for my collection. When Enroth moved to the KHL in 2017 to play for Dinamo Minsk, I knew a lot of the previous KHL card sets of the past has had really cool Mega Patch inspired cards over the years. It may have taken a few years for SeReal to produce one, but I finally landed one for the collection.

​For those who don't know, SeReal is a KHL card manufacterer based in Latvia. I managed to buy this card from a online card shop out of the Czech Republic of all places. Pretty cool. 
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5) Enroth/Niemi/Gustavsson/Dubnyk 2009-10 The Cup Quad Patches /5

A true white whale for the Enroth card collection. I've been after this card for many years, knowing that all the other 4 copies have been spoken for. I was lucky enough that a Blackhawks collector was willing to make a deal with me after all these years. Finally able to cross this one off the list! Feels good, man. 
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4) Jhonas Enroth 2023 President's Choice StickHandle 1/1

When Dr. Price told me that they were releasing new StickHandle cards through their online store this past summer, I was stoked. After seeing the cards that were released, I was not dissappointed and snapped this one up in a heartbeat. 

Aside from being a uber-cool memorabilia card, this card was also my 70th 1/1 card in my Enroth collection, which is a crazy number that I never thought I'd ever achieve. 
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3) Jhonas Enroth 2022-23 President's Choice In The Crease Jumbo Memorabilia 1/1

This was one of the first additions into the collection in 2023, and it sure did make an impact. Showcasing one of the nastiest LA Kings patches I've ever seen, Dr. Price sure made this card stand out with a one-of-a-kind memorabilia patch here. A truly epic piece of cardboard. 

I also picked up two more Jumbo Memorabilia cards this year, which you can view below:

2) Marc-Andre Fleury / Georges Vezina 2022 President's Choice Solid Gold Trophy Winners /6

I'll let the card do most of the talking on this one. A stunning addition from 2022 President's Choice Solid Gold Trophy Winners set, featuring a Vezina pad piece that is exceptional. Not bad for a memorabilia piece that is over 100 years old, right?!

​He is paired up with Marc-Andre Fleury, one of my favourite goalies of all-time. This Vezina Trophy Winners subset is a homage to the original Be A Player Vezina memorabilia set that was first released by Dr. Price back in 2000 - over 20 years ago! Man, how time flies.

I was fortunate enough to land this card for my collection late 2023. This is only my second Vezina memorabilia card in my goalie collection, but I do not think it will be the last. 
 

1) Jhonas Enroth 2013 IIHF World Championships Game-Worn Sweden Jersey

Jhonas Enroth makes a save in a 3-0 shutout win against Team Finland during the 2013 IIHF World Championship Semi-Final game.

Even though my collection primarily revolves around cards, I just can't help but appreciate a good game-worn jersey. The hockey history tied up in these memorabilia pieces is something special.

You're looking at a 2013 IIHF World Championship Team Sweden Away jersey. This jersey was worn by Enroth in 2 games throughout the tournament, most notably in the semi-final game against their biggest rivals, Team Finland. Sweden went on to win the game, with Enroth earning the 3-0 shutout win. Sweden would go on to win the very next night, capturing the gold medal with a 4-1 win over Switzerland. This was the first time in over 27 years that the host country had won gold at this tournament. 

So there you have it. A stunning piece to wrap up another amazing year in the hobby. I can't wait to see what 2024 will bring, both on the collection front, but also in life.

​I hope you all had a successful year with your collections as well. If you'd like to share any of your favourite additions from this past year, please let me know in the comment section below, or shoot me an email. You can also connect with me on all my socials @creasecollector. 

Happy Collecting, 

- Aaron / creasecollector

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