Collectors Corner #20: Eddie The Eagle (Ed Belfour)

After connecting with Georgios, a card collector from Sweden, through a Swedish hockey card Facebook Page, he was eager to share his collection with me. Since Belfour is also one of my All-Time favourite goaltenders, this extensive collection of rare and elusive cards had my jaw on the floor in a matter of seconds.

​Georgios was very interested in telling his story here on my site and I'm happy I get to feature another European collector on my website. It just goes to show you how global this hobby is at times and I really enjoy sharing that aspect here as well.

I hope you enjoy my newest Collectors Corner article featuring Georgios' incredible Ed Belfour collection (seriously, It's a-MAZ-ing)! 

Georgios' Introduction

​Hey Aaron! Im happy to have the opportunity to show off some of my Ed Belfour collection.

I started collecting his cards when i was about 8-9 years old. Im 38 now, so for around 30 years i have had him as my main and only PC.
I remember when we were kids here in Sweden where i am born, playing with hockey cards in school, throwing them against a wall and the one
landing the closest to the list, won the other card.
​
Also we did enormous trades, that was pretty crazy now when you look back. I can't forget my hockey binder got stolen in the classroom from my desk (Yeah, we had the desks that you could open and close), and in that binder i had maybe 4 or 5 Starquest Gold cards of Belfour. Will never forget that day.

​What/Who Do You Collect?

​For me, the best goalkeeper i had ever seen on television. Ed "The Eagle" Belfour.

How big is your Ed Belfour collection at the moment

I actually stopped counting by 1,600 unique cards as of 2019, so I have no idea.
​
I just registered an account on G.I.S.I and I already have 15+ cards heading that way so I think my collection will have a boost in a couple of months or so.

Over 1,600 cards is impressive! How do you store such a big collection?

I use a Slab Case XL for my most valuable cards, and the case is full yeah..
A big shout out to that case, its really really well made and protects the cards amazingly.
​
For the rest of the collection I have cases with sorted binders in them:
​
Case 1 - Chicago, Game used Memorabilia and autographs
Case 2 - Toronto, Sharks, Florida
Case 3 - Dallas
​
So it's 4 big cases that holds my Ed Belfour collection.

Here's an example of a Slab Case XL case Georgios uses to store his Belfour card collection.

Why Did You Start Collecting Ed Belfour?

​I remember seeing the Blackhawks play, and i likes their jerseys, since that day, I started collecting Belfour because he had a pretty cool helmet the second season he was there. So it's not just because he was good, it was mostly because of the helmet.

Ed Belfour as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks. Belfour would develop his famous Eagle mask design in Chicago that he carried with him for the remainder of his NHL career.

​What’s Your Favourite Card or Item(s)?

​​I have a couple favourite cards actually. Here they are without any special order:
​
2013-14 Between the Pipes Jumbo Pads #JP05 Ed Belfour (the green eagle) 1/1

2011-12 Panini Contenders Original Six Booklet Autographs #6 Johnny Bower/Grant Fuhr/Felix Potvin/Curtis Joseph/Ed Belfour/James Reimer /25

2012-13 Artifacts Tundra Trios Tags Black #TT3BJB Martin Brodeur/Ed Belfour/Curtis Joseph 1/1
​
1998-99 UD Choice StarQuest Gold #SQ17 Ed Belfour /100
​
2011-12 The Cup Quads Patches #C4ALLSTARG Martin Brodeur/Bernie Parent/Ed Belfour/Curtis Joseph

I think I love these cards the most, even if it's pretty weird when opening the binder and see my 18 IP autos of Belfour when he played for Leksand here in Sweden. When I see them, I fall in love again just because of the story behind the autographs.

Artifacts 1/1

Starquest Gold /100

ITG Jumbo Pad 1/1

UD The Cup Quads

UD The Cup Quads

Panini Contenders Original 6 Booklet Autographs /25 - Toronto Maple Leafs

​What's the story behind the Leksands autos?

Actually, growing up in Sweden in the 80s was tough, both economically and if you were from another country outside of Scandinavia, you saw and experienced much racism. Especially racism behind your back. I heard and saw people talk about foreigners when they were not there, and when they were, they were best friends.

I saw much of that when I grew up, and when i wrote an email to Leksands HQ and asked if i could send some cards from Stockholm to Leksand (Sweden), they didn't even answer me. I sent various emails, from three of my email addresses.
And when i felt it is enough, I created a email-account, with a Swedish name, and got back from them the same day telling me I can send them how many cards i want for signing. I can only imagine their faces when they got back to me and asked for shipping address back to me, and I wrote them my real name.

​What's On Your Current Wantlist? Are there any ‘White Whales’ you’d like to add one day?

​I would love some more 1/1 cards for my collection. But my prior have always been to have GOOD looking cards, and I don't mean the condition, thats also important. The design of the card in general, if it's something I like I can pay more for. Also, a good looking auto is also something I can pay more for.

Maybe I'll try to get a Nameplate completed or maybe a harder Rainbow. But I know I would need a ton of cash to even try that.

​What's your plan with your Belfour collection?

My plan is simple: I'm thinking about keeping the collection for my son and daughter so they someday, can use the cards for selling, or just keeping it as a memory of me when I leave this life. 

I don't think Belfour may be the first person a child will think about when it comes to start collecting cards, but since I have built the collection to what it is today, I hope that my children some day will cherish that and remember me with a smile when they see the cards.

​Do you have the worlds biggest Ed Belfour collection?

​No, I know a couple of guys that have bigger than mine, but i think i should be top 10 for sure.

Biggest in Europe? I think so.
Biggest in Sweden? Positive since my good friend (Danne J.) stopped collecting and sold almost me all of his Belfour cards.

Was Danne a 'rival' Belfour collector of yours?

Yeah, but we clicked so good that we became good friends, even if he lives in the south part of the country and I am in the capital, Stockholm, Sweden.
​
My heart broke when he told me he was selling his collection, even if we have been rivals, we have always been good friends and he have helped me get cards for my collection and vice versa.
He had Sweden's biggest Belfour collection, until he sold the cards, now I'm pretty sure I am on top but I have a new rival collector (Rasmus E.) heading my way so I need to keep it going to hold him back (lol) ! 

​Contact: How can other collectors reach you about any Belfour cards?

I'm on Facebook's biggest hockey card groups, with a reputation of 100% positive feedback both as a buyer, seller and trader. So that's the main spot I'm hanging around at when on the internet looking for more Ed Belfour cards!

---

​Thank you so much Georgios for telling us your story and showing some of your cards!

Thank you, Aaron! I really appreciate that I got contacted about this and it was fun answering your questions for this article.

---

Georgios' Ed Belfour Card Collection Gallery

---

If you want to get in contact with me about getting ​your Collection featured on my blog, feel free to leave a comment on this post below, fill out a contact form on my Contact page, or send me an email at [email protected] and we will be in touch very soon. :)

​Happy Collecting,

​- Aaron / creasecollector