'The Great One' Makes an Appearance at The 2024 Fall Expo in Toronto!

After another successful Expo here in the Toronto area, I wanted to showcase my two notable pickups at the show this fall. 

The biggest pickup by a large margin was this 2003-04 Upper Deck SP Game-Used Limited Threads 47/75 jersey card of Wayne Gretzky. I used to own a Gretzky game-used card many years ago, but eventually sold it to help fund a large PC purchase. While I don't regret the sale at the time, it is a hole that I've always wanted to fill in my personal collection since that time. I've never owned a Edmonton Oilers game-used piece of The Great One, so that was the cherry on top this weekend.

I destroyed my card budget with this single card, but all-in-all, I think I paid a very fair price that I am more than happy with. It may not be a goalie card, but sometimes you can't stay away from picking up cards of some of the true greats of the game. 

Another reason I was drawn to this card is that they straight up don't make them like they used to. With the hobby getting more and more expensive every year, vintage Gretzky Oilers gamers is something that are too rare and expensive for even Upper Deck at times, making Gretzky game-used Oilers memorabilia cards that much more scarce. To pick up a nice blue Oilers swatch with Gretzky pictured in a Oilers sweater on the front is epic, not to mention that it's nicely numbered to just 75 copies put it over the top for me. 

This pickup was a job well done in my opinion, and I can't be more excited!

Here's my second notable pick-up, just in time with Christmas coming around the corner...

Do trees and cards mix? Apparently, yes!

Ed Belfour 1999-00 Pacific Revolution Christmas Ornaments

I also spotted Ed Belfour along the way to his signing table, which was pretty cool. For those who don't know, Belfour was one of my childhood heroes growing up as a young goalie in the Toronto area. I even dawned his iconic Eagle logo on my mask for a few years! So seeing him up close & in-person was a neat moment for sure. He seemed very happy to be meeting with the fans and signing some autographs.

​After that quick encounter, I managed to search around in a few boxes and found a nice lot of Belfour cards for a grand total of $5.

​This lot had a few numbered cards and a Maple Leafs jersey card inside (score!), but the main reason I purchased the lot was for the card above. You're looking at a 1999-00 Pacific Revolution Christmas Ornaments card. Yes, it is a 'real' Christmas ornament equipped with a string to hang on your tree and everything. Truly amazing. 

I have always thought these cards were so cool (it just screams 1990's!) with some nice shiny foil to boot, so I just had to buy it. This will be hanging proudly on our Christmas tree this year for sure! I'll have to post a picture on my Instagram when it's hanging on the tree, so watch out for that post soon. 

Did you pick up anything noteworthy at the Expo this year? I'd love to see/hear about it. Please comment below and/or connect with me on social media or send me an email. 

As always... Happy Collecting!

Aaron / creasecollector

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