Game-used memorabilia cards

Anyone who's been reading this blog for any length of time knows that I have a weakness for Carbonneau game-used stuff.  I've been able to obtain a few pieces of my own, but before then I thought that the game-used hockey card market afforded an excellent opportunity for those who might not otherwise be able to own a piece of game-used memorabilia, even if such memorabilia had to be destroyed to do so.  There's nothing quite like owning something that your favorite player actually used on the ice, is there?

I did have a feeling of uneasiness when thinking about the memorabilia being destroyed.  Until this year when I finally obtained one, a game-worn Carbo jersey was my white whale of collecting and it made me a little queasy to think of these jerseys being cut up to make cards.  I had managed to convince myself that most of these were "one-game wonders," or photo shoot jerseys.

Then, the other day, I saw this:

(photo source:  eBay)

It's not a jersey, but it is most definitely a piece of one of Carbo's vintage Artis sticks, with the stick tape still attached.  Seeing this did make me queasy.  In regards to Carbo game-used memorabilia cards, he really falls in the category of "vintage" players, and the school of thought in the game-used hobby is that cutting up vintage memorabilia is blasphemy.  The thing is, there just isn't that much Carbo game-used stuff available anymore.  Yes, he played for 18 years, but there really wasn't much of a market for those collectibles when he was playing, and heaven only knows where most of the stuff is now.  That's why it's really a crime to destroy the vintage stuff for purposes of making cards, many say.

But...it's either OK to cut up memorabilia or it isn't.  Vintage or not.  I saw an argument that the Hockey Hall of Fame doesn't display jersey cards and that's very true.  You can make a million cards, but the actual memorabilia is in limited supply and when it's gone, it's gone.  This, I think, holds true for today's game-used memorabilia as well.  Yes, multiple sets of jerseys are supplied to players nowadays for the purpose of marketing them as collectibles later, and while this isn't a post about value, those jerseys are going to mean something to someone somewhere.  I know how I felt when I finally got my Carbo gamer in my hands.  Name anyone who's playing today, and there's someone out there who loves and respects them just as much as I do with Guy Carbonneau.

That's why I'm not okay with memorabilia cards anymore.

/rant over

Some new finds

I wanted to post about some rare items I added to my collection in the past months.  The first is a signed photo of Guy with the AHL Nova Scotia Voyageurs, ca. 1980-82:

It's authentic vintage -- anyone familiar with Carbo autographs knows that Guy stopped signing his first name fairly early on in his career, opting instead for just "Carbonneau" with his number 21.  (Incidentally, he wore number 10 with the Vees, which may be prophetic as it is the number his son-in-law Brenden Morrow also wears with the Dallas Stars.)  And it has the old-school "This paper manufactured by Kodak" imprint on the back.  Here it is on display in my office:

The second, picked up more recently, is a brochure for Ferland hockey equipment; featuring Guy, Chris Nilan, and Lucien DeBlois.

Also, if you search Guy on eBay, you'll find a treasure trove of vintage game photos.  Here is one of Guy with the St. Louis Blues, ca. 1994.

(photo credit:  eBay)

And while I'm on this memorabilia stream of consciousness, allow me to share this photo I found on Facebook (can't quite remember where) of Guy signing a glove.  I think it's fantastic.

(photo credit:  Facebook)

That is all.  As you were.

A mishmash

With the NHL locked out, the Tournee des Joueurs tour organized by Maxime Talbot and Bruno Gervais and touring across Quebec, has been going strong.  Guy has signed on to coach Team Montreal.  Recent addition to the Canadiens roster, Colby Armstrong, tweeted this photo of himself with his coaches, Guy and Jacques Demers:

My coaches for tonight! This is awesome! Growing up a habs fan as a kid this is pretty great. #habs #latdj #quebec  (source:  Twitter / @armdog)

Meanwhile, Carbo is still maintaining his gig as an RDS analyst.  Recently on L'Antichambre, himself and the rest of the AC gang were up to some '70s hijinks.

(source:  Facebook / L'Antichambre)

And the venerable Canadiens historical website tells of a prank that Guy and Chris Nilan played on teammates Mike Lalor and Chris Chelios back in the day.  You can read the story here.