Those not playing the Bedard lottery, post what you're focusing on instead

[rizzeedizzee]

First off, what people do with their money is up to them - you do you. If you want to drop thousands buying or chasing Bedards, who am I to say not to do so?

But I'm curious what those - like me - who are largely or entirely avoiding Bedard products are doing and plan to do over the next year when UD will release many more 2023-24 sets. In my case, I'm trying to focus on lower pop count older FWA PSA10s, plus younger players who've gone from hyped to disappointing, yet still might have salvageable careers, like Kaliyev, Vanecek, Olofsson, Hayton, Krebs, Garland, and a few others. The deals out there are quite good, and I'm guessing will only improve in the offseason while the Bedard hypes continues but real life hockey isn't ongoing.

[The_Reverend]

I bought into the hood of Bedard, I knew about him for a while. Ripped $370 of retail and pulled his YG and kept the other 6 tins I found in the wild sealed. I have been adding to my Kirill Kaprizov PC mostly and have been researching low risk, high potential prospects.

[mallowciraptor]

Not actively avoiding Bedard hunting but I'll wait until S2 hits ePack before I rip much more of it.

Have a whole spreadsheet of various cheap projects I'm trying to put a dent in before my first kid joins us later this year. Here are a few hockey ones:

• UMaine Base Exclusives project (link)
• 2011/12 Black Diamond Bruins Championship Rings (missing Bergeron/Chara/Marchand/Boychuk)
• 1993/94 Stadium Club Hockey First Day Issue Set (this is a very long term set build)

Aside from these projects I'll likely just be adding to my Swayman and Rantanen collections as well.

[rizzeedizzee]

Originally Posted by mallowciraptor

Not actively avoiding Bedard hunting but I'll wait until S2 hits ePack before I rip much more of it.

Have a whole spreadsheet of various cheap projects I'm trying to put a dent in before my first kid joins us later this year. Here are a few hockey ones:

• UMaine Base Exclusives project (link)
• 2011/12 Black Diamond Bruins Championship Rings (missing Bergeron/Chara/Marchand/Boychuk)
• 1993/94 Stadium Club Hockey First Day Issue Set (this is a very long term set build)

Aside from these projects I'll likely just be adding to my Swayman and Rantanen collections as well.

93-94 Stadium Club First Days......oh the memories. That and the Select Certified Mirror Reds, Blues, and Golds were the big chases back in those wonderful junk wax days.

[anusinha]

Selling hype stuff, buying Gretzky autos and mcdavid/Crosby RCs

[mallowciraptor]

Originally Posted by rizzeedizzee

93-94 Stadium Club First Days......oh the memories. That and the Select Certified Mirror Reds, Blues, and Golds were the big chases back in those wonderful junk wax days.

93/94 Stadium Club was the first real set I can remember collecting as a kid. Had the rating systems memorized for each player back then.

Figured the First Day Issues would make for a fun set to piece together over time and I've lucked out finding quite a few in el cheapo boxes at card shows in recent years.

[jmarascojr]

Originally Posted by mallowciraptor

93/94 Stadium Club was the first real set I can remember collecting as a kid. Had the rating systems memorized for each player back then.

Figured the First Day Issues would make for a fun set to piece together over time and I've lucked out finding quite a few in el cheapo boxes at card shows in recent years.

Pretty sure there’s multiple variations of those as well, and by multiple, I think 2…

American and French, differs by the location of the 1st Day Issue stamp….

[JanuaryRains]

No real changes - still buying what I usually buy for my PC. Waiting for more 2022/23 stuff to come out before I pick up some more Owen Power stuff.

Grabbing Synergy true rookies whenever I see a name I like. Really like the look and low #'ing on them.

Picking up fewer and fewer auto rookies - can't stomach the quality of rookie autos anymore. Too many squiggles and scribbles, probably done with that overall.

[kingb22]

In general my buying has dropped a lot because of 1) how UD and the big 3 has handled pricing of 23-24; and 2) the awfulness of 22-23 products - it's turned me off a bit on buying hockey. My LCS prices to Big 3 market prices so there's really no joy to be had in anything 23-24. The only exception has been Extended where I bought a bunch on presale before the prices went up. (And that sentence feels weird to type, given prior Extended releases)

[stoopid]

Staying in the same narrow lane buying select players singles as I was prior to 2024.

[slightlyrounded]

Bought a case of 2023-24 series 2 tins but have so far resisted opening the box. That's as far as I plan on buying new product. Instead working on putting together a first year OPC platinum (2014-15) set of seismic golds....has been a pretty fun project so far but you need to be strategic or costs pile up. Luckily I have most of the big ones crossed off at this point.

[potatozoo]

Stutzle, no more boxes or anything, just single card purchases

[CigarScott]

Jake Neighbours is who I collect. I do buy boxes hunting for him and use those cards to sell at shows or trade bait.

[ThatGuyPal]

The only logical answer should be......BUYING SHANE WRIGHT!

[kluke84]

I'm focused on grading and buying less.

[odjickfan]

I bought my annual OPC Hobby box. I pulled a Bedard puzzle redemption, sold it and it paid for like 35% of my box. I bought a mega and a tin of UD2, got the Bedard YG in the mega, and I'm keeping it. I'll break the tin later. I want to open a blaster of OPCP and maybe Parkhurst/Extended, and I'll be done with Bedard hunting.

At the moment, I'm mostly trading for vintage, I've got a few nice raw OPC rookies incoming, like Lafontaine, Shanahan and Oates. I also sent a bunch of stuff to COMC and I'll send more later, I want a nice Roy OPC graded rookie with the money from the sales.

I'll also watch for Odjick cards from President Choice Tough Guys. I might also open a box of it too.

[stoopid]

Originally Posted by odjickfan

I bought my annual OPC Hobby box. I pulled a Bedard puzzle redemption, sold it and it paid for like 35% of my box. I bought a mega and a tin of UD2, got the Bedard YG in the mega, and I'm keeping it. I'll break the tin later. I want to open a blaster of OPCP and maybe Parkhurst/Extended, and I'll be done with Bedard hunting.

At the moment, I'm mostly trading for vintage, I've got a few nice raw OPC rookies incoming, like Lafontaine, Shanahan and Oates. I also sent a bunch of stuff to COMC and I'll send more later, I want a nice Roy OPC graded rookie with the money from the sales.

I'll also watch for Odjick cards from President Choice Tough Guys. I might also open a box of it too.

Always nice to read words of a true collector.

[bryan2points]

Slafkovksy

[glorbgorb]

After collecting all Aho cards for several years, just focusing on low-numbered stuff and autos of his these days.

Also still collecting Jagr things that catch my eye.

[Cactuspies]

i've turned my bedard into a Goldberg, Charlie Sheen, Steve Young & Ryne Sandberg auto with like $300 left still. I'm A-OK with not keeping him at this time.

[Nick2317]

John Gibsons

[Seahawks fan]

Always Kraken here. I have no need to buy 23/24 products. Everyone else is opening it in droves and everything not named Bedard and a few select rookies has just tanked in price. Took me forever to track down most of the OPC parallels last year and this year it took a month. Looking forward to Extended to get some new YGs for the PC.

[johnnydrama]

Me and "focus" don't really go hand in hand, but I'll try to narrow down from the 50+ sets I'm actively working on:

1996-97 BAP Link to History Autos
2003-04 SP Game Used Signers (down to Fedorov and Jagr)
2007-08 Ultimate Signatures (this will never be completed)

[cbeauch87]

Always searching for Owen Pickering cards on my wants list. They are few and far between. Except on ePack where those idiots don't respond to my messages.

[rentz]

Picking up stars guys when i find them cheap Robertson, Hintz, Heiskanen and Johnston