Skinner Fever!

Undoubtedly, the hottest rookie cards in 2010-11 belonged to Jeff Skinner. Even back in January, before All-Star weekend, Skinner's rookie cards were selling in the $100 range (See: January 25 CardBoardConnection Article). The two most popular Skinner rookie cards are his Upper Deck Young Guns card and his Upper Deck Retro Young Guns card. The retro card reached its peak around the time Skinner won the Calder Trophy, with eBay auctions going as high as $250. I was lucky enough to snag one of these cards last week for only $30 - a steal. This card is especially cool because it features a retro design that was used in the early 1990's when I first began collecting cards (See: Lindros card in Introduction below). I also picked up Skinner's Young Guns rookie card earlier in the month for $20 - a card that had been selling for as high as $60 weeks earlier. Only time will tell as to whether these cards will retain their price point or will eventually plummet like the rookie cards of many future stars of earlier years. One promising comparison is that former Calder Trophy winner Patrick Kane's rookie cards have still maintained their price after 3 years. Currently, Skinner's SP Authentic Future Watch autographed rookie card appears to be his most popular on eBay, selling for around $50. However, there are a number of rare numbered Skinner cards available for prices ranging as high as $1,000.

Misc. Observations: Looking ahead to 2011-12 packs, I think that Justin Faulk's card will be the most popular Hurricanes card. Look for Faulk's first card to potentially be included in Upper Deck Series 2, which will be released sometime in the spring. Another possibility is Riley Nash who did not have a card printed in 2010-11. Ryan Murphy is a third possibility, although it is unlikely that he will make the team this season. However, there is still a chance that Upper Deck will release a non-action rookie card for Murphy.