GET TO KNOW: JAMIE THOMAS

The first time Jamie Thomas saw artistic impressions of NHL stars inside an issue of Beckett Hockey, he knew exactly what he wanted to be. Now, more three decades later, the 41-year-old resident of Barrie, Ontario is living out his dream by having one of his pieces appear on the cover of the magazine.

Thomas is the talented artist responsible for the Patrick Kane portrait that graces this issue.

“Words cannot explain how excited and honored I am to have my work on the cover,” he said. “I’m so proud and humbled for the opportunity, and I hope it’s just the first of many times that my artwork is seen in the magazine. It’s a dream come true.”

Thomas has been a reader of Beckett Hockey since Day One. “Like most Canadians that collected hockey cards, I ran out to buy the first issue with (Wayne) Gretzky on the cover. Up until that time I’d mainly been drawing cartoon characters like Batman, and Bart Simpson, but when I saw (hockey) artwork inside the front and back covers it really lit a fire inside of me. I knew then that becoming a sports artist was what I wanted to do and I was only 10 at the time. Right then I had a goal to one day be in Beckett.”

He points to the December, 1994 cover that celebrated all five players who had scored 50 goals in 50 games as having a tremendous impact.

“I remember it, with Gretzky, (Mario) Lemieux, (Brett) Hull, Rocket Richard and Mike Bossy. I wanted to do something similar and so I started my own drawing of that image. I still have it to this day. It’s a little beaten up but it reminds me of where I got started in this art journey, and I pull it out every once in a while to have a look at it.

“Years later at a local secondhand store I managed to purchase a few old issues. I cut the artwork out of them and hung them in my studio to remind me of what I refer to as ‘The Golden Years.’ I call it that because the artwork in those magazines really helped me develop my skills by studying the work.”

Thomas had no trouble finding inspiration for his Kane piece.

“I wanted something that would show his grit and determination, something that showed his focus on the game. He’s had an MVP-type season with a rebuilding team and has pretty much been the heart and soul of the Blackhawks in 2021. I believe that this image shows that he’s not done yet, he’s not going down without a fight and he won’t let the Blackhawks go down either.”

Though he works full time as a transportation analyst, art is the defining feature of Thomas’s life.

“Art is my side gig right now, but I still work at it six days a week and about five hours per day to complete all of my commissions,” he said. “The dream is to one day be able to walk away from my full-time job and concentrate solely on creating sports art.”

For more on his work, visit legacysportsart.com

HOWE’S NOW BLACK AND BLUE

1950-51 Royal Desserts is one of the toughest, and most coveted, food issues in the hockey field. Long catalogued as a 1952 release, it was recently proven that the eight-card, box-back series actually hit store shelves during the 1950-51 season. That’s significant because it means seven of the eight cards, including the key single of Gordie Howe, predate the players’ Rookie Cards found in 1951-52 Parkhurst.

Now there’s another angle to the story in the form of a blue ink variation.

These long rumored variations feature a blue tone on the player image and blue type on the player bio. One copy of a Howe single, slabbed by PSA without a grade but certified authentic, was recently offered up for sale for $17,000, only $2,000 more than a similar black-ink version.

That may be a tremendous bargain. There’s no telling how scarce the blue ink versions might be, but based on the PSA Pop Report revealing just 43 of the standard black version have been slabbed, this might prove to be an ultra-rare variation of what’s already an ultra-rare set.

JUNIOR GEM: 2018-19 USA NTDP SPENCER KNIGHT

With a legacy that runs from John Vanbiesbrouck to Roberto Luongo to Sergei Bobrovsky, the Florida Panthers have dressed some of the hobby’s most popular netminders. And if you listen to scouts, the best is yet to come.

Spencer Knight, the team’s top pick in the 2019 draft, is widely regarded as the best goaltending prospect outside the NHL. The Boston College sophomore recently was named the top player in Hockey East and a finalist for both the Mike Richter Award as college hockey’s top goalie, and the Hobey Baker Trophy, which honors the nation’s overall top performer. In January, he led Team USA to World Junior gold with a 2-0 shutout of Canada.

It’s a resumé that has collectors clamoring for his cardboard. Fortunately, there’s no need to wait for his NHL debut for his first licensed card … but you will need to do some digging.

Knight debuted in the 2018-19 USA NTDP team set, a rare stadium giveaway that was distributed via five-card perforated strips, with one strip offered at each of five home games. We’ve seen the strip featuring Knight, along with NTDP alum Jimmy Howard, sell for $25-$50 – usually closer to the high end of the range since the WJC.

It’s not the price that’s the real challenge, though - it’s finding one. You might get lucky if you live in the Plymouth, Michigan area, home base for the team, but your best bet is to scour eBay. With Knight’s fame growing, better be prepared to mash the Buy It Now button.

THE HOBBY’S BIG YEAR

Shops across North America reported impressive sales numbers for 2020, a direct result of a massive, pandemic-related return to the hobby. Now, eBay has reported its trading card numbers for the year. And in 2020, business was very, very good for the online giant.

“Last year saw an industry-wide surge in collecting and flipping trading cards due in large part to people staying home and finding new ways to spend their time, turning to cards while there was a lack of sports on TV,” said Nicole Colombo, general manager of Collectibles & Trading Cards at eBay. “In addition, new collectors are entering the trading cards space as another avenue of investment to diversify their portfolios.”

Soccer cards led the field in terms of year-over-year gains, but hockey cards ranked third overall with a substantial 258 percent rate of growth over 2019, well above the 142 percent gain made by the sports card market in general.

Based on internal data, Colombo was bullish on prospects for this year as well.