06-30-2012, 08:54 PM
Crossing the Pacific! Four Boxes of Pacific Goodness with Nice Hits and Ratings!
Crossing the Pacific! Four Boxes of Pacific Goodness with Nice Hits and Ratings!
As you all are aware, I am sort of a Pacific fanboy. I have been in love with that company even after their bankruptcy in 2005. I will take any box of theirs over any of the new stuff because their products are just loaded with amazing serial #d cards, nice jerseys, excellent hard-signed autographs, and some of the most inventive inserts that have ever appeared in the hobby. Panini has thus far disappointed me in their attempt to replicate the greatness of Pacific due to their current ownership of Mr. Cramer's former brandname.
Anyways, today after work, I popped into a card shop in Sherwood Park (George's II Sports Cards) and came across many a box of Pacific. While my eyes certainly wanted me to shop, my wallet told me to pace myself, so I settled on four boxes of stuff that I had not really had many chances to open. I will post my breaks in the order that I feel they rank, from worst to best (though a worst Pacific break is not that bad by today's standards):
First box is 2004-05 Pacific. Very nice design, and more parallels than you can shake a stick at. Notable hits that are pictured:
-Blue parallel #/250: Dan Fritsche, Joni Pitkanen, Tomas Plekanec, Felix Potvin
-Jerseys #/850: Ales Kotalik, Matt Stajan, Ed Belfour
Overall, I would rate this box a 3 out of 5. Nice hits, but not the most exciting Pacific box ever! Many base-only packs, and non-#d red parallels break a seemingly invincible tradition of valued parallel goodness. Perhaps they knew that they were at their end and tried one last effort to go out with dignity. It was a nice box, but not earthshaking in any way.
![[Image: 0405pacificbreak.jpg]](http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt284/IrbeFan4Life/Box%20Breaks/0405pacificbreak.jpg)
Second box is 2002-03 Pacific Heads-Up. Got a duplicate of the Yashin bobblehead #/1000. Also pulled several inserts. These were the notable hits:
-Blue parallel #/240: Brett Hull, Eric Daze
-Red parallel #/80: Daniel Briere
-Purple parallel #/30: Jason Arnott
-Quad Jerseys: 1) Drury/Hejduk/Tanguay/Nedorost, 2) Gaborik/Kuba/McLennan/Fernandez
Overall, I would rate this box at a 3.5 out of 5. I have good experiences with this product, but it can be hit or miss at only 18 packs a box. Few inserts resulting in several base-only packs, are made up for with two quad jerseys a box and, though few, some nice numbered cards numbered to as low as 30.
![[Image: 0203headsup2.jpg]](http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt284/IrbeFan4Life/Box%20Breaks/0203headsup2.jpg)
Third box is sort of a surprise. It is a box of 2003-04 Pacific AHL Edition. I was skeptical as anybody would be over a minor-leauge product, but boy did it deliver. Here are the notable hits:
-Gold parallel #/925: Lehoux, Reid, Mapletoft, Babchuk, Shishkanov, Pominville, Ulmer, Mink, Kotyk, Rita, Johnson, Martensson, Taffe, Hudler, Ouellet
-Jerseys #/1000: Denis Shvidki
-Autographs #/500: Pascal Leclaire
Overall, this particular box gets a 4 out of 5 from me. This is a fine example of what made Pacific great. A dozen+ serial #d cards, a jersey, and a hand-numbered/hard-signed autograph of an up-and-coming player. The design is nice and looking back with 2012 eyes, it is interesting to see how so many of these depicted players saw some NHL time. The product is tot perfect, however, because as an AHL-only set, it is very niche and likely to appeal only to player collectors, Pacific fanatics like myself, and fans of the American Hockey League. Still, it was too much fun to open!
![[Image: 0304pacificahlbreak.jpg]](http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt284/IrbeFan4Life/Box%20Breaks/0304pacificahlbreak.jpg)
The final box is a box of 2003-04 Pacific Prism. I got it at a great price, and boy did it not disappoint at all. These are the hits:
-Red parallel #/260: Savard, Tkachuk, Lehtinen, Stevens, Hemsky, Doan, Denis, Potvin)
-Regular set Jerseys #/1185: Eric Daze, Bill Guerin, Milan Hejduk
-Regular set star Jerseys: Vincent Lecavalier (#/935), Jaromir Jagr (#/185), Steve Yzerman (#/185)
-Jerseys Red #/75: Joe Sakic
-Patch Variation #/50: Martin St. Louis
Based on this lone box, I would score this at a 4.5 out of 5. Extraordinary jersey hits, serial #d and jersey cards at one per pack, and a very nice design make this nearly perfect. Perfection is hard to come by, but in the world of pre-lockout hockey cards, this is as close to a perfect box as you can get. Would you rather spend $60 and get this box, or $200 on SPGU? Don't argue, you know the answer.
![[Image: 0304prism.jpg]](http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt284/IrbeFan4Life/Box%20Breaks/0304prism.jpg)
Comments are always welcome. Interest in specific cards should be sent to me via PM, but beware, if you have a history of trying to get cards for 5% BV or something along those lines, I will not respond!
Anyways, today after work, I popped into a card shop in Sherwood Park (George's II Sports Cards) and came across many a box of Pacific. While my eyes certainly wanted me to shop, my wallet told me to pace myself, so I settled on four boxes of stuff that I had not really had many chances to open. I will post my breaks in the order that I feel they rank, from worst to best (though a worst Pacific break is not that bad by today's standards):
First box is 2004-05 Pacific. Very nice design, and more parallels than you can shake a stick at. Notable hits that are pictured:
-Blue parallel #/250: Dan Fritsche, Joni Pitkanen, Tomas Plekanec, Felix Potvin
-Jerseys #/850: Ales Kotalik, Matt Stajan, Ed Belfour
Overall, I would rate this box a 3 out of 5. Nice hits, but not the most exciting Pacific box ever! Many base-only packs, and non-#d red parallels break a seemingly invincible tradition of valued parallel goodness. Perhaps they knew that they were at their end and tried one last effort to go out with dignity. It was a nice box, but not earthshaking in any way.
Second box is 2002-03 Pacific Heads-Up. Got a duplicate of the Yashin bobblehead #/1000. Also pulled several inserts. These were the notable hits:
-Blue parallel #/240: Brett Hull, Eric Daze
-Red parallel #/80: Daniel Briere
-Purple parallel #/30: Jason Arnott
-Quad Jerseys: 1) Drury/Hejduk/Tanguay/Nedorost, 2) Gaborik/Kuba/McLennan/Fernandez
Overall, I would rate this box at a 3.5 out of 5. I have good experiences with this product, but it can be hit or miss at only 18 packs a box. Few inserts resulting in several base-only packs, are made up for with two quad jerseys a box and, though few, some nice numbered cards numbered to as low as 30.
Third box is sort of a surprise. It is a box of 2003-04 Pacific AHL Edition. I was skeptical as anybody would be over a minor-leauge product, but boy did it deliver. Here are the notable hits:
-Gold parallel #/925: Lehoux, Reid, Mapletoft, Babchuk, Shishkanov, Pominville, Ulmer, Mink, Kotyk, Rita, Johnson, Martensson, Taffe, Hudler, Ouellet
-Jerseys #/1000: Denis Shvidki
-Autographs #/500: Pascal Leclaire
Overall, this particular box gets a 4 out of 5 from me. This is a fine example of what made Pacific great. A dozen+ serial #d cards, a jersey, and a hand-numbered/hard-signed autograph of an up-and-coming player. The design is nice and looking back with 2012 eyes, it is interesting to see how so many of these depicted players saw some NHL time. The product is tot perfect, however, because as an AHL-only set, it is very niche and likely to appeal only to player collectors, Pacific fanatics like myself, and fans of the American Hockey League. Still, it was too much fun to open!
The final box is a box of 2003-04 Pacific Prism. I got it at a great price, and boy did it not disappoint at all. These are the hits:
-Red parallel #/260: Savard, Tkachuk, Lehtinen, Stevens, Hemsky, Doan, Denis, Potvin)
-Regular set Jerseys #/1185: Eric Daze, Bill Guerin, Milan Hejduk
-Regular set star Jerseys: Vincent Lecavalier (#/935), Jaromir Jagr (#/185), Steve Yzerman (#/185)
-Jerseys Red #/75: Joe Sakic
-Patch Variation #/50: Martin St. Louis
Based on this lone box, I would score this at a 4.5 out of 5. Extraordinary jersey hits, serial #d and jersey cards at one per pack, and a very nice design make this nearly perfect. Perfection is hard to come by, but in the world of pre-lockout hockey cards, this is as close to a perfect box as you can get. Would you rather spend $60 and get this box, or $200 on SPGU? Don't argue, you know the answer.
Comments are always welcome. Interest in specific cards should be sent to me via PM, but beware, if you have a history of trying to get cards for 5% BV or something along those lines, I will not respond!
![[Image: marksig1.jpg]](http://i672.photobucket.com/albums/vv89/rugby7/Sigs_made_by_me/marksig1.jpg)
