By Susan Lulgjuraj | Beckett Hockey Editor

Upper Deck included a surprise insert in 2012-13 O-Pee-Chee NHL that wasn’t on the checklist.

The insert set is called O-Pee-Chee Black & White. As the name suggests all the picture are black and white, in addition to a deckled edge with a facsimile autograph on the front of the card. There are no real autographs version of these cards, according to Upper Deck.

The cards are tough to grab, and prices on eBay are certainly indicating the scarcity.

In hobby packs, the black and white cards fall at a rate of 1 in 960 packs. On the retail side, they fall at a rate of 1 in 1,920 packs.

The checklist includes 36 popular players (see the below), including Alexander Ovechkin, Bobby Orr, Jordan Eberle and Jonathan Toews.

Just how well are these cards doing right now?

A black and white Ryan Nugent-Hopkins sold for $249.93, Roberto Luongo went for $99.99 and an Ovechkin sold for $91.

However, these cards are only gaining in popularity right now. Two current auctions of Wayne Gretzky on eBay (one has a day left, the other four days) are both more than $150.

1 Alexander Ovechkin
2 Alexandre Burrows
3 Antti Niemi
4 Bobby Orr
5 Brett Hull
6 Carey Price
7 Claude Giroux
8 Curtis Joseph
9 Daniel Alfredsson
10 Drew Doughty
11 Eric Lindros
12 Erik Karlsson
13 Henrik Lundqvist
14 Ilya Kovalchuk
15 Jaromir Jagr
16 Jason Spezza
17 Joe Sakic
18 John Tavares
19 Jonathan Toews
20 Jordan Eberle
21 Mario Lemieux
22 Martin Brodeur
23 MilanLucic
24 Nicklas Lidstrom
25 Ondrej Pavelec
26 P.K. Subban
27 Patrick Roy
28 Patrick Sharp
29 Pavel Datsyuk
30 Pelle Lindbergh
31 Roberto Luongo
32 Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
33 Sidney Crosby
34 Teemu Selanne
35 Wayne Gretzky
36 Wendel Clark

Susan Lulgjuraj is the editor of Beckett Hockey magazine. You can email Susan here with ideas, comments and questions. Follow her on Twitter here.

By Susan Lulgjuraj | Contributing Editor

In The Game is having a party where all hockey collectors are invited.

The company is celebrating the 10-year anniversary of Between the Pipes, a product featuring the best goalies in the history of the game.

“This collection has always featured many of the best goaltenders around and it has evolved over time,” ITG said in a release. “It was a landmark for hobbyists as it was the first stand-alone product that was devoted to protectors of the crease and had a great mix of autographs and game-used memorabilia as well.”

Between the Pipes debuted for the 2001-02 season, but took a year off in 2004-05 when the NHL was in a lockout. It came back the next season on a limited basis and after that returned in full force.

The 10th anniversary issue will have 200 base cards with eight different subsets: Future Star, Stars of the Game, Decades, Stars and Stripes, La Belle Province, Expansion Tandems, International Pioneers and One-Game Wonders.

In the Game feels this set one of its best products yet, which is scheduled to come out on May 3.

There are also special 10th Anniversary cards that will fall at one in every eight packs.

Each box of 2011-12 Between the Pipes will have 18 packs and nine cards in each pack.

Autograph cards will fall at one in every eight packs on average while memorabilia cards fall at the same rate as well. Fans can find autographs from more than 100 subjects, including a number of future stars and current stars such as Henrik Lundqvist, Roberto Luongo and Niklas Backstrom. Past stars include Dominik Hasek, Bernie Parent, Mike Richter and Patrick Roy.

Some of the memorabilia used in the set include jumbo stick pieces, patches, pads and gloves.

ITG is also putting a twist on its He Shoot-He Scores redemption program.

“This season, we have produced the points cards in the form of nine-piece puzzles which can be assembled into a larger photo of some of hockey’s greatest netminders,” ITG said. “Save up 200 points to redeem them for a special memorabilia card or put them in sheets to enjoy!”

Susan Lulgjuraj is a contributing editor for Beckett Media. You can email Susan here. Follow her on Twitter here.

By Susan Lulgjuraj | Contributing Editor

For three years, hockey fans in the United States have been shut out from Upper Deck’s National Hockey Card Day where collectors can get free packs from select hobby shops. The event was only held in Canada.

Well, get ready. This year, Upper Deck is extending the trading card holiday to America.

On Feb. 11, 2012, National Hockey Card Day will be held in Canada and the United States simultaneously with separate sets for each country.

Packs will be offered at hobby shops that are part of Upper Deck’s Certified Diamond Dealers network.

The difference in the sets is minimal. The Canadian set will feature famous hockey players from Canada. The American set will highlight top Americans in the sport but also top international stars on American franchises.

There is a special 16th card given as a gift with purchase.

Canadians will get Sidney Crosby as a member of Team Canada.

Those in the United States will get a Tim Thomas card celebrating a Stanley Cup championship with the Boston Bruins.

For Canadians, there is retail part to the program. Collectors who visit a London Drugs or Toys “R” Us in Canada and make an Upper Deck purchase can receive a special National Hockey Card Day blow-up card. The five players featured will be Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Roberto Luongo, Jonathan Toews, Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky.

Upper Deck likes to spice things up as well. The company will sprinkle in a few autographs along the way.

Check out the massive gallery below of the Canadian and American National Hockey Card Day cards.

Susan Lulgjuraj is a contributing editor for Beckett Media. You can email Susan here. Follow her on Twitter here.

By Andrew Tolentino | Hockey Editor

Later this afternoon, we’ll be posting a Box Busters episode featuring Panini’s brand revival 2010-11 Zenith Hockey. But before we move on to the moving picture show, we wanted to share the highlights from Box No. 1 of the break.

Packed in a rare lift-top box was — as promised — a contemporary reincarnation of an old line, complete with those troublesome, over-sized Dare to Tear cards. If you count the mystery rip, below is a 17-card sneak peek at what we pulled.

Ranging from established names in a boldly-done base set to etched foil inserts and on-card autographs, our break compelled with a genuine sense of variety and nostalgia. But did we dare to tear those tempting Dare to Tear cards?

Stay tuned for the forthcoming Box Busters video to watch and find out.

By Andrew Tolentino | Hockey Editor

There’s no better time than the NHL playoffs for netminder-minded collectors to watch their masked heroes in action.

While pad-clad lads like Carey Price, Roberto Luongo and Jimmy Howard — cover boys for the next issue of Beckett Hockey — are busy being overprotective in the postseason, Panini America is out committing Leather Larceny.

To answer some obvious questions…

Is Leather Larceny a crime, punishable by law? No.

What then is Leather Larceny? An 18-card insert set printed on laminated leather stock.

When and where can I find it? Slated to hit shelves in late-April, these puck-stopper tributes can be found inside 2010-11 Playoff Contenders Hockey.

Are there autographed versions? Absolutely. Aside from the one-per-box base versions, autographed parallels limited to 50 or less are also up for grabs.

When can I see them? Just after the jump, of course.

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