By Andrew Kossman

After helping sports collectors for more than 15 years from behind a shop counter, I've learned one simple truth: No two people want exactly the same thing. Your collection can be as unique as your taste, and as broad as your budget allows.

Of course, with so many fantastic collectibles on the market, I can understand why people want a little guidance to help kick start their new hobby. No one can collect everything that's out there, but the majority of hobbyists still focus their collections on trading cards. But even that offers a variety of options that can befuddle a newcomer.

Not sure what you want to collect? Here are a few of the favorite themes.
 
Complete Sets 
The modern hockey card era began with the 1951-52 Parkhurst series. Loaded with the Rookie Cards of eventual Hall of Famers such as Maurice Richard, Gordie Howe and Terry Sawchuk, this set is valued at more than $12,000 by Beckett Hockey. Yet the complete set of 105 cards would have cost collectors less than $5 to complete if they had opened the packs when they first were released. No wonder set building is so popular!

Although the current NHL licensing situation has been whittled down to a single manufacturer  -- Upper Deck -- for the 2005-06 season, there are still numerous past brands of hockey sets to collect and enjoy. Be A Player (now called In the Game), Upper Deck, Topps and Pacific have each produced quality cards in the past; at one time, the companies cranked out more than 30 brands a year, geared to every budget and interest.

Many parents start collecting a complete set of cards when their children are born, and continue to put a set together each year. This way, a parent can illustrate to their future hockey fan the players and league history with complete sets, one-per-season. Sets consisting of several hundred cards are quite affordable, and can be found in the $20 to $200 range.
 
Team Sets 
One of the most popular collecting styles is the pursuit of every card from a favorite team. These mini-sets are often available already assembled at the local arena or area hobby shop, or can be easily put together with the help of a local dealer.

The size of the team set is a function of the size of the complete set. For example, the Pacific set may consist of 400 cards, resulting in team sets of perhaps 12 or 13 cards per team, including all your favorite players. Similarly, Upper Deck [360 cards] and Be A Player Memorabilia [300] may have subsets of 8 to 12 cards per team. Many brands consist of just 90 to 150 cards however, leading to perhaps only three to five cards of your favorite team in that product. Since there's not many to chase, this is a relatively easy task for any collector.

Completing team sets across all brands is more challenging, since there are more than 30 brands produced each year. But, as any veteran collector will tell you, the fun is in the chase! If you know what players are on the team, you can use the online search engine at Beckett's website (beckett-dot-com) to find out what cards they appear on or better yet, sign up for an OPG and get free player checklists with your subscription. Your local dealer may also be of great assistance in your search.
 
Favorite Player 
Everyone has a favorite player. Maybe it's a youngster who played junior hockey in your hometown, or the superstar on your local team. Whatever the reason or whoever the player, there's no better way to feed your passion than by chasing his collectibles. 

Every NHL player can be researched, either with the annual Beckett Hockey Card Price Guide or at the Beckett website. Your local dealer can help you with the process, and the creation of a want list. We recommend creating your own database to avoid duplication, and to better manage your lists of wants and needs.
 
Rookie Cards 
The pursuit of Rookie Cards - that is, cards from a player's first year - could be considered the most popular collecting style of today.

The reason? Like growth stocks, Rookie Cards tend to be relatively affordable when first issued. However, as a player begins to reach his potential, there's a greater demand for his RCs, and they become more valuable to other collectors. And who doesn't like to have a collection that becomes more valuable? Pick up the most recent copy Beckett Hockey to check your cards' latest values.

Autographed Cards 
If there's one thing all collectors can agree upon, it's the greatness of having a player's autograph. Unfortunately, players are less accessible than ever because of long seasons, arduous travel schedules, and security concerns.

But here's some good news: card manufacturers are willing get the players to sign their cards for you! Today, certified autograph cards are a major component of many products, and are extremely fun to collect.

Many products include autographed cards as an inducement to collectors. Be A Player Signature Series has been a favorite for 10 years and includes one autographed card in every pack. You'll also find certified autographs in such products as Parkhurst, Topps Heritage, SP Authentic and Pacific Exclusive.

When buying an autographed card, be sure they are, in fact, certified cards from NHL-licensed products. Check for appropriate holograms, and/or certification on the back of the cards before purchasing. Any of the brands released in the past several years will be clearly marked as authentic or certified, which takes the guesswork out of buying.

Memorabilia Cards 
It's cool to have a card of your favorite player, right? But how much cooler is it to have a card embedded with a piece of a jersey he wore in an NHL game?

That's the concept that Upper Deck first dazzled the hobby with back in 1996. Since then, the practice of marrying cardboard with pieces of jersey, gloves, sticks, pucks and even arena seats and boards has become a staple of collecting.

In fact, these insert cards are now so popular that some products include one in every pack. If you have a favorite current or retired player, chances are quite good that a memorabilia card has been produced for him. If you're looking for memorabilia cards, your best bets are products such as In The Game-Used, Be A Player Ultimate Memorabilia, SP Game-Used and Private Stock Reserve.
 
Of course, you don't have to limit your collection to cards. As you'll see when you skim through the rest of this guide, many hockey fans show their loyalty by collecting everything from bobbleheads to pucks, from autographed photos to framed prints of their favorite stars.

Whatever you decide to collect, we're sure of one thing: a collection of NHL memorabilia will lead to an enjoyable journey that you can share with your whole family.

Andrew Kossman is the proprietor of Action Coin & Card in Toronto and a frequent contributor to Beckett magazines.

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