Can you imagine what it would have been like to room with the legendary Howie Morenz and swap stories with the Montreal Canadiens superstar in his heyday? How would it have felt to be a member of the Habs’ first back-to-back Stanley Cup championship teams in the early 1930s, or to share the blueline with Sylvio Mantha and contribute to George Hainsworth’s incredible goaltending records?

Well, Marty Burke lived it all.

Martin Alphonsos Burke was born in Toronto on January 28, 1905 and started his NHL career with the Canadiens in 1927 at the age of 22.  He soon became a solid piece of the Habs’defensive squad and clearly exemplified the team’s “Little Men of Steel”nickname.  Marty was small, solid and fearless.  Though nearly 100 pounds lighter than Zdeno Chara, he could shutdown a runaway train without a...

Larry Berman started his impressive Ottawa Senators collection back in 1996 and the Senators (not the NHL founding franchise obviously) made their first post-season appearance in 1996-97.

Call it a coincidence? Probably, but it’s certainly not a coincidence if the Larry Berman Ottawa Senators Collection is so amazing and extensive; Mr. Berman is a real Senators fan.

Offered in our upcoming spring 2012 auction, Mr. Berman’s collection features

5 great early Sens related memorabilia (see photos and descriptions below)

30 Ottawa Senators game-worn jerseys including 3 from the inaugural season and 1 from the Stanley Cup Finals

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Spring 2012 auction is just around the corner. Are you ready?

The impressive Lafleur jersey has been held privately, out of the gaze of the hobby, since the 1970s when a father, and Habs fan, obtained it through a friend with ties with the Montreal Canadiens organization and gifted it to his son, our consignor. Without a doubt, this is the most amazing Guy Lafleur Montreal Canadians uniform we have ever had the opportunity to handle and it will be part of our spring 2012 auction.  A special presentation with more info will be available soon.

Our upcoming spring auction is once again filled with incredible items (on top of the Lafleur jersey!) presented in more than 25 different categories including the ever popular ones like Game-Worn Jerseys and Equipment, Vintage Sports & Non-Sports Cards and Premiums, Vintage Hockey Autographs,...

Trading cards need love.

Whatever type of cards you are collecting (hockey, baseball, non-sport, vintage, recent, etc.), there are a couple of obvious and not so obvious things that you should never do with them.  

I recently had a chat with Scott Coates, one of Classic Auctions’ copywriters and a long-time collector. Scott pointed out a few things that collectors should never do with valuable cards whether they are recent or vintage.  Some of these things might sound obvious, but are they really?

Ready?  Here we go...

1.    Don’t you dare keep your valuable cards on the loose

That may sound pretty obvious to many collectors but it’s still good advice for any new collector looking to get started in the hobby.  Valuable cards should never be kept loose.  Ever.  There are numerous affordable plastic holders and...

When I look at the following facts I wonder: What will happen if Sid the Kid’s latest comeback proves unsuccessful? What if he were unable to play anymore?

Sidney Crosby’s 2006-07 game-worn jersey sold for $9,384 in our last auction, which ended in February (there was no comeback on the horizon at that time)

Prior to last (Thursday) night, Sid The Kid had only played eight games over the previous 14 months

Crosby ranked No. 1 on the latest Hockey News Top 50 Players list as voted by his peers

Sidney made his second comeback of the season last (Thursday) night at Madison Square Garden.  He had an assist, won more than 50% of his faceoffs, played 16 minutes and finished the game at plus 3.  The red-hot Penguins knocked off the second-ranked Rangers, 5-2.

He has 13 points and is a plus 10 in nine...

Some jerseys transcend the sport for whatever reason.



A SYMBOL

A jersey is more than just a piece of clothing that has the player’s name and team logo on it. It represents the identity of a franchise and a city and in many instances jerseys are symbols of civic pride and success. Much to my surprise, on a recent vacation in Cuba I met a Cuban wearing a Canadiens’ jersey. Stunned by the fact, I asked him if he was a fan and he said ‘’yes’’.  He said that his cousin lives in Montreal and had brought him the jersey. He went on to explain that he had watched hockey in the 60’s and 70’s and that a Canadiens’ jersey represented a winning tradition for him.

For Canadians, the 1972 Paul Henderson jersey is more than just a jersey as it represents so many things like winning, joy and pride. For Americans, the cold war certainly brings up the...

So you are eyeing that special game-worn jersey, but what are you really buying? Whether you have a $300 or a $3000 budget, here are the first 4 things you should consider before buying a game-worn jersey.

1. Authentication  

When you first start collecting game-worn jerseys things like Letter of Authenticity (LOA) and Certificate of authenticity (COA) can give a collector a sense of relief knowing the item is authentic. In a sense, a LOA or COA can legitimize a jersey proving its provenance and the jerseys’ history. Collectors still need to be careful when buying a game-worn jersey with a LOA or COA.  Make sure that the entity issuing the letter or certificate is legitimate and a trusted source in the hobby.  Letters directly from professional teams, letters from well renowned collectors, third-party authenticators or even from major auction houses are usually...

As soon as I walked into the hallway of the Windsor Hotel and saw the sign commemorating the foundation of the National Hockey League right there in one of the hotel’s restaurants, I knew it was going to be a great evening.

The All-Star Event was a charity fundraiser for the Vladislav Tretiak and Max Pacioretty Foundations.  The event took place last Friday February 3rd, and Classic Auctions was there.

The evening helped raise a total of more than $100,000.  The event allowed more than 500 guests to meet numerous hockey legends and active players including Vladislav Tretiak, Max Pacioretty, Alex Ovechkin, P.K. Subban, Lars Eller, and Peter Budaj, among others.  All were real gentlemen and true pros.

I have never met Mick Jagger or any other rock star, but I can now say that I've met Alex Ovechkin.  Does that count? I was backstage when Ovechkin arrived at the event and it really felt like a rock star's entrance.  I honestly don’t know how a player like that would be able to play for the Montreal Canadiens.  The Habs might not have a large enough security budget!

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When we did our Top 10 Most Expensive Jerseys sold by Classic Auctions a couple of weeks ago, we unfortunately missed 3 important jerseys that should have been included.

Here is an updated version of the impressive list of game-worn jerseys sold by Classic Auctions over the last 15 years.  We decided to keep the original list and simply add the three jerseys we had left out.  We now have a Top 13!  All of them were sold for more than $45,000 us.

1. Paul Henderson "The Goal" 1972 Canada-Russia Series Game-Worn Jersey

Price realized: $1,275,707 us

Auction: June 2010

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Alex Ovechkin is an intense player.  Who would disagree with that?

If you haven’t really taken the time to watch a Washington Capitals game, then you may only know Alex Ovechkin as that guy who scores a ton of goals.  But seriously, I don’t think that I have ever seen a player with such a presence on the ice.  With those bright yellow laces on his skates, Ovechkin just seems to be flying out there!  Watching him fall to his knees but then get back up with the puck still cradled on his stick before firing off a wrist shot at lightning speed is just amazing.  I’m pretty sure that his backhand is harder than my slap shot.

What I find incredible about Alex is his passion for the game, his intensity.  And these days, intensity in hockey often manifests itself in the form of body checks.  The NHL’s first overall pick in the 2004 draft is not known for backing...