Hitting Up Some Panini Crown Royale Hockey Inserts

I really like Panini’s Crown Royale Hockey, there is just something about Crown Royale that draws me in. I am not sure why though; possibly because I had an affinity for the Pacific Crown Royale sets in the late-90s/early 2000s. I feel that Panini did justice to Pacific’s creation.

After seeing the Josh Bailey Heirs to the Throne pulled from a box reviewed by Kevin at The Mojo Beard I knew I wanted to add some Crown Royale cards to my collection. I like the design of the Heir to the Throne insert and I was hoping to add a John Tavares version but while I wait to find a reasonably priced Tavares autograph version I was able to satisfy my urge with a couple of Josh Bailey versions for $6.60 (Jersey) and $6.02 (Jersey/Auto) shipped. Not a bad deal for a young Islander who is having a decent career so far.

Sadly the Heir to the Thorne insert was designed to highlight the jersey swatch so the autographed version looks hideous with the auto sticker pasted across the center of the card covering a portion of the player’s image as well as the player’s position.

Next up is the Scratching the Surface autograph inserts set. I like that the card is designed to highlight the player’s autograph across an image of the home rink. The autograph is recessed in to the card and it is hard signed, definitely a plus. Again I was hoping to pick up a Tavares auto but I find it hard to pay $80 for this young prospect. So while I wait for Tavares’ card to fall in to my price range I grabbed up both a Josh Bailey and a Keith Yandle Scratching the Surface autograph for $23 together shipped.

I think I did pretty well for spending $35 on 4 cards, definitely better than paying for a box and hoping to get these cards.