Silver Lining: Exploring the Engravatures Insert in 2010-11 Dominion Hockey

Amid the bewildering barrage of otherworldly hits I've seen packed into 2010-11 Dominion Hockey over the course of the last week, there is one insert in particular that has repeatedly commanded my attention more than the others.

Amid the bewildering barrage of otherworldly hits I’ve seen packed into 2010-11 Dominion Hockey over the course of the last week, there is one insert in particular that has repeatedly commanded my attention more than the others.

The cards don’t have on-card autographs or a rainbow array of peerless patches like many of the gems that will share pack space with them. What they do have, though, is something that makes them unlike any other sports card in history: Sterling silver-plated bars engraved with the names of the Stanley Cup-hoisters on them.

As far as I’m concerned, the 20-card Engravatures insert is easily one of Dominion’s most unique inclusions — and that’s saying something. It’s a combination of precious metal and heavy metal that makes each card noticeably weightier and noticeably cooler.

But don’t just take my word for it. Check out the stunning video and gallery that follow showcasing just some of the cards in the set. Each one, by the way, is numbered to just 10.

First, the video . . .

Then the gallery . . .

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20 Replies to “Silver Lining: Exploring the Engravatures Insert in 2010-11 Dominion Hockey”

  1. T, I am not sure how I feel about these?

    They LOOK cool, and yes, are unique to the hobby with real silver used, but what makes them so rare outside of the serial numbering?

    And how will you counteract the weight issues for pack searchers?

      1. I have to wonder how the product is packaged. If this isn’t in some type of metallic tin, I worry these cards would be easily searchable via handheld metal scanner.

  2. I like your style Tracy….having a Sterling Silver “ENGRAVATURES” Leetch in the heading and a Messier down below it…Muah !!! Hopefully after this season we’ll see more NY Rangers on next year “ENGRAVATURES”..maybe in Platinum…hee-hee ! Thanks for peek, Joe.R

  3. Sorry Tracy, I but I have to agree with Barrie on this. It’s a nice piece and a good idea. But it screams “manufactured patch” at me. The fact that they’re limited to 10 makes them collectible. But other than that, I dunno.

  4. How many Blackhawks in the checklist for this one? I saw the Sharp, but I’m guessing there’s got to be a Toews and a Kane.

  5. I’m also skeptical about the value these will have. Let’s face it, in today’s hobby collectors want game-used and autographs. If these has been signed then it would be different, but while an engraved slice of silver may have a bit of intrinsic value I can’t see them really making a big impact on the hobby (unless you somehow use real pieces if the Stanley Cup). Yes they do look nice but I hope they aren’t meant to be case hits or anything.

  6. Here is an idea that may change peoples mind about value and collectibility……for some that don’t know I am an artist and will throw this out there…..I had done engraving by hand on solid brass plate by using a dremel and a diamond tip head what if you had sent the players not all only the ones that had already made their marks in Hockey history and wanted to include them in a future product to have them using the dremel to actually sign them……….just a thought
    on a side note I actually like the idea and concept of these cards my idea would just push this concept a little further……….

  7. Yeah, the metal weight is probably insignificant for pack searchers, but look out for the card dealers with metal detectors!

    You know, the more I look at these cards, the less interested I get. The engraving is so clean and perfect, I would guess it was done by a computerized engraving machine. Take a close up look at the engraved names on the actual Stanley Cup, the spacing and alignment of letters is not always perfect – and that is to be expected because the Cup is still engraved by hand, by a guy with a steady nerve, a hammer, and a little die for each letter.

    My suggestion for the future, do the engraving by hand to replicate the actual process. Sure that is time intensive, but make these cards 1 of 1, so a non-perfect hand-engraved card is unique.. And include autos to make them really special.

    With a engraving machine, you could make 10 of each card, 25 of each card, 100 of each card with little difficulty, and probably quickly. And the use of a machine will result in near identical cards, of however many you print. There’s no autos on this year’s cards so you are not introducing that lead time requirement into the production process. Hence, that is why I am a little less interested in these cards compared to when I first heard about them. Sure, I would love to pull one, but I don’t expect to be seeking them out on the secondary market.

    Hope I don’t sound too negative, I like the product as a whole, just offering some honest feedback.

    1. .999 silver is very malleable and easily damaged, like pure gold. It would be very difficult to produce a nice result while engraving.

  8. I do enjoy these cards because it is something different. People may be complaining about value and they have no autograph or game used piece, but neither does some cards in other company’s hockey products and those sell well…I don’t see how this is any different. It’s a new, unique idea. There aren’t many of them out there in the product as well.

    The only thing I would disagree with would be it counting as a game used/autograph hit. Because it is neither and I’m sure some people would be disappointed in that regard.

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