A Halifax man has won a battle with Canada Post over a souvenir of rising hockey superstar Connor McDavid.

David Wayne Clark buys a lot of sports memorabilia on eBay. He recently paid $140 for a hockey card depicting the Edmonton Oilers centre, figuring he could sell it for more than double that amount.

Clark started watching the community mailbox in his Spryfield neighbourhood as he waited for his purchase to be delivered. He noticed the mailbox had been tampered with and wouldn't close securely.

Mangled envelope

Clark says he reported the problem to Canada Post and was assured his mail would be held until the box was repaired.

He kept checking his box anyway, and discovered some mail was still being delivered, including a mangled envelope that contained the McDavid card.

Canada Post tried to argue it shouldn't be held liable. But Nova Scotia's small claims court didn't buy that argument.

Delivering mail to an insecure box

"Had this item been damaged at any time while in Canada Post's custody, the claimant would clearly be out of luck," adjudicator Eric Slone wrote.

"In my further opinion, Canada Post was negligent in delivering the mail to an insecure mail box where it might be vandalized."

Slone awarded Clark the $140 he spent for the card plus $100 in court costs.

A check on eBay this week shows Connor McDavid cards listed for sale for anything from $12 to $21,000.