Archive for December, 2009
Brag Photo: Richard’s Office – Handing Out the Trophy
Posted by: | CommentsYou’ll have to excuse the glare on this one. My time was limited and I was lucky enough to sneak in:
This is a picture of Richard from the 2007 NHL Young Stars Game, giving the MVP trophy to Zach Parise. As you may know, Upper Deck has the exclusive for NHL trading cards, and rookies in the league are a big focus for collectors. For that reason, we pay extra attention to the rookie class with special events like the NHL Rookie Debut Photo Shoot, which was held back in August.
When you’re at the game that showcases the top young players in the league, and have the honor of handing the MVP of that game his trophy, it’s a perfect example of how important the next generation of NHL stars are to us.
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The Ultimate Fan Gets an Upper Deck Tattoo!
Posted by: | CommentsIf you saw our post last week, you know that we picked Matt Ellis of Auburn, Indiana as Upper Deck’s Ultimate Fan. He took home the big prize package (not to mention the pride that goes with the title).
We mentioned that he was getting the Upper Deck Ultimate Fan logo tattooed on his chest; he made a slight change and went with the foot instead, but none the less we’re very impressed with his dedication:
Expect more posts on Matt in the coming weeks: the media is picking up on his story like crazy, plus he’s got Super Bowl tickets to claim (we hope his Colts get there) and his own Upper Deck card to be produced!
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Upper Deck Authenticated Skates into Hockey Memorabilia
Posted by: | CommentsIt has been quite some time since Upper Deck ventured into the hockey memorabilia world, and Upper Deck Authenticated is jumping in with full force. This Saturday, December 12th, Upper Deck, in conjunction with popular memorabilia manufacturer, Frameworth, will be conducting a signing with four major NHL stars in Chicago, Illinois. Representing the local Blackhawks, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith will be joined with Tampa Bay Lightning’s Steven Stamkos to collect signatures on some unique pieces.
“UDA is excited to carry our strong tradition of quality, innovation and authenticity into the sport of hockey”, says Steve Sloan, Upper Deck Authenticated Product Manager. “We have a dedicated plan to introduce a full range of autographed hockey memorabilia in 2010 and are hopeful that fans and collectors begin to seek out Upper Deck Authenticated as a source for their hockey collectibles.”
To document this event, we will be posting pictures and updates on our hockey Twitter page so collectors can see the athletes signing the pieces before they are available for purchase.
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2009 Sweet Spot Baseball: Another Hit in the Series
Posted by: | CommentsIf you’re a baseball fan, it’s hard to top the premium cards offered in Upper Deck’s 2009 Sweet Spot Baseball. When collectors think of the set, the iconic autograph on a real baseball sweet spot card comes immediately to mind.
This year’s 2009 Sweet Spot Baseball has been another hit, carrying on the set’s tradition of success. Rookie cards for players like David Price and Matt Weiters are definitely high in demand with collectors. But, the cards that a lot of collectors get really gung-ho about are the “Sweet Spot Signatures” of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James! But before we get too caught up in this year’s Sweet Spot, let’s take a look back to where it all began for this brand.
Sweet Spot first jumped onto the scene in 2001, and was a smash right off the bat. Even Sweet Spot’s debut featured “Sweet Beginnings” rookie cards and “Sweet Spot Signatures.” Also featured in the set of Sweet Spot Baseball were a lot of premium game-used jersey and bat memorabilia cards, which were just starting out back then. You could pull Hall-of-Famers, too, adding even more value to the new set’s debut. The rise of Sweet Spot Classics was in 2002, with more Hall-of-Famers and retired star content.
It wasn’t until 2007 that Upper Deck changed Sweet Spot’s box dynamics. It used to be 12 packs per box, but with 2007 they decided to make it a loaded pack. They did this for 2007 Sweet Spot Signatures and Sweet Spot Classics. This new way to package the boxes allowed collectors buy more Sweet Spot because of the affordable price and the cool, collectible tin.
But Sweet Spot hasn’t only been a product just catering to baseball collectors. Also in 2001 (the year Sweet Spot Baseball debuted), Sweet Shot Basketball came on the scene with similar signature cards like the baseball version offered. Following these releases, Sweet Spot Football emerged. The autographs in Sweet Spot Football were featured on what looked like a part of a football. Lastly, Sweet Shot Hockey came to life during the 2006-07 season. Even though that NHL set was only around two years, collectors enjoyed the unique autographs on top of puck and hockey stick surfaces. Unfortunately, all Sweet Spot products, except baseball, ended after the 2007 season.
This year’s Sweet Spot Baseball takes on the same dynamics as 2008 Sweet Spot, with six packs per box and a “hit” in every pack. You also can find one “Sweet Spot Signature” card in every box. If you are lucky, you may even find a “Sweet Spot Classics” card with an autograph or jersey piece of a Hall-of-Famer or retired star. Because Sweet Spot has so many big names in the set, you’re hard pressed to find a bad autograph in a pack.
Another fun reason to collect Sweet Spot is all the autographed parallels. There are so many different types of “Sweet Spot Signature” autographs, many of them very low numbered. I personally love getting cards with gold ink autographs or blue and red stitching.
Sweet Spot patch cards have always been a favorite, and they are back again! You can even pull dual patches of some of the hottest stars, past and present. Another awesome feature in this year’s rendition is the Upper Deck 20th Anniversary memorabilia cards commemorating history from the past 20 years. All of these reasons and more are why collectors worldwide continue to collect and buy boxes and cases of the Sweet Spot brand. It is, and forever will be, one of the most interesting and innovative sets in Upper Deck baseball card history.
Richie Sliwinski, 14, is a young card collector who enjoys playing, watching, and talking about sports, hanging out with friends, going on the computer . . . and of course, collecting cards! He has been featured in Beckett Sports Card Monthly, Sports Illustrated for Kids, and was a kid blogger for Upper Deck Kids.
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Rookie of the Week: Week 13 – Louis Murphy
Posted by: | CommentsIf winning free cards isn’t enough of an energizer to get you to enter the codes from the back of your 2009 Upper Deck rookie cards, there will be an added bonus each week for one participant who guesses the Rookie of the Week. As part of the Own the Rookies promotion, one lucky collector will take home an autographed football signed by all of the top 2009 rookies present at the Rookie Premiere. That means authentic signatures from Mark Sanchez, Matt Stafford, Percy Harvin, and all of the other rookies on one awesome football. To the collectors who picked Louis Murphy this week, you have the chance to win one ridiculously cool prize!
One of the most exciting reasons to collect NFL rookie cards is that you get to watch their values spike if the player performs well on the field. To help capture that excitement, Upper Deck launched a new website to help collectors not just track 2009 NFL rookie cards, but also to make predictions on which rookie would have the best week at OwnTheRookies.com.
Collectors who successfully guess Upper Deck’s “Rookie of the Week” will be entered into a drawing to win a box of 2009 NFL trading cards. For catching two touchdowns (including the game winner against Pittsburgh), Louis Murphy is Upper Deck’s Rookie of the Week. If you entered codes from Murphy’s cards last week, stay tuned to the website to see if you are a winner!
Though the Raiders have beaten some great teams, not many positive things have been said about the organization and their drafting skills over the last few years, with some justification. JaMarcus Russell, Darrius Heyward-Bey, and Darren McFadden have all struggled in their first few years in the league, and Al Davis has come under a lot of fire for the way he drafts his players. He did get one pick right, and it was evident on Sunday that Louis Murphy has the tools to be a very good receiver in this league.
Murphy is another in a long line of late-round draft picks having a ton of success, and unlike a few of the others, he has actually been more consistent. As a teammate of Rookie of the Year hopeful Percy Harvin at Florida, Murphy was a fourth-round pick behind many of the top receivers of the draft. What is so interesting is that Murphy has found a niche on his new team as a three or four slot receiver and already has 23 receptions for 411 yards and four TDs. Pretty solid, no doubt about it. In fact, he is even outplaying some of those top receivers, including Heyward-Bey who has had little success this year.
Luckily for the Raiders, his success has come at very important times in very important games. In week one, Murphy caught a long TD pass from Russell to put the Raiders up late in the game against the Chargers, putting an exclamation point on a great game for him. The Raiders lost, but it was the first of a few late TDs this year for him. Against Cincinnati, Murphy caught another pass for a touchdown in the fourth, this time sealing a win for the Raiders. Then, when the closing seconds startied ticking down against the defending champs on Sunday, Murphy again came through for the victory. It must be a great feeling to have those kinds of last-minute heroics on one occasion, let alone three times in a single season, and from that we can see that Murphy was drafted way below his potential playing level.
Murphy did not attend the 2009 rookie premiere, but he has had a number of cards that Raider collectors should go after as soon as possible. First, Murphy’s Upper Deck Football rookie card is probably the best of the bunch. He is mid-stride in a game shot from his Gator days, and the card just looks intimidating. I was actually lucky enough to pull one from a box I bought a few months ago, and he has definitely made it worth my time to keep.
Secondly, Murphy’s 2009 SPx rookie card is also very cool and numbered to only 799 copies for the base version of it. SPx has been known to hold value long term, especially for later round players who may not become superstars until a few years into their career. Murphy’s card should fall under that category, even more so if he continues to play at this high-caliber clip.
Lastly, I love his Alumni Association card out of UD Draft where he is featured with Percy Harvin on one card. This card is a great addition to any Florida or Murphy collector’s stash, as you have the two top receivers from the Gator’s national championship team on one card. Harvin has a great shot at being rookie of the year, and with Murphy also performing above expectations, this card has some major potential to showcase two future superstars.
Even though the Raiders’ season hasn’t been a success, it hasn’t been a complete failure either. Russell may have shown that he doesn’t have the fortitude quite yet to be a top level QB, but other picks like Louis Murphy show that not all hope is loss for the Silver and Black. Its going to take a lot more than just one guy to bring the team back from the horrors of 2008, but after beating Philadelphia, Cincy and Pittsburgh this year, the Raiders and Murphy have displayed that maybe things aren’t as bad as they seem.
Check in next week for the newest rookie to win “Rookie of the Week” honors, and don’t forget to enter in all your rookie card codes from the Upper Deck products you have collected so far. Not only can you win awesome prizes, but the site has some great features that allow you to track rookies and their cards this season!
Adam Gellman runs the collecting blog Sports Cards Uncensored, and has been a collector of all things sports for over 15 years. To see more of his work, visit www.sportscardsuncensored.com (warning: strong language!).
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