Archive for March, 2011
Artist List for Upper Deck Thor Trading Cards
Posted by: | CommentsWe’ve already announced that Upper Deck’s Thor trading cards are out in the market and that there are some amazing sketch cards available in the set. In fact, we even did a Q&A with one of the artists who created sketch cards in the set. The one thing we haven’t shared, until now, is a list of all the artists who added their creations to the product.
So without further adieu, here is the final list of sketch card artists for Upper Deck’s Thor trading cards:
| Jason Adams |
| Irma Ahmed |
| Kate Bradley |
| Joel Carroll |
| Jim Cheung |
| Wendy Chew |
| Joyce Chin |
| George “GEO” Davis |
| Mark de Castro |
| George Deep |
| Michael Duran |
| Arvin “John ACE” Evangelista |
| Jerry Gaylord |
| Kevin Gentilcore |
| Dan Gorman |
| Matt Grigsby |
| Mark Henry |
| Jose Jaro |
| Ryan Kincaid |
| Andy MacDonald |
| David Mack |
| Renato “Butch” Mapa |
| Billy Martin |
| Sebastian Mazuera |
| Mark McKenna |
| Lord Mesa |
| Johnboy Meyers |
| Mike Miller |
| Jake Minor |
| Hanie Mohd |
| Remy “Eisu” Mokhtar |
| Richard Molinelli |
| Gilbert Monsanto |
| Graham Nolan |
| Richard Pace |
| Dan Panosian |
| Joe Pekar |
| Jason Keith Phillips |
| Wilson Ramos, Jr. |
| Lawrence Reynolds |
| Dave Ryan |
| Brandon Singleton |
| Cal Slayton |
| Aaron Sowd |
| Cat Staggs |
| Ken Steacy |
| Bryan Turner |
| Travis Walton |
| Frankie B. Washington |
| Sarah Wilkinson |
| Ben Young |
Check out some of the amazing work from some of the artists in the set!
The awesome artwork of Lawrence Reynolds
Jim Cheung has a special attention to detail and really brings Thor to life
Artist Cat Staggs came up with some really solid artwork for the set
Jose Jaro, like many of the other artists, used a variety of cards to build a bigger picture, here he gets a group shot of the Avengers
In this dual sketch card, Jaro captures Thor in battle
And this six-card grouping by Jaro gives us another look at the Avengers in action
George "Geo" Davis put together a fantastically intricate eight-card work of art
This four-card piece is incredibly detailed by "Butch" Mapa
This dazzling nine-card creation was done by the incomparable Remy "Eisu" Mokhtar
Friend or foe? Looks like Hulk and Thor are still feeling each other out in this four-card piece by Bryan Turner
And just a reminder, Marvel’s theatrical release of Thor doesn’t arrive until May 6, 2011. You can get a sneak peek at what happens in the film by checking out some packs today!
Bracket Town: Upper Deck’s in Houston This Week!
Posted by: | CommentsWednesday, March 30, 2011, was another productive day for Upper Deck’s hard-working personnel. Four team members from company headquarters – Brandon “Boom Boom” Miller, Kevin “The Sports Fanatic” Gniadek, Jodi “J-Wow” Wasserman and yours truly, Terry “T-Bone” Melia – arrived in the Lone Star State and immediately went to work setting up the company booth at “Bracket Town,” the much-anticipated college basketball show surrounding this week’s NCAA Final Four battles in Houston. We broke down boxes and boxes of Upper Deck product; repositioned oversized blowup cards inside huge acrylic stands of guys like Magic Johnson and Tom Izzo (both from Michigan State), Larry Bird (Indiana State), Jim Boeheim (Syracuse) and exclusive UD spokesman Michael Jordan (UNC); and set up some pretty impressive pieces of Upper Deck Authenticated signed memorabilia to exhibit at the show.
Brandon Miller, foreground, repositions the Bird blow-up card. The booth is nearly ready for Upper Deck's fans!
Truth be told, we did make one detour on our way to the Houston Convention Center. Hungry as ever when we landed at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, we grabbed some local cuisine at a barbecue joint that specialized in (what else?) ribs, beef brisket and tasty chicken. Once we refueled, we hit the ground running at the convention center. Dozens of other show exhibitors were setting up alongside us, but we stay focused and spruced up our booth in just a few hours. A few hammers, screw drivers and wrenches later, we were standing inside one of the best-looking company booths in Houston.
"The Sports Fanatic," Kevin Gniadek, assembles UDA's latest product accessory: "Sig Safe" autographed photo protectors. These should be a big hit at the show.
The pictures here tell the set-up story, but the thousands of people who will be filling the aisles over the next five days will write a new chapter in Upper Deck’s exclusive contract dealings with the Collegiate Licensing Company. So if you’re in Houston this week, please pay us a visit; you won’t be disappointed. Upper Deck’s always popular “Spin Wheel” will be in full force as show goers will be battling each other in card wars, pack wars and sports trivia contests to win cool giveaways. Come one, come all, just make it down to Houston. Rest assured, you can hitch your star to a good time supplied by the folks from Upper Deck!
Michael Jordan is ready here at Bracket Town, are you???
Be on the Lookout for Michael Jordan Signed UNC Mini Banners
Posted by: | CommentsEarlier this week we shared information about the new Upper Deck University of North Carolina Basketball set, but we didn’t share everything. In the blaster boxes we included a special National Championship mini banner for each of UNC’s five National Championships. They came out really nice and are sure to be a great keepsake for UNC fans.
UD included mini championship banners in blaster boxes of the new 2011 Upper Deck North Carolina Basketball product
What fans don’t know is that we actually had Michael Jordan himself lend his signature to some of these. That’s right, his Airness himself lent his signature to a small amount of the 1982 mini banners as a special way of celebrating that amazing championship run. We are hopeful they find their way to appreciative Chapel Hill residents!
This picture was taken after a recent signing session where Michael Jordan added his autograph to some of these mini UNC championship banners
And while the Tar Heel nation may be disappointed for the moment that their team didn’t make the Final Four. This set serves as a reminder of the greatness of that program and a great way to relive those feel good moments for the UNC faithful.
Brag Photo: SP Legendary Cuts Baseball Returns
Posted by: | CommentsWhen SP Legendary Cuts first came on the scene, it gave the industry a much-needed shot in the arm by packing out some amazing new content. It marked the first time a collector could open a pack of cards and pull an autograph of a deceased Hall-of-Famer. Upper Deck worked to get in authenticated cut signatures of deceased legends and had those signatures embedded on a trading card. After a short break, Upper Deck is pleased to announce the return of this truly awesome product.
The key driver with this product has always been the cuts so we decided to try something new. We asked ourselves, “If the cuts are the most important thing, why not make them the only thing?” So that’s exactly what we did. There will only be one card per pack and that card will include a cut signature. A total of 200 cut signature cards featuring 91 Hall of Famers numbered to 35 or less will make up the set.
One of the nice things about removing current players is that barring any unforeseen challenge with cut autograph acquisition, this release will in all likelihood be free of redemption cards with all live autograph content packing out. Based on consumer feedback we have received, there will be no Mystery Cut redemptions in this set featuring entertainment subjects.
Then there are some exciting chase elements. There will be an Exquisite cut signature set with all the quality you have come to expect from that brand. There will also be some cool themed sets picking up on some amazing baseball topics featuring multi-player cuts signature cards like a 1919 Black Sox quad cut; 1927 Murderer’s Row eight cut; 1934 St. Louis “Gashouse Gang” eight cut; .400 hitters quad cut; all-time great home-run kings cut; and more!
We have never been able to do a cut signature card of the 1919 "Black Sox" players until now
And then the set gets historical with a comprehensive cut signature collection of the first 43 U.S. Presidents. All of these cards will be hand numbered to just five copies or less. As an added chase, Upper Deck is creating folding book cards featuring a cut signature of the Presidents and their respective First Ladies. “Winning Ticket” dual-cut cards will feature a cut signature of each President and his Vice President. There will even be a royal couple dual-cut signature set with cut signatures of international royal figures.
When you fold open the card you will find cut signatures of the Kennedy's
Upper Deck’s 2011 SP Legendary Cuts will arrive in stores in late June, so don’t miss it!
Upper Deck’s Evolution: Creating a News Frenzy
Posted by: | CommentsUpper Deck’s newly announced Evolution video trading cards are creating quite a stir and the local San Diego media are all vying for their opportunity to discuss the company’s latest product innovation with UD officials.
Earlier today, a pair of local TV stations came by to report on the video trading card phenomenon. First, KUSI-TV reporter/cameraman Rob Beard visited and discussed the ground-breaking product with Upper Deck’s Vice President of Marketing and Product Development, Jason Masherah. They went through the concept of the card, its year in development and how the four featured players – Adrian Peterson (Oklahoma), DeSean Jackson (Cal), Patrick Willis (Ole Miss) and Tony Romo (Eastern Illinois) – were selected.
KUSI-TV Reporter and Cameraman Rob Beard gets ready to find out all about Upper Deck's newly unveiled "Evolution" video trading cards.
Soon thereafter, KFMB-TV Channel 8 Reporter Shawn Styles and his trusty cameraman, Scott Hall, showed up to report on various aspects of the trading card industry’s latest unveiling. From its idea stage to the finished product in hand, Styles quizzed Masherah on everything from the high-resolution video that’s featured, to the way the product will pack out in random boxes of 2011 Upper Deck Football (in both retail and hobby versions) on April 12.
Upper Deck's Vice President of Marketing and Product Development, Jason Masherah, left, brings Channel 8 Reporter Shawn Styles up to speed on Upper Deck's new Evolution video trading cards.
Plenty of footage was collected from both stations but it appears that KFMB will be the first to air as Masherah’s interview is slated to be featured during this evening’s 5 p.m. telecast. Be sure to check it out.
The KUSI-TV and KNBC-TV (Channel 7/39, which was shot last Friday) interviews will be used in upcoming telecasts. Stay tuned for more info.
The area’s two daily newspapers were also quick to print coverage of Upper Deck’s newest product offering. The San Diego Union-Tribune went up with its article online Friday evening, March 25, while The North County Times followed suit shortly thereafter. Enjoy the coverage.
Channel 8 Reporter Shawn Styles records his segment intro for tonight's KFMB-TV telecast featuring Upper Deck's Evolution video trading cards.
