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Upper Deck Announces a Revolutionary New “Green” Trading Card
Posted by: | CommentsSt. Patrick’s Day has passed, but at Upper Deck we are still thinking green. On the heels of announcing we will be releasing the first-ever video trading card called EVOLUTION in 2011 Upper Deck Football on April 12, we are at it again. For the past few years, the Upper Deck Product Development Team has been working on a trading card that is eco-friendly and we are pleased to share we are finally ready to bring a recycled card to market.
As many sports card collectors are aware, trading cards were mass produced throughout the 1980’s and many collectors still have shoe boxes filled with these cards. As these cards are hardly scarce, Upper Deck wanted to help collectors who had invested so heavily in them by ridding many of them from the market. About six months ago UD started a large buyback campaign to do just that, purchasing tens of thousands of these cards and recycling them for a revolutionary new trading card product called 2011 Upper Deck Green Basketball. The card is printed on 100% recycled trading cards from the 1980’s.
“From focus group testing we found there were collectors who were devastated by losses they suffered on mass produced cards from the 1980’s,” said Upper Deck’s Sports Marketing Manager, Chris Carlin. “We believe that we can help make those cards more collectible again by removing large quantities of them from the market. If they become scarce, they will become valuable and we can win these collectors back. At the same time, we believe we are also helping the environment by using those cards to create an entirely new set. We believe that 2011 Upper Deck Green Basketball can help to put a freeze on cutting down trees.”
Using recycled trading cards from the 1980's, Upper Deck has produced the first-ever recycled trading card!
Upper Deck has always believed the conservationists represent a tremendous untapped customer base. This is an exciting new way to tap into sports fans that are also passionate about recycling. And while the new “Green” trading cards may not look quite as nice as some of Upper Deck’s other trading cards, the company reminds fans that they are recycled.
“Yes, we’ve has some issues with some of the cards falling a part during the production process,” explains Carlin. “We will be including a small roll of clear tape in each box to aid in reassembling those cards. The corners and edges are a bit of an issue as well as they are not exactly even and sharp like most collectors like. If you think about it though, that should really make the cards more sought after. Like a snowflake, no two cards will be alike; they are all one-of-kind collectibles.”
The 100-card set of 2011 Upper Deck Green Basketball will debut only in your dreams because if you haven’t guessed by now, you’ve been had. Happy April Fools Day sports fans!
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The Upper Deck Awards Have Been Announced!
Posted by: | CommentsYou nominated your favorites, then voted for them.
Here are the top five winners in each category for the Upper Deck Awards:
Best Community
Freedomcardboard.com
Sportscardforum.com
Cardboardconnection.com
Cloutsnchara.com
Hobbyinsider.net
Best Blog
Opening Day Cards
Field Level View
Canada Card World
A Cardboard Problem
Wax Heaven
Best Box Breaker
Box Rippers – blackmagik44
The Hobby Box – CHRI5784
ThetTruth17
Cloutsnchara
SBLEZ AKA SCOTT
We know that the competition between some of these websites got very heated, but in the end, it’s the passionate community that really wins here (note that in 2011, we’re going to change around the voting process based on the feedback we received). One thing this process showed us is that there isn’t one “best” representative for each category, because each has its own unique voice and contribution to the hobby.
Enough of the sappiness: check out the press release for the full list of goodies these websites will receive. We’ve already added the communities and blogs to our roll on the right of this very website!
Thanks to everyone who participated: collecting isn’t just something you do on your own, it’s an experience that becomes that much better when you interact with others who share the same passion. We’re happy to report that the energy for the hobby is alive and well.
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Easter Egg Hunt Pays Off Exquisitely
Posted by: | CommentsWe love seeing shops that get creative when it comes to promotions that make their customers happy. At Mike’s Stadium Sportscards in Aurora, CO, they ran a promotion that paid large, Exquisite dividends.
After making a purchase, a customer was allowed to pull an Easter Egg to find a message inside. Some of these provided free sleeves or packs, and the big “HAPPY EASTER” egg gave the customer store credit equal to what they just spent.
So what happens when you make a big purchase and get the right egg? Free packs of 2009 Exquisite Football, what else?
Click here to see more from Beckett’s story on the egg hunt, including other videos of happy customers!
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Brag Photo: The Captain’s Jersey
Posted by: | CommentsSometimes, when you work at Upper Deck, you get to explore the game-used room in all its glory. And hold stuff like this:
Note the “C” on the jersey, and you know who wore this one in a game.
When he’s not leading the Canadian team to Olympic Gold, Crosby’s day job is leading the Penguins to Stanley Cup championships in this black and gold jersey. Pretty cool to hold a jersey a guy like that wore on the job.
How about one more? I figured I might as well, since I was down there already.
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March Madness and Greats of the Game
Posted by: | CommentsThis Saturday, the Final Four will square off, leading to the NCAA Basketball Championship game on Monday. All eyes will be glued on the big games, and history will be made.
Following that, on Tuesday, Greats of the Game Basketball will hit store shelves.
Out of every major sport in America, basketball is definitely the one where “Old School is Cool” rings true. There’s a special nostalgia attached to the game’s meteoric rise in the 70s, 80s and 90s, and the stars from that era are still beloved today (of course, modern players like LeBron carry on that tradition).
Following the big NCAA tournament, there’s no better way to bring together the past and present than looking back on the college careers of the legends in the sport. Being an officially licensed CLC product, you can pull a Jordan in his UNC colors, or Larry Legend representing Indiana State.
On average, every box has two autographs and one memorabilia card, giving the product plenty of hits to get excited about. Click here for more information on Greats of the Game Basketball, and be sure to brag about your big pulls on our Facebook page!
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