Archive for Basketball
Michael Jordan Still Has A Leg Up On Other Athletes
Posted by: | CommentsI have been working with Upper Deck since 1997 and in that time I have been privileged to know a great many passionate sports fans. Being a sports fan myself, I know I’ll never be able to throw a precision pass like Peyton Manning; hit a curve ball like Ken Griffey Jr.; fire a slap shot like Steven Stamkos; or hit a clutch jumper like Michael Jordan. Or could I? Jordan has been offering adult basketball fans the chance to come fly with him at a camp he runs in Las Vegas each year. The MJ Flight School just finished its 14th annual camp and it’s safe to say that MJ left an indelible mark on those in attendance.
Mark Gott had the opportunity to get up close and personal with his idol Michael Jordan at MJ's Flight School in Las Vegas this month.
One of the recent attendees was Mark Gott and he has been a huge fan of Michael Jordan since he was in junior high, back in 1987. Gott’s affinity for MJ’s skills led him to collect cards and memorabilia of Jordan, but more than that, he’s a huge fan of the Jordan brand clothing line. He has amassed more than 70 pairs of MJ branded shoes, slides and cleats. It seems his entire wardrobe is Jordan-related from the sweaters, polos, slacks and jeans, to the warm-ups, shorts and tanks. Gott estimates he has more than 400 different articles of clothing from the Jordan brand.
“If it’s not Jordan, it’s not in my closet,” said Gott. “He is the greatest athlete of my time and I feel comfortable in saying he is the greatest of all time.”
During a flight eight years ago, Gott was perusing an in-flight magazine where he first read about the Michael Jordan Flight School. He was disappointed to find that participants had to be 35 or older to attend the clinic so he waited patiently for that special birthday to arrive so he could get the chance to meet his idol. Sadly the camp was canceled when Gott turned 35 last year, but this year his dream came true. Gott had been anticipating this experience for some time and he wanted to come up with a way to remember it forever.
Gott had Jordan’s famous “jumpman” logo tattooed on his calf roughly eight years ago and as the opportunity to attend the clinic drew closer, he came up with a unique idea. What if he could get Jordan to sign the area just below the tattoo and then have Jordan’s signature permanently tattooed so he could display the authentic signature forever? He was committed to it, but now came the tough part: Will Michael agree to it?
Could you say no to this face? Neither could MJ as he agreed to sign Gott's leg after Coach John Thompson III asked.
Rather than going right to MJ, Gott worked through one of the coaches at the clinic, John Thompson III. Coach Thompson worked his magic to help Gott accomplish his mission. The day of the autograph session that Upper Deck Authenticated (UDA) oversees, Coach Thompson came to Gott and let him know it was a “go.” Gott immediately shaved his calf to prepare for the signing.
Gott shared that Michael was very supportive throughout the process and that when his turn came to get an item signed, MJ said with a smile, “Put your leg up here on the table.”
As Gott shares with Jordan where he wants him to sign, it looks like MJ is thinking, "You want me to sign what?"
Gott held still as MJ provided him with a world class signature that would last a lifetime.
On hand to authenticate and witness this first-ever body signing for UDA was Drew Mills.
UDA's Drew Mills even affixed a hologram to Gott's calf to authenticate the signature.
After Jordan delivered a perfect signature, a UDA rep was on hand to witness and authenticate the signature. But then came the painful part. Gott raced off to King Ink at the Mirage where tattoo artist Jasen Workman made the ink MJ has signed permanent.
A signature that will never fade. Gott truly has a memorable keepsake from MJ.
“Michael was really cool about the whole thing and was very interested the next day in seeing how the tattoo turned out,” said Gott.
When Gott shared with Jordan that he thought the tattoo came out great, Jordan again responded with a smile, “Of course it did, it’s my signature.” They both shared a laugh and shortly thereafter one of MJ’s staffers who had been working with him for 25 years pulled Gott aside. He told Gott that in his time with Michael, he had never seen Michael do anything like that. Being the first made the experience even more special to Gott.
The next day during the camp, MJ and others wanted to see how the tattoo turned out.
Gott felt like a rock star during the remainder of the camp with others in attendance asking about the MJ tattoo and taking pictures with him. When he returned home, he was still in awe of the experience. His children thought it was extremely cool as well and they have been busy telling all their friends about daddy’s new tattoo.
“We are in football season right now and it seems like everyone I show says that it is the coolest tattoo ever,” said Gott. “It goes to show you that despite Michael Jordan being retired for so long, he still has a huge impact and influence on generations of sports fans.”
No word from Gott as to whether the tatoo has helped his jump shot, but the memories from the experience will last forever.
Will UDA diversify its portfolio and expand into tattoo-signature authentication? Probably not. We are pretty happy with the Michael Jordan autographed memorabilia we are currently producing. This was likely a one-shot deal, albeit a special one that Mark Gott we will not soon forget.
Popularity: 8% [?]
Upper Deck Collector of the Month: Adam Malin
Posted by: | CommentsEach month Upper Deck spotlights one of our valued collectors to showcase their collection. The great thing about sports collectors is that they are all very different in what they collect, how they collect and what they do once they have their items. But they all share a passion that is seldom found in any other group. This month we feature a die-hard UNC fan named Adam Malin from Texas.
Adam started collecting when he was just 10 years old. It was 1986, a good time to be a sports fan in Texas as the Astros played the Mets in the NL Championship and the Rockets went to the Finals against the Celtics. That road to the Finals propelled Adam into collecting basketball cards and by the early ‘90s he had become a big fan of Michael Jordan. He amassed over 3,000 Jordan cards and eight Upper Deck Authenticated framed jerseys.
As time went by, Adam started collecting other favorite players and eventually put together an amazing collection of Upper Deck cards showing Marvin Williams. When we asked Adam what got him into collecting cards of Marvin Williams, here is what he had to say:
“I was always a big North Carolina fan because of Michael Jordan, but I also followed players like Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison, Rashad, McCants, Shammond Williams, Jerry Stackhouse, Ty Lawson, Tyler Hansbrough and more. I guess I was interested in Marvin Williams because his jersey number [24] is just one away from Michael Jordan [23] and both guys hit shots that would lead UNC to a national championship.
When it comes to Marvin Williams, Adam has the market cornerned.
“I began collecting Marvin Williams really hardcore. I had 60 of his 2005-06 Exquisite cards and tons of other autographs, patches and printing plate cards. The 2005-06 SPx Winning Materials cards were always my favorite though, so I decided to really go after those cards.
Have you seen this card??? If so, Adam is looking for it. Do a collector a favor and send it his way!
“The first time I saw the 2005-06 SPx Winning Materials cards, I really fell in love with the design. I liked the layout, the use of two jersey swatches and the photo that was used for Marvin was a really cool image of him going up for a dunk. I started with a goal of collecting 24 of the cards hoping to get all the different color jersey combinations I could find. That goal of 24 turned into 50, then 100, then 200, then 250. I wasn’t sure how many were produced so I kept going after more as I found them. Three hundred became, 350, then 400 and I just hit 500 last week. Currently I have 502 of these cards.
WOW! Look at them all! He really could use these to wallpaper a room.
“I got them all from card shops, eBay auctions and countless other helpful collectors from online trading card communities. I can honestly say I easily got at least 100 of these cards for free from generous collectors all over the world who heard about what I was trying to do. It has been really exciting to get packages from people I don’t even know from countries like New Zealand, Germany, China, Japan, Canada, Switzerland, The Philippines, Turkey, Holland, Italy, Spain and more. I also get e-mails from collectors who see the cards at shops and shows; it’s really cool how technology helps collectors reach their goals. People’s generosity in this hobby really amazes me sometimes.
“You have to be a little crazy to try to put something like this together. I am persistent, but you have to be as determined as I was with this collection to get it where it is now. I know what the value of these cards are, but really that doesn’t matter much to me. I wanted them all and I am not stopping at 500 because I know there are more out there.
“I remember seeing one of the cards I needed on eBay once and as I was about to bid on it I saw the description which read something like, ‘These are drying up fast! There is a crazy collector in the states that has 300+ of them, get them before they are gone!’ Well I won that auction and messaged the guy afterwards saying, ‘Payments sent, can’t wait to get the card, Sincerely, THE CRAZY COLLECTOR FROM THE STATES.’
“There have been some funny rumors out there about my collection like I have my walls papered with these cards or the floor tiled with them. My favorite is that I have to sleep on my couch because my room is full of Marvin Williams cards. Hopefully this dispels some of those rumors, check out this picture of all of them. They all fit in one three-row box with some room to spare.”
Proof that good things do come in a small package.
Congratulations Adam, you have really proven yourself to be THE Marvin Williams Super Collector! Help Adam continue his quest to get all the SPx Winning Materials cards out there by going through your older UD NBA cards. Did you find any Marvin Williams cards? If so, contact Adam at adamandjennie8195@hotmail.com.
Popularity: 6% [?]
I Got Lucky at the National
Posted by: | CommentsEvery few years my wife and I try to shake things up, and this year we did so by moving from Salt Lake City to Washington, D.C. Talk about change. But I was excited that pretty much my first week out there I would get the chance to see some old friends from Upper Deck. I’ve had a lot of luck with Upper Deck over the years. You see I won their Presidential Predictors contest two years ago and got the chance to throw out the first pitch at a Padres game. The next day I was able to tour the UD facility. It was awesome! I made friends with so many people at UD, I became a contributor to their Blog as well. And as luck would have it, I found out they would be in the neighborhood for the National Sports Collectors Convention the same week I moved in, so I just had to drop by.
I imagine heaven being a lot like a sports memorabilia convention. When I arrived at the show in Baltimore last week I met up with Chris Carlin, UD’s sports marketing & social media manager, and he walked me back to the company’s booth. The show was massive so we had time to talk as we made our way to the booth glancing at tables along the way. As far as I was concerned there were gold bricks lying everywhere. Autographed memorabilia, cards, paintings, cards, bats, cards, balls and more cards. You get the picture, I really love cards. I asked Chris how one could be sure they were getting an authentic autograph item even if they bought it here. He reminded me that even though it looked good you still had to do some research to make sure you were actually receiving something authentic. I guess that’s one of the good things about Upper Deck Authenticated, they witness every signature, but they were not around when Babe Ruth was signing so you’ve got to do your homework before making a big purchase, especially at a show.
Although the Upper Deck booth was not the biggest at the show, its presentation was perfect. There were two tall, well-lit glass displays with a myriad of UD product showcased. To me the most impressive was the complete set of Entomology cards from the 2009 Goodwin Champions set and also the Michael Jordan Curve display which included a piece of the United Center floor autographed by His Airness. Other items on display were an autographed Tiger Woods framed photograph and a card with actual cable from the Golden Gate Bridge. We also got a preview of the upcoming 2010 Sweet Spot Football and 2009-10 NHL The Cup cards which are coming out soon.
After being introduced to everyone in the booth I got to meet some of Upper Deck’s Diamond Club members who were trading cards and opening high-end products at the booth. They are just a great group of extremely passionate collectors who show their loyalty by collecting LOTS of Upper Deck product. In return for their loyalty, Upper Deck puts together a variety of events for them throughout the year to make sure they know they are appreciated. The Saturday morning I was in attendance UD had an informal meet-and-greet set up with Packers Hall-of-Fame quarterback Bart Starr. How cool is that? I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time as Chris asked me to join them for the event.
Since there are so many cards out there it is easy to have a huge collection without a lot of value. As a collector myself, I want to really focus on players I think will have some future value and for the time being I have narrowed my focus to 2005-06 NBA rookie cards of Deron Williams and Chris Paul. Not only do I think their rookie cards will continue to escalate in value, they are also two of my favorite players to watch. I found a booth that actually had some product from that year in stock at a reasonable price. I purchased a pack of 2005-06 NBA SP Signature Edition and picked the tin with Larry Bird on it. Tucked in between two common cards I found myself holding a Deron Williams Rookie INKorporated Autograph card numbered to 50. I couldn’t believe my luck and even some of the Diamond Club members were impressed. What a great find!
There was a long line of collectors wrapping around the hall to the Upper Deck booth for the wrapper redemption program they were hosting at noon each day. Upper Deck created a special series of cards specifically for the National Sports Collectors Convention and the only way to get them was by opening packs of current Upper Deck product in front of one of the UD team representatives. Each day there were different packs, and by coming back every day you could collect the entire set. Randomly inserted were autograph cards of LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Gordie Howe and more. I saw one kid get a LeBron James and Michael Jordan card out of two different packs. Apparently I’m not the only one who has luck with Upper Deck products.
Chris let me help a bit by passing out tickets for a raffle Upper Deck was holding that afternoon. Another huge gathering of sports fans converged on the Upper Deck booth for the raffle where UD was giving away a Mitchell & Ness jersey, 1-of-1 printing plate cards, a Zach Parise signed puck and a Peyton Manning signed Tennessee Volunteers mini helmet. Those who didn’t win received some Upper Deck sling packs as a consolation prize, which was nice to see so not many people walked away empty-handed.
I continued to visit with collectors throughout the afternoon at the UD booth and there was a common theme I heard over and over again. I heard them talk about how they love the quality of Upper Deck’s products. They shared how they miss Upper Deck making NBA products in particular. They liked how UD was there to help and had staff on hand to help them with any issues. But more than anything, the sentiment collectors shared about Upper Deck was that they really cared. This wasn’t news to me as I have been lucky enough to experience that all first hand on several other occasions.
At the end of the day I walked the show a little more and picked up some more unopened product just hoping I could make it home before I started opening the packs. It was a lot of fun to get to spend so much time with the Upper Deck team and their rabid collectors. I’m excited to see the products they have in store for collectors like me and I’m already making plans to attend the show next year in Chicago. To top off an already great day I found five bucks while I was walking to my car. What can I say, when it comes to Upper Deck, I’m just lucky.
Popularity: 5% [?]
I’m in Love…with the National Sports Collectors Convention
Posted by: | CommentsI couldn’t sleep at all Tuesday night. I was staying in Baltimore, at a great hotel, and while there had been a disturbance at the venue earlier that evening, that’s not why I had trouble sleeping. The sounds of the bustling city didn’t keep me awake either. Neither did the fact that I couldn’t fall sleep on my flight out from San Diego. The reason I couldn’t get unconscious was because I was excited. I tossed and turned like a little kid on Christmas Eve because I couldn’t wait for The National Sports Collectors Convention (NSCC) to begin.
When I attended my first NSCC, I felt like I had been sent to the Gulag in Russia for some crime for which I was wrongly convicted. As Upper Deck’s Customer Service Manager back then, I received a steady diet of off-the-wall complaints for all five days of the show. My blood pressure elevated every time I heard one of my co-workers say: “Oh, yeah, you want to speak to Chris Carlin.” After hearing people who appeared completely rational start complaining passionately about things like why Upper Deck can’t hand-package every trading card release to reduce flaws on some of the cards, to why we don’t make Jai-Alia cards, I realized one thing: People love Upper Deck cards.
And you know what? I do too. The 1989 Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card hooked me immediately and it was my dream come true to work for Upper Deck. Yes, I had to deal with complaints at the NSCC, but people don’t complain if they don’t care about your products. During one sleepless night during my first NSCC with all these complaints running through my head, that simple fact dawned on me. If they didn’t care, they wouldn’t take the time to complain, right? They just wouldn’t care. Each complaint is a proclamation of love for our products. I was comforted and soon fell into a deep sleep.
THE CARD THAT STARTED IT ALL: Upper Deck's 1989 Ken Griffey Jr. Rookie Card (#1).
I began to see the NSCC as an opportunity on several different levels. It poses an opportunity every year to listen to compelling ideas from people who care about Upper Deck products. It provides the chance to hear complaints about goods and services that are not perfect and what might work to make them right, while hopefully salvaging a relationship with a customer. It creates the opportunity to share how compelling and fun this hobby is with new and old collectors alike. As hard as it is to get yelled at from time to time about something I didn’t really have any control over, after my first NSCC, I knew I had to keep coming back every year. It’s simply not a show I would miss for the world.
If you are anywhere near Baltimore this weekend and have ever cared about any sport, you have to come. There are tons of crazy/weird things that will make you ask yourself, “Who would buy that?” and then the next thing you know you’re walking around with a framed signed photo of Don Mattingly posing with Donald Trump and his family because (let’s face it) when are you ever going to get the chance to own something like that again.
So why was I so excited, exactly? Because I knew what would happen. It’s almost the same every year and I love it. But to let you in on the secret, here are just some of the reasons why I’ve enjoyed the show so far and why I can’t wait for the rest of the weekend.
The Set Up – Getting to the show before anyone else is an electric environment. Booths are being erected. Displays are going up. Deals are quickly being struck with vendors already set up. And at the Upper Deck booth we are unpacking like crazy, hoping that everything sent reached its destination in good condition. We went all out this year. We have some amazing pieces to see. We brought out several unique insert cards from our upcoming 2010 Sweet Spot Football and 2009-10 NHL The Cup releases which will hit in late August-early September. People have been drooling over those cards. The Michael Jordan autographed Curve Display has been a traffic stopper as well, but there is one eye-catcher that stops both young and old collectors in their tracks every time. It’s the 2009 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions complete set of the Entomology, Landmarks and Thoroughbred Hair Cuts inserts. It is really amazing to see all these cards together and it’s commonplace to see people’s jaws drop when they stop by for a look.
BUGGY DISPLAY: At the Upper Deck Booth this weekend in Baltimore, swing by to check out the company's Entomology insect/insert cards!
The Hotel View – I didn’t realize just how central downtown Baltimore really is. All I knew about Baltimore prior to my first visit this weekend is what I learned on HBO’s critically acclaimed show The Wire and it certainly didn’t paint the best portrait of the city. Goes to show you can’t believe everything you see on TV. Our hotel is situated right next to Oriole Park at Camden Yards and beyond that on the skyline you can see the field where the Baltimore Ravens play. Oh and you can see into the ballpark from the hotel. How cool is that? Additionally the convention center and harbor are all within walking distance and with the exception of the humidity, I’ve loved this city so far.
ROOM WITH A VIEW: I can almost see Cal Ripken Jr. doing his victory lap back in 1995.
The Frowns Turn to Smiles – I’ll never get tired of this one. So many times at these shows and even at this show already where I’ve had someone come up to the booth so upset (which is a good thing; remember, they care). Getting to spend some time with them face-to-face explaining why Upper Deck does things a certain way, giving them that sneak peek behind the curtain, it is just really special. Nine times out of 10 I can have a passionate collector who comes to our booth upset but leaves happy. It’s just really gratifying to get the chance to listen to concerns and have the opportunity to educate collectors or share plans we have in place to fix things in the future. It’s so important to let them know that the people who make the brands they care about actually care about the people’s opinions who buy those brands. That is really special.
The Shaking Hands – Upper Deck spends a lot of money and time each year in producing a special wrapper redemption program for every NSCC. There is a different set of cards available at our booth each day provided collectors open up five packs of a new Upper Deck product at our booth. Randomly inserted into these packs are rare autographed cards from all sorts of sports legends like LeBron James, Gordie Howe and Michael Jordan to name just a few. When you see someone open the packs and find one of those cards, their hands immediately begin to shake. They want to show it off, but the excitement and thrill of finding one of these limited cards of a superstar athlete absolutely knocks them off their feet. It’s probably my favorite part of the show. It is such a special privilege to get to provide those moments to sports fanatics.
SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE: This collector couldn't stop shaking when he pulled this MJ beauty from a pack of cards at our booth.
The Friendships – In just two days at the show it is just so great to see so many familiar faces. With the dawn of email, Facebook and so many other ways to keep in touch with friends and colleagues, there is nothing quite like the face-to-face experience you get with seeing customers and business partners who you have cultivated friendships with over the years. The caring and brutally honest dialogue that takes place between me and fans, collectors, shop owners, show vendors, distributors and league reps is really special. There is nothing quite like pressing the flesh (handshake) and spending time with people you may be totally different from outside the show, but in that great hall, you share the common bond of a true love for sports cards and memorabilia. It is very special.
The Chance to Help a Small Business Owner – There are so many great hobby shop owners out there who come to this show as a service to their customers. Some are set up and selling/buying/trading to make new customers, but many walk the show to trade items from dealers they know in other regions in order to get items in their region that their customers will want. They sell cards for their customers. They share what their customers are thinking and want with manufacturers. Quite simply, they come because they care. And to get the chance to talk with them about promotions Upper Deck can do in their store is very valuable to us. There are not as many hobby shops left as there were in the early ‘90s, but the ones that are know exactly what they’re doing. And they care. So make sure you make time to visit one if you haven’t been in awhile.
The Healthy Competition – I went to dinner last night with some customers and on the way back we came upon a guy who works for Panini America, one of our competitors. No glares or ill words were spoken. Instead smiles and high-fives were shared. Leaving we came upon some members of the Topps staff. Again, we had a nice conversation about the show and the industry. When we returned to the hotel, we came upon some of the Press Pass crew and again, we just enjoyed pleasant camaraderie. As competitive as our business is, I believe it is a healthy competition. I wake up every day motivated to beat Panini, Topps and anyone else at making the best sports collectibles, but it is a healthy competition. Or maybe I just like keeping my enemies close.
The Opportunity – More than anything else, to me and the Upper Deck staff in attendance, we treasure the opportunity to meet the thousands of collectors who have purchased Upper Deck products over the years. It is so helpful to get to hear your thoughts (except about Jai-Alai cards, that’s most likely not going to happen). It means the world to us to be able to spend time with collectors and to see their eyes light up as we share what we are coming out with next. And from the bottom of my heart, I just want to say, “THANK YOU!” We know you have a choice when you are choosing what company’s cards to purchase, but the fact that people choose Upper Deck means so much to everyone at 5909 Sea Otter Place. We love bringing fans closer to the game and we will continue to come in early and work late to meet and exceed collectors’ expectations. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
THANK YOU VERY MUCH: This weekend will continue to be a blast for lucky collectors...and me!
By the way, I wrote this entry between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. Friday morning because I couldn’t sleep. I can’t wait for the next day of the show and I hope you are there to experience it with me.
Popularity: 8% [?]
Brag Photo: Classic MJ in Black and White
Posted by: | CommentsHe was poetry in motion out on the basketball court and provided photographers and artists with plenty of ammunition for capturing unforgettable moments. Whether he was dunking in mid-air or putting up a three-pointer from outside the arc, Michael Jordan defined success on the hardwood.
Likewise, through his longtime exclusive partnership with Upper Deck Authenticated, MJ has provided our Product Development team with plenty of memorable milestones and classic showdowns to capture against the likes of Larry, Magic and even Kobe.
Take a gander at this sweet piece now available at the Upper Deck online store: Michael Jordan autographed Black-and-White Tribute Canvas Classic. It’s signed in silver, measures 35″ wide and 18″ high and shows Michael taking a much-needed breather between baskets. It’s limited to just 50, so demand is high. Check it out while it’s still available.
CLASSIC MJ: You can't help but appreciate the mastery behind this black-and-white canvas photo from UDA.
Popularity: 3% [?]
