Archive for Basketball
Ricky Rubio is Hot and So Are His Cards!
Posted by: | CommentsThere was a lot of negativity and frustration for Timberwolves fans who wanted to see Ricky Rubio in Minnesota after he was taken in the 2009 NBA Draft. After taking a couple years to get his game together, the Spanish sensation has landed in the US and is making a huge splash in the Twin Cities and T-Wolves fans have quickly embraced him as one of their own as they delight in his flashy game.
For collectors though, there hasn’t been much new in the way of Ricky Rubio cards. Upper Deck however realized Ricky Rubio was something special back when he was drafted in the NBA and stepped up to a fairly significant autograph contract with the emerging star. For those of you looking to land rookie and autograph cards of Ricky Rubio, here are just some of the different cards you can track down that Upper Deck put out during the 2009-10 season.
Two products where you can find some base rookie cards of Ricky Rubio without breaking the bank are 2009-10 Upper Deck Basketball and 2009-10 Upper Deck Greats of the Game. There are some solid rookie cards of Rubio in both of those releases.
In 2009-10 Upper Deck Draft Edition Basketball and 2009-10 SP Game-Used Basketball, there are actually quite a few Ricky Rubio autograph cards that collectors can track down in packs or in the secondary market. Take a look!
Finally, for high-end collectors, 2009-10 Ultimate Collection Basketball and 2009-10 Exquisite Collection Basketball has some great signed content of Rubio as well including the “Personal Touch” autograph cards where Rubio shares some personal information through special inscriptions.
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Upper Deck Trading Cards Make Great Holiday Decorations!
Posted by: | CommentsI know our fans love their collections and most enjoy the holidays as well, but I don’t think people realize how they can incorporate their love for collecting cards into their holiday decorations. I want to share some great ideas on how you can incorporate your passion for cards into your holiday decor and for those of you who choose to do so, you will have the opportunity to score a FREE box of Upper Deck cards for the holidays.
First, let’s go through how you can use Upper Deck cards as Christmas ornaments. My wife had our tree a little to fancy so I decided to invite some of my favorite sports stars to join the holiday party. First thing I did was grab a few Ultra Pro semi-regid holders and a hole punch. You want to punch a hole right up top in the middle for vertical cards and along the side for horizontal cards.
Punch a hole in the holder where the arrows are based on whether it is a vertical or horizontal card. Make sure to punch it in the middle so it hangs straight.
Next step is to put your card in the holder and put a hook through the hole. I know what you are thinking, “Did Upper Deck really make basketball cards for Jackie Moon?” Well we did, and they are glorious.
Jackie Moon is ready to be hung!
Then find a bare spot on your tree and let your favorite athlete hang out there for the holidays.
That's right, that's Will Ferrell on my Christmas tree!
The Great One hangs out on my tree as well.
You can even hang memorabilia and autograph cards, as long as they are not too thick.
There are lots of other ways you can get creative as well. This idea can work to count down the days until Christmas, Kwanza, Hanukah or even Festivus. Just create a decorative countdown ticker and hang your favorite UD packs from them for each day. You can open a pack each day until the big event! How fun is that?
We also have seen fans create their own stockings with Upper Deck trading cards before. Check out how cool these are! This is a great project for the kids and involves all the things they love; Upper Deck cards, glue and scissors. Kids, PLEASE check with your parents before you cut up Dad’s 1989 Griffey rookies for your stocking.
We know our fans are very creative. Maybe you want to make a holiday wreath of trading cards. Maybe a Nativity scene of cards. Whatever it is, we want to see it. Get busy and create a holiday decoration using Upper Deck cards. Post an image or video to the wall of the Upper Deck Facebook page. We will select our favorite submission on Wednesday, December 21, 2011 to receive a FREE box of Upper Deck cards from their favorite sport (Football, Baseball, Hockey or Basketball). So what are you waiting for? Grab some holiday cheer and get going!!!
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Last Chance to Give the Gift of Upper Deck this Holiday Season!
Posted by: | CommentsWhether you are shopping for that sports fan on your list or looking to share items you are interested in with loved ones, today is the LAST DAY to make it happen at the Upper Deck Online Store! Today is the LAST DAY you can order and receive your items by Christmas and to make things even more exciting, we are running a special “Last Chance” promotion where you can save some big bucks on the collectibles you purchase. Check it out by clicking on the image outlining the promotion below:
At least take some time to look as you will be blown away by all the great items available to sports fans young and old alike. In fact, if the Upper Deck Online Store was A Christmas Song, the last verse would go like this:
On the twelfth day of Christmas,
my true love gave to me
Twelve MJ Curves,
Eleven Tiger Fist Pumps,
Ten Chris Paul basketballs,
Nine PK Ice Charges,
Eight Kobe prints,
Seven Landon Cups,
Six Scorpion photos,
Five Ryan Mathews helmets,
Four Bobby Orr Goals,
Three Cam Scrambles,
Two Tim Thomas Saves,
And Michael Jordan’s motorcycle!
Now here’s a question for you, if your true love was really that kind, how much would all this amazing memorabilia cost WITHOUT shipping or discounts? Use the hyperlinks in the song and a pen and paper or calculator to figure it out. Be the FIRST person to answer in the comment section here on the UD Blog below and you’ll receive a FREE box of Upper Deck 2011 Goodwin Champions cards! Answers posted on Twitter or Facebook will not be counted. We’ll post and announce the winner later on today right here.
Popularity: 2% [?]
LeBron James Suite One-of-One ‘Return to Cleveland’ Signed Game-Used Shoes are History
Posted by: | CommentsIt was a year ago today that every sports fan tuned in to watch a regular season NBA game. It wasn’t because the game was thought to be necessarily all that competitive, but because it was the first time LeBron James would return to Cleveland as a member of the Miami Heat. The media attention around the game was unbelievable.
With the spotlight shining bright on LeBron, he performed in a big way by scoring 38 points on his former team while grabbing five rebounds and dishing out eight assists. In an effort to help bring fans closer to the game, Upper Deck scored the shoes LeBron wore in that game, had them autographed, authenticated the signature and offered them up through Upper Deck Authenticated’s Suite One-of-One program where extremely high-end sports collectibles are available for purchase to our worldwide fans. Earlier this week, almost a year to the day of the big game, the shoes were sold to a private collector.
The next big ticket item heading to Upper Deck Authenticated’s Suite One-of-One program is Landon Donovan’s game-worn uniform from the MLS Cup. We have a signing session coming up this month where Landon will sign this highly collectible (and highly aromatic) garment, UDA will authenticate the piece and it will be offered up to collectors through the program. Additional unique items like Michael Jordan Motorsports motorcycles, hand-painted and signed art along with other LeBron James signed game-worn shoes are currently available through Upper Deck Authenticated’s Suite One-of-One online store.
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Collector of the Month: The UNC Tar Heels Drive Joel Phillips’ Passion for Collecting
Posted by: | CommentsEach month Upper Deck spotlights one of its valued collectors to showcase their collection or pursuits. The great thing about sports collectors is that they are all very different in what they collect, how they collect. And that is exactly what you have with Joel Phillips. His love for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels is greater than just trading cards or memorabilia. When it comes to his collection, there is just one thing that revs his engine; and that coincidentally enough is his truck. I’ll let him explain.
“My name is Joel Phillips and I live in Gaffney, South Carolina. Back in 2005 my father and I were operating our own trucking business. We were hauling cards and trucks at the time and started transporting vehicles for American Specialty Trucks out of Danielsville, Georgia. One day when my dad was down there getting a load of trucks, he called me and said they were now customizing vehicles for college teams. I called them immediately to see if they could customize a UNC Tar Heel truck for me. I was thrilled to hear that they would be able to and that it would be licensed and certified by the NCAA.
“As I worked more with them, I found out that my vehicle was the first and currently the only truck they ever made. The truck actually is numbered #UNC 001. It took them over four months to customize it since the NCAA had to approve everything done to the truck. When it was completed, I just loved how it turned out, but felt it was missing something.
Here is the one and only officially licensed UNC Tar Heel truck!
“As I started to share it at games and with fans, I realized what that was; autographs from UNC Tar Heel players and coaches. As my Tar Heel truck has made the rounds, I’ve been able to get quite a few great UNC players and coaches to lend their signatures to my vehicle like Dean Smith, James Worthy, Sam Perkins, Al Wood, Buzz Peterson, Jason Capel, Derrick Phelps, Larry Davis, Tyler Hansbrough and many others. As I spoke with them, they all indicated this was the first time any of them had ever autographed a truck.
Jason Capel (left), Joel Phillips (middle) and Buzz Peterson (right) pose in front of the Tar Heel truck.
James Worthy signs the UNC Tar Heel truck.
Coach Dean Smith signs the UNC Tar Heel truck.
“My ultimate dream is to meet the greatest Tar Heel of all-time; Michael Jordan. Hopefully one day my dream will come true where I can show him this truck and hopefully get him to add his signature to it.
Will MJ ever add his signature to the UNC Tar Heel truck like he does for UDA memorabilia? Only time will tell.
“Coach Buzz Peterson said, ‘There’s no telling how much this truck is worth.’ He’s right. I personally have most of my life savings tied up in this truck and would be hard pressed to think of a day where I would part with it. But I’m curious what Upper Deck’s core group of educated collectors may think a vehicle like this is worth. Let me know by commenting here.
“It has been a lot of fun to work on the truck and add more signatures to it as time goes by. I encourage fans to check out my Facebook page for the truck and also our website. Thanks so much for taking a look.”
Thank you Joel for sharing with us. I’ve been in this industry a long time and have never seen a collectible quite as unique as that. In my opinion, for a UNC Tar Heel fan that truck is priceless!
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