Archive for Collectors
Featured Collector: Landon Donovan Surprises Super Collector at Christmas
Posted by: | CommentsVictoria Rutherford is an avid soccer fan and player at Strathmore High School in California. Her favorite player in the world is Landon Donovan, but unfortunately since the Home Depot Center is so far away and her schedule is so busy with school and soccer practice of her own, she has been unable to get away to a Los Angeles Galaxy game.
She doesn’t miss the games though making sure she catches them on cable usually cheering Landon and the rest of the team on to victory. Although she is from a small town with a population of just 225 near the Sequoia National Park, Victoria’s soccer team is currently ranked #1 in the Division 5 Central Section. She is hoping to help the Spartans take the championship this year much like Landon did with the Galaxy in the MLS Cup. Being that she is from a smaller town, she commutes about an hour each day to school, but still works hard and has a 4.24 GPA.
Does Victoria love soccer? Well the writing is on the wall, she loves it and especially Landon Donovan!
Her father Robert purchased a Landon Donovan signed piece through the Upper Deck online store for the holidays to give to Victoria. About the same time, we made the decision to select a worthy customer who made a purchase from the online store to receive a little something special on top of their purchase. After calling a few customers and finding out about Victoria, we knew we had the right customer. At a recent signing, Landon was kind enough to wish Victoria the best for the holidays with a special holiday card just for her. Needless to say, she was blown away when she saw her favorite player had sent her a personalized holiday wish!
Victoria was selected to receive a special holiday wish from her favorite soccer star for the holidays courtesy of Upper Deck.
Does the image created by Upper Deck look familiar? It should as Landon is currently using a version of it for his image on his Facebook page and his Twitter page.
Victoria had a great Christmas and based on how hard she works at school and on the field, we think she deserved it!
It was exciting for us to be able to share a personalized gift to a loyal customer and fan. Now the big question is, which Upper Deck spokesmen will be the next to send a special personalized gift to a customer who purchased from the Upper Deck online store? You may find out first-hand if you make a purchase leading up to Father’s Day.
Popularity: 2% [?]
Upper Deck Salutes Collectors Giving Back to Kids
Posted by: | CommentsAs we have worked to engage our collector base more and more through social media like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube along with our Volunteer Alliance program, we have really enjoyed seeing collectors who are working diligently to giving back and growing the hobby. One group in particular has really gone above and beyond in their quest to bring the fun of trading cards to kids who would not normally be able to enjoy them.
Cards2Kids was founded by a high school student named John Makowiec. We have profiled John and his charity before here on the Upper Deck Blog, but we were thrilled to actually be able to partner with his charity during the 2011 Fall Sports Card & Collectibles Expo last November in Toronto where we saw this extremely motivated young man in action.
John Makowiec is an impressive young man who founded Cards2Kids and we recently partnered with him for an international trading card drive in Toronto.
Upper Deck accepted trading card donations from collectors and dealers at the event throughout the weekend while the Cards2Kids team was on hand to help get the word out and collect all the submissions. They spent time with all the dealers and show attendees explaining how they could donate both at the show and in the future. John and his brother Jay handed out close to a thousand flyers on the program and collected close to 20,000 cards in just two days.
John and Jay had a lot of success encouraging collectors and dealers to donate to the cause.
From there they spent some long hours at the hotel organizing the cards and putting them in soft sleeve packs. They had received some special autograph and memorabilia cards so they were careful to make sure those got into some of the first packs that would be distributed. Together they also worked to make sure every pack had cards of some of the more well known stars and rookies to make it exciting for the kids who would receive them.
Hundreds of packs like this were donated to the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto courtesy of Cards2Kids.
Then came one of the more exciting moments when the team got to actually deliver the packs to The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. They had organized close to 700 special packs for the kids and worked with Caron Irwin, Donations coordinator for the Hospital for Sick Children to get them in the hands of the kids. The Hospital is still distributing these packs to sick kids which is really amazing the Cards2Kids team has been able to keep these youngsters smiling for so long.
John and Jay pose in front of the hospital before dropping off their large donation.
After they dropped off the donation, they made another trip by the show where they collected almost 10,000 additional cards that would be used for future promotions with kids.
Like the shirt says, Cards2Kids works to, "Trade Sports Cards for Smiles!"
“This was an amazing experience for Cards2Kids,” said John Makowiec. “We would like to thank Upper Deck and everyone who donated cards. Your contributions made this a complete success and you helped brighten the days of a lot of sick children. Our intention is to continue to reach out to collectors and encourage them to donate cards to help kids. If you have cards collecting dust, help us out by donating them today!”
To donate to Cards2Kids, you can send your cards or unused team bags to the address below:
Cards2Kids
Attn. Debbie
141 West Jackson Street, Suite 500
Chicago, IL 60604
Cards2Kids also has two drop boxes at Upper Deck Certified Diamond Dealer shops in the Illinois area. Stop in today with your donations:
557 Chestnut Street
Winnetka, IL 60093
(847)441-7767
Elite Sportscards, Comics & Gaming
2028 West Montrose
Chicago, IL 60618
(773)784-1396
Popularity: 2% [?]
Collector of the Month: Josh Carter Loves His Longhorns
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. Upper Deck is the exclusive provider of collegiate sports cards and we have seen that some collectors prefer collegiate cards over cards of the pros. As we have learned more about these customers, it is important for us to help get them closer to the game.
Recently we hooked Nick’s Sports Cards up with some tickets to a University of Texas Longhorns game. They awarded them to a very passionate UT fan who had never been able to attend a game before. He was thrilled to be able to take part to say the least and having purchased several boxes of Upper Deck’s new University of Texas Football cards, he certainly deserved an experience like this. Here’s what he had to share:
“My name is Josh Carter and I am a die-hard Texas Longhorns fan. I guess I started collecting UT cards back in 2007 at a shop in Grapevine, TX. My buddy Trey who was working at the shop game me a Selvin Young autograph card, and based on acquiring that card, I decided to start my own Longhorn collection. Four years and over 450 cards later, I still get a kick out of thinking about that card sparking the fire to get me going with this.
This is one of Josh's favorite cards featuring sigs of three of the greatest Longhorns of all-time!
“Now most of my collection is centered around some bigger stars like Jamaal Charles, Earl Campbell and Ricky Williams. I have some really limited cards of Jamaal Charles and Limas Sweed that are some of my favorites in my collection. Most of my collection consists of game-used and autograph cards because I usually like to give my base cards away at the shop I purchase from. It is always fun to see a smile on a kids face at the local card shop.
“Most of my “Burnt Orange” pride comes from my Grandfather who graduated from the University of Texas, I just grew up around it. My favorite players to watch with him were Ricky Williams and Major Applewhite. We watched together when the Longhorns won the BCS title at the Rose Bowl against USC. And while I didn’t have the opportunity to attend the University of Texas myself, I will always bleed burnt orange.
This is one SERIOUS University of Texas collection! Good work Josh!
“The funny thing is that I had never been to a game despite watching them faithfully each season. That all changed thanks to Upper Deck and Nick’s Sports Cards. I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to see the Longhorns play for my first time VIP style because of some tickets I won through UD and Nick’s. Unfortunately the Horns couldn’t pull off a comeback suffering a 17-13 loss to Kansas State. It was a close game though and that is the way I like them. Just being there was well worth it after following them on television for so long. It helped energize my passion for the Longhorns which continues to grow, much like my collection. Hook ‘em Horns!”
Josh and the rest of the Burnt Orange Nation cheered on the Horns this season.
Popularity: 1% [?]
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!
Popularity: 1% [?]
Collector of the Month: Matt W. Has a Presidential Passion
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 what they do once they have the cards they were looking for. We found Matt W. on a collecting message board where he shared with other collectors that he was chasing the very rare set of 2011 Goodwin Champions Presidential Masterpiece painted cards. I reached out to him and after finally completing the set, he allowed us to profile him for the Upper Deck Blog. We hope you enjoy his story on completing this set of very limited cards of all the U.S. Presidents.
“I am a big fan of the throwback type products like Upper Deck’s 2011 Goodwin Champions. However, I wasn’t planning on collecting this product until I learned of the Presidential Masterpiece painted cards. When collectors started opening packs of the product, I began to see these unique cards popping up for sale online. I knew a friend of mine busted several cases of this product, so I called him up to ask if he pulled any of these fantastic cards. He did. In fact, he pulled several, and we were able to work out a deal for all of them! That day was July 2, 2011.
Jefferson was Matt's favorite U.S. President so acquiring this card was a real thrill!
“As I started doing more research about these cards, I began asking questions in various on-line forums. All kinds of people were amazed at the quality of artwork contained on these cards. People started to wonder if anyone would make a run at a complete set. Some said it would be amazing. Others said it would be impossible. Hearing the latter fueled my passion to put this set together, and I wanted to do it before this year’s National Sports Card Convention in Chicago (NSCC), if possible.
“When I learned 13 of the 43 Presidents were redemptions, I knew I had to get them as soon as possible in order to allow Upper Deck enough time to get them back to me before the NSCC. Seeing the video with Grant Sandground showing off these redemptions was comforting because I then knew Upper Deck had them in-hand. Once the 13th redemption arrived and I entered the code, I called Upper Deck’s Customer Care and asked if there was a way they could bring my redemptions to the NSCC. They said they would see what they could do. Low and behold, all 13 cards arrived at my door the day before I left for Chicago. It was a pleasant surprise to say the least, but I was still 4 cards short of the complete set. The question then became, ‘Will I be able to find them in Chicago?’
“As luck would have it, I ran into another friend of mine named Patrick at the show, and he said he would help me find the last four I needed. I couldn’t believe it when shortly after discussing this with him, he called and said he found one! I quickly made the deal to acquire it, and not too long later, he called and said another one just showed up. Before the show was over, he helped me find three of the four cards I needed. I headed home still needing one more card to complete my set and I was a little disappointed hoping to finish the collection there. I had yet to see a single Dwight D. Eisenhower, and of all people, he was from my home state. I had to find his card. On September 1, one day shy of exactly two months from the moment I decided to chase this set, the final card arrived to complete my set. I finally landed the Eisenhower!
History in the making! Matt and his family were able to put together the entire set of 43 U.S. President Masterpiece painted cards together!
“Since then, I have been fortunate to acquire the Kennedy numbered 1/10, (the only one with the flag painted in the background), and a few other 1/10s. I have also spoken to the main artist, Jared Kelley, a few times via email. It’s been wonderful to learn some of his insight about this amazing set. It has been a true pleasure to put together. In the world of collecting cards, nothing is impossible these days.
Matt's son shows off one of their favorite cards of John F. Kennedy!
“Some of my favorites are the Reagan and Kennedy with the flags in the background; Thomas Jefferson # 1/10, (my favorite President); The George Washington that Mr. Kelley signed on the front; and of course the Lincoln. Having these cards in-hand and seeing the amazing artwork up close is hard to describe. I will be looking forward to collecting more artwork type cards in the future. I see Jared painted some cards for your Parkhurst Champions brand, including Gretzky. Hopefully I will be lucky enough to locate one of each of those, and I will be looking forward to future products that contain his work.”
Matt was able to get one of the super rare variations that has the artist's signature on the front.
Working on completing the set together obviously brought a lot of smiles with Matt and his boys.
One of Matt's sons shows off the U.S. President that started it all; George Washington!
One thing that Matt doesn’t share is that the experience was truly a family affair and you can see that with some of the pictures of his boys holding the cards. Although Matt financed this chase, I’m sure the boys helped out as well. There’s no doubt that collecting with your kids is a great way to build a bond with your children and create some wonderful memories. Congratulations to Matt and his family on putting together this amazing set.
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