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Brag Photo: 2011 Goodwin Champions Extinct & Mythical Animal Kingdom Patch Cards
Posted by: | CommentsIt’s not easy trying to innovate a 2 ½ x 3 ½ piece of cardboard, but it s a challenge we embrace at Upper Deck. Coming out with the next big thing is something we are constantly chasing and we’ve seen some good responses to new trading card innovations through the years like SPx Shadowbox cards, Masterpiece Art cards, Evolution video cards, Marvel Ultimate Panel Focus cards, Entomology cards and more.
Along the way Upper Deck has created some card sets that are not exactly the “next big thing,” but they are extremely popular, primarily because they are different. Such is the case with the 2011 Goodwin Champions Animal Kingdom patch cards. We thought this playful insert would be perfect for the Goodwin Champions set because animals were important subjects in the original vintage set. To bring them to market with a new twist was the challenge, but working with a vendor we came up with some fantastic patch cards to pay tribute to each creature.
We have been excited to see these cards are capturing the imagination of new collectors, young collectors and female collectors. While we certainly understand and appreciate these cards are not for everyone, especially the die-hard sports collector, there is no disputing the fact they have value and there is a base of collectors eager to collect them. There are a lot of fun elements to chase in this 100 card set and we thought it would be fun for fans to see a completed set of the cards, check it out!
Additionally, as the market starts to dry up on some of these cards, we wanted to share that the last three cards that make up the extinct and mythical portion of the checklist do in fact exist. They are out there in packs of 2011 Goodwin Champions and likely will command a huge premium if sold in the secondary market. Here are scans of the actual cards for the Saber-Toothed Cat (No. AK-98), the Chupacabra (No. AK-99) and the Do-Do Bird (No. AK-100).
Card #AK-98 is the Saber-Toothed Cat and is VERY difficult to track down.
The Chupacabra is a mythicical vicious little creature at card #AK-99.
The Do-Do Bird is the final card in the set and even though it is a horizontal patch, the card has a vertical design. Was that a mistake or were we just having fun with the Do-Do? We'll never tell...
Are you putting together the set? How far along are you and which cards are you having the toughest time tracking down?
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My Internship at Upper Deck was a “Super” Experience
Posted by: | CommentsI’ve been working some long hours here at Upper Deck this summer, but you won’t find my name on the company roster nor am I on a first name basis with any of the athletes we work with. I was lucky enough to be selected as a summer intern for Upper Deck working behind the scenes in the marketing department. There is a lot of interest among college students to work with Upper Deck because it is really cool to get to work with a well known brand while working on sports or entertainment all day long. Last summer I worked as a camp counselor and the year before I was selling ice cream so this internship gave me a real taste at what it is like to work in an office at a “real” job.
I was relieved that I came into a situation where there were some other interns who could show me the ropes. It was nice to have a group of us to work through projects and brainstorm new ideas. This internship experience allowed me to really refine my communication skills and work as part of a team with a really diverse group of passionate colleagues.
In her time with UD, Stephanie was instrumental in helping to plan for our annual Hockey Summit, UD's plans for the National Sports Collectors Convention, Soccer promotions and much more! Even she's not sure how she did it all.
In my time here I worked a lot on sports, but my most memorable experience took place on the entertainment side of our business. My fellow interns (Mark Kramer and Andrew O’Neill) decided to head down to Comic-Con in San Diego to work at promoting Upper Deck’s newest Marvel product; The Avengers Kree-Skull War. We were assigned to make a video interacting with fans opening up promotional packs of the product.
We wanted to get some costumes so we could play the part, but you would not believe how hard it is to find outfits down there during the Comic Con event. They were sold out everywhere. We should have known, but after canvassing the city we were able to track down a “Spider Girl” costume and a “Wolverine” mask. I tried my best to get the boys in the “Spider Girl” costume, but they wanted no part. We worked it out though and after we each made a trip to the phone booth, we were ready.
Our main goal was to attract comic fans by handing out Upper Deck’s Avengers Kree-Skull War promotional packs. We had the fans compete to assemble the puzzle and the winner received two packs of Captain America trading cards. It was exciting to see how competitive and enthusiastic the fans were. People were especially excited about our limited edition Kree-Skrull War trading card binder that is available now with the purchase of The Avengers Kree-Skrull War trading card box.
We had a great time meeting fanatical Marvel fans and I even got used to being in front of the camera interacting with them. It was really great for me to see first-hand the reaction fans had to the product after experiencing it with us. I really saw the value in promoting a new product through sampling. It’s a day I know that I will never forget.
Stephanie (Spider Girl) poses with Upper Deck's other two super interns; Andrew O'Neill (left) and Mark Kramer (right) at Comic Con in San Diego.
When we got back to Upper Deck the next day, it was fun to relive that experience by watching all the clips we got. And now that it’s live on YouTube, I hope it gets a good response!
As I head back to the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington for my junior year, I return with some amazing experience from working with a huge global brand. This is perfect as I was accepted into the Foster School of Business so I’ll be spending the next two years in business classes with an emphasis on marketing and sales. I can take all the experience I received from Upper Deck and apply it immediately to my classes. I want to thank all my friends at Upper Deck for giving me the chance to work with you and for allowing me the opportunity to learn from some really inspirational teammates.
Are you in college and looking for an internship with Upper Deck? We are currently interviewing for interns for the Fall 2011 semester. If you are interested, please email your resume to upperdeckmarketing@upperdeck.com.
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Video Hits from the 2011 National Sports Collectors Convention
Posted by: | CommentsIf you missed the 2011 National Sports Collectors Convention, you definitely missed out. Last week we highlighted some of the great things Upper Deck had on display at our corporate booth and we also showed a lot of the Michael Jordan autograph content that we were making available to collectors in attendance. We couldn’t show some of the video unfortunately, until now.
A fan shows off a Bo Jackson autograph card he pulled from a special UD pack at the 2011 National Sports Collectors Convention.
Fans had a great time opening packs at the 2011 National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago. Take a look at a couple nice pulls we were able to get on tape.
Our annual wrapper redemption program seemed to be a big hit with collectors as well. Take a look at some of the autograph discoveries we managed to document during the event.
And this one is probably my favorite. Every once in awhile you pull a card that just exceeds your wildest expectations leaving you with hands that you just can’t keep still. Check out what this collector pulled and note the shaking hands!
Thanks again to all the UD fans that stopped by and made the 2011 National Sports Collectors Convention such a fun event. We appreciate the opportunity to give back to our core base of collectors with the various promotions we ran at the show and look forward to the 2012 National Sports Collectors Convention next summer in Baltimore, Maryland.
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Adam Scott Wins the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational
Posted by: | CommentsThere’s an old saying with regard to what a caddy needs to do to be successful; “Keep up and shut up.” Stevie Williams, the former caddie of Tiger Woods has been anything but quiet since his very public split from one of golf’s greatest players of all-time. And now that he is tending the bag for another star in Adam Scott, many people wondered how he would do this weekend at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. Well, Adam Scott did just fine winning the event.
The strange thing was that after the win, it seemed a bit like Stevie Williams became even bigger than Adam Scott with the spotlight clearly on him. That’s a bit of a shame considering Adam Scott played an amazing tournament and has always been a great player on the cusp. Based on the way he was playing this weekend, it didn’t appear this was just a lucky victory. Many anticipate Scott will be seen hoisting more trophies in the future and it’s hard not to agree with that.
When Adam Scott first came on the scene, Upper Deck was there. Take a look at some of the great cards UD put out when Adam was just a “Young Gun” on the tour that can be had still for a fairly reasonable price.
With everything going on in golf today, we think it may be time for a new golf trading card set. We have been including golfers in a variety of products like World of Sports, but we think it’s time for a set dedicated completely to golf again. Plans are already in the works to make it happen. Look for more details on that product in the future!
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What You’re Missing at the National Sports Collectors Convention
Posted by: | CommentsA few weeks ago Upper Deck announced plans for the 2011 National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago. For fans in attendance, today felt a lot like Christmas as many had been chomping at the bit to finally take part in the various promotions taking place this week at the UD booth. For those who stopped by today, they saw some amazing items on display including some of the 2011 Goodwin Champions Entomology (bug) cards as well as some special high-end inserts from one of our Diamond Club member’s collection.
Fans in attendance are able to get the first look at 2011 Goodwin Champions Entomology cards and Museum Collection Relics. Additionally, we are showing off some of the 2011 Parkhurst Champions Masterpieces painted cards. They all look AWESOME!
One of our Diamond Club members brought some of his more impressive UD Basketball cards to show off at the booth.
Upper Deck's Dianne Hatley (left), Gregg Kohn (center) and Ben Swiderski (right) are all on-hand at the Upper Deck booth to thank collectors for their support and answer questions.
Additionally this marks one of the first times Upper Deck Authenticated will be selling items on display right at the show. If you do get to make it out to the show, make sure to talk to Lindsay Sherry and ask about some of the show specials!
Today fans got in line early to make sure they had a shot to get some of the Upper Deck exclusive National Sports Collector Convention packs. Each day Upper Deck has produced a limited pack with some pretty amazing autographs cards of players like Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Sidney Crosby, Bubba Watson and many more mixed in. All fans had to do is purchase five packs of newer UD cards from a Certified Diamond Dealer at the show, open them at our booth and they would receive a pack. It has been really fun to see some of the smiles as fans enjoyed this special set and pulled some of the special autograph cards.
It was easy to find Upper Deck Certified Diamond Dealers at the show because their booths had big blue Upper Deck balloons floating above them.
Find a UD balloon, pick up some packs and head back to the UD booth for some fun!
Fans were so excited about the promotion, many got in line early and passed the time in line reading or checking out items at the UD booth.
The lines stretched pretty far back, but once we opened they moved quickly.
Fans had fun searching through the packs!
They enjoyed the special cards we produced for the show.
This Kobe fan scored a LeBron autograph card!
Others joined in on the hunt to find the autographs!
A Crosby autograph is discovered! This collector may look young, but he's been coming to our booth we believe since birth and he has an uncanny ability to pull great autos!
One of the best parts of being at the show is just seeing fans enjoy the experience of opening up new Upper Deck trading cards. We pride ourselves on working to deliver more value than any other trading card company in our products and based on what some collectors where pulling, it’s nice to see we are meeting our objective there.
A dual autograph shield card of Patrick Roy from The Cup Hockey? Now that is a great pull!
You'd be smiling like this too if you pulled an "All-Time 9" signature card from 2011 All-Time Greats Basketball!
If you haven’t made it out to the National Sports Collectors Convention, don’t worry you still have three more days to check it out. Or you can continue to enjoy images from the show that we post here on the blog and through our other various social media channels.
There's still time to enjoy the National so head out there this weekend! Don't miss out!
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