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Recently Upper Deck shared plans for the 2011 Fall Sports Cards & Collectibles Expo in Toronto for the return of Upper Deck’s popular Priority Signings Program and also an exciting trading card donation program with Cards2Kids charity. But that is certainly not all the trading card giant has planned for fans throughout the weekend!
Upper Deck Authenticated will actually be selling a variety of the company’s highly collectible memorabilia items for the first time at the show. Collectors will be able to score awesome signed items from UDA’s impressive line-up of NHL stars. Also, the company will be selling items from top spokesmen like LeBron James, Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan as well.
Collectors will have a chance to purchase cool UDA NHL items like this one for the first time ever at the show.
Upper Deck will have a free raffle each day at the company’s corporate booth where fans can score some very unique collectible trading cards and signed memorabilia. Make sure to be there when the when your lucky number is called. Fans can score one free raffle ticket throughout the day at the Upper Deck booth. Fans attempting to collect more than one raffle ticket will not be allowed to participate in the promotion. Below are a schedule of times for each daily raffle and we will display the items up for grabs at the booth:
Friday – 8PM, Saturday – 4:00PM, Sunday – 1:15PM
Fans listen for their number to be called during a raffle at last year's Fall Expo.
Upper Deck will also be bringing the company’s group of Diamond Club members to the show on Saturday. Later on that afternoon Upper Deck will be taking them to the Hockey Hall-of-Fame and then to a special private evening reception with two former NHL legends.
Tony Romo chats with Diamond Club members at a museum the group visited in 2009. The summit events are well known for allowing fans to meet some of their favorite players.
On Sunday from 1:30PM-2:30PM Upper Deck will also host the company’s semi-annual collector roundtable where we will go through new product information for fans and also answer questions. It is a great opportunity for us to get a feel for the pulse of what collectors want to see in future Upper Deck releases. Collectors interested in participating just need to be at the Upper Deck booth after the Sunday afternoon raffle where we will walk them over to a conference room to participate.
Lastly, Upper Deck will be posting all the great pulls at our booth on the company’s Facebook page so make sure you tag yourself if we take a picture of you. Also look for updates from the Upper Deck Hockey Twitter account throughout the weekend and make sure to use the hashtag #SCCE if you are tweeting from the show!
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What Are My Upper Deck Sports Cards Worth?
Posted by: | CommentsYou have shoeboxes full of trading cards just sitting in your garage, basement, attic or closet, but you do not touch them. Your father told you not to as that would affect the value. He was always adamant about hanging on to them since his mother threw his cards away.
Are they worth something? Who knows? You haven’t touched them in ages and with the holidays coming up, maybe it is time to bring them out and see what they are worth. Here are some tips on how to assess the value of your cards.
Remember the old Beckett books that would tell you the pricing? Well those still exist and you can grab them at your local card shop or visit their website and look up the values online. There is a charge to the online service. The only problem is the values do not always represent what they cards would sell for today. Beckett certainly provides a good starting point, but there are other options to get more current and regional pricing on your collection. I would recommend picking up one of the monthly publications first to and looking through pricing on sets you knew you have. Do any big prices jump out at you? Do you recognize any cards you had? By running through the guide prior to starting, you’ll likely get a good feel for which cards you want to watch out for.
Beckett price guides are still around and can be a helpful tool to get a good feel on the value of your collection.
Once you’ve familiarized yourself with some of the key cards to look for, set aside an afternoon or a couple evenings where you can really dive into your collection. If you have thousands of cards, you are not going to want to price them all out, you just want to look for some of the better cards and get a feel for what you have. Get your cards in an area where you can spread them out and go through them where they will not be disturbed in the event you need to take a break. Maybe have some family members or friends help as well, you’ll find it can be a lot of fun going through them together. Quickly scan through them for some of the bigger names you know and especially cards you remember being valuable. You may have placed those in cases or sleeves to protect them.
As you start to separate them, pay attention to the condition of the cards. It is important to realize that cards with rough edges, centering issues, creases or fuzzy corners will all be valued less than their mint condition counterparts. Try to categorize them in terms of condition while you go through them. Also keep on the lookout for rookie cards, autograph cards or other special looking cards. Those tend to carry premium values to them.
Diving into boxes of cards can be a daunting task, but it can be a lot of fun as well.
Probably the best way to see what single cards are worth is to go where most single cards are sold; eBay. Once you have signed up for a membership, you will be able to view completed auctions to see what similar cards to what you have sold for. That will give you a very accurate feel for what specific cards are currently selling for today.
Another great option is to visit your local card shop. Many will specialize in appraising trading card collections so don’t be afraid to call ahead and ask about appraisals and how much they charge for those services. You can also do this at trading cards shows coming through your area, but there are not as many as there used to be.
You may find you have a situation where some of the cards you have are so limited and rare that you just cannot find pricing information on them. While Upper Deck cannot provide pricing details on what cards currently sell for, you can ask our community of savvy collectors by posting images and details of your collection to the Upper Deck Facebook page. You may even find some fans who are interested in purchasing them from you there.
You will likely find you do not have enough to retire early on unfortunately, but as you go through them, hopefully it helps you remember what you really loved about them. It wasn’t really the values as much as it was how they made you feel. How they brought you closer to the game you loved. How they made you feel about the players like the rookies who never panned out and that one rookie that did. Maybe the experience of going through the cards will bring you back to collecting and if it doesn’t, just know there are other options besides selling your cards on eBay, to a dealer or a collector. Think about donating some to a local Boys & Girls Club to share that experience you enjoyed so much with others. There is another great charity called Cards to Kids that specializes in getting cards into the hands of kids for you. Any donation to charities like these is a tax deduction and we all could use a few more of those.
On a last note, I feel inclined to share that I sold the vast majority of my childhood collection through a variety of channels as I went through college. Most of my cards were from the 1980’s so I actually sold them off at a good time before people realized how mass produced they were causing values to plummet. Once I started working at Upper Deck I didn’t really find it necessary to restart my collection as I felt a closeness to the cards and hobby every day I walked in the office. One Christmas not too long ago my father gave me a crudely wrapped present of some cards he found of mine that I had not sold and it really brought on a rush of fond memories. I still have that small box and look at it from time to time. I’m glad I still have some of my original collection and wouldn’t part with it. If you are considering selling all your collection, make sure you hang on to a few of your favorites. You’ll be happy you did.
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Hockey Card Halloween Costumes & More from the Holiday
Posted by: | CommentsThe Upper Deck Volunteer Alliance members receive a variety of missions throughout the year that keep them busy making the hobby better and creating more awareness for trading cards. One of their recent assignments was to create an Upper Deck Halloween costume and we had a couple clever new costume concepts we wanted to share. Check them out:
These collectors wore their trading cards like masks making small eye holes to see out of in the middle.
Here's another look at one of these creative masks.
This collector made their costume as a billboard type that went over their shoulders to become an Upper Deck Sidney Crosby card.
Here's the back of the Crosby billboard card costume.
The members who dressed up like trading cards always share an interesting experience where they end up finding out who the “closet collectors” are in their community. By sharing their love for the hobby, they actually find other collectors they didn’t know about before which is really cool. Another member shared they were actually able to encourage some fans who used to collect to give it a try again when they shared there were now autograph cards that could be found in packs.
We also encouraged them to give out trading cards instead of candy for the holiday. One member went so far as to package a mini candy treat with trading cards which apparently was a big hit with kids in his neighborhood. Here’s what those packages looked like.
At Halloween, encourage people you know to say, "Trick or Trade!"
So next Halloween make sure to share your love for the hobby with others by passing out trading cards and maybe incorporating them into your costume.
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Trading Cards as a Fashion Statement?
Posted by: | CommentsOur fans are so awesome. Recently one of our Upper Deck Volunteer Alliance members was working on an assignment coming up with a Halloween costume incorporating Upper Deck cards. During their experimentation they realized they could use trading cards as a popular accessory for female sports fans. With a few tweaks Upper Deck trading card earrings were born. At the very least, it’s a great way to use your commons.
Upper Deck earrings; your trading cards never looked so good!
Thanks to Alex Emming for sharing!
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How to Be a Part of ESPN’s College GameDay
Posted by: | CommentsI’ve talked before about how much I love college football so when I heard the ESPN College GameDay crew was going to be in Los Angeles this weekend for the USC and Stanford game, I had to make the two-hour trek north. I wanted to go primarily to record for other college football fans how to make the most of the experience, in the event ESPN’s College GameDay comes to your town. I hope you find these tips helpful.
Planning – If you live within two hours of a major college football campus, there is a good likelihood that sometime during the season the College GameDay crew will be coming to your town. They usually select which school they will be visiting a week prior on Sunday or Monday. You can check out where they will be on their website or Facebook page so if you see they are coming your way, make sure you to attend the live taping as it is a lot of fun. Additionally, head to the Home Depot and grab a few pvc pipes or wood poles to affix signs you make for a better chance of getting them on the show.
If you don't have a pole, you may have to go old school and put your buddy on your shoulders to get your sign on the show.
Putting your sign on a pole will help get it up higher where it can be seen behind the hosts.
Preparation – Get your rest the night prior as the show starts taping live very early in the morning in most cases and you want to be on your “A” game. Make sure you eat a little something as well beforehand as the show goes full steam ahead for a full two hours. A booster club was handing out free breakfast burritos to USC supporters there on campus so that was nice, but don’t plan on that happening at every campus they visit. Additionally, make sure you do not wear sandals or flip flops. I made the mistake of wearing a pair of flip flops and my feet got stepped on more than a few occasions once the cameras came our way and people crowded in one area. Lastly, remember to set your DVR to record the show and have it run about 5 minutes after the show as well since they tend to run long.
Apparel – Most everyone wore their favorite college colors for the show, but the cameras do get drawn to those who are especially spirited. If you want to grab a group of buddies and paint your chests, there is a good chance the cameras will find you. If you want to go super extreme and dress in some type of costume, as long as it is not profane, the camera will likely look your way.
The more outlandish you look, the better your chances of having the camera on you on GameDay.
Where to Stand – Once I got there, I was realized this was kind of a big deal as a couple thousand fans were all crammed around the back of the stage. You have two options upon arrival to either wait in a small line and enter the pit area directly behind the stage or remain outside the steel barriers on the outskirts. I thought going in the pit would give me the best opportunity to get some TV time, but I was wrong, it would have been better if I had stayed outside.
These guys are the Sign Police for ESPN and they will check your signs to see if they are okay for TV. They don't let much slide and are not afraid to confiscate signs in question with the help of campus police.
If you head into the pit they will not allow you to bring any food, drink, tape, markers or poles in. Most importantly, the “Sign Police” will check your signs and also search you (really well) to make sure you do not wreck the production by showing a sign that may be profane or controversial. I had a sign about sanctions that they wouldn’t let me bring into the pit, but several other signs mentioning sanctions were displayed and seen on TV because they stayed outside. Additionally, I gave up my poles to enter the area and I could have gotten much better coverage if I kept the poles and stayed outside. The best area to be from what I saw would be outside the pit, beside the side stage, in front of the large video screen that televises the show live. That will give you great coverage behind the crew most of the day and the freedom to not have to use poles.
It is crazy during the show and with thousands of fans in attendance, it can be difficult to figure out where to go to get on TV.
The guy under the arrow is in the perfect spot for TV time. He's outside the main pit, on the barrier, in front of the side stage.
Signs – One of the greatest things about ESPN’s College GameDay are of course the signs that fans make as it allows everyday people to be part of the show. I was blown away by how many people had signs and many of them were really creative and funny. Here are some of my favorites I saw that morning:
Now if you have anything controversial, the show security known as the Sign Police work with campus security to have those signs confiscated. So be careful about putting anything out there that is not in good taste as it will likely get taken away from you. If you have anything too disparaging about the teams or players, they can be confiscated. Most people really walk on the fine line there and there is definitely a gray area as there were some signs they let slide initially, but claimed later in the show.
I had the Upper Deck prepress team make four different signs featuring trading cards images of former USC stars like Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, Mark Sanchez and Charles White with funny sayings. Since Upper Deck has the exclusive license to produce collegiate trading cards, this seemed like a no-brainer to get some images of trading cards on the show and I was successful in getting some on, but I likely should have gone with bigger signs. Bigger is definitely better when it comes to getting placement on the show. You can see me and my various Upper Deck signs in the yellow circle below:
Avoid Dan Patrick Signs – Dan Patrick is a former ESPN anchor who now has a syndicated radio and TV show where he talks sports. He encourages fans of his show to create signs featuring him and the show producers are very aware of this. They confiscated dozens of Dan Patrick signs that I saw so if you are planning on bringing one, don’t plan on leaving with it. Chris Fowler even made mention of it before the show saying, “Anyone a fan of a particular radio show host out there? Doesn’t he have his own show? Why does he want to hijack our show?”
Signs like this got snatched up pretty quick by the Sign Police.
Sneaking in Signs – Certainly I am not advocating fans sneak signs into the pit area, but I did see a few people accomplish just that. A couple fans I saw used the other side of their approved sign and snuck in a marker to make a new sign. Don’t ask me where they hid that marker as the security group was very thorough when they checked me. The best idea I saw was a guy who sandwiched his “bad” sign in between one that would get approved and a blank white sign. It just looked like a thicker sign to the security group. He even applied clear tape to it along the sides so it appeared like one regular sign. Once he cut it open however, he was able to bring the other sign out. As I’ve shared earlier, it doesn’t make too much sense to sneak in a sign like that as they quickly find you and will have it confiscated. Oh, and you’ll likely be removed as well.
A young student next to me had snuck in a marker and made a new sign on the back of his approved sign. It wasn't long before this one was claimed and he was removed from the area.
Celebrity Guest – Each week the show has a different celebrity guest on towards the end to pick games. For the USC game, it was Eric Stonestreet from ABC’s hit comedy “Modern Family.” He was decked out in his Kansas State gear in hopes they could beat Oklahoma so he likely had a depressing afternoon after the Sooners crushed the Wildcats. I was able to chat with him a bit after the game however and he enjoyed some of the signs we had made, especially this Mark Sanchez sign featuring the former USC star on a SP Authentic card.
Eric Stonestreet of ABC's "Modern Family" liked our sign featuring Mark Sanchez the best.
Going to GameDay? Let us Know – We would love to feature more fans on the blog here who attend ESPN’s College GameDay. We would likely even be open to creating some signs for you using Upper Deck cards and send them to you for FREE if you are willing to try to get them on the show. If you are interested in working with us, email us as early in the week as possible at UpperDeckMarketing@upperdeck.com and we will see what we can do.
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