Archive for Products
How to Open a Trading Card Shop from a Shop Owner’s Perspective – Part 1
Posted by: | CommentsRecently we shared our first post on how to open up a trading card shop with some great tips from our friends at Southern Hobby Supply. I found some of the responses to the post interesting where fans shared they didn’t think opening a shop was a viable business opportunity. In the past it can be argued that it most certainly was not, but the industry has changed and manufacturers are doing more to not only support, but defend brick and mortar retailers.
I saw some responses from former shop owners who opened their shops only to close them down soon after. One reason this happened could be from a lack of education about what it takes to run a profitable trading card store. There is just not a lot of information out there about how to put together a business plan, get a loan, acquire inventory, hire staff, get insurance, etc. My hope is that by putting together a series of videos and stories about how to open a prosperous retail business in this industry, we can help provide the tools these business owners desperately need to have success.
So let’s hear from some of these trading card shop owners who have established themselves as leaders in the industry and hear what they have to say!
We pulled Brad Krysko aside from Cloutsnchara. We asked him about how he got into the business and how he went from managing a collector website to becoming a partner in a trading card shop and well-regarded online collector community.
Next we spent some time with Sean Bennett who owns Pittsburgh Sportscards and Steel City Collectibles. Sean has taken his love for the hobby as a child and made it a thriving business. Listen to how he was able to do that.
What is this “program” that Upper Deck put into place that some of the shops are talking about? Well, here is some more information on the Certified Diamond Dealer program. And let’s hear from Upper Deck’s Director of Sales, Mike Phillips on more about it and some other tips on opening up a shop.
I personally have found that those who are serious about opening up a trading card shop will make sure they attend the Las Vegas Industry Trade Show. There you will get some great tips and tactics on how to be successful in this business while meeting great connections in the form of other hobby shop owners, suppliers, manufacturers and leagues who can help you with your business. There is still time to sign up if you haven’t already so I encourage you to register now if you are really interested in getting into this business. Upper Deck will be producing some very special cards as a gift for Certified Diamond Dealers in attendance to thank them for their support. Here is a sneak peek at some of the cards in that set (we will show more this week in Part 2 of this segment):
You may still be asking yourself, “Are there really customers out there that want a trading card store in my area?” Recently Upper Deck ran a promotion called National Hockey Card Day where collectors could visit participating Certified Diamond Dealers and get a free pack of Upper Deck NHL cards. Unfortunately not every collector had a shop in their area to visit to score this great giveaway. What does that mean? It means there are opportunities all over the United States and Canada to open a hobby shop and there are fans who would love to see that. Just listen to some of the comments from real collectors received on Upper Deck’s Facebook page for National Hockey Card Day:
“I wish I had a hobby shop nearby. The closest one closed a few years ago after being in business for 23 years. It was a sad day and I never got the chance to say goodbye. We have no shops at all after the last one closed and the closest one now is many hours away. I wish there was a shop nearby and I would hope they were a Certified Diamond Dealer,” Matt G.
“I live in Daytona Beach, just moved back as a matter of fact. I would love a Certified Diamond Dealer hobby shop in my area so I could stop buying my cards online. With all the sports going on in nearby (NASCAR, Daytona, Cubs, Orlando Magic, Jacksonville Jaguars) it just makes sense. If I had the capital, I’d open it myself. Maybe I should get in touch with Vince Carter and Jeff Blake since their both from here.” Jay B.
“The card shop near my house is pretty bad, never really liked it. In a state where many people consider hockey to be an odd market and the team a “failure,” I think it would be important to have a Certified Diamond Dealer here in Arizona interested in running promotions in their store like National Hockey Card Day. It would give hockey some exposure in an area where it is much needed.” Joe S.
“I live in Dubois, PA, and we currently have no shops at all. I wish there was a Certified Diamond Dealer in my town because it would be a great way to introduce more kids to hockey. There is no way for folks in my area to take part in National Hockey Card Day. We got our nephews and our neice to love hockey by simply giving them packs of your hockey cards. Imagine how many kids you could influence if you could reach them. Thanks !” Matt C.
Look for more tips on how to open a trading card store right here on the Upper Deck Blog soon! And if you want to check out examples of trading card shops we work with, click here.
The information provided in this story is for assistance only and is not intended to be and must not be taken alone as the basis for an investment decision. Opening a trading card store, like any other business, presents certain risks for the business owner. Each reader of this information should make such investigations as it deems necessary to arrive at an independent evaluation of an investment.
Popularity: 2% [?]
Practically Everything You Want to Know About 2011-12 NHL Upper Deck Series Two
Posted by: | CommentsIf there is one set that hockey fans love putting together every year, it is the base Upper Deck set. It is the flagship brand that draws in young and old collectors alike and the Young Guns rookie cards are always in high demand. Once we shared information about Young Guns and other rookie sets in 2011-12 NHL Upper Deck Series Two, fans have been fired up to break open packs to find their favorite players. Every season, early November is almost like a holiday when Series One releases and March is just as exciting when Series Two hits shelves.
2011-12 NHL Upper Deck is live in stores today!
Today Upper Deck cases are cracking all throughout North America and fans are racing to finish putting together their sets of not only Upper Deck, but also MVP, Victory and O-Pee-Chee. One of the big draws for 2011-12 NHL Upper Deck Series Two is that it includes update cards of these other sets that were released earlier in the season along with rookie cards of top future stars like Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
As you are flying through packs we wanted to put together some information that would help you about the release of 2011-12 NHL Upper Deck Series Two. Here is some key information that will help you as you go through the cards this week:
Autograph Content – There are absolutely ZERO redemption cards in the product. All autographs are live in the product. There are both sticker autographs and hard-signed autographs that can be found randomly in packs.
Young Guns Printing Plate Cards – There are One-of-One printing cards of Young Gun rookies from Series One and Series Two that can be found in random packs of 2011-12 NHL Upper Deck Series Two. This includes the checklist cards. That means there are four different Ryan Nugent-Hopkins printing plate cards (Black, Cyan, Magenta and Yellow) available of his iconic Young Guns rookie card.
Andrew Shaw – Chicago Blackhawks newcomer Andrew Shaw hit the ice a little too late for us to get him in the main Young Guns set, but we were able to include him in the Young Guns Canvas set. His Canvas Young Guns card will be his lone card in the product and it should create a lot of buzz around that card should he continue to play well.
Pelle Lindbergh – There are 15 retired stars featured in the UD Canvas set and a notable name that made the checklist is Pelle Lindbergh. This is Lindbergh’s first Upper Deck issued card in several years and this card will be his only appearance in this product so don’t miss it!
UD Canvas Autographs – Fans really seemed to enjoy the Canvas set in Series One so the hockey team worked to add a little more high-end content to it for Series Two. Collectors can look for two different on-card autographs in the Canvas set of hockey legend Bobby Orr (numbered to 66 matching his rookie season) and Canadien superstar goalie Carey Price (numbered to 31 to match his jersey number).
Sid & Ovi Buyback Autographs – We have been including some buyback autographs in recent NHL releases of top stars like Sidney Crosby. In 2011-12 NHL Upper Deck Series Two puck fans can find hard-signed buyback autograph cards of both Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. Crosby signed just two copies of his 2008-09 Upper Deck Game Jersey card. Ovechkin on the other hand signed 21 copies of his 2005-06 Upper Deck Power Play rookie card. Each will include a hologram on the back and a Certificate of Authenticity card with a matching hologram.
Hockey Heroes Hard-Signed Autographs Return – For 2011-12 NHL Upper Deck Series Two the Hockey Heroes insert set looks at stars from 1960’s and included in packs are hard-signed autograph parallels. You can find autographed Hockey Heroes parallel cards of Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, Phil Esposito, Bobby Orr, Alex Delvecchio, Red Kelly, Johnny Bower, Rogie Vachon and Jean Beliveau limited to just 15 copies. Also keep on the lookout for a rare dual signed card of Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita limited to just ten copies.
NHL Champ’s Content – As many fans know, Upper Deck has been pulling redemption cards from releases and producing less product in order to have more live autograph content in packs and reduce the use of redemptions. But what happens when we pull the redemptions and the cards come back in. We want to get those cards out to the public somehow. Such is the case with the 2009-10 NHL Champ’s Cam Barker mini autograph cards. We received them in after the release and after his redemptions were pulled. These will be randomly inserted into 2011-12 NHL Upper Deck Series Two in order to get them into the market and they are seeded as a bonus autograph card. The odds of pulling them are roughly 1:13,500 hobby packs and 1:2,300 retail packs.
Short Print List – Will Upper Deck release a short print list on non-numbered autograph cards? You bet we will. Here you go!
2011-12 NHL Upper Deck Series Two Game Jersey cards – Worthy of note, Group B cards are easier to pull than Group C cards as a whole, but Group B cards are more scarce individually.
| GROUP C (1:53) |
| GJ-AE | Alexander Edler |
| GJ-AV | Antoine Vermette |
| GJ-DB | Derick Brassard |
| GJ-DR | Derek Roy |
| GJ-ED | Evgeny Dadonov |
| GJ-GP | George Parros |
| GJ-JG | Jean-Sebastien Giguere |
| GJ-JL | John-Michael Liles |
| GJ-JS | Jason Spezza |
| GJ-LS | Luke Schenn |
| GJ-MD | Matt Duchene |
| GJ-MT | Marty Turco |
| GJ-NB | Nicklas Backstrom |
| GJ-NF | Nikita Filatov |
| GJ-NG | Nathan Gerbe |
| GJ-SV | Semyon Varlamov |
| GROUP B (1:44) |
| GJ-AH | Ales Hemsky |
| GJ-AT | Alex Tanguay |
| GJ-BB | Brian Boyle |
| GJ-BD | Brandon Dubinsky |
| GJ-BR | Dustin Brown |
| GJ-CA | Jeff Carter |
| GJ-CP | Chris Pronger |
| GJ-CS | Chris Stewart |
| GJ-DK | David Krejci |
| GJ-JA | Jason Arnott |
| GJ-JB | Josh Bailey |
| GJ-JJ | Jack Johnson |
| GJ-JP | Jason Pominville |
| GJ-JV | Jakub Voracek |
| GJ-KL | Kari Lehtonen |
| GJ-KV | Kris Versteeg |
| GJ-LE | Loui Eriksson |
| GJ-MC | Matt Carkner |
| GJ-MF | Michael Frolik |
| GJ-MS | Marc Staal |
| GJ-NL | Nicklas Lidstrom |
| GJ-RM | Ryan Miller |
| GJ-SE | Devin Setoguchi |
| GJ-SH | Scott Hartnell |
| GJ-SO | Steve Ott |
| GJ-ST | Drew Stafford |
| GJ-TV | Thomas Vanek |
| GJ-TZ | Travis Zajac |
| GJ-VA | James van Riemsdyk |
| GJ-ZC | Zdeno Chara |
| GROUP A (1:4,624) |
| GJ-AO | Alexander Ovechkin |
| GJ-JT | Jonathan Toews |
| GJ-RL | Roberto Luongo |
| GJ-SC | Sidney Crosby |
2011-12 NHL Upper Deck Series Two Signature cards
| GROUP C (1:720) |
| UDS-AL | Andrew Ladd |
| UDS-BR | Derick Brassard |
| UDS-CO | Cal O’Reilly |
| UDS-DB | Drayson Bowman |
| UDS-JO | Johnny Oduya |
| UDS-JS | James Sheppard |
| UDS-KA | Keith Aulie |
| UDS-LK | Lauri Korpikoski |
| UDS-ML | Maxim Lapierre |
| UDS-PM | Philip McRae |
| GROUP B (1:2,792) |
| UDS-AS | Alex Stalock |
| UDS-BA | Josh Bailey |
| UDS-CL | David Clarkson |
| UDS-DC | Daniel Carcillo |
| UDS-ER | Jonathan Ericsson |
| UDS-JE | Jordan Eberle |
| UDS-JN | James Neal |
| UDS-LC | Logan Couture |
| UDS-MD | Michael Del Zotto |
| UDS-MF | Michael Frolik |
| UDS-MI | Brendan Mikkelson |
| UDS-MT | Mattias Tedenby |
| UDS-NF | Nick Foligno |
| UDS-NG | Nicklas Grossman |
| UDS-PO | Patrick O’Sullivan |
| UDS-TM | Thomas McCollum |
| GROUP A (1:2,970) |
| UDS-AD | Adam Larsson |
| UDS-AO | Alexander Ovechkin |
| UDS-AP | Alex Pietrangelo |
| UDS-BL | Brian Lee |
| UDS-BM | Brett MacLean |
| UDS-CH | Cody Hodgson |
| UDS-DA | David Backes |
| UDS-DP | Dion Phaneuf |
| UDS-GL | Gabriel Landeskog |
| UDS-JB | Jonathon Blum |
| UDS-JH | Josh Harding |
| UDS-JM | Jacob Markstrom |
| UDS-MR | Mike Ribeiro |
| UDS-MS | Marc Savard |
| UDS-NH | Ryan Nugent-Hopkins |
| UDS-PA | Daniel Paille |
| UDS-PK | Patrick Kane |
| UDS-PL | Pascal Leclaire |
| UDS-RJ | Ryan Jones |
| UDS-SC | Sidney Crosby |
| UDS-SG | Sam Gagner |
| UDS-SS | Steven Stamkos |
| UDS-SW | Shea Weber |
| UDS-WG | Wayne Gretzky |
2011-12 NHL MVP One-on-One Signature cards
| GROUP C (1:7,016) |
| MVP-CH | Joe Colborne/Cody Hodgson |
| MVP-PE | Magnus Paajarvi/Jordan Eberle |
| GROUP B (1:9,419) |
| MVP-#1#2 | Ryan Nugent-Hopkins/Gabriel Landeskog |
| MVP-LBBR | Carey Price/Lars Eller |
| MVP-OS | Alexander Ovechkin/Steven Stamkos |
| GROUP A (1:34,380) |
| MVP-DT | Pavel Datsyuk/Jonathan Toews |
| MVP-HO | Brett Hull/Adam Oates |
2011-12 NHL O-Pee-Chee Update Signatures
| GROUP B (1:2,547) |
| OPC-AL | Andrew Ladd |
| OPC-BM | Brett MacLean |
| OPC-DB | Drayson Bowman |
| OPC-JM | Jacob Markstrom |
| OPC-MU | Peter Mueller |
| GROUP A (1:6,136) |
| OPC-AO | Alexander Ovechkin |
| OPC-BO | Bobby Orr |
| OPC-GL | Guillaume Latendresse |
| OPC-JE | Jordan Eberle |
| OPC-NH | Nathan Horton |
| OPC-RY | Ryan Nugent-Hopkins |
| OPC-SC | Sidney Crosby |
| OPC-SW | Stephen Weiss |
| OPC-TM | Thomas McCollum |
| OPC-WG | Wayne Gretzky |
2011-12 NHL O-Pee-Chee Team Canada Signatures
| GROUP B (1:2,553) |
| TC-AH | Adam Henrique |
| TC-BC | Brett Connolly |
| TC-CE | Cody Eakin |
| TC-CM | Clarke MacArthur |
| TC-DR | Derek Roy |
| TC-GN | Greg Nemisz |
| TC-KA | Keith Aulie |
| GROUP A (1:6,101) |
| TC-CU | Sean Couturier |
| TC-EG | Erik Gudbranson |
| TC-JS | Jeff Skinner |
| TC-RJ | Ryan Johansen |
| TC-RY | Ryan Nugent-Hopkins |
Got any other questions about 2011-12 NHL Upper Deck Series Two? Post them in the comment section below!
Popularity: 3% [?]
2011 Upper Deck World of Sport Autograph Short Prints Posted
Posted by: | CommentsFans seem to really be enjoying the new 2011 World of Sport set from Upper Deck. In particular we have been pleased to see how well the Shadowbox insert cards from the set have been selling. We believe it is important to come up with innovative new inserts that are limited and fans want instead of just inserting more memorabilia cards and parallels. The initial sales on these seem to show they are a hit. Take a look at completed auctions for Tiger Woods, Aaron Rodgers, Wayne Gretzky, A.J. Green, Abby Wambach and David Beckham.
The autograph sets have been performing well also and it seems like there may be some collectors looking to put together master sets considering there are ZERO redemption cards in the product. For the base set autograph parallels, we have close to 300 of the 400-card checklist available for one of the largest autograph checklists of the year featuring the greatest variety of sports stars. And now we are pleased to share the short print lists for those sets.
| Group A – 1:303 |
| Card # | Player Name |
| 1 | Ozzie Smith |
| 2 | Mike Schmidt |
| 36 | Scottie Reynolds |
| 40 | Al-Farouq Aminu |
| 45 | James Anderson |
| 57 | John Stockton |
| 58 | Bill Walton |
| 89 | Adrian Peterson |
| 93 | Greg Pruitt |
| 131 | Terrelle Pryor |
| 140 | Drew Brees |
| 141 | Dan Marino |
| 143 | Sidney Crosby |
| 146 | Joe Sakic |
| 148 | Ron Francis |
| 149 | Wayne Gretzky |
| 161 | Glenn Anderson |
| 243 | Juan Pablo Angel |
| 250 | Amy Rodriguez |
| 252 | Laura Kalmari |
| 255 | Cat Whitehill |
| 256 | Ella Masar |
| 257 | Jordan Angeli |
| 259 | Karen Bardsley |
| 263 | Nicole Barnhart |
| 264 | Shannon Boxx |
| 265 | Meghan Klingenberg |
| 266 | Hope Solo |
| 270 | Tiger Woods |
| 285 | Zach Johnson |
| 304 | Nolan Ryan |
| 308 | Bob Gibson |
| 309 | Lou Brock |
| 310 | Bo Jackson |
| 311 | Chris Paul |
| 312 | Derrick Rose |
| 313 | Alonzo Mourning |
| 315 | David Robinson |
| 316 | Walt Frazier |
| 317 | Hakeem Olajuwon |
| 318 | Clyde Drexler |
| 320 | Greg Monroe |
| 321 | LeBron James |
| 323 | Julius Erving |
| 324 | Tom Izzo |
| 325 | Billy Donovan |
| 331 | Blaine Gabbert |
| 334 | Tony Dorsett |
| 335 | John Elway |
| 336 | Bubba Smith |
| 337 | Barry Sanders |
| 338 | Earl Campbell |
| 339 | Gale Sayers |
| 341 | A.J. Green |
| 342 | Cam Newton |
| 343 | Jake Locker |
| 344 | Julio Jones |
| 345 | Billy Sims |
| 346 | Mark Ingram |
| 348 | Tiger Woods |
| 354 | Bobby Clarke |
| 355 | Luc Robitaille |
| 356 | Mario Lemieux |
| 358 | Mark Messier |
| 359 | Mike Bossy |
| 360 | Larry Robinson |
| 361 | Denis Potvin |
| 362 | Phil Esposito |
| 364 | Darryl Sittler |
| 368 | Wayne Gretzky |
| 369 | Sidney Crosby |
| 381 | Randy Couture |
| 382 | Will Bruin |
| 389 | Landon Donovan |
| 391 | Omar Salgado |
| 392 | Tobin Heath |
| 393 | Alex Morgan |
| Group B – 1:57 |
| Card # | Player Name |
| 3 | Matt Szczur |
| 26 | Whitey Ford |
| 27 | Carlton Fisk |
| 29 | Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd |
| 33 | LeBron James |
| 34 | DeMarcus Cousins |
| 35 | Michael Jordan |
| 39 | Cole Aldrich |
| 47 | Ekpe Udoh |
| 50 | Larry Johnson |
| 51 | Brook Lopez |
| 52 | Eric Bledsoe |
| 53 | Mark A. Jackson |
| 54 | Steve Nash |
| 60 | Tim Hardaway |
| 61 | Jimmer Fredette |
| 62 | Toni Kukoc |
| 63 | Candace Parker |
| 74 | Jay Wright |
| 75 | Ben Howland |
| 77 | Mark Few |
| 80 | Jim Calhoun |
| 90 | Armon Binns |
| 91 | Raghib Ismail |
| 92 | Floyd Little |
| 94 | Mikel Leshoure |
| 95 | Tim Brown |
| 99 | Bernie Kosar |
| 100 | Leonard Hankerson |
| 101 | Brian Bosworth |
| 104 | Christian Ponder |
| 105 | Aaron Williams |
| 107 | Randall Cobb |
| 110 | Ryan Mallett |
| 111 | Titus Young |
| 114 | DeMarco Murray |
| 116 | Noel Devine |
| 119 | Torrey Smith |
| 123 | Ryan Williams |
| 126 | Evan Royster |
| 133 | Bo Jackson |
| 138 | Bruce Carter |
| 139 | Rod Woodson |
| 142 | Greg Salas |
| 144 | Scott Niedermayer |
| 145 | Bobby Hull |
| 147 | Grant Fuhr |
| 150 | Mike Gartner |
| 151 | Dale Hawerchuk |
| 154 | Gilbert Perreault |
| 164 | Bill Ranford |
| 208 | Matt Bocklet |
| 214 | Kevin Hartman |
| 215 | Donovan Ricketts |
| 216 | Davy Arnaud |
| 217 | Andy Najar |
| 218 | Marvell Wynne |
| 219 | David Ferreira |
| 220 | Michael Stephens |
| 221 | Chad Barrett |
| 230 | Justin Braun |
| 231 | Fabian Espindola |
| 232 | Jamison Olave |
| 234 | Stefan Frei |
| 235 | Steve Zakuani |
| 236 | Matt Reis |
| 237 | Conor Casey |
| 239 | Zack Schilawski |
| 240 | Omar Cummings |
| 241 | Heath Pearce |
| 245 | Sean Franklin |
| 247 | Matt Pickens |
| 258 | Jillian Loyden |
| 260 | Lori Lindsey |
| 262 | Leslie Osborne |
| 272 | Nancy Lopez |
| 274 | Natalie Gulbis |
| 275 | Brittany Lincicome |
| 278 | Fred Couples |
| 280 | Anthony Kim |
| 281 | Jay Haas |
| 282 | Steve Stricker |
| 283 | Hunter Mahan |
| 301 | Manny Machado |
| 303 | Ryne Sandberg |
| 305 | Jose Canseco |
| 306 | Steve Carlton |
| 307 | Don Mattingly |
| 322 | Michael Jordan |
| 326 | Jamie Dixon |
| 327 | Bill Self |
| 328 | Tubby Smith |
| 332 | Von Miller |
| 349 | Nick Faldo |
| 350 | Annika Sorenstam |
| 352 | Mike Weir |
| 357 | Ray Bourque |
| 365 | Paul Coffey |
| 367 | Doug Gilmour |
| 370 | Bobby Orr |
| 371 | Gordie Howe |
| 372 | Cammi Granato |
| 375 | Paul Rabil |
| 376 | Kip Turner |
| 377 | Matt Danowski |
| 380 | Brodie Merrill |
| 383 | Juan Agudelo |
| 384 | Rafael Marquez |
| 385 | Sebastien Le Toux |
| 386 | Dwayne DeRosario |
| 396 | Mia Hamm |
| 399 | Marion Jones |
| 400 | Tyson Gay |
| Group C – 1:17 |
| Card # | Player Name |
| 4 | Delino DeShields |
| 8 | Cody Hawn |
| 12 | Kolbrin Vitek |
| 13 | Jonathan Garcia |
| 14 | Carlos Perez |
| 15 | John Lamb |
| 16 | Yordano Ventura |
| 17 | Robinson Yambati |
| 18 | Reggie Golden |
| 20 | Mike Olt |
| 21 | Michael Choice |
| 22 | Matt Lipka |
| 23 | Christian Yelich |
| 24 | Aaron Altherr |
| 28 | Zach Walters |
| 30 | Gauntlett Eldemire |
| 31 | Kyle Parker |
| 32 | Matt Packer |
| 41 | Stanley Robinson |
| 43 | Jerome Jordan |
| 46 | Gani Lawal |
| 49 | Craig Brackins |
| 64 | Jackie Stiles |
| 65 | Steve Alford |
| 66 | Bobby Cremins |
| 67 | Bruce Pearl |
| 68 | Mike Montgomery |
| 69 | Mike Brey |
| 70 | Thad Matta |
| 71 | Bo Ryan |
| 72 | Steve Fisher |
| 73 | Bob Huggins |
| 76 | Gary Williams |
| 78 | Jeff Capel III |
| 79 | John Beilein |
| 81 | Sean Miller |
| 82 | Dana Altman |
| 83 | Seth Greenberg |
| 84 | Homer Drew |
| 85 | Matt Painter |
| 86 | Bruce Weber |
| 87 | Tom Crean |
| 88 | Rick Majerus |
| 96 | Kendall Hunter |
| 102 | Andy Dalton |
| 109 | Prince Amukamara |
| 112 | Daniel Thomas |
| 115 | Colin Kaepernick |
| 117 | Kyle Rudolph |
| 118 | Ryan Kerrigan |
| 121 | Justin Houston |
| 124 | Greg Little |
| 125 | Charles White |
| 127 | Allen Bradford |
| 128 | Rahim Moore |
| 129 | Da’Quan Bowers |
| 130 | Corey Liuget |
| 132 | Vincent Brown |
| 134 | Terrence Toliver |
| 135 | Ricky Stanzi |
| 136 | Jaiquawn Jarrett |
| 137 | Adam Weber |
| 152 | Al MacInnis |
| 153 | Jaden Schwartz |
| 155 | Doug Wilson |
| 162 | Ron Hextall |
| 182 | Alex Smith |
| 185 | Brian Phipps |
| 187 | Max Seibald |
| 188 | Kyle Dixon |
| 195 | Joel White |
| 196 | Billy Bitter |
| 197 | Grant Catalino |
| 204 | Jesse Schwartzman |
| 207 | Jordan Burke |
| 210 | Kevin Crowley |
| 213 | Brendan Mundorf |
| 222 | Chad Marshall |
| 223 | Kyle Beckerman |
| 224 | Kasey Keller |
| 225 | Landon Donovan |
| 226 | Javier Morales |
| 227 | William Hesmer |
| 228 | Josh Wolff |
| 229 | Omar Gonzalez |
| 244 | Shalrie Joseph |
| 246 | Macoumba Kandji |
| 248 | Chris Pontius |
| 254 | Brandi Chastain |
| 261 | Lauren Fowlkes |
| 269 | Matt Every |
| 271 | John Mallinger |
| 273 | Cristie Kerr |
| 276 | Song-Hee Kim |
| 277 | Morgan Pressel |
| 279 | Charley Hoffman |
| 284 | Johnny Miller |
| 287 | Bubba Watson |
| 288 | Damien Hobgood |
| 289 | C.J. Hobgood |
| 290 | Layne Beachley |
| 291 | Gretchen Bleiler |
| 294 | Mike Smith |
| 296 | Janet Evans |
| 297 | Dee Dee Jonrowe |
| 300 | Jonathan Wendel |
| 378 | Ned Crotty |
| 379 | Matt Poskay |
Worthy of note, some players are featured in the autograph checklist more than once as they have more than one card. Please confirm the card number to confirm the group for your player as some players may have autographs in more than one group.
Popularity: 3% [?]
The More LeBron James Scores; the More You Save!
Posted by: | CommentsIn the sports collectibles world, fans are not jumping all over LeBron James still, but they are elsewhere. In the world of gambling, the smart money is on LeBron James. At the time of the NBA All-Star break LeBron had become the clear-cut favorite to be named the league’s most valuable player at the end of the season with his odds now at a staggering 1/2. Kobe Bryant has the next best odds at 9/2 and Kevin Durant is behind that at 6/1. Worthy of note, Jeremy Lin is now at 25/1, but after LeBron and the Miami Heat shut down the “Linsanity” last week, those odds may jump back up.
Collectors however still are not jumping on the bandwagon. Traditionally most collectors wait until a player achieves an accomplishment like another NBA MVP award or title before they invest in their memorabilia, and by doing that, they pay a premium.
Last summer I did a blog post about the top ten athlete’s authentic memorabilia to invest in now and LeBron James was my number one pick. LeBron is making me look like a genius by putting together another MVP season and is looking good to bring home his first NBA championship. Fans who invested in LeBron when I wrote that post are likely sitting pretty, but many fans are still on the fence. And yet, there is still an opportunity to get in on LeBron before he blows up, courtesy of Upper Deck and a special promotion we will be running throughout March.
It is called the “He Scores, You Save” promotion where based on how much LeBron scores in his most recent game, you can realize some tremendous savings on his signed memorabilia from Upper Deck Authenticated. Based on how many points he scores, we will discount his memorabilia for that percentage (up to 40%) until his next game on orders placed on the Upper Deck Online Store at checkout.
And LeBron started off the promotion in grand fashion last night against the Portland Trail Blazers netting 38 points for the Heat. That means you have until the start of the Utah Jazz game tonight to score a HUGE discount on his signed items. Unless you think he will score more than 38 tonight, which he most certainly could…
Until game time tonight, you can score this signed LeBron James piece for 38% off!
So what are you waiting for? Take a look at some of the awesome LeBron James memorabilia that has been deeply discounted because of his performance last night. Add it to your cart and proceed to checkout to see what your price will be with the whopping 38% discount.
Even dual signed LeBron James items with Dwyane Wade are available for this promotion!!!
And if he is named NBA MVP and scores his first title, as our friends in Vegas believe he will, and prices on his memorabilia shoot north, will you be smiling because you bought in March or will you be saying to yourself, “I woulda, I coulda, I shoulda?” This promotion is being offered as a way of thanking our loyal fans for this month only. Don’t let it pass you by!
Popularity: 1% [?]
How to Open a Trading Card Shop with Southern Hobby
Posted by: | CommentsUpper Deck changed the company’s direct sales program in March of 2011 in an effort to clean up distribution and offer more support to brick and mortar retailers with the Certified Diamond Dealer program. Certified Diamond Dealers have expressed an appreciation for how Upper Deck is supporting them by having an enforcement aspect to the program where the company can trace product back to its origin and eliminate retailers not honoring the agreement. What the policy has led to is a healthier marketplace and an influx of sports fans looking to get into the business of actually owning a trading card shop.
With the potential for growth there are opportunities for entrepreneurs to open a small business of their own. Over the next several weeks we will be sharing some tips from industry experts on what it takes to open a hobby shop and why it is a viable business. If owning a trading card store has always been a dream of yours, make sure to check out these posts as you will get some great tips.
First up, let’s hear from Southern Hobby Supply, an Authorized Distributor for Upper Deck here in the United States. Chris Austin and Brad Wagoner take a little time to share their history in the business and why now is a good time to get in it.
Dustin Laugherty, Southern Hobby’s director of Sports Marketing, also helped us with some question we have received in:
Question: Once I’ve opened a shop, what are some tips to help grow my business?
Dustin at Southern Hobby: “Your biggest advantage as a card store owner is that fact you get the opportunity for face-to-face interaction with almost all of your customers. You can share stories, compare box openings, trade and enjoy a fellowship unlike any online store. By building a sense of community inside your store you are inviting your customers to invite their friends and family. Have case parties, trade nights or other events that prompt your customers to talk about their hobby with each other. The more excited your customers are about their hobby, the more they will want to share with other people. The most powerful form of advertising is word-of-mouth and that’s what you will want to focus on by providing a great in-store experience.”
Shops that create a sense of community in their store with events that embrace every level of collector, young and old, tend to have the best chance for success.
Question: Where and how should I advertise my business?
Dustin at Southern Hobby: “Several stores I work with have reported great success using cable to advertise. Cable television offers surprisingly affordable rates, and you can easily tailor your spots to hit a particular demographic. You also need to embrace social media. Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube and blogs are amazing tools to help grow your brand and your business. There is a misconception that they are free. It is true they are free to use, but stores that really have success spend to do some targeted advertising on Facebook in particular. They can realize a great return on their investment by finding collectors in their town and engaging them. By using social media you are easily able to keep your store top of mind with collectors.”
Southern Hobby Supply is a full-service Authorized Distributor for the Upper Deck Company and can help a new shop owner get the product they need to supply their customers.
Recently Upper Deck ran a promotion called National Hockey Card Day where collectors could visit participating Certified Diamond Dealers and get a free pack of Upper Deck NHL cards. Unfortunately not every collector had a shop in their area to visit to score this great giveaway. What does that mean? It means there are opportunities all over the United States and Canada to open a hobby shop and there are fans who would love to see that. Just listen to some of the comments from real collectors received on Upper Deck’s Facebook page for National Hockey Card Day:
“I live in Turner Valley, Alberta, Canada. I wish there was a card store nearby because I know quite a few people who have asked where they can buy hockey cards.” Jeremy O.
“It would be nice to have a Certified Diamond Dealer in my town so that I could enjoy the drop in ability that I used to have. I miss the chance to go to the hobby shop, buy a box, and open it amongst other collectors. [And I miss] vicariously enjoying the box breaks of fellow collectors and exchanging hobby stories.” Rick G.
“We need a CDD in Orlando Florida. We have NHL hockey in Tampa Bay and Miami so the interest would be high. Also the Orlando area is full of transplants from the Northeast so I feel business would be good if promoted properly. A preseason NHL Tampa Bay game played in Orlando drew a big crowd and was a success. I’m originally from Philadelphia so Flyers hockey is in my blood and I continue to follow the NHL even in sunny Orlando. There are not enough card dealers in Orlando.” Karen P.
“With the return of the Jets, hockey and hockey cards have become HUGE in the province of Manitoba. The population of Certified Diamond Dealers in Winnipeg is fine, but outside of the city where I live, we are lacking hobby shops. I am hoping that as time goes on, and the Jets reach the playoffs, that a CDD will pop up in rural Manitoba to serve NHL hockey card to fans outside of Winnipeg!” Shane K.
“I live in Granite City, IL and I wish we had a Certified Diamond Dealer here that carried lots and lots of hockey cards especially for the St. Louis Blues. We are 15 minutes from St. Louis which is the best hockey town. We love Upper Deck and we need a store that carries Upper Deck gear and packs please!” Don L.
Look for more tips on how to open a trading card store right here on the Upper Deck Blog soon! And if you want to check out examples of trading card shops we work with, click here.
The information provided in this story is for assistance only and is not intended to be and must not be taken alone as the basis for an investment decision. Opening a trading card store, like any other business, presents certain risks for the business owner. Each reader of this information should make such investigations as it deems necessary to arrive at an independent evaluation of an investment.
Popularity: 2% [?]
