Send Your Birthday Wishes to Jeff Skinner and Score!
By · CommentsToday is Jeff Skinner’s birthday and we have enjoyed a great relationship with him thus far in his young career. Whether it was working with him at the NHL All-Star Game in North Carolina or helping him learn how to handle the dreaded man-crush fan, we have really had a lot of fun with the Hurricanes’ star.
We want to keep the fun going with him today on his birthday. We are looking for fans to record a special birthday with for Jeff Skinner and post it to the Upper Deck Facebook Timeline or send it to the Upper Deck Hockey Twitter Account (@UpperDeckHockey) today by 4:00 p.m. Pacific. It can either be an image like you see here where Jeff gave a birthday shout out himself to a fan…
Create a birthday message for Jeff Skinner in a photo and you may get a FREE box of 2011-12 NHL SPx!
Or it can be a video like this Slovakian super fan made for him.
We’ll select our favorite message to receive a FREE box of 2011-12 NHL SPx and we’ll do our best to get all the birthday messages to Jeff. Thanks fans!
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LeBron James is Proving to Be a MVP On and Off the Court
By · CommentsAfter LeBron James made “The Decision,” most basketball fans immediately resented him. Maybe that is putting it mildly. The LeBron haters swiftly came out of the woodwork and have been pumping a steady stream of angry rants against the NBA star since he moved south to play in Miami. It didn’t help when the Cleveland Cavaliers’ owner Dan Gilbert piled on as well.
What has LeBron done in the aftermath of all that? It seems like all the right things. Last year he apologized to the fans in Cleveland for how it all went down.
Earlier this season LeBron shared that he wouldn’t rule out potentially returning to Cleveland while also sharing he doesn’t hold a grudge against Dan Gilbert for his comments. It is one thing to appear like you are growing up in the eyes of the press, but the real test of a man is what he does when he doesn’t think the cameras are on. We witness this a few months back when LeBron James made it a point to get his teammates to take pictures with members of the U.S. military while the team was waiting for their flight. This was a really great story. And just this week, LeBron humbly accepted his third NBA Most Valuable Player award.
He has his team poised to take the title this year and that is all he ever really wanted to play for. Can you blame him for wanting to play on the highest stage for one of sport’s greatest trophies? I don’t think so. And every positive thing he does now makes him more desirable to collectors. Almost a year ago, I shared that I felt LeBron James was the #1 athlete to invest in at the time. I’m sure those who took my advice are very happy they did as they invested when the market for LeBron was at an all-time low.
Upper Deck continues to enjoy a great partnership with 3-time NBA MVP LeBron James.
I still believe LeBron James collectibles are a good buy until he wins his first NBA title which based on how he is playing, may only be a matter of weeks away. If he continues to dominate the association as we have seen, the Most Valuable Player will soon have the “Most Valuable Collectibles.” And Upper Deck Authenticated is pleased to be the exclusive source for authentic autographed collectibles from “King James.” Take a look at some of the items available for LeBron by clicking here.
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With Mother’s Day coming up this weekend we asked our Facebook fans if there were any mothers out there who like collecting Upper Deck cards and we were surprised to receive so many responses. Having a mom that collects has got to be a dream come true for their kids and such is the case with Erica Jackson of Kingston, Ontario. Here is her story:
“Being a mother is one of the most amazing and rewarding feelings a woman can have. Collecting hockey cards was something I actually stumbled into. I was searching a local website and I found a huge lot of hockey cards up for sale. I thought it would be interesting to see what was in this collection. After buying and sorting the lot, and of course a trip to the store for the Beckett book, I was hooked.
One of our favorite moms; Erica Jackson shares some of her favorite Upper Deck NHL cards!
“Collecting cards allows me to have something I enjoy now, and my daughter can enjoy in her future. I will have something to leave to my daughter and her children when my time comes to leave this world. She will be able to keep them and continue to collect or she can sell them and use the money to pay for whatever she may need or want. I have been collecting for about three years now and I am very proud of my collection.
“Unfortunately a lot of my friends and family do not share my passion for cards. They know I collect, but do not understand anything about it. They have really never seen the sheer mass quantity and quality of my collection. I had to purchase a safe to keep everything protected, and I may have to buy a second!
Erica also has a very nice collection of signed memorabilia on display throughout the house.
“I am a Canadian girl so I like Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver, but I am also partial to the Detroit Red Wings. There are of course a few cards that I would still love to add to the collection and someday I hope to have them. Until then, I will continue to enjoy my collection and adding to it!”
Erica clearly chases the biggest names in the sport and she has a collection that would make most serious collectors jealous.
Wow! How cool it that? Thanks so much for sharing your passion with us Erica. Your daughter is very lucky! Look for a special Mother’s Day present from Upper Deck soon to thank you for taking the time to share your collection with our fans! Happy Mother’s Day!
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I grew up as a closet wrestling fan spending my Saturday mornings watching Hulk Hogan, Sgt. Slaughter, Nikolai Volkoff, the Iron Shiek, George “The Animal” Steele, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and so many others squaring off in the ring. For me back then, it seemed like the fate of the world hung in the balance of every match. It was a great time to be a kid and I have fond memories of my dad taking me to a couple matches when I was younger.
Hulk-A-Maniacs rejoice! Hulk Hogan will appear in two Upper Deck multi-sport sets this summer.
When I heard Upper Deck would be including Hulk Hogan in a couple releases that are scheduled to come out this summer, those memories came rushing back to me. For the first time ever, collectors are going to be able to open a pack of Upper Deck cards and pull trading cards, game-worn memorabilia cards and autograph cards of Hulk Hogan. I for one think that is pretty cool, but I wonder about what collectors will think about finding a wrestler in a pack of UD cards. The “Hulkster” will make his Upper Deck debut in 2012 Goodwin Champions and 2012 Upper Deck All-Time Greats.
"Train. Say your prayers. Eat your vitamins." Hulk Hogan
There is no doubt Hulk Hogan is a household name and wrestling icon, but do collectors want to see more wrestlers in upcoming UD multi-sport set? Sound off in the comment section below!
Recently I caught up with “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan at the Sports Cards & Collectibles Expo in Toronto and we had a fun exchange about him potentially getting an Upper Deck card in a future multi-sport series.
He also shared some great memories about some of the amazing things he has done in his career and the places it has taken him.
So what do you think fans? Do you want to see some of these legendary wrestlers in new Upper Deck multi-sport sets? Let us know in the comment section below!
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Twice a year Upper Deck makes a trek to Toronto, Canada for the Sports Cards and Collectibles Expo where thousands of rabid hockey fans turn out in droves. And we don’t come empty handed. UD spends a lot of time (and money) putting together one of the most appreciated autograph card sets in the industry with our Priority Singings wrapper redemption program to share with collectors at the show. Giving out these rare autograph cards to loyal fans who purchase new UD products is a great way to say, “Thank you for your support.” And to be able to hand them to fans in person is only an extra bonus.
In years prior the program has been so popular that lines have stretched throughout the convention center just for the shot at getting one of these cards limited to less than 100 copies each. Sometimes fans were turned away when stock depleted early unfortunately.
The semi-annual Sports Cards & Collectibles Expo draws in collectors and dealers from all throughout Canada.
This spring however Upper Deck rolled out a whole new strategy to greatly improve the customer experience. We worked with the show promoters to create a special line that would not put fans in the way of other booths or traffic. Additionally we allocated the lion’s share of Priority Signings cards to Saturday which has traditionally been the busiest day of the show. We also opened the booth for the program right at 10:00 when the show opened instead of at noon as we have in year’s prior which eliminated the prospect of fans waiting in a huge line. We kept allowing fans to bring boxes purchased from Certified Diamond Dealers well after the hours of the promotion had ended to make sure that all fans who wanted a Priority Signings autograph card could get one. All these efforts resulted in one of the best executed promotions we have ever run at the Expo and just take a look at the proof!
Fans could check out details on the Priority Signings wrapper redemption promotion right at the Upper Deck booth.
Fans were quick to get in line each day for their chance to score a FREE autograph card from Upper Deck.
Another group of excited fans ready to bust new UD boxes to score a Priority Signings autograph card.
Gretzky!
Gretzky!!!
Mr. Wayne Gretzky!
And yes, another Gretzky!
Did you know only Upper Deck can bring you Wayne Gretzky trading cards? That's right, he's an exclusive spokesman for UD and fans LOVED pulling his autograph cards at the Expo!
Stamkos!
Do the Nugent-Hop!!!
Lines moved smoothly as collectors scored sweet autographs courtesy of Upper Deck!
Eric Lindros autograph of 5!
Crosby time!
And we have another Crosby autograph!
He shoots, he scores!
This is kind of what it feels like to pull a Wayne Gretzky Priority Signings autograph card. Yes!!!
Another new program this year was the case breaker promotion where collectors who wanted to break a case of an approved product would not have to wait in any line and would also receive three (3) Priority Signings autograph cards along with an instant redemption. Thirty participating collectors walked away with cool items like signed jerseys, pucks, sticks, gloves and cards. Some fans also won a selection of Upper Deck boxes. The promotion was so popular, UD ran out of prizes by Saturday afternoon. Take a look at some of the happy collectors who scored their cool new items to add to their collection.
This collector grabbed a Gabriel Landeskog signed glove!
The foil was flying as case breakers rushed through packs to score their goodies from UD.
One of the lucky collectors who nabbed a full size, signed stick from young stars in the NHL.
Gloves and a puck? Awesome!!!
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