Archive for Baseball
Brag Photo: Baseball is Back at Upper Deck; Here Come the Cuts!
Posted by: | CommentsWhen we first announced in late March that we would be bringing back SP Legendary Cuts Baseball this summer, the response was overwhelmingly positive. As we are in the production process for the 2011 SP Legendary Cuts set, we’ve seen some absolutely amazing cards coming in that will have lucky collectors going crazy when they are pulled. Take a look for yourself at these actual images from our production facility. An important note, some images are a little blurry because when you are around cards like this, it is hard to keep your hands steady to snatch a picture!
If you live in New York and pull this card, you'll feel like you are in the middle of a ticker tape parade!
Upon opening the booklet card, you will find authentic autograph cut signatures of eight of the most feared hitters in Baseball, members of New York's "Murder's Row."
We were really were thrilled to bring a card like this to market with autograph of four of the members of the 1919 "Black Sox" team.
Remember any of these guys from "Eight Men Out?"
The Presidential Emblem Cut Signature cards came out really awesome!
Upon opening the card you will see a Presidential emblem along with an authenticated signature of a U.S. President like Abraham Lincoln seen here!
Or how about this remarkable card with a signature from the "Father of our Country," none other than George Washington!
The "First Couples" Dual Cut Signature cards are sure to be a huge hit with collectors.
We also included some Royal Couples as well, how cool is this card???
And here is one card that many collectors will be gunning to pull!
This is "THE" card for any Kennedy fans out there!
Find cards like these and much more when you open packs of 2011 SP Legendary Cuts Baseball!
Upper Deck’s 2011 SP Legendary Cuts is packing out ahead of schedule and will arrive in stores on Thursday, June 2, 2011. One more important update, this product will be packing out with ZERO redemptions. All autograph content will be live in packs, don’t miss it!
Popularity: 2% [?]
Baseball: Always Been There and Always Will Be
Posted by: | CommentsI remember going to baseball games with my dad like it was yesterday. My three older brothers would run around like escaped mental patients while I held his hand struggling just to keep up. I can still remember thinking how long his stride was and how it took me two steps to match his one. I remember learning the game from him and then all of a sudden it was me taking him to games. And now sometimes he’s struggling to keep up with me. It is really is crazy how quickly time flies by and baseball has persevered through all of it.
I can remember getting my first foul ball at Angel Stadium off the bat of Jose Canseco who was one of my favorite players at the time. It wasn’t a clean catch, in fact it wasn’t a catch at all. It bounced around here and there before it finally came my way and I snatched it up, shocked at what had come my way. I don’t think I watched much of the rest of that game as I was in awe of the baseball. It was once so ordinary, but now it meant so much more since I had been the lucky one to grab it. I still have it.
Jose Canseco was one of my favorite baseball players growing up
When I started working for Upper Deck I found myself going to more and more games. I remember the 1999 All-Star Game in Boston. It was my first trip to Fenway and what an amazing weekend that was with Mark McGwire belting home runs deep into the Boston twilight, landing on Lansdowne Street, during the Home Run Derby and then the All-Star Game itself where Ted Williams came out on a golf cart to be honored by the baseball community. It was unbelievable.
Then there was the All-Star game in Milwaukee where Commissioner Bud Selig called it a draw after 11 innings with the score tied 7-7. My father, mother, one of my brothers and I were in attendance at that game. It was quite a sight to see as fans threw their seat cushions on to the field in utter disgust.
But through the good and the bad times, baseball has always been there for me. Working it’s way into the fabric of my life and giving me so many special memories.
It was a great day to take in a game yesterday at Petco!
Yesterday I took a half day and went to the Padres home opener at Petco Park with my fiancé. It was special to make more great memories with the woman with whom I’ll be spending the rest of my life. We went nuts when Trevor Hoffman came out to throw out the first pitch as the Padre faithful rocked out to “Hell’s Bells.” As we watched the game from the Upper Deck (hey, I’m loyal to my company) and I took in the park and the San Diego skyline, it was so cool that I couldn’t help but get reflective.
A view from the Upper Deck looking out on the San Diego skyline
I thought about all the games I had gone to at different points in my life and all the games I still can look forward to attending. Soon I’ll be leading my children to our seats to take in a game and “root, root, root for the home team.” Baseball will always be there.
In much the same way, when it comes to baseball, Upper Deck will always be there. Things may change, but that much is true; you can always look forward to Upper Deck Baseball releases. Upper Deck has announced details on two very exciting products for this summer that fans can get fired up about in both 2011 Goodwin Champions and 2011 SP Legendary Cuts Baseball.
"The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball."
All of it reminds me of that memorable quote from James Earl Jones in Field of Dreams: “The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it’s a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good and it could be again.”
Enjoy the season fans. Play ball!
Popularity: 1% [?]
Brag Photo: SP Legendary Cuts Baseball Returns
Posted by: | CommentsWhen SP Legendary Cuts first came on the scene, it gave the industry a much-needed shot in the arm by packing out some amazing new content. It marked the first time a collector could open a pack of cards and pull an autograph of a deceased Hall-of-Famer. Upper Deck worked to get in authenticated cut signatures of deceased legends and had those signatures embedded on a trading card. After a short break, Upper Deck is pleased to announce the return of this truly awesome product.
The key driver with this product has always been the cuts so we decided to try something new. We asked ourselves, “If the cuts are the most important thing, why not make them the only thing?” So that’s exactly what we did. There will only be one card per pack and that card will include a cut signature. A total of 200 cut signature cards featuring 91 Hall of Famers numbered to 35 or less will make up the set.
One of the nice things about removing current players is that barring any unforeseen challenge with cut autograph acquisition, this release will in all likelihood be free of redemption cards with all live autograph content packing out. Based on consumer feedback we have received, there will be no Mystery Cut redemptions in this set featuring entertainment subjects.
Then there are some exciting chase elements. There will be an Exquisite cut signature set with all the quality you have come to expect from that brand. There will also be some cool themed sets picking up on some amazing baseball topics featuring multi-player cuts signature cards like a 1919 Black Sox quad cut; 1927 Murderer’s Row eight cut; 1934 St. Louis “Gashouse Gang” eight cut; .400 hitters quad cut; all-time great home-run kings cut; and more!
We have never been able to do a cut signature card of the 1919 "Black Sox" players until now
And then the set gets historical with a comprehensive cut signature collection of the first 43 U.S. Presidents. All of these cards will be hand numbered to just five copies or less. As an added chase, Upper Deck is creating folding book cards featuring a cut signature of the Presidents and their respective First Ladies. “Winning Ticket” dual-cut cards will feature a cut signature of each President and his Vice President. There will even be a royal couple dual-cut signature set with cut signatures of international royal figures.
When you fold open the card you will find cut signatures of the Kennedy's
Upper Deck’s 2011 SP Legendary Cuts will arrive in stores in late June, so don’t miss it!
Popularity: 2% [?]
Collector of the Month: Michael Wilkie
Posted by: | CommentsEach month Upper Deck spotlights one of its valued collectors to showcase their collection. The great thing about sports collectors is that they are all very different in what they collect, how they collect their items and what they do once they have them. We first came across Michael Wilkie through the Upper Deck Facebook page when he began posting some images of his amazing collection. I spoke with him a little more about his collection on Card Corner Club’s online radio show and couldn’t wait to see more images of what he had put together. So without further adieu, get to know Michael Wilkie and his collection.
Get to know Michael Wilkie, our latest Collector of the Month!
My name is Michael Wilkie and I live in the Minneapolis area. I have been collecting trading cards since 1977 when I built my first baseball set of 1977 Topps Baseball. As a huge fan of the games of baseball and football I was interested in sports cards at a very young age and I loved the thrill of finding rookie cards. My brothers and I used to go to the corner store once a week and buy two packs each for 33 cents a pack just hoping to find the missing cards we needed to complete the set or a great rookie card. To this day that excitement and fun still stick with me as I collect.
When I first discovered Upper Deck I was immediately impressed. I remember the card designs always seemed just a bit sharper, cleaner and more appealing than the other brands. It seemed like the card stock was brighter and stronger too. I first started buying Upper Deck products around 1991. One of my first favorites was the 2003 Upper Deck SP Football set. When the inserts started showing up it was like finding a little slice of heaven. The die-cuts, holograms, holofoils, etc., were really spectacular.
Michael’s 2003 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection Baseball Sets
Dual Patches /25
Dual Patches /99
Patches /99
Patches /35
Dual Patches /35
Patches /99
Patches /25
As card technology continued to advance followed by game-used materials and autographs becoming more commonplace, it became very apparent to me that I was a set collector. While I do enjoy a few select players in my personal collection, nothing really fills the need for the “hunt” than to pick out a subset from a new product and go for the complete sets. Personally, I think Upper Deck produced three of the greatest products ever with the 2003 Ultimate Collection Baseball, 2008 Premier Football and 2008 SP Rookie Threads Football. I set out to complete many of the subsets in these products and accomplished those missions.
The simplicity, yet amazing designs of each of these sets, along with the presence of unbelievable patches fueled my desire to complete each of them. Not to be outdone I also chose the 88-card set of 2008 Icons Rainbow Autographs Football to help round out my insane love of patch cards.
Michael’s Icons & SP Threads Sets
2008 NFL Icons Autograph Set
2008 Rookie Threads Numbers Set
2008 Rookie Threads Jersey Set
2009 Rookie Threads Mulit-Marks Set
2009 Rookie Threads Jersey Set
Close-up of Rookie Threads Patches
A huge part of my current love of collecting is the development of sports cards “communities” such as the expansive group of people found within YouTube. There are thousands of collectors there and the opportunities for box breaks, trades, “maildays” showing cards, set building displays, mystery packs, subscriber contests and countless other creative presentations of cards are plentiful. In a couple short years I have grown my subscriber base to nearly 2000 YouTubers (you can find me under screen name Arfalc77 on YouTube with the nickname “7′s”). The ability to find cards through networking in this venue is simply awesome. Promoting collecting as a hobby among friends and family on YouTube has been a thrill to say the least. All of my completed Upper Deck sets have been shown on YouTube via video at some point or another.
Also, within this community we have built a kind of language all our own to describe the cards. This includes, but is not limited to the following adjectives often used to describe cards: SICK, EPIC, DISGUSTING, FATAL, DISEASED, STRONG, FILTHY, DIRTY and NASTY just to name a few!! This is truly the medium that took my collecting to the next level and Upper Deck has emerged as my favorite brand. While there are other forums, social network sites and live online venues such as blogtv and blogtalk radio that all feature the hobby of sports card collecting, YouTube truly reigns supreme for me.
I share the hobby of collecting baseball and football cards with my 8-year-old son. It’s a great way to start a family tradition and share time on something special in place of video games or television. It’s important to me that this hobby continues to find its way to young people to help keep the business alive. In a world full of so many technological distractions, card collecting really presents a simple and basic opportunity for bonding and sharing a love for sports. I’m passionate about this. I’m also thankful for the wealth of friendships I’ve found through this hobby. I fully intend on continuing to build sets and increase the size of my personal collection for years to come. I look forward to Upper Deck being a part of that!
Thanks for sharing Michael, we’re excited to continue providing you with the highest-quality, most-innovative releases in the industry. Michael is still looking for a number of cards from the 2003 Ultimate Collection Baseball set in the silver, copper and gold sets. If you have any of those cards, shoot him an email at ARfalc77@aol.com.
Popularity: 4% [?]
Collector of the Month: Tim Danielson
Posted by: | CommentsEach month Upper Deck spotlights one of its valued collectors to showcase their collection. The great thing about sports collectors is that they are all very different in what they collect, how they collect their items and what they do once they have them. I first came in regular contact with Tim Danielson when Upper Deck announced the Yankee Stadium Legacy (YSL) program in 2008. The 6,600-plus insert card set was the largest baseball card set ever produced and he set a goal to complete it. What set Danielson apart from the thousands of other collectors who wanted to put the set together was that he didn’t want to put it together for himself.
Tim has been instrumental in leading a charge to collect UD's entire Yankee Stadium Legacy set to donate to charity.
Tim’s goal was to complete the set by receiving donations of the Upper Deck YSL cards through an online trading community known as “The Bench.” For two years now Tim and members of The Bench have been working dutifully to assemble the mammoth set in the hopes of selling the completed set and donating the proceeds to “The V Foundation,” a non-profit organization dedicated to curing cancer. Tim’s passion and drive have served him well on this quest and I am very excited for the day when they get the final card to complete their mission.
Now when Tim isn’t chasing down leads for collectors who may have some extra Upper Deck YSL cards, he uses cards for another reason: to strengthen the bond with his children. Tim and his wife Jessica have a daughter (Jordan) and a son (Jayden), but he and his wife made the decision to adopt a child as well. Earlier this year they adopted a son (Gabe) from China and this is Tim’s story.
After my wife and I made the decision to adopt a child, our path led us to China and as a family we were all very excited about this great opportunity. I love that my wife and daughter have just been soaking up every bit of information on China they can. My daughter can probably teach a college level class on Chinese history based on all the time she has spent researching where her new sibling came from. For me, however, it’s a little hard to feel “connected” to China just through research. As a passionate trading card collector, I thought it might be fun to get a better understanding of China through sports cards. And wouldn’t you know it has not only been a lot of fun for me, but for the whole family.
My family really enjoys watching baseball games together, especially the Detroit Tigers. I have a large collection of trading cards and my kids have always enjoyed opening, sorting and having fun with the cards along with Dad. My son Jayden actually puts his Tigers and Brewers cards onto “teams” and has them play make-believe games. But don’t tell him they are make-believe as to him it is as real as what we see on television.
Attempting to collect cards of Chinese players seemed like a fun way for me and the kids to learn more about our new son’s birth country, but to also help him feel a connection to us through a hobby we all very much enjoy. I also felt it would be a fun way to start him along with his very own baseball card collection.
Tim has been enjoying collecting the Upper Deck World Baseball Classic Team China cards with his son Gabe.
In 2006 and 2009 the World Baseball Classic (WBC) tournament brought together a great collection of superstars from around the globe. Playing for country instead of a major league team helped create a sense of National Pride for the fans who watched their teams compete to prove they were the best in the world. Upper Deck produced insert cards of players from all 16 teams in the WBC back in 2006 and these were a great place to start collecting baseball cards of Chinese-born players for Gabe. They are easy to identify with the Chinese flag on the front and they also have some interesting highlights on the card backs that talk about their history with the Chinese team.
Yao has always been a great ambassador for the game. He is even helping to bring Tim's family closer together.
Just this past year four Chinese-born baseball players were signed by MLB teams and I’m sure more will join the majors soon. But it’s not just about baseball for Gabe’s collection. We’ve also started to pick up basketball cards of Yao Ming. We even have a cool event-worn swatch card of actor Jackie Chan! In addition to sharing the joys of this hobby to future generations, it is an awesome feeling to see Gabe’s face light up when he sees a card of a player from China! To us trading cards have become much more than just a pack of cardboard, rather a way to connect, relate and strengthen our family. And for that I am forever grateful.
Living proof that a family that collects together, stays together.
Tim is looking to continue growing the bond with all of his kids by collecting trading cards with them. If you happen to have any cards of the Tigers, Brewers, Chinese players or those last elusive Upper Deck Yankee Stadium Legacy cards, please e-mail Tim at talliasen@charter.net as he would love to discuss trades. For more information on The Bench’s Upper Deck Yankee Stadium Legacy charity drive, please click here.
Popularity: 2% [?]
