Archive for Hockey
Brag Video: AMAZING NHL Mail Day at UD Headquarters
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Some pretty stellar signed cards arrived today at Upper Deck Headquarters.
Fans have been pushing us hard to get a signing completed with NHL superstar Sidney Crosby since UD inserted redemption cards of “the Kid” in late season 2010-11 NHL products. Recently we were able to secure a session and get a lot of outstanding cards signed for products like 2010-11 NHL SP Game-Used, 2010-11 NHL SP Authentic, 2010-11 NHL Ultimate Collection and 2010-11 NHL The Cup. Take a look at this amazing assortment of Crosby autograph cards and much more.
Worthy of note, these cards still need to be shipped to our fulfillment center, reviewed for quality, packaged in top loaders, packaged in envelopes and then shipped out from there. It will still be a couple weeks before customers waiting on them will receive them, but we wanted to share they have indeed been completed. Great news!
This beautiful one-of-one game-used Shield autograph card from 2010-11 NHL Ultimate Collection is certain to be a welcome sight when it arrives in the coming weeks to a collector.
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Upper Deck’s ‘World of Sports’ Returns with Top Sports Stars and ‘Evolution’ Video Cards
Posted by: | CommentsOne of the surprise hits of last year’s trading card releases was Upper Deck’s “World of Sports” product as it offered collectors a unique pack opening experience with star athletes from basketball, baseball, swimming, skiing, ice hockey, figure skating, golf, lacrosse and mixed martial arts. The set returns arriving in stores today and it offers the same great diversity of top tier athletes, but mixes in some unique surprises like “Evolution” video cards as well.
Boasting a bigger base set than last year and the inclusion of football stars to the set, Upper Deck’s “World of Sports” set is sure to be a fan favorite. It features 400 cards from athletes like Nolan Ryan, Don Mattingly and Mike Schmidt from baseball; LeBron James, Michael Jordan and Jimmer Fredette from basketball; Bo Jackson, Drew Brees and Cam Newton from football; and Sidney Crosby, Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux from hockey. Mix in other premium stars from soccer, golf, horse racing, mixed martial arts, track & field, lacrosse, extreme sports, racing and even dog sledding and you get the feel that Upper Deck’s “World of Sports” set is really a different kind of trading card release.
“No other company but Upper Deck could provide sports fans with such an amazingly diverse checklist of sports stars to collect,” said Jason Masherah, Upper Deck vice president of Marketing & Business Development. “And nowhere else can fans find such an assorted set of innovative insert cards from these stars to collect like signature cards, apparel cards, ‘Shadowbox’ trading cards and the ‘Evolution’ video trading cards. And as part of our continued effort to reduce redemption cards, all autograph content for ‘World of Sports’ is live in the product. It is completely redemption free.”
That’s right! The “Evolution” video trading cards made their debut last season in football, but these innovative inserts take on the hard court. Lucky collectors may find “Evolution” basketball video trading cards of superstars like Michael Jordan, Chris Paul and more inserted into new boxes of Upper Deck’s “World of Sport.” This is the first-ever video trading card for Michael Jordan and with copies of the cards extremely limited, they are sure to be in high demand. Video footage shows 60 seconds of highlights from college action of these hoop legends. Check them out:
Upper Deck’s new “World of Sports” set is currently available in stores now and each hobby box includes 20 packs with six cards per pack. Collectors can find three autographs or apparel cards in each box on average.
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Free Upper Deck NHL Cards Prove to be a Big Hit with Collectors
Posted by: | CommentsUpper Deck’s 2012 National Hockey Card Day has came and went, but the memories collectors have of visiting retailers to receive FREE packs will last with them for quite awhile. We asked fans on to share their experiences with National Hockey Card Day on our Facebook page. In particular we shared that we were looking for fans who had the biggest smiles and would show off their National Hockey Card Day cards. We saw some great pictures from the day and wanted to share them.
Lots of fans had to bundle up as it was cold out there!
These guys were so cute. It's so cool to see younger fans enjoying the cards.
It's a fact, couples that collect together, stay together. 
An excited collector looks on as this fan shares his PK Subban autograph card he pulled from the packs!
If he's this happy now, just wait till he opens the pack!
You don't get much happier than this! We loved this one.
A Maple Leafs fans shows off his packs!
Now this guy is excited! So great!
This was definitely one of our favorites! We loved the smiles and how they got all bundled up to grab their cards!
Three Upper Deck NHL packs, who knows what's inside!?!?
Very smart, she's got her protective holders all ready to use with her National Hockey Card Day cards.
This young man was SUPER excited as well, we loved this!
We liked this one a lot. He made teeth to have a huge smile, very creative!
We really got a kick out of this sign, great prop!
Bruins fans were fired up about the promotion!
A great smile on National Hockey Card Day in the states!
This young lady was sick, but she still ventured out for a bit to grab her packs before heading back to bed.
What a collection this fan has of Upper Deck NHL products. He got a lot of consideration for the top prize!
Now that's a big smile and with all those cards, what's not to smile about?
We loved this one too!
This young lady was all fired up for National Hockey Card Day as well!
These fans made a huge Upper Deck cake at Wayne's Sports Cards. We hear it was delicious!
Our top two fans who were selected for having the biggest smile for the US and Canada are shown below. For their efforts, they will each take home a special autographed rookie helmet. Thanks to everyone who participated, we really enjoyed the smiles!
She gave us an ear to ear grin and thus will be taking home a rookie signed helmet. Congrats!
And here is another winning smile, it's almost like he is hoisting the Stanley Cup.
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Brag Photo: The Greatest Retro Hockey Card of All-Time?
Posted by: | CommentsRecently we got back in some cards that we issued redemptions for since they were for a multi-signed card and not all the athletes had signed when 2011 Parkhurst Champions Hockey released. Now I’ve worked for Upper Deck for over 14 years and I collected cards before that as well. So I’ve seen quite a few cards in my days. But in my humble opinion, this may be the greatest retro hockey card of all-time. Take a look and I challenge you to tell me it is not.
Now I suppose you could say that it is hardly a hockey card at all because the players aren’t even in their uniforms. To me that is what actually makes this card so great. It is just so different. To be frank that is what makes a lot of the wire photo cards in this set so awesome, many photos are from off the ice and they just show the athletes in a different light. I mean look at the bow ties on these guys, those are amazing. It just reeks of ’70′s coolness. And check out Bobby Clarke‘s shades. “Ponch” from “CHiP’s” doesn’t even have glasses that cool.
I love the look Phil Esposito is giving Bobby Clarke and Bobby Orr as well. Like he’s saying, “Bobby you’re not going to carry this thing around all night are you? People can’t even see my best tuxedo when you’ve got this in the way.” It is just so funny.
And what makes it the best is that it is hard-signed by all three of these amazing legends. Just fantastic.
These cards will be shipping out to customers who have them pending on their account soon. That will be a great Upper Deck Mail Day for those lucky collectors!
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How to Make the Most of National Hockey Card Day
Posted by: | CommentsFor many hockey fans this will be their first ever National Hockey Card Day especially for those fans in the United States as this is the first year Upper Deck has brought the program there. To help fans out who are planning on scoring FREE packs tomorrow, we wanted to put together some helpful Q&A to help you get the most out of National Hockey Card Day. If you have any other questions after you read this, make sure to ask them in the comment section below and we will address.
Question: This is my first time participating in National Hockey Card Day. Do you have any tips for me
Upper Deck: You bet we do. Follow these tips and you should have a fun-filled day:
1) Call Ahead – Make sure you contact the participating shops to confirm their address, when they will be open and if they have any special promotions going on in conjunction with National Hockey Card Day. Our friends at Wayne’s Sports Cards always make it a big event and we just got in a photo of a cake that Asheena and Steve Bruhjell brought in for the event tomorrow. You don’t want to miss a piece of this one!
Yummy! Enjoy a piece of this Upper Deck chocolate/whipped cream cake tomorrow at Wayne's Sports Cards in Edmonton!
2) Make a Plan – Map out which shops you will visit and when. The more efficient you are, the more shops you can visit and the more cards you can score!
3) Start Early – The old saying, “The early bird gets the worm,” is especially true on National Hockey Card Day. Packs are limited and will likely be gone at many locations before the close of business that day. Also, the special 16th cards (Sidney Crosby in Canada and Tim Thomas in the US) are limited and will likely be in high demand so these will sell out too. Don’t miss out on the chance to get these great cards because you overslept! If you do it right, you can have a complete set and be home in time to catch some great hockey games.
4) Work as a Team – Bring friends and family, even if they do not normally collect. The more the merrier and if you bring more you have a better chance of putting together the sets. You’ll also get a kick out of sharing the hobby you love with your friends and family.
T.E.A.M. = Together Everyone Achieves More
5) Say, “Thank You” – Remember, these shops do not have to take part in this promotion. They choose to as a way of giving back in their community. This is not a free promotion for them to run and they spend a lot of time and money promoting it. Make sure to thank them for taking part and let them know it was because of this promotion you came in. These are primarily small businesses so if you see something you like when you visit, buy it. They will certainly appreciate your patronage.
Question: I’m in Canada and want to visit a London Drugs or Toys “R” Us. What are they giving away and what do I have to do to get it?
Upper Deck: Besides Upper Deck’s Network of Certified Diamond Dealers in Canada, fans can also visit London Drugs or Toys “R” Us to take part in the promotion. These retailers will not be handing out packs, rather some limited-edition 5×7 blow-up cards featuring some of the best cards in the set. All you need to do is purchase any Upper Deck product tomorrow at these locations and you will receive one of these special cards.
Get limited 5x7 blow-up National Hockey Card Day cards at London Drugs and Toys "R" Us.
There are five different players in the set with the checklist shown below:
OS1 – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
OS2 – Roberto Luongo
OS3 – Jonathan Toews
OS4 – Mario Lemieux
OS5 – Wayne Gretzky
To find a London Drugs in your area in Canada, click HERE. To find a Toys “R” Us in your area in Canada, click HERE.
IMPORTANT – These blow-up cards are exclusive to Canadian retailers and they will not be available in the United States.
Question: I heard Upper Deck has all sorts of giveaways. How do I take part in those?
Upper Deck: It’s one of the biggest days of the year so we pull out all the stops to make sure fans have a fun day. We supplied over 50 shops with some special promotional kits consisting of autographed cards, pucks, gloves and helmets along with shirts, bags, polos and much more. That is why it is important to call ahead so you can see if they are planning any additional giveaways or raffles for National Hockey Card Day.
One fan in the US and Canada will score this autographed rookie helmet this weekend, will it be you?
Additionally we have been running a variety of giveaways on the National Hockey Card Day Facebook page. Make sure to “like” that page so you can take part in it. One of the biggest promotions involves you snapping photos of yourself smiling while you hold these cards. You can score an autographed Upper Deck Authenticated rookie helmet just for posting a picture to the wall of that page. Click HERE for more details.
Question: I don’t live in an area where there are participating retailers close by, but I really want these cards. What can I do?
Upper Deck: Fear not, there will likely be some of these cards and sets available for sale in the secondary market after National Hockey Card Day on sites like eBay. Also, there are a variety of online collecting communities you can check out where you may be able to trade other collectors to get those cards. We will also be giving away some packs to those fans who did not have a location nearby next week on the National Hockey Card Day Facebook page. Again, make sure you “like” it today so you don’t miss out there. Make sure to let shops in your area know that you want them to participate in this program in the future. If they don’t know you want it, they will not order the packs.
Question: I’ve seen a lot of chatter on Twitter about this program. Is there a certain hash tag I should be using to talk about it?
Upper Deck: Characters are a premium on Twitter so instead of typing out, “National Hockey Card Day” to talk about the program, just type #NHCD when talking about it on Twitter. Maybe we can make it a trending topic.
Question: How long has National Hockey Card Day been going on?
Upper Deck: The program started exclusively in Canada in 2009. In 2009 the set was just 15 cards with no inserts. In 2010 the set size remained at 15 cards, but there was a surprise Sidney Crosby autograph card found in some packs.
Only 87 copies of this Sidney Crosby autograph card were inserted into 2010 National Hockey Card Day packs.
Last year for 2011 we added a 16th card as a gift with purchase which was Jonathan Toews commemorating his Stanley Cup® victory. Additionally we went from one autograph card to three with lucky collectors discovering signed cards of Sidney Crosby, Taylor Hall and Bobby Orr. For 2012, we have a 16-card set for the USA and a 16-card set for Canada. And we are going from three autograph cards last year, to six (three subjects in the USA set and three subjects in the Canada set).
Question: Who are the autograph cards in the 2012 set and what is the print run on them?
Upper Deck: We will not be sharing the print run on the autograph cards in the 2012 National Hockey Card Day sets, but suffice it to say, the cards are VERY limited. If you are lucky enough to pull one, you should feel very special indeed. So be careful how you handle those packs, there may be a limited-edition autograph card inside! And to help make the event even more exciting, we have pulled out some of the biggest names ever to appear in the autograph checklist for fans in Canada and the US. Take a look:
Wayne Gretzky autographs debut in National Hockey Card Day packs for the first time ever! Look for signature cards of the Great One tomorrow!
2012 National Hockey Card Day Autograph Checklist Canada
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
P.K. Subban
Wayne Gretzky
Look for signatures of hockey icon Alex Ovechkin in packs of the National Hockey Card Day USA packs!
2012 National Hockey Card Day Autograph Checklist USA
Ryan Miller
Alex Ovechkin
Bobby Orr
Question: Where do I find a list of shops taking part?
Upper Deck: Click HERE to see the participating retailers in your area.
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