Archive for nfl
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% [?]
Ask UD: NHL Rookie Exchange Cards, Rookie Autos and SP Authentic Football
Posted by: | CommentsI have been working for Upper Deck with our Customer Care group for more than five years and actually managed a card shop prior to that. As the Manager of UD’s Customer Care division, I find it exciting to be on the front lines, working with our customers and hearing first-hand what your experience is like with our brands.
Nick Leslie (middle) poses with two UD collectors at Wrigley Field just prior to getting one of them to throw out the first pitch of the game.
Throughout the course of our workday, we often hear the same questions over and over again. Usually when one person has a question, they are not alone. Knowing that, we wanted to create a recurring column on the UD Blog which will answer those questions we are getting asked the most.
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions we are receiving in Customer Care right now:
Ask Upper Deck: Why are there rookie exchange cards? Can’t you just put the cards in the product?
Nick Leslie: “There is definitely a demand and interest in early season NHL trading card releases. Unfortunately the NHL has a rule that a manufacturer cannot produce a rookie card of a prospect until they actually skate in an official league game. This rule is a good one as it helps to make sure that the prospect is playing with the team so it is likely the player’s cards will have better value.
“The problem is that rookies really drive hockey card sales and if our early season products didn’t have a way for collectors to get new rookies, those products would be considered much less collectible. And our mantra here is all about making the most collectible products in the industry. So we came up with the idea of draft pick exchange cards where collectors receive a card for a future rookie that we determine after the season starts.
Adding draft pick redemptions to early season hockey products helps add value to those products.
“Now this creates a little excitement as collectors share ideas about which rookies will be called up and which cards will be redeemable for which players. Normally around the holidays we share a final checklist and get to work on producing these cards for collectors. This year we had two products that had these types of rookie exchange cards: Be-A-Player and Artifacts. We’re now hard at work on getting them produced and will get those mailed out to our loyal collectors upon completion!”
Ask Upper Deck: How can I find Upper Deck autograph cards of the top rookies like Taylor Hall, Tyler Seguin, P.K. Subban, Jeff Skinner and Jordan Eberle?
Nick Leslie: “The rookie class for 2010-11 NHL cards has been very strong and puck fans have definitely been looking to get autographs of these star players. Upper Deck is very excited to bring them directly to fans in a variety of ways.
This happy collector pulled a 2010-11 NHL Arifacts Autofacts card of Nazem Kadri.
“First there are cards available in products now on shelves where you can pull autographs of these stars. Here’s a breakdown:
2010-11 NHL Artifacts Autofacts inserts – Pull autographs of rookies like Eric Tangradi and P.K. Subban
2010-11 NHL Black Diamond Gemography inserts – Pull autographs of rookies like Tangradi, Subban, Nazem Kadri and Zach Hamill
2010-11 NHL O-Pee-Chee Signature inserts – Pull autographs of Tangradi, Kadri and Subban
2010-11 NHL SP Game-Used SIGnificance inserts – Pull autographs of Tangradi, Kadri, Subban, Jordan Eberle, Magnus Paajarvi, Jeff Skinner, Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin
Taylor Hall 2010-11 NHL SP Game-Used Significance cards are live in the market!
“As we reach the second half of the season there will be even more rookie autographs of these top talents in new Upper Deck sets so keep an eye out for them. There are some other places you can find rookie autographs from Upper Deck though. We produced Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin autograph cards for the Priority Signings set and those were distributed at the NHL Fall Expo.
These lucky collectors both pulled Tyler Seguin autographed Priority Signings cards at the NHL Fall Expo in Toronto.
“We had all the top rookies sign different promotional items like pucks, mini sticks and helmets at the 2010 NHL Rookie Showcase and Photo Shoot that we’ll be distributing through Facebook giveaways and in-shop promotions so look for those! If you are in Raleigh for the NHL All-Star Game next weekend, stop by the Upper Deck booth as we will have Jeff Skinner and Taylor Hall signing FREE autographs for loyal UD fans. Lastly, you may have heard about Upper Deck’s National Hockey Card Day coming up on Saturday, February 12. Well some lucky collectors may find an autograph of a top rookie in those packs too.”
Ask Upper Deck: When is SP Authentic Football coming out and why has there been delays?
Nick Leslie: “SP Authentic football will be released on February 15, 2011, and we are very excited to bring this product to market. One of our top priorities is eliminating the use of redemption cards wherever we can. In order so that we can secure more autographs in house for this release, we have delayed it a bit. We would rather apologize for delaying a product and have it be great, than put it out and apologize for the number of redemptions found within packs. We have several new elements to this set that are sure to make it one of the best football releases of the season. It should be a lot of fun to open.”
2010 SP Authentic Football is coming February 15!
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Brag Photo: New UDA Curve™ Displays Coming Soon
Posted by: | CommentsWhen the Upper Deck Curve™ Displays first hit the market, we knew we had stumbled upon an innovative new way to display signed memorabilia. Now we are taking that to the next level. The Upper Deck design team has been busy at work to come up with some new displays that really help show off memorabilia pieces like shoes, basketballs, footballs and helmets.
We have the first prototypes in today and people around the office were just drooling over how cool these displays are. The memorabilia pieces from LeBron James and Aaron Rodgers definitely “pop” when placed in these displays. Enjoy a sneak peek at some of these first images of the new Curve™ Displays, only from Upper Deck Authenticated.
Lambeau field looms in the background of this Aaron Rodgers signed helmet
A quote from Green Bay legend Vince Lombardi adds a unique element to this display
All of a sudden, it is more than just a signed basketball
A unique background like this takes an ordinary memorabilia piece to an entirely new level
The signed LeBron James shoes look amazing in the new UDA Curve Displays
Stay tuned for more details on these new Upper Deck Authenticated items! Oh, and it’s okay to go ahead and put these at the top of your Christmas list for next year now…
Popularity: 1% [?]
How Far Would You Go For an Autograph?
Posted by: | CommentsThe Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys share a rivalry that goes back decades. Even though the Cowboys have not had the best year, there was a lot of attention to the Sunday night game last evening where these two teams renewed that rivalry. The Cowboys held close, but ultimately it was Michael Vick and Philadelphia Eagles who prevailed.
Michael Vick has definitely shown his star power by being selected for the Pro-Bowl this season and putting his past behind him.
The odd point of the night came at the end of the game as both teams met in the center of the field. After suffering a tough loss at home to a rival, Tashard Choice of Dallas was caught on tape asking Michael Vick to autograph his glove.
After the game, he explained, “My little nephew is two-years-old, so I had to get one for him.” The tough part for Tashard will be explaining that to Jerry Jones this week. It’s certainly not surprising people would be interested in getting an autograph from Michael Vick as he has definitely shown he is back, but the timing here certainly seemed less than ideal to say the least.
It is amazing how far Michael Vick has come given all he has been through. At the 2009 National Sports Collectors Convention we saw former child actor Scotty Schwatz purchasing and destroying more than a few Michael Vick autograph lithographs because of his disdain for the football star. In a relatively short time however, it seems people are willing to forgive Vick for his troubled past (we’re fairly certain Scotty hasn’t forgiven him yet however).
It seems fans will go to great lengths to get an autograph from their favorite sports stars and doing so can be very difficult. Just take a look at this video of fans mobbing Michael Jordan while golfing.
As the leader in producing the world’s greatest memorabilia, Upper Deck Authenticated is pleased to bring authentic autographs of many of your favorite stars to sports fans around the world. So if you are looking to avoid a mob scene on a golf course, or an embarrassing situation on camera after a game, look no further than Upper Deck Authenticated to deliver the top sports stars to you and the sports fan in your life this holiday season.
Popularity: 1% [?]
Sent Packing by the Green Bay Packers
Posted by: | CommentsAn interesting topic came up at the Upper Deck offices earlier today. Since the big news was the Vikings firing of head coach Brad Childress, this discussion produced an interesting tidbit concerning the Green Bay Packers. As it turns out, this actually marks the second week in a row that the Packers have ended a coach’s tenure with his team. Green Bay ended the Wade Phillips saga in Dallas a week before they finished off Brad Childress. That’s quite the coach-killing resume considering both coaches were on thin ice but expected to finish out the season. Fans of teams with bad coaches should take note: a well placed knockout punch from the very strong Packers can help end your misery with a head coach you can’t stand.
Chill in the Air: Things were never warm and cozy between Brett Favre and Brad Childress. Never.
This revelation probably caused you, like everyone else, to look forward to the Packers’ next game and see if they can make it three in a row. Unfortunately they face the Atlanta Falcons, who are definitely not ready to let Mike Smith go no matter what the final score is this weekend. However, there are some more potential targets on the Packers’ schedule. In two weeks, the San Francisco 49ers (1-9 as of this writing) represent a prime target, especially after entering the season as divisional favorites. One week later the Packers get to feast on the perennial snake bit Detroit Lions, and their head coach Jim Schwartz is on the hot seat 24/7 simply by default. Even the New York Giants toward the end of the season could be a possibility should they continue to struggle. Players seem to dislike Tom Coughlin already, so a poor season culminating in a Packers blowout may be all it takes. Someone should really look this up, because the Packers may be on their way to setting an NFL record for most coaches to be forced out in a season.
Woe is Me: Phillips knew his days in Big D were numbered following the 'Boys 45-7 trouncing by the Packers.
But getting back to this coming weekend’s game, it’s a great barometer for how the NFC will shake out this year. No coaches will end up in the unemployment line over this game, but right now the Packers and Falcons are two of the top teams in the conference. In a year where most agree there are few truly elite teams and everyone is jockeying for the top spots, this game could go a long way toward sorting out who rules the NFC heading into the stretch run. Not only that, both teams have divisional opponents breathing down their necks. This is a huge game as the winner is on the fast track to a race for the NFC’s No. 1 playoff seed. The loser, meanwhile, may be fighting just to keep pace in its division with a playoff spot not even guaranteed. It’s the definition of a must-win game when your season outlook can be so different depending on whether a single game goes down as a win or loss. The Packers need it slightly more if only because the Falcons have one more victory and the Bears are neck-and-neck with Green Bay compared to the Saints being just behind the Falcons. However if I’m the Falcons this is no time to let up with the Saints offense slowly starting to find its groove. You have to shut the door when you can, and from that perspective I’d be more worried about leaving the door open for New Orleans than I would leaving it open for Chicago.
The key matchup has to be the passing game. Matt Ryan is going head-to-head against Aaron Rodgers in a battle of two young albeit very good quarterbacks. Then there’s Greg Jennings and Roddy White clashing for the right to be called the NFC’s best wideout. No doubt it will be a star-studded shootout. From that standpoint it’s hard not to give the edge to the Packers. The Green Bay pass rush has been deadly, and you have to expect Clay Matthews and company to knock Ryan around at least a few times in this game. In the secondary, veteran Charles Woodson has the ability to keep White in check. Of course keeping White in check means holding him to 70-80 yards and one TD, but that’s where the Green Bay offense comes in. The Falcons rank a measly 24th in the NFL against the pass, and if Donald Driver is healthy the passing game should be going full out. The Falcons will still get their points, but they won’t be enough to keep pace with a Packers offense that should be in line for a big game. My gut says the Packers prevail in a close, high-scoring affair; something along the lines of 38-31.
Either way, both teams are very good. The losing team will have to work a lot harder to finish out the regular season, but really both teams are looking like locks for a playoff spot. Even if the Bears or Saints win one of these divisional battles, both the Packers and Falcons should be right there for a Wild Card spot. Confidence is what will really be on the line Sunday. One team is going to come out of this game with a lot of swagger, and they will truly be feeling like the best squad in the NFC. Get full on that Thanksgiving turkey and enjoy the Thursday NFL action, but the real feast will be on Sunday. The Packers-Falcons clash for the main course sounds good to me!
Popularity: 1% [?]
