When I tell people I work for Upper Deck the first thing they ask me about is baseball cards and usually the 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card. Upper Deck and baseball go together like mustard on hot dogs. So it has been disappointing for so many here at our corporate headquarters that licensing changes have greatly hindered Upper Deck’s ability to put out new baseball products. We have had some successes however like 2011 SP Legendary Cuts Baseball which was a product that consisted almost entirely of imageless cards, but we were able to come up with compelling designs to make it work.
We have a very passionate group of creators just busting at the seams to produce new baseball releases and when we first shared the idea of 2012 SP Signature Edition Baseball with a small group of distributors and shops, we received a favorable response. With autographs from 50 Hall-of-Fame players (including some who are now deceased) and a bevy of current stars and prospects, we believed we could build a checklist with a lot of fire-power for collectors. And with ZERO redemptions in the product, we knew we were coming up with something collectors would appreciate. Unfortunately we were not able to promote the product before release, but take a listen to Upper Deck’s product manager Grant Sandground as he shares what it took to bring this set to market and why 2012 SP Signature Edition Baseball provides an exciting pack opening experience.
The folks at Beckett recently had their opportunity to get a chance to check out 2012 SP Signature Edition Baseball as well. Take a listen to what they thought and what they pulled:
And there have been some pretty significant cards pulled from the product giving collectors a reason to smile.
We frequently hear at shows that fans miss seeing new Upper Deck baseball products and we have seen many going back to older releases just to get the value and content they miss. Additionally, we have also seen independently created groups like this one on Facebook who are rallying to see Upper Deck back in baseball. We appreciate that a strong fan base for Upper Deck’s baseball products still exist and to thank fans for their support and to give them a chance to experience the first stand-alone baseball release in over a year.
We want to give you a chance to open a pack of 2012 SP Signature Edition Baseball and try it out for yourself for FREE! All you need to do to participate is to review the short print checklist from the set and share in the comment section below which baseball player is your favorite in the set and why you would love to pull an autograph card of them in three sentences or less. We will give out twelve (12) packs to fans who most skillfully submit a compelling comment by 2:00 p.m. on Friday, July 13. We are using most of our sample packs with collectors here for this product as we truly want the fans to experience 2012 SP Signature Edition Baseball for themselves!
For those who score a free pack, let us know how you do on the Upper Deck Facebook page or on Twitter!
361 Comments
Even though I am an Indians fan first, I would be absolutely ecstatic to pull an autograph of my favorite player, Randy Johnson. Growing up as a kid in the 90s, Randy was by far the best pitcher in the league to me, between his huge height, powerful fastball, intimidating looks (and of course the wonderful 90s hair). While I might be able to save up and buy an autograph of his individually, pulling one from a pack would be by far my favorite pull ever.
Sandy Koufax is my favorite player in the set and I would love to pull him becaus he is a legend and his autographs are scarce.
I would be thoroughly excited for the chance to pull an Avila/Castellanos/Turner triple auto. All three will have a HUGE impact on the future of the great Detroit Tigers organization and a card like that would look great on the shelf at home!
Matt Wieters.
Been waiting forever for more of his cards to drop!
While I would love to pull a Nolan Ryan (always), I think I’d rather have a Jeff Bagwell. He signs so rarely anymore that it’d make me giddy to pull something of his.
Although that said? I would have loved a Biggio/Bagwell dual.
Randy ‘The Big Unit’ Johnson
Id love to pull an autographed card of fireballer Randy Johnson. I was a lifelong Montreal Expos fan and when he pitched for us it was almost a guaranteed win. The card is from Seattle but thats cool he will always be an Expos to me..
Growing up in the Midwest, people always wonder how I became a Rangers fan living in southeast iowa. One vacation, we went to texas and my first game was the rangers vs the bluejays where I instantly became a rangers fan. Still chasing after a nolan Ryan and a josh Hamilton autograph which would mean a lot from a guy who grew up a rangers fan in iowa.
jeter because im a long time yankee fan
For me its Derek Jeter…UD spokesman and the best..I said …the best shortstop to ever play the game. He is a tremendous player, incredible athlete, and a champion.
When I was a small boy growing up in New Jersey, I needed to pick a team to root for, and although most of my friends picked the Yankees or Mets, I just loved watching Mike Schmidt play the game, and became a lifelong Phillies fan. I used to drive with my father to games in Philly, and even though he passed away over 10 years ago, I always think of him when I watch the Phillies play. Michael Jack Schmidt epitomized everything right with baseball.
I would love to pull a Danny Espinosa autograph. A few years back when he was playing in the Cape Cod Baseball League for the Chatham A’s, I talked to him for a good long while about everything baseball. It was really cool to see him get drafted and now starting for the Nationals. It was especially great to see him take Cliff Lee yard twice in a game last year! It would be really special to pull an autograph of his from this set.
My favorite card by far is in Group E- 1:1.5 packs CHW-2 Frank Thomas “BIG HURT” BABY. First baseball player I ever liked, only one I still super collect. Go White Sox
Locally we have a minor league team the Princeton Rays and the two most important people who have came out of the team here was the outfield duo of Carl Crawford and Josh Hamilton. Those two were the best out fielders Princeton has had and Josh would sign for all the fans and wouldn’t complain. But i own zero autos of Josh Hamilton and pulling one from a pack would be the highlight of my year!
I’d love to pull a Ron Santo autograph so I could give it to a huge Cubs/Santo fan who’s a friend of mine. With Santo now no longer with us, it would mean a lot to her. I’d enjoy giving away a great gift much more than keeping a personal favorite card for myself.
Gary Carter is by far what I would like to pull the most. I always enjoyed watching him play and after meeting him as a child have never stopped collecting items revolving around him.
It has to be Derek Jeter. He’s the consummate professional, and has been the cornerstone of the greatest franchise in American sports for fifteen years. I’m a casual collector, so a Jeter autograph would likewise be the cornerstone of my collection.
Growing up in Canada we didn’t watch a lot of baseball but that being said Nolan Ryan was always a huge favourite of mine. He was just dominating on the mound and pulled me in to watch baseball and got me into collecting baseball cards as I wanted to see if I could get some amazing Nolan Ryan cards. Would be an awesome card to add to my collection to pull an autograph.
I grew up watching the Atlanta Braves with my Dad. I remember cheering for Glavine, Maddux and Chipper Jones with him. Out of the checklist I saw, I would love to get a Chipper Jones Auto the most and that would probably be one of the best cards I have in my collection.
I would love to get a Joe Carter Auto for sure! I remember when I was 11 years old sitting in front of the TV with my Grandpa (Passed away last year), watching Joe hit that Bottom of the 9th 3 Run homerun off Mitch Williams to win the World Series. GO JAYS GO!
I would love to pull a Brett Lawrie card of any kind because I believe it would kindle a new collection of baseball cards along with my collection of hockey.
I would love to pull a boyhood idol of mine, will the thrill Clark, cause he’s a great all around mans man and ima long time giants fan since diapers. It may be short and sweet but the auto product looks great and there’s a bunch stuff I wouldn’t mind pulling! Thanks for opportunity!
As a baseball fan in general, I really enjoy watching the game. I’ve had the opportunity to visit multiple parks in the midwest area where I am from, and by far the college world series in Omaha is the best. Not many baseball fans had the opportunity to visit, let one know about, rosenblatt stadium which is dissapointing because the baseball experience was by far the best. In 2010, the last year at rosenblatt, Trevor Bauer made a name for himself. I would love to receive a Trevor Bauer card because I had the opportunity to watch him play the game before he made his diamondbacks debut and it would really mean alot to me.
Long time Mets fan, the 86 world series team was great. Not much Dykstra stuff out there would be cool to pull one of him. The whole checklist of players is great.
Sandy Koufax was one of those players my Dad used to go on and on about. Since my father was the type of guy who would give me the last $5 in his pocket to get me a pack of cards, I think it would be fitting to pull an auto of one of his all time favorites. He would probably just look down at me, shake his head and say ” Eh, it’s no Jackie Robinson…” 🙂
Bo Jackson – is one that I’d like to pull, as a child of the early ninety’s Bo played in two major sports leagues; football and baseball. Bo Knows…
The card that i would love to pull out would be the Bryce Harper/Stephen Strasburg dual auto. Watching these kids do the things they do at there age still amazes me because i can’t believe how young they are.Both of them have cannons built right on there hands and Harper’s range on the field “WOW”, They are gonna be legit all stars for a long time.
When I was 6 years old I saw a rookie card with a kid on it named Ken Griffey Jr. With that beautiful sweet swing that noone could ever match I started collecting baseball cards and tried to collect as many Griffeys as I could over the years as I grew up watching him play. That special card revolutionized the sports card industry and there will never be anything like it ever again.
MIL-3 Geoff Jenkins – First saw Geoff play with the 1994 US National team when they trained in Millington TN and was a big fan. Followed him throughout the minors and became a Brewers fan when he hit Milwaukee. I think I voted a hundred times for him on the All Star Game Final Vote in 2003 and despite not being a Phillies fan, was thrilled to see him finally pick up a ring in 2008!
I live in Pittsburgh and havent seen a winning team here since I was 13, with this years team it gives me hope that they can finally catch up with the penguins and steelers. Id be thrilled to pull an auto of the pirates or of my fav player Josh Hamilton. This years pirates team along with Josh has renewed my love of baseball.
From the SP list I’d have to with Lou Brock. I’ve met him on numerous occasions and he has been a class act every time. I was very disappointed in this product, but I do have to give you Kudos formthe giveaway.
I honestly don’t even know how to narrow it down to one player. I looked at the checklist, and there are way to many great names to pick just one. I would love to pull an Ernie Banks, or Ron Santo. I am a huge Cubs fan, but I would absolutely love to pull a Jim Thome. He is one of my all time favorite players. He plays the game the right way, and is a great guy. Fantastic job on the product Upper Deck. Welcome back to baseball!!!!
David Eckstein. I am a season ticket holder of the Lowell Spinners and Eckstein was the first former Spinner to really make a mark on the majors (even though it was as an Angel and not a Red Sox). Was so happy for him to win a WS ring in LA. He was one of the hardest working grittiest players I have ever seen.
I would love to pull an autograph of the Bryce Harper/Stephen Strasburg card. Talk about two future greats that would make my collection priceless. It is a card like that which makes collecting one of the most fun hobbies to take up.
My favorite player in the set is Nolan Ryan. My younger brother is named after him and my three brothers and I have tried to get as many Nolan Ryan cards as we can and to this date we have never been able to pull an autographed card of him. This would definitely have to be the coolest pull ever if I was to pull our first Nolan Ryan autographed card out of this pack!
Easy choice. As a Jays fan I have wanted to add an auto of Joe Carter since the ’93 World Series. Adding the TOR-2 Joe Carter card to the PC would be a dream come true. Who wouldn’t want a Carter auto (except maybe the Wild Thing).
I am a huge, huge tigers fan. I was browsing the checklist and this caught my eyes: (Alex Avila/Nick Castellanos/Jacob Turner) I would go crazy to get autographs of these young talents, but choosing just one guy, an all time pull i would foam at the mouth for would be Tigers Legend Al Kaline. The checklist is just superb, I cannot wait to get my hands on these.
Just so you know a little bit about me, I am a huge Chicago Cubs fan living in Milwaukee, WI. The card I would most love to pull from this product would be a Ron Santo. My grandpa was a die hard Cubs fan and always loved watching him and listening to him on the radio throughout his life. My grandpa has passed away, but I will forever hold onto and cherish the memories of Cubs baseball in his living room down in Illinois. He and Ron Santo are a huge part of why I am a Cubs fan today, and why I will be one until the day I die.
iam a big red sox fan i have been since i was born since i heard my dads cousin works for the new england teams any one on the soxs i love and collect
Ernie Banks is and was the consummate professional. The fact that the odds are so good to pull someone of his caliber is nice. They stopped making players like him a long time ago. Class act the whole way.
My favorite player in the set is Cal Ripken, Jr. and to pull an autograph of him would be very fulfilling because he was so dedicated in his 21 seasons. It was similar to how Michael Jordan came back and played at an older age, not because of what people would say about him, but despite it. I enjoy the products like these with no redemptions because even years later, you can bust them worry free.
Gary Carter….I was drafted by the Mets on my first little league team, caught, wore #8, and even copied his stance!!! 27 years later, I still root for the Mets and ” The Kid” has always been my favorite player (RIP)!!!!!!!!
I would love to pull a Carp auto. He gave the Cardinals his heart and soul in last years playoff run, while costing himself his 2012 season. He was amazing to watch and I wish he would get more respect in the baseball world than what he does.
I remember my youth being full of sitting down in front of the TV with my Dad to watch Maddux, Glavine, McGriff, Jones (Chipper and Andruw), and many many others. One year, I had saved up all my money to go out to the card shop and I bought every single Braves card I could with what I had to give to my Dad that year for his Birthday and he still has all those cards. Out of the checklist, I would be the most happy with any of the Braves in the set, but more specifically Chipper Jones and that would probably be one of the better items in my collection.
Set looks great and boy do I miss collecting. Its tough these days to collect since theres not any extra money to spend on hobby products. Anyway, love the fact that Jose Canseco is in the set. I followed him for many years and collected most of his base cards. Sad to say though that I don’t own a game used or an autographed card of Jose. If I win a pack I will be grateful. Thank you Upper Deck for giving me a chance to win a pack of 2012 SP Signature.
As a Polish Red Sox fan, I’d love to pull the Carl Yastrzemski. It would remind me of a better time when players actually spent their entire career with one team and didn’t chase the almighty dollar from team to team.
For me it has to be Ken Griffey Jr. i met him in seattle at a mariners game it was my first game as a fan and i was eight .all i got to say was hi but he was an awesome guy i never got an autograph though. my dad had a ton of mariners autos except for Ken’s i would proablly give it to him thanks UD.
Joe Carter! Being a 10-yo baseball player with my dad halfway across the country, Blue Jays baseball brought us together. I still remember his home run off Mitch ‘Wild Thing’ Williams to win the series (a well-inside inside pitch clobbered to left field) and the announcer proclaiming: “Well hit down the left field line, way back annnnd GONE!” The only thing better than jumping all over the house screaming was the phone call I received, not more than 30 seconds later, from my dad.
I would love to pull a bryce harper. Even though all the hall of famers in the set are great. I would prefer to pull a great future hall of famer.
I would say that the checklist for this set looks like it offers plenty of bang for the buck. I myself plan on purchasing a box or two if my LCS is able to get any. I would like most to pull a Nolan Ryan autograph. As a little league pitcher I always wanted to be like Nolan. I remember being a child and being more into football than anything and seeing Nolan Ryan kick the crud out of robin ventura and thinking to myself, maybe these guys are pretty tough afterall. I gained immediate respect for Nolan and followed him for the rest of his career and even now as an owner of the Rangers. GO RANGERS!!!
Bo knows…. Was thinking about Bo Jackson with all of the AllStar activities going on this week. What could have been? I was glad to see his name on your redemption list. He played an epic all star game back in the day and I thought he was well on his way to both the football and baseball Hof. I wish more athletes played with his intensity and heart these days…
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