If you’re a baseball fan, it’s hard to top the premium cards offered in Upper Deck’s 2009 Sweet Spot Baseball. When collectors think of the set, the iconic autograph on a real baseball sweet spot card comes immediately to mind.

This year’s 2009 Sweet Spot Baseball has been another hit, carrying on the set’s tradition of success.  Rookie cards for players like David Price and Matt Weiters are definitely high in demand with collectors. But, the cards that a lot of collectors get really gung-ho about are the “Sweet Spot Signatures” of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James! But before we get too caught up in this year’s Sweet Spot, let’s take a look back to where it all began for this brand.

Sweet Spot first jumped onto the scene in 2001, and was a smash right off the bat. Even Sweet Spot’s debut featured “Sweet Beginnings” rookie cards and “Sweet Spot Signatures.” Also featured in the set of Sweet Spot Baseball were a lot of premium game-used jersey and bat memorabilia cards, which were just starting out back then. You could pull Hall-of-Famers, too, adding even more value to the new set’s debut. The rise of Sweet Spot Classics was in 2002, with more Hall-of-Famers and retired star content.

It wasn’t until 2007 that Upper Deck changed Sweet Spot’s box dynamics. It used to be 12 packs per box, but with 2007 they decided to make it a loaded pack. They did this for 2007 Sweet Spot Signatures and Sweet Spot Classics. This new way to package the boxes allowed collectors buy more Sweet Spot because of the affordable price and the cool, collectible tin.

But Sweet Spot hasn’t only been a product just catering to baseball collectors. Also in 2001 (the year Sweet Spot Baseball debuted), Sweet Shot Basketball came on the scene with similar signature cards like the baseball version offered. Following these releases, Sweet Spot Football emerged. The autographs in Sweet Spot Football were featured on what looked like a part of a football. Lastly, Sweet Shot Hockey came to life during the 2006-07 season. Even though that NHL set was only around two years, collectors enjoyed the unique autographs on top of puck and hockey stick surfaces. Unfortunately, all Sweet Spot products, except baseball, ended after the 2007 season.

This year’s Sweet Spot Baseball takes on the same dynamics as 2008 Sweet Spot, with six packs per box and a “hit” in every pack. You also can find one “Sweet Spot Signature” card in every box. If you are lucky, you may even find a “Sweet Spot Classics” card with an autograph or jersey piece of a Hall-of-Famer or retired star. Because Sweet Spot has so many big names in the set, you’re hard pressed to find a bad autograph in a pack.

Another fun reason to collect Sweet Spot is all the autographed parallels. There are so many different types of “Sweet Spot Signature” autographs, many of them very low numbered. I personally love getting cards with gold ink autographs or blue and red stitching.

Sweet Spot patch cards have always been a favorite, and they are back again! You can even pull dual patches of some of the hottest stars, past and present. Another awesome feature in this year’s rendition is the Upper Deck 20th Anniversary memorabilia cards commemorating history from the past 20 years. All of these reasons and more are why collectors worldwide continue to collect and buy boxes and cases of the Sweet Spot brand. It is, and forever will be, one of the most interesting and innovative sets in Upper Deck baseball card history.

Richie Sliwinski, 14, is a young card collector who enjoys playing, watching, and talking about sports, hanging out with friends, going on the computer . . . and of course, collecting cards! He has been featured in Beckett Sports Card Monthly, Sports Illustrated for Kids, and was a kid blogger for Upper Deck Kids.