Upper Deck Launches 2010-11 SP Authentic Basketball Set!

Company’s premium brand delivers enhanced content this year

including Michael Jordan UNC ‘Supreme Court’ floor cards!



Carlsbad, CA (May 4, 2011) – With the basketball playoffs well underway and all eyes focused on the hardwood, Upper Deck is excited to announce the release of its latest hoops offering: 2010-11 SP Authentic Basketball. A robust base set consisting of 100 cards, SP Authentic Basketball boasts an outstanding array of superstar talent that will keep basketball collectors coming back for more.



“Every year we try to up the ante with our most sought-after content inside SP Authentic Basketball,” said Brandon Miller, Upper Deck’s Basketball brand manager. “This season we scored with our top-notch lineup of hard-signed ‘By the Letter’ autographs and ‘Chirography’ and ‘Sign of the Times’ autograph cards. Additionally, we’re delivering the largest Michael Jordan University of North Carolina floor trading cards that we’ve ever produced. Collectors are going to go nuts for the Jordan floor cards, especially the short-printed versions and the autograph parallels.”



Based on Upper Deck’s longtime relationship with exclusive basketball spokesman Michael Jordan, the company was able to utilize the actual basketball floor at Carmichael Arena upon which MJ played his three seasons at UNC. The large 1.5” by 2” floor pieces have been placed in specially designed “Supreme Court” floor cards which show Jordan during his days as a Tar Heel. What’s more, Jordan has signed some very rare parallels of the cards (numbered to five each) which should really get people cracking packs in search of these limited-edition gems.



Showcasing the biggest names in college basketball history, SP Authentic features incredible box breaks and compelling content in every pack. Each box, on average, will yield either two “SP By the Letter” autograph cards from top rookies, veterans and/or retirees or one “SP By the Letter” signed card, one additional autographed card (single-, dual-, triple- or quad-signed) and one MJ “Supreme Court” floor card!



But wait; there’s more! In addition to the previously mentioned finds, collectors will uncover classic Holo F/X hologram inserts falling at a rate of 1:6 packs with rare die-cut versions sprinkled throughout the product. And the autograph card lineup is second to none. Even former high school standout LeBron James (St. Vincent-St. Mary), another exclusive autograph signer for Upper Deck, has participated with a bevy of autograph cards throughout the product. Some of the biggest names in the history of basketball comprise the multi-tiered “Sign of the Times” collection including Julius Erving (Massachusetts), Magic Johnson (Michigan State), Larry Bird (Indiana State), Jerry West (West Virginia), Anfernee Hardaway (Memphis), Bill Walton (UCLA), Danny Manning (Kansas) and John Havlicek (Ohio State). The “Chirography” signed cards are just as enticing as superstars like Alonzo Mourning (Georgetown), Christian Laettner (Duke), Derrick Rose (Memphis), Larry Johnson (UNLV), John Stockton (Gonzaga) and Michael Jordan (UNC) top the list.



Finally, the coveted SP “By the Letter” hard-signed cards feature letter patches that spell out the featured player’s last name. For instance, try your luck at finding seven autographs from Bill Russell spelling out “R-U-S-S-E-L-L” or Dr. J’s “E-R-V-I-N-G.”



Upper Deck’s 2010-11 SP Authentic Basketball set boast five cards per pack, 24 packs per box, and is available on store shelves now.

TOPPS FOOTBALL HTA JUMBO BOXES GET HUGE ADDITION!

Topps announces it has made a significant addition to the HTA Jumbo boxes for 2011 Topps Football (releasing late July). Instead of the solicited 2 Autographs and 1 Relic per HTA box, each box will now guarantee 2 Autographs and 1 ROOKIE PATCH RELIC!

Upper Deck Launches 2010-11 SP Authentic Hockey Set!

Latest release yields three autograph cards in every box. Signed ‘Future Watch’ rookie cards lead the way



Carlsbad, CA (May 2, 2011) – With the Stanley Cup playoffs in full swing, and the Boston Bruins hoping to exact revenge on the Philadelphia Flyers in their Eastern Conference semifinal matchup, the Upper Deck Company is happy to add to the excitement with the release of its 2010-11 SP Authentic Hockey product. A newly expanded 150-card base set with outstanding subsets and inserts including “Future Watch” autographed rookie cards numbered to 999, SP Authentic Hockey surely will light the lamp for NHL fanatics and collectors across North America.



“Every year, when you’re looking for the best autographed rookie cards n the marketplace, you look to SP Authentic Hockey,” said Josh Zusman, Upper Deck’s Hockey brand manager. “This year’s lineup is top-notch with names like Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Tyler Seguin, P.K. Subban, Brayden Schenn and Jeff Skinner so there’s no doubt that there will be some serious pack-cracking inside every box.”



Besides boasting the best of the best when it comes to rookie standouts, SP Authentic Hockey also holds some of the biggest names the sport of hockey has ever produced. Autographed cards from NHL legends like Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr and Gordie Howe are only available through Upper Deck and each of the terrific threesome has signed cards appearing inside both the “Immortal Inks” and “Sign of the Times” inserts.



Incredible only begins to describe the number of autographed cards found in SP Authentic Hockey. The multi-tiered “Sign of the Times” collection kicks things off with a single-signed version that has tremendous heritage. Besides the aforementioned Hall of Famers, “Sign of the Times” sports signature cards from current superstars including Sidney Crosby, Carey Price, Jarome Iginla, Dany Heatley, Evander Kane, Joe Thornton and Marian Hossa as well. The Sign of the Times lineup then parlays to “Duals” sporting combos like Martin Brodeur/Henrik Lundqvist, Matt Duchene/Brandon Yip and Mario Lemieux/Evgeni Malkin.



The “Prestigious Pairings” autographed card lineup, with each combo numbered to 50, features some of the most impressive pairings in hockey history including Bobby Hull/Stan Mikita (Blackhawks), Bobby Clarke/Mike Richards (Flyers), Mark Messier/Wayne Gretzky (Oilers), Patrick Roy/Ray Bourque (Avalanche) and Bobby Orr/Phil Esposito (Bruins).



When it comes to SP Authentic Hockey, the sought-after inserts do not end with autographed cards alone. The autographed “Future Watch Patch” cards (numbered to 100) come complete with an actual patch from the featured rookie’s jersey. Similarly, regular card limited autographed patch parallel cards – Level 1, numbered to 100 and Level 2, numbered to 25 – sport some of the greatest names in hockey like Ray Bourque, Guy Lafleur, Luc Robitaille and Mark Messier.



Upper Deck’s 2010-11 SP Authentic Hockey set boast five cards per pack, 24 packs per box, and is available on store shelves now.