Upper Deck SP Game Used 09 /10: Collection

For a period of time I picked up a solitary pack of Upper Deck SP Game Used (spgu) alongside multiple packs of a cheaper product. I did this because I knew that the SPGU guaranteed at least one hit per pack, which is something the cheaper product could not boast. SPGU has a high-end price tag, where each pack runs between $20 and $30 and the average hit is a jersey of some sort. In all I believe I picked up 6 packs and managed to find a box or case break in each pack, which are incredible odds and is why I picked up as many packs as I did.

The 09 /10 season was the first time I had picked up packs of SPGU and it might be my last as well. This is because the 09 /10 season has the sharpest designs I have ever seen come from the product's line and has the highest ratio of great hits. I've not known previous or later years of SPGU to release so many great hits but I suppose the ratio of hits might have been my uncanny luck and not due to the manufacturer. The other reason I am not inclined to buy into this product again is because it has a high price tag that only guarantees you a jersey card. The regular jersey card is not numbered and honestly not all that special in comparison to the jersey cards you automatically receive from a box of regular series 1 or 2 UD, which costs only slightly more than two packs of SPGU. For this price tag I'd be better off purchasing a middle-range priced box or saving for a pack of Ultimate or whatnot.

What I pulled:

Base: The base cards are not serial numbered but do have a great design. The lettering and team logos are embossed in silver foil and make the cards look very attractive. The image of the hockey players are silhouetted against a mostly white with limited geometric patterned background. The pattern also has a texture similar to cloth, with stitching going over the top margin of the design. This design is great because it ties the base set into what the SPGU is all about: jersey cards.

Base Card Parallel: I believe that one parallel of either a jersey, rookie, or base card was inserted into each box. I pulled one parallel of a Drew Doughty base card numbered 100 out of a 100. It is a very nice looking card that has the same design as the regular base set except that the foil and bottom of the card is gold colored. My only complaint is that the serial number is part of a sticker. I much prefer it when serial numbers are stamped onto the card as it seems less like an afterthought or a lazy method to serial number a card.

Rookies: SPGU is not known for its highly collectible rookie cards. These tend to be listed in the Beckets for almost half the value of products with half the retail values; for example Ice has twice the value of SPGU rookies and SPGU rookies are roughly on par with regular UD rookies. Despite the lack of collectability, the 09/10 SPGU rookies have a nice design to them. The fronts sport a silhouetted photo of the player in question alongside a serial number out of 699 at the top of the card and the back of the card has a small bio and stat listing. Overall a nice looking rookie card. I can't say I pulled any big names from the packs but I am still happy with what I did pull because of the sharp design.

Jersey: I pulled one regular Authentic Fabrics jersey card of J.P. Dumont. The card does not have a serial number and features a medium sized square swatch of his jersey. This is roughly the size of jersey swatch found in the UD Ice product. Overall it is a nice design, but with a high price tag each memorabilia card should be serial numbered.

I also pulled three parallel Authentic Fabrics jersey cards, which do have serial numbers. Like the base parallel, these are serial numbered out of 100 and have the same overall design as the regular Authentic Fabrics except for the addition of some gold coloring. Of the parallel jerseys I pulled a Jay Bouwmeester (awesome card since I live in Calgary) and two Steven Stamkos jerseys. I'm still a little stunned I managed to pull two Stamkos parallel jerseys due to their rarity, and have a hard time parting with the duplicate since he's a big name and the cards look so damn nice!

Patch Time!: There is a chance to pull a patch per box, and I pulled a doozey! This was a Dual Athentic Fabrics patch numbered 24/25 of Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin. This was my second Malkin patch (first is from Ultimate 07/08) but the first Ovechkin memorabilia! The patches are slightly smaller than the jerseys from the regular Authentic Fabrics cards but the patches themselves are really nice and easily make up for the smallish size. The Ovechkin patch features 8 breaks and 4 colors, while the Malkin patch has two breaks and two colors.

Significant Numbers: Continuing with the theme of Evgeni Malkin, I also pulled one Significant Numbers of Evgeni Malkin that features a swatch of his jersey (black) shaped into his jersey number that is accented by a sticker auto below it. While a hard auto would have been nicer, the auto is signed in blue and the combo material and auto make the card a real prize! Also is that the card is limited to his jersey number, meaning this card is serial numbered 19 out of 71! Terrific looking card.

The final hit from SPGU was not actually pulled from a pack. Instead this was sent to me by UD because they had lost one of my redemption cards. I don't recall exactly who the player was, but I do remember that it was not a big name player. So in apology for the delay (it took about a year) and for them loosing the card, they sent me a Dale Hawerchuk Marks of a Nation autographed patch card numbered out of 6! This is an absolutely amazing card and really made me think highly of UD. These limited marks of a Nation cards were inserted roughly 1 per case of SPGU, and each player's card was limited to the number of letters found in their home country's name. These were in celebration of the Olympics and featured prominent players both past and present from across the world who have played in the NHL. For Mr. Hawerchuk I received number 1 of 6, meaning I got the letter C. Along the side of the C is his autograph signed in metallic silver. Absolutely great card.

The 09 /10 SPGU product is filled with massive hits. The overall look of the cards, from base to jersey designs are all spot on and have great details (like the stitching I had mentioned). The hits feature A list players and I managed to pull quite a few case and box break hits. While the price tag is prohibitive, and the previous and later years products of SPGU were not as strong, I would still recomend picking up a pack or two of the 09 /10 line. In all the SPGU 09 /10 product is sweet and delicious pickle with many surprises!

Ultimate 06 /07: 1 pack

A long time ago I picked up a pack of Ultimate 06 /07. This is a middle of the road priced series of hockey cards from UD that has the same price point as a box of cards, but instead you receive 1 pack. Although it is only one pack, you are guaranteed at least 2 hits, plus a rookie card, that in some ways is the equivalent of the hits you would receive in a box of equally priced cards. Overall this can be a hit or miss product but for whatever reason I have had some good luck with this product as I have purchased in sum 1 pack of 06 /07, 1 pack of 08/09, and 2 packs of 10/11 Ultimate; I have no idea why I only purchase the product once every two years. As the 10/11 product recently came out, I felt I would post what I received in my previous packs before delving into what I got from the most recent product.

What I got:

Base: The base cards have a very elegant design with the hockey player removed from his original context and slapped onto a background with geometric and organic designs. The designs have a muted color scheme that allows the player's picture to be brought to focus, with parts of the player (hand & foot in this case), bleeding off the edges. Here I pulled a Wayne Gretzky wearing his Oilers jersey, which is perhaps the best base card you could possibly pull. The card is numbered out of 699, which isn't a bad print run for a base set. The weird thing about this card is that Gretzky's stats on the back of the card do not feature his years with the Oilers but instead his final years with the Kings to Rangers. Odd to say the least. Despite this, it is a great looking card.

Rookies: Here I pulled a Ryan Shannon rookie numbered out of 699. Again, not a bad print run as it does not feature an auto or jersey element to the card. The background differs a little too dramatically from the base set as it is very dark with a blah looking beige color and some slapped on gold colored foil along the lateral margins. Not a great player on a very blah looking card. This is probably the weakest element to the 06/07 product.

Autograph: I pulled an Ultimate Signatures of Jordan Staal that is not serial numbered. I feel that every card from a one pack product like Ultimate should always be serial numbered, so this is definitely a strike against Ultimate. This was Staal's rookie year, so pulling his auto dramatically improves this pack's excitement level. The background and overall design is dark like the rookie discussed above, but the auto is big and placed over a white with grey elements background. This allows for the auto (signed in blue) really stand out.

Patch: The leading card from the pack was a Evgeni Malkin Ultimate Patch numbered out of 75. This is a really stellar card as this was Malkin's rookie year. The patch is quite nice with two breaks and two colors, although the patch is incredibly small and should be much larger for a product such as this. The major downside to this card is that one of the corners is scuffed from the manufacturing process. High-end product like this (even with a middle-range price tag) should have high manufacturing standards. I understand a low-end product like O-Pee-Chee having some defect and error cards, but you should never find such a card when the product has only one pack per box. Great card but aggrivating that it has a defect.

Overall the Ultimate 06 /07 product is a nice looking set, with some strikes of dark looking backgrounds and small windows for patches. I pulled some excellent names from my pack, but the defect left me wanting more.