I don’t make it a habit to purchase “high end” product. Not because I’m an anti-elitest, but because
I’m poor. Well, not poor poor, but not exactly rolling in the dough. So I stick to base sets, with the occasional dalliance
into mid-tier products like Heritage.
However, today I decided to turn some of my hard-earned overtime into
new cardboard. So I wandered down to my
LCS and picked up a mini box of 2013-14 Upper Deck Trilogy (or Trilo3y as Upper
Deck has it branded) from John.
For those not in the know, a mini-box contains 3 packs of 5
cards each and is priced right around the same amount that a box of Series I is
going to go for. So 15 cards for the
price of about 200. So yeah, not exactly
in my collecting wheelhouse. But I was jonesing for some new hockey cards and
this was the first release of the year.
I’m not sure what other folks look for when they buy
higher-end product, but I was hoping either for a card that I can make some of
money back or a super cool card of a player or team I collect. The ultimate would be to get one of each, of
course. I will say one of those three outcomes
happen. But first, what about the cards?
Base:
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| If this was 1982 I would scratch out "Bruins" and write "Stars" |
Clean cut, white backgrounds that Upper Deck normally uses
for SP Authentic make for a nice looking card. Two diagonal lines do a nice job
of framing the player on the card. Now,
I’m not sure why the designers needed to add concentric circles behind the
player, unless it’s some sort of Illumanti thing (alert Jay Z).
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| Cooper appreciates the product placement. |
The checklist mixes in current players with retired stars
from the past. It doesn’t appear that they’re airbrushing free agents or traded
players onto their new teams (Tyler Seguin is still a Bruin),but that could
also be a result of the release date being so close to free agent frenzy.
Inserts:
Each mini box averages 1 signed rookie card. My three packs
produced two autographs and a triple-player patch. So it’s nice that you get something for your
money. Maybe not enough to flip for a
profit, but anyone busting this product will add some nice cards to their trade
bait.
First up:
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Base autograph of Islanders rookie Thomas Hickey. The former
Kings draft pick was signed off of waivers by the Islanders in January of 2013
and scored one goal in the shortened season. Technically, based on the numbering scheme these rookie cards are part of the base set. I'm not a huge fan of sets that do this. I'm sure most set collectors agree.
This particular card was numbered
to 699 and is considered a Level 1 card.
Each rookie also has a Level 2 (numbered to 399) and Level 3 (numbered
to 49).
For Lightning fans, there is only rookie in the set and he’s
not with the team any longer – Cory Conacher. I would have gone with Alex
Killorn, but once again they didn’t ask my opinion.
Second Hit:
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| Jersey Swatches from a rookie photo shoot. At least UD is honest! |
Three Star Spotlight National Trios – Swedish Rookies Viktor
Fasth, Jonas Brodin and Rickard Rackell. Who are three people who have never
been in my kitchen? Not the greatest card for me, but it’s actually a cool card
with a little color to it. There is
another version, Three Star Spotlight Past, Present and Future which highlights
one organization instead of one country.
The Big Hit:
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| Congratulations Ben Bishop on becoming the number one goalie in Tampa. |
Anders Lindback Signature Pucks. While me picking up a Lightning card might
not bode well for Lindback’s future with the club it was nice to pull a player
of my favorite team. When I had seen
other previews of the set, the Signature Pucks was one of the inserts I was
really interested in. The autograph is
on a piece of rubber shaped as a miniature puck with the team logo on it. The gold pen used helps make the signature
(or scribble in Lindback’s case) shows up nicely.
There are two other variations of Signature Pucks (both selling well on eBay). Retro logos are numbered to 13 and NHL Shield versions are numbered to just 3 each. The cards are pretty thick and have a nice heft to it. The pack I pulled this from did have one less card in it.
In closing, I won’t be buying another mini box of this
product (but if you want to buy me a birthday present, feel free). I will be tracking down the Lightning cards in
the set (pretty sure it’s Vinny, Marty and Stammer along with Conacher) through
trades or eBay. It’s just not in price
range, I’ll be saving my pennies for UD series I (now with more rookies!)
Folks looking for big hits are probably going to enjoy this
set a little more than set builders or team builders as there is a slew of
other inserts involving autographs and relics.
**Update** While the Conacher Signature Puck features him in his Lightning uniform, the "base" rookie auto cards have him sporting the Ottawa sweater.
**Update** While the Conacher Signature Puck features him in his Lightning uniform, the "base" rookie auto cards have him sporting the Ottawa sweater.
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