One thing that still is effecting the Basketball market is the exclusive license of Panini with the NBA. Panini put out some amazing products last season, even living up to the level of Exquisite with the National Treasures patches, but one thing is missing. The biggest event leading up to the season was Lebron James going to the Heat, and Lebron is still exclusive to Upper Deck. It’s hard on the NBA market that one of the top superstars in the league will not sign with the exclusive company of the league. David Stern get to work on this, just don’t make Lebron play Baseball or something over it.

John Wall comes in to the league with a ton of hype and should help carry this years products to a good deal of success. Last years products could even get a boost if Blake Griffin comes out and performs as everyone expected him to. I’m looking forward to this season and have to give Panini a lot of credit for having the best company ran blog covering all their products.

Each month the company assigns members of the group a mission to accomplish and rewards individuals based on the quality of their efforts. Last month Upper Deck assigned members of the Volunteer Alliance to help promote their local hobby shops. Members helped shops create Facebook pages for their businesses, recorded YouTube commercials for shops and even volunteered to help out in the stores. This month the mission is to share the fun of collecting with people who do not currently collect or who used to collect.

“Word-of-mouth advertising is the most powerful form of advertising in the world so it is pretty awesome to have a group of hundreds of brand advocates in our Volunteer Alliance sharing their love of the hobby with others,” said Upper Deck’s Sports Marketing & Social Media Manager Chris Carlin. “Some will donate cards to children’s hospitals or Boys & Girls clubs while others may create an online community mentoring new collectors. Members of the Upper Deck Volunteer Alliance are very creative, so we are interested to see what they come up with and we are prepared to reward them for how inspired they get.”

It is free to become a member of the Upper Deck Volunteer Alliance. Fans simply need to have an online account with Upper Deck and e-mail the company at UpperDeckMarketing@upperdeck.com with the following information:

Upper Deck Online Account Username
Name
Email Address
Favorite Sports

Members have until Friday, September 17, to share with Upper Deck how they showed others the fun of collecting sports cards and memorabilia. Not a member of the Upper Deck Volunteer Alliance yet? Join today!

Although I do have to gripe, why is Ho Grant’s patch a Lakers patch on a Bulls card??!?!

Release date Tuesday September 29th, 2009

THIS PRODUCT WILL BE STRICTLY ALLOCATED!

CONTENT HIGHLIGHTS:

· The most limited Exquisite Collection in history!

· Review the history of Upper Deck’s Exquisite Collection
Basketball!

Ø Including a celebration of the LeBron James Rookie Card, the most
expensive modern day Rookie Card!

· Collect Rookie Autograph cards from the 2009-10 NBA Draft Class!

· At least 2 Autographs in every box!

· Look for Exquisite buybacks featuring some of the best cards ever
released in Exquisite Collection’s history!

Slam Dunk: Upper Deck Inks Exclusive Memorabilia
Contract with Miami Heat Star Dwyane Wade

Basketball superstar joins forces with Upper Deck Authenticated to solidify company’s All-Star NBA lineup

North Las Vegas, NV (June 8, 2009) – The Upper Deck Company today announced the signing of Miami Heat Guard Dwyane Wade to an exclusive autographed memorabilia deal, further cementing itself as the leading provider of authentic autographed products of the NBA’s top athletes. Wade joins the company’s exclusive list of current NBA talent including reigning league MVP LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul, as well as longtime company spokesman Michael Jordan.

“Dwyane Wade is one of the NBA’s most admired and dynamic players, so Upper Deck is extremely excited to join forces with a player of Dwyane’s caliber,” said Tim Muret, vice president of Upper Deck Authenticated (UDA), the company’s memorabilia division. “As a former NBA Finals MVP and champion, he further solidifies Upper Deck’s position as the basketball memorabilia leader when it comes to providing innovative products that bring fans closer to the game and their favorite athletes.”

“Adding Upper Deck as an endorsement partner fits perfectly into Dwyane’s goal to associate himself with top quality brands”, said Henry Thomas, Wade’s agent.

Since entering the league in 2003, Wade has firmly established himself as Miami’s go-to guy in pressure-packed situations. His MVP performance in the 2006 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks is a testament to his clutch play. After falling behind two games to none to Dallas, Wade led his Miami teammates to four straight victories to secure the franchise’s only NBA title. He averaged 34.6 point per game in the series which included 42 and 43 points, respectively, in Games 3 and 5.

Wade will be signing a wide assortment of products for Upper Deck including basketballs, jerseys, photos, and select game-worn items. As always, UDA’s patented five-step authentication process will be utilized at every autograph signing session to ensure that collectors are getting the real deal. Wade-autographed items including limited, specially-inscribed editions will be available shortly.

Upper Deck is the Exclusive Home of ‘King James’

LeBron supplies rare autograph cards with inscriptions to the leader in sports trading cards

North Las Vegas, NV (March 23, 2009) – Last August he helped lead the U.S.A. Olympic “Redeem Team” to gold in Beijing. Currently he’s leading his Cavaliers team to the best record in the NBA. LeBron “King” James has lived up to the hype and then some. Upper Deck is pleased to help bring collectors even closer to the “Chosen One” with new autograph trading cards of LeBron that include some unique inscriptions.

Fans of LeBron can find autograph cards of the NBA superstar exclusively in Upper Deck’s new 2008-09 NBA UD Black (releasing April 14), 2008-09 NBA Radiance (releasing April 29) and 2008-09 NBA Ultimate Collection (releasing May 12) trading card lines. Some versions of these cards will have rare inscriptions from LeBron like “08 USA Gold,” “08 Redeem Team,” and “King James.”

“To pull an autograph card of LeBron James from a pack is pretty awesome, but to find one with a special inscription is a much bigger deal,” said Chris Carlin, Upper Deck’s hobby marketing manager. “These types of cards definitely carry a premium in the secondary card market. Inscriptions are a great way to help personalize the trading card experience and help to bring collectors closer to their heroes. Upper Deck is proud to be the exclusive home for autograph cards of LeBron and many other stars of the hardwood including Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan.”

Click here to view full release

NBA NAMES PANINI EXCLUSIVE TRADING CARD PARTNER

NEW YORK, Jan. 27, 2009 – The National Basketball Association (NBA) today announced a new exclusive, multiyear licensing agreement with The Panini Group – the leading global publisher of collectibles. The new partnership will focus on redefining the domestic NBA trading card category by enhancing the relationship with existing NBA card enthusiasts, cultivating a new generation of collectors, supporting hobby shops and retailers, and by creating new product growth opportunities worldwide.

As the NBA’s exclusive trading card and sticker partner, Panini will produce NBA trading cards, stickers and sticker albums beginning with the 2009-10 NBA season. Together with the NBA, Panini will provide significant retail marketing and promotional support including TV, print and on-line initiatives and in-store events for both hobby shops and retailers.

“Over the years, NBA trading cards have served as an important source to connect fans of all ages with our game,” said Sal LaRocca, Executive Vice President, NBA Global Merchandising Group. “As we look to the future of our trading card business, there is general consensus, including with our current partners, Topps and Upper Deck, that moving forward with an exclusive partner is the best way for us to energize the category on a worldwide basis. We are fortunate to have had three outstanding companies interested in our trading card business and believe Panini’s position as the leading global company in this industry aligns best with our global growth strategy.”

LaRocca continued, “Our exclusive partnership with Panini provides us with the best opportunity to recreate the trading card market by developing the key retail channels with a variety of products and promotions geared towards all consumer segments.”

Panini will leverage the strength of the NBA as a global sports league to develop the international trading card business and establish and build a sports collectibles business in the U.S. Currently, Panini has a successful North American collectibles business with consumer brands such as Disney’s Hannah Montana and High School Musical, and Warner Bros.’ Harry Potter, as well as with the UEFA Euro 2008 and FIFA World Cup sporting events. Internationally, Panini’s leadership in the sticker category will provide additional growth opportunities for the NBA.

“As the leading global sports league, the NBA provides Panini with an international platform to expand the global trading card and collectibles markets by building our business in the U.S. and attracting new collectors around the world,” said Peter Warsop, Panini Group Licensing Director.

About the NBA
The NBA reaches fans and consumers worldwide through the licensing and marketing of consumer products bearing the league’s trademarks and player attributes. More than 200 licensees manufacture, sell and market NBA-branded products that are promoted worldwide and sold in more than 100,000 retail locations, in 100 countries on six continents. Major categories include video games, apparel, footwear, sporting goods and trading cards. Thirty percent of merchandise sales are generated from outside the United States.

About Panini S.p.A.
The Panini Group, established almost 50 years ago in Modena, Italy with subsidiaries throughout Europe and Latin America, is the world leader in the published collectable sector and the leading multi-national publisher of comics, children’s magazines and manga in Europe and Latin America. In 2008, the Panini Group is expected to have sales of c 1 Billion US$. The company has distribution channels in more than 100 countries and employs a staff of over 700. www.paniniamerica.net

It is the first ever 600 Home Run Club card, since he has been the face of Upper Deck since they first released back in 1989, they are releasing a 600 Home Run Club card of Ken Griffey Junior. So this should be a huge year for those rabid Griffey fans out there, there are 89 buyback rookies inscribed 20 years, plus we also had the exclusive announcement that Upper Deck will be inserting some buyback unsigned Ken Griffey Jr. rookies in to their 2009 set.

The final new piece of news coming out of our interview was about the 20th Anniversary set from Upper Deck. It will be a 2500 card set akin to the Yankee Stadium Legacy set last year. Listen to the podcast for all the details on this product!

This holiday season, Sports Memorabilia Company unveils autographed artwork that will no doubt top any collector’s wish list!

North Las Vegas, NV (December 15, 2008) – For the first time ever, three of history’s most legendary sports figures are showcased on the same piece of autographed memorabilia. Utilizing high-end archival paper and the most stunning images available, Upper Deck has created its first-ever “Legends of Sport” triple-signed montage featuring Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods.

Ali, the former heavyweight champion of the world, won 56 professional bouts during his stellar career in the ring, while Jordan secured six NBA championship rings and six NBA Finals MVP awards during his stellar career. Woods, meanwhile, has earned 14 of golf’s majors – all before turning 33 years old.

“We knew we had something special in the making as we planned this rare piece,” said Tim Muret, vice president of Upper Deck Authenticated (UDA), Upper Deck’s memorabilia division. “Not only have Ali, Jordan and Tiger never appeared together on signed artwork before, which makes this piece extraordinary, but the wow factor when you see the item up close just takes your breath away. It’s an investment piece that is sure to appreciate.”

The beautifully designed montage is highlighted in gold and shows each of the talented athletes in action, flanked by ghosted-back images of their faces. Ali is shown stalking an opponent circa 1975; Jordan is caught in mid-flight on his way to the basket in the 1990s; and Woods is captured launching yet another beautiful drive. Each member of the talented threesome has signed the thick-stock, archival P-velvet paper in black paint pen just beneath his action photo and their signatures have been deemed genuine via UDA’s patented five-step authentication process.

“We are very excited to have Muhammad contribute to such a landmark piece,” added Muret, who noted that both Jordan and Woods have been exclusive signers for UDA since 1994 and 2001, respectively.

“I’m excited to be involved in this, especially with these two amazing men, who have transcended their sport to become cultural icons,” said Ali.

“I am thrilled to be included in this historic piece with Muhammad Ali and Tiger Woods,” Jordan added. “I admire them both for their achievements in their sports and as people.”

Exquisitely framed, the precious keepsake measures 57” wide by 34” high. The edition size, written in sharp pencil on the lower-right corner, is capped at 500, making this a truly rare piece of sports memorabilia. Collectors interested in obtaining this limited piece of coveted memorabilia can shop online at www.upperdeckstore.com, or call 1-800-551-8220, ext. 2292 for more information.

Twenty-Three Reasons to Pre-Order 2008-09 Fleer Basketball Today

One-of-one autograph buy-back cards of Michael Jordan will be randomly inserted into 2008-09 Fleer Basketball!

North Las Vegas, NV (December 12, 2008) – Throughout Michael Jordan’s career, the Upper Deck exclusive spokesmen had never signed a Fleer card. It wasn’t until Upper Deck acquired Fleer a few years back that MJ-signed cards began appearing in Fleer products much to the delight of collectors.

This year, to create excitement around the release of 2008-09 Fleer Basketball, Upper Deck bought back 23 unique Fleer cards of Michael Jordan. Recently Jordan added his signature to each of these cards and now they’ll be randomly inserted into the upcoming release which is scheduled to launch on January 6, 2009.

Each of the hard-signed autograph cards will be numbered as 1-of-1’s and all will pack out live in the product. Jordan signed some of the cards in blue ink and some in silver, based on the cards’ varying backgrounds.

“He was the type of player who never let you down,” said Brandon Miller, Upper Deck brand manager for Basketball. “If he was playing, you had to watch. To be able to procure such a unique variety of Fleer cards of MJ from throughout his career and then have them signed is just awesome. We know collectors love promotions like this so it’s highly likely that they will all be chasing these cards when 2008-09 Fleer Basketball lands in stores.”

To view the entire card gallery, visit Upper Deck Basketball’s Facebook page. Go to www.facebook.com and search for Upper Deck Basketball. Go ahead and become a fan today