Carlsbad, CA, Thursday July 28, 2011
Basketball trading card collectors have been clamoring for a high-end basketball release that can deliver value with autograph cards of superstars like LeBron James and legends like Michael Jordan. Tomorrow their time has come as Upper Deck releases a basketball trading card product the likes of which collectors have never seen before with 2011 Upper Deck All-Time Greats Basketball. What makes this product unique is that there are only twenty different subjects in the checklist made up of all-star names like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Julius Erving, Bill Russell, LeBron James and Michael Jordan to name a few.



“Fans of all ages have always asked us, ‘Why don’t you just make a pack of cards with only the good players?’” said Brandon Miller, Upper Deck’s collegiate sports brand manager. “Well finally, due to some licensing changes, we’ve been able to produce a basketball trading card set where we can do just that. We loaded this product with hard-signed autographs of all of these stars including limited-edition multi-signed cards of these amazing talents. Upper Deck is thrilled to be able to deliver basketball collectors the value they have been missing from other trading card releases.”



Each four-card box is player specific meaning that collectors can find three regular cards and one autograph card for a specific player in a given pack. Additionally, there are some “mystery” packs that will contain a mixture of players from the checklist. Every card in the set is limited and crash-numbered to enhance their collectability.



What’s more, Upper Deck continues to press the envelope with regard to innovation as the company debuts some new types of trading cards. Upper Deck is putting a new twist on popular autographed “Letterman” cards by encasing the letters in PETG plastic and having the players sign across the top. Instead of trying to fit their autograph on a small letter, this change allows the athlete to sign bigger and bolder across the card, providing fans with a much more impressive collectible.



Lucky collectors can also discover an impressive new booklet card that features autographs of nine different basketball superstars on one trading card. Collectors who open an “All-Time 9” autograph card to discover these precious signatures will truly be in awe. These are the only cards in the set that will not be hard-signed due to logistical constraints.



One of the last great “chase” features in the set is the chance to find one-of-one “Legacy Booklet” cards where a living superstar’s signature is paired with the autograph of a deceased legend. These unique cards should fetch a hefty sum as they are traded in the secondary market.



To make a product this special required that Upper Deck limit production on the release. Hoop collectors are encouraged to track down boxes of 2011 Upper Deck All-Time Greats Basketball while they can as it is the type of product that will not be around for long.



About Upper Deck



Upper Deck is the leading sports and entertainment trading card and collectibles company. For more information on Upper Deck and its products please visit www.upperdeck.com.