2007-08 Upper Deck Artifacts Hockey
Set Features;
Each sealed box contains 10 packs of 4 cards each in a 200 card base set including rookies (#'d to 999) and Legends (#'d to 1499). On average, each box contains two rookie cards, one rookie redemption card, two memorabilia cards (#'d to 299 or less), one dual memorabilia card, and one autograph card.
Here's what we pulled in our box of 2007-08 UD Artifacts Hockey.
Base Cards;
The base set is very sharp, with nice photography and a classy design. A few techniques are mixed together here, with the player photo being glossy and the background art being a matte finish, with the foil text and trim adding the final touch. The basic (non-SP) set is 100 cards, which is about standard for most sets these days. The rookies and legends (featured below) give set collectors a challenge while not making it TOO difficult by very low numbered or expensive base subsets.
Rookie Cards;
The rookie cards are a variation on the base design, with more foil and a full gloss finish. The serial numbering is front and center. The rookie designation logo could have been approached a little better, as it has a lot of foil together in one place, and "ROOKIE" is raised and printed onto the foil so some of the ink is already rubbing off. However, the crisp photography and background design make the cards nice overall. We beat the odds and pulled three RCs:
* Daniel Carcillo 151/999
* Nate Guenin 082/999
* Jeff Schultz 510/999
We also pulled a Wild Card rookie redemption!!
Legends;
We got one base legend and one parallel as shown. Like the rookies, these are numbered on the front and have a full gloss finish. Given the huge variation from the base design you might think they were an insert, but they are part of the base set. You wouldn't know it from these scans, but I think I prefer the black and white picture on the Robinson to the color picture on the Mahovlich card.
Memorabilia Cards;
We pulled three nice memorabilia cards, with the Nabokov/Toskala dual numbered to 50 and the others being numbered to 299. These cards do a nice job of sticking with the overall look of the Artifacts set and not being too over-the-top while incorporating some different elements.
Autograph Cards;
Our autograph pull was of the Avs' Brad Richardson. I don't like the design of the Auto-Facts card as well as I do most of the rest of the set, but it isn't bad and I am a fan of the clear stickers if sticker autos have to be used. The sticker on this card has a hologram type watermark when held under the light. As Artifacts is more known and marketed for its memorabilia cards, the 1 auto per box is just icing on the cake in my opinion.
Final Thoughts on 2007-08 UD Artifacts Hockey;
I have to admit I was skeptical about this set, but Upper Deck has really pulled it off well with a nice mix of pulls and a series of great card designs. With prices of $90-100+, the price is reasonable for the number of pulls you get.
Favorite Card;
The wild card rookie redemption is already selling well on eBay, making it the most valuable card at the moment... but my favorite is probably the dual jersey because of the design and the low numbering.
Here's how I would rate this product;
* Value = 5
* Innovation = 4.5
* Fun and Experience = 5
* Rebuy Value = 4
I can safely rate this product an "A" for Upper Deck!
NPN information;
You can see the NPN address in the scan at the top, HOWEVER the UD NPN program has gone online - I'm not sure if this will be one of the available products or not. Check their website after january 1.
Many thanks to Don Williams and the folks at Upper Deck, and of course Trader Retreat, for allowing me to review this product!!
