Sign Up for Upper Deck's National Packtime Event

[chiliwilly]

Calling All Baseball Card Shops: Join Upper Deck
in Celebrating ‘National Packtime’ on Sat., March 6

Honoring the start of the upcoming baseball season, Upper Deck will distribute FREE packs of baseball cards to fans around the country

Carlsbad, CA (January 19, 2010) – The Upper Deck Company is extremely excited to get the ball rolling with its recently inked partnership with the Major League Baseball Players Association to launch the first-of-its-kind “National Packtime” sampling promotion on Saturday, March 6. The one-day campaign is a special event that will provide fans with free packs of Upper Deck baseball cards. Exclusive packs of National Packtime baseball cards will be distributed via Upper Deck’s network of baseball card specialty shops. Any shop owners interested in participating should contact one of the authorized Upper Deck distributors listed below for more information on how to obtain their bundles of packs for the one-day giveaway.

“During these difficult economic times, we want to remind fans of the joy that comes with opening up their first pack of baseball cards, whether it was 10, 20 or 30 years ago,” said Chris Carlin, Upper Deck’s sports marketing manager. “We also want to share that fun with kids everywhere many of whom haven’t had the chance to experience the thrill of finding a cherished rookie card, or a card of their favorite star player. It’s a very cool, very unique experience that can’t be matched.”

The 10-card packs, produced exclusively for National Packtime, will feature the biggest superstars including Derek Jeter, David Ortiz and Albert Pujols, as well as a mix of other current standouts and rising stars. Key rookies include San Francisco’s future catching sensation Buster Posey alongside future ace Madison Bumgarner and Chicago’s Southside young slugger Tyler Flowers. All three of these prospects are rated by Baseball America at or near the top of their organizational prospect charts and have significant upside as impact players. What’s more, there is a very rare Derek Jeter “Career Commemorative” card issued as a chase element celebrating his 15 seasons in the Bronx. Although Upper Deck is not releasing print run info, suffice it to say that if collectors find this card in a pack, they will have beaten some very long odds.

Earlier this month, at a special hobby summit sponsored by Upper Deck that was held in conjunction with the annual Major League Baseball Players Trust golf tournament at Torrey Pines in San Diego, Upper Deck staff was able to corral several baseball standouts to take part in a special video touting the National Packtime event. Eddie Murray, Tim Salmon, Kenny Lofton, Reggie Sanders and Eddie Guardado all participated. Click on this link to see how they handled the pressure: YouTube - Baseball Stars Talk about the 2010 National Packtime Event!.
“I was just part of Upper Deck’s hobby summit, and the very first thing my customers asked me when I returned was whether or not there was going to a National Baseball Card Day this year,” said Dan Fox, owner of Fox Sports Cards in Marion, Illinois. “I told them, ‘Well, yes and no.’ I told them that there isn’t a designated National Baseball Card Day, but that Upper Deck – with its partnership with the Major League Baseball Players Association – is sponsoring an event called ‘National Packtime.’

“And let me be the first to say that events like this have been outrageously successful for us. We have collectors show up at our store that we haven’t seen in years. It reinvigorates their card-collecting pursuits. Does it make a difference in sales? Oh my gosh, yes. We’ll easily have another 100 customers show up that day. If you give people a reason to come down to your store, they’ll come down. So an event like National Packtime is a welcomed addition to this hobby.”

All hobby shop owners in the United States are encouraged to participate in Upper Deck’s 2010 National Packtime event. Packs are limited and will sell out so get your orders in today to partake. Direct Accounts can now order their packs online at Upper Deck Business to Business. Hobby Shop owners can also purchase packs through any of the following Upper Deck Authorized Distributors who will ship the product directly to them in time for the March 6 event: Southern Exchange (Nashville, TN), 800-473-2804; Magazine Exchange (Grants Pass, OR), 800-234-2004; Sweet Deal (Northridge, CA), 866-407-4755; All-Sports Marketing (Batavia, IL), 866-249-4323; Diamond Collectible (Allentown, PA), 877-422-5532; and Sports Images (Woburn, MA), 781-938-4340.

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 The Upper Deck Company: Sports Trading Cards, Authentic Memorabilia, Sports Collectibles, & Entertainment Products.