Here is what Jason Masherah, UD’s director of Sports Brands had to say:

“Exquisite collectors are extremely passionate about the brand as they know it is the most premium line of cards in the market. The Exquisite card sets are the reason why people collect in the first place and anyone who sees the cards are drawn to them. We are thrilled to be able to bring this high-end brand of cards to every level of collector purchasing Upper Deck 2010 baseball products in the hobby. These are the kind of cards that have collectors’ hands trembling when they are pulled, and that’s a lot of fun to see and the type of experience that only Upper Deck can provide.”

Here is how Exquisite Baseball will break down in 2010 Upper Deck Baseball Card Releases:

• A 100-card base set limited to just 75 total copies featuring retired diamond legends as well as the top players in the game today.

• “Exquisite Rookie Signature” set of 20 cards, all signed on-card.

• Baseball’s debut of the “Exquisite Autograph Patch Rookie” cards featuring a massive 1.5” x 1.5” patch swatch. These 6 cards will have a print run of just 99 copies.

• The “Legendary Numbers” and “Legendary Initials” inserts will  include up to as many as six swatches of memorabilia from the greatest legends of all-time. Upper Deck will have hard-signed signature or cut signature variations of these sets as well to add more value and chase.

• The “Exquisite Rare Materials” insert will feature tags and logo patches from game-used memorabilia from all the top rookies and stars. The “Endorsement Signature” set will keep autograph hounds happy as these cards will include up to four hard-signed signatures on one card.

• One of the most anticipated inserts in the set is called “UD Champions” and it boasts on-card signature cards and signature patch cards of Upper Deck’s elite spokesmen like Derek Jeter, Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky. There will be single, double and triple versions of these cards available.

The first shot at Exquisite Baseball Cards will come in Upper Deck Series 1 arrives in late February which includes the base cards.  2010 SPx Baseball will  feature patch cards. The autographs will arrive in April with 2010 SP Authentic Baseball.

The front of the card features jersey patches from five Lakers legends – Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Pat Riley, Magic Johnson, and Michael Cooper – and the back features jersey patches from five Lakers who recently won the NBA Championship – Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, Luke Walton, Sasha Vujacic, and Jordan Farmar.

The card is numbered 3/3 and has some awesome patch breaks, check out the fading and color difference on the Jerry West and Pat Riley patches.

Awesome card Zhang, thanks for sharing it with us!

We apologize for the interruption of service with our website being down. They have assured us they are working to resolve the problem.

Thank You for your patience.

Contenders Baseball will also feature the first edition of Contenders Basketball rookie cards, including OJ Mayo, Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley.

Check out all Playoff Contenders products.

If you haven’t listened to Mike’s show or visited Mario’s blog yet, be sure to check them out.

Without further ado here is Brian’s wish list:

Baseball Picks

1984 Donruss Baseball Box – The second best product besides myself to come out in 1984.

2008 Donruss Threads Baseball – My Customers have had a lot of success with this product.

2008 UD Ball Park Collection – Lots of hits and good content in this box.

2007 Topps Allen & Ginter Baseball – I was at the 2007 National Convention when the Mother Teresa card was pulled by one of our customers at our booth. What an awesome card. You can see the card and story here.

1960 Topps Sandy Koufax – One of my favorite Baseball players of all time, I love the look of this card.

Basketball

1980/81 Topps Basketball Wax Box – Sweet box plus Larry Bird and Magic Rookie Cards, I would be like a little kid at Christmas if I were to open one…..or maybe I would save it? Either way this is a classic product.

1972/73 Julius Erving Rookie – One of the greatest players of all time. I think this card would make a great trivia question in the sports world….how many people would guess what team Julius Erving played for when his rookie card was created?

Football

1957 Bart Starr Rookie – Played for Lombardi, two time MVP and Super Bowl winner.

2008 Icon Football – My customers have given me a lot of good feedback about this product, and I think the Movie Letterman cards are pretty nice.

Hockey

08/09 UD Series 1 Hockey – Basic Product but there is always a rush for the best Young Guns every year. I always hope my customers get the rookies they are after.

05/06 SP Game Used – Great rookie class mixed with a product I have always loved.

1984/85 O-Pee-Chee Hockey – Steve Yzerman, Pat LaFontaine, Dave Andreychuk, Doug Gilmour, Pat Verbeek, Cam Neely, and Chris Chelios!

If you have any suggestions or thoughts on my wish list please leave me some feedback.

Happy Holidays!

Brian

* It’s Fun - Whether you like busting new products, buying singles, putting sets together, or digging through garage sales and dollar bins for old cards there is always fun to be had in collecting sports cards.

* It’s a Rush – Opening a package and seeing what cards are inserted has been enjoyed for many years. From older products with key rookie cards to new products full of jersey cards and autographs, finding your favorite player or a big “hit” in a pack always brings excitement.

* There are Many Levels – Whether you want to invest a lot of time and effort into collecting, or casually pick up some cards here and there you can still truly enjoy the hobby. Collecting what interests you is key. If you like busting packs then get your favorite boxes, if you want to put a set together than chase down every last card, if you want to remember your favorite player growing up then buy his rookie card.

* It’s a Great Way to Make Friends – Most collectors would tell you that the community of collectors is generally a pretty close knit community. There has never been a better time to connect with other collectors via the internet, shows, and in person.

* Sharing it With Your Family – Seeing a father/son combo or a sister and brother collecting really shows you how much bonding can be accomplished through sports cards. What better way to pass down traditions for sports fans, or to pass on a legendary player’s memories. Check out this article from the New York Times about a Father and Son’s connection through baseball cards.

* Gets You Closer to Your Favorite Team or Player – Having a personal collection of a team or player is the ultimate for a lot of die hard fans. Every Chipper Jones fan out there doesn’t have the card featured in this ESPN Article, but every Chipper Jones collector might. Whether you have a high end collection of a player, or stick with more basic products having a pc can be a great challenge that is highly rewarding.

I think there are plenty more, but I will leave that to you. If you are a collector, what is your favorite part and/or reason to collect?

The crew over at badwax is hosting a house of cards contest throughout the month of October, definitely worth checking out and/or submitting an entry.

Porter’s Prospects recommends checking out Mike Schopp’s New Radio Show “The Hobby” which featured our own Reed Kasaoka last week (nice work Reed).

Mario Alejandro’s Blog Wax Heaven turned One!

All the way back on October 1st Sports Cards Uncensored posted an informative interview with Upper Deck Football Brand Manager Greg Kohn.
Sportscardinfo profiled an interesting and memorable product, 2003 Fleer Hardball Baseball (Remember those circular cards?).

Back On Topps is launching new shows every Tuesday and Thursday.

http://wgr550.com/The-Hobby/2892803
The host Mike Schopp also interviewed MLB player Dmitri Young who shared a lot of insightful information. Also interviewed was Beckett Football Editor David Lee.

Check it out, it is definitely worth a listen!