2010-11 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey
Box Price: $60
Good: Young Guns, Reasonable box price, Amazing base set photography, Deep checklist, 20th Anniversary Parallels, Authentic sports card experience
Bad: Hockey Heroes inserts could use a re-design, Weak swatches, Autographs are extremely hard to pull, No birth dates on Young Guns
The Bottom Line:
When it comes to $60 products in the world of sports cards, it simply doesn't get much better than Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey. Upper Deck Hockey is the only product in the entire industry that manages to make autographs and relics irrelevant. That's not to say there aren't hits, as each hobby box delivers 2 memorabilia cards on average, but it's the Young Guns that steal the show. There is something so refreshing about the sophisticated simplicity of Upper Deck Hockey, it's a truly authentic sports card experience. This year's Upper Deck is arguably the best yet, the base set photography is majestic, the Young Guns shine as usual and the addition of the 20th Anniversary Parallels helps take Series 1 to a whole new level. Series 1 is the type of product that reminds you why you started collecting in the first place.
Design: 4.25/5
The card design is crisp and familiar, combining different aspects from past sets. Although I am not a big fan of 1990-91 Upper Deck's card design and the overprinting memories they conjure, I have to give Upper Deck a great deal of credit for the authenticity of the 20th Anniversary Parallels, even the stock is razor thin. Where Series 1 truly shines is when it comes to base set photography. It perfectly captures the essence of hockey and is sports card photography at it's finest. The only two complaints that come to mind are that I wish they would redesign the "Hockey Heroes" inserts and add a player's birth date to the back of Young Guns.
Checklist: 4.5/5
Series 1's checklist is like any other 2-series product, in that it features a deep checklist that when paired with Series 2 paints a near complete picture of the season that was. The Young Guns checklist isn't as talented as last year's, which featured the likes of Tavares, Duchene, Myers, Neimi, Kane, and JVR but that's not to say it's weak rookie class by any means, it's might be a bit deeper than last year's. The one thing I wish every product would do is short print inserts like UD Hockey does. Create a challenge and collectors will build it. Checklists that require thinking to piece together are the best ones.
Value: 4.5/5
Although there isn't a John Tavares in this year's Young Guns class, the value of this season's Upper Deck could very well end up topping last year's for one single reason, the 20th Anniversary Parallels. The 1990-91 Upper Deck parallels of 2010-11 Young Guns has created a collector craze on eBay. Basically, for $50-$70 per Hobby Box you get 6 Young Guns, 2 UD Game Jersey Relics, 6 20th Anniversary Parallels and a 50% chance of pulling a UD Exclusives parallel numbered to 100.
Enjoyability: 4.75/5
Despite the fact that Baseball and Football are my favorite sports, Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey is easily one of my favorite products on a yearly basis. Upper Deck Hockey is an authentic, exciting sports card experience that reminds you why you started collecting in the first place. There's something insanely relaxing and fun about ripping a box and not caring one bit about the hits. It's like opening a box from the 90's only this time the print run is 1/1,000 the size. Let's just hope that they don't decide to start printing more 2010-11 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey during the 2016-17 NHL Season! A thought just occurred to me, maybe that's why they started putting printing plates in products....
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