Upper Deck Invites Collectors to Celebrate a Special Hockey Season with 2013-14 NHL® SP Authentic

The hockey card market is experiencing a renaissance with so much excitement around Upper Deck’s Double Rookie Class!

CARLSBAD, Ca. (June 20, 2014) – The Los Angeles Kings recently completed an improbable run to capture their second Stanley Cup Championship in just three years which has hockey fans everywhere buzzing. There is something else that has hockey card collectors buzzing however and that is the highly anticipated release of Upper Deck’s 2013-14 NHL® SP Authentic which will include two years’ worth of rookie cards. This season Upper Deck hockey releases have featured a rare Double Rookie Class, which means there is tremendous value for collectors in every box!

The SP Authentic brand is always a favorite with serious collectors because of the clean look of the cards, the opportunity to find three hard-signed autograph cards in every box on average and also the chance to discover something truly special like multi-signed autograph cards or signature patch cards! This year however the release is even more special with two years’ worth of rookies to chase including top names like Nathan MacKinnon, Jonathan Huberdeau, Alex Galchenyuk, Tomas Hertl and many more. It is also the 20th anniversary of this special set so fans can look for unique content paying tribute to the original 1993-94 set with rare signed versions that are sure to be a huge hit!

“For most serious collectors it is all about putting together the entire SP Authentic set which can be a daunting task because rookie cards are limited to just 999 copies,” said Josh Zusman, hockey brand manager for Upper Deck. “Year in and year out die-hard collectors work hard to complete the set and there is no better feeling than finding that last you need to finish it off. With the Double Rookie Class this year, more collectors than ever will be chasing to complete a master set to put away as a potential investment and meaningful keepsake.”

The real magic of the SP Authentic set is that it is not just about putting a set together or finding rookie cards, but also that it is one of the few places collectors can find autograph cards of hockey legend Wayne Gretzky. Imagine the thrill of opening a new pack of hockey cards and finding an authentic signed card from Wayne Gretzky himself! There are several different signed cards of Gretzky in 2013-14 NHL® SP Authentic, some featuring signatures from other great players as well. Upper Deck is the exclusive home for autographs of Wayne Gretzky so this is a release hard-core collectors will love to open boxes of in hopes of discovering his signed cards!

Other chase elements to the set come in the way of special autograph cards. Collectors have come to love hard-signed autograph insert sets like “Immortal Inks,” “Marks of Distinction,” “SP Chirography,” “Premier Chirography,” and signed “Authentic Moments” parallel cards. Even more compelling is the opportunity to find very rare multi-signed cards featuring images and signatures of two, three, four, six or eight athletes all on one card!

Upper Deck’s 2013-14 NHL® SP Authentic trading card product contains 20 cards per box and five cards per pack and is currently available in stores now.

About Upper Deck

Upper Deck, headquartered in Carlsbad, Calif., is a worldwide sports and entertainment company built on the pillars of quality craftsmanship, authenticity and innovation with a dedication to creating products that turn memorable moments into collectibles. Upper Deck revolutionized the sports trading card experience with anti-counterfeit holograms, high quality card stock and stunning photography in its inaugural 1989 baseball set, and since then its mission has been to capture the excitement of the game and deliver it to fans of all ages. The cornerstone of Upper Deck’s business, which opened in 1989, is based on sports trading cards. As its brand has evolved to include other products over the years, the company now creates exclusive memorabilia, gaming products, collectible cards and a wide array of sports trading cards.

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