Upper Deck is an American trading card company that was founded in 1988 by Richard McWilliam. The company is best known for producing baseball cards, but it has also produced cards for a variety of other sports and non-sports subjects over the years.
One of the most important Upper Deck sets of all time is the 1989 Upper Deck Baseball set, which is considered the company's first true baseball card set. The set featured 800 cards, each measuring 2-1/2" by 3-1/2", and included players from all 26 Major League Baseball teams. The cards were sold in packs of 15 for a dollar and were highly sought after by collectors at the time.
It is hard for me to over state how important this year of card were when they came out. They looked so much better than other cards of it's time. FUN FACT - the 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr card is the most graded card of all time, with over 94,000 of them graded by PSA.
In the years that followed, Upper Deck produced a number of other popular baseball card sets, including the "Upper Deck Heroes" sets, which featured retired players, and the "Upper Deck All-Stars" sets, which featured the top players in the league. In the 1990s, Upper Deck became one of the leading trading card manufacturers in the industry and produced a number of popular sets, including the "Upper Deck Collectors Choice" sets, which featured a wide variety of card designs and player combinations, and the "Upper Deck SP" sets, which featured premium card stock and exclusive autograph and memorabilia cards.
In the 2000s, Upper Deck continued to produce a wide variety of sports and non-sports card sets, including sets featuring the popular Pokémon franchise and the Harry Potter series. In recent years, Upper Deck has continued to produce popular baseball card sets, including its flagship "Upper Deck Baseball" set and specialized sets such as "Upper Deck Future Legends," which features prospects and rookie players, and "Upper Deck Legendary Cuts," which features retired players.
In addition to its trading card sets, Upper Deck has also produced a number of other products, including stickers, posters, and other collectibles
. Today, the company is still a major player in the trading card industry and its cards are highly sought after by collectors of all ages.
Here are a few examples of some of the most important Upper Deck cards:
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1989 Upper Deck Baseball: This set is considered the company's first true baseball card set and features cards of many Hall of Famers, including Cal Ripken Jr. and Nolan Ryan.
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1990 Upper Deck Frank Thomas: This card, which features Thomas in his rookie season, is highly sought after by collectors.
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1992 Upper Deck Derek Jeter: This card, which features Jeter in his rookie season, is highly sought after by collectors.
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2002 Upper Deck LeBron James: This card, which features James in his rookie season, is highly sought after by collectors.
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2011 Upper Deck Mike Trout: This card, which features Trout in his rookie season, is highly sought after by collectors.
These are just a few examples of the many important and valuable Upper Deck cards that have been produced over the years. Whether you're a fan of baseball, football, basketball, or any other sport, there is likely an Upper Deck card set that will appeal to you. Upper Deck has also made a name for itself by producing high-quality card stock and including exclusive autograph and memorabilia cards in many of its sets, making them especially popular among collectors. Overall, Upper Deck has had a significant impact on the trading card industry and has helped to bring trading cards to the mainstream.
