Comments on the Cup.

[shams99]

I am a casual collector with most of my collecting being cut autos or high end rookies with some vintage thrown in there. The one thing i have usually done is break 3-5 cases of the cup each year. I did not this year. I have noticed a few other things about this years cup, wonder what other think.

1. Price: 500 plus for a tin is ud or distributor or both trying to make this like the nba exquisite. The price for case is too high and is much more of a gamble. I dont expect to hit a home run on every case but with the price going up its harder and harder to justify . . . . Just buy the singles you want.

2. No promotion and lots of secrecy. I think this was a big blunder. Why not promote it. No pre sells on any big site.

3. Not enough room for to many high end sets. I like the cup and dominion but they both have too many other products coming out around the same time.
(i know this has been debated to death) Dominion will probably come in at a lower cost so some are waiting.

4. Checklists: i find this a big problem for a high end set. Every luxury brand has to go through a re-design every so often to keep interest. The set and subsets are the same. Throw in gretzky redemptions, no stamkos, nash, kovy, etc etc. I am tired of same checklists for every sub set. I love the limited logos but how many of each player do i need. They did add some other which was good ( hull, linden, gartner) .

5. Crosby tributes. I liked these and got a lot of them. I would prefer that only vintage players without patch auto rc get these. I dont need a RNH tribute when he has one of his own. Stupid idea in my opinion.

6. Rookies: this is what this set is supposed to have on the competition. The window's seem to be getting smaller and looking a lot like signature patches.
I think the gold copy should not exist or should look different. 99 vs 93 for RNH
whats the difference except a number.

I think all of this has led to a decrease in the amount of product broken. THis morning there is only 2000 plus card listed on ebay. In 2007-08 there was 5000 cards listed within the first week.

Note this in my opinion and i have nothing against ud and do like their products but i have to wonder why the product is not as popular as it once was.

 

[hami12]

i like it ... have never been able to afford it, but i like it

 

[OT Sports]

Singles only.

At its current price point, there is just no value to be had. For the price of a single tin, I've already picked up 2 ARPs, 2 Gold Base, a Sig Patch and a Gretzky Scripted Sticks.

On the positive side, I really like the use of the Team Canada patches.

 

[suitman19]

Singles only.

At its current price point, there is just no value to be had. For the price of a single tin, I've already picked up 2 ARPs, 2 Gold Base, a Sig Patch and a Gretzky Scripted Sticks.

On the positive side, I really like the use of the Team Canada patches.

This right here.
I like to crack and gamble as much as the next guy, but when the return on the price of a pack is dependant on hitting a shield or a #/99 ARP, and even a low numbered Gretzky Auto cannot get you there, then there will be a lot of hobbyists re-thinking a $500/tin purchase down the road.

 

[RocketRichard]

i like it, im a PURE singles buyer, i dont gamble on wax as ive been burnt too many times, i enjoy just picking up exactly what i want.

my only complaints about the cup (but really this could go for ANY of the high end products. or even the mid range products) is the player selections.... it gets sooooo boring, product after product, after product. the canucks lineup ALWAYS consists of Sedin, sedin, Luongo, Kesler, sometimes Burrows, and now Schneider.

like COME ON. i understand these are the stars of the team, but it just gets boring, i also understand the fact that they want to sell the product and the big name players always push a product, but again, BORING...


also my 2nd complaint is, i was looking forward to this years Stanley Cup signatures, i was going to try for the set as all the previous sets have been gorgeous but then i saw them i was like WHAT? they are no longer Foil cards that are shineyyyy, dont get me wrong, the design isnt bad, i just think its the worst of the series in my opinion.

 

[Moose#11]

if anything,with this years rookie crop,the price should have dropped,not risen.it's a rookie driven product and compared to the past few years this rookie class does not constitute a higher price point.also,not having Henrique's RC numbered to 99 was a huge mistake.

 

[guyaguar]

I bet you I can get all the penguins RC's (There are 4 of them, if I'm not mistaken), the jersey #'d versions and the golds /25 for less than a tin. Anybody think this is an attempt to start paying off some of their liabilities or are they going to take the money and run? I think UD has maybe 2 years left in them before they close shop.

 

[MASTERP]

The rookies look just like last years product. Same with the base cards. Atleast change up the look of the basic set right?

 

[Frendo]

Prices for 11-12 ARP /99's is just INSANE! Was totally shocked of prices for Muge's cards at ebay.
Even if many of you complains about this years of The Cup that windows get smaller and smaller for every year and the design is so blah but still....

Sheesh those The Cup/UpperDeck-fanboys is just pure insanity....
I don't understand how many can afford those moneys at some players (especially when Nuge is quite injury-riddled already at his rookie season and same with Taylor Hall who already has chronic problems at a such young age...Jordan Eberle is IMO much better but isnät even near to Taylor Hall's prices, it's all about HYPE in nowadays!)

To see a ARP /99 with players who made like 15-25p at theirs debut season who selling for $600-$800 totally blows my mind!

Panini Prime have so many nicer cards but isn't even near to The Cup's prices....
Of course The Cup is more expensive but still...

Yes it's up for them to do what they want, but still....

 

[matthewstevens43]

i was going to break some as well, but have decided against it and am going to stick to singles... even with the singles though i am a little disappointed... being a sakic collector i was looking forward to some beautiful high end cup cards, but all the major hits are identical to last year (stanley cup signatures and enshrinements dual/triple autos are paired with the same players, cup foundations are the same, POE are the same, sig patches, limited logos, emblems of endorsements, etc...) why do i want 2 copies of the exact same card???

 

[nybravest]

keep in mind the high end buyers for the other sports grab the arp /99s so its not just the hockey collectors buying them. guys that know nothing about the sport will buy them because they are #/99

Prices for 11-12 ARP /99's is just INSANE! Was totally shocked of prices for Muge's cards at ebay.
Even if many of you complains about this years of The Cup that windows get smaller and smaller for every year and the design is so blah but still....

Sheesh those The Cup/UpperDeck-fanboys is just pure insanity....
I don't understand how many can afford those moneys at some players (especially when Nuge is quite injury-riddled already at his rookie season and same with Taylor Hall who already has chronic problems at a such young age...Jordan Eberle is IMO much better but isnät even near to Taylor Hall's prices, it's all about HYPE in nowadays!)

To see a ARP /99 with players who made like 15-25p at theirs debut season who selling for $600-$800 totally blows my mind!

Panini Prime have so many nicer cards but isn't even near to The Cup's prices....
Of course The Cup is more expensive but still...

Yes it's up for them to do what they want, but still....

 

[quincy]

Matt - I agree, and that argument has a much broader application.

 

[echoi69]

First off, let me say this that I've always like the Cup and this year's edition is no exception. I do agree with your comments on points 1, 2 and 4. New subsets should always be looked at every year in order to re-ignite interest. Re #5, I love the Crosby Tributes, and that design has a classic appeal no matter who the player is. Granted kinda odd giving a RC and RC Tribute card; but it's still added mojo to the lucky person that manages to pull it.

But whether you buy singles or buy a case, i think it's a little too early to speculate on the popularity of a product based on eBay only after a few days after release. Perhaps one of the reasons for the lower # of listings that you claim, is the growing popularity of group breaks in addition to more transactions being conducted on hobby sites like this in recent years. I know for myself, I didn't really get involved with hobby sites til late into the 07-08 season; eBay was my only source of card transactions for the longest time.

The other thing to take into consideration is the saturation of having 7 years worth of Crosby/Gretzky/Ovie Cup autos already out there in the marketplace; and its effect of the product's overall popularity. The wow factor isn't as notable today as it once was 5-6 years ago when there were fewer cards available to pickup for these superstar players.

And let's face it this year's RC crop (outside of RNH) just didn't have the same type of buzz as compared to previous years based on their moderate stats. In the end though, there will always be a market for the high-end collector when it comes to the Cup. And guys like me that will stick to singles, simply because it's the most affordable way to enjoy this product without getting burned on a bad tin.

 

[sedinfan]

...
my only complaints about the cup (but really this could go for ANY of the high end products. or even the mid range products) is the player selections.... it gets sooooo boring, product after product, after product. the canucks lineup ALWAYS consists of Sedin, sedin, Luongo, Kesler, sometimes Burrows, and now Schneider.

like COME ON. i understand these are the stars of the team, but it just gets boring, i also understand the fact that they want to sell the product and the big name players always push a product, but again, BORING...
...

I second this! Let's see... last year's checklist for the Cup has Trio Jerseys of Sedin/Sedin/Luongo and Quad Jerseys with Sedin/Sedin/Luongo/Kesler... this year's checklist for the Cup has the exact same players. So far the Sedins have been featured on exactly 100 cards with Luongo, 41 with Naslund, 39 with Kesler, and 16 with Burrows.

It's amusing the top non-Canuck to appear with them is Joe Thornton at 15 - though I don't believe any of them feature Henrik swatting Joe's finger away, which would have been a funny pic for a card.

I'd love to see some more variety in upcoming years - especially for GU cards, some teams have jerseys that lend themselves to really sick patches, and I'd love to pick up something other than yet another Sedin/Sedin/Luongo trio.

 

[thedewk]

As an avid Cup collector, I would say that this year's release seems blah to me. Been there done that. I bought a Scheifele Cup RC #/99, but that was more about getting something with the new Jets logo of a good rookie than anything. There is currently a #3/99 Scheifele on ebay right now, and it is a 1 color. UD has quality control but common sense. If this is your high-end product it should wow when you open it. 1 colors DON'T do that, especially white patches. Sorry UD.

I would like to see the POE subset have patches. The Team Canada green jersey as a patch would look awesome and really do well. That set is quite popular anyway, but add a patch and I think it goes to another level.

 

[sevenwings]

Sorry to say but I think the end is near

Is it me or do you get the feeling this is the last
go for the cup? The way they are throwing out many of the same designs
and the way they are adding many of the cards that I'm sure
were just sitting around collecting dust, is this what the cup is all about?
The insane prices? Like a last ditch effort to get some cash, sad I used to really enjoy
this product

 

[shams99]

Great points by all. I would love to know with what the LCS's have to say. THey sell the product to many who are not on boards. SO what do their customers say.

POE with team canada patches would be nice.

we will see

 

[drkicker]

I think the rise in price as to do with 10/11 cup group breaks selling well at 500$+ a tin.Maybe UD or the distrubutors saw it and are thinking they should take more rake on it.

I opened a bunch of case in 08/09, averaging a 1000$ + loss on each.The fact you hit 10-12 base card on a 36-42 card case, and they keep a bunch of the good stuff for redemption replacement (dual honorable numbers of star player etc) given to complainers that werent happy about there spa or ultimate break kind of left me a sour taste in the mouth.

 

[mortuus]

didnt see much hof leafs this years as last..sad i think cup is preety boring now, the rookies this years are weak yet they go for insane amounts on ebay still i dont get people... the first years were the best now they just do the same players on the same sets every year in and out, come up with something new and maybe dump some boring sets or whatever.

 

[rangers6]

So many valids points.... UD's marketing for The Cup was piss-poor at best. No pre-sales until the morning of (unless you knew someone special) and then the price made you wanna cry....

Then the checklist comes out Tuesday morning and its just head scratching. I only collect the Limited Logos, Honorable Numbers and ARP's of Rangers, and with only 7 cards to get, I had no reason to buy a tin, besides the chance at the "big one".....

Dominion's patches are just flat out sick and overall, I can stomach a single color patch for 300.00 but for 550.00 HELL NO!!!!!!!

The Cup should have ZERO, single color swatches, its supposed to be the best, but has too many duds to even be the best.

I hope UD falls flat on their face for this one.