Comments on the Cup.

[99goals]

Maybe I am different than most but I don't have an issue with the cup. I honestly don't spend much time looking at checklists or comparing the release from year to year. I am not into it that much that I would need to devote a chunk of time researching the product.

I look at it this way. I collect and bust what I like. The only reason I didn't buy any cup this year was largely due to the fact that I missed out on every single GB ever done for this product and I tend to pick up bulk lots of the cup singles for reasonable prices in my opinion.

I know plenty of collectors that never join hobby boards or use eBay. They just want to bust wax and enjoy their time doing it. I have personally seen about 10 tins of cup by these guys opened and not one of the collectors complained about it. They seem to realize its a gamble and accept that fact.

If there was no money in it for the manufacturers, they would not produce the product in my opinion. But as we have seen the cup continues to be produced, so there are people buying it. It's not all doom and gloom every single time an Upper Deck product gets released. I get people need to blow off steam about a purchase here and there and I totally get that. I wish I didn't see so much negativity in the hobby but it seems to be the norm in most circles, and seems to surface when high end products come out.

I prefer to see the cup half full <--- See what I did there LOL.. and just enjoy the hobby overall. I guess what I am trying to say is I know quite a few wax busters who don't seem to complain about any product unless they open a box that yields no hits. Which I have seen happen but that is few and far in between.

I have no issue with the cup with a bit of side commentary on too much negativity. Anyways.. off to find a gb with some cup.. maybe I will get into one sooner or later lol..

 

[eiben71]

The thing about The Cup is that they reason they started it was because of the incredible rookie crop in 05/06. Crosby/Ovechkin/Phaneuf/Lundqvist/Vanek/Carter etc made it a unique year for rookies, which made for plenty of hits in a rookie driven product. I remember reading interviews with UD officials where they made clear that The Cup was not expected to be a yearly installment, but instead a special product for the years with very high end rookies.
In 06/07, Malkin made it easy for them to decide to do the product again, but some of the other years (07/08, 09/10, 11/12) really didn't have the rookie crop for a product like this. It's too bad UD strayed from their initial vision for The Cup. If it we're released less often it wouldn't end up being so redundant.
If there is a lockout this year though, there should be a great rookie crop in 13/14 again, so The Cup will probably be great again.

 

[hawkeenut]

Well I have a store in London, so if you want to hear from a shop here you go.
The price for the cup is all over the board...shop around you may find a better deal. We've sold all ours except for 3 tins that we have left. Everyone in our store that has busted it or at least contemplating on doing it knows it is a huge gamble. That being said everyone that busted at our store was very satisfied except one guy who will remain nameless, at his request, LOL.....
Every product that you bust whether it's hockey, baseball, etc at whatever price $1.....to $1000. a pack is a gamble. It obviously easier for all of us to absorb the $1 pack, but the people that bust the Cup have to be able to absorb a loss as well if the hit crap.
Sorry for the long post.....hope this helps and I'm not representing all shop owners, just ours!!

 

[FrozenInferno]

The thing about The Cup is that they reason they started it was because of the incredible rookie crop in 05/06. Crosby/Ovechkin/Phaneuf/Lundqvist/Vanek/Carter etc made it a unique year for rookies, which made for plenty of hits in a rookie driven product. I remember reading interviews with UD officials where they made clear that The Cup was not expected to be a yearly installment, but instead a special product for the years with very high end rookies.
In 06/07, Malkin made it easy for them to decide to do the product again, but some of the other years (07/08, 09/10, 11/12) really didn't have the rookie crop for a product like this. It's too bad UD strayed from their initial vision for The Cup. If it we're released less often it wouldn't end up being so redundant.
If there is a lockout this year though, there should be a great rookie crop in 13/14 again, so The Cup will probably be great again.

Give collectors a chance to miss The Cup and it will have new life again. ITG Superlative only comes out every few years and by the time it does collectors are itching to get their hands on it. I think UD has no choice now but to make The Cup every year because collectors have come to expect things like #/99 rookies. The lockout would give UD a chance to go back to the drawing board and come up with some new ideas so it could potentially come back better than ever.

 

[Burner]

The thing about The Cup is that they reason they started it was because of the incredible rookie crop in 05/06. Crosby/Ovechkin/Phaneuf/Lundqvist/Vanek/Carter etc made it a unique year for rookies, which made for plenty of hits in a rookie driven product. I remember reading interviews with UD officials where they made clear that The Cup was not expected to be a yearly installment, but instead a special product for the years with very high end rookies.
In 06/07, Malkin made it easy for them to decide to do the product again, but some of the other years (07/08, 09/10, 11/12) really didn't have the rookie crop for a product like this. It's too bad UD strayed from their initial vision for The Cup. If it we're released less often it wouldn't end up being so redundant.
If there is a lockout this year though, there should be a great rookie crop in 13/14 again, so The Cup will probably be great again.

I think 07/08 had the 2nd best rookie crop other than 05/06.

 

[Mauri]

It's so hard to select a player to collect when this kind of system is kept up. Either you drown in the cards or then you get nothing. I'm not saying Cody McLeod should be featured a lot more, but I'm saying that at least top-10 players of each team should get their cards into products more often than not.

 

[drew1096]

I was all set to pick up a case this year. I've bought many cases in the past. I had the money all set aside for the price I was quoted. Turns out, they sold out and the next batch was going up more then $500 for the case. So I've decided to go for the singles I want. As a bonus, Despres only has like 7 cards in the set (not counting printing plates if he has any). So I should be able to get them all (hopefully) and still have cash left over.

 

[shams99]

Well I have a store in London, so if you want to hear from a shop here you go.
The price for the cup is all over the board...shop around you may find a better deal. We've sold all ours except for 3 tins that we have left. Everyone in our store that has busted it or at least contemplating on doing it knows it is a huge gamble. That being said everyone that busted at our store was very satisfied except one guy who will remain nameless, at his request, LOL.....
Every product that you bust whether it's hockey, baseball, etc at whatever price $1.....to $1000. a pack is a gamble. It obviously easier for all of us to absorb the $1 pack, but the people that bust the Cup have to be able to absorb a loss as well if the hit crap.
Sorry for the long post.....hope this helps and I'm not representing all shop owners, just ours!!

Thanks for responding, I was curious to what the sellers were seeing.

I think the product needs to be rebranded, " a newly designed model" so to speak. i only busted this product and now i dont miss it that i did not. . Its not about the money only. If i was blown away by design, or even a really good selection of players that were in different combos i would buy some. But i will pass and concentrate on some singles. I think that for your best product you should put out your best. And i dont think this is it.

that being said the cup is here to stay and if people enjoy it all the power to them. Collect what you like.

my 2 cents.

 

[borcky90]

07 08- Kane, Toews, Backstrom, Price, Bernier (Supossed to be top ten in the NHL right now at the time) plus a ton of decent players behind them like Lucic, Staal, Gagne, etc.... If anything 06 07 would be a pass, besides the top 5 guys who else is there?

 

[paulxing]

07-08 was the best draft class for the Cup. UD knew what to do with the cup (no offense Phaneuf and Koivu) but you got to remember at the time, even the 249 ones were stacked. The hype at the time included Mueller, Bobby Ryan, Cogliano, Foligno, Sergei Kostitsyn (he had a decent rookie year guys, stop laughing), the Johnson Bros (even though they weren't actually bros), RASK, Krejci, etc.

07-08 Cup will be tough to beat but I don't see the complaints with 11-12 Cup. It is NOT $500 a tin anywhere around me. It's not online either (not everywhere) so I don't know what the price complaint is.

What I do find weird is that you can get Gretzky Autos+ARPs+other hits for less than a price of a tin ($400 a tin valuation). I think the lockout is driving a lot of people away from collecting. I know I'm quitting busting after this season, not because of UD or Panini but because of how stupid Betman was run this league. I'm sure I'm not the only one.