Some thoughts so far on 09 SP Authentic...

[Kenny Hall]

- First off, after seeing someone's SOTT pull, I think they look a lot nicer in person than the pics I've seen so far. One complaint; [unlike last year] the space designated for the signature is way to small.

- It seems almost all boxes have the 2 auto rookie/1 SOTT combo, whereas in previous years it seemed a lot more common to pull 2 SOTTs/1 auto rookie. This would be a good thing if there wasn't so many "scrub" autographed rcs.

- The SOTT set has WAY too many rookie autographs. It's nice to include the top 3 or 5 rookies, but I counted 18!! In other words 1/3 of the entire set.

-Why are the swatches on the Rookie Review Patches half the size of the Limited Patch auto rookies?! Veterans aren't worthy enough for decent sized swatches?

-Another thought...From what I've seen, it seems the patches count as 1 of your 3 auto hits, which in my opinion is pretty weak. The patches and such should be a BONUS, on top of the regular hits in the box. With the economy being the way it is and Canadian collectors having to deal with higher prices due to the dollar, UD should be trying to provide more value in their product [which they haven't done]

-One final criticism; why include 24 packs in the box when about 2/3 of the packs are all base? (SPA's sister brand SPx has about the same amount of hits per box with only 18 packs. That's 6 less dead packs per box than SPA) My guess is because UD doesn't put any effort in trying to improve their products because they have become complacent. They know most of us collectors will keep coming back for more because we have no choice due to their monopoly. I find quite sad that UD hasn't tried to tweak or add any value to it's brands for years. Look at car models; they revamp the model every 5 years or so. Do we all still drive big station wagons with wood trim on the side? UD, please wake up.

Thanks for the read! Feel free to discuss my thoughts, and please add more comments, thoughts and discussion!

Kenny

 

[Hama]

- First off, after seeing someone's SOTT pull, I think they look a lot nicer in person than the pics I've seen so far. One complaint; [unlike last year] the space designated for the signature is way to small.

- It seems almost all boxes have the 2 auto rookie/1 SOTT combo, whereas in previous years it seemed a lot more common to pull 2 SOTTs/1 auto rookie. This would be a good thing if there wasn't so many "scrub" autographed rcs.

- The SOTT set has WAY too many rookie autographs. It's nice to include the top 3 or 5 rookies, but I counted 18!! In other words 1/3 of the entire set.

-Why are the swatches on the Rookie Review Patches half the size of the Limited Patch auto rookies?! Veterans aren't worthy enough for decent sized swatches?

-Another thought...From what I've seen, it seems the patches count as 1 of your 3 auto hits, which in my opinion is pretty weak. The patches and such should be a BONUS, on top of the regular hits in the box. With the economy being the way it is and Canadian collectors having to deal with higher prices due to the dollar, UD should be trying to provide more value in their product [which they haven't done]

-One final criticism; why include 24 packs in the box when about 2/3 of the packs are all base? (SPA's sister brand SPx has about the same amount of hits per box with only 18 packs. That's 6 less dead packs per box than SPA) My guess is because UD doesn't put any effort in trying to improve their products because they have become complacent. They know most of us collectors will keep coming back for more because we have no choice due to their monopoly. I find quite sad that UD hasn't tried to tweak or add any value to it's brands for years. Look at car models; they revamp the model every 5 years or so. Do we all still drive big station wagons with wood trim on the side? UD, please wake up.

Thanks for the read! Feel free to discuss my thoughts, and please add more comments, thoughts and discussion!

Kenny

It all comes down to cost - if you want more stars signing for this set - you're going to see $200 boxes. If UD makes a product - it's going to have to make a certain margin - and that involves making the blend of autos to use. Rookies don't cost nearly as much as stars for their autos in the first year.

It's all nice and good to have boxes with more hits - but those hits cost money and at the end of the day - that has to get paid for. And it ain't coming out of UD's pockets. You can try to revamp a product all you want, but if it isn't cost effective - it isn't going to happen

 

[mclean_m]

The SOTT set has WAY too many rookie autographs. It's nice to include the top 3 or 5 rookies, but I counted 18!! In other words 1/3 of the entire set.
Agreed. There are several key veterans missing from the SOTT set that normally sign for UD. Of course, reserving a larger percentage of the SOTT set for no-name rookies significantly reduces costs, I would think.

Why are the swatches on the Rookie Review Patches half the size of the Limited Patch auto rookies?! Veterans aren't worthy enough for decent sized swatches?
Often times, UD uses a jersey from several years ago. Some of these are likely in short supply so it makes sense that they would conserve them more than they would Rookie photo shoot jerseys.

I hope this doesn't turn into another "Bash UD" thread. There is already some ammunition above.

 

[pathshot]

The lack of set evolution isn't a problem unique to Upper Deck. ITG Heroes and Prospects and Between the Pipes have only changed up a little bit each year. At the same time, though, these are the brands. You can't turn SP Authentic into the Cup, as the Cup is the Cup. It needs to have Autographed Future Watch cards, and it needs to have Sign of the Times. However, I wouldn't mind seeing buybacks return to the product, and an increase of multiple signature SOTTs ratios.

-m.

 

[allstarcollectors]

I got a patch, Carey Price , in one of my 3 boxes and still got 3 more autos. Not sure about others, but it was a bonus, and I was pleasantly surprised. One of them was a Turris to boot!

 

[FrozenInferno]

-Why are the swatches on the Rookie Review Patches half the size of the Limited Patch auto rookies?! Veterans aren't worthy enough for decent sized swatches?

UD has the rookie players "use" a ton of photoshoot jerseys and they are used for products throughout the year. With so many jerseys available they can afford to make big swatches on the rookie patch cards, I would think supply is much shorter for the big stars.

 

[Kenny Hall]

First of all, by no means is this meant to be a "Bash UD" thread. I personally have never "bashed UD" on the forums, and I'm not a troublemaker/whiner. I'm just trying to get some discussion going on an important product.

It all comes down to cost - if you want more stars signing for this set - you're going to see $200 boxes. If UD makes a product - it's going to have to make a certain margin - and that involves making the blend of autos to use. Rookies don't cost nearly as much as stars for their autos in the first year.

It's all nice and good to have boxes with more hits - but those hits cost money and at the end of the day - that has to get paid for. And it ain't coming out of UD's pockets. You can try to revamp a product all you want, but if it isn't cost effective - it isn't going to happen

I'm not saying that UD should use all HOFers for the SOTT set by any means, but I think it wouldn't be too hard for them to include everyday NHL vets over a rookie who will never play a whole season in the league, if you know what i mean.

Also, when I was referring to the abundance of dead packs, I was leaning towards lowering the number of packs per box, as there are bad odds for pack buying collectors. I wasn't saying they should load the 24 pack box with 5 autos and 5 jerseys or something ridiculous. I was leaning more towards maybe adding one numbered jersey card or something (see 02-03 SPA) and reducing the number of packs to 18 or 20 (like SPx). Not asking for the world, just a couple of minor adjustments.

 

[Kenny Hall]

UD has the rookie players "use" a ton of photoshoot jerseys and they are used for products throughout the year. With so many jerseys available they can afford to make big swatches on the rookie patch cards, I would think supply is much shorter for the big stars.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking as well. I guess it just makes the Rookie Review Patches look bad compared to the Limited Rookies Patches. But I still must say they could be a smidgen bigger for a high end pull like that.

 

[Burner]

The Rookie Review patch and/or the Future Watch Patch took the place of the 3rd auto in last year's product as well.

The SOTT lineup is brutal. The preliminary checklists showed a lot of promise. The final checklist turned into the rookies + the usual UD cast and crew found in every other product

 

[Kenny Hall]

The Rookie Review patch and/or the Future Watch Patch took the place of the 3rd auto in last year's product as well.

The SOTT lineup is brutal. The preliminary checklists showed a lot of promise. The final checklist turned into the rookies + the usual UD cast and crew found in every other product

Yeah, now that you mention, it did. I just don't think that is right, as those cards are special pulls, you know? They shouldn't take away from your usual box break; it kind of taints the experience in a way. See my box break on the Show and Tell forums for an example:
- "Good break, but where's your SOTT?"
- "Well I guess since I was privelleged enough to pull a patch card, I don't need/want the rest of my hits. " LOL

I wasn't sure if it was just me, because I remembered the SOTT checklist looking very good and different for a change...so it did change significantly.

Kenny

 

[gratzi]

Also correct me if I'm wrong, Rookie Review patch autos are stickers this year for the first time?

 

[brianh98]

Yeah I thought they would have made the dual SOTT for Kessel with another Boston Player Like oh I don't know Blake Wheeler?????

Instead they Put Okposo with him...... I know he's a decent player, but WTF?

 

[Hama]

Yeah I thought they would have made the dual SOTT for Kessel with another Boston Player Like oh I don't know Blake Wheeler?????

Instead they Put Okposo with him...... I know he's a decent player, but WTF?

Two young American future stars - that makes sense - it's not always about pairing up with the same team

 

[nashrules]

My box had 2 RCs, 1 SOTT, and a patch. I agree the patches of the rookie reviews are small, but the star jerseys are expensive, and somewhat limited.

 

[JWE]

I had two boxes and got 7 auto future watch 1 patch future watch and no sott. But I was ok with what I got. There was no big names but atleast I knew every name I got. I do agree about lower the amount of packs to get rid of so many dead ones. Customers in my store usually try a pack or two before buying a box and when dead ones come up first it leaves a bad impression.

 

[djstrat726]

You know what your getting in SPA when you but it-- 3 auto's
Personally I'm not interested in jersey cards anymore as they are way to common and are little better than base.
Surprised that Pogge isn't an auto rookie, when so many others whose name we will never remember are.
The 2 boxes I did get produced Turris, Schenn, Boychuk and james Neal FWA's
4 non-auto rc's including Pogge
SOTT- Drew Stafford and Penned Perfection- Dany Heatley

 

[Stadium Sports]

We have seen 2 RR's and both were hard signed. As for the weak SOTT - that is not really anything new. They included rookies this year to the delight of one of my customers as the 2nd pack out of the first box landed him a Stamkos SOTT. He seemed happy.

SPA has been and still remains one of the most awaited products that goes through our store. Yes, 3 hits in 24 packs (in 05/06 it was 2 in 24) but because it is 24 packs, it keeps the price per pack affordable. I prefer this product to SPx anyday as once the "prize" is gone in SPx, what do you do with the other 17 packs? Not very many people put together the set of Spx at $7-8 a pack.

SPA, like it or not is one product I want included in each year's production. Even with the higher USA $$, we can still sell this porduct for a reasonable price - and the customers want it.

 

[RGM81]

You know what your getting in SPA when you but it-- 3 auto's
Personally I'm not interested in jersey cards anymore as they are way to common and are little better than base.
Surprised that Pogge isn't an auto rookie, when so many others whose name we will never remember are.The 2 boxes I did get produced Turris, Schenn, Boychuk and james Neal FWA's
4 non-auto rc's including Pogge
SOTT- Drew Stafford and Penned Perfection- Dany Heatley

For this one, it's not so much about star power as it is about timing. Pogge didn't make his NHL debut until pretty late in the game as far as producing SPA goes. They could have made him a redemption if they wanted to go the auto route, but that can have some serious drawbacks (see Rask, Tuukka). He debuted at around the same time as Max Pacioretty for Montreal, who is also a non-auto RC, and my belief is that it comes down to when the player debuted and not so much a reading of the star meter.

 

[allstarcollectors]

For this one, it's not so much about star power as it is about timing. Pogge didn't make his NHL debut until pretty late in the game as far as producing SPA goes. They could have made him a redemption if they wanted to go the auto route, but that can have some serious drawbacks (see Rask, Tuukka). He debuted at around the same time as Max Pacioretty for Montreal, who is also a non-auto RC, and my belief is that it comes down to when the player debuted and not so much a reading of the star meter.

Star Power? Maybe Hobby Interest, would be a better term for Pogge!

 

[cards-gotta-go]

Read your Insider's Edge... most notably my comments on SPA Football.

To summarize:
3 hits and 21 packs of base... yippee-doo.
The hockey version is no different... and no, the /999 Notables and that stuff do NOT count - when was the last time anyone considered those to be a "hit"?