Friday, 01 August 2008

The season is gone but Upper Deck's 2007-08 super premium hoops product is here at $600 a pop.

Upper Deck's ground-breaking Exquisite basketball returns for a fifth season this week. The specially-packed cards promise scarcity and autographs for a suggested retail price of $600 per one-pack box.

Boxes and individual cards are already popping up on eBay.

In every box, Upper Deck promises collectors will find: one autographed rookie patch card or a triple autograph “Draft Pick Reservation” card; one autographed patch card; one memorabilia or autographed card; one base set card; and a combination of autographs, memorabilia, parallels, printing plates, base cards and “Artist Proof” redemptions. All autographs are hard-signed and all boxes hand-collated.

Rolling out for the first time this year are “Exquisite Exclusives,” which consist of player-specific boxes autographed and hand-numbered to the player’s jersey number with exclusive content from only that player found inside. “Exclusive” boxes of Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Kevin Durant, Yao Ming, Steve Nash and Al Horford are included but the highlight will no doubt be the Michael Jordan/LeBron James dual-signed box.

High-end hits like dual NBA Logoman cards, triple NBA Logoman cards and low-numbered autographed patches fill out the checklist. The 1-of-1 Michael Jordan/Magic Johnson/Larry Bird triple Logoman patch card is generating some buzz amongst collectors who chase the product.
Another added element this year are rookie redemption cards called “Exquisite Draft Picks Reservation.” All are triple-autograph cards and all are hard-signed by trios of young talent entering the NBA this coming season.

Exquisite Draft Picks Reservation

DP-A

Derrick Rose/Michael Beasley/O.J. Mayo

#d to 99

DP-B

Michael Beasley/O.J. Mayo/Eric Gordon

#d to 99

DP-C

O.J. Mayo/Eric Gordon/Jerryd Bayless

#d to 99

DP-D

Derrick Rose/Russell Westbrook/D.J. Augustin

#d to 99

DP-E

Michael Beasley/Kevin Love/Joe Alexander

#d to 99

DP-F

Derrick Rose/Eric Gordon/Jerryd Bayless

#d to 99

DP-G

Joe Alexander/Brook Lopez/Jason Thompson

#d 199

DP-H

Russell Westbrook/Kevin Love/Danilo Gallinari

#d 199

DP-I

Russell Westbrook/Danilo Gallinari/Brandon Rush

#d 199

DP-J

D.J. Augustin/Jerryd Bayless/Brandon Rush

#d 199

DP-K

Joe Alexander/Jason Thompson/Marreese Speights

#d 199

DP-L

Brook Lopez/Robin Lopez/Roy Hibbert

#d 199

Also present in the product are “Artist Proofs” prize cards redeemable for framed uncut sheets used to make Exquisite.

“We are extremely proud of this year’s Exquisite Basketball release,” said Jason Masherah, Upper Deck’s Senior Brand Manager. “The newly introduced hand-numbered and autographed ‘Exquisite Exclusive’ boxes really launch this set into the next dimension and the rookie redemption cards add a great chase element to the set.”
Upper Deck’s 2007-08 Exquisite Basketball carries a suggested retail price of $599.99 per five-card pack, one pack per box. The product is available in stores now.
PRODUCT BREAKDOWN:

Autographed Rookie Cards (1 per pack on average)
o Exquisite Rookie Auto/Patch Level 1 (# to 225)
o Exquisite Rookie Auto/Patch Level 2 (# to 99)
o Exquisite Rookie Auto/Patch Gold (# to jersey #)

o Exquisite Draft Picks Reservation Triple-Signed (# to 99 and # to 199)

Autographed Patch Cards (1 per pack on average)
o Regular Cards Auto/Patch Variation (# to 1)
o Exquisite Autographed Patch (# to 35)

o Limited Logos (# to 50)
o Noble Nameplates (# to 25)
o Emblems of Endorsements (# to 10)
o Exquisite Extra Quad Auto Patch // (# to 3)
o Exquisite Numbers (# to jersey #)

o Exquisite Dual Numbers (# to jersey #)
o Scripted Swatches (# to 15)
o Dual Scripted Swatches (# to 5)
o Dual NBA Logoman Auto (# to 1)
o Exquisite Rookie Auto/Patch Gold (# to jersey #)

Memorabilia or Auto Cards (1 per pack, on average)
o Regular Cards Jersey Variation (# to 25)
o Regular Cards Patch Variation (# to 10)
o Year One Autograph (# to 10)

o Inscriptions (# to 25)
o Finalists Auto (# to 25)
o Exquisite Extra Quad Jersey (# to 25)
o Exquisite Dual Jersey/Auto (# to 5)
o Exquisite Triple Jersey/Auto (# to 3)

o Exquisite Trio Patch (# to 10)
o Exquisite Foursome Patch (# to 5)
o Exquisite Triple Patch (# to 10)
o Exquisite Trio Patch Gold // (# to 3)
o Exquisite Foursome Patch Gold // (# to 1)

o Exquisite Trio Patch Gold // (# to 3)
o NBA All-Access Triple Logoman (# to 1)
o Enshrinements Autograph (# to 25)
o Dual Enshrinements Autograph (# to 10)

Plate Cards, Regular Cards, Parallels and Non-Auto Rookies (2 per pack, on average)
o Base Set – 60 Cards (# to 225)
o Non-Auto Rookies (# to 99)
o Base Set Gold // (# to 25)
o Base Set Black // (# to 1)

o Non-Auto Rookies Gold // (# to jersey #)
o Exquisite Rookie Gold Variation (# to 25)
o Exquisite Rookie Black Variation (# to 1)
o 1-of-1 Printing Plate Cards (# to 1)
o Artist Proof Redemptions (variable #)

Exquisite Exclusives (hand-signed boxes from 1 of 8 players or the dual-signed Jordan/LeBron)
o Exquisite Exclusives Autograph (# to jersey #)
o Exquisite Exclusives Auto/Patch (# to jersey #)
o Exquisite Exclusives Memorabilia (# to jersey #)

o Exquisite Exclusives Dual Auto (# to jersey #)
o Exquisite Exclusives Dual Auto/Patch (# to jersey #)
o Exquisite Exclusives Dual Auto/Memorabilia (# to jersey #)