Maybe I'm just ignorant, but can someone provide an answer?

megatron

I'm do not know much about modern cards, but was wondering about the sweet spot autograph product from Upper Deck. What is the technology behind this product? Does Upper Deck have players sign actual balls, then cut out the sweet spot and then place it inside a card? Or is the sweet spot provided on a canvas for players to sign?

In addition, for deceased players, I'm assuming that auto balls are purchased off the secondary market and then placed into the cards. Is this correct? If so, how does UD make sure that the auto is authentic?

Thanks in advance

Note: Not edited for spelling

mrmr

This is from the UD web site.


In addition, the Sweet Spot brand is built around the most popular and most exciting autograph card in the industry. This autographed card is hand stitched onto a piece of leather, which is acquired directly from the Rawlings Baseball Company. The stitched leather pieces are then autographed by some of the hottest players in the industry, including 2003 top name rookies like Bo Hart, Hideki Matsui and Dontrelle Willis. These super autographed cards fall at 1:24 packs (1:2 boxes). Upper Deck unveiled these autographed cards in 2001 with the unveiling of the Sweet Spot brand. For this product, Upper Deck has even taken these autographed cards a step further: having players autograph on a manufactured piece of wood barrel. The wood barrel cards are hand numbered to provide extra rarity. This wood barrel piece is curved like the barrel part of a player's game used bat. The players signed on the barrel piece and the piece is then placed into the die-cut window of the trading card.

helionaut

The leather is not on balls, but laid flat on a board. It's the same type of leather that is used for balls, though. For the other autos, I assume they use the same authentication process as any of us would use, purchasing from a reliable dealer. Some of them, like the Joe DiMaggio balls, were probably in their possession already, left over from the UDA company. Others, like a lot of the autos in the latest Legendary Cuts, list the dealer it was obtained from, though this is a new development. I have a scan of one of the 2001 Mantle balls somewhere, but I don't think it had that information on it.

BigKidAtHeart

the thing about these cards is that most of them
have the signature partially obscured by the
off centered signatures and odd design flaps
that over hang the ball patch!

so instead of JOE Dimaggio
you get OE Dimaggio!


or uan arichal


or uke snide


or uck tanner!


or others

qualitycards

BIGKID - You do realize that Duke Snider sigs are a dime a dozen, but the rare uke snide version is worth its weight in gold ...jay