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The History of Upper Deck

theczartheczar Posts: 1,590 ✭✭
in Trading Cards & Memorabilia Forum
I am reading about the HBO Real Sports program about the shadiness of UD. This may be old hat for some of you, but there was a book out in the mid-90's about UD. Seems the presses never stopped there and a lot of innocent people got bad reputations from them. Apparnently things never change. The book is called Card Sharks and at last look you can get a used copy from Amazon for less than the price of a grading for one card at PSA. Not a bad buy.

Comments

  • ndleondleo Posts: 4,143 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Here are the highlights from the book:

    1. The 1989 Upper Deck Griffey RC (actually the first 100 cards) were reprinted later in the year for UD execs to
    resell on the secondary market. Upper Deck was having money problems back there and printed the cards
    instead of cash bonuses. I heard from another source that the total extra Griffey RCs printed was around
    100,000.

    2. Upper Deck reprinted the 1990-91 Upper Deck French Hockey High Number cases after cases hit $10K on the
    secondary market. UD initially printed only 600 cases since they didn't think hockey would sell. I think that
    info hit the hobby and case prices skyrocketed. UD then printed 1000 more cases, but changed the print date
    to make it look like they were printed earlier than they actually were. Again the executives (and some large
    dealers) were the ones that benefited from this.

    3. Richard McWilliams is one of the most shady people in the hobby.

    4. In 1990, Upper Deck printed an estimated 3 billion cards.

    I don't think the current UD is as shady as the start-up UD, but I think the culture is still there. McWilliams pretty much forced out or sued the original investors to take control of the company.

    Looking back, 1989-1992 was the "internet bubble" in the hobby. What they did wasn't ethical, but EVERYONE in the hobby was part of the game.

    I remember selling a bunch of vintage cards to buy boxes of that crap.
    Mike
  • theczartheczar Posts: 1,590 ✭✭
    i paid $500 for a box of high french. i think they sell for under $10 now.
  • TabeTabe Posts: 6,139 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I have a copy of this book I'd be willing to part with if anybody wants it.

    Tabe
  • WinPitcherWinPitcher Posts: 27,726 ✭✭✭
    but EVERYONE in the hobby was part of the game.


    Not everyone..............I was a dealer back then and I certaintly was not part of that game.


    Steve
    Good for you.
  • softparadesoftparade Posts: 9,281 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>I have a copy of this book I'd be willing to part with if anybody wants it.

    Tabe >>



    I'm interested! PM Me !

    ISO 1978 Topps Baseball in NM-MT High Grade Raw 3, 100, 103, 302, 347, 376, 416, 466, 481, 487, 509, 534, 540, 554, 579, 580, 622, 642, 673, 724__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ISO 1978 O-Pee-Chee in NM-MT High Grade Raw12, 21, 29, 38, 49, 65, 69, 73, 74, 81, 95, 100, 104, 110, 115, 122, 132, 133, 135, 140, 142, 151, 153, 155, 160, 161, 167, 168, 172, 179, 181, 196, 200, 204, 210, 224, 231, 240

  • ndleondleo Posts: 4,143 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Steve - You were in the very small minority back then. I remember when the local grocery store was selling 25-ct bricks of 1987 Topps Rookie Cards. It was a wild time.
    Mike
  • StingrayStingray Posts: 8,843 ✭✭✭
    I remember buying the French low series hockey set in Toronto while on vacation there back in 91. Paid something like $80 for it and sold it back here for $120.


    Stingray
  • jmbkb4jmbkb4 Posts: 2,963
    Is it true that UD used to (or still does) tell dealers where the big "hits" in cases/boxes are? I've always heard this but didn't know if it holds any water.
  • ndleondleo Posts: 4,143 ✭✭✭✭✭
    When we were a large UD customer, we would get phone calls from Upper Deck offering "special" cases for about 50% more than the normal case price. I don't know if this person was actually represented Upper Deck or was some flunky, but those cases always yielded big pulls. We only received these phone calls after we placed large orders.

    Take it for what it's worth. I just don't recommend buying single boxes from ebay.
    Mike
  • yankeeno7yankeeno7 Posts: 9,248 ✭✭✭
    I have also heard that dealers are told what the hot box is.
    I concur with ndleo...never buy a single box of UD off ebay. A lot of money can be made with that info.
  • TabeTabe Posts: 6,139 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>

    << <i>I have a copy of this book I'd be willing to part with if anybody wants it.

    Tabe >>



    I'm interested! PM Me ! >>


    Done.

    Tabe
  • digicatdigicat Posts: 8,551 ✭✭
    Heh. I picked up a box of 89 UD low on Ebay a few years back. Sigh. Pretty bad. Odd part was:
    NOT A SINGLE "STAR ROOKIE" IN THE WHOLE BOX. Each back was loosly put together too. It looked like a manufacturing error. I'd imagine that with a razor and a flashlight, I could lift the seal and see who the back card was. Someone probably did that already.

    The box was likely searched, but I don't think the packs were resealed. I remember running into packs put together just like these ones back in 1989.
    My Giants collection want list

    WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
  • originalisbestoriginalisbest Posts: 5,948 ✭✭✭✭
    Huh! Never knew these nefarious tales - makes me darn glad I never generally wanted anything made after '69 or so (last Mantle card was just a mental cutoff for me.)
  • mudflap02mudflap02 Posts: 2,060 ✭✭
    I traded a NM 1962 Mantle Topps Sporting News All Star to a big dealer in Denver for a wax box of 94-94 UD hockey. I was 13 and still can't believe the dealer let me do that. I wanted on of the cool die-cut foil mask cards, which probably were from a diffeent product.
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