The Epic Repack Box Break: Upper Deck Sets

How little did we know that Upper Deck would experience its last hoorah in 2010, leaving us with a smoldering of products to choose from through 2008 and 2009 in its absence.  Some were big hits, and some were big misses.  Yet, everyone had a taste of it and everyone can relate to the wonder of Upper Deck sets from those two glorious years.  And they frequent the wantlists of a lot of bloggers.  Winner, winner.

2009 Upper Deck Icons

#86: Roy Halladay

This is an unusual sight; Doc sporting a Blue Jays uniform.  Do you think if the Jays realized that their offense was going to be filthy that they would have kept Halladay?  Their pitching is young, and inexperienced at that.  Having Halladay in that rotation would have catapulted Toronto to AL East favorites every year.

Upper Deck Icons Retail Red #20: Chase Utley

Apparently Utley only has two cards in the entire Icons set; this card and its base counterpart.  Weird it has no other parallels.  I’ll be looking to move this to a dirty Phillies fan.

2008 Upper Deck Heroes

Upper Deck Heroes Jersey Charcoal #34: Wade Boggs

You’re always guaranteed a jersey card in one of these repack boxes, even if it doesn’t say right on the box.  It’s just one of those certainties in life.  Of course it certainly was great I pulled a relic of a Hall-of-Famer instead of… Jose Guillen.  Shudder.  While searching for this card on Beckett, I stumbled on a bit of confusion.  Charcoal was the only parallel that wasn’t serial-numbered, yet this color is nothing like the charcoal I’m used to being pulled out of retail.  Ah, who cares anyway?  It’s up for trade.

2008 Upper Deck Spectrum

Derek Jeter Retrospectrum DJ53: Derek Jeter

Nevermind that Upper Deck released 100 cards commemorating something in Jeter’s career on shiny card stock.  Instead focus on the back of card #53:

“Jeter had already done so much in his tenure in the Major Leagues before 2001, but he’d never reached the five-hit mark in a game.  That changed on 5/23/01 when the Yankees beat the Red Sox 7-3, and Jeter went 5-for-5 with a homer.”

Some stuff you just can’t make up.

2008 Upper Deck X

Upper Deck X Die-Cut #85: Aaron Rowand

Ew, ew, die-cuts!  Someone please take this off my hands.

Upper Deck X Xpotential 3 AP: Albert Pujols

I very much dislike the Upper Deck X set, but like these inserts.  Weird how they would save the great looking insert designs for such a boring set.

Along with these products, I had a couple of packs of some random Upper Deck sets and some Topps sets from 2008/09.  All of the following cards are available.

2009 Upper Deck Icons

#8, #32, #34

2008 Upper Deck Heroes

#94, #133 (x2), #185

Black #61: Dontrelle Willis (x2)

2008 Upper Deck Spectrum

#16, #81

2008 Upper Deck Timeline

#4, #31, #49, #139

2008 Upper Deck X

#17, #31, #65

Along with these UD products, I received a couple of packs from 2008 and 2009 offerings Topps came out with.

2009 O-Pee-Chee

#77, #222, #351, #382, #589

Black #354: Manny Corpas

2008 Stadium Club

#46, #127, #148

Well, that is all from this chapter.  I will leave you all now with a Bible quote.

Mark 3:18 “And the Lord said: Let there be Repack Boxes”