Thought some of you would be interested in this.

The Upper Deck Company announced plans today to create a sports and entertainment memorabilia auction house designed to feature unique items of yesteryear and today. The auctions will be held via phone and online, with the first auction in the Spring of 2006. This new venture will be called Upper Deck Auctions.

"The sports memorabilia auction business is one sector in our industry that continues to show tremendous growth year in and year out," said Richard McWilliam, Founder and Chairman of the Upper Deck Company. "Many collectors want to own a unique piece of sports and entertainment history. With the tremendous reach of our brand name, plus the relationships that we have with our business partners, we are better suited than most companies to deliver these rare pieces to collectors."

"The plan is for Upper Deck Auctions to utilize our existing strategic partnerships with the leagues, agents, licensing groups, and our key spokespeople," commented hobby veteran Mike Phillips, who is spearheading this new initiative at Upper Deck. "Potentially, collectors will be able to bid on one-of-a-kind experiences with our key sports spokespeople, rare entertainment pieces, and vintage sports memorabilia."

Upper Deck Auctions will be able to provide a broader range of products, services, and experiences than traditional auction houses. And while the plan is for Upper Deck to deliver and create many unique items that have never been offered before, Upper Deck Auctions will be aggressively seeking consignments for its auctions as well.

"We are in the midst of seeking out and assembling a staff of industry experts who will, among many things, help us attract a multitude of top-tier consignment items for collectors to bid on," added Phillips.

Look for additional information regarding Upper Deck's auction plans at www.upperdeck.com and for those parties interested in consignment opportunities contact Upper Deck Auctions at [email protected].