Random Thoughts.......

[cjb]

1) How many Hobby Boxes does Upper Deck produce per series?

2) Do you think 2nd year cards will make a comeback in the modern era?

3) Why is Cayden Primeau Young Guns worth so much money ($20-$30)? When Carey went cuckoo, Cayden wasn't even next in line to be the backup, Montembeault was. The guy hasn't really accomplished much yet, so his current value makes to sense to me.

4) Why do they call them High Gloss Cards? I own one and they don't look or feel more glossy than normal base cards.

5) Is upper deck extended really all that bad? In some places you can buy a hobby box for only $75. I know it's great, but still.

[RGM81]

1. Lots.
2. It's already happening to some extent but depends on player & the year. A friend of mine recently sold a PSA 10 2013-14 Alex Ovechkin Prizm Prizm for an obscene amount of money. These were the cards that were the 1-in-4 packs basic shiny parallel. So anything is possible in this environment where the "other sports" are dabbling in the hockey market with their existing practices that don't always make sense to the long-time hockey collector.
3. It's the hype factor. He's been deemed the successor in some circles. Personally, I am not at all convinced.
4. Depends on the year but there are definitely some where the card stock and finish is noticeably different. Plus it's an excuse to make a chase version /10.
5. I personally enjoyed the product. Some really cool hits in there. What waters it down is that many of those hits are readily available via ePack, so there's an additional glut on the market...for at least the non-numbered hits. Some of the #'d cards go for really good money still (see #2).

[30ranfordfan]

1) How many Hobby Boxes does Upper Deck produce per series?

2) Do you think 2nd year cards will make a comeback in the modern era?

3) Why is Cayden Primeau Young Guns worth so much money ($20-$30)? When Carey went cuckoo, Cayden wasn't even next in line to be the backup, Montembeault was. The guy hasn't really accomplished much yet, so his current value makes to sense to me.

4) Why do they call them High Gloss Cards? I own one and they don't look or feel more glossy than normal base cards.

5) Is upper deck extended really all that bad? In some places you can buy a hobby box for only $75. I know it's great, but still.

1 - If we knew the real number, I think a lot of people would be surprised at how high it is. It's a LOT.
2- There is some evidence that it's already happening. Looks what people are selling 2nd year UD Base cards of Crosby, Ovechkin, and McDavid for. Not tons, but they're not going for pennies either. (Personally, 2nd year cards do nothing for me)
3- I have no idea
4- It's a cool name? Perhaps they were extra glossy once upon a time?
5- Yes. It's filled with a bunch of mediocre inserts & parallels... plus rehashed old YG designs (the over use of "retro rookie cards" is probably my biggest pet peeve with UD right now). The checklist of actual rookie cards is terrible. I will admit: If I still build UD sets every year.... I would be building this one too.

[Fred Bear]

1) How many Hobby Boxes does Upper Deck produce per series?

2) Do you think 2nd year cards will make a comeback in the modern era?

3) Why is Cayden Primeau Young Guns worth so much money ($20-$30)? When Carey went cuckoo, Cayden wasn't even next in line to be the backup, Montembeault was. The guy hasn't really accomplished much yet, so his current value makes to sense to me.

4) Why do they call them High Gloss Cards? I own one and they don't look or feel more glossy than normal base cards.

5) Is upper deck extended really all that bad? In some places you can buy a hobby box for only $75. I know it's great, but still.

1) Depends on the specific set, but you can often estimate it based on the numbered cards (at least for Hobby/epack)

2) No-to-Maybe. 2nd year cards become interesting when RC cards are no longer affordable (whatever that might mean, right). For 'vintage' era cards, you only have 1-2 choices for many RCs, so if those go to the moon, you have to grab a 2nd year or later, e.g. Bobby Orr. For Modern, who doesn't have a RC that's affordable? Ovechkin, very recently, has hit a point where the Victory and MVP are closing in on $100, and McDavid OPCs are climbing slowly to $75+, but with so many options for Modern, 2nd year cards will only be relevant for the absolute top tier players.

3) Hype and rumor. Primeau is younger and believed to be the 'future'. Add in the Montreal market factor and the card shoots up. Montreal also needs to do something about their cap situation and, while it may not be popular, moving Price could solve several problems... leaving the door to the net wide open...

4) Does it matter? Once upon a time, they had a much different finish and a much different foil. I haven't pulled one (in person) in several years, so I can't really say if that still holds. {They still sell like they are special.}

5. Yes-to-maybe. There are lots of nostalgic and cool cards, that are almost worthless. The weak rookie class doesn't help. There's also a near-endless supply - the product is on epack, it's gotten hammered on epack, and there's still a ton available on epack (more than 99 cases). It will be there for a while, too, since you can get it in person for about 75% what it costs on epack... Prices are not going up on the majority of it due to scarcity...