SCF Official Review: 2008 Upper Deck SP Authentic Football

[Enigma]

First and foremost, I'd like to thank the wonderful people at Upper Deck for providing us with this product.



Product Description

24 packs per box
5 cards per pack
SRP: $114.99 - $124.99

CONTENT HIGHLIGHTS
- One (1) Autographed Memorabilia card in EVERY box, on average! - Including an unprecedented eight (8) Rookie Autographed Patch Cards in EVERY case, on average!
- Two (2) additional Autographs in EVERY Box, on average! - Look for Multi-signed cards falling two (2) per case, on average
- Look for 1-of-1 Autographed Rookie Logo Patches!
- All autographs are signed on the card!


PRODUCT BREAKDOWN:
Autographed Memorabilia Cards (1 per box, on average):
- Rookie Authentics Autographed Patch Cards and Parallels (# to 999 or less)
- Rookie Authentics Autographed Logo Patch Cards (# to 1)
- By the Letter Signatures (Varied #’ing)
- Retro Rookie Signature Jerseys (# to 75)
- Rookie Leather Heads Signatures (# up to 150)
- Numbers Piece Signatures (Varied #’ing)

Autograph Cards (2 per box, on average):
- Rookie Authentics Signatures (# to 1199 or less)
- SP Authentic Autographs
- SP Authentic Autographs Parallel (# to 25)
- Chirography Autographs
- Chirography Autographs Parallel (# to 25)
- Sign of the Times Signatures
- Sign of the Times Signatures Parallel (# to 25)
- Sign of the Times Dual Autographs (Varied #’ing)
- Sign of the Times Triple Autographs (Varied #’ing)
- Sign of the Times Quad Autographs (# to 10)
- Chirography Dual Autographs (# to 50)
- Chirography Triple Autographs (# to 25)
- Chirography Quad Autographs (# to 10)
- Immortal Signatures (Varied #’ing)
- Immortal Dual Signatures (# to 20)
- Immortal Triple Signatures (# to 10)
- Immortal Quad Signatures (# to 5)

Regular Set:
- Regular Cards - 100 cards
- Rookie Authentics - Level 2 (# to 1399)
- Rookie Authentics - Level 1 (# to 999)

VIDEO BREAK



WHAT WE PULLED

Base - 87/100 (87%)
Dupes - 24

The base cards feature photos of the player in poses or action. The background has a small excerpt from a field complete with yard markers and the color matches the main color of the team. There are two Rookie card levels with cards numbering either to 999 or 1399.



There are numerous autograph sets in this release. Of those sets, six are memorabilia autographs. On average, 2 out of 3 boxes will yield a rookie patch auto. Here is what we pulled out of our box.




Redemption is a Jordy Nelson Patch/Auto /999

Final Ratings (Out of 5):
Base set: 3/5
Fun: 4.5/5
Overall design: 3.5/5
Value: 4/5
Re-buy: 4.5/5

Overall: 19.5/25 (78%)

SP Authentic is one of the most highly anticipated releases in football every year and this year was no different. With that anticipation comes expectations, in which some were met and others were not.

I cannot stress this enough, if you release a set that has enough base cards in a box, allow the buyer to complete the set. We were 13 cards short of a complete set and we received 24 dupes. How hard would it have been to complete the set and make the duplicate count less? Consumers are going to buy multiple boxes of this product, so at least reward them with that.

Avoiding inserts and sticking with rookies, relics and autos is a plus. It keeps the excitement of the break going, especially when you get a hot box. Speaking of hot boxes, believe me when I saw I was ecstatic to see we were fortunate to get one. However, I've also seen others get box with less than the average amount of hits and it's disturbing.

All in all, this is a great set and highly collectible. The different levels for the rookie patch autos, rookie autos and the rookies makes it a fun task to put together. The multi-colored patches look amazing. Also, there's a nice mix of veteran and retired autos to appeal to all collectors.

Once again, I'd like to thank our sponsor, Upper Deck, for providing us with this box and the opportunity to review it.

[doniceage]

Tony,
Where do you get the suggested Retail Price? Just thought I ask. Is that the price the manufacturer suggest etc.

Don

[Enigma]

SRP = Standard Retail Price

[Pheebs888]

T,

"me when I saw I was ecstatic to see we were fortunate to get one" i think that should be say...

nice break!

[hagansp]

5 autos = HOT BOX

Nice stuff, everyone should be required to get 1 box of SPA a year, it's like a tradition! Great product, hit or miss! Thanks UD

[andrewcstein]

That's a great patch!

[patriotsguy]

Nice O'Connell Patch auto!!!

[mikesilvia]

Nice break! I do like how SPA gives you some better hits than in the past. A few years ago you could open a box and not get a single NFL starter for the GU/Auto hits.

The O'Connell card is a beauty and I LOVE that these autos are ON the card and NOT stickers!

[StainLss]

Sweet Break Tony, I love the on card autos! (as i sure we all do.) The O'Connell is SWEET! Thanks UD!!!

[quiet-things]

That patch looks awesome, and to get 2 in a box and 5 autos in total, that's amazing! Thanks UD! I also like the design of the regular autos