This season’s 600-card base set offers the ultimate chase for set collectors!
North Las Vegas, NV (October 10, 2008) – Just as the first pucks were ready to drop to open up the 2008-09 NHL Season, Upper Deck’s latest O-Pee-Chee Hockey release was hitting store shelves across North America. An awesome, 600-card base set that’s ideal for set collectors, the 2008-09 NHL O-Pee-Chee launch features a wide array of elements that are sure to ignite the underlying passion of rabid hockey card collectors everywhere.
The overall collection is complemented by a stunning array of rookie cards (“Marquee Rookies”) and legends (“OPC Legends”) that combine at a rate of one in every two packs, on average. But it’s the loaded assortment of very cool inserts that will keep pack-crackers coming back for more.
The memorabilia and signature cards are headlined by “OPC Triple Materials” (1:108 packs); “OPC Signatures” (1:432); and “OPC Autographed Buybacks (1:432). Some of the top “Triple Materials” cards include star-studded scoring trios like Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Mark Messier, as well as extraordinary netminders like Patrick Roy, Grant Fuhr and Ron Hextall. Some of the more sought-after signature cards in this season’s O-Pee-Chee launch include Alexander Ovechkin, Marty Turco, Martin Brodeur, Jonathan Toews, Nicklas Backstrom and Joe Thornton. The autographed buybacks afford a special look at yesteryear with former legends like Bobby Clarke (Flyers), Tony Esposito (Blackhawks), Brian Leetch (Rangers), Billy Smith (Islanders) and Phil Esposito (Bruins) headlining the list.
There is also a 1979-80 “Vintage Variation” series of cards inserted in every pack, with a retro set rainbow parallel that’s numbered to 100. A gold parallel of the regular base cards as well as the rookies and legends, inserted 1:4 packs, further bolsters the vast elements included this season. And a lineup of five “Old-School” inserts, combining at a rate of 1:4 packs, provides a nostalgic look at seasons past. The “Team Checklists” (sporting a retro look); “Season Highlights”; “Trophy Cards”; “First, Second Team All-Stars & All-Rookie Teams”; and “2007-08 Stat Leaders” cards will add history and old-school design to this latest offering.
“O-Pee-Chee has a terrific fan following and this year’s release has something for every level of collector,” said Josh Zusman, Upper Deck’s Hockey brand manager. “With the new season just underway, now is the perfect time to launch a product of this magnitude. The ‘Triple Materials’ memorabilia cards and the autographed buybacks are two of my favorite inserts.”
Upper Deck’s 2008-09 NHL O-Pee-Chee carries a suggested retail price of $1.59 per six-card pack with 36 packs per box. The product is currently in stores.
CONTENT HIGHLIGHTS:
· Awesome 600-card set ideal for set collectors!
· Featuring a terrific ’79-80 Retro variation of the entire regular set!
o All 600 players in new photos and a design commemorating the popular set (one per pack)!
· Autographed Buybacks return, delivering an average of one per case!
· Collect Winter Classic Highlights, averaging 1 per box!
o These laminated cards are must-haves for anyone who enjoys hockey in its purest form!
· Look for in-pack rookie cards of players who debuted near the end of the ’07-08 season!
· Triple memorabilia cards (averaging 4 per case) and OPC Signatures (averaging 1 per case) give the set some big-time punch!
· Five old-school inserts combine to deliver hits (1:4) the way they did in yesteryear!
PRODUCT BREAKDOWN:
·Rookie Cards & Legends (combine to deliver one in two packs on average!)
o Marquee Rookies
o OPC Legends
·Memorabilia & Signature Cards
o OPC Triple Materials – inserted 1:108
o OPC Signatures – inserted 1:432
o OPC Autographed Buybacks – inserted 1:432
·Cool Winter Classic cards
o Winter Classic Highlights – inserted 1:36
·Old-School Insert Cards (all combine to deliver at 1:4)
o Team Checklists (retro look)
o OPC Season Highlights
o OPC Trophy Cards
o First, Second Team All-Stars & All-Rookie Team
o 07/08 Stat Leaders
·’79/80 Retro Variation Cards
o Regular Cards & Rookies/Legends – inserted 1:1
o Retro Set Rainbow parallel – numbered to 100
·Regular Set Parallel
o Regular Cards & Rookies/Legends, Gold parallel – inserted 1:4
·Regular Cards
o 500 Regular Cards
About Upper Deck
Upper Deck is a premier sports and entertainment publishing company which delivers a portfolio of relevant, innovative and multi-dimensional product experiences to collectors, sports and entertainment enthusiasts. For more information on Upper Deck and its products please visit www.upperdeck.com.
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