2012 Topps: "Rookie Patches" Insert Set
2002 Upper Deck Sweet Spot: "Rookie Gallery Jerseys" Insert Set
1997 Proline: "Emerald Autographs" Insert Set
2012 Topps: "Rookie Patches" Insert Set
Jay's Football Cards
Upper Deck : Other Titles
My Upper Deck: Other Titles Collection (Updated December 29th, 2021)
In 1996 Upper Deck added the "Silver" parallel. This release was just like the regular issue, but with a silver tint to it. Actually, the regular issue had 300 cards in it, the "Silver" set had 225. I was going to show a scan of the regular card, but the "Silver" cards just don't scan very well. So instead, I showed a card from one of my favorite insert sets from this title, (See the 1996 Upper Deck Silver "Simeon Rice" Prime Choice Rookies #3 left). The photography used for this card set was awesome. I really liked it when the player's association allowed these photoshoots for the players. It really spiced up the rookie cards. Another really cool insert set included in this release was the "Helmet cards". I made a reference to the "Helmet Cards" on the "Upper Deck Black Diamond" page. This really cool 30-card set just enhanced an already solid "Silver" set, (See the 1996 Upper Deck Silver "Robert Brooks / Craig Newsome" Helmet Card #NC5 below right). My thought was that Upper Deck liked this release so much that they continued it, but changed the name from "Silver" to "Black Diamond". Sometimes just a name change is all you need to generate more interest.
1996 Upper Deck Silver: “Simeon Rice” Prime Choice Rookies #3
1997 Upper Deck UD3: “Joey Kent” Rookie #12
1999 Upper Deck HoloGrFx: “Shaun King” Rookie #76
After 1996, in which Upper Deck had one one-and-done, the '97 season had another short-lived release; the "UD3" set. I really liked both of the UD3 sets, (although I've only put together the '97 set), The photography was great, (See the 1997 Upper Deck UD3 "Joey Kent" Rookie #12 left). At only 90-cards, the set size sucked. A shame too, because it was such a great title. Even though the base set was short, it did have an awesome 4-card autograph set, (See the 1997 Upper Deck UD3 "Curtis Martin" Signature Performers #PF1
1996 Upper Deck Silver: “Robert Brooks / Craig Newsome” Helmet Card #NC5
below right). It was a really simple set, but the players they choose were deserving, the prices weren't astronomical and the set was small enough that it was easy to complete. (Editor's Note: autograph, memorabilia and insert sets can be small, but base sets better not be.) The "UD3" title lasted 2 years before Upper Deck pulled the plug.
The '98 season didn't have any one-and-done or short-lived titles, but Upper Deck made up for it in '99. The '99 calendar year brought a plethora of one-year issued titles. The first of which was called "HoloGrFx". The "HoloGrFx" title was a weird title that would've been better suited coming from Pacific or Collector's Edge. I just didn't like the whole silly background on the rookie cards, (See the 1999 Upper Deck HoloGrFx "Shaun King" Rookie #76 below left). And like a large number of the sets in the late 90s this set was another of the paltry under-100 club. This set did have the awesome 20-card "UD Authentics" autograph set; twenty cards which aren't the easiest to find.
1997 Upper Deck UD3: “Curtis Martin” Signature Performers #PF1
The "one-and-done" party continued in 1999 with the "Upper Deck Retro" title. It was around this time that all the card manufactures, (with Playoff and Donruss/Leaf being the lone exceptions), to release a Retro or Vintage set. The 1999 Upper Deck Retro was Upper Deck's first attempt, (See the 1999 Upper Deck Retro "Sedrick Irvin" Rookie #56 right). Upper Deck felt that they wanted to do it again in 2001, so they released the Vintage set, (See below). I thought the '99 Retro set was ugly and dull. I guess everybody thought that too, which is why the '99 set was the only one
1999 Upper Deck Retro: “Sedrick Irvin” Rookie #56
1999 Upper Deck Retro: “Adrian Murrell” Inkredible #AM
Upper Deck released. Even the "Inkredibles" autograph set kinda plain. Great name, but plain. Maybe I'm missing the point and that is what Upper Deck was aiming for, (See the 1999 Upper Deck Retro "Adrian Murrell" Inkredible #AM above left).
1999 Upper Deck Ionix: “Barry Sanders” #20
1999 Upper Deck Powerdeck: “Donovan McNabb” Rookie #22
2000 Upper Deck Gold Reserve: “Mo Lewis” #110
2000 Upper Deck Gold Reserve: “Plaxico Burress” Face Masks #FM-PB
2001 Upper Deck Top Tier: “Reggie Wayne” Home & Away Jersey #HA-RW
Now here is where Upper Deck started acting like Collector's Edge. I have no idea why Upper Deck needed a set like HoloGrFx and Ionix. I mean, look at both these sets, they're both hideous. I mentioned above that the '99 HoloGrFx set looked like it was from Pacific or Collector's Edge. The same can be said for the '99 Ionix set. I mean, it's bad enough to make one ugly set, but why make two? Obviously, I didn't care for the Ionix title, either year, (See the 1999 Upper Deck Ionix "Barry Sanders" #20 below right). Maybe it's a good thing that
The last of the one-hit-wonders was the cutting edge "Upper Deck Power deck" title, (See the 1999 Upper Deck Power deck "Donovan McNabb" Rookie #22 left). A mini-CD set that's playable with pictures, stats, and video highlights. Keep in mind Topps was actually the first to do this; Topps released a CD set back in 1996. The problem is, the CDs were full size. Upper Deck created a CD /card set that was the size of actual cards. Although the "Power deck" set was a cutting edge set, it still didn't last more than one year. I guess if Upper Deck wants to continue with cutting edge sets, the next set like this will be a "Thumb Drive" set since CDs are now a thing of the past. The one thing I will say about this release is that the autograph insert set is extremely hard to find and they aren't cheap either.
Now unlike the '99 titles, where we had a bunch of one-hitters, in 2000, we had but one. That single newest member of the
Upper Deck's onslaught on the 2001 hobby season continued with another one-hitter; the 2001 Upper Deck Top Tier. The "Top Tier" set was awesome; it had a respectable set size at 280 cards, it had a very good line-up of rookies, (See the 2001 Upper Deck Top Tier "Ken Lucas" Rookie #279 right), and it had a good stable crop of memorabilia cards; 5 in all, (See the
bothered me, the '99 Ionix set was one of 4 different titles that had a "UD Authentics" autograph set. One of four!! It's not bad if they use the same name, but the cards looked alike. Let's make this confusing, why don't we? This tactic, whether intentional or not, is right out of the Collector's Edge handbook. Not a good idea by any stretch of the imagination.
club was the "Upper Deck Gold Reserve". Reserve must have been the industry moniker in 2000 because Topps used it too, on the 2000 Bowman Reserve set. (Editor's Note: Topps used it again in 2001, on the Topps Archives Reserve set.) Regardless, the 2000 "Upper Deck Gold Reserve" set was a beautiful set, (See the 2000 Upper Deck Gold Reserve "Mo Lewis" #110 above right). Upper Deck gave the hobby in 2000 what it didn't give in '99; one-hit-wonders with some life. The "Gold Reserve" also had some sweet insert sets. My favorite of which was the "Face Masks" set, (See the 2000 Upper Deck Gold Reserve "Plaxico Burress" Face Masks #FM-PB above left). Normally, I don't like "face Mask" cards, but these were very nice and who doesn't like cards numbered to 100? I have the 2001 Upper Deck Gold Reserve sets as one of my favorite all-time master sets. I have no idea why the "Gold Reserve" wasn't continued in 2001, but it should've been.
2001 Upper Deck Top Tier: “Ken Lucas” Rookie #279
2001 Upper Deck Top Tier "Reggie Wayne" Home & Away #HA-RW above left). The only thing it was missing was an autograph set. With that being said, it's also one of my favorite all-time Master sets. Another thing to note about this 2001 Upper Deck Top Tier set is that it has one of the largest # of insert sets that are all memorabilia or autograph sets. It had 5 and all of them were memorabilia sets. Pretty impressive. To put it in perspective, the 2001 Donruss Classics release had 9 insert sets; all of which were either memorabilia or autograph sets. That one is damn impressive!
2001 UD Game Gear: “Terrell Davis” Autograph Unlisted #TD-GS
If the 2001 season didn't have enough really good one-hitters, Upper Deck introduced another; this one called "UD Game Gear". The 2001 UD Game Gear was another tremendous title by Upper Deck. Although it only had 110 cards, the insert sets really made up for any shortcomings the base set had. One of those insert sets was the Autograph set, (See the 2001 UD Game Gear "Terrell Davis" Autograph #TD-GS left). Unlike the Top Tier title, this release by Upper Deck did have an autograph insert set included. The Game Gear Autograph set was a 29-card mastery. (Editor's Note: The original Beckett had this set at 28 cards, but I discovered the "Terrell Davis" autograph.). The memorabilia sets included with this release are also cool, (See the 2001 UD Game Gear "Dan Marino" Uniforms #DM-U below right). Believe it or not, I also have this set as one of my favorite all-time Master sets, as well. This 2001 UD Game Gear set just had everything; autographs, jerseys, helmets.....
2001 UD Game Gear: “Dan Marino” Uniforms #DM-U
2001 Upper Deck Vintage: “Marcus Robinson” Vintage Signatures #MR-VS
To end this huge and rather impressive run of '01 one-hitters, Upper Deck unleashed the "Upper Deck Vintage" upon the hobby. And in my opinion, this one rocked. This release had 290 cards compared to the '99 Retro's 165. Advantage...Vintage. The '99 Retro set had the 30-card Inkredible, the '01 Vintage had the 25-card Signatures set...Even. The Retro set had zero memorabilia sets, it's Vintage counterpart had the
Vintage Threads, (See the 2001 Upper Deck Vintage "Rod Gardner" Vintage Threads #RG-VT below right), Vintage Threads Autographs, (See the 2001 Upper Deck Vintage "Marcus Robinson" Vintage Threads Autograph #MR-VS left), and Threads combos. This one isn't even close. Needless to say, this release blew the pants off of its predecessor. Good move by Upper Deck to revamp and rename the old Retro title. Bad move by Upper Deck to cancel this title.
2001 Upper Deck Vintage: “Rod Gardner” Vintage Threads #RG-VT
In closing, there were a ton of these small titles that Upper Deck has offered over the years. Some of these titles were extremely cool, (the 2001 Upper Deck Top Tier), and a couple of other sets were a complete sham, ( the 1999 Upper Deck HoloGrFx), but regardless, there is a set for everybody. Just because I don't like a set or title, doesn't mean someone else won't. I would definitely say that if you're looking to purchase a title from the late 90s or early 2000s, check out any of these titles, there are a bunch to try and one of these will fit your needs.
I have complete sets:
Upper Deck Other Titles:
1) 1991 Upper Deck Domino's QB Set
2) 1996 Upper Deck Silver Set
A) Dan Marino Insert
B) All-NFL Insert
C) All-Rookie team Insert
D) Helmet Cards Insert
E) Prime Choice Rookie Insert
3) 1997 Upper Deck UD3 Set
A) Generation Excitement Insert
B) Signature Performers Insert
4) 1999 Upper Deck HoloGrFx Set
A) 24/7 Insert
B) Future Fame Insert
C) Star View Insert
D) UD Authentics Insert - Incomplete ( 13 / 20 ) *
5) 1999 Upper Deck Powerdeck Set
A) Auxillary Insert
B) Powerful Moments CDs Insert
C) Powerful Moments Cards Insert
D) Time Capsule CDs Insert
E) Time Capsule Cards Insert
6) 1999 Upper Deck Retro Set
A) Inkredible Insert - Incomplete ( 27 / 30 )
B) Smashmouth Insert
C) Throwback Attack Insert
7) 1999 Upper Deck Ionix Set
A) Electric Forces Insert
B) Power F/X Insert
D) UD Authentics Insert - Incomplete ( 7 / 10 )
8) 2000 Upper Deck Ionix Set
A) High Voltage Insert
B) Majestix Insert
C) Rookie Xtreme Insert
D) Sunday Best Insert
E) Super Trio Insert
F) UD Authentics Insert - Incomplete ( 14 / 53 ) ***
9) 2000 Upper Deck Gold Reserve Set
A) Face Masks Insert - Incomplete ( 11 / 15 )
B) Gold Mine Insert
C) Gold Strike Insert
D) Setting the Standard Insert
E) Solid Gold Gallery Insert
F) UD Authentics Insert - Incomplete ( 17 / 26 ) **
G) UD Authentics Gold Insert - Incomplete ( 7 / 15 ) ****
10) 2001 UD Game Gear Set
A) Autographs Insert - Incomplete ( 26 / 29 )
B) Helmets Insert - Incomplete ( 28 / 29 )
C) Jerseys Insert
D) Rookie Jerseys Insert
E) Uniforms Insert
11) 2001 Upper Deck Top Tier Set
A) Home & Away Jerseys insert - Incomplete ( 21 / 22 )
B) Rookie Duos Insert
C) Then and Now Insert
D) Tri-Stars Insert
E) Two of a Kind Insert
12) 2001 Upper Deck Vintage Set
A) Franchise Players Insert
B) Matinee Idols Insert
C) Old School Attitude Insert
D) Signatures Insert - Incomplete ( 15 / 25 )
E) Smashmouth Insert
F) Threads Insert
G) Vintage Threads Autographs Insert - Incomplete ( 6 / 14 )
13) 2002 UD Authentics Set
A) Glory Bound Insert
14) 2002 UD Piece of History Set - Incomplete ( 159 / 162 )
A) Hitmakers Insert
B) Hitmakers Jerseys Insert
C) National Honors Insert
D) Rookie Glory Jerseys Insert
E) Run to History Insert
F) Run to History Jerseys Insert - Incomplete ( 5 / 6 )
15) 2002 Upper Deck Honor Roll Set - Do Not Have
A) Field Generals Dual Jerseys Insert
B) Offensive Threat Dual Jerseys Insert - Incomplete ( 4 / 5 )
C) Honor Roll Jerseys Insert
*Note: This set was listed as a 19-card set, However after I discovered the #DC-X Daunte Culpepper autograph exchange card, the set is now 20-cards.
**Note: I have my personal complete set at 26-cards. The original Beckett checklist shows 20 cards, but I found 2 autograph redemptions, (Sherrod Gideon and Tim Rattay), and 4 unlisted autographs, (Chris Coleman, Ron Dugans, Brad Johnson and Joe Hamilton).
***Note: This set was listed as a 52-card set, However after I discovered the #CA-X Champ Bailey autograph exchange card, the set is now 53-cards.
****Note: This set was listed as a 14-card set, However after I discovered the #DU-X Ron Dugans autograph exchange card, the set is now 15-cards.
