Many people have expressed interest in collecting trading cards but don’t know how to get started. With so many different products and card types on the market, new or aspiring collectors can feel overwhelmed and lost. Below is an attempt to break down those barriers by providing some useful information to help you get your collection started.

Upper Deck Series One Hockey (UD1) is a great set for new collectors to get started with. UD1 features cards of your favorite NHL® rookies, including No. 1 draft pick, Alexis Lafrenière! While hockey fans have been patiently awaiting Lafrenière’s NHL® debut, this season’s rookie class as a whole is one of the strongest the League has seen in years. The incredible number of standout rookies has created an exciting buzz in the hockey world and a huge demand for NHL® trading cards.

Lucky for you, UD1 offers 50 Young Guns® rookie cards of today’s top prospects, as well as 200 regular cards featuring your favorite players, superstars and other fan favorites from the NHL®.

The excitement doesn’t stop there! The series also features some amazing inserts, such as game-worn jersey cards from most of the biggest names in the game today. Other cool inserts include UD Canvas® cards of the best rookies and veterans, and UD Portraits cards from League superstars and legends. Four new inserts have been added to the collection this year – NHL® Worldwide, Dazzlers, Predominant and Debut Dates – some of which are the rarest cards in the set. All in all, Upper Deck Series One Hockey is a must-have for any true hockey fan!

Product Overview

Here is a list of the types of cards that you can find in UD1:

• Base cards
• Young Guns® rookie cards
• UD Canvas® cards
• UD Game Jersey cards
• NHL® Worldwide insert cards
• UD Portraits insert cards
• Dazzlers insert cards
• Debut Dates insert cards
• Clear Cut PETG insert cards
• Ceremonial Puck Drop insert cards

Upper Deck Series One Hockey can be found in retail boxes, blaster boxes and collectible tins at retail stores across North America. Here is an overview of what is included in each of these retail products:

Starting Your Collection

There are many different ways to collect, but a good way to start is to focus on your favorite teams and players and then collect those teams and players. It’s also fun to collect with friends and family so that you can share and trade cards with each other. We’ve found that collecting trading cards gives families bonding experiences and helps bring them together, especially during a quarantine.

Collecting cards offers a great opportunity for kids and parents to spend quality time together talking about their favorite players, teams and sports moments. It also helps teach kids the value of saving and keeping belongings in good condition.

What Type of Cards Should I Collect?

Today’s trading cards offer something for everyone. A pack of cards can range anywhere from $1 to over $100. The higher the price, the more content and inserts there will be, such as rookie cards, autographed cards and jersey cards, to name a few.

Where Can I Purchase Cards?

Trading cards are easy to find, although the best place for collectors to buy cards is in local hobby card shops, where you can find a great variety and tap into the expertise of the staff. You can also get card holders, collector’s albums; insert pages and other collecting necessities. If you are shopping online, look for Upper Deck Authorized Internet Retailers at www.UpperDeckStore.com.

Trading Card Values

The value of a trading card is based on many factors, including a player’s popularity, demand from other collectors, rarity, brand and the condition of the card. Today, the most valuable cards are typically tied to an athlete’s rookie season, or have autographs or jersey swatches embedded in the cards.

Keeping Your Cards Safe & In Good Condition

Once you’ve started your collection, you will want to make sure you take good care of your cards. Like most things, the better the condition, the more appealing and valuable they will be. Cards that have bent corners or other issues that prevent them from being in “mint condition” will have less value.

Popular Trading Card Brands

MVP: The first set of the new collecting year and offers plenty of inserts, parallels and short prints.

O-Pee-Chee®: This classic-style set is the largest on the market and offers a low price. It is also a great product for anyone who is just starting out. If you are interested in building sets that have a classic retro design with a chance to pull big autographs or unique team patches, this is the set for you.

Artifacts®: For seasoned collectors, Artifacts® is a household name. This product serves as an excellent mid-range product for puck fans, especially those who love premium memorabilia cards. Artifacts® offers a good value for collectors that are looking for quality rookies, dazzling memorabilia and early season autograph cards.

Upper Deck Series One: From the highly sought after Young Guns® rookie cards to premium autograph and patch cards, UD1 offers something for all levels of collectors at an affordable price point.

Upper Deck Series Two: UD2 picks up where UD1 leaves off, with a fresh collection of 200 base cards and even more Young Guns®. This set also includes popular UD Canvas® and other great insert cards.

SPx: This product offers plenty of autographs, jersey cards and rookie autograph jersey cards. There are various inserts that are exciting to collect, but SPx autograph jersey cards are real show stoppers. This is great for technology fans, memorabilia collectors, rookie collectors and autograph fans.

SP Authentic: This product includes a series of sought after Future Watch autographed rookie cards. Sign of the Times cards features multi-signed cards, which are a real thrill to pull. If you love rookies and autograph cards, you might consider this set.

Glossary of Terms

Acetate Card – A card printed on translucent, plexiglass-like material.

Base Card – A common card that is part of a product’s main set.

Booklet Card – A 2+ panel card that opens up like a book and can feature multiple players and/or signatures.

Box Value – Perceived card value according to price guides published by a third party.

Box Break – When a collector opens an entire box of sealed trading cards. You can find videos of collectors sharing their box breaks online.

Checklist – A complete list of cards contained in a particular set that helps collectors keep track of which players they have and which players they need.

Cut Autograph – A card featuring an autograph taken from another source (such as a check).

Game-Used Jersey Card – A card containing a piece of embedded jersey worn by a player during a game.

Hard-Signed – An autograph signed directly onto a card’s surface.

Hits – Special, non-base cards that are part of limited subsets.

Hobby Box or Hobby Products – Products created exclusively for hobby stores that contain more content, packs and inserts than at retail stores.

Inserts – Cards that are more difficult to obtain than the base set of cards. They are considered a “subset” within the product and will have a different look and design than common cards.

Jersey Cards – A card that contains a piece of embedded jersey.

Letterman Card – A card featuring a cut letter patch from a player’s jersey.

Licensed Cards – Trading cards licensed by the League and Player’s Association.

Parallel – A serial numbered version of another card. Parallels typically have the same design and photo, but offer different higher-end color schemes with limited numbering.

Patch Card – A card that features a cut patch from a player’s jersey. Common patches include jersey numbers, team names and team logos.

Personal Collection (PC) – A collector’s favorite cards: usually the centerpieces of a collection and are not up for trade or sale.

Printing Plate – A special plate used to print trading cards. These “cards” are considered to be one of a kind, and come in four printing colors: black, cyan, magenta and yellow.

Redemption – Insert cards used as placeholders for cards that were not ready at the time of printing, usually an autograph card. Collectors redeem these cards online.

Rookie Card – A card from a player’s first year in the league. These cards are highly collectible.

Serial or “Crash” Numbered – A card that is short printed and stamped with a print run number on the card, for example, 01/25.

Set – A completed series of numbered regular cards, inserts, or hits from a particular product.

Short Print (SP) – Cards that have a lower print run than other cards in a set, making them rarer and challenging to collect.

Sticker or Label Auto Card – An autographed card featuring a certified signature on a clear label, applied to the card’s surface.

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