Pack Review - The Return of Collector's Choice!

So I was weak. I broke down. I stopped by the card store and picked up a box - a box of 2008-09 Upper Deck Collectors Choice. As a collector whose financial situation has changed in the last month this product is right up my alley. The local brick and mortar store has packs for 89 cents and a 36 pack box for $25.00. So it was just a bit of a relapse.

I grabbed one pack out of the box to give you an idea of what the set has to offer. All photos are from UD's site. As of now I still haven't gotten around to buying a scanner.




Sidney Crosby - Pittsburgh Penguins. Sid the Kid, The Next One, Cindy Crosby, whatever you want to call him he is one of the poster children of the new NHL (as well as the cover boy for this set).



David Booth - The Florida Panthers. As a Lightning fan I refuse to say anything nice about a Stinkin’ Panther.



Calgary Flames 3 Star Selections (Jarome Iginla, Miika Kiprusoff, Dion Phaneuf) - Perhaps my favorite part of the set. Each team has a card that pictures three influential players. Sadly I did not pull a Lightning card from the box.



Johan Franzen - Detroit Red Wings (Choice Reserve) - Advertised as “1 Choice Reserve Foil Parrallel Card in Every Pack” and sure enough there is one in every pack, even the pack with the other parrallel’s. Yes I know that's not Mr. Franzen. UD didn't have a photo of the choice reserve's so you got the only other photo that was on my desktop - Fabio from Top Chef.



Markus Naslund - New York Rangers Cupquest (Semi Finals) - Similar to the StarQuest cards that have made a comeback in Upper Deck’s releases this year. It looks like each card has four different levels (First Round, Second Round, Semi-Finals, Stanley Cup).

Other than the stickers this is really the only insert the set offers. No patches or autographs as far as I can see. This set is definitely geared towards younger collectors or those looking for a cheap set to complete.



Alex Tanguay - Montreal Canadians. How'd that 100th anniversary season turn out?

Opening the box was fun. I knew there wasn’t going to be a big “hit” so I was able to open the packs without expectations. I actually enjoyed seeing what players I got in the pack instead of worrying if there was a thick relic or auto card in the pack. If you’re looking for a set without all the drama or fuss - check this one out.

The fact that I scored a Steven Stamkos rookie in the box didn’t hurt either. Hope you enjoyed the quick recap.