Review – 2009-10 Upper Deck SP Signature Edition Basketball
Introduction
SP Signature has been out for some time now, so the fact that this product most likely isn’t a smart investment probably isn’t really news to you. As far as I can tell, the last time Upper Deck did SP Signature Edition Basketball was back in 2006-07. At that time the box guaranteed only one autograph. With this iteration of the product Upper Deck as doubled it to two autographs per box.
My Box Break
This is a quick and to the point box break. You get a total of five cards in the box: two of which are most likely sticker autographs of guys you don’t know much about, one is a Michael Jordan Legacy Insert, and the other two are base cards.
My base cards were Devin Harris and Jamal Crawford. My Jordan Insert featured a heart warming tale of a young Kidd taking on a legendary veteran. In the end, Jordan put up 36 points against the Kidd and the young Mavericks…
big surprise. They probably wouldn’t have made a card about it if Kidd had taken Jordan to school that day.
Base Cards
I do actually like the design of the base cards, but with only two base cards per $35.00 investment, this isn’t exactly a product you’re buying to build a base set. The base cards do add value to this product, but I don’t think they should really play any role in your decision to gamble on this product.
The Inserts
I’ve never been a fan of insert sets featuring a single player. Sure, Jordan is one of the greatest (if not the greatest), but it’s just not exciting to pull a Jordan Insert when you know it’s going to be there: pulling a Jordan insert shouldn’t be a given.
It’s nice that you get two autographs, but the fact that this product uses sticker autographs and has a “deep checklist” means that you’re going to see a whole lot more scrubs than all-stars: even if every autograph is numbered. Even if you do manage to pull a LeBron or Jordan autograph, it’s going to be considered a low to mid level autograph at best.
As with the base cards, the autograph do have a decent design and some of the multi-player autographs are very impressive. It also seems that the multi-signature cards seem to be relatively common. It’s nice to pull a dual autograph even if you don’t have any idea who either player is.
Conclusion
If you’re really hoping to get a nice autograph out of this product, I would suggest you just save your money and buy an autograph you want off of eBay (or your local hobby shop if its still selling singles). Sure, you have a shot at hitting the LeBron / Jordan dual auto if you buy a box, but then again you also have a chance at winning the lottery if you buy a ticket.
If you’re considering buying a blaster or two at Target or even one of those retail guaranteed hit things I’d suggest you just get one of these instead. You’ll get your two autographs and you do have that ever so slim chance at hitting it big.
Finally, if you’ve managed to read this far, I’m going to be giving away the two autographs I pulled while busting this box for the review. Not exactly something to get too excited about, but a free autograph is a free autograph.
To have a shot at winning one of the autographs just reply to this blog entry. I will toss the names of the people that respond into a hat and draw a winner. Given the amount of traffic I see on a daily bases, you have a pretty darn good chance of winning here. There is one catch, the comment must have some sort of value.
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I would love that J.J. Barea Auto, as I’m also from Puerto Rico and would like to start a collection on him.
Thanks for the contest!
Hey thanks for the great accurate blog about what I should expect from SP sigs!
Mike, thanks for the rather nice, and to the point review of the final UD Signature Edition for at least some time. I completely agree with you on the hit big, or more commonly miss bigger theory. This isn’t a new product for UD, but for the price, it does seem extremely watered down with their autograph player selection. What this means is, UD found a quick way to use a familiar brand and dump a TON of their second and third tier sticker autographs.
Also, I agree with the thought of Jordan should never be given insert, ever. He’s the greatest ever in my opinion, but knowing you are going to get a Jordan insert doesn’t add any value to it for me.
Thanks again for the review and I’ll prefer to keep my $30+ and buy a nice Exquisite rookie patch or even a vintage raw rookie from one of the all time greats, as I still need a ‘74 Gervin etc.
I’ll be looking forward to some more of your NBA product reviews.
Thanks for the contest and the information. I had a feeling this was a wait and see product. Probably best to just purchase singles. Going to be an intersteing year in hoops. Thanks again.
Thanks for the review, probably a singles buying product. Going to be an intersting year in hoops. Thanks again.
Thanks for the review. I have stayed away from this product because of the exact reasons you gave. I am a Jordan collector but have decided to stay away from the Legacy insert set because it’s just way too common, and I believe the set has about 1000+ cards in it? It’s too ridiculous for me.
i collect mcgee, he may not be a big star now but i think he has potential. sessions was a good pull, i think he could turn out to be a good player as well. but yeah, for $35 you may be better off just purchasing an auto online of someone you like or collect.
Those autographs would be a great addition to my small collection. Great entry and overall great blog!
Thanks for the contest. I actually like the autographs you got although I agree the box value is not that great of a deal. If you’re looking to have fun while busting maybe it’s worth a try, nobody should see busting wax as an investment.
I personally enjoy the Jordan Legacy cards in all the different products. To me.. a Jordan card is a Jordan card. The actual design of the card isn’t bad either..
Not a horrible break but i agree that in a product like this there is no need for sticker autos.
Cards look like they have a nice design but I agree with saving your money.
You can always buy the player you were looking to pull for less on ebay and hobby shops than the off chance you could pull it out of 10 boxes.
Update…
I’m going to close the contest on 11/2 (one week). I’ll contact the winners at then. Good luck everyone.
Personally, I didn’t like this product at all. They’re the same autos that are on SP Game Used.
Thanks for the review! For someone looking for info on what gives you the most bang for your buck, this information is very helpful.
I’m digging 09 SP Threads Football, still trying to determine what basketball cards to pursue…
Thanks for the great review, Mike. I agree with your comments and like you, I am afraid that the sticker autographs and “deep checklist” make this a very high risk product for someone to go after. Better to just buy the autograph you want than to come up with some of the scrubs that are in this product.
Thanks for the very helpful information.