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Product Review: 2019-2020 Upper Deck SP Game Used |
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Just as the NHL shut down its activities, Upper Deck sent me a box containing 3 products to review, safe to say their timing could not have been better. First up, 2019-2020 SP Game Used a product that has been in the Upper Deck line up for quite some time but that has come in a bit of a new format these last few years. While it used to be a box with multiple packs, now each box contains a single pack of 6 cards. In Canada, each box should set you back about 115$ plus taxes.
As it has always been and which makes sense given the name of the product, SP Game Used is heavy on memorabilia hits. While getting a memorabilia card was a big deal some years ago, these days, they have come to be expected in hockey releases and have unfortunately loss a lot of value. Much like the 2018-2019 version, each box should yield at least one premium autograph or relic card along with 3 more hits which can be either autographs of relics for 4 premium hits per box.
The base set comprises 200 cards and UD has tried to make these more sought after by limiting each base card and authentic rookie to the player’s jersey number. On top of that, there’s also an assortment of parallels so that die-hard collectors can enjoy the thrill of the chase:
Base Parallels
Rainbow - #/275
Orange Rainbow - #/200 + NHL Years
Black Rainbow - #/5
Green Snow Storm - 1/1
Printing Plates - 1/1
Gold Jersey - 1:5
Gold Spectrum Patch - #'d
Blue Autograph - 1:7
Autograph - #'d to Jersey #
Black Rainbow Auto - #/5
Green Snow Storm Auto - 1/1
Red Autograph Jersey - 1:20
Red Spectrum Auto Patch - #'d
Authentic Rookies Parallels
Rainbow - #/200 + Birth Year
Orange Rainbow - #/100 + Draft Year
Black Rainbow - #/5
Green Snow Storm - 1/1
Printing Plates - 1/1
Gold Jersey - #/599
Gold Spectrum Patch - #/65
Blue Autograph - 1:5
Black Rainbow Auto - #/5
Green Snow Storm Auto - 1/1
Autograph (#'d to Jersey #) - 1/1
Red Autograph Jersey - 1:12
Red Spectrum Auto Patch - #/15
Purple Spectrum Auto Patch - #/15
As for the relics/autographs cards, they include plenty of the usual suspect such as Draft Day Marks, Banner Year,
Game Used Pucks, Net Cords, Game Gear, Frameworks and a new addition this year; Tonight’s Lineup which features an actual piece of an official NHL lineup card.
The box we were provided with did deliver the number of promised hits as we pulled the following cards:
-Nolan Patrick Net Cord from the Stadium Series;
-Mark Friedman Authentic Rookies 9/114;
-Dylan Strome 48/103;
-Tobias Bjornfot Authentic Rookies jersey parallel 48/599;
-Pierre-Luc Dubois Showcase Standout jersey (piece of his showcase jersey from 2016);
-Ben Bishop base jersey parallel autographed
Overall, this is a pretty good harvest but some critiques remain for this product. With 6 cards for over $115, it would be much appreciated to have hard signed cards rater than sticker autographs. Also, while game used cards are not as popular as they once were, collectors will always prefer those to event worn jerseys. Getting a Pierre-Luc Dubois card is good but when it’s an event worn card, the value is just not there. Thankfully, there was a net cord card in the box and these are still quite sought after by collectors. They have a really nice design and commemorate a particular game, when you were in attendance at said game, it really is a fun set to build and it doubles as a brilliant souvenir of the event.
Grades
Design: 3.5/5
Value: 3.5/5
Resale value: 3/5
Variety: 4/5
Break enjoyment:5/5
Final grade: 76%
While SP GU is still a fun break, the product has become a little bit tired, probably because it counts so much on memorabilia hits which have overflowed the market since 2010. The company still does manage to surprise us with new hits every year, just like the new Tonight’s lineup set this year but these cards are one-of-one so do not expect to pull one out of every pack. If you do get one though, be aware that they do sell quite well on eBay, some even going for over $400. Once again, thanks to Upper Deck for providing me with this box to review and if any of the hits interest you, please let me know on HockeyBuzz, Sportscardforum or Twitter.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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