Welcome back folks as we take another step towards completing the “Ultimate Set”: one card from every set and sub-set ever released!!!


For the third entry we look back into the not-so-distant past by visiting the lockout of 2004-05 and look at a tribute to the best event in hockey that year: the 2004 World Cup.


The Ultimate Set Build #3: 2004-05 World Cup of Hockey Tribute subset (Single Jersey)







This subset was contained within the 04-05 Upper Deck release. Note that I did not specify series 1 or 2, as due to the lockout that season Upper Deck made the decision to release their flagship product in one shot.


As the name suggests, this subset contained jersey cards of players who participated in that years World Cup, including:

Joe Thornton
Brett Hull
Dany Heatley
Ilya Kovalchuk
Jaromir Jagr
Martin Brodeur
Mats Sundin
Nicklas Lidstrom
Peter Forsberg
Zdeno Chara

…and many MANY more!


Now, this entry represents the single jersey variation of this subset. Later in this series will be entries for the dual and triple jersey variations that were also included featuring combinations of teammates from the various participating countries.


Odds of pulling these cards were as follows:

Single: one in 48 packs
Dual: one in 72 packs
Triple: one in 700 packs (with each card short-printed to 25)


Speaking of short-prints, a few of the cards in the single jersey runs were short-printed, albeit not to a specific number and not stamped as such. These were the Hull, Heatley, Kovalchuk, Forsberg and Saku Koivu cards, thereby eliciting a slight boost in their price over that of comparable cards in the set.


Book prices for the single jersey cards in the subset range from a low of $8 to a high of $50 (Martin Brodeur). The Kiprusoff card shown above books at $25.


Single jersey cards in this set are numbered via a lettering system, beginning with a “WC” prefix before the dash and the player’s initials following it (i.e., WC-MK for Miikka Kiprusoff)


This was also one of the last few sets to contain the “On the front of this card is an authentic piece of a jersey worn by “Player X” in an official NHL game” statement, with Upper Deck soon changing to a much more broad statement that makes one unsure as to where the hell they got in the card! The Wikipedia blurb on this states it best, so here it is for you to take a peek at:

“Upper Deck has changed their practice of using materials that they certify as being "Worn" by the player depicted on the front of the card. The changes in wording on the backs of the cards now make it less clear as to how the materials were used, or if it had been worn by the player or anyone at all.


EXAMPLE: Steve Nash card 2004... (Back of card) On the front of this card is an authentic piece of a jersey WORN by Steve Nash as a member of the Dallas Mavericks in an NBA game.


EXAMPLE: Jermaine O'Neal card 2006 Exquisite...(Back of card) On the front of this is a piece of memorabilia that has been certified to us as having been USED in an NBA game.


Upper Deck also has removed from the front of the cards the word "Jersey" in game used cards. Upper Deck no longer acknowledges exactly what kind of material it is that they have inserted in the card, nor how it was used, and has eliminated the wording that it was actually worn by the player pictured on the front of the card. Upper Deck's authenticity has been questioned in regards to players' jersey and uniform materials. The cards state that it is known to Upper Deck to have been used, worn, etc. but since most of the gear is acquired through third parties the actual use is not known. Most of their jersey materials are harvested at events like rookie photo shoots, etc.. At such events players often change their shirts, dozens and dozens of times, to generate event worn uniform material that never sees the field of play.


Collectors still debate and question the authenticity of this 'memorabilia" which often includes manufactured specifically for the cards patches and other desirable chase content.”



Take from it what you will!


Until next time…


Shawn Gates
[email protected]
Twitter: ShawnHockeybuzz
Facebook: Shawn Gates
BBM: 311A4F7D

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Ultimate Set Build

INDEX



Previous “Display Case” Articles

#1: The “Frankenstick!”



Previous "Devil's In The Details" Articles

#1: Beware the "Factory Sealed Box"!

#2: The Price Guide"

#3: What IS A Rookie Card?


Previous Product Previews & Reviews

2010-11 Panini Score Hockey
2010-11 Panini Certified Hockey
2010-11 ITG Ultimate Memorabilia, 10th Edition


Previous “Who Am I?” Articles

#1, #2, #3, #4, #5


Previous “WHAT IF…?” Articles

#1 What If The NHL Contracted To 24 Teams?

#2 What If Quebec Traded Lindros To The Rangers Instead Of The Flyers?

#3 What If Calgary Drafted Martin Brodeur Instead Of Trevor Kidd?

#3a What If Calgary Drafted Martin Brodeur Instead Of Trevor Kidd?: A RESPONSE

#4 What If The WHA Never Existed?

#5 What If The Position Of Rover Had Not Been Eliminated?

#6 What If Pittsburgh Had Not Been Awarded A Team In 1967?

#7 What If Steve Smith Had Not Scored In His Own Net In Game 7?

#8 What If The NHL Had a Cross-Conference Playoff Structure?

#9 What If The NHL Asked For Fan Ideas For Improving The Game??

#10 What If Henderson Had Missed The Net In Game 8?

#11 What If You Could Sneak Into A Stanley Cup Celebration?

#12 What If The NHL Returned To Quebec City?

#13 What if Toronto and Edmonton Had Traded Teams in 1981?

#14 What if You Could Create Your Own Hockey Dream Team?

#15 What if An Active Player in the NHL “Came Out” as Gay?

#16 You Could Assemble Your Own Fantasy Pick-up Hockey Team?

#17 Hockey Had A Champions League Tournament?

#18 Team "X" Did NOT Make Trade "Y" At The Deadline?

#19 Gretzky Had Been Called For he High Stick?

#20 Star Players Hadn't Had Their Careers Cut Short?


Previous “Devil's Advocate” Articles

Gary Bettman and the Phoenix Coyotes


Previous “According to Twitter” Articles

Olympic Gold Medal Game

Olympic Hockey

Kovalchuk Trade


Previous “Humpday Hockey Videos”

January 20, 2010: Pain for Pleasure

January 27, 2010: National Anthems

February 3, 2010: Dion Phaneuf

February 10, 2010: Hockey Fans



Previous “Who Knew?” Articles
#1: Gordie Howe

#2: The Zamboni

#3: Maurice “The Rocket” Richard

#4: Ron Hextall

#5: Stanley Cup Abuse, Neglect and Versatility

#6: The Puck

#7: Don Cherry

#8: Cam Neely

#9: The Early Years of Les Canadiens

#10: Hockey Superstitions!

#11: Olympic Hockey Pt1



Previous “Town Without A Team” Articles

Booger Hollow, Arkansas

Hell, Michigan



Previous “Hockey Psychology” Articles

State Dependent Learning

Arousal and Performance

Depression