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Upper Deck spreading its wings with a big presence at The National
CLEVELAND—Upper Deck wants you to know that there’s more to the company than just hockey cards.
With a large presence at this year’s National Sports Collectors in Cleveland, the California-based company used its space at the I-X Center to show off its growing portfolio of memorabilia offerings.
Upper Deck had plenty for collectors to check out in the show’s corporate area, highlighting memorabilia and autographs from hockey heroes Wayne Gretzky and Connor McDavid, as well as legends like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods and new additions like Olympic volleyball star Kerri Walsh Jennings.
Large images of McDavid, Jordan, Woods, and Walsh Jennings—which adorned four large pillars at the entrance to Upper Deck’s booth—was the company flexing its sports memorabilia muscle for all to see.
“For us, we want to be the Rolls Royce of memorabilia,” said Daniel Gay, Upper Deck’s brand manager for authenticated products. “We want to offer collectors the highest quality autographs and images.”
Upper Deck has been doing just that for decades after signing Gretzky and Jordan back in the early 1990s. They added Woods a few years later and, according to Gay, want to enlarge their stable of stars to include more golfers and Olympic athletes.
“We have been able to maintain long relationships with Gretzky, Jordan and Woods,” Gay said. “It’s these high-end autographs that people have come to expect from us.”
What collectors have come to expect is Upper Deck and the brand being synonymous with hockey. The addition over the years of McDavid and Connor Bedard, just to name two, has ensured that Upper
Deck is the world’s leading producer of NHL cards and memorabilia.
But Gay wants Upper Deck to grow its offerings. That includes showing off Kerri Walsh Jennings as its newest spokesperson on the eve of the Summer Olympics in Paris.
Walsh Jennings, a five-time Olympic beach volleyball participant, is one of the most decorated athletes in the sport. Famous for her partnership with Misty May-Treanor, Walsh Jennings won three Olympic gold medals (2004, 2008, and 2012) and a bronze in 2016. She is also a member of the International Volleyball Hall of Fame.
“To be able to sign new athletes is a priority for us,” Gay said. “[Walsh Jennings] is a great ambassador for volleyball and female sports as a whole.”
Gay said Upper Deck, as it competes with Fanatics and Panini, wants its reach to go past North America.
“We want to globalize memorabilia,” he added.
Gay said signing winter and summer Olympians is just one step in the process. He said adding golf stars to build on what they’ve done with Woods is another way to grow.
“Golf is another great area for us,” he said. “We’ve seen things grow around Tiger and we think we can do that with others. Golf is big.”
How big is golf for Upper Deck? It’s big enough that Gay’s business card features Woods swinging a club on it.
In fact, UD also has deals with other golfers, including Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas. The company has also signed agreements with NBA star Anthony Davis.
“It’s a completely different side,” Gay said of these athletes. “We are known as a hockey brand. We also want to be a global brand that allows hobbyists who can afford a variety of price ranges to acquire memorabilia from their favorite sports.”
Gay gave a nod to UD’s talent relations team for its expanding list of superstars.
“We have great relationships with athletes,” he said.
That great relationship still includes being the leader in hockey cards and memorabilia. The company has made it a habit to sign budding stars like Bedard and recently inked an exclusive autograph trading card deal with No. 1 overall 2024 NHL draft pick Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks. To celebrate, Upper Deck made images of Celebrini available on the Upper Deck e-Pack through a limited edition Gamed Dated Moments card.
“We look years ahead in the hockey pipeline and develop relationships with these players,” Gay said.
One thing Upper Deck was showing off at the National was Gretzky and memorabilia being sold in connection with the 40th anniversary of The Great One winning his first Stanley Cup with the Edmonton Oilers in 1984 after defeating the New York Islanders in five games. Gretzky went on to win three more Stanley Cups in 1985, 1987, and 1988 before becoming the sport’s best player ever.
Gay said Gretzky and McDavid, who lost in this year’s Stanley Cup Finals to the Florida Panthers, have allowed Upper Deck to connect the two Oilers stars and how they market their memorabilia.
“Gretzky and McDavid have a great relationship,” Gay said. “It just wonderful for us to have the greatest hockey player in history and the sport’s greatest player of the moment.”
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