2006 Upper Deck series 1

I'm not a big fan of this set. The photos are nice, but it still looks like every other full bleed photo set out there. The way the last name is set in block letters with the full name stamped over it in foil is just plain ugly and makes both names hard to read. The backs are ok, full stats, a decently written bio, a small portrait in the top corner, usual fare for a base set. Still, no one buys a thousand plus card set at three bucks a pop for the bios on the back. Basically what this set has going for it is good photos and good writing. Why not just get a subscription to Sports Illustrated instead? I still feel obligated to get at least a few packs each year to file away with my neglected UD sets from the nineties just to have some. It would be unseemly to have a big gap in my collection once Upper Deck eventually monopolizes the hobby.

481 Shaun Marcum RC
196 Juan Pierre
137 Aaron Boone
384 Woody Williams
378 Khalil Greene
93 Jeromy Burnitz
156 Brad Hawpe Gold parallel #149/299
288 Cliff Floyd

Yawn. A collection of 2nd, 3rd and 4th rate stars and a rookie. Pretty normal for a set with that many cards in the checklist though. It's just a lot easier to swallow when you're paying two bucks for a Topps pack of 12 than three bucks for an Upper Deck pack of 8. Why can't we just buy this in a factory set? Assuming dead perfect collation at 3 bucks a pack you're looking at almost 400 bucks to complete this set. Add another hundred bucks if you want the retail-only Update set. And that's assuming all the stars align and you don't end up with a stack of doubles. You can buy a complete set of Heritage with SP's for less than that. I'll take the Heritage, thanks.

I got this in a repackage blister pack bundled with a pack of last year's Heritage for four bucks so there was some value there at least. I suppose the rookie is pretty good, or was until he blew out his knee. The Juan Pierre card was worth a chuckle as I imagined what these guys' reaction to the writeup would be. I would have completely missed the Hawpe serial numbered card were the number not stamped on the front. On close inspection the foil stamping is gold instead of silver, but if you're quickly shuffling through the cards it's not that noticeably different. I don't know the insert ratio of this parallel since Upper Deck doesn't deem us proles worthy of them. Sad to say but the best thing about this pack was the Jeter Blue Letter short print I landed in its sister Heritage pack.