2008 Upper Deck Heroes Football: Another part of my Steel City Collectibles Black Friday was this blaster. I don't think they are hard to find since I seem to see them on special quite a bit. This is a fun set that I've never had in hand before. I had to start with this Billy Sims card. When you first see that Lions logo and a number 20 you think of Barry Sanders. You can't go wrong with Barry but it is great seeing Billy Sims on cardboard. He was amazing. I wish injuries hadn't derailed his career so soon. Great card and definitely my favorite.
Each player had multiple cards in the base set though they could be different styles. This is one of two Brett Favre cards I pulled. Some great stars represented here. The base designs are good and they have been growing on me. Seems like a logo would have fit pretty well in one of the corners not being used.
Speaking of Barry... Retired greats have their time to shine as well in this set which is always a highlight for me. Love seeing The Snake here.
It's nice seeing the rookies in their college unis. These guys have all gone on to notable careers. Matt Ryan just became the 10th player to reach 50,000 passing yards. I know that is an inflated stat in today's throw first era but he is the 2nd youngest to reach the milestone.
These subsets seem a bit random for this set but are still cool. You'll find Guitar Heroes as well as Sports Heroes from other sports like track and field and wrestling. I love the Tony Iommi shot on his card. These seem a bit out of place but I'm good with their inclusion.
Not much going on on the backs. Seems like a few stats would have been fine but they went with a write-up only look.
More painted cards. The design and art are definitely a favorite of mine from this set.
Combine the cool art and these all-time greats and it seems like a nice finish to the post. Mel Blount doesn't get on enough cardboard so this was a great find. Just need a Donnie Shell card to go next to Blount to make it look even better. I really enjoyed this blaster and I'm considering picking up more of these especially if they stay under $10.
BREAKDOWN:
54 – Total Cards18 – Rookie Heroes
9 – Painted
8 – Legendary Heroes
7 – Guitar Heroes
3 – Sports Heroes
Some really nice cards here including the Favre and Peterson. It's neat to see college cards of Ryan, Long, and Jackson. I feel like they've been in the NFL forever.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I scrolled through the big scan at the top of this post, assumed it was Barry Sanders, then went back when I read that it was Billy Sims. Blame it on being a '90s kid! :)
I did the same thing when I pulled the Sims card. Assumed it was Barry. Definitely a fun surprise. He wasn't Barry but he was still a great runner. I agree it is fun seeing those guys in their college unis back in the day. I really enjoyed this box.
DeleteNice cards. I should probably get me some of those if they go on sale again.
ReplyDeleteSeems like they run these fairly often and for the price I thought it was a good pickup.
DeleteI don't think I opened any of this stuff before, but I've had a few singles pass through my collection. I like the painted cards the best.
ReplyDeleteThe painted cards are definitely my favorite. Was happy with the retired greats on the painted cards.
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