Freedom to choose is a good thing. With Upper Deck's Mystery Dual Cuts Exchange Program, baseball card collectors will be able to exercise that freedom to select from a historic list of cut signature cards.
Inserted into packs of 2007 UD Ultimate Collection Baseball, 2007 UD Black Baseball and 2007 UD Exquisite Rookie Signatures Baseball, the redemption cards may seem like many others that have come before them. But while most exchange cards tell collectors which cards they will receive in return, these cards direct the holder to a special website where they will get to choose from among a list of 23 1-of-1 Historical Cuts dual cut signature cards.
Upper Deck chose to begin the program quietly, inserting the first three redemption cards into Ultimate Collection without publicizing them. Once the first few cards were redeemed and the full details of the program were released, it quickly became apparent what kind of impact the cards would have.
"This is without a doubt one of the most amazing programs we have ever created for our products," said Joe Fallon, Director of Product Development for Upper Deck, in a company press release. "These are cards that collectors and hobby enthusiasts can get excited about. These are some of the best dual autograph cut cards we have ever created. Through this program, we are excited to deliver fun and value to our products for some lucky collectors."
The list of autograph subjects for the program spans sports, entertainment, politics and science. The full checklist follows, with the cards already redeemed in italics:
- Ronald Reagan & Mikhail Gorbachev
- Robert Kennedy & Jimmy Hoffa
- Frank Sinatra & Dean Martin
- Albert Einstein & Thomas Edison
- Roger Maris & Babe Ruth (redeemed by Erick L.)
- John F. Kennedy & Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (redeemed by Steve O.)
- Clark Gable & Vivien Leigh
- Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers
- Marilyn Monroe & John F. Kennedy (redeemed by Ben M.)
- Johnny Cash & Elvis Presley
- Walt Disney & Charles Schultz
- Winston Churchill & Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Princess Diana & Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
- P.T. Barnum & Charles Stratton (Tom Thumb)
- King George V & Queen Elizabeth I
- William Gilbert & Sir Arthur Sullivan
- Douglas MacArthur & George S. Patton
- Ozzie Melson & Harriet Nelson
- Robert E. Lee & Ulysses S. Grant
- Jack Dempsey & Floyd Patterson
- Lucille Ball & Desi Arnaz
- Al Jolson & George Burns
- Art Carney & Jackie Gleason
A total of three exchange cards were inserted into Ultimate Collection, with ten each reserved for UD Black and Exquisite Rookie Signatures. Check back often to see which cards have been redeemed and which ones are still waiting to be claimed.