Collectors old enough to remember when baseball card manufacturers issued traded and update sets at the end of each year will appreciate the goal of 2006 Upper Deck Update Baseball. Taking up where Upper Deck Series 2 left off, Update adds the final 250 cards of traded players and 2006 rookies to finish off the complete 1250-card run of Upper Deck baseball cards.
My retail review box of Upper Deck Update contained 24 packs with eight cards per pack.
Base Set
Since it's a continuation of Upper Deck Series 1 and 2, Update sports the same borderless design, with the players' last names overlaid by their full names and positions in silver foil. The first 220 cards are players who switched teams in 2006, managers and rookies, while the final 30 cards are team checklists.
The card backs feature complete career statistics, even for guys who have been around forever like Greg Maddux and Jamie Moyer. My box held 178 of the 250 cards in the set, plus two gold foil parallels numbered to 99.
A large percentage of the base cards have the MLB Rookie Card logo on them even though many of the players have had cards issued in previous seasons. This is an issue that's likely to be around for the next few years, until baseball's new rules on players appearing on cards have a chance to affect more of the game's young players.
Autographed Cards
The lone autograph insert, InkRedible, captures the signatures of 59 different major leaguers. The checklist is skewed heavily towards younger players, but the short prints include some bigger names like Derek Jeter and Ken Griffey Jr.
The About.com review box contained an autograph of Minnesota Twins pitcher Jesse Crain.
Insert Cards
Star Attractions carries over from Upper Deck Series 1 with 50 more players, though some of the unproven names stretch the definition of the word 'star' a bit. These inserts fell every other pack in my review box.
The Last Word
Upper Deck Update Baseball accomplishes what it sets out to do - making sure almost everyone who suited up in the majors in 2006 is on an Upper Deck baseball card - and it does so in an affordable, no frills fashion. Collectors of high dollar single cards will have to go elsewhere, but set builders and anyone nostalgic for the large baseball card sets of the past are going to want to pick up a box.
