Box Break: 2017-18 SP Game Used

Last month, when ordering my box of Upper Deck Series 2 to make fun of, I also tossed in a box of SP Game Used since it was on sale. I actually wrestled with purchasing this item verses a box of Artifacts that were at a similar price point, both on sale. Eventually I gauged that the SPGU would have a better value in the promised “hits.” With only one pack per box, let’s see if that holds true…

Authentic Rookies: Jake DeBrusk Jersey (#170), Alex Kerfoot (#114), Samuel Morin Auto (#169)

These cards look pretty sharp, cutting out an action shot that fades into a white out at their feet as if they’re skating on a foggy frozen pond for Morin and DeBrusk.

Kerfoot, who’s name sounds like a southern German regional sasquatch, gets a more rainbow finish because…well, why not? Maybe they felt bad for the fact that he doesn’t have a low number of cards printed for him at the round number of 223 as appose to DeBrusk’s 74, which at least make sense since 74 is Jake’s jersey number.

Meanwhile, Morin’s autograph in on a piece of scotch tape slapped at his feet. They didn’t even use the UD hologram sticky for him to sign. There’s no print number for this card, so taking that in with the fact that he squirted — is that an N and an R? — on to said scotch tape, he must have signed a million of these. Looking at eBay at this time of writing you can acquire any of these cards for $5-9 (U.S.D.).

Total: Let’s say $23.

Common Jersey…I guess? Brock Nelson #26

It’s actually “Base Gold Jersey Relic Set,” which is more pretentious that it needs to be, and according to Cardboard Connection, this card appears in one out of every six packs/boxes. So, it’s about as common as a Canvas card in a standard run of Upper Deck. What to say about this card; um…there’s some gold flair behind him, the swatch of jersey is shown through an asymmetrical window which reads “jersey” above just in case you might mistake it for jockstrap waistband or rental car interior fabric swatch. This is a hella-boring card and it could be yours for $2.33 on eBay (plus, ha ha, $8.50 shipping!).

Total(ly): Not worth your time at $2.33

2017 NHL Centennial Classic® Fabrics: Frederik Anderson #CC-FA

Well, this is kinda neat I guess, especially if you were at the NHL Centennial Classic® on January 1st in the year of our Lord, Two Thousand and Seventeen in Toronto; which is handily printed sideways on the card along the jersey swatch. This also reads “jersey” above the swatch window, just in case you might mistake this as a swatch of his shredded Carolina Hurricane’s contract that he refused to sign (*grumble*). The picture on the front is a nice action shot, as you can see, while the back features the necessary statement that this is authentic from the jersey used in the game it references, but also pictures the whole sweater itself, sans stuffed with Freddy; so that’s different.

There’s no number indicating its print run. This and nine other cards from the series run one in 10 pack/boxes. Wanna buy this card without the hassle of buying 10 boxes to find it?

eBay will let you have it for: $20!

Banner Year, 2017 NHL All Star Game: Alex Ovechkin #BAS-AO

When was the last time Ovi wasn’t invited to an All Star Game? Not sure Banner Year is best for this card but hey whatevs, its not everyday you get a piece of an All Star je-

A “banner” that was hung at an All Star Game? What the actual frick is this???? Upper Deck, you created a stupidly-thick card with a deep shadow box window that won’t fit in a card sleeve and will get snagged on everything to get buggered up! The kind of card you put a multicolored embroidered jersey crest in that NEEDS a fat card, but you put in some worthless, thin, gray scale BANNER piece? What kinda Panini bullshit is this?!?! And there are multiple copies of this card that look almost exactly the same for sale online for a ten spot; more than likely you could deal them down on it too. These cards also come one in every 10 packs/boxes.

Price: $10 and the cost of you being a savvy member of the Human Race.

And that’s it. If you wanted to buy all these cards at the full price of what people are offering, it would run you about $55; half of what Upper Deck wants you to pay. Reading other people’s reviews of their experiences with these pack/boxes seems to indicate that this was a pretty par-for-the-course box. There’s a potential of finding some really cool cards from this set, but that potential is so watered down it really is not worth it at all; it looks like only one card in a CASE carries any real value, but I can’t say for sure since I’m not plunking down that much scratch.

Some chumps collectors got pulls much worse than this as well. The best bet I have is to hold on to Kerfoot, DeBrusk and Morin and hope one of them becomes a superstar one day. Or at least two of them fail their way to the Hurricanes so I can get an autograph.

Best Case Scenario: If you find a case of these on a clearance table somewhere for $40, buy it, sit on it unopened until it has another ¼ inch of dust on it, and sell it on eBay for $41 after everyone has forgotten this sham. I give it one sad Mario Star and three Poop Emoji’s; shame on me for falling for this.

Jim Howard is a Carolina Hurricanes fan and reformed baseball card collector who is trying to keep the hockey collection from becoming overwhelming. And while he wishes he could give Crosby the business with his mitt, he is in fact NOT the goalie for the Red Wings. 

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Author: Jim Howard

Hockey enthusiast who pays the bills as a traveling geologist. More of a lover than a fighter, he's a fairly cheap date; just ask his wife. He'd prefer to be outside in the rain that stuck in the office on a beautiful day.

6 thoughts on “Box Break: 2017-18 SP Game Used”

      1. I have no idea who or which team(s) you collect but, I’d like to see if we can pull off a trade. Even if it doesn’t end up being for DeBrusk, maybe we can find other cards that would fit better in each others collections.

        My email shows when I post a comment. Not sure if you’re able to see it. If you can, please, feel free to shoot me off an email. I can post it but, really prefer not to. I looked for your email and had no luck in locating it.

  1. Nicer to see another box break writeup!

    I have to agree on the Ovie card. Didn’t know that was a thing….don’t want it either.

    Above all, I really liked the financial aspect of the break where you had the average costs to buy the cards on ebay listed. I have long wondered about putting together such a blog where you list the average costs, tally it up and compare against the price of the box. My theory is that some product is simply gambling, while there are others out there which are perfect for the value guys like myself who have to make each dollar count and want to get the most bang. Hope thats a concept that you guys stick with moving forward!

    1. I did the financial breakdown in part because in was just a handful of cards and this was a high-end product. I think Sal and I have both written about how the typical box cost is well above the sum total of it’s cards inside unless you land a case breaker; and that’s one in 4, 6, 8, 12 boxes? But there is volatility in the cards as well where, by the time I write it and Sal posts it, some wonder rookie might have had a career ending injury (inside or outside the rink), and then the value we have in the post is no longer valid. Also, these aren’t legal tender; they’re only worth what someone is willing to pay for them. And I know I wouldn’t willingly pay $10 for this Ovi card.

  2. I bought the Justin Faulk Banner Year Card (you know my obseession with Faulk cards) off COMC for 2.00 it’s definitely weird and a pain to keep cased and protected.

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