December 1, 2016: Sports & Americana Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/1/2016
It’s difficult to portray for younger collectors how momentous the arrival of Upper Deck into the arcane fraternity of baseball card manufacturers was in 1989, but take our word for it, it was a big deal. The cards boasted design elements and photographic realism that was truly unprecedented at the time, as was the nifty hologram that was aimed at stifling counterfeiters and the $1 per-pack price tag that horrified hobby old-timers and prompted prognostications of imminent failure. Nope, it turned out to be revolutionary instead, and these four sets presented here were at the forefront of that historic change. Here are four factory sets, all Near-Mint to Mint, and all with seemingly untouched, uncirculated and as-issued cards. That solemn designation applies to the regular-issue Upper Deck sets in original box for 1989, 1990 and 1991 (800 cards in each), plus the 1991 Final Edition boxed set of 100. Both the 1991 regular-issue set and the boxed set have the original cellophane packaging intact.
Pristine Group of First Three Upper Deck Baseball Sets (4)
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