As the hockey season skates into full swing, collectors across the globe eagerly awaited the arrival of the much-anticipated 2024-25 Upper Deck Extended Series Hockey set. The third and fascinating final piece of the year’s flagship hockey release puzzle has swooped in onto the scene, like a star player in a crucial season-deciding game. Stack your collector’s shelf high in anticipation of adding this set’s latest treasures, which form a magnificent trio with Series 1 and Series 2. This new release doesn’t just cap off the series; it expands the experience significantly, ballooning the comprehensive lineup to a staggering 750 cards.
Within this hefty array, hobby boxes add charm to the thrill and mystery of collecting. Imagine the suspense as you rip open each pack, knowing nearly every crinkle and rip could unveil a distinctive insert or a coveted parallel. The Extended Series promises not only to tickle your inner fan’s desire for more player cards but to include new team cards and a brilliant array of updated jerseys in motion.
The checklist! Oh, the checklist! This collector’s treasure map reveals 250 fresh cards, of which 200 spotlight veteran players engaging in feats of sports acrobatics. Enjoy their latest escapades in modern team attire, visually igniting fans’ passions once more. And the cherry on this hockey card sundae? The concluding 50 spaces devoted to subsets that have fans clamoring: the iconic Young Guns and the exclusive 1st Round Rookies. These cards, appearing like fortunate charms in every other packet, offer up-and-coming hockey stars whose potential careers are stuffed with promise and possibility.
Let’s delve into the world of parallel cards—a whimsical chase of rarity and value that keeps even the most hardened collectors’ hearts sprinting faster than the players on the ice:
1. Outburst – Every 1 in 30 hobby packs, and if you prefer blasters, dwindle it down to 1 in 90.
2. Clear Cut – An elusive craft, showing up 1 in every 96 packs.
3. Deluxe – These beauties are numbered to a sleek 250.
4. Exclusives – Even scarcer, with just 100 existing.
5. Outburst Red – More limited art, with only 25 blessed to see the light of day.
6. High Gloss – A rare shimmer of gloss, with a modest lot of 10.
7. Outburst Gold – The unicorn of the hockey pack world; a unique 1/1, the ultimate collector’s conquest!
Let yourself wander delightfully into the universe of inserts and special features. Familiar faces return to galvanize proceedings: UD Canvas cards, appearing with refreshing spirit four times in every hobby box. This series also includes subsets that tell tales of Young Guns, Legends, and NHL All-Stars, guaranteeing varied excitement. Enter the stage, rare Black and White parallels, and don’t miss the exclusive Printing Plates that beckon collectors like a siren.
Meanwhile, the ‘Dazzlers’ crowd celebrates their continued magic—Blue versions sparkling every 12 packs, rare Pink versions unveiling in one of every 72 packs, and the phenomenal Printing Plates sit atop their exclusive pedestal. Not to be outdone, Blaster boxes add their own exclusive twist with Green Dazzlers found in 1 in every 4 packs.
New this year, offer a nod to the mystical with the Oracles. A collection of tarot-inspired inserts, these SP (1:30 packs) to ultra-rare SSP (1:45 packs) cards have enchanted enthusiasts, dialing the challenge of collection up another notch.
Return with nostalgia as cherished classics are resurrected:
– Pros and Prospects (1:4 packs)
– Beehive (1:5 packs)
– UD3 (1:5 packs, a shimmering gold parallel numbered to 333)
– Upper Deck Encore (1:5 packs)
– Trilogy Rookie Premiere, dancing between Common (/999), Uncommon (/499), and the delightfully Rare (/99)
– Triple Dimensions Reflections striding elegantly into view, showing base versions in every 1 in 6 packs, accompanied by jewel-inspired Ruby (/500), Amethyst (/300), Emerald (/100), Gold (/50), and Sapphire (/10) parallels.
The rink wouldn’t be complete without Silver Skates gliding back, their base versions a mere 1 in 4 pack away, with limited Gold parallels shimmering to just a modest 250.
In anticipation of the season’s greatest thrill, collectors leaf through hobby boxes with all the enthusiasm of a kid let loose on ice. What do these boxes promise? A bevy of special cards including Beehive, Pros and Prospects, or Upper Deck Encore (8 in total), two Oracles, Blue Dazzlers, dual Rookie Reflections, Silver Skates, or UD3 (8 total), and plenty more surprises. Each whisper of a tear can reveal the sought Young Guns or 1st Round Rookies, and maybe even a jaw-dropping special find.
To those touched by the thrill of the chase, the 2024-25 Upper Deck Extended Series Hockey set promises an exhilarating, box-ripping, card-flipping, collecting adventure. Whether the adventure ends gleefully showing off one’s new prized cards or ambitiously plotting the next purchase, this series transports collectors into a thrilling collector’s paradise. With countless treasures lurking within each box and pack, passion for hockey collecting has never been more vibrant.
