Upper Deck 2016-17 SP AUTHENTIC HOCKEY

Hockey’s hottest rookies have long been the big draw for one of Upper Deck‘s most enduring brands, and 2016-17 SP Authentic Hockey is expected to deliver plenty of hard-signed autographs once it is released later this season.

Scheduled to be released once the playoffs are in full swing during the month of April, initial details about the new product have come to light and it has all the bells and whistles SP Authentic has become known for over the past 20 years. Each box will deliver at least two autographs, one of which will feature an NHL freshman.


Base Set and Parallels

This season, the SP Authentic base set will be made up of 100 players and there are also limited subsets in Authentic Moments (1:5) and Future Watch (/999), which come as either unsigned or autographs, depending on the player. Both the base cards and the Future Watch cards have Spectrum parallels, too, with veterans coming at a 1:18 rate which the rookies are split into three levels (Level 1 is 1:36, Level 2 is 1:108, and Level 3 is 1:576). Authentic Moments have a Gold parallel (/99).

With a stronger than expected rookie class, there will be some demand for names like Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine along with stars in the making such as Jesse Puljujarvi, Matthew Tkachuk, and more. Most of the big names should have signed Future Watch cards, but there is also a scarcer Inscription variation that is part of the print run for some players.

Additionally, some of the regular base cards are going to have a signed parallel (1:216) packs and the always-popular Authentic Moments Autographs return as a long-odds hit (1:1,440).

The most enduring hit from this brand that carries over into 2016-17 SP Authentic Hockey are the Future Watch Autograph Patches. Numbered to 100 copies each for some of the best members of the freshman class, they are often a cornerstone of a player collection and tend to perform well on the secondary market if they have a premium patch piece.


Inserts

Silver Skates is an Upper Deck insert set that gets dusted off once in a while and it comes back in 2016-17 SP Authentic Hockey. A relatively easy pull for the regular Silver edition (1:6), the Gold version sees each card numbered out of 99. As an extra bonus, there are tough autographed copies that can be found for both rookies (/25) and vets (/10).


Autographs and Memorabilia

One thing that the SP Authentic brand has long been respected for is the assortment of autographs and that tradition continues on here. Mainstay Sign of The Times has new twist with a Rookies version (three tiers ranging from /35 to /199 with Inscriptions as well), and the regular edition for this set with established players has two levels to chase (1:120 or 1:2,304).

It gets a little bit crazier when it comes to Sign of The Times cards with multiple signatures. All of them are
numbered, with Duals being the most plentiful (/25). Strangely, the Triples are one-of-ones according to preliminary information from Upper Deck. Collectors can also look for Quads (/10), Sixes (/6), and Eights (/5).

Traditionally, SP Authentic also has some intriguing autograph collections that are tougher to pull. Global Chirography and Great White North (both 1:576) are joined by limited collections in Marks of Distinction (/25) and
Immortal Inks (/10).

Finally, the autograph program for 2016-17 SP Authentic Hockey closes with Limited Autograph Materials. There are three tiers to chase here, with no card being limited to more than 50 copies.



2016-17 Upper Deck Update

Once again, SP Authentic will be the place to finish your 2016-17 Upper Deck Hockey set with a small Update series.

Veteran player cards come at a 1:5 rate, but the hunt will be intense for the Young Guns cards (1:13) – especially
if a late-debuting rookie makes it in. Last season, collectors were excited to see Matt Murray get his Young Guns
rookie card in this product and it appears that the Update is going to be a long-term fixture here.

Naturally, there will be both Exclusives (/100) and High Gloss (/10) parallels, but there is also a new addition in
the form of Upper Deck Season Highlights (1:26) which will have the same parallel versions as well.

* Please note that while no imagery is available upon the initial date of publication, it will be provided once Upper Deck has released it.


2016-17 SP Authentic Hockey at a glance:

Packs per box: 18
Cards per pack: 5
Boxes per case: 8 boxes per inner, 2 inners per case
Set size: 100 cards plus subsets
Release date: April 26, 2017


What to expect in a hobby box:

– One Future Watch Autograph
– One additional autograph
– One Spectrum parallel
– One additional Spectrum or autograph
– 14 additional hits, including 2016-17 Upper Deck Update, Silver Skates, and more.