Well, I've picked up the Cubs team set from O-Pee-Chee and the lazy bums at Upper Deck are at it again.
Check this out:
Ryan Theriot, Upper Deck I & II
Ryan Theriot, O-Pee-Chee. I guess they really like to see him slide.
Rich Harden, Upper Deck I & II
Rich Harden, O-Pee-Chee. Same away stadium, same wind up, just cropped a little tighter.
Ted Lilly, Upper Deck I & II
Ted Lilly, O-Pee-Chee. It's the same early spring game - brown ivy in all three cards.
And a couple of the card feature pictures from the same studio shoot as in Series II
Milton Bradley, Series II
Milton Bradley, O-Pee-Chee
Kevin Gregg, Series II
Kevin Gregg, O-Pee-Chee
Hey, Upper Deck, if you're going to put out a different line, then use different shots!
Now that I have a good amount of exposure to both sets (just started collecting recently) this just goes to confirm my thoughts about Upper Deck. I do like the Goudey series, but O Pee Chee just falls flat, and the Flagship just seems over glossy and unoriginal. But seeing them side by side like this is just a horrible cop out for Upper Deck. Nice research.
ReplyDeleteI would agree. I too knew nothing of Upper Deck until I got got back into collecting about a year and a half ago, and UD does nothing for me.
ReplyDeleteUpper Deck has a number of issues that Topps doesn't. But I do like O-Pee-Chee. It's got an old-school feel and it's much better than the flagship set. I don't like this year's Goudey at all.
ReplyDeleteYour photos confirm something that I've thought for a while but never been able to do: commit to ONE set for each card company.
100% Was having this exact same discussion with my brother the ohter day. It's lazy and not good enough for the punters.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the breakdown--I see no need to collect both Cubs sets (or either, if you are a Topps enthusiast).
ReplyDeleteThis is exactly why I refuse to ever spend good money on Upper Deck products.
ReplyDeleteI know that prices are driven up by low supply and high demand, and I realize that baseball cards are really just photo editing jobs on cardboard, but why should I spend $10 for a pack of one product when I can get the SAME EXACT PICTURE out of a $1 pack of First Edition??? What do I care if a card is glossy or not? They all look the same in album sheets...