Company: Upper Deck
Release: 2014
Name: Marvel Premier
Number of Packs: 1
Number of Cards per Pack: 5
Insert/ Chase Cards:
Classic Covers Shadow Box
Code Name Letter Patch
Emotion Sketch
Printing Plate
Gold Spectrum Parallel
Red Spectrum Parallel
Base Variant Sketch Card
Multi-Panel Sketch Card
Dave and Adam's Card World recently had a sale on their 2014 Marvel Premier so I jumped at the opportunity to pick up a box. This ultra-premium product has only ONE pack in its tin box so please keep that in mind if you decide to purchase one or more boxes.
Five cards are included in each box:
2 base cards or parallel cards
1 Shadow Box, Letter Patch, or E-Motion card
1 base variant sketch card
1 multi-paneled sketch card (either a 2, 3, or 4 panel folding sketch card)
Card Design (9.5/10)
The quality of every card is definitely noticeable as each one is printed on heavy cardstock. The colors are vibrant and the artwork is amazing. A classy foil border design covers three of the four sides, yet it is subtle enough not to overwhelm the look of the card. On the back, a brief character bio is included as well as the card's serial number. Oh yes, all base cards are limited to 199 copies each. And since the base set has 60 cards, this will be a difficult challenge for a set collector to put together. Yikes!
Character List (9.5/10)
Most, if not all, of the mainstay Marvel characters are in this set including those made popular by recent Marvel movies. Star-Lord, Gamora, Groot, and the furry Rocket Raccoon make an appearance, as well as Crossbones and Winter Soldier. No B or C listers included; just the superstars and the up-and-comers.
Box Break
Here are the following cards I received from my pack...er...box break:
Base card - Black Widow and Rocket Raccoon
Letter Patch - Iron Fist (I)
Base card sketch - She-Hulk by Cris Santos
3 Panel sketch - Psylocke and Jean Grey by Ashleigh Popplewell
Scans of the base cards, front and back:
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Scans of the Iron Fist letter patch card, front and back:
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The She-Hulk base card variant drawn by Cris Santos:
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And lastly, the 3 panel sketch card by Ashleigh Popplewell, front and back:
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All beautiful cards, especially the 3 panel by Popplewell.
Entertainment Value (10/10)
The rush of seeing these premium sketch cards as I popped open the tin and unwrapped the pack was pretty intense. Upper Deck enclosed the 3 panel sketch on top of the pack so it was the first thing I saw when the tin was opened. I spent a good two minutes admiring the size of the card and appreciating the artwork. Of course the rush fleetingly disappeared after the one and only card pack was opened but amazement with a feeling of awe continued for the artists who put their creativity, energy, and passion into these sketch cards.
Price/Value (8/10)
This is certainly not a cheap box by any means but Upper Deck accomplished what it set out to do; provide a product with no fillers but deliver only the big hits. In addition, prices for 2014 Marvel Premier has come down quite substantially since boxes can be found for less than $190, from a retail price of $250. So yes, the price is high but you do get what you pay for in terms of premium sketch cards and serial numbered base/insert cards.
Final Thoughts
This was a home run by Upper Deck. Although the 2014 release of Marvel Premier did not seem to garner as much interest as the 2012 debut, it was a well-made product none the less. The letter patches was a fascinating idea, mirroring what the sports card industry has done with letterman patch cards. It allowed character collectors to more easily focus their chase for missing letter cards, adding to the thrill of the hunt.
Overall Score
9.25 out of 10
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