Be A Player Signature Series - Ten Years in the Making

Initially introduced as a boxed set by The Upper Deck Company in 1994, little did anyone realize at that time what kind of staying power the brand would demonstrate. Other popular brands of hockey cards at the time including Donruss, Leaf, Fleer, Pinnacle, Score and Classic have all vanished from the hockey card scene.

Only one other brand of hockey cards-Upper Deck's base brand has been issued on a yearly basis for as long. Such endurance in the volatile market of the past decade is impressive indeed.

From the humble beginnings of that boxed set - which was licensed by the NHLPA and not the NHL, explaining why the players were pictured in off-ice poses - came the first version of Be A Player-Signature Series available in wax in 1994-95. Featuring the exciting concept of one autographed card in every pack, the brand created quite a stir amongst both trading card and autograph collectors.

Interest was stimulated even further once collectors realized that a number of the 178 different autographed cards were short-printed, or short-signed if you will. Not surprisingly, all the harder-to-find signed cards featured high-profile players such as Wayne Gretzky, Ray Bourque and Steve Yzerman.

The brand also featured a pair of insert sets entitled "99 All-Stars" and "Up Close and Personal". Once again, the set was not licensed by the NHL meaning all players were pictured in a candid "off-ice" shot, or wearing their NHLPA uniforms. There were no pictures of players in their NHL uniforms but that did not appear to faze hobbyists.

Upper Deck followed up with another Signature Series for the 1995-96 season featuring 225 autographed cards. Wayne Gretzky was the only autograph available in lesser quantities. A scarcer die-cut parallel version of each signed card was introduced in packs.

Beginning in 1996-97, the Be A Player-Signature Series was produced by the now-defunct Pinnacle Company for two seasons. The 1996-97 edition was the first time the set was licensed by both the NHL and the NHLPA allowing for players to be pictured in their NHL uniforms.

The 1996-97 set was released as Series 1 and Series 2 and featured a total of 219 different autographed cards. The 1997-98 set was released as Series A and Series B and included 248 cards. The checklist content during both years was somewhat inconsistent.

For example, top stars like Mark Messier, Steve Yzerman, Eric Lindros, and Paul Kariya were only included in the 1996-97 set. Other big names such as Martin Brodeur, Joe Sakic, Ray Bourque and Ed Belfour were only available in the 1997-98 set. Due to exclusive arrangements with The Upper Deck Company, Wayne Gretzky was in neither.

By 1998-99, Pinnacle had self-destructed and there was concern among hockey-card collectors that the Be A Player-Signature Series may have run its course and not be produced. After a lengthy review of their options, the NHLPA made a bold move, enter the newly formed In The Game, Inc., a Toronto-based company headed by Dr. Brian H. Price. Price was the individual behind all the Parkhurst hockey brands issued throughout the 1990s in conjunction first with Pro Set and then Upper Deck and finally in1995-96 when Parkhurst produced its final product the Parkhurst International Series. After the 1995-96 season both the brand and Dr. Price retired from the hockey card marketplace.

In August of 1998, Price struck an agreement to take on the Be A Player-Signature Series brand for 1998-99 season and began to prepare for the release of the product. The 1998-99 Be A Player-Signature Series was issued in two series (the All-Star Series and the Playoff Series) and included a total of 300 different autographed cards. Unlike previous years, all the NHL's top players were available in the set, even Wayne Gretzky. Although The Upper Deck Company had an exclusive deal in place with "The Great One", an agreement was reached between The Upper Deck Company, the National Hockey League Players' Association and In The Game, Inc. and Gretzky was included much to the delight of collectors. Once again, a number of the higher-profile players were signed in lesser quantities. There were also gold-foil parallel versions of each signed card.

Considered a landmark set, it marked the genesis of In The Game, as it is known today. The 1998-99 Signature Series was also the very first version to include game-used memorabilia inserts including autographed Gordie Howe and Mario Lemieux jersey cards. The Howe card was especially important to Price because of his dedication to hockey's heritage as well as his roots with the Parkhurst name.

In The Game followed up in 1999-2000 with the next Signature Series, otherwise referred to as Be A Player-Millennium Series. This set was issued in one series and featured 250 different autographed cards. As in the previous year, some cards were signed in lower quantities and there were also gold parallel versions of all 250 cards.

The Millennium Series also featured a strong lineup of memorabilia inserts including Jersey cards, Jersey Numbers, Jersey Emblems, Jersey and Stick, and Goalie Memorabilia cards. Wayne Gretzky was included in four of the five sets. There were also a number of autographed inserts including Pearson Trophy Winners and Players of the Decade.

2000-01 saw another series of 300 base cards including 50 short-printed cards with a focus on rookie cards. Subsequently, there was a lineup of 300 autographed cards including a number of key players who signed in lesser quantities. A Gold parallel version of all the autographed cards was also incorporated in the set.

The assortment of memorabilia and autographed inserts was stronger than ever. Collectors had a shot at Jersey Cards, Autographed Jersey Cards, Jersey Emblems, Jersey Numbers, Jersey and Stick, Autographed Mario Lemieux Legends, Autographed Goalie Memorabilia, and Department of Defense. The 2000-01 Signature Series also marked the introduction of In The Game's popular He Shoots, He Scores Decoy and Redemption Point Program.

The 2001-02 Signature Series added a couple of innovations to what had become a time-tested formula. The base set was comprised of 225 cards and there were autographed versions of each of those. In addition, there was a selection "Limited" (34) and "Extra-Limited" (four) autographed cards devoted to most of the biggest stars, making for 263 autographed cards in total.

Also, a special bar code was added to the back of each autographed card ensuring that at least one autographed card would be included in every pack. A bar code reader placed at the end of the wrapping line either read the barcode on the autograph card or automatically stopped the wrapping line so the offending pack could be removed before wrapped. This was a feature not previously seen in the hobby.

In The Game extended the Signature Series through its release of the 2001-02 Update brand. That product contained updated cards from four different brands released earlier in the year. Signature Series collectors could aim for an additional 25 signed cards plus another nine Limited and Extra-Limited autographs.

The grand total of autographed cards in 2001-02 tallied up to 297. And that isn't counting autographed versions of memorabilia inserts such as Game-Used Jersey and 500-Goal Scorers.

Today, hockey fans know there is only ONE "Miracle On Ice", only ONE Summit Series-winning goal by Paul Henderson, and only ONE "Great One." These are defining entities and moments in hockey. The Signature Series has evolved into something similar for collectors. The question of what In The Game could do next, presents itself?

Late-April will see the release of the 2002-03 Signature Series, 10th Edition. The challenge lies in how to improve on the brand, ensuring that long-time fans remain loyal while simultaneously attracting new collectors and planting the "autograph bug" in them. With further innovations that add even more value, the company believes it has done just that!

2002-03 Signature Series begins with a 200-card base set including a number of key rookie cards such as Rick Nash, Henrik Zetterberg, Stanislav Chistov and Tyler Arnason. All 200 cards will also be available in autographed versions. As is the tradition, this serves as the backbone of the set.

Of course there will be much more. A new component that will add a great deal of value is the inclusion of hundreds of different autographed cards from all five Signature Series sets produced by In The Game, from 1998-99 through 2002-03. These cards will be foil-stamped with a unique "10th Edition" logo to distinguish them from the originals. They will be inserted in addition to the autographed card that is already in the pack giving collectors ample opportunity to pull two signed cards out of a pack instead of one.

Another feature in 2002-03 Be A Player-Signature Series is the inclusion of one card from the Be A Player Golf Set in every pack. Everyone knows that hockey and golf go hand-in-hand, especially when you realize how many NHLers hit the links each summer. This motivated In The Game to produce a 100-card golf series featuring a multitude of NHL stars taking aim at golf balls instead of pucks. These BAP golf cards add even more fun and personality to an already dynamic brand. No doubt, they are innovative, even a little daring, but collectors are bound to appreciate their charm.

Collectors of In The Game products over the past two years are familiar with the He Shoots, He Scores Redemption Program that has been available in most of the company's brands. Every pack of cards (except those containing memorabilia cards) contains one of the extra-thick "decoy" cards designed to prevent pack searching. These cards have come with various point values and once collectors save enough points, they can redeem them for special memorabilia cards not found in packs.

The He Shoots, He Scores Program will be offered in 2002-03 Be A Player-Signature Series. Collectors can once again collect decoy cards along with the point values assigned to them. This time, however, instead of earning special memorabilia cards, hobbyists can go for a variety of autographed memorabilia including photos, replica jerseys and game-model jerseys. This adds an exciting twist to an already-popular offer.

Finally, an outstanding selection of game-used memorabilia inserts rounds out the 2002-03 Signature Series. The list of chase cards is extensive and includes: Game-Used Jerseys; Franchise Players; Triple Memorabilia; Complete Jersey; Team Quads; All-Rookie Team; Fourth-Year Phenoms; Defensive Wall; Famous Scraps; and Magnificent Inserts, a 10-card tribute to Mario Lemieux including autographed versions of cards featuring anywhere from one to four pieces of game-used memorabilia worn by "The Magnificent One".

All memorabilia inserts will have a stated production run of less than 100, consistently the lowest numbers in the hobby. These limited quantities always ensure collectibility.

No doubt, Be A Player-Signature Series has been a popular brand of hockey cards for a long time. As of April, though, collectors had better brace themselves for a new spin on tradition, something unlike anything they have seen before! It's been ten years in the making.

For more information contact Baron Bedesky, VP Marketing, In The Game, Inc. at: baron@baptradingcards.com.