Product Details

2023 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions remains as eclectic as ever. There’s no product out there where you can go from chasing Michael Jordan autographs in one pack, finding surfers in another then finding glow-in-the-dark patch cards highlighting the wonders of the galaxy a few packs later. That said, Upper Deck is changing things up a little. When they introduced the line over a decade ago, it was rooted in the hobby’s distant past. The past can still be found in the designs here, but it leans more on Upper Deck’s own brands and heritage. This includes Young Guns branching out from hockey. As far as content goes, hobby boxes have two total autographs, memorabilia cards, manufactured patch cards or other premium inserts.

2023 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions Checklist Overview

The full base set has 150 cards. It covers the full spectrum of sports, showcasing past and present athletes from basketball, baseball, football and plenty more. Some pop culture personalities and celebrities can also be found. Traditionally, Goodwin Champions and Allen & Ginter are the two annual releases that delve deep into sports seldom found on trading cards. While the first 100 cards make up the shell set, the back third are Splash of Color short prints. These combine to land a somewhat modest but still challenging 1:5 packs. All 150 cards have one-of-one Printing Plates as well. Platinum variations (1:6 packs) return, putting a chromium spin on the set. Additional parallels for these include:

Rainbow – 1:20 packs
Red – 1:40 packs
Blue – 1:60 packs
Green – 1:120 packs
Orange Prism – /499
Pink Traxx – /299
Cosmic – /199
Tortoise Shell – /149
Sky – /99
Aquamarine – /75
Chameleon – /49
Purple Pulsar – /23
Green Wave – /10
Golden Treasures – 1/1

Splash of Color cards also get the 3-D Lenticular treatment. They come in three levels of rarity: Tier 1 – 1:36 packs, Tier 2 – 1:160 packs and Tier 3 – 1:1,438 packs. These double as UD Bounty cards so those that finish the set and register it can get exclusives not available in packs.

Autographs

Signatures come can be found in several forms and formats on the 2023 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions checklist. This includes a major focus on on-card autographs. Goodwin Autographs (1:288 packs) kick things off, taking a similar approach as the base set with a wide range of signers. Horizontal versions are also available, but with much tougher 1:576 pack odds. Other versions include Splash of Color Autographs (1:1,728 packs), Inscribed Autographs (1:3,000 packs) and Dual Autographs (/10). Goudey Autographs (1:240 packs) return as do their Sport Royalty counterparts (1:8,640 packs) that typically highlight some of the biggest names in the product. A handful of autograph inserts find their inspiration in Upper Deck’s past. UD Game Jersey Autographs use the design from 1998-99 that has gone on to be one of the most iconic memorabilia sets ever produced. Even the unsigned versions for these are tough, falling 1:2,304 packs. Other inserts drawing from the past include 2000 Retro SPA Football Auto (/299), 2000 Retro SPA Future Watch Auto (/299), and 2003-04 Retro SPA Rookie Authentics Autographs (/299 or /199).

Memorabilia and Relics

Goodwin is a place that has some of the hobby’s most creative memorabilia cards. That means going beyond standard gear and into history. Map pieces are used to created multiple sets: National Monument (1:360 packs), Sports Town Map Relics (1:480 packs), World Traveler City Centric (1:720 packs), and City Heroes Map Relics (1:2,160 packs). Other relics include 1923 United States Currency (1:1,152 packs), Museum Collection Lady Luck Relics (1:1,152 packs), Birth Year Coinage (/50), and National Monuments Stamp Relics (/25). Relic-adjacent Goodwin Masterpieces art cards take on two themes: Founding Fathers (/10) and one-of-one Art of Ages, which recreate classic pieces in a much smaller format. 2023 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions has a new set of manufactured patch cards. Rather than animals or birds, this time around it’s the outer reaches of the galaxy. Glow-in-the-Dark Space cards highlight planets, constellations and more.

Exquisite Stuff

Upper Deck’s most premium line, Exquisite Collection, finds a home in Goodwin Champions once again. This includes Exquisite Collection Base (/99) and Rookies (/149). Select Base cards get Gold Spectrum Autographs (/10) and Black Autographs. Rookie Autos come numbered to 99 and also have Gold Spectrum (/10) and Black (1/1) versions. Taking things a step further are Rookie Auto Patch (/99) cards, which also have the same two levels of parallels. Exquisite Signature Kicks have both Horizontal and Vertical versions. Joining the autograph on these are large pieces of sneakers like the ones the featured athlete wears.

Back in Black Diamond

Black Diamond, another high-end brand from the card maker, makes its Goodwin Champions debut. Base Black Diamond cards have 349 copies each and have additional Red (/100) and Green (/10) parallels. Rookie Gems follow similar print runs. Some cards also have Pure Black Autographs that come with varying print runs. Diamond Relics have actual diamonds embedded in them. Numbered to 99, each has between one and four diamonds depending on the player. Pure Black parallels are all one-of-ones. A couple of Black Diamond inserts also make the jump, Band of Color (/23 or /20) and Gemography.

Flagship Features

Upper Deck’s flagship set is highlighted with a set of inserts in 2023 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions. Not only does this mean standard cards but the introduction of Young Guns (1:15 packs). All have Clear Cut (1:100 packs, Young Guns – 1:400 packs), Exclusives (/100) and High Gloss (/10) versions as well. 2000 Retro SPA Football (/299) cards are also available.

2023 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions Breakdown:

Cards per pack: Hobby – 5
Packs per box: Hobby – 18
Boxes per case: Hobby – 16
Set size: 150 cards
Release date: 2024-01-04