Upper Deck’s Richard McWilliam: 'We’ll Continue to Produce Cards Worth Collecting'
Richard McWilliam (seated, left) interacts with collectors at a recent Upper Deck Diamond Club event.
In a topsy-turvy year during which Upper Deck has lost its NBA and MLB Properties licenses and gained an exclusive with the CLC, all while continuing to cope with a sluggish economy, it’s understandable that company CEO Richard McWilliam would have a lot on his mind.
In an exclusive interview appearing in the November issue of Beckett Sports Card Monthly, McWilliam addresses, among other things, his company’s first 20 years, its plans for baseball, basketball (and even golf), the NHL exclusive and those pesky redemption cards.
You can get the complete interview next month in BSCM. For now, here’s a sneak peek:
Q: The industry is quite different now than 1989 when Upper Deck arrived. Given that and the current state of the economy, how would you assess your company’s position in the industry?
A: When Upper Deck debuted in 1989, we revolutionized the industry. And we’ve continuously brought innovation and unique content to it over the past 20 years. Times are tough for everyone right now and our industry is no different. Hobby shops are hurting and collectors simply don’t have as much disposable income to spend on trading cards anymore. We understand the economic climate, and we’ll continue to produce cards that are worth collecting. I believe these challenges are new opportunities for Upper Deck to revolutionize the industry again.
Q: Do you feel that being able to produce an unlicensed baseball set is an advantage in today’s marketplace? If so, any ideas you can share?
A: There certainly are some advantages that we are exploring at this time. They would include the use of certain players that Major League Baseball has prohibited us from using in the past. We look forward to sharing some of these plans with collectors over the next few months as I know they will all be excited about what we have in store for them.
Q: Do you plan to continue issuing basketball cards even though Panini has an exclusive license from the NBA?
A: Yes, we absolutely do. How can we not produce basketball cards when we have the most collectible players in Michael Jordan and LeBron James on board as exclusive Upper Deck spokesmen?
Q: Does Upper Deck have any plans to venture into other sports like boxing, wrestling, and racing? Are there any plans to produce another golf product?
A: Yes, we are certainly moving in that direction. And with Tiger Woods on board as an exclusive autograph signer, another golf trading card product is something we are hoping to bring to fruition as early as 2010.
The November issue of Beckett Sports Card Monthly will be on sale everywhere in mid October.
So, for baseball, it sounds like they will be doing Pete Rose and Joe Jackson cards then? I just can’t see non-logo’ed cards working long-term but I can see them doing okay in the short term.