2021-22 Upper Deck Artifacts Hockey cards keep with the line’s tradition of being one of the first products of the season to go deep into memorabilia cards. But that’s not the only thing the product focuses on. Rookie redemptions are back and so is the Bounty program that’s centered around the product’s Aurum inserts.

As far as what to expect in each hobby box, there are three total autographs, memorabilia cards or Aurum inserts. There’s also either a Rookie Redemption or an acetate Clear Cut card plus four serial-numbered inserts.

2021-22 Upper Deck Artifacts Hockey Checklist Overview

If you’re going for everything in the 2021-22 Artifacts base set, you’ll end up with 230 total cards. However, like the last several years, it’s broken down into several sections.

The first 100 cards make up the shell set. These are the most common cards in the product. Stars (#101-145) and Legends (#146-160) are all numbered to 599. Twenty Rookies (#161-180) have 999 copies each.

Standard color-based parallels for all four of these levels line up:

• Ruby – /499
• Silver Spectrum – /299
• Royal Blue – /199
• Emerald – /99
• Light Blue Steel – /85
• Autumn – /75
• Rose – /65
• Yellow – /50
• Pink – /35
• Purple – /25
• Indigo – /10
• Black – /5

Many of the autographs and memorabilia cards in 2021-22 Artifacts Hockey are done as parallels. Here’s a breakdown of what to look for among the various subsets.

Rookie Redemptions

The first 180 cards in the Artifacts base set are live in packs. So are the remaining 50 in a sense but to get the final versions, there’s a wait. The 2021-22 Upper Deck Artifacts Rookie Redemptions are planned. This is a way to get players debuting in the 2021-22 season into the product.

Base versions are 1:14 hobby packs while Emerald parallels are 1:120 packs.

Like the earlier part of the base set, autographs and memorabilia cards are also available through the redemptions.

A total of 18 players have autograph versions. The top six are the toughest at 1:1,500 packs. Six Tier 2 player follow at 1:600 odds while the final six are 1:300 hobby packs.

The top six rookies also have the following:

• Gold (Dual Jersey) – 1:249
• Gold Auto (Dual Jersey) – 1:2,834
• Emerald (Jersey/Patch) – 1:1,002
• Emerald Auto (Jersey/Patch) – 1:6,613
• Purple (Dual Patch) – 1:2,024
• Purple Auto (Dual Patch) – 1:19,840
• Black (Patch/Tag) – 1:19,840
• Black Auto (Patch/Tag) – 1:99,200

Other Rookie Redemption possibilities include ten Retro Rookie Redemptions (1:60) and five Auto Horizontal (1:4,800).

Aurum Bounty Program

Artifacts continues to be a part of Upper Deck’s Bounty program, which aims to reward collectors for completing a set from the checklist. Here, it’s the Aurum inserts.

The set has 48 cards, each with a code on the back that can be registered on Upper Deck’s Bounty website. All collectors who register a complete set receive cards #49 and #50, which aren’t in packs.

For some added incentive to finish the Bounty quickly, there are additional exclusives. The first three also get a special 12-card Aurum set, an autograph and a dual autograph. The next seven after that receive the 12-card set and a single-signed autograph. Fifteen more get the special dozen cards.

Base Aurum inserts are 1:20 hobby packs. However, that’s just the start. Short prints add to the challenge. Holdover Rookies have two tiers, falling 1:160 and 1:320 respectively. Legends and Legends All-Stars are both 1:640 packs.

Autographs and Memorabilia Cards

Although base parallels make up a lot of Artifacts’ hits, there are still several additional spots on the checklist to find autographs and memorabilia cards.

Auto Facts are one of the easier signature inserts at 1:67 hobby packs. Going 15 years into the past for its design are 2005-06 Retro versions, which are almost twice as tough at 1:112 packs.

Storied Scripts (/25), which have on-card autographs, and Signs of Success (/36 or /12) are both new in 2021-22 Upper Deck Artifacts Hockey.

Aurum isn’t just a regular insert set. There are also autographs with Aurum Signatures, which are also separate from the Bounty chase. Veterans, Legends and Rookies come numbered to 25 while Aurum Signatures Duals have five copies each.

Additional autographs can be found in Admirable Impressions (/24), Esteemed Endorsement (/28), Honoured Members Signatures (/27), Net Gear Auto (/25), Signature Apparel (/36 or /12), Top 12 Rookie Signatures (1:960), Top 12 Rookie Signatures Update (1:960) and Treasured Swatches Autographs (/5).

Arena Artifacts (/79) return, this time honoring Detroit Red Wings greats. Rather than standard jersey or stick pieces, these have pieces of a seat from the old Joe Louis Arena.

More memorabilia is available in Tundra Teammates Duos (/249) and Quads (/99), Year One Rookie Sweaters, Net Gear, Treasured Swatches, NHL Remnants and Threads of Time.

Clear Cut Inserts

2021-22 Upper Deck Artifacts Hockey clears things up a little with some acetate inserts.

It starts with Clear Cut Rookies (1:180) with players from this year’s set.

There are also 2020-21 Clear Cut Artifacts Rookie Update (1:60) and 2005-06 Retro Clear Cut Artifacts Rookies (1:360).

2021-22 Upper Deck Artifacts Hockey cards at a glance:

Cards per pack: Hobby – 4
Packs per box: Hobby – 8
Boxes per case: Hobby – 20 (two 10-box inner cases)
Set size: 230 cards
Release date (subject to change): December 8, 2021

What to expect in a hobby box:

• Autographs, Memorabilia or Aurum Cards – 3 Total
• Serial Numbered Cards – 4
• Rookie Redemptions or Clear Cut Acetate – 1 Total

Recent Upper Deck Artifacts Hockey releases:

• 2020-21
• 2019-20
• 2018-19

The 2021-22 Upper Deck Artifacts Hockey checklist and team set lists will be up as soon as they’re available, likely shortly before the set’s release.