Upper Deck inserts depict presidential candidates

Posted Feb 4, 2012 by Bob D'Angelo

Updated Feb 4, 2012 at 12:46 AM

The Florida primary is history and the candidates for president are becoming clearer. As we wait for the Republican National Convention this summer in Tampa, it’s not a bad time to reflect on those men and women seeking to occupy the White House in January.

Upper Deck has taken that step, with a nine-card World of Politics insert set that will be part of the World of Sports product that will be released Feb. 21.

The inserts will be seeded one in every 40 packs on the average and will include President Barack Obama and the chief Republican challengers: front-runner Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul and Rick Santorum (throwing a baseball). Others who campaigned who will get a card are Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain and Rick Perry. There’s even a Sarah Palin card thrown in for good measure.

Upper Deck has gone political before. During the 2008 campaign, UD produced Presidential Predictor cards that were inserted into Series 1 baseball. Those were caricatures of the candidates, with each tied to a baseball play or event. I thought those were very well thought out and lots of fun to collect — I mean, George W. Bush putting a phantom tag on Al Gore and getting the call was priceless, and so was John McCain with a home run swing that looked suspiciously like Ted Williams’.

There also was a Hillary Clinton card that was pulled from production, a parody that portrayed the former first lady (and current Secretary of State) as Morganna, the Kissing Bandit. Probably a good move.

This year’s cards are more sedate, or presidential-looking, if you will. The photographs are sharp and crisp and completing a set will be a nice goal for collectors.