Upper Deck 2023-24 SP Authentic Hockey; Product Review and Investment Angle

Upper Deck SP Authentic Hockey is one of the most important products to hockey collectors. It all starts with the Future Watch Auto. The Future Watch Autos anchor Upper Deck SP Authentic Hockey and are among the essential rookie cards for one's collection.

Connor McDavid's Future Watch Auto from Upper Deck 2015-16 SP Authentic Hockey is the most coveted Future Watch Auto of all time. However, there is a new Future Watch Auto that everyone is after.

As expected, Connor Bedard's Future Watch Auto is drawing attention from sports card collectors across the globe. Bedard's Future Watch autos traded for as high as $7,000 USD during release week. The hype has calmed a bit as Bedard's Future Watch Autos are currently trading for the $4,000 range.

Each box of Upper Deck 2023-24 SP Authentic Hockey features one Future Watch Autograph, on average. Boxes with two or three autographs are not uncommon. In addition, each box features one numbered insert or rare tech card, one Spectrum FX Bounty Card, plus an assortment of inserts.

During release week, boxes of 2023-24 SP Authentic topped out at $400 in the States. Boxes are currently trading for $350.

Spectrum Bounty Mission

Upper Deck offers collectors a chance to get a special nine-card FX Bounty Award Set they collect all 91 Spectrum FX parallels. The first 50 collectors earn a complete Gold Parallel Set plus bonus surprise.

The Black Future Watch Autos are among the best looking cards that Upper Deck has to offer. These are extremely rare and it could take multiple cases to find one.

Sign of the Times

Upper Deck does an amazing job with the Sign of the Times autos that feature up to eight players. Each card can feature a collection of legends, active veterans, and rookies.

Can the Bedard Tax be Overcome?

This is the million-dollar question for all Upper Deck 2023-24 Hockey products. Bedard has made hockey collectibles mainstream. Hockey being mainstream has driven up box costs by double, and in some cases triple, from a year-over-year perspective.

There's two ways to defeat the Bedard tax. The first way is by buying into breaks. Most breakers are charging 50% of the retail box price for the Bedard spot. Using Upper Deck 2023-24 SP Authentic Hockey as an example. The Bedard spot would cost $175 per box.

If you remove Bedard from the equation, the box is now worth $175 and that cost is divided by the remaining teams. Let those who are chasing Bedard to pay the Bedard tax for you.

The second way to defeat the Bedard tax is to pull a rare Bedard card from your box or case. That is not an easy task by any means, but it is fun taking a swing at pulling a valuable Bedard card!

Final Verdict

I have a box in my left hand that features on-card autographs and cards that will stand the test of time from a value perspective. There can be multiple hits of value in the box in my left hand. The box in my right hand contains one hit that is not necessarily an autograph, and the autograph will be on a sticker if there is one. The additional cards in the box in my right hand do not carry much value.

If the two boxes are the same price, which box are you buying?

The box in my left is 2023-24 SP Authentic and the box in my right hand is 2023-24 Black Diamond. Both boxes retail for nearly the same price.

The choice is obvious, 2023-24 SP Authentic is the best box available in the $300-$400 range.

Upper Deck 2023-24 SP Authentic might be the type of product to place a couple cases in storage and forget about them for 10 years. Single boxes of Upper Deck 2015-16 SP Authentic (McDavid Rookie Year) cost $3,000. If Bedard pans out, a similar rise in value could happen with Upper Deck 2023-24 SP Authentic.

Upper Deck 2023-24 SP Authentic checks all of the necessary boxes; value, excitement, and mystery.

Outside of The Cup and Premier; Upper Deck 2023-24 SP Authentic Hockey might be the best release of the 2023-24 season.

Happy hunting and collecting!