Customer Care
Authenticity & Fraud Prevention
Our mission is to provide our worldwide customers and consumers with sports and entertainment products that reflect our commitment to innovative design, quality craftsmanship, and authenticity.
We’re Upper Deck. We’re not just a “trading card” company; we’re a worldwide sports and entertainment company.
Early on, Upper Deck expanded the company’s focus on authenticity to include authenticated autographed sports memorabilia backed by a five-step authentication process that reassures fans that they are receiving genuine autographs.
The heart of the five-step authentication process is the company’s policy that an Upper Deck representative must witness each autograph signed by any one of its high-profile athletes including Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Wayne Gretzky, Connor McDavid, and Anthony Davis to name a few.
Today, Upper Deck dedicates significant resources to ensure the authenticity of its products.
Memorabilia Authenticity Hologram
When Upper Deck introduced memorabilia to our product line in 1991, fake signatures were running wild in the marketplace. With interest on collectibles and memorabilia on the rise, counterfeiters became more sophisticated in their schemes. To revolutionize the authenticity of memorabilia, Upper Deck embarked on a mission to employ cutting-edge technologies. After thorough exploration, the company opted to embed state-of-the-art security holograms onto Upper Deck Authenticated pieces. Its high cost, scarcity, and near-impossibility to replicate ensure the authenticity and integrity of every piece, offering collectors peace of mind.
5 Step Process
As the popularity of professional sports has grown over the years, so has the demand for autographed collectibles. To forgers, public interest in sports signifies a golden opportunity to turn a profit from unsuspecting fans. Upper Deck recognized the problem and introduced a solution when the company established Upper Deck Authenticated (UDA) in 1992 and created the first authentication system in the industry. The company’s mission was to create a source that sports fans could trust for genuine autographed sports memorabilia.
At the heart of the 5-step authentication process is the policy that an Upper Deck representative must witness each autograph signed by any one of the high-profile athletes with whom it has a relationship.
The 5 Step Process
- Step 1: Every autograph is witnessed by an UDA representative. After all, observation is the ONLY WAY to truly ensure authenticity.
- Step 2: A record of the autograph session is signed by both the athlete and the UDA representative and is stored in a secure permanent file.
- Step 3: A UDA serial numbered hologram is affixed to each signed piece of memorabilia.
- Step 4: A certificate of authenticity is assigned to every piece of memorabilia and includes a matching hologram to the one affixed to the item.
- Step 5: Every piece of signed memorabilia is packaged with a registration card. The owner has the opportunity to register the item with UDA. If the owner registers the item, a record of the item’s registered history is available.
Hologram Database
Welcome to the Upper Deck Authenticated (UDA) Hologram Data Center. To view and verify the authenticity of certain UDA Memorabilia, please enter its corresponding hologram ID number below and click on “Enter.”
A photo of the item will appear, as well as a brief description of the item, and will reveal if the entered properly matches the piece to which it was originally applied. If your hologram does not populate, please contact customer service for assistance.
Trading Card Authenticity
When Upper Deck was founded in 1988, the market was flooded with fake trading cards. As the craze for collectibles surged, so did the tricks of counterfeiters. Determined to revolutionize the trading card scene, Upper Deck delved into cutting-edge technologies to outsmart the counterfeiters. After extensive research, the company decided to integrate high-tech security holograms into Upper Deck trading cards.
Crafted from top-grade materials akin to those safeguarding IDs and passports, the holograms on Upper Deck cards is a game-changer. It’s pricey, hard to come by, and virtually impossible to replicate, giving our collectors peace of mind with each purchase.
