North Las Vegas, NV, Monday January 12, 2009
When Upper Deck started receiving in rare dinosaur bones and teeth to its offices in late 2008, there was a buzz in the air as many staffers gathered around to see these rare artifacts up close. Upper Deck dug deep to procure a variety of bones from ancient dinosaurs for inclusion in its upcoming 2008-09 Champ’s Hockey set.

These unique finds are currently being cut so they can be embedded onto trading cards in the set. The larger bones from creatures like the Woolly Mammoth and Woolly Rhinoceros will likely yield enough bones to make at least 100 cards, but cards that feature teeth will be much rarer.

“We didn’t want to ruin the feeling that you were actually getting a tooth by cutting them up too much,” said Matt Bromley, Upper Deck’s associate hockey brand manager. “But they were too thick to just include them whole. We moved ahead with cutting them vertically in half so now there will be two copies for each of these unique cards.”

Collectors may find tooth cards of ancient dinosaurs like the Spinosaurus, Pterosaur and the Tyrannosaurus Rex in 2008-09 Champ’s Hockey.

“The 2008-09 Champ’s Hockey product is a perfect vessel to deliver something truly unique like this to the hobby,” said Josh Zusman, Upper Deck hockey brand manager. “When we saw these pieces coming in, everybody was in awe. The inclusion of these cards in this hockey release helps bring the Ice Age to the ice.”

Collectors can sink their teeth into 2008-09 Champ’s Hockey when it hits shelves in mid-March.