OK, political junkies. Get ready to start trading cards featuring President Obama and some of the Republicans who want to deny him a second term.

Upper Deck will insert cards from its “World of Politics” set into its sports packs starting Feb. 21. The company says one out of every 40 packs will include a “super rare” card featuring Obama or one of the current, former or would-be Republican presidential candidates such as Mitt Romney.

“We thought it was only fitting to produce a set of cards that would help pay tribute to all the highs and lows of this presidential race by capturing the top candidates on cardboard,” said Jason Masherah, Upper Deck’s vice president of marketing and business development.

The GOP trading cards include the remaining four presidential contenders (Romney, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul and Rick Santorum). Plus, three candidates who are long gone from the White House race — Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Rep. Michele Bachmann and Herman Cain — are also now collectibles, as is former Alaska governor Sarah Palin.

Obama has been featured on an Upper Deck card before. His caricature was on the company’s 2008 “presidential victor” card.

Source: USA Today 

From Upper Deck:

On July 22 you will have the chance to meet the world’s first Avenger, but why wait that long? Today Upper Deck released 2011 Captain America trading cards giving Marvel fans a sneak peek of what they can expect from the film and also a first look at the dreaded Red Skull. It also gives them the chance to take home some pretty sweet insert cards like manufactured patch cards, autograph cards, movie memorabilia cards, “Ultimate Panel Focus” cards and of course; sketch cards.

Upper Deck commissioned a talented group of artists to lend their talents to this set and they came up with some amazing contributions. Fans who are lucky enough to pull these cards will definitely have a unique collectible to add to their collection. Take a look at a list of artists included in the set, quantities and a gallery of some of the cards themselves:

Jason Keith Phillips, 119
Gilbert Monsanto, 101
Irma Ahmed, 99
Lord Mesa, 99
Travis Walton, 99
Michael Duran, 96
Richard Molinelli, 96
Frankie B. Washington, 92
Ryan Kincaid, 87
Dan Gorman, 86
Hamilton Cline, 86
Matthew Minor, 86
Butch Mapa, 85
Jon Hughes, 85
Lawrence Reynolds, 84
Hanie Mohd, 82
Remy “Eisu” Mokhtar, 81
Roy Cover, 79
Kevin Gentilcore, 77
John “ACE” Evangelista, 74
Chris Foreman, 63
Joel Carroll, 63
Andy MacDonald, 56
David Mack, 55
Billy Martin, 54
Joe Pekar, 54
Dave Ryan, 53
Sarah Wilkinson, 53
Ben Herrera, 48
Eugene Commodore, 47
Brian Kong, 45
Bruce Gerlach, 45
Cal Slayton ,45
Eric Ninaltowski, 45
Sebastian Mazuera, 45
Tod Smith, 45
Lak Lim, 44
Mark McKenna, 44
Bill Pulkovski 43
Danielle Gransaull / Soloud, 42
George “GEO” Davis, 40
Jerry Gaylord, 40
Frank Kadar, 39
John Huan, 39
Charles Hall, 38
Remi Dousset, 37
Zane Donnellan, 36
Jason Adams, 35
George Deep, 33
Mark Henry, 32
Ken Steacy, 29
Joyce Chin, 28
Ben Young, 27
Dan Panosian, 27
Jim Cheung, 27
Johnboy Meyers, 27
Kevin Graham, 27
Cat Staggs, 25
Bryan Turner, 24
George Calloway, 22
Katie Cook, 22
Mike Miller, 22
Melike Acar, 21
Jake Minor, 18
Jonboy Meyers, 18
Kate Bradley, 18
Wendy Chew, 18
Hector Sevilla, 12
Jose Jaro, 12
Brandon Singleton, 10
Matt Grigsby, 10

From ICv2:

Upper Deck’s new Marvel Beginnings release (see “’Marvel Beginnings Series 1’ Trading Cards”) includes Marvel Ultimate Collection Panel Focus insert cards, trading cards that incorporate a piece of a rare comic. Amazing Spider-Man #2 is one of the rare comics used for the Panel Cards.

“Upper Deck has secured several original issues of old Marvel comic books and is strategically cutting them up to comprise the Marvel Ultimate Collection Panel Focus insert cards,” Bubby Johanson, Upper Deck Marvel Product Manager, explained.  “We anticipate getting our fair share of reactions, both good and bad, from comic book collectors and trading card collectors.”

Panel cards are the rarest insert cards, at one per case.  Sketch and autograph cards combine to fall one per box in almost a 50/50 ratio, according to the company.

The autograph signers did less than 100 apiece, with Stan Lee, Tom Orzechowski, and Joe Sinnott at 20 or less per card.

ere are the deconstructed comics (now available via trading card at a rate of one panel at a time):

Amazing Spider-Man #2
Amazing Spider-Man #4
Amazing Spider-Man #6
Amazing Spider-Man #9
Amazing Spider-Man #14
Amazing Spider-Man #18
Amazing Spider-Man #25
Amazing Spider-Man #50
The Avengers #57
Daredevil #181

(Source: icv2.com)

Bubby Johanson and Brandon Miller of Upper Deck Entertainment take some time out to share what is coming up next for Marvel releases.

In June Upper Deck follows up with a trading card release based on the Marvel Studios’ movie Captain America: The First Avenger, which is slated to debut on July 22nd. The 90-card Captain America set features all the key moments and characters from the highly anticipated movie, plus some great inserts including autographs from the film’s cast and “patch” cards that feature some of the popular patches and insignias used in the movie.

Follow the journey from Asgard to Earth with the epic adventure of Thor!  Upper Deck’s Thor trading card product will feature highly collectible cards showcasing many of the memorable moments from the movie. Autographs from the cast, movie memorabilia, unique sketch cards, and PETG movie film cell cards provide a great chase for collectors to try and capture the power of Thor!

Manufacturer: Upper Deck
Release: March 15th, 2010

Thor Regular Set
Base Cards (90)
Talent of Thor (9)
Thor Movie Poster Card (1)

Thor Top Inserts
Costume Cards (1:12)
Autograph Cards (1:288)
Sketch Cards (1:48)
PETG Movie Cell Cards (1:16)

Thor Product Highlights
Collect pieces of the movie! Two movie memorabilia cards or autographs per box! Includes pants worn in the movie by Natalie Portman (Jane Foster), shirts worn by Chris Hemsworth (Thor) and more! Get a piece of Thor’s Cape, Odin’s Leathers, and more!

Chase one-of-a-kind artist sketch cards from some of the greatest comic artists in the industry!

One (1) PETG movie cell card per box showcasing dramatic scenes from the movie!

“Konnichiwa, Bonjour, and Hello Kitty! Hello Kitty is embarking on a world adventure, and you’re invited! Share her world travels, learn fun facts about Hello Kitty and the world, and help Hello Kitty fill her passport as she travels to more than 20 countries! Let the adventure begin! Hello Kitty World Adventures is the premiere set in Upper Deck’s Hello Kitty Collectipak™ series, based on Sanrio’s globally popular character Hello Kitty.”

Fun Facts:
- Collect all the different country-themed stickers for Hello Kitty (ranked a “favorite character” among all girls ages 6-11).
- Learn about different places in the world and fill Hello Kitty’s Passport first to win the game!
- Look for one premium foil card in every pack!
- Explore diverse looks for Hello Kitty from all over the world!
- Each Collectipak™ contains 4 sticker country cards, 1 premium foil card, 1 passport, 1 token card, and 1 checklist/rules sheet.

All Aboard: Upper Deck Debuts - Thomas & Friends™ Trading Cards!

Pop-Up Cards and Stickers Highlight Company’s Newest Entertainment Trading Cards for Kids

Carlsbad, CA (June 30, 2010) – The Upper Deck Company, in conjunction with HIT Entertainment, is pleased to announce that it has just released the first trading cards of the #1 preschool property* and long-running television show Thomas & Friends™. Entitled “Thomas & Friends Sodor Adventures Collectipak™,” the 18-card set includes cool stickers, tattoos and pop-up cards of the most lovable characters from Thomas & Friends including Thomas, Percy, James, Emily, Sir Topham Hatt and more.

“Upper Deck is thrilled to be releasing this set of cards featuring Thomas & Friends,” said Josh Zusman, Upper Deck’s Thomas & Friends brand manager. “It’s our pleasure to join in on all the fun that this No. 1 preschool property brings to the table for youngsters around the globe.”

Targeted to kids between the ages of three and six, the fun, collectible trading cards from Upper Deck will appeal to Thomas & Friends fans of all ages. The premiere installment of Thomas & Friends Collectipak™ is an easy-to-learn activity based on the travels of Thomas and his engine friends on the Island of Sodor. Youngsters will journey around the island with Thomas & Friends and help their favorite engines get back to Tidmouth Sheds.

In future releases of Thomas & Friends trading cards, Upper Deck will launch additional products including stand-up trading cards and sticker trading cards based on the popular preschool property* which is celebrating its 65th anniversary this year. The second Thomas & Friends trading card release from Upper Deck is scheduled to hit the market in November 2010.

Thomas the Tank Engine™ was created by a father for his son in 1945 and today is enjoyed by families in more than 185 territories in over 30 languages through books, DVDs, live family events, on TV, online and in toys. Later this year, Thomas is moving full steam ahead with the debut of an all-new CG animated television series in the U.S. with new friends and new adventures.

“The distinctive engine characters of Thomas & Friends lend themselves perfectly to trading cards, and Upper Deck is the perfect partner to launch this new line,” said Gabriela Arenas, Vice President, U.S. Consumer Products – Thomas Division, HIT Entertainment. “This is a fun way for kids to collect their favorite engine friends, and we look forward to working with Upper Deck to expand the Thomas & Friends world in this category.”