General Forum

I noticed that 2020-21 The Cup Hockey was announced with a mid-November release date. That means rookies from that season are still getting "new" rookie cards two full card collecting years later (2022-23 product has already been released, see: Upper Deck MVP).

While the delay is likely due to some post-covid logistics, I feel this practice can set us up for a slippery slope. What if in 2025 UD decided to release a new product showcasing the 2020-21 season? 

That brings me to the releases of the 1964-65 and 1966-67 Parkhurst sets, which actually produced and released in 1994-95 and 1995-96. I'm not sure if those years correspond to any rookie year status for the players within, but either way, collector's certainly wouldn't consider any of those cards to be rookie cards. 

Yes, the Parkhurst example is extreme, but more and more I'm seeing products that release well after the season, into the next season and now into the season after that. At what point do collector's decide that these sets don't contain true RCs? Is that a worthwhile concern or am I overthinking this (i.e. this is purely a covid-related delay, nothing more). 

I've thought the same thing, it's getting pretty ridiculous. It's not just RC status though, but the set should actually be listed as "2022-23 The Cup 2020-21"

I actually love that idea, similar to cards that get inserted into packs that were part of a prior year's set (Panini does this all too often).

One thing that does allow companies to generally get away with the massively delayed releases like these is there is just SO much product out there now and after so many years nobody even pays attention or may remember how late such a product was released. If someone goes to buy or sell a 2020-21 The Cup Kirill Kaprizov RC in 2029, they probably aren't mulling over the fact that it was released in late 2022. 

I generally just think its dumb and a practice that needs to be nipped in the bud somehow because this hobby has a history of things going out of control (i.e. I'd never have thought parallels would get to the point they are at). 

The set is a 2020-21 set. It doesn't matter when the set was actually available. 

When Topps had the NBA license I wrote to them several times begging them to release sets for the missing years. 

Never got a response.