It’s time for a new set of Upper Deck AEW wrestling cards, their second set of cards in 2024, but this time, it’s the first premium set of AEW cards since 2021 Upper Deck AEW Spectrum. 2024 Upper Deck Black Diamond AEW includes six wrestling cards per pack/box, for the average price of under $300 per box, including one diamond relic, memorabilia, or booklet card; one autograph card; one manufactured relic card; one insert card; one base set card or base set printing plate; and one Exquisite Collection Card per box (on average).
Despite the previous premium set being called 2021 Upper Deck AEW Spectrum, it was released in November 2022, so 2024 Upper Deck Black Diamond AEW comes almost exactly two years after the first premium set of AEW cards, and I think Upper Deck learned some lessons from 2021 Upper Deck AEW Spectrum, which I called a “gorgeous but risky box of cards,” which makes 2024 Upper Deck Black Diamond AEW a better overall product.
With that said, $300 for six wrestling cards is still risky business for many wrestling collectors, including myself, but I think if you buy a pack because you’re a fan of AEW, and you like the elevated style of Upper Deck Black Diamond, and you’re not overly concerned with making your money back, I think it’s worth the cost, if it’s not preventing you from paying your bills.
So, perhaps needless to say, I thought it was worth the risk, and pre-ordered a box of 2024 Upper Deck Black Diamond AEW, which arrived at my door on Friday, November 29, the day after (American) Thanksgiving, otherwise known as Black Friday, which seemed like an appropriate day to rip a pack of Black Diamond wrestling cards.
For what it’s worth, I thought the packaging looked really good, and the single pack of cards was carefully nestled inside the box.
The pack itself felt hefty, like it had some real weight to it, and from the side of the pack, once I started to open it, I could tell there were a few very thick cards inside.
I was curious how the pack would be arranged, because oftentimes in premium products such as this, the cards are organized in more or less the same order in every pack, so, for example, the autograph will be in the same place in every pack, and in this pack, the base card was the first card in the pack, and it was “Le Champion/The Learning Tree/Corazón de León” Chris Jericho. The card itself looked very good, in my opinion. I like the Black Diamond design, which Upper Deck has produced for NHL hockey for years, but this was really my first time seeing it in-hand, and with this set, even the base cards are serial numbered, so you know there’s fewer overall boxes produced, and my Jericho was numbered 13/149.
The second card of my pack was a Black Diamond autograph of Powerhouse Hobbs, which I was happy with, because I didn’t yet have an autograph of him in my AEW collection. This particular card, which is a base autograph card, is the same style as the base Black Diamond card, such as the Jericho I just pulled, but it’s not numbered, so I’m curious how many copies of each were signed.
The next card of my pack was my first thick boy, an AEW Event Logo Patch of Satnam Singh. This card features the AEW All Out logo in the middle of the card, with Singh’s photo and name off to the sides. A lot of collectors roll their eyes at manufactured relics, which these are, because the fun part of some relics is they’re created from shirts or other items worn or used by the person on the card, but with manufactured relics, the person usually doesn’t even touch the relic, so it lacks the personal connection of other worn or used relics.
My fourth card was another thick one, but it wasn’t just another relic, oh no, it was a Black Diamond Purple Diamond Taya Valkyrie card serial numbered 2/3. This card actually has two “diamonds” embedded in the card, which makes for one sharp looking wrestling card.
My next card was a red Black Diamond Squared Circle Gems card of Queen Aminata serial numbered 10/25. Squared Circle Gems is one of the new insert cards in the Black Diamond set, and Black Diamond is the first set of AEW cards to include Queen Aminata, other than their epack New Arrivals set, so I’m pleased to add this low numbered rookie to my collection.
Finally, my sixth card of the pack was another thick one, my one Exquisite Collection card of the pack, and I pulled Katsuyori Shibata serial numbered 45/125. For those who know and collect Upper Deck Black Diamond, Exquisite Collection is like their luxury set within Black Diamond. The standard cards, which come one per pack, are numbered to 125, so while I pulled the standard, base version of Shibata, I just think it’s really cool that, at this point in his long and storied career, I can pull a premium card of “The Wrestler” in what is essentially his rookie AEW set.
Overall, I think this is a pretty stunning set of cards, and I was very happy with what I got. The Powerhouse Hobbs autograph, Taya Valkyrie purple diamond relic, the Queen Aminata Squared Circle Gems, and Katsuyori Shibata Exquisite Collection are strong highlights of my pack, and make for great additions to my growing AEW collection. I’d love to open another pack of 2024 Upper Deck Black Diamond AEW, but we’ll have to see what’s in the cards (and in my wallet).
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