Over the past few years, Upper Deck’s Goodwin Champions has developed a following of collectors, many of which might be classified similarly to the people who love Allen and Ginter every year. Last year’s product was popular due to a unique autograph checklist, large collectible set, and the Entymology bug cards that were hugely successful on the open market.

This year, I dont believe the design is as strong, as last year’s was a definite focus on throwing back to the orignal, where this is more of a modern take on the retro look. Without licensing in the three major sports, the set is automatically downgraded from what it could be with licensed cards, but the on card autos are definitely a welcome program.

2012 Goodwin Champions Mike Tyson On Card Auto SP

2012 Goodwin Champions Entymology Redemption

2012 Goodwin Champions Ricky Carmichael On Card Auto SP

2012 Goodwin Champions 1888 Original Art Card /10

I think the addition of some of the stars from the Olympics and Mike Tyson was a great idea, as UD should aim to continue capitalizing on these areas in their products as long as London is still fresh in the minds of collectors. Adding in Michael Jordan and LeBron James autos doesnt hurt, even though is a damn shame they cannot be in uniform.

This set has a lot of potential to rival Allen and Ginter with licensing, although I dont see that happening any time soon. However, im not sure why there isnt at least NCAA licensing on these cards, as I think there is a lot to having some sort of uniform pictured for the athletes.

At 60 bucks a box, its not a bad break, I actually watched two today here in San Antonio. The minis and the on card autos should be enough to get people interested in breaking the boxes, and the potential to pull the big ones like Jordan and Tyson is enticing to say the least. With Exquisite coming out next week as well, this could be a big month for Upper Deck.