2007 Upper Deck Exquisite Baseball Dual Autographs: When One Autograph Would Have Been Better Than Two

The 2007 Upper Deck Exquisite Rookie Signatures baseball card set had just about everything a collector could want from a high-end product: premium designs, low serial numbers, on-card autographs, Hall of Famers, superstars, and some of the best young players in baseball. It also had some of the strangest dual-autograph pairings imaginable.

The concept could have made sense. Take an established superstar and pair him with a top rookie, or young player who might become the next superstar. If everything went according to plan, collectors would eventually own a card featuring two generations of baseball greatness.

The problem is they didn’t do that.

Nearly twenty years later, some of these cards look less like “past meets future” and more like Upper Deck randomly drew two names out of a hat. The result is a fascinating group of cards where, in most cases, one autograph probably would have been better than two.

Derek Jeter and Devern Hansack

Perhaps no card demonstrates the problem better than the Derek Jeter/Devern Hansack dual autograph.

On one side you have Derek Jeter. The Yankees shortstop played 20 seasons, collected 3,465 hits, made 14 All-Star teams, won five World Series championships, was named the 2000 World Series MVP and eventually entered the Baseball Hall of Fame. He spent his entire career at shortstop for the Yankees and became one of the defining baseball players of his generation.

And sharing a card with him is…Devern Hansack.

Hansack was a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox who appeared in nine Major League games.

Not nine seasons. Nine games.

His entire MLB career consisted of 24⅓ innings from 2006 through 2008, during which he went 2-2 with a respectable 3.70 ERA.

So we have a shortstop with 3,465 career hits paired with a pitcher who faced 100 Major League batters.

To make the combination even stranger, Jeter and Hansack weren't teammates, didn't play the same position, and didn’t rookie in the same year. They were on opposite sides of the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. Hansack actually made the final appearance of his Major League career against the Yankees in 2008.

Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Abreu

Next we have Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Abreu.

Ripken needs very little introduction. The Orioles legend played from 1981 through 2001, became one of the greatest shortstops in baseball history and famously played in 2,632 consecutive games, a Major League record that remains one of baseball's most recognizable achievements. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007—the same year this Exquisite product was released.

Then there is Tony Abreu.

Abreu was actually an interesting young Dodgers prospect when the set was produced. He reached the majors at 22 years old in 2007 and hit .271 in 59 games while playing second base, third base and shortstop.

So at least there was some logic here. Ripken was a legendary infielder and Abreu was a young infielder whom Upper Deck presumably believed had a bright future.

Unfortunately, the future didn't quite cooperate. Abreu bounced between the Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Royals and Giants and never developed into anything resembling the player whose autograph you'd expect to see sharing premium cardboard with Cal Ripken Jr.

Ken Griffey Jr. and Josh Fields

Then there is Ken Griffey Jr. and Josh Fields.

Ken Griffey Jr. was already a baseball icon by 2007. “The Kid” eventually finished his 22-year career with 630 home runs, 2,781 hits, 10 Gold Gloves and 13 All-Star selections before cruising into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Josh Fields was a third baseman for the Chicago White Sox.

To be fair to Upper Deck, Fields probably looked like a much better choice in 2007 than he does today. He hit 23 home runs in only 100 games that season, so there was legitimate reason to believe Chicago had a future power hitter on its hands.

It didn't happen.

Fields finished his Major League career after 217 games with a .234 batting average, 34 home runs and 107 RBI.

Again, that's nothing to be ashamed of. Making the Major Leagues at all is an extraordinary accomplishment. But baseball cards aren't always kind when they put careers next to each other.

On the top of the card: one of the most famous baseball players who ever lived, 630 career home runs and a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

On the bottom: 34 career home runs.

Sometimes one autograph really is better than two.

Alex Gordon and Billy Butler: Now This One Makes Sense

Not every pairing in 2007 Exquisite aged poorly. Some of them actually made perfect sense, including Alex Gordon and Billy Butler.

Both were highly regarded young Kansas City Royals players at the time. Gordon was the second overall selection in the 2005 MLB Draft and made his Major League debut in 2007, while Butler was another prized Royals prospect who debuted that same season at just 21 years old. Butler hit .292 with 96 hits and 52 RBI in 92 games as a rookie.

More importantly, there was an obvious reason for putting them together: they were supposed to be the future of the Kansas City Royals.

That's what a dual autograph should be.

Even before anyone knew exactly how their careers would turn out, Gordon and Butler belonged together on a card. Same organization, same era, two young players arriving in Kansas City at essentially the same time.

The pairing tells a story.

The Fun of 2007 Exquisite Today

In fairness to Upper Deck, nobody knows how a rookie's career will unfold. That's part of what makes prospecting fun. Somewhere in 2007, somebody probably pulled one of these cards and thought Devern Hansack was going to become a star.

Time had other ideas.

And that's exactly why the 2007 Upper Deck Exquisite dual autographs are so much fun to look back at today. The product contains genuine baseball royalty paired with players who have largely disappeared from the hobby's collective memory.

Sometimes the pairing worked. Sometimes it made sense at the time.

Maybe the lesson is simple:

Two autographs aren't automatically better than one. Especially when one of them is a Hall of Famer and the other guy is just along for the ride.

At Kansas City’s Sports Cleanout, we buy sports cards, autographs, game-used memorabilia and collections of all sizes. Whether you've got a collection filled with Hall of Famers, forgotten prospects, strange dual autographs or a little bit of everything, we're always interested in seeing what's out there.

If you have a sports card or sports memorabilia collection you're looking to sell in Kansas City or anywhere in the Midwest, contact Sports Cleanout and let us know what you have.

Selling a Sports Card Collection?

An easier option for selling a sports card collection—Sports Cleanout in Kansas City can help.

Instead of spending hours pricing, transporting, and selling items one by one, many collectors choose to sell their collections directly. Sports Cleanout buys sports cards, autographs, vintage memorabilia, and other sports collectibles, making the process simple and straightforward.

If you're looking to sell a collection without the hassle of a weekend show, reaching out to Sports Cleanout may be the easiest option.

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Sports Cleanout is always looking to buy sports memorabilia of all kinds throughout the Midwest. Based in Kansas City, Sports Cleanout will travel to Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Arkansas, and Oklahoma to evaluate collections in person.

We are actively buying:

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