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A Visual Guide to Exquisite and The Cup Limited Logos

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A Brief History of the Limited Logos

Limited LogosĀ is one of the most important and recognizable patch autograph inserts in sports cards. First introduced in the 2003-04 ExquisiteĀ basketball set, Limited Logos was one of six patch autograph inserts included in the set.


While its easy to get lost in such an iconic product, Limited LogosĀ was designed to be captivating. Featuring large patch windows with game-used memorabilia, meticulous holofoil detailing, and bold on-card autographs. Limited Logos were a centerpiece in all seven Equisite basketball releases. Although ExquisiteĀ basketball was discontinued after Upper Deck lost its non-exclusive NBA license in 2010-11, Limited LogosĀ continued to thrive in The Cup.


Building on the success of ExquisiteĀ in basketball, Upper Deck saw an opportunity to bring a similar high-end product to hockey. Their response was The Cupā€”a set designed to honor the pinnacle of the sport, the Stanley Cup, and serve as the most premium hockey product in their portfolio. Since its debut in 2005-06, the Limited LogosĀ insert has been a staple of The Cup, appearing in nearly 20 consecutive releases.


We wanted to build a guide for collectors fitting this incredible insert. A guide to help collectors discover what Limited Logos looked like each year. A guide to help collectors quickly find notable cards, checklist size, and print runs from each release year. But we didn't stop there.


Weā€™ve also developed the ā€œLimited Logos Deep Dive,ā€ a powerful workbook that allows you to search for Limited LogosĀ by team or player across all, offering instant insights into print runs and release years.

Preview of The Smarter Collector's "Limited Logos Deep Dive" workbook

This is the ultimate resource for collectors looking to explore the legacy of this iconic insert.


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Exquisite Limited Logos (Basketball)



Exquisite Limited Logos Fast Facts

Lifetime Print Run (2003-04 to 2009-10): 11,973

Who is the only player to be featured on a Limited Logo with Three Different Teams? Baron Davis (Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, New Orleans Hornets)

5 Teams with the Most Players Featured: Chicago Bulls (12), Boston Celtics (9), Los Angeles Lakers (8), New York Knicks (7), Minnesota Timberwolves (7)

5 (Active) Teams with the Fewest Players Featured: Dallas Mavericks (2), Indiana Pacers (2), Oklahoma City Thunder (2), Washington Wizards (2)


2003-04 Exquisite Limited Logos Michael Jordan

Notable Cards: LeBron James (Rookie), Michael Jordan (First LL), Dwayne Wade (Rookie), Carmelo Anthony (Rookie), Kobe Bryant (First LL), Larry Bird (First LL), Kevin Garnett (First LL), Magic Johnson (First LL), Tracy McGrady (First LL)

Print Run: 75

Checklist Size: 30







2004-05 Exquisite Limited Logos Kobe Bryant

Notable Cards: Dwight Hower (Rookie), Isiah Thomas (First and only LL), Hakeem Olajuwon (First Appearance), Ray Allen (First Appearance), Yao Ming (First Appearance)

Print Run: 50

Checklist Size: 42











2005-06 Exquisite Limited Logos LeBron James


Notable Cards: Bill Russell (First and only LL numbered to 28), Chris Paul (Rookie), Chris Bosh (First LL), Scottie Pippen (First and only LL), Vince Carter (First LL)

Print Run: 50

Checklist Size: 41










2006-07 Exquisite Limited Logos Magic Johnson


Notable Cards: Clyde Drexler (First and only LL), LaMarcus Aldridge (Rookie), Brandon Roy (Rookie)

Print Run: 50

Checklist Size: 42











2007-08 Exquisite Limited Logos Kevin Durant


Notable Cards: Kevin Durant (Rookie), Al Horford (Rookie), Andre Iguodala (First LL)

Print Run: 50 (Except for Rashard Lewis)

Checklist Size: 42












2008-09 Exquisite Limited Logos Kevin Garnett

Notable Cards: Allen Iverson (First LL), Derrick Rose (Rookie), Kevin Love (Rookie), Robert Parish (First and only LL),

Print Run: 25 (Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash with 24)

Checklist Size: 33


2009-10 Exquisite Limited Logos Larry Bird

Notable Cards: Joakim Noah (Rookie), Rajon Rondo (Rookie)

Print Run: Varies by Player

Checklist Size: 41















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The Cup Limited Logos (Hockey)



The Cup Limited Logos Fast Facts

Lifetime Print Run (2005-06 to 2022-23): 46,800

Rarest Limited Logos:

  • 2007-08 Guy Lafleur /3

  • 2005-06 Cam Neely /4

  • 2005-06 Darryl Sittler /5

  • 2007-08 Wayne Gretzky /5

5 Teams with the Most Players Featured: Toronto Maple Leafs (30), New York Rangers (27), Colorado Avalanche (25), Montreal Canadians (24), Detroit Red Wings (23)

5 (Active) Teams with the Fewest Players Featured: Seattle Kraken (3), Arizona Coyotes (4), Winnipeg Jets (7), Vegas Golden Knights (8), Washington Capitals (9)


2005-06 The Cup Limited Logos Alex Ovechkin

Notable Cards: Sidney Crosby (Rookie), Alexander Ovechkin (Rookie), Cam Neeley (/4), Darryl Sittler (/5)

Print Run: 50 copies; certain players short printed

Checklist Size: 79

Notes on this Release: This was the first year of The Cup, marking hockey's introduction to the Limited Logos insert. Headlined by iconic rookies Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin, the debut of this insert set got off to a bumpy start. The printers mistakenly used a glossy card stock on the front of the card, which has led to notorious bubbling issues on many of the autographs.


2006-07 The Cup Limited Logos Wayne Gretzky

Notable Cards: Wayne Gretzky (First LL), Mario Lemieux (First LL), Evgeni Malkin (Rookie), Gordie Howe (First and only LL Appearance), Niklas Lidstrom (First LL), Phil Kessel (Rookie), Zdeno Chara (First LL Appearance)

Print Run: 50 copies; certain players short printed

Checklist Size: 96

Notes on this Release: Second year release, but arguably the most popular. Upper Deck made strong improvements on the card's design and increased the size of the checklist. Oh yeah, they also added Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. 2006-07 was also the only year Gordie Howe was featured on a Limited Logo and the card was serial numbered to 10.



2007-08 The Cup Limited Logos Patrick Kane

Notable Cards: Patrick Kane (Rookie), Jonathan Toews (Rookie), Carey Price (Rookie), Wayne Gretzky (Shortest Printed Limited Logo /5), Mark Messier (First LL), Brian Leetch (First LL), Ryan Getzlaf (First LL)

Print Run: 50 copies, certain players short-printed

Checklist Size: 88

Notes on this Release: The lone vertical Limited Logo from the entirety of the The Cup's run to date.






2008-09 The Cup Limited Logos Mario Lemieux

Notable Cards: Steven Stamkos (Rookie), Blake Wheeler (Rookie), Alex Pietrangelo (Rookie), Drew Doughty (Rookie), Daniel Sedin (First LL), Henrik Sedin (First LL), Pavel Datsyuk (First LL)

Print Run: 50 copies

Checklist Size: 76


2009-10 The Cup Limited Logos Martin Brodeur

Notable Cards: John Tavares (Rookie), Evander Kane (Rookie) Print Run: 50 copies

Checklist Size: 56


2010-11 The Cup Limited Logos Tyler Seguin

Notable Cards: Tyler Seguin (Rookie), Taylor Hall (Rookie), Sergei Bobrovsky (Rookie)

Print Run: 50 copies; certain players short printed

Checklist Size: 64


2011-12 The Cup Limited Logos John Tavares

Notable Cards: Gabriel Landeskog (Rookie), Sean Couturier (Rookie), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Rookie)

Print Run: 50 copies; certain players short printed

Checklist Size: 59


2012-13 The Cup Limited Logos Peter Forsberg

Notable Cards: Chris Kreider (Rookie), Mark Stone (Rookie)

Print Run: 50 copies; certain players short printed

Checklist Size: 50


2013-14 The Cup Limited Logos Nathan MacKinnon

Notable Cards: Nathan Mackinnon (Rookie), Aleksander Barkov (Rookie), Seth Jones (Rookie), Sean Monahan (Rookie), Morgan Rielly (Rookie), Elias Lindholm (Rookie), Valeri Nichushkin (Rookie)

Print Run: 50 copies; certain players short printed Checklist Size: 84


2014-15 The Cup Limited Logos Sean Couturier

Notable Cards: Leon Draisaitl (Rookie), Evgeny Kuznetsov (Rookie), Sam Reinhart (Rookie), Johnny Gaudreau (Rookie)

Print Run: 50 copies; certain players short printed

Checklist Size: 72


2015-16 The Cup Limited Logos Connor McDavid

Notable Cards: Connor McDavid (Rookie), Jack Eichel (Rookie), Max Domi (Rookie), Noah Hanifin, Sam Bennett (Rookie)

Print Run: 50 copies; certain players short printed

Checklist Size: 47


2016-17 The Cup Limited Logos Auston Matthews

Notable Cards: Auston Matthews (Rookie), Mitch Marner (Rookie), Patrik Laine (Rookie), Zach Werenski (Rookie), Roman Josi (First LL), Nikita Kucherov (First LL), Mark Giordano (First LL)

Print Run: 50 copies; certain players short printed

Checklist Size: 50


2017-18 The Cup Limited Logos Ed Belfour

Notable Cards: Brock Boeser (Rookie), Charlie McAvoy (Rookie), Clayton Keller (Rookie), Mathew Barzal (Rookie), Nico Hischier (rookie), Sebastian Aho (First LL), Duncan Keith (First LL), Mikko Rantanen (First LL)

Print Run: 50 copies; certain players short printed

Checklist Size: 44


2018-19 The Cup Limited Logos Elias Petterson

Notable Cards: Andrei Svechnikov (Rookie), Brady Tkachuk (Rookie), Casey Mittelstadt (Rookie), Elias Pettersson (Rookie), Miro Heiskanen (Rookie), Rasmus Dahlin (Rookie), Brayden Point (First LL), Connor Hellebuyck (First LL), Jake Guentzel (First LL), Matthew Tkachuk (First LL)

Print Run: 50 copies; certain players short printed

Checklist Size: 40


2019-20 The Cup Limited Logos Cale Makar

Notable Cards: Cale Makar (Rookie), Jack Hughes (Rookie), Kirby Dach (Rookie), Nikita Gusev (Rookie),

Print Run: 50 copies; certain players short printed

Checklist Size: 50


2020-21 The Cup Brayden Schenn Limited Logos

Notable Cards: Alexis Lafreniere (Rookie), Ilya Sorokin (Rookie), Kirill Kaprizov (Rookie), Tim Stutzle (Rookie)

Print Run: 50 copies; certain players short printed

Checklist Size: 41


2021-22 The Cup Limited Logos Olaf Kolzig

Notable Cards: Cole Caufield (Rookie), Lucas Raymond (Rookie), Moritz Seider (Rookie), Quinton Byfield (Rookie), Trevor Zegras (Rookie), David Pastrnak (First LL), Mike Vernon (First LL)

Print Run: 50 copies; certain players short printed

Checklist Size: 34


2022-23 The Cup Limited Logos Cole Caufield

Notable Cards: Juraj Slafkovsky (Rookie), Matty Beniers (Rookie), Owen Power (Rookie), Shane Wright (Rookie), Juuse Saros (First LL), Nick Suzuki (First LL), Quinn Hughes (First LL), Tage Thompson (First LL), William Nylander (First LL)

Print Run: 50 copies; certain players short printed

Checklist Size: 27


Ā 

FAQ's:

Q: I know football had Exquisite, but did those products feature Limited Logos?

A: Exquisite Football ran from 2005-06 to 2009-10 but never had a Limited Logos.


Q:Ā How does the price of a player's first Limited Logos typically compare to their base rookie patch auto from Exquisite or The Cup?

A:Ā Since Limited Logos are part of an insert set within Exquisite and The Cup, they're considered rookie-year cards, but not true rookie cards. To qualify as a true rookie card, the card must be a part of a set's base checklist. Exquisite and The Cup rookie patch autographs (RPAs) are true rookie cards and usually command a premium. It's common to see Exquisite and The Cup RPA's sell for 2-5 times the price of a player's Limited Logos card.


Q: What is the most valuable Limited Logos card ever sold? A: The highest recorded sale for a Limited Logos card is Michael Jordan's 2003-04 Exquisite Limited Logos which sold at the July 2021 Fanatics Premier auction for $780,000.


Q: How do I find out more about a specific Limited Logos card?

A: You can use the Limited Logos Deep DiveĀ to search for detailed information on any Limited LogosĀ card, including print runs, release year, and notable player appearances. Beckett and TCDB (Trading Card Database) are also excellent resources.

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