The long running Artifacts brand continues into another season with 2023-24 Upper Deck Artifacts hockey!
Each hobby box contains 8 packs with 4 cards in each pack. At least 2 hits can be found on average. Artifacts can also be found in a retail blaster box configuration at a lower price point on eBay.
Hobby boxes are readily available on eBay at around $160 at the time of this post.
This product is not straightforward. The base set contains 250 cards, but it is not conducive to a traditional set build. Cards 1-100 are the most common standard base cards. Cards 101-170 contain a mix of Stars, Goalies, and Legends and are serial numbered to /599. The next 30 cards are rookies and are serial numbered to /999. Finally, there are 50 rookie redemptions.
To make things more confusing, each of these different subsets have different parallels available.
2023-24 Artifacts Peyton Krebs Autofacts Auto
When it comes to hits, there are a wide range of possibilities. There are hundreds of different autographs in this release covering multiple designs and parallel colors.
18 different relic and memorabilia sets and/or parallels are also found inside hobby and retail packs.
There is a ton of variety when it comes to the autos and relics in this product!
Inserts don’t play as big a role in Artifacts as they do in other Upper Deck products. There are acetate based Clear Cut Rookies and Clear Cut Retro Rookies. In addition, the Aurum set adds a bounty chase element to the mix.
To see the full checklist check out Beckett.com.
Box Break
I opened one hobby box, and this is what I found inside:
2023-24 Upper Deck Artifacts Evander Kane Relic
Base Cards: 24
Emerald Parallel: 1
Ruby Parallel: 1
Copper Parallel: 1
Royal Blue Parallel: 1
Aurum Insert: 1
Clear Cut Rookie: 1
Threads of Time Relic: 1
Auto: 1
You can see the full box break below!
Wrapping it Up
Let’s start with the positives. I love tradition, and the Artifacts brand delivers on that front. For collectors who like consistency, there are Artifacts cards going back years and years. I also like the wide variety of autos and relics possible if hits are your thing.
However, if a product is going to have base cards as a key component, then I prefer to have the base set be a reasonable goal to pursue. This isn’t the case with Artifacts. Different base tiers, some redemption only rookies, and different parallels by tier make it a frustrating product to figure out if you want to build a base or parallel set. I’m not a fan of this product for set builders.
Examples of the 2023-24 Upper Deck Artifacts Aurum insert, the Clear Cut Rookie insert, and a base card.