Alabama Fan Gift Guide: Collectible Trading Cards for the Crimson Tide

Do you like collecting sports cards? What about autographs? If you are an Alabama Crimson Tide football fan, or need to purchase a gift for one, then Upper Deck has what could be a great gift idea—an Alabama Crimson Tide trading card set.

The set features 100 cards including legendary Alabama names like Paul W. “Bear” Bryant, Joe Namath, Kenny Stabler, Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson.

Upper Deck provided a couple of boxes for review, and there were two things we learned.

First, it is a fun, addicting gift. The boxes we were provided included 24 packages of cards with each pack containing eight cards. Once we started opening the packs, we couldn’t stop. We had to see what was in the next. Would we get an autograph? What legend would be in the next package?

Each package was a treat. Whether it was a contemporary player or a legend like Ray Perkins or Kermit Kendrick or Ozzie Newsome or John Hannah or Johnny Mack Brown, each name resulted in talking about or sharing an Alabama football memory. The cards not only feature players, but great moments. One card in a package we opened included the Goal Line Stand from the Sugar Bowl between Alabama and Penn State. Another moment featured on these Tide Through The Years cards was Bear Bryant’s last game as coach of Alabama. The card features an image of Bryant at the Liberty Bowl being carried off the field the night of December 29, 1982.

Second, these are high quality collectible cards. The photographs are good and the paper stock is substantial. These are a higher grade collectible card than previous Alabama football cards—though I cannot be sure, the only other cards of this nature that I remember ever seeing came in the late 1980s or early 1990s with a team of the century theme; however, these Upper Deck cards are much higher quality if you remember that set.

As for the autographed cards, over 80 former Alabama football players signed their autograph to cards in the set. In the hobby boxes, you get on average one autograph per box.

The cards are available at retail outlets in and around Alabama. Two lists follow below with hobby shops and retail locations. The cards are sold in hobby boxes and blaster boxes. The hobby boxes are larger and contain 24 packages containing eight cards. The blaster boxes are slightly smaller containing 80 cards and a national championship pennant. These are available at select Wal-Mart locations in Alabama. The list of Wal-Mart locations is included below. The championship pennants memorialize Alabama national titles from the years: 1925, 1926, 1930, 1934, 1941, 1961, 1964, 1965, 1973, 1978, 1979, 1992, 2009 and 2011.

In summary, I haven’t purchased a trading card since the late 1980s or early 1990s. However, these cards with the Alabama theme and autographs have me enthusiastically looking for more. One of the great features is how the cards when shared with family of friends, spur conversations and memories. Some of these are great memories of victories on the field, and some are sad memories of lives cut short like Derrick Thomas. These are Alabama memories. Upper Deck has done a great job preserving these for fans of the Alabama Crimson Tide.

You can visit Upper Deck for more information on the set.

You can find blaster boxes at these Wal-Mart locations:

Walmart Huntsville	2900 South Memorial Parkway	(256)536-2870
Walmart Huntsville	2200 Sparkman Drive	(256)852-2236
Walmart Dothan	3300 South Oates Street	(334)702-1310
Walmart Dothan	4310 Montgomery Highway	(334)793-3099
Walmart Athens	1911 Epps Bridge Parkway	(706)549-1423
Walmart Scottsboro	24833 Lee Highway	(256)574-1126
Walmart Ozark	1537U.S.231	(334)774-5508
Walmart Fairfield	2701 North Texas Street	(707)428-4792
Walmart Mobile	5245 Rangeline Service	(251)666-7972
Walmart Mobile	685 Schillinger Road South	(251)633-2211
Walmart Mobile	2500 County Road33	(251)633-6023
Walmart Mobile	101 East I65 Service Road South	(251)471-1105

You can find hobby boxes at these locations:

A Tiny Kingdom	Birmingham, AL 35223	(205) 802-8469
Gadsden Sports Cards	Gadsden, AL 35901	(256) 546-7335
Hobbie & Collectibles	Gadsden, AL 35901	(256) 543-2255
Baseball Card Shop	Homewood, AL 35209	(205) 823-1118
Champs Sportscards	Huntsville, AL 35801	(256) 539-8985
Quality Collectibles	Jasper, AL 35501	(205) 384-5005
Gulf Coast Cards & Memorabilia	Mobile, AL 36606	(251) 470-9989
Comics & Cards Trading Post	Montgomery, AL 36116	(334) 272-1787
Big Hit Sportscards	Spanish Fort, AL 36527	(251) 626-5050
Bob’s Cards & Collectibles	Tuscaloosa, AL 35404	(205) 556-5577
CJ Sports Cards	Vestavia Hills, AL 35216	(205) 822-0408
All Star Collectibles	Arab, AL 35016	(256) 586-4704
Wonder Water	Clearwater, FL 33761	(727) 799-4855
Dave’s Comics	Fayetteville, GA 30214	(770) 716-9171
JT Sports	Marietta, GA 30062	(770) 977-0001
Lexington Sports Cards	Lexington, KY 40517	(859) 271-0207
Collectibles & More	Middlesboro, KY 40965	(606) 302-5948
G’s Comics	Murray, KY 42071	(270) 759-4896
Chuck’s Sportscards – Albany	Albany, LA 70711	(225) 567-9200
Ray’s Sportscards and Comics	Scott, LA 70583	(337) 236-6644
Gulf Coast Cards	Biloxi, MS 39531	(228) 388-5178
Tupelo Sportscards	Tupelo, MS 38801	(662) 620-0980
Browns Ford Sports & Cards	Wilkesboro, NC 28697	(336) 973-8877
Tenth Inning Sports	Boiling Springs, SC 29316	(864) 578-6730
TNC Sports	Barlett, TN 38134	(901) 372-1408
B & M Amusement	Chattanooga, TN 37416	(423) 490-1162
Marty’s Sports Card Exchange	Chattanooga, TN 37421	(423) 648-7037
Hot Cards Plus	Crossville, TN 38555	(931) 787-1190
Sports Treasures LLC	Knoxville, TN 37918	(865) 688-2273
Webb’s Cards & Collectibles	Knoxville, TN 37919	(865) 584-9311
The Collectable Company	Morristown, TN 37813	(423) 581-1800
Cards R Fun	Nashville, TN 37211	(615) 832-3216
The Dugout	Pigeon Forge, TN 37863	(865) 429-3373
All Star Sportscards	Chattanooga, TN 37416	(423) 894-3087
Bob’s Collectors Den	Cookeville, TN 38501	(931) 526-2311