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HIS EPIC RETURN TO CHAMPIONSHIP GOLF HAS TIGER WOODS’ KEY CARDS ROARING ONCE AGAIN

Everyone loves a story of redemption. Tiger Woods certainly provided one of sport’s greatest by winning the 2019 Masters. He wasn’t alone. Along the way some of his key cards – some that had been tucked away and all but forgotten – were given new life.

Everyone loves redemption.

“I think the boost has more to do than just the Masters win for Tiger,” says Beckett Price Guide Analyst Justin Grunert, who oversees Golf pricing.“part of it is a nostalgia factor where collectors who were kids when he was in his prime chased his cards. This win might have taken them back to those times and the good memories of childhood. It definitely felt like that to me watching him win.”

Indeed, 18- and 19-year-olds when Woods

won his last major are now 30, and entering a different time in their lives. For one afternoon, however, they were taken back in time by the man who had once been at the top, fallen with a thud, and now had returned, even if for one tournament, at the age of 43.

Which leads us to the resurrection of his cards – both rare and anything but rare, such as his 2001 Upper Deck #1 RC, a card produced in such prolific quantities that PSA has graded more than 37,000 copies and BGS has graded more than 27,000.

“I look at that card like I look at the ’89 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. RC,” says Beckett Grading Service’s Andy Broome.“they’re plentiful, but they’re both iconic RCS.”

The Woods RC image is certainly iconic, taken on the first playoff hole (No. 16) during Tiger’s famous dual with Bob May in the

2000 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville. Tiger was following his 30-foot putt for birdie, pointing as the ball fell in the cup to a thunderous ovation. Woods won the three-hole playoff to capture the tournament – his third major that year, becoming the first man since Ben Hogan in 1953 to win three majors in the same calendar year.

“We wanted something that was indicative of his personality,” fomrer UD Golf Brand Manager Robb Gamboa told Beckett in 2001.“We had used the fist pumping shot on the promo card. What we were afraid of was if we used that same photo for the regular card there would be confusion. We wanted to avoid any confusion, especially with new collectors coming into the hobby.

“We opted for the shot of that defining moment,” Gamboa added. “It’s a shot we felt truly captured Tiger Woods.”

Market value of the 2001 UD #1 rose some during the final day of the Masters, then moved upward again shortly after the tournament when those wanting copies of the card hit the Internet. BGS 9.5 Gem Mint copies were moving anywhere from $40-$60, while in the days after Tiger’s win, BGS Pristine 10’s were bringing in the neighborhood of $175-$195.

Meanwhile, less than a week after the tournament factory-sealed Hobby boxes of 2001 Upper Deck Golf could still be had for $25 or less. Low-risk gamble, considering so many Woods RCS have popped out of boxes in Gem Mint or better condition. Not every box holds a Tiger RC, but many do.

The beauty of the UD #1 card is not value – it never will be, there are just far too many of them – it’s the place in collecting history it holds. And no amount of copies can change that. This was the key non-autographed card upon the release of that 2001 UD Golf set. And that was the set that ushered in golf as a major player, thanks to Tiger Woods. Yes, Donruss had Jack Nicklaus cards in its 1981 and 1982 golf sets, but do you remember a seismic

shi in the world of collecting upon the release of those two sets? No, because there wasn’t one. But there certainly was with the arrival of UD Golf.

And leading the way was the iconic #1 RC. It’s a plus that many copies come out clean. “Overall, the Tiger Woods RC is normally a clean card when pulled from packs,” says Bgs’broome.“e most common flaws are centering and corners. Corner chipping and other corner flaws seem to happen as a result of careless pack opening. e Woods card is also prone to alterations. We’ve seen a large number of this card since it was issued and the most common alteration we have seen is trimming. Fortunately because of the nature of the stock, detection of trimming is not difficult. Your best defense [for raw copies] is to learn what a natural card’s edge should look like.”

Other cards enjoying a post-masters renaissance are 2001 SP Authentic RC AU/999 and the 1996 Sports Illustrated For Kids release, which has been a steady climber. e SPA is recognized by most as the legendary golfer’s key RC. With a bold autograph and just 999 copies available (with 100 autographed gold parallels, too), it certainly ranks as his most difficult RC to pull from a pack, and one already out of the budget of many.

Some compare Tiger’s 2001 SPA RC AU/999 to Tom Brady’s 2000 Playoff Contenders #144 AU RC, but that’s not an apples to apples comparison. For one thing, the regular Brady card does not feature serial #’ing (although like Woods’ SPA card, Brady does have an autographed parallel of his 2000 Playoff Contenders #144 that is #’d/100). Both cards will go down in history as two of the most important sports trading cards ever released. at’s not hyperbole. ink about the accomplishments of both Woods and Brady, and then consider that demand far outweighs supply.