By the time Upper Deck released The Cup hockey in 2005, the Exquisite Collection had developed a strong following among basketball and football collectors. Because Upper Deck heavily targeted Canadian collectors with its hockey products, the company decided not to use the Exquisite branding for the hockey version because the $500 per box price expectations in America would have resulted in a 15-20% markup in Canada due to conversion rates of the time. When workshopping ideas, one brand name continued to stick out.
“The [Stanley] Cup is the grail,” said Karvin Cheung, one of Upper Deck’s leading product developers of the era. “So, we said, ‘That’s the name we’ve got to use.’”
The Cup debuted in conjunction with a double rookie class necessitated by the 2004-05 lockout that canceled the entire NHL season. Not only did Sidney Crosby’s arrival rejuvenate the Pittsburgh franchise, but he also helped push the debut of The Cup, as his rookie patch autograph and RPA parallels from the brand remain some of his most coveted rookie offerings in the modern hockey industry. The Gold Rainbow RPA parallels, such as this offering, are limited to a player’s jersey number, making Crosby’s card an /87 issue.
The 10-grade on-card signature is joined by a multi-colored patch worn by Crosby in a game, making it a piece of rookie history from one of the greatest to ever play the game.
This dual-grade EX-MT PSA 6 with a 10 signature is a pop 3 with none ranking higher.
The certification number on this card has been checked against the third-party grader's online database and is active as of 12/03/2025.
