2013 Upper Deck All-Time Greats Basketball Box Break

I went to my LCS last week, hoping for a box of Dominion, but unfortunately, they were sold out. So, instead of being a responsible card buyer, and saving my money for the next time they were in stock, I decided to take a gamble on something I was unfamiliar with: 2012-13 Upper Deck All-Time Greats Basketball.

Now, before I took this box home, I knew absolutely nothing bout it, but here's what it is. Each box contains four cards. Three are serial-numbered base cards, one is an autographed card, and in most cases, all four will be of the same player. This carries a very high price tag for a one-hit product, but that is due to the high-profile names they have autographing cards. Some of the "All-Time Greats" signing for the set are Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Lebron James, Julius Erving, David Robinson, Hakeem Olajuwon, and others. The worst you could do would be guys like Allen Iverson or Ray Allen, who aren't bad at all.

Here's the video of my break, with scans to follow:

I like what they did with the tin, having one of the cards peeking through a window. I will say, having a limited basketball knowledge, I had no idea who it was until I opened it up and saw the name.

Paul Pierce Base Card 64/150
Pierce has five base cards in the set, each of which has a different point in their pre-NBA career highlighted. This one in particular talked about the stellar start to his college career, finishing second on the Kansas Jayhawks his first two seasons, before leading the team his junior year. Raef LaFrentz topped him his first two years.

Paul Pierce Silver Spectrum Parallel 4/50
This card mentions Pierce earning consensus All-American his junior year, after leading the Jayhawks to a 35-4 record and Big 12 tournament and regular season championships.

Paul Pierce Silver Spectrum Parallel 35/50
The back of this card goes into Pierce's final Jayhawks statistics. After leaving the team when his junior year was done, Pierce ranked fifth all-time among the Jayhawks for career points. As of the time the card was printed, he ranked eight in that statistic and ninth in school history with 645 career field goals.

Paul Pierce Signatures 5/50
The player image on this card is printed in black and white, which works out pretty well, I think, when you are putting together a set focused on the past. The signature is done on-card with black ink to match along with the lack of color, and it is hand-numbered, which is cool. The only color you get id from the gold foil.

All-Time Greats is one of those products where your opinion of it is directly tied in with what you pull. Nothing against Pierce, but when you spend that much money on a box of cards, his isn't the autograph you were looking for. Of course, I would be feeling much different if I pulled a Jordan/Bird dual auto. I will say, though, that I am pretty sure that there are no redemptions at all in All-Time Greats, which is definitely a positive. If you are a basketball fan, this product might be worth a shot, but if you aren't, it might be best to find a much lower-risk product.