Onto another set with a minor Granderson presence: 2008 UD Ultimate Collection. Now, the checklist for this set looks quite impressive, despite the fact that Granderson only makes an appearance twice. The first is on a Dual Auto Card with Al Kaline (#/35). I started salivating with images like this in my head:
A finely crafted, aesthetically stunning masterpiece of a card. What we get instead is this (this image is heisted from the photobucket of blog reader, avid Granderson collector and frequent bidding adversary findizzle04: 
While I'm not one to bash a Granderson/Kaline on-card dual auto, the Ultimate Collection offering is exceptionally plain. What's with all the dead space? Why the small picture? Maybe this card looks better in person but I was underwhelmed to say the least. Now, that doesn't mean that I wouldn't like to get my hands on one, but there is a reason that this card tends to sell below $40, while the Heritage counterpart frequently exceeds $150. Design Matters.The other Granderson in the set is a very rare (#/5) sextuple auto (yeah, that's right) of Granderson, Kaline, Jack Morris, Jim Bunning, Kirk Gibson and Dontrelle Willis (Seriously?). I'm not sure about the design of this card, or where they're planning to put 6 autographs (3 front, 3 back?), or if they cram them all in with teeny-tiny little pictures. I'd like to know, but one hasn't surfaced yet. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
That's it, Granderson wise. Ultimate Collection is a set that looks much better on paper than it does on cardboard, but what can you do. These cards would be welcome in any collection, but certainly won't take priority over some of the nicer offerings of 2008.
