Machine Description

Upper Deck pinball, released in 1990 by Premier Technology (formerly Gottlieb), represented one of the first pinball machines to capitalize on the booming sports trading card market of the late 1980s and early 1990s. The machine was developed through a licensing agreement with the Upper Deck Company, which had revolutionized the baseball card industry with their high-quality card productions starting in 1989.

The machine's playfield design incorporated numerous baseball themes, including rotating card collectors, baseball diamond-shaped targets, and special modes based on collecting and trading cards. The backglass featured prominent Upper Deck branding and baseball imagery, connecting directly with the sports collectibles zeitgeist of the era. The solid-state electronics allowed for various baseball-themed sound effects and simple digital scoring displays.

This pinball machine arrived at a pivotal time when both the pinball industry and sports card collecting were experiencing significant changes. Upper Deck's design attempted to bridge these two worlds, offering pinball enthusiasts and sports card collectors a unique crossover experience. While not among Premier's highest-selling machines, it holds historical significance as one of the few pinball machines to directly tie into the sports card collecting hobby.

Production numbers were relatively modest, making Upper Deck a somewhat rare find today. The machine is particularly valued by collectors who appreciate its unique position at the intersection of two distinct hobby markets - pinball and sports card collecting. Its release during the solid-state era, just before the advent of dot-matrix displays, makes it one of the last games to feature traditional numeric displays.