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2008 SP Rookie Edition, card #189 -- Marcus Monk, Chicago Bears, unnumbered. An on-card blue-ink rookie autograph on the revived 1994 SP Premier Prospects design.
Set details: 2008 SP Rookie Edition Football, card #189, Premier Prospects autograph. Unnumbered -- this card was issued without a serial number. Vertical format. Sport: Football. League: National Football League (NFL). Manufacturer: Upper Deck. Original licensed product, printed in the United States, copyright 2008 UDC, 985 Trade Drive, North Las Vegas, NV 89030. Production code EWTMG and resale certificate number 2880 printed on the back.
Memorabilia / certificate: The back reads \"Congratulations! You have received a trading card that includes the autograph of Marcus Monk. This autograph was signed in the presence of a company representative or sent from, and certified as to its authenticity by, Marcus Monk. Enjoy your autographed card!\" Quoted exactly as printed, and signed in facsimile by Richard P. McWilliam of The Upper Deck Company. This is a true on-card signature, not a sticker applied to the surface. There is no third-party grading and no separate certification number.
Appearance & swatch detail: Raw, not in a holder. This is the 2008 revival of Upper Deck\'s 1994 SP design and it is the reason collectors chase the set -- a holographic foilboard front with a gold-embossed UPPER DECK arc across the top and the gold SP Premier Prospects die at the lower right. The photograph shows Monk in the Bears\' navy #19 practice jersey against green turf, with the holographic pattern shifting blue, green and gold as the card is tilted. A vertical orange and navy panel down the left edge reads CHICAGO BEARS and his name is gold-embossed along the bottom. The autograph is signed in bold blue ink across a clear rectangular panel at the centre and is clean, unsmudged and well clear of the edges. The back is white and navy with two more photographs, the SP Upper Deck oval and the certificate text. Corners are sharp, the card is flat, and I find no creasing, bends or surface scratching.
Worth knowing: Checked against the card in hand: front and back both carry no serial number, which is correct for this card. The foilboard stock of this design shows handling easily and this one is clean -- worth saying, because most surviving copies of the 2008 SP Rookie Edition autographs have picked up surface marks.
Player career: Monk was a seventh-round pick of the Bears in 2008, 248th overall, out of Arkansas, where he was a genuinely productive SEC receiver: 138 catches for 2,151 yards and 27 touchdowns, and he still holds the Arkansas school record for career touchdown receptions. He led all SEC freshmen in receiving in 2004 and caught 11 touchdowns as a junior in 2006, a school record for a single season. He was also a two-sport athlete at Arkansas, playing for the basketball team as well. He spent 2008 and 2009 in NFL camps with Chicago, the Giants and Carolina.
Condition described honestly and as accurately as possible from close examination of the actual card. I am not a professional grader and make no claim about what this would receive on a professional grading scale. The scans accompanying this listing are of the actual card, front and back -- what you see is what you will receive.
Ships promptly in a penny sleeve and rigid toploader, packed between paperboard in a bubble mailer for protection. Tracking provided on every order. Please review all photos carefully and feel free to message with any questions before buying.
