In September, the fan-favorite Marvel Masterpieces trading cards from Upper Deck return to stores, with original art by David Palumbo.

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Carlsbad, CA (July 16, 2020) – Upper Deck announces the return of its iconic Marvel Masterpieces trading card set, featuring 135 all-new pieces of original art painted by critically acclaimed illustrator David Palumbo. The super-premium release took nearly two years to complete and covers a comprehensive list of Marvel's most famous heroes and villains.

Marvel fans have a lot to look forward to in this new collection, starting with a serial numbered base set with parallels that extend to 4 tiers of rarity. Insert sets include highly coveted Mirage lenticular cards, Holofoil cards and textured Canvas cards that give the true feeling of miniature paintings. Battle Spectra metallic foil inserts, inspired by earlier releases of Marvel Masterpieces, also return in the 2020 product. Collectors can find numbered “What if…” variants, Preliminary Art Variants and hard-signed autograph cards, as well as never-before-seen Metallurgy metal cards that will debut in 2020 Marvel Masterpieces.

Upper Deck is pulling out all the stops for this release with original art paintings and original preliminary art from Palumbo’s 2020 Marvel Masterpieces collection, distributed via randomly inserted redemption cards throughout the set. Marvel comic fans and collectors will want to be on the lookout for new all-original 1-of-1 comic book sketch covers illustrated by Palumbo, as well as the return of Upper Deck’s ever-popular sketch cards that fall one (1) per box, on average.

Interestingly enough, Palumbo’s mother, Julie Bell and stepfather, Boris Vallejo, are famed fantasy artists that created artwork for 1996 Marvel Masterpieces set. In contrast, Palumbo is known for his dark, atmospheric style that has earned him numerous honors including three Spectrum medals and a Chelsey award.

"As a life-long Marvel fan, I was stunned when Upper Deck asked me to work on Masterpieces, yet I also had this feeling like I had been training my whole actual life for this. It lit up my childhood memories and brought me back to that very early, very pure excitement,” said David Palumbo. “This has easily been one of the most rewarding projects I've ever been a part of, and I hope that my joy for these characters comes through in the final result."

2020 Marvel Masterpieces releases this September in hobby shops across North America, and will also be available on www.UpperDeckEpack.com later this year. Upper Deck e-Pack® is a dynamic platform that allows fans to easily buy, open, collect and trade Marvel cards safely and securely with collectors around the world. Find out more about e-Pack™ and sign up for product announcements by visiting www.UpperDeckEpack.com.

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