Box Break: 2008-09 Fleer Ultra

This was the other sealed box I picked up at the card show two weekends ago. I found this after I had the Pinnacle box and it fit the bill for something a little newer while still being on the cheap side. I've never busted a box of this so let's see what was inside.

The Numbers:

Cost: $29

Packs: 36

Cards per Pack: 5

Total Cards: 180

Base Set Completion: 57%

Duplicates: 4

Base:
The base cards from this set were actually pretty sharp as most Ultra sets have been lately. There was an excellent selection of photography as well, with pretty much every card having a full body shot like this one featuring Dan Ellis of the Nashville Predators.

Gold Medallion Parallel:

The Gold Medallion versions of the base set, which fell one per pack, were pretty sharp themselves. I like the way they isolated the player in front of the gold background. This one featuring Henrik Lundqvist was one of my favorites.

Ultra Rookies:

The Ultra Rookies were basically base cards, with the only difference being the player's name was in a non-script font above the "Ultra Rookie" in script font. The were supposed to fall six per box and I came away with four of them, plus three Gold Medallion rookies. 

The base rookies included David Brine, Claude Giroux, Dan LaCosta and this Mattias Ritola. The Gold Medallion rookies included Jordan LaVallee, Jordan Hendry and Clay Wilson. 

Difference Makers:

Now onto the inserts. The Difference Makers were surprisingly decent looking for an insert set. I really like the background and how the team color is used. I ended up with seven of these including Brodeur, Lidstrom, Datsyuk, Sundin, Thornton, Miller and Ovechkin. 

Franchise Players:

The next insert set was the Franchise Players. These were not as good as the Difference Makers, but what can you expect from a lower-end product like Ultra. I came away with three of these including Sakic, Sundin and this Brodeur. 

Scoring Kings:

Another insert set similar to the others is the Scoring Kings set. These aren't the best and I wish there was a little more variety of inserts in these types of releases. I came away with six of these including Iginla, Alfredsson, Staal, Crosby, Sakic and this Modano. 

Rookie Redemption:

The rookie redemptions for this set were expected to fall one in every 72 packs, or two boxes. Well, I guess I beat the odds on that one as I managed to get one of them. I already redeemed it and I just have to wait and see what it turns out to be. 

Season Crowns:

This final insert set offers something a little different than the rest by highlighting personal achievements from the previous season, 2007-08. I came away with three of these including Osgood, Ellis and this Zetterberg. 

Ultra Uniformity:

The only memorabilia inserts in this set were the Ultra Uniformity, which were supposed to fall one per box. I ended up with two including Arron Asham and this Brendan Morrison. 

Overall I think this box was a good value for only $29. There were 36 packs and as far as I'm concerned the more the better. The base cards were sharp which is always important. The only shortfall would be a lack of variety in the inserts department.