Yes, I know it’s not the newest kid on the block, since it’s out since last july, but yesterday was my birthday and I found a good price for a box on dacardworld.com, so I jumped in for the thrill of busting 24 packs of one of the most succesful products of Topps, with all its highs and flaws.
The Highs
Allen & Ginter has one of the neatest design around, a classy, clean throwback design that frames sketches of baseball players, sport champions and political personalities, too. The mini relics are also beautiful, and with the exception of the usual suspects like Mantle and Ruth, quite cheap and easy to find on the secondary market, making them a highly collectible item every year.
Then there are the autographs:
The autographs’ lineup of Allen & Ginter is the most impressive of any Topps release, with great champions from other sports alongside baseball players and personalities from politics.
And often, autos of sport champions are the most sought after, with boxing great Pacquiao leading this year with prices around 1,000$.
The flaws
With Allen & Ginter, it’s always a “love it or leave it” thing, mostly because of the weird insert oddities that are, actually, a trademark of the product.
In 2011, for instance, oddities included cards depicting freaks and attractions of a carnival sideshow, spooky creatures and other paranormal things, famed battleships and “Minds that Made the Future” (geniuses as Leonardo da Vinci and Newton) and “The Ascent of Man”, with cards on the evolution of man.
What I’ll get
I am sure I won’t get one of those expensive autographs (even though I hope I can find John McEnroe), but I hope at least one hit is something better than your average “second string player used bat”.
The oversized N43 box topper can be the real hit of the box, it is perfect to be framed, once you don’t pull a brazilian roach, of course..
Stay tuned for the results of my box break..
