But the past few years, I've grown less and less interested. There's truth to the saying... "there is too much of a good thing". I love spaghetti and filet mignon... but I don't want to eat it everyday.
If it were up to me, I'd put Allen and Ginter on a cycle and release it once every three to five years... along with products like Topps Gallery, Tek, Fire, Gold Label, and Gypsy Queen. The same could be applied to their higher priced line of products like Tier One, Museum Collection, Triple Threads, Five Star, Inception, and Tribute. That way Topps would have extra time to develop these products and not produce cards that seem rushed and stale, while collectors could grow to miss and crave them.
I know it's not going to happen. Topps is in the business to make money and in order to do that, they need to push out products faster than rabbits.
Plus there are enough collectors who crave Allen and Ginter. However... I wanted to share my personal thoughts on the hobby topic and the popular product line.
Just in case my opinion annoys fans of this product, I'll extend an olive branch and share some of my favorite minis that I've recently added to my collection.
The first four minis have one thing in common...
2016 Allen and Ginter U.S. Mayors #USM-3
2011 Allen and Ginter Uninvited Guests #UG8
They all relate to the Bay Area. I've never personally met Mayor Liccardo, but I have visited Alcatraz, the Winchester Mystery House, and ridden a cable car before.
Next up are a pair of sumo cards:
2018 Allen and Ginter Exotic Sports #MES-6
2017 Allen and Ginter World's Dudes #WD-9
Both of these were added to my Japanese collection along with these two non-sport minis:
2010 Allen and Ginter National Animals #NA30
2013 Allen and Ginter Heavy Hangs the Head #HHH-EM
And rounding out the acquisitions are two human rights advocates who have stood up for equality...
2009 Allen and Ginter National Heroes #NH10
2016 Allen and Ginter Laureates of Peace #LP-6
All of these were part of two Sportlots purchases and most were only 18¢, although the Malala Yuosafzai did set me back a full 98¢.
A huge shout out goes to Chris over Nachos Grande, because his contest opened my eyes to several of these insert sets and motivated me to track them down.
Speaking of contests... The Bucs Stop Here is hosting a contest over on his blog. It's pretty simple to enter. All you need to do is write down your 2020 MLB season predictions and/or promote his contest on your blog. Interested? Click here. Actually here.
And rounding out this post are some cards I won in a contest over at Chavez Ravining:
First up are some more Allen and Ginter. Only this time around, they're standard sized relics. Have to admit, I'm not familiar with any of these people.
But thanks to the internet, I learned that Tom Anderson was a co-founder of MySpace, Steve Simeone is a comedian who was once crowned Philadelphia's Funniest Person, and Daneille Colby is a reality television personality who has a lot of tattoos.
Alex, who runs Chavez Ravining also sent me some cards for my PC's:
2017 Allen and Ginter Relics #FSRA-TAN
2018 Allen and Ginter Relics #FSRA-SSI
2019 Allen and Ginter Relics #FSRA-DC
First up are some more Allen and Ginter. Only this time around, they're standard sized relics. Have to admit, I'm not familiar with any of these people.
But thanks to the internet, I learned that Tom Anderson was a co-founder of MySpace, Steve Simeone is a comedian who was once crowned Philadelphia's Funniest Person, and Daneille Colby is a reality television personality who has a lot of tattoos.
Alex, who runs Chavez Ravining also sent me some cards for my PC's:
This prize package was actually delivered a while back, but on Thursday he sent me another package containing a bunch of Clayton Kershaw cards:
Plus a huge stack of 2017 Stadium Club cards for my set build:
The fifty-plus cards pushed me past the 70% completion mark. After updating my wantlist, I'm down to needing only eighty-one cards for the set.
Two weeks ago, I didn't remember this set build and was 160 cards away from completion. However thanks to Alex and Bob, my wantlist has been cut in half. Eighty-one cards is still a challenge. And I'm not quite ready to go out and spend 18¢ for each single over on Sportlots, but I've added a search for 2017 Stadium Club lots on eBay. We'll see how that works out for me.
Thanks Chris for refreshing my memory on some really cool minis that slipped my mind over the years. And thank you Alex for the generous prize package and for putting a huge dent in my forgotten set build.
Okay peeps... it's your turn.
How big of an Allen and Ginter fan/collector are you?
Leave your thoughts in the comment section below... and then head over to The Bucs Stop Here for your chance at winning a 2020 Bowman and/or 2020 Topps Series 2 pack(s).
Happy Saturday and sayonara!
Actually now that I know he's made it to The Show, I'll quietly be rooting for him whenever he's not facing the A's or Padres. Only on the next time around, it'll be a positive highlight and Jomboy will get his name right.
And yes... I did notice the lack of social distancing at home plate. Tsk. Tsk.
Extra Innings
Nothing like waking up to find out your favorite baseball team won on a walk-off grand slam on Opening Day.
When I fell asleep, the A's had taken their first lead of the game in the bottom of the 8th. I completely missed Jason Castro's 9th inning home run that tied things up... and of course Matt Olson's home run.
Nice way to kick off the season for A's fans. Here are a few Olson autographs to celebrate the special occasion:
As for the Angels pitcher, I feel bad that his first pitch of the season resulted in this. And to make things worse, Jomboy screwed up his name. It's actually Hoby Milner, not Hoby Miller. How do I know? Well... I recognized his name, because I pulled his autograph back in 2012 out of one of those Team USA sets.
2019 Topps Gypsy Queen Indigo Autograph #GQA-MO
2018 Topps Inception Rookie and Emerging Stars Auto #RES-MO
2015 Bowman's Best of 2015 Autographs #B15-MO
As for the Angels pitcher, I feel bad that his first pitch of the season resulted in this. And to make things worse, Jomboy screwed up his name. It's actually Hoby Milner, not Hoby Miller. How do I know? Well... I recognized his name, because I pulled his autograph back in 2012 out of one of those Team USA sets.
2011 Topps Team USA Autograph #USA-A14
Actually now that I know he's made it to The Show, I'll quietly be rooting for him whenever he's not facing the A's or Padres. Only on the next time around, it'll be a positive highlight and Jomboy will get his name right.
Not a fan of A & G, just give me my Braves. I can pull PC guys out of dime boxes in the future.
ReplyDeleteI think some of A & G's non-sport cards are cool. Others are worthless to me. For baseball, it's just another set.
ReplyDeleteA&G is my least favorite set every year. I’d love if sets were on a rotational basis like you suggest.
ReplyDeleteI like A&G, it's probably the one current Topps release that I enjoy chasing. Have 4 of the sets complete ('11, '15, '16 and '18) and nearly done with '17. Don't chase the inserts all that much, although I did enjoy the Baseball Equipment of the Ages from a year or 2 back.
ReplyDeleteI scan the A&G checklist each year for anyone interesting (like Jeopardy! champion Austin Rogers), but the set as a whole doesn't interest me. Yes, I'm the one guy.
ReplyDeleteFYI, Hoby Milner had pitched for the Phils and Rays over the past couple of seasons.
I will cherry pick an oddball card from A&G
ReplyDeletefrom time to time like the 2014 Kevin Smith.
Not A Fan Of Allen & Ginter. I have some, mind you, but begrudgingly so.
ReplyDeleteI love Allen and Ginter but you knew that already!
ReplyDeleteI'm not big on A&G...the non-sports stuff, for the most part, doesn't appeal to me, nor does having the same back format every year with the stats all written out. I'll certainly pick up singles of guys I collect, but I rarely open packs of it.
ReplyDeletePlus, I was looking forward to Paul Lukas of Uni Watch in this year's set. He writes about uniforms and other aesthetic aspects of sports, and I think he's terrific. He was supposed to be in the set, with relics and autographs, and he even took my suggestion of having a 1/1 purple auto (Lukas HATES the color purple in designs). But MLB refused to have him in the set because he's been critical of them.
I'm a fan of the UW blog as well. MLB is being petty (big surprise, yes?)
DeleteAllen and Ginter is played out in my opinion. The designs aren’t distinct enough for me to distinguish the sets, I’ve never been a fan of minis, and I’m more about getting guys I collect, teams I collect, and highlight cards, not some card of a sheep shearer in England, some professional bowler, or a comedian I’ve never heard of. The rotation idea is a great one. You could have 5 sets like A/G, Gold Label, Turkey Red, Topps Lazer, and Topps 206 and then do like you suggested. Great way to bring back some of the popular ‘90’s and ‘00’s Topps companion sets and not have to do them every year. Would work for Bowman’s Best, Archives, Topps Fire, and the higher end stuff too, as well as perhaps making a new product and making it one of the 5 sets.
ReplyDeleteHoly crap, how many topics did you address in this post?
ReplyDeleteAlways been a fan of A&G, but less so in recent years because it strayed away from what made it so good from 2006-10, the historical figures, noted celebrities and quirky cards. I'd never suggest it go into rotation, there are so many more crappier sets Topps issues that should be rotated before A&G, but I do get why people think it's getting stale. I'd like to remind those people that A&G started from a high bar and it's still a lot better than pointless and sometimes infuriating sets like Gold Label and Gypsy Queen.
I don't understand people who dislike A&G, I feel like I'd have nothing to discuss with them at a party.
First of all, that chrome Turkey Red Henderson Is exceptional! As for Allen and Ginter? I don't really collect newer stuff anymore but I can remember when they relaunched In 2006. I loved the look of them and really wanted that Mike Tyson card :( But much like Turkey Red ,that same design rehashed over time gets boring.
ReplyDeleteNot a fan unfortunately, but I do like the Japanese showing you have in this post. Looking forward to Ohtani pitching tomorrow. We’ll be frienamies tomorrow..
ReplyDeleteI still like A&G, but not as much as I once did. The non-sport cards have really fallen off in recent years (Dudes excepted). Bring back the Revolving Doors!
ReplyDeleteI've never paid much attention to A&G. I guess I'm just too much of a baseball guy.
ReplyDeleteI will say, like you, Nachos Grande did turn me on to a few of the mini sets though.
I participated in Gint-A-Cuffs for a year or two, buying and blogging a box. But it dawned on me that I didn't have any desire to look at the cards again, and it was money down the drain, so I stopped paying attention to it.
ReplyDeleteHuge fan of A&G; it's probably my favorite set to buy every year. I agree that it has felt a bit stale in recent years, but chasing some of the mini sets has been pretty enjoyable. I don't buy too many hobby boxes, but I typically try to purchase a couple A&G boxes.
ReplyDeleteI'm not much of a fan of A&G. One thing I don't like is the lack of actual statistics on the back.
ReplyDeleteI do like seeing what insert sets will be featured each year, but I haven't bought a box or many packs since 2013.
ReplyDeleteI love Allen & Ginter cards. Rotating so that it skips every few years sounds like a good idea to keep it fresh, especially the non-sport cards. I also think it would be better if Topps didn't crowd the market with other throwback products like T-206, they sort of feel repetitive.
ReplyDeleteLove the McKenzie Gore card. I started a small collection of him a few years back, didn't write much about it, really only a dozen or so cards. One of McKenzie Gore's cousins was a student at my school two years ago. Walked around wearing Padres shirts and jerseys all the time, the best being a mid 1980s solid brown Tony Gwynn polyester pull over. Not sure the other students and staff at the school fully appreciated his wardrobe, but I would stop and talk with him all the time.
I enjoy A&G but I could get behind the rotation idea. Good post and cards.
ReplyDeleteReally the only thing that appeals to me much from A&G are the minis actually. I also like your idea of a set rotation!
ReplyDeleteWow, I didn't realize A&G was this polarizing.
ReplyDeleteI love it, and more so in the last six years or so. I like the designs (at least in the even numbered years and 2019) even better than the old ones.
The inserts are the best part. As I've stated many times, the creativity is far beyond what they put into flagship - even for the baseball themed ones.
Not so into the minis, but they make convenient trade bait. I'm waiting to see if I'm going to hate the Chrome parallels as much as I expect. (Chrome does not belong in a retro set.)
I will probably start building A&G annually instead of flagship after this year, unless I don't like the base design. (Though that hasn't stopped me from doing flagship before.)
Bonus points for much superior card stock. I don't care about stats, so seeing them written out is just a neat quirk of the set.
Love the weird shit in Ginter. Hate it as a baseball set. Though if Topps gets Nakken into Ginter this year it'll be worth it.
ReplyDeleteAlso good luck with 2017SC. I'm down to needing 7, none of which I've been able to find at the price I want to pay.
johnnys trading spot - that's kind of my philosophy too
ReplyDeleteelliptical man - i did pick up some 18¢ minis of gwynn and ichiro... but my focus was mainly on these non-baseball items. in regards to baseball, i mainly enjoy the framed autographs and relics.
the lost collector - maybe topps will read this post and think about it.
robert - yeah, it's definitely a popular product line. 8 years ago, i was into it a lot. these days, not so much
shlabotnik report - looks like you have company. thanks for the info on milner. hope he has a solid career
sg488 - i've wanted the kevin smith framed autograph for years
peter k steinberg - you're not alone. kind of surprised at the number of collectors who aren't into this product line
nachos grande - lol. yup. you're the first blogger i think of
bret alan - wow. mlb blocked him? that's petty.
commishbob - lol. i promise i didn't just copy your comment
jeremya1um - okay... i've got at least two people who support my rotation idea. let's keep this ball rolling. and you're not into sheep shearers in england? lol.
night owl - sorry. it's my add. i've never been good with staying on task. i think it's why my mom had me play baseball at such a young age. your argument about starting high is legit... and i agree that there are other products that should be rotated before a&g, but i still think it needs to be rotated. luckily for you, it won't happen so you can continue to have your a&g party discussions
big tone - yeah... to much of even the coolest things can get stale
sumomenkoman - sorry about the ohtani outing. hope he bounces back and has a great season... as long as he takes the day off against the a's and padres
nick - 8 years ago, i really liked it. it's just getting old because of the similar designs (which i understand is the point). these days the focus is which singles i want from the insert sets
p-town tom - yeah... his contest started me down a path, which eventually led to this post
commishbob - i always wanted to do gint-a-cuffs, but never did. maybe if they started it up again, i'd get back in ginter
alex markle - good luck with this year's product. hope you pull some really cool stuff. i'll usually target a framed auto or relic depending on who makes the checklist
gtt - yeah... that seems to be an issue for at least one other person who commented. i like my stats too.
gcrl - since my rotation will never happen, i will continue to find a&g cards i'm interested in adding to the collection.
the snorting bull - i've never once had a student wear any sort of padres gear. hopefully it happens one day before i retire. being related to one of the players would be a huge bonus.
bulldog - thanks. it won't happen, but i think it'd make some collectors who are getting tired of the product more interested in it.
shoeboxlegends - out of all of the a&g cards i picked up on sportlots, only one card wasn't a mini (golden gate bridge base card).
gca - had no idea they made a&g chrome. that's just weird. but i love the diversity among the collectors who commented on this topic. definitely heard both sides on this topic
nick vossbrink - she's the perfect candidate for ginter. even though i'm not a fan of the giants, i would totally buy her card. actually... i hope they have her autograph in this year's set.
I love Allen And Ginter! One of topps best. The pop culture and baseball together is so good
ReplyDelete