2011 Topps Allen & Ginter Baseball Product Review
Reviewed By Mike Smeth
Good: It's Allen & Ginter, Unparalleled autograph checklist of sports and pop culture icons, First rate base set.
Bad: Worst Allen & Ginter set design to date, Some very obscure subjects, Only 3 hits per box, Framed Relics are boring and play too big a role in the hit content of each box.
The Bottom Line: 2011 Allen & Ginter is a very good product that is worth buying at least a box or two of. With that said, a lackluster design and some questionable additions to the autograph checklist prevent it from being the great product that each of its predecessors have been.
Card Design: 2.5/5.0
I was flat out disappointed with Allen and Ginter's base set design this year. I love the look of the original Allen and Ginter sets, which up until now Topps did a fantastic job of staying true to. But the 2011 reinvention of the design is far too colorful and tacky looking, which is the antithesis of the sleek, simple, designs of old.
Checklist: 4.0/5.0
For the most part the checklist is strong throughout the base, autograph, and insert sets. This is extremely important because it's largely what distinguishes Allen & Ginter from the rest of the pack year in and year out. Obviously the core group of baseball superstars and stars are represented, but here is a quick run down of the key (and not so key) non-baseball additions to the set:
Noteworthy Subjects: Stan Lee, Hope Solo, Manny Pacquiao, Lou Holtz, John McEnroe, Annika Sorenstam, Jake LaMotta (Raging Bull), Dick Vitale, George W. Bush, Rudy Ruettiger, Chrissie Wellington, Aimee Mullins.
Don't Belong on a Card: Wee Man, Jo Frost, Royal Wedding, Ana Julaton, Cheryl Burke, WNBA players.
Value: 4.0/5.0
Overall, 2011 Allen & Ginter Baseball provides a lot of value. Most products depend too much on their hits for providing a good payoff. Allen & Ginter is kind of like the mutual fund of baseball cards in that it provides a more dependable return which is spread throughout its hits, inserts, base cards, and short prints. If you prefer more of a high risk / high return experience then Ginter may not be for you. For everyone else who is on the fence about whether to purchase this product, its an experience not to be missed.
The Fun Factor: 4.5/5.0
I pulled a deranged midget's autograph. Ok, there I said it. The way I see it, a deranged midget is weird, but a person that collects autographs of deranged midgets is another thing entirely. Count me out. My Wee Man autograph hit eBay as soon as it was pulled.
Other then the above pull I had a great time with the break and look forward to breaking more Ginter wax in the near future.
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2011 Topps Allen & Ginter marks the wildly popular brand's sixth season under Topps. The latest incarnation of the cardboard version of the World's Fair features a revamped card design and autographs from big names like Manny Pacquiao, Peter Gammons and Stan Lee.
Release Date: Mid-July, 2011
Box Configuration: 24-Packs Per Box/6-Cards Per Pack
Pack Price: $3-$4
Product Type: Mid-End Vintage Baseball
Geared Toward: Allen & Ginter junkies, Code crackers, Rip card fans, Collectors who like odd things, Collectors who enjoy products that feature more than just baseball players, Autograph collectors, Relic collectors, DNA Relic seekers, Set builders
What's In The Box:
- 3 Hits Per Box
Product Highlights/Details:
- Topps promises that the latest version of Allen & Ginter will provide the “most-exciting and wide-ranging autograph list in its history."
- Base Set Structure: 300 regular cards/50 short prints (270 veterans, 30 rookies, 15 historical figures, 35 World Champions).
- Rip Card madness returns (1 per case)- original Allen & Ginter tobacco cards, mini paintings from artist Jeff Zachowski, red-ink autographs, mini SPs and 1/1 mini wood cards.
- New Die-Cut Cabinets Cards that form a map of the U.S.A.
- New Season, New Ginter Code!
- Names on the Auto Checklist: Lou Holtz, Manny Pacquiao, Jake LaMotta (Raging Bull), John McEnroe, Annika Sorenstam, Kyle Petty, Peter Gammons, Picabo Street, Stan Lee, Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird, Jim Nantz, Dick Vitale, Chuck Woolery (Love Connection), Rudy Ruettiger (that Rudy), Geno Auriemma, Micky Ward (The Fighter), Cheryl Burke (Dancing With the Stars), Daniel Boulud (Chef), Guy Fieri (Food Network), Marc Fargione (Iron Chef).
- MLB Stars on the Auto Checklist: Albert Pujols, Roy Halladay, Ryan Howard, Jason Heyward, Aroldis Chapman, Joe Mauer.
- "Uninvited Guests" insert set - tales of the paranormal and unexplained.
- "Floating Fortresses" insert set - famed battleships that held their own in the seas and oceans of the world.
- "Minds that Made the Future" insert set - Leonardo Da Vinci, Isaac Newton and other brilliant minds that shaped the world of the now.
- "Step Right Up" insert set - all the stars, freaks and attractions of carnival sideshow.
- Other insert sets - "The Ascent of Man", "Hometown Heroes", “Flora of the World", "Animals in Peril", "Highlight Sketch Cards"
- Early names on the relic auto checklist: Buster Posey, Felix Hernandez, Jason Heyward, Chase Utley and Evan Longoria.
- 1 mini card per pack - wood, cloth, Bazooka, -no-number, black border, Allen & Ginter back and standard.
- Types of standard relics: printing plates, framed Relics, DNA Relics and book cards
- DNA Relic checklist: Geronimo, Napoleon Bonaparte, George Washington, Edgar Allen Poe, Richard Nixon, Dwight Eisenhower, King George III, Jefferson Davis, John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy.
Preview Card Gallery:
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