From autographs of Lou Holtz, John McEnroe, and Manny Pacquiao to DNA relics of George Washington and John F. Kennedy, this is one release I cannot wait for!
The configuration is the same as it has always been: 12 boxes per case, 24 packs per box, and 8 cards per pack. Each Allen & Ginter Hobby Box contains a combination of any THREE of the following cards plus a box loader:
- Autographed Card
- Relic Card
- Cut Signature
- Rip Card
- Printing Plate or
- Book Card
There will be 350 base cards in the set (6 base cards per pack) and I assume that 50 of these will be shortprinted:
- Baseball Veterans - 270 Pros
- Baseball Rookies - 30 Diamonds in the rough
- Historic Figures - 15 of the most memorable writers, inventors, artists, and politicians of all-time.
- World Champions - 35 of the highest achievers from across the universe.
The mini parallel cards are back and seeded one per pack
- Allen & Ginter Wood Hobby Exclusive! (350) - Each is a one of one!
- Allen & Ginter Cloth Hobby Exclusive! - 150 cards from the base set framed and printed on cloth expressly designed for Ginter! - Numbered to 10!
- Allen & Ginter Bazooka - Numbered to 25!
- Allen & Ginter No Number - The base cards are featured without a card number. Each card is limited to 50!
- Allen & Ginter Black Border - A black border adorns these parallel cards.
- Allen & Ginter Back - Replica Allen and Ginter card back designs highlight this parallel set.
- Allen & Ginter Mini - The 350 cards from the base set.
This year Topps Allen & Ginter says that their product will have the most extensive autograph lineup in its history. Just exactly how many different autographs will be in the set has yet to be determined. What has been determined is that there will be 20 different cut signatures featuring 20 political and historical figures with an authentic autograph.
The Ginter Code also makes a return. Solve the Ginter Code and you will win a very nice prize. One collector got to be featured on a Ginter card while another collector won a special set of autograph cards. A little bit of trivia for you – the collector who cracked the code two years ago is the same person who cracked it last year! Will he go for a three-peat?
Here are some new insert cards that will be featured in 2011 Topps Allen & Ginter. A card that you can plant and watch it grow? Now that is interesting…..I would like to plant some Mickey Mantle card seeds! You will get one of the following cards in every pack:
- NEW! Animals in Peril - Some of the most endangered species around the world: Tasmanian Devil, African Wild Dog, Indian Rhinoceros, Hawaiian Monk Seal, are among the 30 fragile creatures depicted.
- NEW! Portraits in Penultimacy - These 10 second bananas, assistants, and also-rans finally get their place in the sun.
- NEW! World's Most Mysterious Figures - Furtive characters come out of the shadows on these 10 cards.
- NEW! Flora of the World - Check out your Green Thumb with these plantable cards featuring garden stock that will actually grow! Five available flowers can grace garden beds anywhere. 1 per Box! - Plant the card and watch it grow!
- NEW! Step Right Up! - All the stars, freaks and weird attractions of a carnival sideshow!
- NEW! Uninvited Guests - They're baaaack! Paranormal spooky tales, eerie hauntings, and supernatural events pictured on 10 cards.
- NEW! Floating Fortresses - A flotilla of maritime history, from Henry VIII's majestic Mary Rose to today's mammoth Sovereign of the Seas, highlighted on 20 cards!
- NEW! The Minds that made the future - Honoring the biggest brains in history: Archimedes, Kepler, Mendel, Volta, Lavoisier, etc.
- NEW! The Ascent of Man - A step-by-step illustration of the evolution of life on Earth. Cards can be placed side-by-side to form a timeline.
- NEW! Hometown Heroes - Featuring 100 MLB stars and their hometowns. 1 per Box!
- Baseball Highlight Sketches - Full size cards featuring reproductions of original artist sketch cards showcasing the greatest baseball highlights of the year and of all time!
Will there be RIP cards this year? The answer is an astounding yes! I have opened about 10 rip cards over the years and find it very exciting to see what is inside. There are 100 exterior rip cards and if you dare to rip them open, here is what you can find inside:
- Allen & Ginter Originals - Actual Mini Portrait paintings of current diamond stars signed and numbered 1/1!
- Allen & Ginter Red Autographs - Autographed Mini Cards that are Hand numbered to 10!
- Allen & Ginter Mini Exclusives - 50 Mini Cards numbered 351-400 that can only be found in Rip Cards.
- Allen & Ginter Mini Wood Exclusives - A ONE of ONE wood parallel version of the cards featured above!
Printing plates make a return to 2011 – the four standard plates that are needed to produce a card are found throughout 2011 Topps Allen & Ginter. I have had about three of these over the years and have sold them for quite a bit.
There will also be a bunch of relic cards. The list has not yet been released but I would expect some bizarre relics. Two years ago I got a piece of a boxing glove on a card. What will be found this year?
I believe this is new to Ginter – BOOK CARDS! These hobby exclusive cards feature two autographs, two relics or an autograph and relic of baseball's biggest stars.
Box loaders are similar to last year. Here is what can be expected in each hobby box. You will get one of the following:
- Allen & Ginter N43 - 15 cards styled after the original N43 card, which was 3 1/4" and 2 7/8" in size!
- Allen & Ginter N43 Relics (10) - Hand Numbered to 25!
- Allen & Ginter N43 Autographs (10) - Hand Numbered to 15!
- Allen & Ginter N43 Autograph Relic (5) - Hand Numbered to 5!
- Cabinet Box Loader - 10 oversize cabinet cards featuring mini parallel cards showcasing 2 to 4 key subjects in an important 2010 Baseball highlight, or the founding of National Park. These subjects are featured on mini-parallel cards on a larger 5 3/4" x 8" Cabinet Card.
- Cabinet Box Loader Relic - 10 show-stopping cards featuring an over-sized COMPLETE relic of a jersey nameplate or number. Each is a ONE of ONE!
- NEW! U.S. Oversized Relic Cabinet Box Loader - Oversized relic cabinet cards die-cut into state shapes with a relic indicative on the state, which when fit together form a map of the United States. Numbered to 50!
Topps has spread the following autograph cards throughout all Topps products in 2011 in celebration of their 60th anniversary. They call it their continuity program and these cards feature sixty players past and present who have signed these cards along with an additional inscription wishing Topps a "Happy 60th!" All autographs and inscriptions are signed directly on each numbered to 60 card. There are 60 different cards and three of them will be inserted in each Topps product.
I look forward to the release date of July 15th. It will be very difficult for me to get a card that was more valuable than I got last year – a 2010 Topps Allen & Ginter Stephen Strasburg autograph numbered to 10. But you never know! I plan on opening two boxes and will let you know my thoughts on what should a great product! For a checklist of this product, click here:
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