ginter | Sports Card Info

Card of the Day: Scott Rogowsky 2018 Topps Allen & Ginter NSCC Auto

Posted on August 19, 2018 by sportscardinfo

2018 Topps Allen & Ginter Hobby Box Break & Review

Posted on August 14, 2018 by sportscardinfo

Allen & Ginter is an odd duck. And that’s what makes it so incredibly popular. Sure, baseball is at it’s core. But all of the weird, wild, and wacky other things are what make opening a box fun. Even when the checklist is announced, you still don’t know all of the possibilities a box could hold. Who knows? This product has been out for a few weeks, and there could still be some undiscovered surprises. Everything and anything goes with Allen & Ginter. Just by saying the phrase, “Allen & Ginter has everything including the kitchen sink.”, could trigger Topps to come up with a special catchphrases insert set for next year’s version that literally pictures a kitchen sink on the card. Like I said, anything goes.

The set this year consists of (350) total cards. #301 – #350 are short prints. Parallels of the normal size cards include Silver Glossy (Hobby Hot Box), and Glossy #’ed 1/1. Mini cards have and always will play a major role in Allen & Ginter. Each pack should contain (1) mini card. Parallels of the minis include A&G Logo Back, Black, No Number, Brooklyn Back #’ed/25, Gold (Retail), Glow-In-The-Dark (unannounced (1) per case), Metal #’ed/3 (Hobby), Wood #’ed 1/1 (Hobby), Glossy #’ed 1/1, and Framed Printing Plates #’ed 1/1.

Inside every hobby box there should be at least (3) hits. For some reason, some box breakers have reported not receiving all three guaranteed cards. The same goes for the mini Wood parallels #’ed 1/1. The mini Wood parallels aren’t the easiest cards to pull to begin with, but collectors opening many cases haven’t found a single one. During the National Sports Collectors Convention I attended the Topps Q&A. These topics were brought up. According to Topps, “We have been investigating with our manufacturer and they say they’re in the product. It doesn’t make sense. We’re continuing to dig. Usually when there’s a collation problem, it shows up in other areas. When I come into work, I look on eBay to see if any are in there. It’s odd.” This mainly pertains to the Wood minis not found in Rip Cards. Ones found in Rip Cards seem to be the only Wood minis to popup.

There are (42) non-baseball related autographs. People like Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Jon Lovitz, Bill James, and Tommy Wiseau highlight these cards.

Unique and odd relics make for some interesting pulls. DNA, Fabled, Sunken Treasure, and World’s Greatest Beaches relics are instant Allen & Ginter classics.

Truth is, if you enjoyed Allen & Ginter other years, you should like the 2018 set as well.

Here is what I pulled:

Relics