2011 Topps Allen and Ginter
What I pulled--
Minis – Kyle Drabek, C.J. Wilson, Justin Upton, Joel Pineiro, Nick Markakis, Josh Hamilton, Justin Morneau
Allen and Ginter Back Minis – Daniel Bard, Andre Ethier, Josh Hamilton, Omar Infante, Chris Johnson, Ozzie Martinez
Black Minis – Aramis Ramirez, Guy Fieri
Portraits of Penultimacy Minis – Mike Gellner (x2)
Uninvited Guests Minis – Bachelor’s Grove Cemetary, RMS Queen Mary
World’s Mysterious Figures Minis – D.B. Cooper, Rasputin
Animals in Peril Minis – Gharial, Mountain Gorilla
Step Right Up Mini – Bed of Nails
Hometown Heroes – 18 different
Code Card Parallels – Alex Gordon, Annika Sorenstam, Alexei Ramirez
Baseball Highlight Sketches – Mark Teixeira, Jay Bruce, Armando Galarraga, Aroldis Chapman
Ascent of Man – Homo Habilis, Amphibians, Flatworms, Haplorrhini
Minds That Made the Future – Carl Linnaeus, Johannes Gutenberg, George Eastman
Floating Fortresses – HMS Devastation, Michael, USS Merrimack
Framed Game Used Relics – Justin Verlander gray, Melky Cabrera white, Josh Beckett gray
Baseball Highlights Boxtopper – Roy Halladay No-Hitter
Review:
There is a reason Allen and Ginter Baseball is annually among the names mentioned for Product of the
Year. And there is a reason why this year will be no different.
By now, everyone knows the appeal of Allen and Ginter. Beautifully desgined, retro-themed cards featuring
all of today’s biggest names, plus names from other sports, both well-known and, well, not so well-known.
That is what makes this base set stand out from the other retro sets year after year, and what makes
collectors go crazy over trying to build a set.
There is more, of course, much, much more. There are the off-beat inserts, this year featuring titles such
as Ascent of Man (in full color, bleed to the borders glory) and Floating Fortresses. There are beautifully
framed relic, autographed and printing plates, which feature mini-cards framed and sealed inside a
gorgeous frame. There are the Rip Cards, which are cards inside another card and which give the collector the option to either
rip the bigger card open or to keep it intact.
And there are the minis. This is the product that really set the mini-card craze ablaze, and it shows no signs of slowing down.
As always, there multiple variations of the minis, from black borders to different backs, with some of them numbered. There
are also insert sets that are minis, as well, with themes ranging from Step Right Up (carnival shows) to Uninvited Guests.
As has been the case, there are also code cards included, with all of the codes leading to one answer. Last year’s winning
code-breaker, Mike Gellner, is actually featured on a card in this year’s set.
What is the allure to Allen and Ginter? Why do keep coming back? Is it the wild array of non-baseball figures that sign minis?
Is it the off-beat themes? Is it the beautiful art? Is it the Rip Cards?
I think it is all of the above. And much, much more..........
A
What I pulled--
Minis – Kyle Drabek, C.J. Wilson, Justin Upton, Joel Pineiro, Nick Markakis, Josh Hamilton, Justin Morneau
Allen and Ginter Back Minis – Daniel Bard, Andre Ethier, Josh Hamilton, Omar Infante, Chris Johnson, Ozzie Martinez
Black Minis – Aramis Ramirez, Guy Fieri
Portraits of Penultimacy Minis – Mike Gellner (x2)
Uninvited Guests Minis – Bachelor’s Grove Cemetary, RMS Queen Mary
World’s Mysterious Figures Minis – D.B. Cooper, Rasputin
Animals in Peril Minis – Gharial, Mountain Gorilla
Step Right Up Mini – Bed of Nails
Hometown Heroes – 18 different
Code Card Parallels – Alex Gordon, Annika Sorenstam, Alexei Ramirez
Baseball Highlight Sketches – Mark Teixeira, Jay Bruce, Armando Galarraga, Aroldis Chapman
Ascent of Man – Homo Habilis, Amphibians, Flatworms, Haplorrhini
Minds That Made the Future – Carl Linnaeus, Johannes Gutenberg, George Eastman
Floating Fortresses – HMS Devastation, Michael, USS Merrimack
Framed Game Used Relics – Justin Verlander gray, Melky Cabrera white, Josh Beckett gray
Baseball Highlights Boxtopper – Roy Halladay No-Hitter
Review:
There is a reason Allen and Ginter Baseball is annually among the names mentioned for Product of the
Year. And there is a reason why this year will be no different.
By now, everyone knows the appeal of Allen and Ginter. Beautifully desgined, retro-themed cards featuring
all of today’s biggest names, plus names from other sports, both well-known and, well, not so well-known.
That is what makes this base set stand out from the other retro sets year after year, and what makes
collectors go crazy over trying to build a set.
There is more, of course, much, much more. There are the off-beat inserts, this year featuring titles such
as Ascent of Man (in full color, bleed to the borders glory) and Floating Fortresses. There are beautifully
framed relic, autographed and printing plates, which feature mini-cards framed and sealed inside a
gorgeous frame. There are the Rip Cards, which are cards inside another card and which give the collector the option to either
rip the bigger card open or to keep it intact.
And there are the minis. This is the product that really set the mini-card craze ablaze, and it shows no signs of slowing down.
As always, there multiple variations of the minis, from black borders to different backs, with some of them numbered. There
are also insert sets that are minis, as well, with themes ranging from Step Right Up (carnival shows) to Uninvited Guests.
As has been the case, there are also code cards included, with all of the codes leading to one answer. Last year’s winning
code-breaker, Mike Gellner, is actually featured on a card in this year’s set.
What is the allure to Allen and Ginter? Why do keep coming back? Is it the wild array of non-baseball figures that sign minis?
Is it the off-beat themes? Is it the beautiful art? Is it the Rip Cards?
I think it is all of the above. And much, much more..........
A
