Ok, now that I've forced you to slog through the Allen and Ginter box break card by card, it's time to recap in an easily digestible summary. Since boxes are already up to $120 if you can find them, this probably won't inspire anyone to rush out and buy one. It might serve as a warning, however, to the high-stakes gamblers out there once they see my big hits. Then again, who cares about reality when the whole point of gambling is trying to be the next to hit a jackpot. For anyone interested, you can get the card by card breakdown by clicking the links.
Box Topper and first pack
Packs 2-8
Packs 9-16
Packs 17-24
For everyone else, here's the breakdown.
Base set: 350 cards
143/350 41%
50 short prints (1:2)
12/50 24%
#110 Michael Young
#119 Hunter Pence RC
#152 Carlos Lee
#194 Francisco Cordero
#203 Justin Verlander
#222 Rocco Baldelli
#318 Johnny Gomes
#319 Ken Jennings
#320 Barry Bonds
#325 Grady Sizemore
#330 Bob Geren
#340 Placindo Polanco
Dick Perez Sketch Cards: 30 cards, one in every pack without an insert
22/30 73%
Parallels:
Mini cards 1 in every pack without a mini insert
13
Mini Short Print (1:13)
2
#319 Ken Jennings
#350 Adam LaRoche
Mini A&G back (1:5)
5
Mini A&G Short Print (1:65)
1
#58 Mike Mussina
Mini Black border (1:10)
3
Mini Black border Short Print (1:130)
none
Mini No Number (1:106)
none
Mini Bazooka back (1:213)
none
Mini Wood (1:3507)
none
Mini Flags (1:12)
Denmark
Ireland
Mini Emperors (1:48, maybe)
none
Mini Snakes (1:288)
none
Continuity insert:
Alex Rodriguez Road to 500 (1:24)
ARHR267 Alex Rodriguez Home Run #267
Alex Rodriguez Road to 500 Autograph (1:64,496)
none
Inserts (two per box):
Autographs (odds vary by group)
none
Relics (odds vary by group)
2
AGR-EG Eric Gagne Jersey (Group J 1:25)
AGR-MC1 Miguel Cabrera Jersey (Group J 1:25)
Rip Card: (1:285)
none
Printing Plate: (1:778)
none
Framed Original (1:17,072)
none
Cut Signature (1:145,116)
none
Box Topper:
National Pride
NP3 Venezuela
Favorite Card pulled:
#261 Torii Hunter
For someone busting open case after case trying to find the George Washington card that will get their picture in next month's Beckett, this box would be an annoying speed bump while ripping through packs for that big hit. Even though selling the relics on eBay might not make enough profit to pay for a pack - let alone another box - for someone who just likes the cards however this was a very good break. For one, there were no doubles in this box. Not one. There were a couple of packs that had the same player on a base and an insert card, but there's nothing wrong with that especially when the players were Ryan Zimmerman and Jeff Francouer. From what I've heard the collation in this set is superb. One customer at the place where I bought my box got two boxes out of the same case and did not get a base set douple at all between both boxes. Now that's good collation, just the ticket for set collectors. I also pulled a short print every other pack like clockwork, including Bonds, Verlander and Sizemore.
I did OK with the inserts even though the relics were unspectacular and there were no Bazookas or press plates or anything in there. While there were no Bazooka or no number minis, there was a nice assortment including short prints of Mussina and LaRoche. I also got my fair share of black borders and A&G variations. The throwback insert cards are beautiful, the flags are mini works of art and the National Pride box loader looks spectacular. There was most of a Dick Perez sketch set in there and it should be fairly easy to complete. The set has a couple of odd looking cards, but now that Donruss has had it's license yanked, it's the closest we'll get to a Diamond Kings set.
Between the beauty of the cards, the challenge for set collectors and the insane big ticket inserts, it's no wonder Allen & Ginter is so dang popular. Now that I have a good leg up on the set, I can now start scrounging around in the big box stores to try to find some retail packs before the dealers snatch them all up. I hope you all enjoyed your box as much as I enjoyed mine.
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