2011 Allen & Ginter Box Break Part 1: Packaging, Box Topper and the Very First Pack

Welcome to the 5th Annual Cardboard Junkie Allen & Ginter Obsessathon! If you missed any of the previous events, you can find them here:

2007   2008   2009   2010

I didn't kick this off with the 2006 Edition of A&G because a) I wasn't card blogging back then and b) I couldn't find a hobby box to save my soul. If anyone happens to have a spare empty box of  2006 Allen & Ginter lying around I'll be happy to over-analyze it for you in blog format if you wish.

The 2011 Edition has arrived! Time to rip open the box and spill its pulpy guts for all to see! But first... you know what I have to do. Oh yes you do, don't act like you didn't see this coming. First...

THE PACKAGING

Yes you have to put up with me describing all the packing materials for the product before you get to see any cards. And don't try to cheat and just scroll down to the bottom! This blog will know and instead of my box topper you'll see that Italian Spiderman gif again. SO NO PEEKING. Got it? good. Here's the box top.

I must begin by saying that I really like the Ginter nameplate this year. The red, black and gold color scheme is pleasing to my quickly deteriorating eyeballs. I also like the fact that Topps returned to a frame motif on the front. Last year's edition had full bleed borders which was unseemly for a retro product like this. The gilded frame encloses another generic scene of pastoral nineteenth century baseball life. I hazard a guess that the location is Elysian Fields, as the player looks a lot like a mob enforcer from Jersey. Dude's wielding that bat like he's swinging for kneecaps, not curveballs.

Just like last year the inside of the box is just a slight reordering of all the elements on the front to orient it horizontally. The Black Ribbon of Mojo heralding all the things you could have gotten in your box instead of three common relic cards is exactly the same on the front and back with the exception that the right side of the ribbon now wraps behind the frame. Topps chose two autographs of Manny Pacquiao and Ryan Howard and a DNA card of JFK for their sample cards. The three sample mini cards are also the same as the ones on the front. Topps has done this the past two years and it saddens me greatly. I want to see all kinds of mini cards not just two scribbles and a pube. Way back in 2007 and 2008, Topps actually put base minis as the samples on the box. Of course back then they had Bruce Lee and a guy who ate hot dogs quickly as their featured non-baseball subjects.

An extremely disturbing aspect of the inside flap is that the "World's Champions 1887-2011" text has moved, meaning there is now an unencumbered view of bat-wielding creepy guy's package. I just flat out didn't want to know if this guy was wearing a cup or not and it's impossible to avoid finding out if you try to see what hits you won't be getting in your box on the Black Ribbon if Mojo. "Yo buddy! What are YOU looking at??"

Look at that shifty-ass motherscrubber. That man will cut you for a box of Cracker Jack. HE DON'T EVEN LIKE CRACKER JACK. He's a Twizzlers man. A Twizzlers man with a KNIFE. Don't look at his junk.

Let's move on to the side panels before I need stitches.The side panel is the 2011 Ginter nameplate. No more, no less. Very classy looking and I wish I hadn't scanned it cockeyed now.

The front panel is much the same with an added old timey map of the world on the side. The Old Planter security seal betrays the fact that I had this entire box ripped before it came anywhere near a scanner.

The back panel replaces the map with a picture of a ship. The two pictures probably represent the new standard-sized insert sets of famous scientists and ships.

The box bottom is horribly boring now that the grouping within the relic and auto cards have been abolished. Other than the standard legalese, the only important information on the bottom is the odds on box toppers. The short version - Cabinet 1:2 boxes, N43 1:2 boxes, everything else fugettaboutit.

Not even going to make this image super sized it's that boring.

Oh, look. A serial number underneath the packs. I shall scan it and post it, for I am insane.

Umm... Box bottoms don't scan very well. The serial used to be on the cardboard insert thing that kept the packs from shuffling around but it's actually printed on the box itself this time.This shall be tricky...

Ha ha! I unfolded the box!

*Ahem* Oh, look. A serial number underneath the packs. I shall scan it and post it, for I am insane. The highest serial number yet! Although last year wasn't really a number since there were random letters floating around in there.

Checklists! I love checklists! Other people have already scanned the checklists, but I did it anyway BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT I DO. I shall recount in this post my initial thoughts upon scanning the checklist.

Lou Holtz... Hope Solo...Dirk Hayhurst? How good would our bullpen look with Tim Collins...CHIPPAH Shmyrev? Uggs... L.L. Zamenhof, don't know who that is but I want it. Prado... Jair... Tim Howard! George Bush? Brandon Beachy RC! Hanson... Freddie Freeman RC! Guy Fieri? Damn, I want a blue shroom burger from the Vortex now...Picabo! RUDY

Good lord, how did I eff up this scan so badly. WHAT'S DONE IS DONE. Back to stream of consciousness reactions.

MAC! Itchy... Minor...Huddy... Smilin' Stan?! Oh Lord, the royal wedding...DLowe...Peter Gammons! Oh crap SPs - HEYWARD. FFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUU oh inserts. Sketches - J-Hey! Yay! Flora of the World - gimmicky crap Animals in Peril - oooh Zappa lyrics imminent -

Kiss my aura, Dora
That's right -
you know why?
Because it was real angora!
Would you all like some more-a?
Right here on the flora?
How about you Fauna?
You wanna?

Ok back to inserts - Portraits of Penultimacy - how the hell are Igor and Tonto penultimate? Hometown Heroes - J-HEY! Uggs, CHIPPAH! DLowe. To be continued...

Heroes - McCANN! and not much else. Looking for five cards out of a hundred. World's Most Mysterious Figures - any set with Rasputin in it is good enough for me. I hope it's not a case hit or something. Step Right Up - The Human Blockhead: a card about me!! Uninvited Guests - ME GHOSTA. Floating Fortresses - Ships are nice but one's enough for me. The Minds That Made The Future - NERDGASM. MUST. CAPTURE. ALL. SCIENTISTS. and bend them to my will muahahahha The Ascent of Man - SCIENCE! Suck it, creationists. Keep your stickers out of my textbooks

Aw hell, Autograph cards - J-HEY! John McEnroe? Wee Man?? Gore & Olbermann??? W???? ANDRES TORRES????????????

Ok last page of checklists. HOLY CRISPY FISHSTICKS THERE'S A FRIGGING CRAPLOAD OF RELICS. Five freaking Braves relics. great. DNA Relics - must clone nixon Cut sigs - who cares.

TOPPS - Y U NO CHECKLIST BOXTOPPERS

Never tell me the odds - You can see all this crap at Baseballcardpedia. My eyes can't handle the squinty any more.

One bit of commentary though - Why is a card meant to be buried in the dirt inserted at a 1 in 6 boxes ratio? Seriously, why, Topps, why??

The wrapper is interesting this year. Topps has traditionally gone with light, bright, airy colors for their Allen & Ginter wrappers in the past. This one is Dark. I can understand the use of the bronze background as that color is an important design element this year. The Black Death Bar at the bottom and the featured inclusion of Shifty McStabsalot wielding a war club is frightening though. buy this pack if you ever want to see your loved ones again  Maybe Shifty is actually a jolly scamp and we'll all grow to love his antics soon.
 
Ok, you've read all this crap about the wrapper diligently here's the Box Topper Payoff. You good, sweet, attentive readers can skip the next little bit meant for the quick scrollers.

YOU CHEATED!!!

GET BACK UP THERE AND LOOK AT THE PACKAGING  OR NO BOX TOPPER FOR YOU

All right cheater. Did you look at the wrappers? ALL the wrappers? You did? good. Here's a pop quiz before I show off my box topper.

1) What player is Dayf constantly flipping his shit over?
a) George Brett
b) Jason Heyward
c) Kristi Yamaguchi
d) Silky Johnson

2) What album cover does Shifty McStabsalot's junk resemble?
a) The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers
b) David Bowie - Diamond Dogs
c) Nirvana - Nevermind
d) Ken - By Request Only

3) How the hell did Dayf screw up the scan of that checklist?
a) He has two checklists and one moved during the scanning process
b) A tragic cut and paste mishap
c) He's an idiot who should not be allowed near electronic equipment under any circumstances
d) That's actually how the checklist looks

4) Are the newfangled bronze wrappers still made of the super sexy sleek silky material that drive all the men wild?
a) Yes.
b) Hell yes.
c) mmmmmm oooooooh yes yes YES.
d) go away, 'batin

EXTRA CREDIT - Create a backstory for our beloved 2011 Ginter mascot, Shifty McStabsalot.

If you got this far, you passed. Here's mah boxtoppah.

N43s make a comeback after two straight years of cabinet cards! The place where I used to find boxtoppers for fifty cents a throw changed ownership so collecting this year's set will be pricey for me. Here's the checklist:

And it's a terrible checklist. It's odd not seeing Ryan Zimmerman in every N43 set anymore. It's also odd that after one of the best rookie crops in forever, that Aroldis Chapman is the one 2010 rookie to get an N43. Yeah this checklist sucks. I'll trade mine for David Price and call it a year. Oh who did I get? You couldn't tell from the card 'number'?

Adam Wainright and his balky elbow. Oh well, I guess it's the closest thing to a Brave in the set. DON'T YOU EVEN SAY IT.

Packaging and bonus card obsessory is complete! Time for...

THE FIRST PACK

119 Nancy Lopez

Dominated the LPGA like Tiger dominated the PGA. BONUS: no skank scandals! I'm digging the AG logo used for the non-baseball subjects.

206 Tsuyoshi Nishioka

Rookie card of another snake-bitten Japanese import. A broken leg is a hell of a way to start your career.

101 Peter Bourjos

Notable only because his recent injury prompted the call up of blue chip prospect Mike Trout.

140 Felix Hernandez

Winning a Cy Young with a 13-12 record - it's good to be da king.

63 Neil Walker

The Pirates have a winning record? What??

158 Billy Butler

Base card in the SP slot means great sadness.

271 Chris Young mini A&G  back

There's a buttpile of mini inserts again this year so the A&Gs might be easier to find than the base minis again this year. The shape behind Old Planter is kind of nifty this year. It resembles to me a depiction of a slice of hallucinogenic ergot-tainted rye bread in a German Expressionist woodcut. You don't care about the art, you care about one thing...

THE FRANKENSET RETURNS

Did Chris Young make it into the Frankenset?
NO - Chris was blocked by a 2006 mini of Hall of Famer Lloyd Waner.

HH100 Travis Snider Hometown Heroes

Whoever designs the A&G set has to be a Font Nerd because the fonts this year are fantastic. I really like the map with the little toothpick flag you get with a sandwich at a diner pushed in.

Well, the first pack was probably the most utterly boring out of the entire box. The next three make up for it though.

A bunch of boxtoppers - Part 1 N43

I so love having a card shop where I can buy almost one half of the N43 set for less than the price of a single pack of A&G...

More A&G box toppers from the 50 cent bin

Aw crumbs. It just occurred to me that Atlanta Sports Cards is now completely out of my way once again. No worries, I'm broke as hail anyways. Last time I was there I hit the 50 cent box pretty hard and found more A&G box toppers. These things must not be that popular anymore because I keep seeing 'em cheap.

Shady Grady

Grady Sizemore had kind of a crummy season, but he was hurt all year so we'll cut him some slack. Maybe his elbow problems came from swinging all those bats at the same time. Look at him eying that fourth bat. Man, he wants to swing that bat. Stop it Grady! You need to rest up for the '10 season!Am I the only one referring to next year as oh-10? It actually fits, but seems weird to me.

BJ's Bro

Justin officially passed his brother as the best Upton in the bigs this year. Hitting .300 with 26 homers and 20 swipes will do that. He's only 21 years old too... All you rotisserie geeks out there are just droooling to take him in the first round next year aren't ya. Don't play it off like you're going after Pujols or A-Rod, you are all hoping and praying to get a low pick in the first round so you can grab Justin and show off your baseball genius.

What the Halladay are the Blue Jays thinking?

Seriously, why would anyone want to trade this guy... If I were the Jays I'd kidnap his family and threaten to feed them all to a rabid moose unless he signed a 90-year extension. Zach Greinke, King Felix and Capn' Cheezburger all pitched like they were possessed with the Ghost of Christy Mathewson this year and Halladay is still a legit Cy Young candiate even after all the mess he had to put up with all season. Man, if he played in New York, he's be the biggest pitcher synce Ryan. Of course if he played in New York we'd all hate him like cancer, but that's not the point.


I also got an unopened cabinet card. Why haven't I opened it yet? Well, the wrapper is see-through for one thing. Just been too lazy for another. Here's a hint on which one it is: This one would make a few of my neighbors weep bitter tears. If there's an outcry for me to open it, I might post on one of the Pack rip sites, but I might just stay lazy. I mean... busy with other stuff. 'Cause I'm working on other important stuff right now really I am. This post notwithstanding.

What I got for five bucks

All righty then! I finally got my act together and scanned the cards. Here's what i got at Atlanta Sports Cards:

Cabinet card of G-Dub and that dude on the ten dollar bill. Oh, but that's not all...

A couple more cabinets from the WBC. Cuba bashing homers and Japan making the finals. There's three out of the ten card set. Here's the checklists for reference:

Five WBC cards (just click on 'em to get a full size view)

And the historical subjects. Oh but wait there's more...

I also got an unopened cabinet pack. Can anyone tell what's inside? The wrapper is practically transparent as you can see from the scan. This is why you should be careful when buying these boxtoppers on the bay.

That's not a bad haul right? Four cabinets for five bucks? Well, I also picked up these:

A few N43's for good measure. The fifty cent box is grand, isn't it? Here's the checklist of the N43's because why not.

After some prodding and two guesses, Matt finally came around to the correctish answer and thus wins the contest. He was the only one to mention A&G at all if I'm not mistaken. I guess I have to go back to ASC now to get his prize. I'm willing to make that sacrifice for the good of my readers...

2009 ALLEN & GINTER CHECKLIST REVIEW - The Box Loaders

As usual, Allen & Ginter has two different types of box loaders to collect. And as usual, Topps is stingy as hell and only gives you one per box. Here's what is on the pre-sell checklist:

Cabinet Box Loaders:

(2008 version)

Topps has been including these cards that are a hybrid of original Allen & Ginter album pages and 19th century cabinet cards as boxtoppers since 2007. Like last year, half the ten card set is of baseball players and the other half is os political figures. Mini card sized pics of four subjects are included on each cabinet card. The baseball subjects focus on the World Baseball Classic, including cards for The Netherlands, Cuba, The United States, Japan and the WBC winners. Who won the bloody thing, anyway?

The Politics ones are more complicated. One consists of the leaders of the United States, Italy, Portugal and Canada in 1948. There are two featuring statesmen from the Revolutionary war, and both have Benjamin Frankin. The final two feature adversaries. The Civil War themed card had Abe Lincoln and U.S. Grant matched up against Jeff Davis and Robert E. Lee. Finally there's a Cold War card with JFK and LBJ staring down Krushchev and Brezhnev.

N43 cards:

(2008 version)

N43 is the American Card Catalog number for the original Allen & Ginter set that featured Sporting Champions in a larger format. This insert has been in every single A&G release since it started in 2006. It has also had Ryan Zimmerman in every set, and no Chipper Jones. So when I downloaded the checklist the first thing I did was check the N43 list.

CHIPPER'S IN!!!!!!!!!

RYAN'S OUT!!!!!!!!

I'M SO HAPPY!!!!!!!

(now if we can just fixt the All-Star selection travesty)

That's all you need to know about the checklist anyway, I'll post it later once it's confirmed.

Along with the normal N43s there are autographed and relic versions. There are ten relics listed in the checklist including 5 MLB players (A-Rod, Manny, Hamilton, Utley, Vladdy) and 5 WBC participants with the highlight being Yu Darvish.

The ones that people really want are the autographs though. The BIG one is the Michael Phelps autograph. This appears to have replaced the gimmicky dog autograph and Bigfoot tire track cards from last year. I still wouldn't be surprised to see some stealth ridiculousness in there like an Obama dog pawprint or a card stained with the tears of a Madoff victim. The rest of the autographed N43's are more straightforward mix of established stars (Longoria, Wright) and hot prospects (Joba, Bruce).

Then of course you have the autogamers, five cards with both an auto and relic attached. This is a solid list (it better be with the odds of pulling one): Howard, Papi, Wright, Longoria, Braun. The autos and relics are extremely hard to get so if you plunk down your money for a hobby box, just relax enjoy your cabinet card of Harry Truman.

2008 Allen & Ginter Box Break Part 1: Packaging, Box Topper and the Very First Pack

Got the box this morning. Good News: Boxes didn't instantly jump to $120 a pop. Bad News: They were $10 bucks more than last year. Methinks there were more orders for the 2008 issue since everyone went batshit over A&G last year. Hopefully the box prices will remain stable this year. I'd like to get another box or two for under a Benjamin each if at all possible.

Ok, time to open this puppy. But first, let's scan all the packaging and crap for posterity. This is not your box break! If I want to scan the box, I'll bloody well do it. If you absolutely can't wait to see cards go check out A Pack A Day. Or, I dunno, scroll to the bottom of the post. Sheesh, some people are impatient. For all you nice collectors out there who appreciate good Box Art, here's the top:

Very nice... Suitable for framing... David Wright, Abraham Lincoln and the Hot Dog Eating Guy is an *ahem* interesting trio of cover subjects. And did ballplayers really use eye black in 1888?? Ok, off to the front:

We've got the first appearance of Old Planter, A weightlifter dude, and ads for Hobby Exclusive N43 Auto and Relic cards and Sequentially Numbered Rip cards. And of course, the security seal. Gotta keep safe now. Here's the side:

More Old Planter, a Microscope (looking for the joke) and ads for Auto and Relic cards, Printing plates, 1887 Originals, 1 of 1 relics and cut sigs. Yeehaw. Then there's this dude:

The other two sides are the exact same except they have Mr. Acrobat. Moving on...

Here's the bottom part with all the odds and auto/relic groups. Click on the picture and you'll actually be able to read it. Long story short:

N43 box loader 1:3 boxes
N43 relic 1:246 boxes
N43 auto 1:428 boxes
N43 auto relic 1:2565 boxes
Cabinet box loader 1:3 boxes
Cabinet auto 1:322 boxes

I'm pretty sure there's some sort of box loader in every box to the odds are slightly better than 1:3 for a box topper. As for the autograph and relic groups, you're on your own there. I don't want to spent all day typing when I could be ripping. I will make these short observations though:

WEIRDEST AUTOGRAPH: Deep Blue
WEIRDEST RELIC: Bigfoot
WHY THE HELL ARE THERE TWO GROUPS FOR 1 OF 1 RELICS AWARD: Group B - Wooly Mammoth. It's either a 1 of 1 or it isn't. Make up your mind, people.

Can't wait any longer. Rrrrrrrrrrip!


W00T! Chipper's on the inside flap with Mickey, Ichiro and Abe (again) We get it Topps, you found some presidential pubes and put them in a card.

Oh, look. A serial number underneath the packs. I shall scan it and post it, for I am insane. Box #199? Low numbers, baby. Gotta love the low numbers.

Here's the checklist. If anyone specifically requests it, I'll scan it at 300 DPI and post if for ya. Right now, there's bigger fish to fry. BEHOLD ~ THE BOX TOPPER:

Last year I got a Cabinet card, this year an N43. Sounds fair to me. It's not thick or bumpy so no relics or autos for me. Let's rip.

I love it when you call me Big Papi... Out of all the Not Braves players on the checklist Ortiz is my favorite so we're starting off on a good foot here. Now, onto...

THE FIRST PACK

Here's the wrapper. Same design as the box top, just without Dave, Abe and Hot Dog Guy.

Here's the odds. I used up the Star Wars joke last year so we'll get on with it. THE ODDS:

Short Print 1:2

PARALLELS:
Short Print Mini 1:13
Orange Cards (what the unmitigated fuck is an Orange card??) 1:144
A&G back mini 1:5
A&G back mini short print 1:65
Black border mini 1:10
Black border mini short print 1:130
A&G cloth mini 1:439
No number mini 1:151
Bazooka back mini 1:301
Wood mini 1:4395

INSERTS:
World Leader mini 1:12
Ginter Code card (Greatest Victories) 1:24
Ancient Icons: 1:48
Baseball Icons 1:48
Dangerous Sharks N/A
Aviation N/A

AUTOS, RELICS AND OTHER ASSORTED JUNK:
Framed Relic Group A 1:280
Framed Relic Group B 1:71
Framed Relic Group C 1:20
Framed DNA Relic Group A 1:203,317
Framed DNA Relic Group B 1:264,312
Framed Auto Group A 1:277
Framed Auto Group B 1:256
Framed Auto Group C 1:135
Framed Auto Relic 1:26,431
Cut Sig: 1:138,500
Rip Card 1:189
Printing Plate 1:961
Framed Originals 1:26,500

FINALLY. Time to rip a pack! First card of 2008 A&G is....

BRIAN BANNISTER

Here's Pack #1.

239 Brian Bannister
270 Lance Berkman
126 Chris Young
310 Michael Bourn SP
35 Eric Byrnes Mini
US42 Tennessee - Todd Helton
99 John Bowker RC
69 Stevie Williams

Good start to the box. Packs 2-4 will be posted later tonight.