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Tuesday, July 6, 2010

2010 Allen & Ginter Box Break Part 1: Packaging, Box Topper and the Very First Pack




Ok, I have my box, it is all ripped up, I know exactly what is and is not in the box and it's time to show it off to the world. The first thing I have to show is all the various ephemera and assorted detritus contained there in, AKA the packaging. Don't give me that look, I always do this. The box top is nice. Old Timey player (Night Owl calls him Minty Beans and I believe I shall as well) pivots for the double play while surrounded by two cards you likely won't get and one you sure as hell won't get.


The inner flap is a tad disappointing as it is merely a reordering of the box top. The inside flap has slowly devolved in originality since I broke my first box in 2007 and next year it will likely be the exact same as the front image. 2012 will have a plain blank cardboard inside flap and in 2013, There will be no packaging at all, Topps will just throw a handful of packs into a used Wal-Mart shopping bag and twist tie the top.

Here are the interesting bits from the side panels. They are mostly the typical ad stuff, but there's a different image on each side for once. Might they be a part of the Code?



Grand Sailing Ship


Flaming Vuvuzela/World's Largest Spliff


Wild Turkey


Old Timey Astronomer/Prevert looking in the Girl's Dorm Window

These might actually be representations of some of the cards in the set. There's a Ship insert set... and I think something about astrology... and turkeys? Oh heck with it. Vuvuzela activate! BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

The box bottom has typical legalese. the left side is boring so no scan. Here's the box odds:


I have no idea how an N43 can be 1:3 boxes, a cabinet can be 1:2 boxes and you still get something in every box. All that autorelic crap does not land 1:6 boxes which is what you would need to make the math add up. Topps couldn't even answer their own Canadian skill test question with that mathematical shoddiness.


Now this is interesting. No more group A and B and C D E F G relic and autos. All of 'em are mushed up in a big lump o' autorelics. You can read all that mess yourself, here are only ones I care about:

Autos:
Tommy Hanson
Yunel Escobar
Jason Heyward

Relics:
Brian McCann
Yunel Escobar
Melky Cabrera

This list subject to change.


Oh, look. A serial number underneath the packs. I shall scan it and post it, for I am insane. These numbers are getting complicated. A&G never had letters in their serial number before unless they have always used Base 24 and just not told anyone.


Ok, just because I love you all and I have no idea how close I am to filling up my free Picasa photo storage here's the checklist in 400DPI.



Enjoy quickly, the nanosecond Google wants me to pay I'm deleting the suckers.


Ok! Actual cardage! I GOTS A CABINET CARD!


Topps does not in any Manner, make any representations as to whether its cards will attain any future value.
AIN'T IT DA TRUTH.
Did all you Strasburg Psychotics read that? Do you need CPR now? Ok, here's the card:


A MAN, A PLAN, A CANAL, PANAMA

Looking over the checklist, this is the absolute best I could have possibly done for a Cabinet card. Teddy Roosevelt is my favorite president so I can dig this one. Better than a cabinet card of Andrew McCutcheon and only Andrew McCutcheon.

All right. this is what you've all been waiting for. THE FIRST PACK:


But first, the odds:


Here are the odds and the number of said inserts you can reasonable expect in any given box:

Short Print - 1:2 (12 per box)
Mini Short print - 1:13 (2 per box, 1 if you're unlucky)
Mini A&G Ad back - 1:5 (6 per box)
Mini A&G Ad back SP - 1:65 (I suppose you could get one)
Mini Black border - 1:10 (2 per box, three if you're lucky)
Mini Black border SP - 1:130 (not likely)
Mini No number - 1:140 (still not likely)
Mini Bazooka back (not bloody likely)
Mini Wood - (fughettaboudit)
National Animals - 1:8 (3 per box)
Lords Of Olympus - 1:12 (2 per box)
Monsters of the Mesozoic - 1:12 (2 per box)
Worlds Greatest Wordsmiths - 1:24 (1 per box)
Sailors of the Seven Seas - 1:24 (1 per box)
Creatures of Legend, Myth and Joy 1:288 (The hell? These aren't on the checklist! Dammit Topps)
Baseball Highlight Sketch insert - 1:10 (2 per box, three if you're lucky)
Rip card 1:285 (5 other bloggers you know will pull one, but you won't)
Framed Printing plates - 1:799
Framed Cloth cards - 1:365 (Printing plates and Silks only come when you aren't expecting them. Are you expecting one? Then forget it.)
Framed Mini Autographs - 1:40 (Oh you're really hoping to pull one of these...)
Framed Relics - 1:11 (But you'll get three of these instead.)
Cut Signatures - 1:110,000 (Only if you buy one of those awful TriStar packs along with your box of A&G)
Monsters of the Mesozoic redemption card - 1:174,000 (It's a redemption, don't sweat it)
Book Cards - 1:127,875 (Why would you want this anyway?)
Frames  DNA relic - 1:200,000 (Is your name Beckett? then no)

Ok cards now for reals. TEH FURST CARDE INN THEE PAKC:

(note to Gint-A-Cuff Nazis - it is 12:15 right now and I need to post this quickly so I can go to sleep. I'll add up points tomorrow sometime)

73 - Avery Jenkins


Champion Disc Golfer. That's the way to set the tone for the entire break. Any sport that requires the competitors to grab a large phallus in order to play the sport is all right with me.

63 Matt Carson


After being mostly unobtrusive in their other releases, Topps now throws that Rookie Card logo RIGHT IN YOUR FACE for their most design sensitive set of the year. Graphic design genius, I say.

267 Martin Prado


MARTEEEEEEEEEN! Your Starting National League All Star second baseman. If you don't know who Martin is by now, you just don't know baseball.

64 Josh Beckett


I can't remember - is Beckett incredible or a bum this year? It's so hard to keep track of these things.

91 Carlos Zambrano -1


BOOOOOOOOOOOO! I'm playing hearts and I just took the queen of spades. Stupid Cubbie hothead.

AGHS5 Ichiro Sketch card


Screw you haters, I like the sketch cards. Not enough to rescan it when it got cut off at the bottom, but I like them. Ichiro's probably the best of a sparse checklist this year.

206 JD Drew A&G mini +2


Bluh. My first two minis of the year are Teixeira and Drew. Oh well, does this card make the FrankenSet? the answer is....

YES

A&G Drew bumps a 2007 Mike Napoli out of the binder.

TDH51 Gordon Beckham +1


Cool, a Bulldog for my first This Date in history. I think this will be my favorite of all the one-per-pack insert sets from A&G (No offense Dick Perez - your sketches are cool too)

Packs 2-4 will be up tomorrow. I hope.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

My son and I got a box today. Best we pulled was a Leonardo DaVinci printer plate.

Anonymous said...

"I have no idea how an N43 can be 1:3 boxes, a cabinet can be 1:2 boxes and you still get something in every box"

If I'm guessing, the autographs and relics would make up the difference, although that seems like pretty good odds to pull an auto or relic.

Unknown said...

A Regis auto? Really? That Prado card is sick though, and he should have been the starter in the AS game anyway, I feel like the Baseball Gods "took care" of Utley for that reason!

http://threeupdown.blogspot.com/

Cameron said...

Hey Dayf, I pulled a Heyward auto out of my box. I originally put it on ebay but pulled it off as I had a bunch of people (19) watching it and not bidding while it sat at $1.00. It got up to 27.00 but I'm not going to sell it for only $40 to $50. So I'm really not sure what I'm going to do with it. I'd be willing to trade it if I got an offer that I liked. If you'd like to try to work something out let me know.

Casey said...

Awesome post; I look forward to seeing the rest of your box. If you ever want to trade any Wordsmiths or Olympus cards, let me know. I'm trying to build those two subsets.

Eileen said...

does anyone have anything on the Myths and Legends set?

Unknown said...

Dude! Please quit your job and do stand up comedy! You are F'ing hilarious!!!!