Box Toppers
Each hobby box of Allen and Ginter holds a box topper pack with a single card from one of several bonus sets. The most common of these are the N43 Box Loaders, which celebrate a different series of vintage tobacco cards on card that measure 3 1/4" by 2 7/8". Three players have autographed versions (A-Rod, Ryan Howard and David Wright) and ten have relic variations.
Cards of a whole different size comprise the National Pride Box Loaders series. Ten different 5 3/4" by 8" cards shine the spotlight on the different nations that produce MLB players, with four different countrymen on each one.
One of the toughest pulls from the box loader packs is also one of the more interesting takes on an autographed card in recent memory. CH Felicity's Diamond Jim, the dog who won the most recent Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, lends his signature (actually a paw print) to 50 cards.
My box topper was a National Pride card depicting South Korea's Shin-Soo Choo, Chan Ho Park, Byung-Hyun Kim and Jae Kuk Ryu.
Printing Plates, Framed Original Cards and Rip Cards
A few more types of rare cards can also be found in packs of Allen and Ginter baseball. The four printing plates used to create the mini cards have all been inserted into packs, and they are all one-of-one's. Topps has also purchased some original A & G tobacco cards and framed them in a manner similar to the relic cards.
Falling one per case are the popular rip cards which also appeared in the 2006 set. The rip cards are regular-sized cards that also contain a mini card inside. Collectors can choose to keep the card intact or take a chance and rip it open to unveil a number of different goodies.
For starters, there are 40 additional mini cards that can only be found inside the rip cards. Some of these extra minis rose to triple-digit values in 2006, and the Daisuke Matsuzaka card in this year's set stands out as one that could experience similar interest.
There are also red ink autographs hand-numbered to ten, wood parallels numbered to one and original Dick Perez sketches on mini cards also limited to one copy each.
None of these popular but scarce cards found their way into my sample box.
The Last Word
Can Topps catch lightning in a bottle again with Allen and Ginter Baseball after it was one of the company's most popular sets in 2006? The early signs are good, as the 2007 edition is a worthy follow-up and a fantastic set in its own right.
The cards are visually striking, the inserts are creative and the historical touches are well-done. The mini cards make Allen and Ginter fun to open by the pack or by the box, and it appears to be one of the rare products that can appeal to set-builders and singles hunters alike. Topps has done another excellent job with this one, and it would come as little surprise if it holds up as one of the most popular sets in any sport in 2007.
