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2012 Allen & Ginter Review
What I liked about the product?
The autograph checklist is outstanding. With the possibility of pulling some big name baseball players (Yu Darvish, Mike Trout), other sports athletes (Arnold Palmer), or a swimsuit model (Kate Upton). Every card like looks like hand-drawn which is appealing to me. These cards stand out every single year and are great for autograph seekers who like getting in-person autographs. No duplicates in the same box is always a plus.
What I didn't like about the product?
I'm probably one of the few that doesn't really care for some of the inserts in this set. I was never into History when I was in college, but it's refreshing to get a look at some historic buildings or events. The set is always close to impossible to complete and I love following some collectors in their journey at doing so. I'm not really a big fan of the Ginter Code. Only one person will go home with the autograph set.
CHECKLIST:
Every year Topps come out on all cylinders with thier A&G checklist. They include non-sports figures from the past or even sports reporters. This year included Kate Upton, Erin Andrews, Arnold Palmer and more. They have a nice mixture of former players like Rickey Henderson, along with current stars and rookies.
DESIGN:
Like I mentioned earlier, the cards look like hand-drawn art. Topps keep their borders very simple and don't change much each year. If it's not broken, why try to fix it? The Autographs and Relic border design still use that classic frame but this year Topps decided to use black. It's not as appealing this year as they were in the past but you want them to look different from previous years.
FUN FACTOR:
As a baseball collector, this isn't the product for you because of all the other odd cards in this product. It's great for someone who collects multiple sports or loves history. The possibility of pulling a Kate Upton autograph made this a fun product for me. It's very rare to you'll pull any duplicates in the same box also makes A&G better than some products.
VALUE:
It's a tough set to collect and it would take a very long time trying to complete. If you are into bizarre sets, then this is for you because of all the random inserts like 'World's Tallest Buildings' or 'Historic Turning Points'. You're guaranteed 3 hits in each box and a mini in each pack, plus each box contains a box loader (oversized card). There are chances to pull some unique cards like DNA relics, A&G Book Cards, Rip Cards and many more.
Box Loader(Click Pictures to Enlarge)
FINAL RATINGS:
Checklist 4.7/5
Design 4.5/5
Fun 4.5/5
Value 4/5
Total: 17.7 /20
Be on the look out for a MLB Playoffs contest next month. I'll be giving away a couple of cards that were pulled from this box.
I'd like to thank Topps for giving me the opportunity to review this product. For more information on all their products, visit them at www.topps.com.
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