The 2018 Topps Allen & Ginter release follows the same pattern that we’ve come to expect. It features old time players, current players, and an assortment of pop culture figures, things, and places. I’ve heard some rumbling about how some of the relics available in the release are not actually real (like one from the Kraken!), but they seem popular none the less.
The set is the same format once again, containing 300 Base cards and an additional 50 SPs (301-350). Unlike a lot of other releases, while these SPs are shorter, they’re still attainable falling one in every two packs. You’ll also find a random assortment of insert sets featuring the likes of the World’s Hottest Peppers, the World’s Greatest Beaches, and Baseball Equipment of the Ages.
July means release time for Allen & Ginter. It’s always a fun set which, while clearly a baseball set, also offers a little bit of a change of pace with various off beat inclusions. It includes anything from insert sets focusing on Revolutionary Battles or World’s Dude to regular relics and autographs.
The release is bolstered by Aaron Judge, as are most of the 2017 releases. There is also a mix of sports writers and various other stars, such as Floyd Mayweather and William Shatner. Hot boxes make their first appearances in Allen & Ginter with an entire box filled with Foil Base parallels instead of standard base cards.
One of my favorite releases of the year returns with more of the same. For me, Allen & Ginter almost isn’t a baseball card set, as much as an everything set. Sure, the set’s primary focus has always been baseball, but you also get an assortment of various other champions and unique insert sets. You can even find from movie characters this time.
It seems to me there is less flair this year than normal, however, for some reason. Maybe I’ve grown accustomed to more inserts or variety, but it feels a little lacking in this installment.
The 2015 release represents the tenth year of Topps’ Allen & Ginter offering, and they plan to celebrate it. Aside from the normal assortment of baseball players, other sport stars, and pop culture figures, buyback cards from the previous nine years are featured, as well. It does seem a little bit odd to pull a one year old buyback card, paying tribute to the history of the set, which itself is paying tribute to the history of the vintage set.
