stuck in the middle

Around the middle of July, I was happy to announce that Aardvark Trading Co. was going to be in the position to sell hobby boxes of Topps Allen & Ginter baseball cards after preordering an entire case from some eBayer. We were very excited to be able to touch an unopened case, bust it, and then hopefully keep track of the “hits” (as the kids call them) as reported by people purchasing boxes. I thought it would provide an excellent opportunity for interested parties to study a case of cards and over analyze it… to death.

I was on edge waiting for the UPS truck for the initial days that followed Topps’ official release. Nothing. Then I finally got the eBayer on the horn and was informed that his supplier had declared bankruptcy. Long excuse short…. there would be no case coming.
Bummer. We got our money refunded without a problem, but already the price of cases (now in hand) had increased to the point that we didn’t think it would be a wise investment given that the market was immediately saturated with product.

Jay Marshall (2007 Topps A&G no. 244 and black-bordered mini)

I managed to get these Jay Marshall cards autographed in person the same day. It was then that I realized that I was going to have to rethink my plan for dealing with the 2008 set. Would I find myself trolling for blaster boxes at Target, paying way more for a box than I cared to from a local dealer, or trying to find a three hobby box deal online?

Walking out of the third different Target store in a 36-hour period on Saturday afternoon, I decided to purchase a hand-collated set online, and invest the difference (both time and money) in the pursuit of the sets I’ve been neglecting- 2006 A&G and 1975 Topps.

Mike Caldwell (1975 Topps no. 347) and a 1975 Dodge Dart Sport

I’ve seen quite a bit of the 2008 Allen & Ginter set via the interweb. I have to say that experiencing cards like these is probably best done with the actual cards in hand rather than seeing them online. So I will save my thoughts on the set until I have one in front of me.

By the way, I’ve also wasted a good couple of days trying to crack the damn Allen & Ginter code, but I believe the code has cracked me. I wonder if that’ll win me a prize off the lower shelf.

– Kris

a case for allen & ginter

Who doesn’t remember their first pack of Topps Allen & Ginter baseball cards? Mine appeared in the form of a retail pack from Target during the onset of fall 2006. Intrigued by the wrapper, I knew I was hooked the moment I ripped the thing open (at home, not in the store!). As much as I liked the look and feel of those cards, I thought they were too expensive. The cards also went against one of my personal rules for collecting- namely investing in cards that I feel provide me with even the slightest chance of getting them autographed in person. As you recall, this product isn’t exactly loaded with minor leaguers. In fact, they probably have close to the same number of dead writers as minor league ballplayers. But I also like those, so there you go.

I got a hobby box of the ‘06 Allen and Ginter cards that year for Krismas, and I think I later picked up a blaster box. Still, I never attacked the set seriously. As a result, that set remains on my “To Collect” list.

Billy Butler (2007 – no. 147)

My approach to collecting the ‘07 set, however, was a fish of a completely different color. After suspending my self-imposed rule of collecting cards only to get them autographed, I assembled the entire set of the “regular-sized” cards, and have come within a half dozen or so of an entire set of the minis. I wouldn’t have been able to even complete the base set without having made a number of trades online with other baseball card bloggers and collectors utilizing a couple of baseball card trading message boards. I am of the opinion that the Allen & Ginter cards are the koolest issue since the 1975 Topps series!

Gustavo Molina (2007 – no. 334)

Every now and again, I will luck into getting one of these cards signed in person. As I’m sure you already determined for yourself, these cards look fantastic autographed! Sure, the certified autographed minis are a fun pull, but for my money you cannot beat the experience of meeting a player and watching him ink your card in person. You simply cannot pull that sort of thing from a pack, or a box, or a case.

Rich Hill (2007 – no. 193)

And now you find yourself in 2008, with more than half the pages missing from your calendar. How will YOU approach collecting the 2008 Allen & Ginter baseball cards? If you haven’t already formulated a plan in your head, I suggest you do so in the near future.

Chris Duncan (2007 – no. 301)

Several weeks ago, the masterminds behind Aardvark Trading Company invested in an entire case of the product. Don’t worry; we aren’t in a position to bust the entire thing ourselves. Instead, we will be selling sealed boxes to interested readers of this blog, and customers who navigate the internet to our website without ever having stumbled across our babblings here. With the cards scheduled for release at the beginning of next week, we hope to receive our case by Saturday, July 26th. We anticipate being able to begin shipping out boxes immediately after that. We are hoping that the people who purchase a box from us will let us and the other readers know of any interesting discoveries, and together through the power of the internet, we can study the anatomy of a case of baseball cards. Tell me you’ve never wondered…

Ryan Shealy (2007 – no. 67)

NOTICE (8/4/08): Our case never arrived! Please click HERE for an update…

Mike Rabelo (2007 – no. 69)

Whether you purchase your 2008 Topps Allen & Ginter cards from your local dealer, elsewhere online, or with the AMAZINGLY nice and creative folks at Aardvark Trading Company, you will be encouraged to trade cards with us as we build our personal sets and you work towards whatever goal you set for yourself. I will post a needs list on the TRADE portion of our website soon after I bust my first box- or possibly my second.

– Kris