A Taste of the new Ginter

I am not sure why but 2009 Allen and Ginter really didn't get me excited. Maybe I was still hung up on 2008 and needed a cool down. 2010 however has given me the baseball card fever again.

Upon hearing the news that Upper Deck would no longer be able to field an Major League Baseball product, my expectations for 2010 were low. I had not been impressed with the Topps base set for years. 2009 was not bad (meaning, I didn't HATE it), but I expected Topps to mail it in with no competition. I was very much mistaken. 2010 Topps has been, in my opinion, the best Topps set in years. I completed the first series pretty early, and I am pretty sure I am close on the second series already. I will have to find time to organize it later.

All of this new excitement for Topps product this year must have feed into the anticipation for the new Allen & Ginter set. A couple weeks ago I stopped by my local card shop and I saw the owner had a box of the Ginters. I was thrilled.

First a little back story on this shop. I go there because it is very close to my house, maybe two or three blocks. As far as prices and service, I dread going there. The gentleman that owns it has no knowledge what so ever of the product, and hovers as you scan the wall of packs to see what you want. I learned early not to chat about the product with him. The first time I did I ended up debating him for a short time that 2008 Ginter indeed came with EITHER a cabinet or an N43's. See he had apparently opened only two boxes that season and got both cabinet cards. Therefore it must mean that they stopped making the N43's.

After seeing the box of 2010 Ginter's I noticed that he had no open boxes to sell individual packs. He tells me that he only has one box and he is only going to sell it unopened. I was a little bummed, but OK it's his box.

"People only want to buy the full box, they want the Strasburg rookie."

"I haven't seen the retail packs yet, do you know when they are coming out?" I asked

"There are no retail Ginters" he scoffs

"Really?" I knew it was starting again, "They had them in 2008 and 2009, they stopped this year?"

"Allen and Ginter is only hobby".

And so I left. How I wish I could enjoy his shop. He doesn't have to do much to keep me coming back, because I want so badly to enjoy his store. Yet, he still manages to annoy me so much that I can actually leave a shop full of baseball cards empty handed. A feat that on willpower alone is near impossible.

Later this last week I Googled a hobby shop near work and was able to pick up two packs. My second pack I got a Mark Reynold base which I was very happy to find.

Then, to my bank accounts chagrin, my local Target was graced with the beauty that is Ginter. Caught up in the new set, and with the knowledge that my family budget will not allow for a hobby box, I scavenged through my collection to find cards I could sell to fund my addiction. You can view my feeble attempt here.

So with no money to buy a hobby box, and starving on the small amount of Ginter I can glean from the retail packs, I had to do something. I did what any self-respecting Baseball card addicted blogger would do, I bought some Ginter relics on E-bay. (would you believe I wrote this entire post, just to show them off.)



I picked up a Stephen Drew, and two Mark Reynold bat cards. I had to get two Reynolds you see, combined shipping dictated it.