2014 Topps Allen & Ginter's: Box #2 Begins!

Yesterday, I finished off my first box of 2014 Topps Allen & Ginter's.  That means I get to start digging into my second box today!  For the first box, the base cards were all (mostly) new to me so I felt compelled to write out each and every card in each and every pack.  By now, most of you are probably sick of Ginter (not me though) and don't want to read about each and every base card.

As such, I have decided to simply go with the highlights of each pack.  The benefit to my new method should be that it's slightly quicker to rip through packs - so much so that I'm hoping to do four packs in a post rather than two.  This post gets a bonus though in that you also get the box topper.

Speaking of - here is mine:

This is available for trade - otherwise it'll end up on eBay.  I have decided against going after the box topper sets this year - there are simply too many of them (and I didn't buy enough hobby boxes) to come even remotely close to completing any of the sets.  Not to mention the fact that I'm still working on previous year's box topper sets with little success.

Pack 1:

An Into the Unknown mini was the highlight (and a great way to start the box off)!  Leif Ericson was established a settlement in what is now known as Newfoundland way back in the year 1000.

Pack 2:

Pack 2 was mostly dull except for this Juan Gonzalez regular back mini short print.

Pack 3:

A Hanley Ramirez A&G back mini was the best card in the pack but I preferred getting my second Billy Hamilton rookie base card if I'm being honest!

Pack 4:

We end today's post with the fourth pack which happened to hold another A&G backed mini - this time of Enny Romero.

No hits, but still a fun start to box #2.  I love the mini inserts so getting one of those right off the bat is a great beginning if you ask me.  Stay tuned for more Ginter goodies in the near future (but next up a Ginter post from the 1800s rather than the 2000s)!!  Don't miss that.

2014 Topps Allen & Ginter Box #1 Conclusion: Given the Choice Between an Autograph and Being Boiled Alive...

For me, it's always a bit sad to reach into a hobby box and pull out the final few packs.  I love opening up packs so getting to the end of the box is always a bit of a somber experience.  Happily for me, while the first box of 2014 Topps Allen & Ginter's is all but complete, I still have three more sitting on my desk waiting to be ripped (and scaned...and posted)!  

Through 22 packs, I've found exactly two hits which means there better be a hit in one of the final two packs or else my box was shorted...  

Pack 23:

169.  Dale Murphy

176.  Anthony Robles

194.  Avisail Garcia

253.  Rickey Henderson

Pastime's Pastimes:  Rickey Henderson

Reg. mini:  65.  Fred McGriff

Framed autograph:  AGA-DR.  Darin Ruf

Well, the good news is my box had three hits.  Even better news is I lucked out and pulled an autograph.  The bad news?  I've never even heard of Darin Ruf before - even if the back of the card says he is a star outfielder for the Philadelphia Phillies.  

Pack 24:

12.  Jedd Gyorko

34.  Felix Hernandez

175.  Chase Utley

267.  Kevin Clancy

268.  Jarrod Parker

271.  Chuck Klosterman

Pastime's Pastimes:  Nolan Ryan

Outlaws, Bandits, and All-Around Ne'er Do Wells:  Ishikawa Goemon

We end the box on a high note (for me) with another mini insert.  Did you know that Goemon was a legendary Japanese outlaw in the 16th century who ultimately met his demise when he and his son were boiled alive in public as punishment?  

2014 Topps Allen & Ginter Box #1: It's a No-Number Party!

We are about to close out the first (of four) 2014 Topps Allen & Ginter's hobby boxes.  Currently, only four packs remain which means by the end of the post there will be a mere two packs to bust tonight in order to finish off the full box!  There should still be one more hit lurking somewhere in the final four packs - let's see if we find it now!

Pack 21:
23.  Snoop Lion
41.  Lou Gehrig
69.  Johnny Cueto
126.  Willie Stargell
238.  Bert Kreischer
304.  Matt Cain
Festivals & Fairs:  2.  Carnivale

Carnivale seems like a crazy party seeing as how it's a weeklong celebration!  Of course, the image on the card sort of looks like something that belongs in the early 1900s which would probably greatly reduce the levels of revelry and craziness.
World's Deadliest Predators:  3.  Blue-Ringed Octopus

Yeah, another mini insert for me!  Remember, I WANT YOUR 2014 ALLEN & GINTER'S INSERTS (REGULAR SIZED AND MINIS).

Pack 22:
29.  Shelby Miller
(114.)  Desmond Jennings

As others have already noticed, the Desmond Jennings base card actually has no card number on the back.  While Ginter is known for lots of crazy ideas, the best guess is that the Desmond Jennings card somehow relates to the Crack the Code contest.  
118.  Adam Schefter
199.  Joe Mauer
231.  Carlos Gomez
330.  Joe Kelly
Fields of Yore:  Wrigley Field

Can a Field of Yore really be a field that is still in use today?  I have to think Topps could have found some out-of-use fields to fill out the Fields of Yore checklist rather than relying on old, but still in use stadiums like Wrigley.
A&G back no number mini:  Hector Santiago

I guess the theme for pack #22 was no numbers seeing as how I pulled two such cards!  The no numbered minis are seeded 1:64 packs which means they are one pack easier to find than the A&G back short prints (such as the one I pulled earlier in the box).

Guess What? More 2014 Allen & Ginter's Packs!

At my current rate of three posts per day with two packs per post, I should be finishing off my first of four hobby boxes of 2014 Topps Allen & Ginter today.  If so, that means we are sure to have at least one more hit today as well since I've only found two of the promised three to date!  Let's keep ripping.

Pack 19:
50.  Orlando Hernandez
134.  Jordan Zimmerman
143.  Eddie Mathews
246.  Dwight Gooden
270.  Ryan Howard
290.  Hanley Ramirez
Pastime's Pastimes:  Tom Glavine
Reg. mini:  232.  Ozzie Smith

Not a lot to write home about (or even write a blog post about) in that pack.  The mini Ozzie was the clear highlight - one of the few Cardinals that I don't mind.

Pack 20:
76.  Cal Ripken Jr.
87.  Alex Gordon
89.  Chuck Todd
191.  Jordan Burroughs
203.  Jared Weaver
299.  Enny Romero
Pastime's Pastimes:  Ted Williams

I don't think "veteran" should count as a pastime.  The card does mention that Williams also likes to fish (and once caught a 1,235 pound black marlin).  Fishing is a pastime - but I guess that isn't as impressive as veteran on the back of a baseball card.
Black bordered mini:  180.  Ryan Riess

Code ad card

Well, four packs remain - one of them better hold a hit (and hopefully it's something great)!  I don't think I could make my money back from this box so far (or even come close).  However, this is only the first of four boxes so who knows what might happen!

2014 Topps Allen & Ginter's Hobby Box #1: Say Hey! Another Hit Shows Up!

A box of 2014 Topps Allen & Ginter's contains 24 packs.  I'm now about to rip open packs 17 and 18 which means I'm about to hit the three-quarter mark of the box.  With only one hit so far, it would seem likely that I should get a second hit real soon!

Pack 17:
2.  Don Mattingly
7.  Hector Santiago
45.  Nomar Garciaparra
136.  Carlos Gonzalez
Pastime's Pastimes:  Lou Brock

According to the card back, Brock is a businessman who has ran a flower shop and a Dodger dealership.
Black border mini:  79.  Matt Adams

This is turning into a Cardinals-centric pack.
FSR-JH.  Relic:  Jason Heyward

My second hit of the box is a full sized Heyward relic.  I think this is a much better card than my first hit (the Ian Desmond relic) at least!  

Pack 18:
16.  Bartolo Colon
46.  John L. Sullivan
117.  Yu Darvish
124.  Jonathan Schoop
248.  Mark Teixeira
309.  Hunter Pence
Natural Wonder:  17.  Luray Caverns

Reg. mini:  84.  Francisco Liriano

Not a bad pair of packs.  The Heyward relic is quite nice (it will probably either serve as trade bait or eBay fodder though for me).  I also like getting the Natural Wonder cards - and now I'm one card closer to completing my set!