What's Wrong With 2012 Topps Allen & Ginter? Let's Find Out.

I'm a huge fan of the Allen & Ginter line.  I have every set from 2006 through this year complete and I've either completed or am still working on the vast majority of the insert sets from most of those years as well.  With that said, here's my take on the current state of the Allen & Ginter brand and where it should go from here as we start thinking about the 2013 edition of the set.

Base:

Up until last year, Topps kept the base cards looking almost identical (that is, they were designed with a minimalist attitude).  However, in 2011 Topps must have sensed some malaise growing in terms of the design and so they added a bit of flair.  This year, Topps added a fancy border to the base cards which, if nothing else, sets the design apart from previous editions.  The backs of the cards, however, have been virtually the same since the sets inception.

From my perspective, I don't mind Topps messing with the basic design elements of the base set.  I prefer to be able to glance at a Ginter card and know the year rather than having to really study it in order to figure out the small differences.  My issue with the base set is that this year's set (and last year's) has drifted away from what made Ginter so quirky.  Oh sure, there are still "Champions" in the set which ran the gamut from billiards players to surfers, but the real quirky stuff has been removed.  There are no buildings, natural landmarks, or other man made objects (like revolving doors) in the base set.  There are no planets or stars either.  As such, I found this year's base Ginter set to be one of the most boring sets in the product line.

Inserts:

Allen & Ginter is probably best known for strange people in the base set, weird mini cards, and framed hits (plus the rip cards).  I will give Topps credit here, they have successfully kept the minis fun, interesting, and varied.  I do wish they would put the same amount of effort in the regular size insert sets.  Frankly, I'm tired of the one-per-pack or one-per-every-other-pack sets such as this year's "What's in a Name" set.  Sure, it gave me another 100 cards to chase, but why not make the base set 450 cards instead?  Do I really need two cards of Derek Jeter or Alfonso Soriano?  Most definitely not.

Hits:

While I've been happy with the various mini cards throughout Ginter's history - including this year, I was quite disappointed by the hits in this year's set.  More specifically, I was disappointed to learn that Topps removed most of the "fun" hits from the set.  Sure, there are plenty of non-baseball player relics out there - but other than Balloon Boy, there aren't any relics containing interesting bits of material.  There are no rope pieces, no domino chunks, no ping-pong paddles, and no playing cards.  Frankly, I found those relics to be great fun - getting a piece of Joyner-Kersee's shirt or shorts just isn't the same.

Summary:


Although the tone of the post might have sounded a bit whiny, I didn't mean for it to be.  Overall, I liked the 2012 Allen & Ginter set.  I didn't love it, but I did like it better than last year's set.  However, there are a few things that Topps can do to make the 2013 set much better, in short:
1.  Bring back the oddities in the base set.
2.  Bring back unique relic pieces.
3.  Keep varying the front design of the base card, leave the backs alone.
4.  Keep an interesting autograph/relic line-up
5.  Make the unannounced inserts a bit more interesting (Guys in Hats, Fashionable Ladies are both kind of lame).
6.  Figure out a way to avoid large (regular size) insert sets that act as filler.

If Topps could do the six things that I've highlighted above (plus the usual work on the rest of the set including making more interesting mini sets), the 2013 Allen & Ginter set could be one for the ages (or as Topps would say:  a game changer).

Of course, those are only my opinions - what do you think?  Like the set, love it, or hate it?  I'm certainly interested in your views (even if Topps doesn't read my blog)!