2008 Topps Allen & Ginter: US States Review

With every passing day, I seem to get a card or two closer to completing the plethora of sets I'm attempting to build. In fact, today I set out my half of the trades to Stephen B., Greg G., and Daniel K. As I finish the different sets and insert sets, I try to post a review of them here for everyone to see... Today's finished set is the US States insert set in 2008 Topps Allen & Ginter.

The US States insert set consists of 50 cards, one for each state. Each card features the state flag and a player whom we can only assume was born in the state. A few states were a bit of stretch (Tim Stauffer for Maine and Seth McClung for West Virginia come to mind). Other states feature a legitimate star, including Derek Jeter of New Jersey and Ryan Howard of Missouri.

The cards are inserted approximately one per pack (both retail and hobby). Essentially, the cards are the "dummy" card found in many other brands. The cards are extra thick so as to discourage pack searched from finding the relics and autos. I, for one, appreciate having a "real" card as filler as opposed to a generic advertisement. Personally, the fact that Topps made the filler a 50 card insert set instead is pure genius. All of the sudden, people want the filler card as opposed to simply throwing them out!

As for the set itself, I like it. It's educational. Did you know the state flag of Ohio is a pennant? Did you know the state flag of Hawaii has the British cross on it? Did you know the state flag of Maryland looks like a drunken NASCAR fan crossed with a snobby Middle Ages elite designed it? You don't get that kind of knowledge from other brands folks.

The Bottom Line:
I give the 2008 Topps Allen & Ginter US States Insert set an 95/100.

Pros: Thick cards feel sturdy - much nicer than generic filler. No short prints within the 50 cards, so the set isn't too difficult to complete. One card per state, with a variety of teams and players represented means there is at least one card for everyone. The facts about the player on the back relate the player to the state - that's a nice touch! The insert set takes a hobby "necessity" (the dummy cards) and turns it into something that's truly collectible.

Cons:
None really. The biggest complaint is that the photos are kind of boring - but they clearly show the team of the player (which isn't mentioned on the card fronts), so even that probably shouldn't be changed. I would have like the cards numbered based on their date of statehood (rather than alphabetical).

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Are you interested in the set? Now that I have completed my own set, I have a stack of doubles waiting to be traded away. The cards I have to trade are: (doubles indicated by parenthesis)

Last update: 11/12/08:

#US3: Arizona - Brian Bannister
#US4: Arkansas - Torii Hunter
#US8: Delaware - Ian Snell
#US10: Georgia - Nick Markakis
#US11 - Hawaii - Shane Victorino
#US14 - Indiana - Scott Rolen
#US15 - Iowa - Casey Blake
#US16 - Kansas - Nate Robertson
#US18 - Louisiana - Jonathan Papelbon
#US19 - Maine - Tim Stauffer
#US20 - Maryland - Mark Teixeira
#US21 - Massachusetts - Chris Capuano
#US22 - Michigan - Jason Veritek
#US25 - Missouri - Ryan Howard
#US27 - Nebraska - Alex Gordon
#US30 - New Jersey - Derek Jeter
#US32 - New York - Alex Rodriguez
#US33 - North Carolina - Ryan Zimmerman
#US34 - North Dakota - Travis Hafner
#US35 - Ohio - Nick Swisher
#US36 - Oklahoma - Matt Holliday
#US39 - Rhode Island - Paul Konerko (2)
#US42 - Tennessee - Todd Helton (2)
#US44 - Utah - Brandon Lyon
#US46 - Virginia - David Wright
#US48 - West Viginia - Seth McClung

You can find my want list here.