Topps Allen & Ginter 2022: My First Box!

It's finally here - Topps' annual Allen & Ginter release.  Ginter has long been my favorite brand - and now that I've cut drastically back on most card buying, Ginter is probably going to be the only new product I buy for myself this calendar year.  That being said, I did go kind of wild on Ginter so here's hoping it's a good set this year (at the time of my preorder, there was virtually no information about the set's checklist).

After playing a bit of "phone tag" with UPS regarding my delivery, my Ginter cards finally arrived and now I'm ready to crack into the first box.  My plan here is to do a running commentary of sorts - I've purposely not scoured any published checklists because the mystery is half the fun of Ginter!

Each hobby box contains 24 packs with 8 cards per pack.  There is also a box topper in each box.  Finally, each box promises three hits (if this follows the pattern of previous years, two of the hits will be full-sized relics while the third hit has a chance to be something a bit more interesting/rare).

Let's dig in!

Box 1:

Box topper:

Yeah, that's about right.  First card pulled out of the box is a Dodger.  *sigh*  I'm a Dodger magnet, nothing much else to say about the box topper.  I guess I can add that I do like the splash of color between the blue sky and the green trees, definitely a nicer looking cabinet card design than a lot of previous years.

Pack 1:

15.  Fernando Tatis, Jr.

77.  Buster Posey

80.  Hank Greenberg

210.  Jared Hart

279.  Larry Doby

321.  Luis Urias

Mini:  313.  George Kirby

PAG-6.  Pitching a Gem:  Justin Verlander

Not a bad start to the box with Mr. Cy Young 2022 himself, Verlander, plus a mini short print rookie card.  The Pitching a Gem card design is pretty cool, the pun/play on words works with the giant gemstone in the background providing a nice pop of color.  It's probably worth mentioning already that I do plan on trying to complete the full base set (#1-350) plus all of the full-sized and mini-sized insert cards.  The jury is still out as to whether or not I'll also chase after a mini base set (probably not but who knows).

Pack 2:

6.  Jacob DeGrom

36.  Jarred Kelenic

116.  Andre Dawson

147.  Mike Piazza

186.  Alex Verdugo

233.  Sam Mewis

Mini:  ITP-14.  Inside the Park:  Mount Rainier National Park

BS-34.  Banner Season:  Tom Glavine

Yay, my first mini insert of the box comes in pack #2.  I'm definitely going to be going for the full Inside the Park set - I love sets that highlight actual places one can visit.  I haven't personally been to Mount Rainier National Park but according to the card back over 2,000,000 other people do visit the park each year!

Pack 3:

38.  Johnny Bench

114.  Yogi Berra

117.  Carlos Correa

193.  Robbie Ray

296.  Jose Siri

322.  Dave Concepcion

A&G mini:  57.  Matt Olson

BS-22.  Banner Season:  Alex Rodriguez

My first Reds cards out of 2022 Allen & Ginter.  Hard to go wrong with Bench and Concepcion...both much better players than pretty much anyone who's suited up for Cincinnati in the last decade plus.  Ugh, it's been a rough go of things for Cincinnati Reds fans lately!  

Pack 4:

31.  Corbin Burnes

78.  Randy Johnson

89.  Robin Yount

123.  Roy Campanella

209.  Heliot Ramos

291.  Rodney Scott

Mini:  128.  Dick Allen

GTB-3.  Get That Bread:  Bahn Mi

Let's start with the full-sized Get That Bread insert set.  I LOVE it!  As a self-professed foodie who loves cooking, I'm all about that particular insert set.  Heck, if you'd like to follow my food exploits, here's my Instagram page where I try to post some of what I'm up to when it comes to cooking or grilling (and every now and then, baking).  Give me a follow on Instagram!

Turning back to the food card, the Bahn Mi sandwich is a favorite Vietnamese food - and one that I did a grilled version of earlier this summer:

The highlight of the sandwich is definitely the pickled vegetables!

That'll do it for the first four packs out of the box.  As you can see, part of the fun of Allen & Ginter is you never quite know what to expect...I mean, who thought I'd be peppering this post with pictures of food I cooked this past year?!  

For those of you who open up Ginter, please keep me in mind as a trade partner - especially for the minis and other inserts!!  I'll have more from this box in the near future...just need to give my typing fingers (and my scanner) a break for now!