Over the years, Topps has included just about everything in Allen & Ginter. From monster truck tracks to sea monkeys to magic beans, it's hard to believe they haven't found a way to fit in a kitchen sink yet. It's this eclectic mix of stuff that gives Ginter its personality and makes it one of the biggest releases of the year. 2014 Topps Allen & Ginter Baseball maintains this theme with a new lineup of baseball stars, celebrities and extraordinary folks with strange talents.
Starting with the autographs, big baseball names include Jose Abreu, Greg Maddux, Mike Trout and Mark McGwire. The set also has the first George Springer autograph card since his call-up. On the non-baseball side, there is lots of variety as usual. Among the highlights are Clerks director Kevin Smith, Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan, rapper Snoop Lion (or the artist formerly known as Snoop Dogg), Anthony Bourdain and former Disney CEO and current Topps executive, Michael Eisner. Perhaps the most curious inclusion is Dr. James Andrews, one of the most recognizable surgeons in sports.
Another popular part of Allen & Ginter are the Rip Cards. On their own, they're tough cards. But there's something else inside. It might be something really fancy or it might not be. Do you destroy one card to chase another? It's a gimmick that was popular enough to see it expand to Double Rip Cards that have two special cards inside.
All the various pieces of 2014 Topps Allen & Ginter Baseball are intriguing, but what makes the set go over-the-top is the fact that it attracts such wide audiences. There are collectors who chase master sets, non-collectors going after the non-baseball portions, set builders chasing the base set and everywhere in between. The result is a set with lots of cards, a lot of angles and plenty of surprises.
Below is a real-time hot list of the 50 most-watched 2014 Topps Allen & Ginter Baseball auctions currently listed on eBay. Use it to track trends, see top cards as they're listed and get a general sense of what the product is all about. It updates on its own so feel free to check back.
