Opening Up Some 2019 Allen & Ginter

Allen and Ginter is one of my favorite releases of the year. It often takes a lot of slack for the inclusion of non-sports-related cards, but I find that quite fun. There aren't any other sets that combine baseball, canines, trains, flowers, horses, and lost languages. And that's just the 2019 release alone. I doubt those reading a baseball card blog (or running their own) are one-hobby types of folks--I'm certain our interests stretch far and wide beyond baseball--so seeing subsets of things like The History of Flight, subjects that likely don't get any representation anywhere else on cardboard, has the potential to be quite fun. 

Of course, baseball is still the primary draw for me. The design and photography in this year's set is the sharpest it's been in years. I feel Topps got out of its own way this year and opted for a minimul design, similar to the 2010 set. The "framed" sets of the last few years tended to feel closed off and the cards blended too closely together, creating a sort of indistinguisable set of cards. Each of these cards from 2019, however, seems to have its own personality, with the design tying the cards together. 

That said, I'm intrigued by the the background imagery used in the Piazza, Pollock, and Buehler cards above. It seems to be of an old-timey, fictional stadium (a pretty cool touch), though considering the backdrop in all three cards is nearly identical, I wonder if it was used too much throughout the set. Regardless, I'm happy to add a new Buehler to the PC. 

Along with those Dodgers base cards above, I also managed to land a pretty cool Kershaw insert. This cancer isn't into astrology, zodiacs, or star signs, but it's still a pretty cool lense from which to approach a card set. I mean, where else would you find a comparsion likening Kershaw to an "enchanting fish"?

I ended up purchasing three hanging value packs, another cheaper value pack, and a single pack, and I managed to pull the relic below, but it was the two cards from the 15-card Mares and Stallions subset that I was most excited about. As I described in this post several months ago, I decided to start a mini-collection of horse cards. That post featured two minis from the Horse in the Race miniset from 2017 A&G, and until I pulled the two cards above, they were the only cards in that mini-collection. Not a bad day when a couple of packs doubles your PC. 

I'm hunting the cards from this Mares and Stallions set, so please let me know if you have any dupes. You can find my want list here. I'd love to take them off your hands. 

Finally, here is that relic I alluded to above. I don't watch a ton of television, and I certainly never watch American Pickers, so this card didn't do much for me. Still, it's never a bad thing to pull a relic. It's another card to add to the trade bait, for those interested. 

Overall, A&G has definitely been one of my favorite products of the year (as it always is). I got a nice start on that Mares and Stallions set, though I'll still have to chase that elusive Jeopardy James autograph....

Third Time's the Charm: A Return to Bloggerland

I have really made a habit of "return" posts, now haven't I? After putting blogging and collecting to the side a few years back, I've made a number of short-lived returns to blogging. First, it was to talk about 2015 Stadium Club, a beautiful set that featured Adam Dunn's sunset card (with the A's no less!). Two years later I came back to announce the new plans for my blog: a digital revolution. The plan at that point was to focus on digital cards from Topps Bunt, an app I used religiously for months before finally coming to my senses, and to produce my own digital cards through Photoshop magic. Well, my computer promptly gave out after that, I lost my old version of Photoshop, and I've never been able to get back to making them.

Amidst all of this, of course, I moved across the country, finished college, got a full-time job, and moved to Brooklyn (about 60 years too late for this Dodgers fan). While my absence was largely due to my inability to collect or produce my own digital cards, these important things also got in the way.

Well, I seem to have run out of excuses for blogging, and I can happily say I am returning.

No, really! I mean it this time!

Look, I have real, physical cards! From a 2018 Bowman Mega Box!

I've been following the blogs and collectors on Twitter during my absence, and I noticed a huge demand for these boxes. I was lucky to find a box at my "local" target (though it's local, it takes me about an hour to get to because of the subway, which is just gross). I guess the demand had to do with autos of future superstars Shohei Ohtani and Ronald Acuna Jr., but there are tons of other excellent young players in this set. I managed to pull these sweet x-fractor cards of Gleyber Torres and Walker Buehler, who both have excellent chances to reign in Rookie of the Year awards this season. 

I also purchased some flagship a few months back, and while I'm not a big fan of the design--bring back borders!--I managed to snag this sweet Aaron Nola SP. 

Though I made some purchased this year, I really haven't had the chance to fully jump back into my collecting ways. For one, the entirety of my collection is still holed up in California. Secondly, cards are extremely difficult to find in NYC. I rarely have luck at Target when I do make the trek there, and I've yet to find a local hobby shop (any suggestions NYC people?).

Yet, I miss participating in this wonderful blogging community. I miss the thrill that comes with opening up a pack of cards. I miss this blog.

While I won't post as frequently as in the past (save my two failed comeback attempts), I hope to get at least one blog post out a week. Many of these will be card-focused, though many will also revolve around my thoughts on baseball and the Dodgers. The blog will undergo a few changes in the coming weeks, and I still hope to get Photoshop to make custom cards a reality. Regardless, I'm hoping the third time's the charm: I'm returning to bloggerland.