Night Owl Cards

Look! It's Marlin No. 6! I bought a few Allen & Ginter rack packs yesterday. Didn't get anything great. Went back and bought the last rack pack hanging there. Still didn't get anything great. All it did was alert me to the usual disturbing collation in Topps products and prompt a strange dream a few hours later. I noticed when I opened the rack packs that the cards were slightly bowed. Uh. Oh. I wouldn't say they were full-on Pringles like last year's Chrome, but it was alarming anyway. The cards are in better shape now that they've been out of the pack for awhile, but I like my A&G squashed-bug flat. That night, I had a dream that I put one of those A&G cards inside a penny sleeve and a top loader. The card was Jay Bruce for some unknown reason. When I put the top loader with the card on the floor, it proceeded to flip around the living room, end over end, because the card was so curled. I woke up sweat covered (but only because it was 90 a...

You may have heard me mumbling over the last few months about not being sure whether I would attempt to complete the 2011 Allen & Ginter set. This is a big deal for me because I have completed A&G sets for the last three years. I still love the concept, love the look, and think it's easily the most interesting thing that Topps or anyone puts on cardboard each and every year. But last year's set may have been my least favorite so far. I just didn't feel it. The look wasn't as appealing, the selection of subjects just wasn't as riveting (the revolving door card excluded, of course). I began to have my doubts. Then I got a glimpse of the design of this year's set. I have to say I'm not thrilled with it. I don't like the gold border, don't like the mish-mash of stuff at the bottom of the card that basically separates the card into two separate sections. Don't like that it reminds me of 2009 Upper Deck. I just don't like it. So ...