Allen & Ginter is a gorgeous set and it is as nice in 2008 as it was in 2007 and 2006 (so nice, in fact, that I have been trying to pull together Tigers team sets of Allen & Ginter for my own collection). Unlike the first two versions, however, Curtis Granderson is very well represented in 2008.
Base Card #85 is the main Granderson Card from which many of the offerings are derived.
Of course, this is A&G, and what would A&G be without...MINIs!
Yes, #85 has a Mini version, a Black-Bordered mini version (pictured), a mini with that Allen & Ginter guy on the back (pictured), a version with no card number (pictured--this card has a print run of 50 but is not numbered, ironically), a mini with a "Bazooka" back (#/25), a framed cloth version a la Topps Silk (#/10), Printing Plates AND a 1/1 WOOD version. I have never seen this card, which can only be found in a A&G Rip Card, but my imagination tells me that it is the most incredible thing ever.
Whew. That's alot of Minis. But we're not done! There's a regular insert featuring Curtis in his home state of Illinois (US13)
The N43 card is an oversized box topper and comes in Plain, Relic (#/25) and Autographed (#/15) flavors:
Two "Hits" (Other than the fancy but very hard to find box topper hits) are framed autograph and framed relic cards. I know that everyone likes Autographs, but I'm going to post the relic for one reason. This relic is so white, that it actually appears to glow. I have never seen a card do this before, as many swatches appear dull or plain, but not this one. I don't know why it does this, but it's like starting into an eclipse--I really want to, but I don't want to look too long and go blind.
The final card is RC11--a "Rip Card" numbered to 75. The "Rip Card" has been the subject of much debate on card blogs over the last couple years, and
Thorzul has battled first hand with ripping a card of a Brewer to get the sweet mystery inside. Granderson's Rip Card is a bit of a sore subject for me, as I forgot to bid on a pre-ripped version a few weeks ago and it sold for under $3. Yes, I understand that the card is Ripped. Yes, I know that the condition of the card goes from "Mint" to "Why are you worried about the condition of this card, it's ripped." But, the picture on the front is fine and it would look good in a binder and unripped cards go for $50 AT LEAST. So, sadly, I don't have a Rip Card to show off. Maybe someday, even if there is a big ol' tear on the back.
