Box Break: 2025 Topps Allen & Ginter

 

12/03/25 saw the release of the annual Allen & Ginter set. For me this was a long awaited day as Ginter is one of my favorite sets. Outside of Stadium Club, this is one of the few modern sets I even bother with buying. I try to pick up at least one box each year, but with prices climbing to "stupid" levels, it's getting harder and harder to build modern sets period. Thankfully, I got a pre-order in w/ Topps and didn't have to pay the inflated prices. Kinda wish I grabbed two boxes now.

When the shipping box arrived, I was taken back by how small the box was. While Topps did return to the book style boxes, it's much smaller than in previous years. Hobby boxes still yield 24 packs 8 cards per pack), but the number of guaranteed hits was reduced from 3 to 2. This wasn't the only change for 2025. While I haven't collated the cards yet, I found the non-sports cards to be far less that in recent years. While some fans may rejoice at this, I was actually disappointed. One of the reasons I enjoy Ginter so much is because it *is* different than every other set. At least the inserts are good this year, but more on that later.

The stack of base cards you see above represents one Hobby box. If you think this stack of cards looks small, your eyes are not deceiving you. At 8 cards per pack and 24 packs, that's 192 cards...however one card in each pack is a mini, so that knocks it down to 168 cards. You'll get at least one full size insert in each pack so that again reduces the amount of base cards to 144. Of those cards, you'll have parallels and other inserts that reduces this number even further. I had several packs where 5 of the 8 cards were non-base. If you're a set builder like me, you'll find this a little depressing. I guess this is where retail blasters will come into play for me. 

SPs return with the final 50 cards of the 350 card set being short packed. I didn't look up the exact pack odds, but I believe they usually fall 1:2 packs. This would add up with me pulling 12 total SPs. Good names found and a good start to the final 50.

The most common of the parallel sets (outside minis) are these full size Rainbow foil cards. I don't get these. As I opened the packs, I cringed when I saw one sticking out of the pack as I knew that was one less base card towards completing the set I'd have. I could do without these and would gladly trade the non-Braves for base cards or mini inserts needed.

Foil Filigree parallels make their return...which is fine. I've really gotten into "rainbow" collecting lately so I don't mind a few parallels to chase. By main concern is the quality control on the Barry Larkin card. If you look on the left side, you'll see the silver foil was not applied correctly. Not the biggest deal, but with these being more limited it's frustrating when 50% of them are defective straight out of the pack. Red and Gold parallels also exist, which are serially numbered.

Unfortunately the quality control issues weren't limited to the Foil Filagree parallels. Two of three Black minis were also miscut. At least the SP (Johnson) appears to be fine. 

I didn't photograph any of the minis as I didn't get anything spectacular. A&G backs return as well as Brooklyn backs, which are hand numbered to /25.

Back to the full size parallels. While Allen & Ginter Chrome was it's own set in the past, this year it's been weaved into the main Ginter set. It's not a full parallel set of the base cards, but I can't remember how many cards there are. I just know I won't be completing this set. I like a good chrome card as much as the next collector, but chrome and Ginter are an odd pairing for me. I like the names I pulled, even got a Refractor of a country singer...that I've never heard of!

One lone Chrome mini was lurking in my box. I believe there is a mini for each Chrome card. This is another set I won't be chasing, but glad to have at least one card as an example in my set.

The first of two full size inserts this year is Sweet Victory. I believe this is a 50 card set so you'll see plenty of these pulled in each Hobby box. This set of course highlights game winning moments from baseball history. I haven't reach each card back, but I look forward when it comes time to collate the set and create a binder.

The other full size insert set is Wicked Curves and features some of the greatest pitchers in the game. Like the overall design and theme and like with Sweet Victory, I look forward to reading the card backs when it comes time to insert them into pages. These are also pretty common.

Mini inserts...this is worth the price of admission for this collector! These represent 4 different sets, 50 Fishes, Beachin' It, State Birds and Light the Night...all of which I love.

In past sets we've had mini insert sets that focused on dinosaurs, sharks and other animals. This year we get a set of 50 different aquatic animals. While sharks are in the set, check out the Clownfish pulled! 

Beachin' It features iconic beaches. While I'm not the biggest fan of the beach, this is another fun set. I was happy my one lone example of this set was Hilton Head Island, SC, my home state. This is one of the smaller mini insert sets so I hope to complete it without too much trouble.

I bet you can guess the theme of the State Birds set. I pulled Vermont's state bird, the Hermit Thrush. While this is a large set, judging from early eBay listings it doesn't appear to be too popular. It'll take some time to get them all, but I'm up for the challenge.

The final mini set represented in my box is Light the Night, a set dedicated to lighthouses. This is the set I'll go after first for a few reasons. 1) I've grown to enjoy visiting various lighthouses as my wife is from New England and she's taken me to a few different ones in Maine when we go to visit family there. 2) My late father was in a quartet at church and it was called the Lighthouse Quartet.

...and finally are down to the hits. First hit pulled was the full size relic of Dustin Pedroia. Seems fitting I'd pull a Red Sox player since I finally got to take in a game at Fenway Park this summer. The second hit was a framed mini auto of Brendan Donovan of the St. Louis Cardinals. This one is numbered to /99.

Anytime you can pull a numbered framed auto you can't complain. Donovan may not have the star power of other possible autos in the set, but it'll look great in my soon to be created Ginter set. 

If I had to rate this set from 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest, I'd give it a 5 or 6. The base design and mini inserts save it from being a lower score. The decreased non-sport cards represented in the base set, increased parallels, quality control and reduced number of hits coupled with a high price tag make it hard for me to recommend. I'm hoping I'll get more of my money's worth with blaster purchases from here on out. It was a fun rip none the less and I look forward to reading blog posts or watching videos to see what others pull.

Hello! Is Anyone There?

It's been awhile since I've visited my own blog, much less posted anything. I am working on a new post however, but when I logged in this evening I couldn't help but notice the number of views on my last post.

Say what?! Almost 50K?! Well, if anyone deserves the views it's Larry "The Sewing Machine Guy". He's one of the best guys I've "met" in the Hobby and while he doesn't blog much either, we still stay in touch. In fact, I was just telling my wife the other day that I've met some cool people in person that I first ran across via blogging or the Hobby, but the one I would like to meet the most was Larry. Perhaps one day our real world paths will cross.

Until then, thanks to everyone that stopped by to read my last post. As Larry told me as I shared this info w/ him this evening, "People like to hear about and read about good news. That's our mission." I couldn't agree more Larry.

Stay tuned for a new box break review of 2025 Topps Allen & Ginter!

Surprise Package from "The Sewing Machine Guy"

 While I've been around the Hobby for some time now, I really haven't been very active in the Hobby outside the small breaks I run weekly over in my Facebook group. During the heyday of this blog, I would receive trade packages and care packages on a regular basis. Since this blog here doesn't see the activity that it once did and pulling back from doing trades via the Trading Card Database site, the only mail I get now is bills (ugh) and the cards I purchase on eBay. Well, to my surprise I received a small bubble mailer at the beginning of this week and it was simply addressed to "Hops". I knew immediately who the sender was without even looking at the return address.

Larry, affectionately known as the Sewing Machine Guy, sent a small package of cards my way for no known reason other than he's just a swell guy. Inside was an assortment of Braves, Panthers and a few others. Let's take a look, shall we?

I'm not the biggest fan of Panini's unlicensed baseball releases, but the Unleashed Acuna is a great looking card and I'm glad to have it. The rest of the cards were from 2024's A&G set, which is a perennial favorite of mine. The Austin Riley is a Chrome parallel, an insert of Hank and two minis - the Maddox is an A&G back parallel and the Chipper will look great in my new binder I just made for him.

The next lot of cards contained a few different Carolina Panthers, most of which were RCs! The one that got me most excited was the Goodwin Champions Bryce Young. I've always like that Upper Deck set, just not enough to buy packs/blasters so this card is a very welcomed addition to the collection. The Prizm Draft card of Xavier Leggette is also a nice treat. While I'm not the biggest college football fan, I do live in SC so with him being pictured in his Gamecock carb is pretty cool. Now I just hope he can put his game together and be that #1 receiver we hoped he'd be when he was drafted.

I was already thankful for the cards included in the package, then I noticed there was a One Touch on the bottom of the stack with this 2023 Topps Allen & Ginter Framed Mini auto of Tom Glavine! I don't have many autos of Glavine so this was a very nice surprise!! 

Larry is a great guy and while I know he sent these cards my way because he is a good guy, the Glavine seems a little much to send "just because". Needless to say, I'm very grateful for the gift. The timing was pretty good too because it came on a day that I was rather frustrated and in bad mood...so these little squares of cardboard helped turn around the day just a little bit. Thanks bud!

Pack Break: 1992 Topps Gruesome Greeting Cards

  

If you're visiting this site then you are a fan of trading cards and know that Topps especially has released their fair share of non-sports sets. I can only imagine that the success of Garage Pail Kids led them to "think outside the box" while continue to push the envelope and that led to these Gruesome Greeting Cards. These are your typical trading card size, however each card is a booklet, or a greeting card. A small dot of glue was placed on the inside to keep them closed inside the small 3 card cellophane pack. While I personally don't remember these in the 90's, when I ran across two sealed packs at a antique store I knew they had to go home with me.

I don't recall any trading card post needing a warning, however in today's culture some people may find these cards/images offensive. Please note that these are satire and are only being shared for entertainment/archival purposes.

As the wrapper states, included in each pack is 1 Scratch 'n' Stink card. These cards feature an image on both panels of the inside and have a place for you to scratch and sniff...if you dare! Unfortunately, the glue on this card was extra tacky and took off parts of the image. Bummer. (...and no, I have not scratched or smelled the card!)

Even those these cards were released in 1992, they have more a 50's or 60's vibe to be. I say this because I don't believe kids were playing with marionette dolls or puppets in the early 90's. I found this card to be a little harsh, but this is nothing when compared to the next card.

When I opened up this card in the car riding home from our vacation, I'm pretty sure I was speechless. Man...that's rough. I'm not sure if that's really even funny...and this comes from a guy that isn't really politically correct either. What's your thought on this card? Did Topps push that envelope too far?

I've seen these cards listed over at TCDB.com before, but only the front and backs are scanned, not the inside. I'm a little curious now as to what some of the other cards look like, especially after opening this pack. It's a small set at only 44 cards and they can easily be had for less than $15 on eBay.

After 3 years...WWE Redemption!

I pulled a redemption card for Gran Metalik auto from 2021 Topps WWE Chrome back in October of 2021 and swiftly went to the website to redeem my auto. I knew I'd have to wait, but 3 years?! Of course during this time, Topps lost the WWE license to Panini. I honestly thought that I'd never receive anything, then I heard the news that the license would be reverting back to Topps in 2025. Well right before Thanksgiving, I got a "mystery" package from Topps and low and behold, they finally fulfilled my redemption. While it's not the greatest card, kudos to Topps for not just screwing me. There, a positive comment on the interwebs about Topps!

2024 Topps Now #114 - Max Fried

04/23/24 / Tosses 3rd 'Maddux' of Big-League Career

Southpaw Max Fried put the Atlanta Braves on his back, going the distance to silence the Miami Marlins in the team's 5-0 win. The 30-year old hurler struck out six and allowed just three hits in the shutout victory. Not only did Fried toss all nine innings, but he did so efficiently, only throwing 92 pitches. It's the third career "Maddux" game for the left-hander, not allowing a single walk, the third-most such games since pitches started being tracked in 1988.

2024 Topps Now #111 - Ronald Acuna Jr.

04/22/24 / Swipes Atlanta Braves Record for Most Career SBs

They say that speed never goes into a slump in Baseball, which seems to be something Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr. lives by. After singling to left field in the opening frame, the reigning NL MVP Award winner was determined to keep the pressure on the Miami Marlins. Acuna Jr. saw his opportunity and took off to seal second base. It was the 190th of his career, passing Rafael Furcal's mark of 189 for the most by a Braves player since the franchise moved to Atlanta in 1966.

2024 Topps Now #103 - Ronald Acuna Jr.

04/20/24 / Moves into Braves Top 10 in Career Steals

Ronald Acuna Jr. has been a headache for opponents when on the base paths his entire career. Saturday was no different as the Atlanta Braves defeated the Texas Rangers, 5-2. Acuna got to work early, swiping third base at the bottom of the first inning. The steal marked the 189th stolen base of his career, tying him with Rafael Furcal for 10th on the Braves all-time list.

2024 Topps Now #41 - Travis d'Arnaud

04/05/24 / Late-Game Walk-Off Single in Braves Home Opener

With the Braves' #1 catcher going down early in the young 2024 season, veteran catcher Travis d'Arnaud was once again called into action and asked to carry a heavy load. Not afraid of stepping up, Travis came through big for the Braves in their home opener, walking it off in the bottom of the 9th inning to seal the win! 

2024 Topps Now #99 - Travis d'Arnaud

 

04/18/24 / 3-HR Showing Highlights 8-3 Win Over Rangers

Atlanta Braves catcher Travis d'Arnaud was nothing short of electric in his Club's meeting with the Texas Rangers last night. The veteran backstop collected three home runs and six RBI over the course of the contest, going long in the second, fifth and sixth inning. His sixth-inning blast was a grand slam, helping his team to take home the win, 8-3. Remarkably, d'Arnaud became just the third franchise player since at least 1901 to collect three dingers in a single contest with at least one grand slam.

Sunday (Cardboard) Verse: Philippians 4:13

 If you've followed my blog or Tweets on Twitter X (@flywheels), then you know that I'm a Christian and I collect cards of Christian athletes. While I don't own a lot of autographed in person type cards, I do have a few where the player added their favorite Bible verse. I've often thought about trying to craft a series of posts on these cards and spotlight the verse they shared for those who may not be familiar with said verse. However I'm bad about starting something only to not follow through after a few weeks...so will this post be a one off or the beginning on something that will see sporadic updates?

I came to know Matt Diaz when he joined the Braves organization in 2006. I often do a Google search on players, especially new acquisitions on the Braves to get a little more insight as to who they are and what they've done in their career and what they could possibly be bringing to Atlanta. At some point in my searches on Diaz, I discovered that the was a brother in the faith. Shortly after I noticed that he would add different Bible verses to his autographs he'd sign for fans at games. One such is this auto on this 2005 Multi-Ad card for the Triple A Omaha Royals, Philippians 4:13.

" I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. "

I believe a good way to sum up this verse is that 1) it's not just for Christian athletes, it applies to every child of God (you, me, our neighbors, the guy standing at the intersection holding a cardboard sign) in every different life situations, especially the hard situations. Nothing is too hard, nothing is impossible with Jesus and His love. When we are dealing with tough times and going through those trials, God is more content with us than when we are just sitting idle and happy with the blessings we've been given.

Oh My! How the local card shows have changed!

The other weekend I noticed a card show was being held a small church, hosted by the closest LCS to me. For once I didn't really have any plans so my oldest daughter (14) went with me. We had a 30-40 minute drive to get to the venue. On the drive there I asked what my daughter was going to be looking for, since I was a little surprised that she wanted to go with me in the first place. She told me she would like to find some wrestling cards, particularly of a few of the female wrestlers she likes. For me, I wasn't looking for anything in particular.

Growing up I used to attend card shows all the time. I have vivid memories of all the boxes, packs and singles on the table from various vendors. I would place the "dice game" for that change at a lucrative card (and usually lose). I'd search for cards of some of my early PC guys like Tim Salmon and David Justice. This was before I was a Braves collector, so it was fun hunting cards of a few guys.

Fast forward and the card shows began to get bundled in with general "collectible" shows. Cards, comics, toys, die-cast vehicles, that sort of thing. There the dealers would always have nickel and dime boxes. I loved browsing through those boxes as at that time I was still into quantity over quality. I could walk away from a table with a huge stack of cards and that was always a great feeling.

When I wanted to the gymnasium of this small church for this card show I guess I was expecting more of the same. Boy was I wrong. Just about ever table had slabs, slabs and more slabs. All the cards were modern, flashy, shiny stuff. If the dealers had boxes of cards to sort through, they were a minimum of $1 each. Are those the new nickel and dime boxes? I barely saw any sealed boxes for sale, instead everyone was trying to sling overpriced retail boxes...except the one guy that had $10 NASCAR blasters. I was tempted for a moment, then I came to my senses and kept walking!

I like modern cards as much as the next guy, but I've never got much into the grading game. Now I have to say it was nice looking at so many different grading companies' slabs laying all side by side. Some of these companies have some very sharp looking labels, HGA for instance stood out to me, but I'm a binder kind of guy so if I have a card of one of my PC guys I want to either put it in a One Touch to display on my card shelves or put it in a binder with the other cards. I guess I was surprised that I didn't see older stuff being offered. I go to a lot of comic book shows and you always have a good mixture of 80s/90s books available with all of the modern/slabbed books. Not so much at this show. Perhaps I just picked a bad show to go to? Since then I am seeing more card show ads for the Columbia, SC area so I may have to give it another shot and this time lower my expectations.

I didn't walk away empty handed. I managed to find a 2008 Upper Deck A Piece of History Lance Berkman Stadium Scenes jersey card numbered 89/99 in a dollar box I just happened to thumb through. I also grabbed a 2000 Fleer Tradition Ken Griffey Jr. Halls Well insert card from the only dealer I could find that was offering "older" cards. I'm a sucker for cards from that era, especially acetate stuff. However once I got home and was ready to log these two cards in my collection using TCDB.com, I noticed I had the entire Halls Well set. I had no clue!

My daughter did end up finding some wrestling cards in a small box, next to the guy I got the Griffey from. She loves Charlotte Flair and not-Sasha Banks and these cards were priced at 3 for $5. Probably overpaid, but all 3 are Refractors/Prizm parallels. She likes the shiny stuff. I'm just happy we share a common interest in wresting and trading cards!

All in all we had fun, though I think we were in and out in maybe 30-45 minutes? It was a small show, but it just wasn't what I was expecting. I know finding junk wax singles and boxes at shows now days may be a little tougher to find as the Hobby has changed quite a bit since I first entered it. I'll give it another try at some point, but as I said before I guess I'll just have to adjust my expectations next time.

Grandmama - 90's NBA Marketing Genius?

If you were a fan of the NBA in the 90's, then you were exposed to a plethora of NBA stars and of course the products they endorsed. In a sports world seemingly dominated by the likes of Nike, Converse stepped up to the plate with their spokesman, Larry Johnson, forward of the Charlotte Hornets at the time. The Converse executives didn't just stop there however as they took it a step further. In their first commercial, Larry Johnson stated that you couldn't beat his Grandmama.

Long before Tyler Perry would unveil his Madea character, we had Larry Johnson and Grandmama. At the time there wasn't anything else like it on TV. The commercials stood out on TV and of course now in people's memories. Take a massive athlete like Larry and put him in a dress with pearls and a gray wig, playing basketball and you have the birth of a great marketing campaign. I would love to know who's idea this was and what was Larry's first reaction upon being introduced to it.

In 2024 do people still remember these Grandmama commercials? I don't follow the NBA like I used to, but I find these commericals to be just as hilarious now as I did then. I gotta say though I don't remember the last few that featured the Phoenix Sun's Kevin Johnson. None the less I loved watching Larry Johnson play, especially in those early years in Charlotte. While I have a good many 90's LJ cards in my Hornets collection, I never knew until recently that the card company Front Row manufactured a small 7 card set in 1993 that focused on the Grandmama character. I picked up a set not that long ago just out of sheer curiosity.

 

I absolutely love this set! I never cared that much for the various colligate sets that Front Row produced in the early 90's, but this set brings back so many memories. Each card shares the same overall design with the Converse logo in the upper left corner and a simple "Grandmama" in the upper left corner, while the Front Row basketball logo adorns the bottom right corner. The back of the cards give as a simple write up with the 7th card featuring a checklist on the back. For additional info you can check out the Trading Card Database listing for this set.

After I got into collecting baseball cards, it wasn't long before the NBA caught my attention with their cards. It was a great time to be a collector as all of the card manufactures of the time were releasing some great cards/sets. Discovering small sets like this 1993 Front Row Converse set makes collecting basketball cards fun again.

Filling Those Want Lists Courtesy of Cardbarrel.com

The other day I ran across a thread in a Facebook card group where guys were talking about different methods they used to fill holes in their sets. Of course the usual suspects were mentioned, COMC and Sportslots, but then someone mentioned Cardbarrel.com, which was a first for me. Well the other day I checked out the site and started looking around and was pleasantly surprised to find so many cards listed that I needed for some of my early 90's sets. On 12/23/23 I put together a small order to give their services a try and on the 27th my order was on my doorstep...talk about great service/fast turn around time!

My order consisted of 133 total cards. 1991 Topps, 1994 Fleer Extra Bases, 1994 Pacific, 1994 Sportflics, 1995 Pinnacle Museum Collection and 1995 UC3, With shipping my total came to roughly $40.00. Most of the commons were priced around $.16 each with the Museum Collection parallels priced at $.50 each.

Now that I've had time to unpack the order and catalog these cards to my collection in TCDB.com, I have to say I'm very satisfied overall. Their listings aren't as detailed as what you'll find on TCDB, so some of the 1991 Topps cards were exactly what I ordered.

Cards #048 and #608 that I needed for the set, I ended up w/ the glow back variant! This was a difference in the order that I was more than happy with.

There are a plethora of errors in 1991 Topps so unfortunately the card of Jose Gonzalez (#279) I was sent was the error that depicted Billy Ashley on the card front. Needless to say this card is still on my want list. #526 that I was sent was also an error, listing 37 runs scored for the Pirates in 1990. This one too is still on the want list. 

Again, I'm very happy w/ the service/cards I've received and I will be back to place more orders. I'm trying to give my early 90's sets a little more attention, finishing them off and fill up those binders I've made and I found this site to be a great help. Eventually I'll re-open myself to trading on TCDB, but for now it's nice to put some huge dents in some of these sets.

Want List totals after purchase:

1991 Topps: 9 cards (048, 097, 279, 526, 552, 570, 608, 661, 706)

1994 Fleer Extra Bases: 12 cards (160, 177, 178, 180, 187, 193, 199, 229, 232, 258, 261, 345)

1994 Pacific: 136 cards (I only grabbed a small amount of what I needed)

1994 Sportflics: base set completed!

1995 Pinnacle Museum Collection: 238 (I only picked up cards from Series 1 in this order)

1995 UC3: 3 cards (035, 115, 125)

Box Score Debut

In one of my recent Affordable Group Breaks we came across an image of a player holding an old camera on the card and one of the participants commented how they liked seeing a card featuring old tech. In 2002 Fleer released a set called Box Score which contained an insert set called Debut. Embedded in the card was a box score as it would have appeared in the newspaper US Today from that player's debut game. I happen to have this card of the Blue Jays' Eric Hinske. While I don't know if this clipping is manufactured for the set or an actual newspaper clipping, I find it cool none the less...bit it got me to thinking. Would collectors of this generation even be able to relate to a card like this? I guess if you were to "modernize" this set you'd have to insert a small phone screen! Hey, what can I say, I'm getting old.

Now, get off my lawn.

Catching Up...

I've done a much better job in 2023 at keeping my toy blog going, but this trading card blog has kinda fell to the side. After starting up a Facebook group to host my group breaks, I just haven't really thought much about utilizing this blog...which is a shame on many levels. I still like to read other card blogs so it's not like I left the hobby, but I guess at times it's easier to throw up a quick post on Facebook or Twitter/X than it is to try and craft a blog post.

My card collecting has really slowed down in 2023. My limited hobby funds have been allocated to other areas and I feel I've before a little jaded by the current collecting landscape. With what seems like everything shifting over to Fanatics soon, I'm just not sure what to think of current card releases. I try to be optimistic about things, but it's hard to at times. For now however I'm just enjoying casually working on putting together some early to mid-90's baseball sets and picking up cards here and there of some PC guys like Dansby Swanson, Hoy Park, Otis Nixon and some wrasslers too like R-Truth, Candice LaRae and Akira Tozawa.

    

Say what you will about Panini, but I'm going to miss them. While chasing rainbows can be frustrating and expensive, it can also be a lot of fun and Panini has a knack of producing some nice shiny colored parallels.

My boy R-Truth hasn't been on WWE television in quite some time since being injured so I'm a little surprised to see him on the checklist for both 2023 Prizm (above) and Select...but I'm glad I have new cards to search for.

Hoy Park is a newer PC of mine. While his RCs were featured in most 2022 products as a Pittsburg Pirates, he's currently playing on the Braves' AAA team. With Atlanta's loaded infield and with the acquisition of Nicky Lopez, I doubt he'll have much of an opportunity to play in Atlanta. Hasn't stopped me from picking up some of his autos and numbered parallels.

My desire to set build has also diminished, at least for current product. The discounted blasters that have been showing up at Walmart stores has helped me have some desire to finish off the 2022 Archives set. I'm also looking forward to 2023 Allen & Ginter that is slated for release later this month. That's one set that I always look forward to no matter what.

Oh well, thanks for reading my ramblings...that is assuming you made it this far. While I'd love to say that this particular blog will have more activity in the later part of 2023, I don't like to make promises I can't keep. I'm still around...collecting and talking about cards...just not here as much. Take care!