2013 Topps Allen and Ginter - The annual pre-release look

I noticed that the 2013 Topps Allen and Ginter sell sheets were out a while back.  And I've actually been meaning to do a post about this years offering like I normally do, just kinda forgot.

Allen and Ginter has become one of my  favorite Baseball releases of the year.  Oh sure I get excited about Series 1, mainly because it's the first baseball set of the year, but A and G has me hooked.

Here we have the base design. Not to terribly different from last year.  A classy art deco border and a nice photo of the player.  I will say that once again these cards will look great signed.  So you TTMer's take notice.

Of course there will be mini's, lots of minis.  Regular back, A and G backs, black borders, no number backs, hand numbered to 25 baseball backs and the holy grail of A and G mini's the 1/1 woods. There will also be framed cloth mini's as well.

Will there be box loaders?  Of course.  This year you have a shot at some great Pele autographs too.

This year there will book cabinet cards, as well as some of the cool super relics like last year and cut signatures.  One of the base cabinet cards will be Wonders of the world and I'm sure some baseball highlights like usual.

Will there be inserts?  Really? You had to ask.  Ginter is one of my favorite releases because of all the cool and oddball inserts, full size and mini.

This years mini insert topics include, the First Americans, Inquiring Minds, Heavy Hangs the Head, Codes Ciphers and Cyptographs, Peacemakers and Famous minds.  I'm sure there will be a few surprise SP and SSP mini inserts as well.

This years full size inserts include the big 100 card baseball themed Across the Years, connecting baseball stars and someone else who share their birthdays.  One little corner which are space related, Palaces and Strongholds, self-explanatory, Martial Mastery, and Civilizations of Ages Past.

While there aren't too many mini sets I'm that interested in I really like the a few of the full size sets.

But what about the really goodies, what about the hits???
 You get 3 per box.  Any combination of relics, autos, rips, ect.  Those all relic boxes do suck though.

This year on top of regular rip cards there will be double rip cards.  Double the pleasure.  Last year was the first year I didn't pull a rip card. I have yet to actually rip open one, as I decided to sell them to recoup box prices, seeing as how they go for such silly high prices.

Rip cards are one per hobby case on average.

There will be three, yes three relic card designs. I don't know why.

And taking a note from Gypsy Queen this year there will be full size relic cards to join the mini framed relic cards.

Plus there will be Guitar Pick relics, Oddity Relics, and DNA Hair relics, creepy.

And of course there will be the mini framed autos as well.

This guy amongst others.

You might also get something like this...

But don't count on it.

There will also be framed original Allen and Ginter cards inserts.

And these one of a kind mini's that Topps says will truely be one of a kind, with no other parallels.

And lastly if your lucky, really lucky, you might walk away with a redemption for one of these.

Clearly a rip-off, or homage, to Upper Decks Entomology inserts this thing should be large and thick and very cool.  It's not like Upper Deck never ripped Topps off.

As always there are sure to be unannounced surprises mixed in with the set and now we only have about 5 more month till it hits the streets.