Buzz Break: 2023 Topps Allen & Ginter X baseball cards

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The box: 2023 Topps Allen & Ginter X baseball cards
Checklist: N/A (base parallels regular A&G but not everything is in here)
Odds: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (when available)

Keep reading for a full breakdown of what was in this one as well as a gallery of highlights.

Packs per box: 18
Cards per pack: 8
Cards in this box: 147 (yes extras)
Base set completion: 
119 of 300 (40 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Victor Wembanyama, Robert DeNiro, Shohei Ohtani, Ronald Acuña Jr., Spencer Strider, Julio Rodriguez, Aaron Judge, Mike Trout, Juan Soto, Mookie Betts, Matt Olson, Derek Jeter, Babe Ruth, Greg Maddux, Jackie Robinson, Ichiro Suzuki, Roberto Clemente, Ken Griffey Jr., David Ortiz, Bob Gibson, Anna Leigh Waters, Rafael Nadal, Benny Wasserman, Meek Mill, Eric Stonestreet, Crystal Reed, Timmy Trumpet

RC logo cards (24) – Notables include Anthony Volpe, Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Walker, Josh Jung, Esteury Ruiz, Riley Greene ... rough box on this front beyond a couple names.

Insert cards: 27 (all in gallery below with some base)
Short-prints (9) – Gunnar Henderson, Jackie Robinson, Jim Thome, Pete Alonso, Mark Teixeira, Dontrelle Willis, Gary Sheffield, Mark McGwire, Javier Baez
Mini parallel (16) –Thomas Ian Nicholas, Masataka Yoshida, Sandy Yawn, Sarah Langs, Bo Jackson, Seiya Suzuki, Rhys Hoskins (2), Jazz Chisholm Jr., Christian Yelich, J.T. Realmuto, Walker Buehler, Fernando Tatis Jr. Tommy Henry, Miguel Vargas, Ethan Small
Mini short-prints parallel (2) – Jayson Werth, Fred Lynn

Autographs/Memorabilia: 1
Silver-framed mini baseball autographs (1) – Jose Cuas (/50)

What's Buzz-worthy: My second and last box of this one would be pretty average had I not found Victor Wembanyama and a couple other MLB newcomers here ... yet they're not that big of finds, either, in the long run. (Ginter X cards will have a lower print run than the regular stuff here, though.) This year was my first for essentially buying nothing for this long-running brand -- one and done with a later -- despite being a heavy buyer since its arrival in 2006. Ginter X? That's a different story and it's not an easy one, either, as it's a bit of a love-hate break with those black borders but it guarantees an autograph in every box with the potential for two (statistically) and has an original SRP at just above half of what a standard hobby box can typically command despite those not guaranteeing autographs. Sure, the overall lineup of inclusions here is smaller and a lot less quirky but autographs are autographs and when they are good ones they can't be topped. ... All in all? My first box was strong, this one less so but between the two I'm sure I'm ahead of the typical regular Ginter return. Will I do more for Ginter in general this year? Maybe ... but it's not a shelf-clearing priority for me like it was in its first few years. Most of that's just me but some of that is the autographs being delivered and the overall lineup. There's good potential here for sure, though, and that's part of the appeal to at least check it out once

Product Grade: A- (for Ginter X ... only because it guarantees ink combined with a low SRP)
Box Grade: B- (Wembanyama and some rookies/stars help ... but otherwise pretty standard if not flat this time)
Fun Grade: C

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