Card Spotlight: 7-2-10

2010 Allen & Ginter Mini #162 - Juan Pierre

When all the hype dies down on 2010 Allen & Ginter... When all the chase cards are pulled and the boxes are left for the collectors to rummage through... When the touted rookies fall back to Earth, what will be left? A pretty fine looking set, in it's own right.

When the chase cards are pulled and the gimmicks have worn out their welcome, there stand the minis. Sometimes they are so small that they get overlooked, but they are the bread and butter of this set. I don't mean the endless parallels, but the base card minis. These are the cards that make this set a winner year and year out.

The borrowed designs are classic and top notch, but they aren't for everyone. The mini cards, which mimic the size of the original source material, look fantastic. This is the real reason why collectors go gaga over Allen & Ginter. While other sets may have the mini card, no other set makes the mini look this good.

This design is made to support the mini card. It breaks all of the rules of the standard size set by Topps in 1957 and bring us back to a simpler time, where a father's smoking habits fueled a child's penchant for collecting. It brought families closer together by engaging something that the entire family could enjoy. I'm certainly not advocating smoking, but back when the original cards were offered, it was a much different time.

There was something for every member of the family to collect. Sports figures, birds, fish, celebrities and other subjects jumped off the cardboard and into families. There's something to be said for that type of togetherness. It's what we as collectors strive to accomplish, by accumulating and sharing pieces of cardboard with pictures.

Right now, the base card minis are underrated, like Juan Pierre. By the end of the season, both shall see a deeper appreciation as the newness of the set wears off and the season winds down to its inevitable conclusion. There's something for everyone in this set and the popularity will sustain because of that.