Topps continues one of its more popular non-base card brands this summer with the release of 2011 Allen & Ginter. The quirky cards modeled after the 19th century Allen & Ginter tobacco set are part baseball, part history, part educational and part wacky.
The company released preliminary product information and images for this year’s set on Monday.
Topps promises 2011 Allen and Ginter will expand the scope of autographs with some first time signers as well as some unique subsets and yes, even cards will sprout if you put them in the ground.
New additions to the autograph lineup include John McEnroe, Manny Pacquiao, Jake LaMotta, Lou Holtz and Annika Sorenstam. Baseball stars who will sign for A&G include Albert Pujols, Roy Halladay, Starlin Castro and Aroldis Chapman.
“It’s the autograph checklist Allen and Ginter fans have been waiting for,” reads the Topps promotional brochure.
Allen and Ginter debuted in 2006 and Topps has sold enough of the product to keep the line going for a sixth straight year.
The base set consists of 350 cards (270 veterans, 30 rookies, 15 historic figures and 35 ‘world champs’). There will be 24 packs per box, six cards per pack and each box promises three hits. Dealer cost is expected to be around $67 per box.
New subsets include Animals in Peril (endangered species), Uninvited Guests and Flora of the World, which are the cards that will grow if planted.
Box top loaders are die-cuts of the 50 U.S. states which can be connected to form a map of the country.
2011 Topps Allen & Ginter is scheduled to be released the week of July 12, but pre-sales are already underway on eBay. Check them out below.