The 2021 Topps Allen & Ginter baseball card set is one of the most unique and collectible releases of the year. While Topps’ flagship sets focus solely on baseball players, Allen & Ginter incorporates non-sports subjects and oddities to create a truly eclectic checklist. The 2021 version contains 312 total cards including portraits of famous people from history and pop culture as well as illustrations of plants, animals, landmarks and more.
Allen & Ginter was originally founded in the late 1800s as a tobacco company that produced cigarette cards as a marketing tool. These early non-sports cards featured topics like actors, authors, scientists and inventions. Topps acquired the Allen & Ginter brand and reintroduced it as an annual baseball card set starting in 2015. Each year focuses on the same fun, offbeat concept with subjects crossing all genres.
Some key things to know about Allen & Ginter 2021:
The base set contains 150 baseball cards showing current MLB players. Rookies and stars are included along with many less prominent names.
In addition to the base cards, there are 100 special insert cards with various parallel topics. These include portraits, landmarks, animals, inventions and more.
Serial numbered parallels include Green /199, Purple /50, Orange /25 and Red /5. Printing plates and 1/1 cards are also available.
Super short prints and SP variations are scattered throughout the base set at a rate of around 1 per box. These are serial numbered to much lower quantities.
Autograph and memorabilia cards can be pulled of both players and non-sports subjects. Autos range from on-card to sticker autos.
Mini cards and sticker variants offer additional collecting opportunities beyond the base checklist.
The set design utilizes a clean white border around each card along with a vintage tobacco theme color scheme of reds, greens and browns.
Checklists are never revealed in advance, keeping the surprise of who or what each subject will be until the cards are released.
Some notable subjects from the 2021 A&G set include portraits of Bob Ross, Mr. Rogers, Steve Irwin and LeVar Burton along with illustrations of plants like cannabis, mushrooms and hops. Landmarks depicted range from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Eiffel Tower. Animals featured involve pandas, sloths, axolotls and more exotic species. Inventions showcased span from vinyl records to laptop computers.
On the baseball side, rookie cards of top prospects like Wander Franco, Jarred Kelenic and Logan Gilbert make their A&G debuts. Established young stars like Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Ronald Acuña Jr. also receive base cards while legends like Ken Griffey Jr. and Cal Ripken Jr. make appearances. Parallels and short prints of these players command high prices due to the set’s popularity.
The unique, eclectic nature of Allen & Ginter’s non-baseball subjects is a big part of its appeal to collectors. Finding rare hits of famous figures, places or things outside of the sports realm makes each box a thrill to open. The surprise element of not knowing exactly who or what will be featured adds intrigue and discovery to the experience. While players are present, it isn’t solely focused on them like most other sets.
As the collecting hobby has boomed in recent years, Allen & Ginter has grown into one of the most sought-after modern releases on the annual calendar. Its mix of oddball topics and scarce parallel cards entices both casual and serious collectors. While supplies are limited each year, the 2021 version was the largest production run to date at over 10 million total cards printed. Even so, desired short prints and autographs remain difficult to obtain.
Whether pursuing specific subjects, players or parallels, Allen & Ginter offers a fun collecting concept unlike any other sports card set. Its lighthearted approach combining diverse portraits and illustrations creates a truly unique product that remains popular with the community. For those looking to add some quirkiness and surprise to their collections, the 2021 edition provides an eclectic bounty of cards to discover.
