Pack Break Week 2013: Topps Allen & Ginter's

It's a beautiful Saturday morning, and where do I get to spend it? Not at home sleeping in. No.

I have to go to the mechanic's. Let me explain.

Last week, as I went to get an oil change done on the car, the technicians said that oil somehow burst out f the pipe where the dipstick is normally stored. Not having a clue what that means, he said that there is something in the engine that would need to be replaced or else the engine could just die. And they can do it for...

Stopping him right there as I had barely enough money at the time to get the oil done in the first place, I had to ask if the car was drivable. He said yes, but don't wait too long, or else...

So here I am with my son, sitting at the mechanic's lobby (if you can call it that), waiting as he looks to see how much it's going to cost (I think I heard him say to one of the boys to call his wife and tell him they're going to Tahiti next year). He said it would be about an hour or so before they can figure out what to do, so he suggested that my son and I just have lunch while they look at our car.

Okay, so we walked to the Culver's next door, had our lunch, and thought...

How about a pack break?

Today, I'll be opening the random pack of 2013 Topps Allen & Ginter's. Since 2006, Topps A&G retro-tribute set has become one of the best selling and most looked forward to product in the Hobby schedule. Not only do you get your fair share of baseball players, but Topps has included "Champions" from all walks of life. I am now the proud owner of cards that include the Air Guitar champion, both the Pac Man and Donkey Kong champions (have you seen the movie???), a card of a revolving door, Area 51, and even Pluto. Bloggers like Jason Wong, Nic Jacoby, Mike Gellner, Guillame Robert-Demolaize, Ryan McCabe, and Frank Lattuca, all winners of the Ginter Code contest over the years, have become immortalized in this product.

The insert sets that aren't baseball related are probably the best yet. In a homage to the era where anything and any topic made for a good theme of cards, Topps A&G inserts have included everything from Haunted locations to bizarre foods, from the evolution of Man to the gods of Olympus. And the stories have been told that at the Topps' offices, every employee throws ideas around for subjects for the next A&G set or an insert theme.

So after munching on a corn dog and chicken tenders, here - in order - are the cards that came inside my 6-card pack of 2013 Topps Archives:

• #15 Julia Mancuso, Champion Alpine Skier
• #231 Artie Lange, comedian
• #180 Nic Wallenda, High Wire Artist
• #CC-DA Denver Airport, Curious Cases
• #86 Warren Spahn, Braves Mini Card
• #ATY-RS Ryne Sandberg Across the Years

So I get three base cards, none of which are of baseball players. Wallenda, before this set came out, had just crossed the Grand Canyon on a wire and that feat was seen on national television. So the timing couldn't have been more perfect. The Curious Cases card is unique as a retail-only insert set and was one that was not part of the Master Set I bought earlier in the year. Now I want this set too. The Sandberg card is cool and makes this pack a worth it.

Tomorrow ends pack week, and I'll open the Update Series pack as well as the second pack of Topps Chrome Update Series.

Oh yeah, the car? It's fine. I did have to pay a c-note plus for the repair. But I have to say that the motor hasn't sounded better...I hope.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama