2011 Topps Allen & Ginter Blaster Box Rip

Cruising Wal-Mart the other day I came across a few blaster boxes of '11 Allen & Ginter that were marked down 25% ($14.98), so I figured I might as well take a shot a one and see how I fare.  I've bought a couple of them in the past and had decent luck (a couple Framed Relic cards and some other decent inserts).

I've always wondered what the return on investment would be from one of the these boxes because, to be honest, these are retail and not hobby boxes, so the chances of high end cards are much smaller. But for the person that is content with buying a few boxes and packs here and there, it's a fun way to work on a set.

Anyway, I documented what each pack contained and looked up the values from the Beckett website (you need to subscribe to the online price guide if you want to do it yourself).  To save some space, I'll only hit the highlights from each pack, report the total value from the pack, and the average value per card.

Pack #1 - Total Value $9

• Russell Martin SP
• Brandon Snyder Original Back Mini Insert
• Gordon Beckham Hometown Heroes Insert

Pack #2 -  Total Value $4.20

• Josh Hamilton Hometown Heroes Insert
• Michael Bourn Original Back Mini

Pack #3 - Total Value $9.75

• Cody Ross SP
• Ascent of Man AOM11 Insert
• Minds that Made the Future Insert
• Adam Jones Ginter Back Mini Insert

Pack #4 - Total Value $6.95

• Aroldis Chapman RC
• Portraits of Penultimacy PP8 Mini Insert
• Troy Tulowitzski Hometown Heroes Insert

Pack #5 - Total Value $8.95

• Drew Storen SP
• Brett Wallace Original Back Mini Insert
• Jayson Werth Hometown Heroes Insert

Pack #6 - Total Value $21.05

• Mickey Mantle Code Card ($15)
• Ryan Howard Highlight Sketches Insert
• Step Right Up Mini Insert
• Cliff Lee Hometown Heroes Insert

Pack #7 - Total Value $8.40

• Jason Heyward SP
• Floating Fortresses Insert
• Uninvited Guests Mini Insert

Pack #8 - Total Value $4.55

• Carlos Quentin Black Mini Insert
• Adrian Gonzalez Hometown Heroes Insert

So the tally is:

• Total Value - $72.85
• Total Cost - $14.98
• Value/Cost Ratio: 4.863
• Average Value/Pack: $9.10
• Average Value/Card:  $1.51

Overall the box wasn't too bad.  The Mantle Code card was a pretty decent pull that really helped out the final numbers. No autos or relic cards, which can be expected since they are pretty tough to pull out of retail.

Would I buy another?  At $14.98.....yes.  For the previous full price of $19.99......probably not so much. Kinda makes me go back and wonder why I bought several of them before they were discounted...

Until next time - Steve