Hits and Missses: Opening a 2014 Allen and Ginter Hobby Box

Last year, I enjoyed the 2013 Allen and Ginter product so much that I bought a hobby box from my local card shop, Great Moments of Westminster, Maryland. The owner, John Conigliaro, is an honest businessman that I have patronized for years. I've gotten lots of good finds from his shop over the years.

That box cost $89, if I remember correctly, and he had to have shipped in from one of his other locations. It was worth it, if only for this Jackie Robinson rip card that I pulled from it. I am a huge Jackie fan, having owned both a 1955 and 1956 Topps card of this Hall of Famer. His story moves me when I realize what he went through to integrate the game.

This year, I decided to take the plunge again, only this year's box cost $109! Oh, well, in for a penny in for a pound as they say, so I grabbed the last box they had.

The box topper wasn't much, just a card of the World War II memorial, shown here.

However, the third pack had two hot rookies, Kolten Wong and Jose Abreu!

Pack eight got my first hit, a relic of author Chuck Klosterman. To say I was underwhelmed is an understatement. Well, more packs to go,...

My next hit was in pack 16, a framed autographed card of Olympic wrestler Jordan Burroughs. Okay,...don't know him,...

Pack 18 had the third hit, an Evan Longoria bat card. So, there weren't any big hits this year.

Pack 20 had a rookie card of Reds' sensation Billy Hamilton. Not bad,…

That was about it, as I got some star cards, but I don't know if I made my money back or not. It was fun opening the packs, though, and that's what mattered.