Pack Attack: 2009 Topps Allen & Ginter Hobby Hot Packs (3)

Normally I'm not one to join the "hot pack" craze, you know those packs on eBay that are guaranteed to contain a hit--jersey, auto, etc. I frankly have no idea how these sellers can be certain there is something inside, maybe they just have the magic hand, or maybe it's something much more devious. Anyway, I finally fell prey to these hot packs when a lot of three 2009 Topps Allen and Ginter Hobby Packs showed up on the Bay. A & G is hands down my favorite product of the year, and since relics, autos and silk cards are the same size in the frames, I felt I had a decent shot at landing a big hit. Most times when a seller offers a pack with either an auto or relic, you can fairly safely assume that it will be a relic, but not with A & G. At the very least I reasoned, I would pull three jersey cards, some minis and a couple of cards to help complete my set. Did this prove to be a worthwhile gamble? I thought so, if only for the excitement inherent in each pack, but I will let you decide if these 3 hits were worth $30. The results below will just list the "hit" in each pack. Enjoy!

Pack 1: David Wright GU Batting Gloves--Wow! What a way to start! I pulled this out of the pack and was excited right away because it was David Wright, but a closer inspection showed just how special this card was. I noticed that the swatch looked a little different than a regular jersey, it had kind of a cross-hatch pattern and when I flipped the card over I found out it was a piece of Wright's batting gloves. I had no idea that there were batting glove relics in this set, and I am assuming that it is shortprinted because there are only a few on eBay in comparison to the normal Wright jersey cards. This turned out to be the best of the hits, and I certainly won't complain about it. My first game-used batting gloves, of a great player, in my favorite set--not bad at all.

Pack 2: BJ Upton GU Jersey Relic--A bit of a let down after the Wright hit, but this allowed me to complete the set of game used Upton jerseys from 2009, as I had earlier pulled a Justin Upton relic from a pack. BJ "Bartells & James" Upton has recovered nicely after a slow start and is helping to keep the Rays in the thick of the Wild Card hunt.

Pack 3: Jimmy Rollins GU Jersey Relic--A gray swatch of J-Roll's jersey. Not much else to say about it, other than I'm sorry if you drafted the 2007 MVP in the first round of your fantasy baseball draft...football season and redemption are right around the corner!

I sure enjoyed these hot packs and might gamble on them again if I wrangle up some extra frogskins. What do you think of this pack attack?