Winner Announced, Prizes Assigned

It was a good Gint-A-Cuffs.  Scoring was tight.  After review of the posted scores I'm declaring that Brian, of Play At The Plate, is the winner of GAC V.  Well done.  He will be receiving a hobby box of 2013 Topps Allen & Ginter cards, supplied by Topps.

And because Topps supplied three boxes as prizes, I get to decide how they should be dispersed.  Thanks, Topps.  One down, two to go.

The second box will be going to the last place holder Ryan, aka The Ginter Godfather.  Two down, one to go.

In the past, I've been disappointed that several participants signed up and never completed the game.  I understand life getting in the way of cards and such and I'm very proud this this year so many did complete the game.  So, to the randomizer we go.  I think that five times through should be good.  The 12 participants that didn't already win a box will be entered into the gaping maw and it will regurgitate the next box recipient.

Dan, of The Other World, is our final box winner.  Winners, please get me your postal mail address.

Thanks to Dave and Adam's Card World for being our dealer sponsor.

Thanks to Spankee, of My Cardboard Mistress, for one of the best GAC banners ever.

So, I hope that it was as much fun for you as it was for me.  Okay, I hope that it was more fun for you than it was for me.

Now, I don't ask for much.  Really I don't.  Since the bribes this year were very anemic and none actually materialized, I'd like to ask for a card or two.  Actually, a few cards.  If you have extras of any A&G Red Sox players, send them my way.  I've got a new patron, Jason S., that has been sending me Hershiser cards.  I'd like to repay him in some way.  What a better way than to use someone else's cards.

Drop me an email at:  mark DOT aubrey AT gmail DOT com  for more info.

The End Is Here

Friday night came and went.  The posting of scores is closed.  14 of the 15 participants followed through on the contest.  I think that this is the highest percentage of finishers that we've ever had.

I need to verify a few scores before I declare a winner and dole out the prizes so wonderfully provided by Topps.

The End Is Near

Just like the regular baseball season, Gint-A-Cuffs will soon be coming to an end.  A gentle reminder about the end.

All cards that score points, either positive or negative, are to be shown on the participant's blog.  The participant shall keep a per pack score and a running total.  After having scored their whole hobby box, they shall comment on the Leader Board page.  Final scores shall be submitted no later than 11:59pm, Eastern, Friday, September 27, 2013.

And now a gentle reminder about bribes.  Hint.  Hint.

This is the time of Gint-A-Cuffs that I really like.  I get to go out and look at your posts.  As commissioner I do my darnedest to avoid them during the actual running of GAC.  I don't want to be swayed as I issue my rulings.  "What?  You solicit bribes yet don't want to be swayed?"  Yep.  I'm a riddle like that.

An impressive score was recently posted to the Leader Board.  After a bit of review, I've posted a new and different leader.  Go and check it out.

I'll be checking, with a fine tooth comb, the top point getters to make sure that cards have been scored properly.

Tic Toc revised

In the last post I gave a point ruling. I was wrong.

Clearly I have no clue what I'm talking about.  I have not seen a double rip card except as the participant sent me the scans.  I assumed that it was like a Russian nesting doll, a card within a card within a card.

It is a card with two other cards inserted, one on each side.  To free the cards inside, one would have to rip the card twice.  Hence "Double Rip Card".

So, updated scoring:

+35 Double Rip Card 1:1,429 * any card inside will be counted as a Rip Card (+10) plus possible bonus points based on autos/relic/SP  * cards must be ripped to get the bonus points.  Since this is a 'hit card' Yankees penalties are enforced

And this also factors in:

+5 Mini Exclusive Rip Card (#351-400)

So how would this score?  Let's use the following actual Double Rip card rip as our example.


The Double Rip card in this video is of Robin Yount and Ryan Braun. That card would score +35.

The owner decides to rip it, freeing the cards trapped inside. Each of those cards would be +10. So now they're up to a net of +55. What did they pull?  Mike Schmidt (card # 393).  The second card was Justin Verlander (card # 355).

Both of those newly freed cards are Mini Exclusive Rip (Short Print) cards.  +5 each.  That brings it up to a net of +65.

If the owner decided not to rip the Yount/Braun card it would score +35 and they could sell it on ebay.

The Scoring Rules have been updated to reflect the current ruling.

Confused?  So am I.  Thanks for playing.

The Clock Ticks

We're down to the final week of Gint-A-Cuffs.  Please finish up your scoring and post it.

I was asked about a scoring issue on a specific card.  A Double Rip card.  I'll let the participant reveal the card on their blog.  I'm not going to spoil the big reveal.

Here's my point ruling on a Double Rip card:

+35 Double Rip Card 1:1,429 * card inside will be counted as a Rip Card (+20) * card inside that Rip will be +10 (as above) - cards must be ripped to get the bonus points

So go finish scoring. Don't forget to post.

This scoring is all wrong. Please see this post for clarification.

The Commissioner REALLY comes out of hiding

There are questions and comments that need to be responded to.  It is time to face them.

Dorothy wrote:

Too bad! I wanst able to join this because I was out of town. That a bummer. Anyway, who wont? No list yet? 

The Commissioner responds:

Yeah.  Sorry you were out of town, Dots.  Here at GAC we do have a Leader Board.  It is currently up to date.  The contest doesn't officially end until Friday, September 27, 2013.  After that, scores will be verified and a winner declared.  Please check back then.

Play at the Plate wrote:

Welcome back to normal. If there is such a thing. 

The Commissioner responds:

Thanks.  I don't think that there is, but it is something to strive for.

Tribecards wrote:

Welcome Back, Kotter! And that is an AWESOME card! :-) 

The Commissioner responds:

OOOOOOHHHHH!  OOOOOOHHHHH!  OOOOOOHHHHH!   Yes, the Ryan Stiles is an awesome card.

Faith wrote:

Out of curiosity (and sure, I do have a vested interest in the answer), why is it that Bats back minis, which are more common (1:203) get more points than printing plates (1:594)? 

The Commissioner responds:

Because I transposed last year's points in correctly.  Scoring in Gint-A-Cuffs is a bit arbitrary.  But, looking back at last year's points the plates carried more weight.  My ruling is that the the 2013 Print Plates will now be worth 27 points.  That is the same as last year.  I will not adjust the points for the Bats back minis.  Yeah, it doesn't make sense to me, either.  But you just got a 4 point bump.  The Commissioner has ruled.

Several participants wrote:

very kind things about the photo of my daughter.. 

The Commissioner responds:

Thanks.  That's flattery, folks.  Not bribery.

Speaking of bribery, here's one that came to my email:

"Pssssst."

You turn around. In the shadows of the alley before you, you see a man in a large trench coat and a fedora. The collar on his coat is popped up, concealing most of his face. The giant bulge in the front of his coat suggests the presence of a tommy gun.

"Hey, buddy. Yeah, you. The Godfather sent this, along with his favor."

The unsavory character tosses a brown paper sack near your feet. You glance down at the package and look back up, but the man is nowhere to be seen.

Shrugging, you pick up the sack and unfurl the top and look inside. Neatly wrapped is a box with a clear plastic top, containing a delicious piece of pie. Who doesn't like pie? There's also a note that reads:

'There's more where this came from. Just let me know where to have my boys deliver it.'

-GG

'P.S. - This is most definitely a bribe.'


Hmmm.  Pie is good.  But does the GG know my favorite kind?

The Commissioner comes out of Hiding

This last week was a very busy one for me.  Number One son was deposited at college.  After he bought a car.  I took three days off from work to assist with packing, moving, and guiding him through the intricacies of vehicular ownership.  That is all to say that I didn't spend much time thinking about Gint-A-Cuffs.  So for all of you wondering when I was going to rule on this or that, it will happen this week.

To tide you over until I get my head back in the game, here's a link to some recently discovered Simon and Gintfunkel cards, thanks to The Shablotnik Report.

Prize Boxes Arrive and a few more questions

Yep, Topps came through again.  Three hobby boxes to be given away as prizes in the Gint-A-Cuffs V contest.

As I was taking the picture my daughter, Caroline, wanted  to be part of the photo shoot.  Who am I to say, "No"?

Now on to the questions.

Ginter Godfather asked:

Quick question, for the over-sized box loaders, if you snag one on the FP list but not your FP, is it +10 or +18? Not sure if the +10 in parenthesis is a +10 more or the corrected base value. I think it is +10 since you get +2 for other FP on other cards and the box loader is +8 by itself, but just wanted to verify.

The Commissioner replies:

GG, let's look and see.  The scoring rules state:  +8 Oversized Box Loader (+10 if player from FP list, +20 if it is your FP, divide total by 2 if Yankee)   So you would get +8 for it being an Oversized Box Loader.  If the card is of a FP from another participant that would be another +10.  So, 18 points.  Can you show the card or tell me who the card is of?  Forget telling me.  I want to see the card.

David asked:

I keep pulling Pope Francis I as card #217, not #270 as listed in the rules. Does #217 get +1 as well, or just the #270?

The Commissioner wearily replies:

David.  I've already told you that you aren't going to win this.  See the facebook posting around midnight.  But if you insist on knowing the answer... The Pope Francis I card is numbered 217.  A mistake was made and it has been corrected on the Rules Page.  How many of Popes have you pulled?

And I'm getting closer to answering PatP's question.  Here it is if you've forgotten it.

PatP wrote:

Are red autos #/d out of 10 the same points as a regular auto?

The Commissioner responds:

Again, a bit of investigation is necessary on my part.  My understanding is that the red autos #'d to 10 are from rip cards.  Is the card in question from a rip card?  Or is it a framed mini auto in red ink?  Showing the card on your blog would be helpful.

I really need to see the card to get a sense of what I'm being asked to score on.  I'm inclined to say that it is just another framed auto and score it that way.  I guess I'm bringing this up so that I don't forget to make a ruling and to nudge Play at the Plate into posting the card in question.

That's what I've got.

In closing, here's how the prize boxes stack up.

No, Caroline is not a prize option.

The Questions Keep On Coming

A new day, a new round of question.


David asked:

How about the Mini Bill Walton SP (#350)? 

The Commissioner answers:

Yeah, how about that Mini Bill Walton?  It amuses me.

J. Meeks asked:

Another question (sorry if I'm stupid): Does the Bill Walton Mini #350 count the same as #100? Gracias! 

The Commissioner answers:

Ah, I see.  There are two Bill Walton cards in the set.  That was foolish of Topps.  I am ruling that only the mini Bill Walton (card #100) will get bonus points.  The Mini Bill Walton SP (card # 350) gets the standard +3 bonus for being a SP.  No, you're not stupid.  De nada.

Chris asked:

Just to clarify, is the Yankee penalty cumulative? For example, if I pull a SP Yankee or an Across the Years Yankee, do I get 2 points for the SP or insert and then subtract one point for a total of 1 point, or do I just get a flat out -1 points with no modifiers? I had been scoring it as getting credit for the SP or insert status, but I have seen others score it as a flat -1 for it being a Yankee. 

The Commissioner answers:

Good question.  This trips participants up every year.  It is a cumulative modifier.  Let's say you pull a Yogi Berra (card #327) base card.  This is a Short Print.  You would score + 2 points for the SP and -1 point for Yogi being a Yankee.

The Ginter Godfather asked:

In years past they were cumulative (At least that is how the winner of last year won, he counted a Mantle WIN as -1, but ended up with a +1 net from it to edge out the competition by 2. Looking for clarification on this as well. 

The Commissioner answers: 

Yes, last year's winner was decided in the way that GG described.  It is cumulative again this year.

You have questions

I was just getting ready to fall asleep last night when I decided to take a look at my phone.  Questions were already coming in.


J Meeks wrote:

Does the Pele blank back score anything?

The Commissioner responds:

I have no clue.  Did you pull the regular, the mini, the black bordered mini?  I've seen a few of these on ebay, but it is a surprise to me.  It looks like Topps erred.  Until I can have a committee investigate it, please count it as a regular card with whatever the current point system is.  The Commissioner's office can adjust the point total later.

Chris Ra. wrote:

I am assuming that by What's in a Name, you mean Across the Years?

The Commissioner responds:

Yes.  Late night editing got the best of me.  It has been corrected on the rules page.  Any corrections or updates will be in red text.

PatP wrote:

Are red autos #/d out of 10 the same points as a regular auto?

The Commissioner responds:

Again, a bit of investigation is necessary on my part.  My understanding is that the red autos #'d to 10 are from rip cards.  Is the card in question from a rip card?  Or is it a framed mini auto in red ink?  Showing the card on your blog would be helpful.

So, that's the first round of questions.  And I avoided answering two of them.  Tune in again real soon.

Ready! Set! Go!

Look, I'm killing two birds here. I'm announcing that Gint-A-Cuffs V is officially on.  And a public service announcement.

Please read and become familiar with the 2013 Rules.  If you have questions, post them on the Q&A page.

Let's Go!

On another note, I received confirmation this afternoon from Topps that the prize boxes have shipped.

Please check your box tops

The Cardboard Connection is reporting diabolical shenanigans from Topps.

Read how some collectors are finding out the hard way about some hidden gems.

They're also reporting about an Oddity Relics insert set.

Again, this is why we don't rush things at Gint-A-Cuffs.

Core rules are coming along nicely.  Thank you for your patience.

Wrapper Scan

Thanks to David (Tribecards), I now have a scan of a wrapper.

And I've transcribed it.  I share it here mostly for my own use.

*Sequentially Numbered

One Little Corner 1:8
Palaces & Strongholds 1:8
Martial Mastery 1:8
Civilizations of Ages Past 1:8

Mini Parallels
Mini Short Print 1:13
A&G Back 1:5
Short Print A&G Back 1:65
Black-Bordered 1:10
Black-Bordered Short Print 1:130
No-Number 1:102
* A&G Bats Back 1:203
* Wood 1:2,716
* Printing Plate 1:594

Insert
The First Americans 1:5
Inquiring Minds 1:5
Heavy Hangs the Head 1:5
Codes, Ciphers & Cryptographs 1:5
Peace Makers 1:5
Famous Finds 1:5

Arachnology Card Redemption 1:47,500

* Rip Card 1:356
* Double Rip Card 1:1,429
* Framed Silk Card 1:633
* Framed Employee Edition Autograph 1:15,250
* Framed Employee Edition Relic 1:15,250
* Framed Ginter Code Breaker Autograph 1:8,994
* Framed Ginter Code Breaker Red Autograph 1:95,000
Framed Mini Autograph 1:49
Framed Mini Red Autograph 1:931
* Cut Signature 1:90,835

Framed Mini Relics - Version A 1:29
Framed Mini Relics - Version B 1:27
Full-Size Relic 1:37
* Framed Mini DNA Relic 1:302,784
* Framed Allen & Ginter Originals 1:9,500
Framed Mini Select Picks Relic 1:908,256
* Framed Mini Oddity Relic 1:7,150
* Book Card 1:37,848

Two unannounced mini insert sets discovered

The Cardboard Connection is reporting that there are two unannounced mini insert sets that have been discovered. People on Bikes and All in a Day's Work.

This is why we don't start Gint-A-Cuffs on release day.

Put last year's Bryant Gumbel in your Penny-Farthing and smoke it.

A little help?

Some of you have your boxes in hand.  You've ripped the packs, scanned the cards.  What I'd like are hi-res scans of any checklists that came with the boxes and hi-res scans of the wrappers that have the insert odds.  This will help me in setting points for the core rules.

Please post them on your blog or send me an email: mark DOT aubrey AT gmail DOT com

Thanks.

In the spirit of Gint-A-Cuffs being transparent and all that hooey, I was approached by a participant last night letting me know that his wife was also a participant and offered to step out so that there wasn't any conflict regarding prizes and all.

I told him in no uncertain terms to "stick it" and that all is fair in love, war, and GAC.  I think that it is really cool that Ryan (Ginter Godfather) and Faith (A Time for Sorrow and a Time for Joy) are in this thing together.  Even if he said, "She's kind of a weirdo."

So far, only one person has picked up on the bribery issue.  They've been involved in Gint-A-Cuffs for some time and have tried to bribe me before.  Come on people.  You want to win?  Get to bribing.

NOTE: All bribes are intended to be in jest.  Maybe.  All previous winners were determined by point totals and nothing else.  Or were they?  Sandwiches are yesterday's thing.  Wow me, people.

Big Day

The Big Day is here.  Topps 2013 Allen & Ginter is being shipped.  It is appearing on the twitter.  As I type this there are over 4,100 listings for '2013 Ginter' on ebay.

Tonight is the last night to become a participant.  Thanks to Faith for stepping out and into GAC V.

I'm still tweaking the 2013 rules and will roll them out soon.

Here's a card that I found interesting...

Does it remind you of anything you've seen before?

Housekeeping Duties

Time to address some of the details of Gint-A-Cuffs V.

The last day to enter this year's contest will be on Wednesday, August 7, 2013.  No exceptions.

I still have a few discount coupons from our official Dealer Sponsor, Dave and Adam's Card World.  Let me know if you'd like one.  Yes, to use it you need to be an active participant in GACV.

Thanks to our Main Sponsor, Topps, we have three hobby boxes of 2013 Topps Allen & Ginter to be used as prizes.  I'm still mulling some ideas in my head on how they will be given.

Favorite Players, Favorite Teams.  Some of you are very, very anxious to select your FP/FT.  Please look at the checklist provided by The Cardboard Connection.  Your favorite player might be Cy Seymour, but if he's not part of the checklist, he's not going to get you any points.  The selection of your Favorite Player affects everyone in the contest.  The selection of your Favorite Team only affects your points.

Even though you might have 'claimed' your FP/FT in previous comments, please post a comment on the 2013 Participants' page.

I'm still tweaking the 2013 rules.  Patience, people, patience.

The contest will officially start one week after Topps ships the product.  A tentative ship date is Wednesday, August 7, 2013.  Hey, that coincides with the last day to join the contest.  The contest would officially start on August 14, 2013, with it wrapping up on Friday, September 27, 2013.  That's a bit over six weeks to get display your point cards.

I'm sure that there will be questions about scoring.  We'll address those as they arise.

Recapping:

• A week to sign up
• Claim your FP/FT now
• Patronize our sponsors
• Keep calm

Intrigue - Guile - Bribery

There's still time to enter.

Dealer Sponsor Announced

Gint-A-Cuffs is pleased to announce that Dave and Adam's Card World is the official Dealer Sponsor for Gint-A-Cufs V.

To that end, Dave and Adam's have offered a case of 2013 Topps Allen & Ginter at a special price for GAC participants.  That's 12 lucky box busters.

So, how do you get in on this?  Leave a comment below, stating that you want to participate in this year's hoopla and that you'd like to purchase a hobby box through D&A.  I'll email you a code that you can use at checkout.  I only have 12 codes, so first come, first served.

A big thanks goes out to Shawn Crandall at D&A for helping put this together.

What in the Blue Blazes?

Gint-A-Cuffs V !

We're on. I've spoken with Topps and they're in. And they've stepped it up. Not one hobby box as a prize. Not two. But three hobby boxes of 2013 Topps Allen & Ginter. 

The product doesn't hit the streets until early August. I'll be adjusting the start and end dates. Like last year, GAC won't start until a week after street date.

Checklists and rules. Always the fun thing to wrestle with as summer begins.   I want to secure a Dealer Sponsor.

A big thanks to Spankee for the image. He's feverishly working on a new banner. I'm going with a pulp theme this year and he's nailed it perfectly.

Tell your friends.

Gint-A-Cuffs V ?