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 ?

GAC Closed and we have a Winner

So, this year's Gint-A-Cuffs closed last week.  I took notice and failed to notify the contestants.  I figure that you're all big enough to read and know the rules.

We ended the event with two participants reporting 207 points.

207 - Ross ( Design on Deck )
207 - Play at the Plate ( Play at the Plate )

I didn't have a contingency plan for a tie.  I quickly looked to my inbox to see if bribes were offered.  Nothing outstanding.  Get it together, guys.  You want to win?  Toss something substantial my way.

Then I started to look at the actual GAC posts to see if the cards were scored correctly.  During the contest I tried not to look at GAC posts.  I don't want to be influenced in any way (except bribes - did I mention bribes enough?) if I had to make a scoring decision or ruling.  During the review I found myself chuckling a few times.  I like the cards and the way that they were presented.

I did find a scoring discrepancy in one of Ross's packs.  Pack 23, to be specific.  Ross figured:

WIN79 Mickey Mantle (NYY) -1

That card should be scored as:

-1 Any Yankees
+2 What's In A Name? 1:2 (+1 more if the player is on Your Favorite Team or +2 if it is a Favorite Player or +4 if it is Your Favorite Player) 

So it should be a +1, for a net gain of +2 for the pack (and the box).  Which places Ross as the winner with 209 points.

Ross, please contact me with your address so that I can get your prize, which is a 2012 Topps Allen & Ginter Hobby Box, graciously supplied by Topps.

My thanks to Topps for the prize, Community Gum for a great price on boxes for the participants, Spankee for the GAC IV banner, and all the participants who added to the fun.

Time's Running Out

Scores must be posted this weekend. Per the rules:

Final scores shall be submitted no later than 11:59pm, Eastern, Saturday, September 1, 2012.

That's all.

Oh, what the heck am I supposed to do with a tie?  Sure, a half windsor.

I need to scrutinize the current leaders and check my inbox for bribes that I might have overlooked.

Suggestions are welcome.

Red Backed minis

Greg Z, asked about some card backs...

Q: Are the A&G Baseball Ad Back Mini Parallels (1:222) the red back minis hand-numbered out of 25?
A: The short answer is: No. We had a bit more discussion, with me asking if he was looking for a points ruling on the red back.   That short answer is: Yes.  He also wanted to see examples of each.  I lifted these from ebay auctions.

So, now on to the scoring.  I couldn't find the odds listed for these elusive red backs.  The points assigned and the odds of pulling a card are not necessarily linear.  I'm going to assign the red back minis a +21 points.

2012 Topps Allen & Ginter
A&G Ad Back

2012 Topps Allen & Ginter
A&G Red Back (#ed/25)

So, there you go.  I've ruled.

I Have More Answers

More questions have arrived which means that it is time for more answers.  Clarifications, really.

Ginter Godfather queried:

Q: How should we score hits of the non-baseball Yankees? Regular full points or because Greg Gumbel looks like a cabbage patch doll he's worth half points? I didn't even know he had a relic... but I would imagine Bob Knight's relic, and the surfer's relic (if it exists?) should have their points adjusted to reflect the anti-Gint-A-Cuff nature of the subject depicted.
A: I'm not quite sure what you mean by "non-baseball Yankees".  By the rest of the question I assume that you mean relic or auto cards of Bob Knight, Ara Parseghian, Dale Webster, and Greg Gumbel.  You would get +10 for the relic or auto, but would be assessed a -1 penalty for being one of those four.

Colbey asked:

Q: Do you get bonus points for pulling an insert of someone else's favorite player? For instance I pulled a Joe Mauer N43 boxloader. +5 for the card itself, but do I get another +2 since the Ginter Godfather chose Mauer?
A: Absolutely.  +5 for the boxloader, +2 for another participant's Favorite Player.

Ross beseeched:

Q: If I pulled a Greg Gumbel Black Mini, does that mean -1 off of the +3 for a black mini? Or does the Gumbelness cancel out the Black Border?
A: The Gumblness cancels out many things, including, but not limited to appetite, but it does not cancel out the Black Border. +3 for black bordered mini, -1 for being Greg Gumbel.

UPDATE (This question came in just after I answered the others.  I didn't want to put it on hold for a few days.)

Charlie pondered:

Q: If you pull an N43 of someone else's favorite player, is it worth +10 only, or +15 (+5 N43 & +10 FP N43)?
A: Very good question.  Not good enough to get you any extra credit, but good.  I see where the scoring rules are confusing.  I'm going to keep pushing the scores up.  It will be additional points.  (+5 N43 & +10 FP N43).  If it is a Yankee, then divide N43 total points by 2.