Mini Me

Many people have written about their affection for the Allen & Ginter set, especially the 2008 version. There are many reasons to love it. It is the perfect set for getting autographs, although I defy anyone to get Pluto's. It is simple, elegant, and interesting. The pictures are great, much better than Goudey. The only problem is that, in order to collect a Master Set, you need to collect five entire sets: normal, miniature, mini A&G backs, mini black-border, and mini no-number. You may even throw in the mini A&G bubble-blowing back.

Early on, I decided that I was not going to collect all the minis. I have resorted to taking whichever mini I have for one complete set of minis. So now that I'm getting closer to finishing, I'm finding it harder and harder to track down all the cards. Don't even mention the inserts!

Then, along comes a trader like Duane of Democratic Roadkill, who blows away all common sense and sends nearly forty, that's right, 40, minis, including three Baseball Icons, a World Icon, a Mini Aviation and four World Leaders. 

  

Also included were the two Indians minis that I didn't have:

 

To top it off, Duane also sent some 2008 SP Authentic inserts that I still need. This is one of those sets that snuck up on me and surprised me by how much I like it. It's well-designed, bright, interesting, and isn't overly-burdened with a huge base or too many inserts. 

Thanks, Duane. More Blue Jays are on the way.