What I Bought Instead of Allen & Ginter - Post #1

Over the last couple of months I toiled with the idea of buying a hobby box of 2010 Allen & Ginter. I like the cards and I love set building, but not when a $110 hobby box gets me nowhere near a complete set. I don't have the time or finances presently to collate it by hand, and it's just another prime example of why I'm burnt out on modern cards. Last year I took the approach of buying a complete set (with all SPs and a couple of complete insert sets as well) for less than the cost of a hobby box. This year I'm not even interested enough to do that. I'll still read the box break posts with interest, but it's just not for me. Instead, I decided to take the approach I used with last year's Topps Heritage set and use the money that would've gone to an Allen & Ginter hobby box on some cards I will appreciate much more in my collection. I will do a short series of posts on what I got instead as the goods arrive. Here's item number one:

2005 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites Auto - Jim Lonborg

A while back I remarked that I really enjoyed watching the 1967 episode of Baseball's Seasons on the MLB network, which in large part chronicled the "Impossible Dream" Red Sox team from that year. While I was inspired enough to pick up a '67 Yastrzemski the episode also made me realize that my collection was sadly bereft of a Jim Lonborg card. Lonborg was the man in '67, leading the AL in wins, games started and strikeouts, on his way to capturing the Cy Young award. He pitched an impressive one-hitter in game two of the World Series and captured another victory in game five. Here's the back of the card:

I really like almost everything about this card. It's great to add a certified Red Sox auto to my collection, and best of all the card borrows the '67 Topps design, paying homage to Lonborg's finest season. Not only that, but I won this for a mere $5, yet I have a feeling I'll be much more satisfied with it than any hit I would've pulled from A & G. My one complaint? Why did they have to put the hologram sticker right over the cartoon? Thanks Topps.

Cost: $5

Running Total: $5