There are a few parts of Ginter that always tend to surprise. Outside of the normal celebrity autographs and crazy insert sets, as well as the Ginter code, there are always a extra little nuggets that collectors look for. This year, Topps took it to a place it has never been before, both with adding sports related content, and also parts of the set that are a little tougher to identify.

The first and most confusing element for 2012, so far, are the rare box topper Artifacts redemption cards. These cards have been showing up periodically over the last week, and to this point, no one really knows what they are. All we know is that they are eventual tickets for an item that is obviously too big to be included in one of the Ginter boxes. At this point the mystery of these cards are driving the value, as there are little to no details as to what they might be. I have a tweet into Topps asking what they are, but so far, there is no response.

Here are some examples:

2012 Allen and Ginter Box Topper N43 Artifacts Redemption

2012 Allen and Ginter Box Topper N43 Artifacts Redemption #2

Adding to the Artifacts cards are the lepidoptery cards, which have taken a page from the ever popular Entomology Bug Cards from Upper Deck. These redemptions are incredibly rare at 1 in 131,000 packs, and can be redeemed for an encased butterfly in an oversized card. I always thought this was a cool idea from Upper Deck, especially for the extremely rare venomous insects, and although these arent the same, its a good add to Ginter. If they were really smart, they would bring the actual cards to the national convention for everyone to see.

2012 Allen and Ginter Lepidoptery Redemption Card

2012 Allen and Ginter Lepidoptery Redemption Card #2

Lastly, going back to the sports realm, are the Rip Card reserve redemptions, which I credit Topps for finally bringing to a product like this. Only one of the redemptions has surfaced so far, and it is interesting to wonder what else might be included. I cant remember a product ever offering full sized game used items, and I think this could be ground breaking if better players start popping up on eBay. The rip cards are already hugely popular, and these items could add fuel to a roaring fire. I really wish more of this stuff would be used in other sets.

2012 Allen and Ginter Rip Card Reserve Derrek Lee Game Used Pants

This year’s Allen and Ginter didnt need stuff like this to sell, but I think that Topps continually making the product more lucrative while keeping the price point where it is, means great things for collectors.