Hidden gems buried in the 2026 Topps Allen & Ginter Baseball checklist

Well, well, well, what do we have here? No, sorry, that's a legitimate question: What do we have in 2026 Allen & Ginter? Like, what is any of this?

Topps' annual release is technically a baseball product, featuring a robust auto checklist on throwback cardboard of MLB stars, rookies, and legends. It also does so much more, though, burying oddities across its wide array of inserts and signatures. Highlights of past years include dinosaur fossils, Daniel Nava's World Series-winning beard hair, and a drawing of an egg, as well as autographs that run the gamut from Seth Meyers to Henry Rollins.

This year's edition drops its presales on Tuesday Sept. 8 at noon, and hobby boxes will feature two hits per box - including autos, relics, printing plates, and rip cards.

Strangest potential hits in 2026 Topps Allen & Ginter baseball checklist

"Survivor" is heavily represented: This isn't a first for A&G, but it might be their most extensive tribute to the CBS reality series yet. Five Survivor alums hit the auto checklist: Rob Cesternino (also of "The Traitors" conga line and podcasting fame), Eva Erickson, Kyle Fraser, Parvati Shallow, and Tyson Apostol. That's three winners, a foundational player, and a recent fan favorite in Erickson, who also has a relic in this thing. That had better be a buff or a chunk of a hidden immunity idol.

This may be the most stacked oddball auto checklist yet: These. Will. Not. Be. Cheap. There's catnip for every fandom here, from Patrick Stewart to Nelly to Luke Combs to Megan Fox. Where else can you snag a signature from MLB insider Bob Nightengale? Does it come with a swatch of the bagels he delivered to the MLB labor talks last lockout?

Fan of Topps' Employees? You're in luck! 13 of them have autographs in the product, including dual autos of Tori Deal and Devin Walker, a perfect gift for family members of Tori Deal and/or Devin Walker.

Autographed Lineup Card Relics: These have to be mega-shortprinted, but includes 55 different versions, featuring MLB stars from Shohei Ohtani (two different Dodgers versions) to Masyn Winn.

Bizarre Inserts: Even if you're not lucky enough to hit an auto, you'll probably land myriad Mini Musical Methods, which pay tribute to earbuds and jukeboxes alike. "50 Ways to Say Hello" minis are exactly what they sound like - collect the whole 50-card checklist, from Aloha to Annyeong haseyo. Who knows? Maybe a few rare ones will also be signed by Topps employees. We can only be so lucky!

While the checklist makers don't seem to have gone completely off their rocker this year - I'm not spotting any hair or fossil swatches of any kind - the autograph checklist has enough funk available for even the most ravenous consumers of crazy. Game on.

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