Discover 2025 Allen & Ginter Baseball
Few products in the trading card world blend timeless tradition with modern creativity the way Allen & Ginter does. Each year, the set pays tribute to the 19th-century tobacco cards that started it all, while still finding new ways to surprise, delight, and inspire collectors across The Hobby.
For 2025, the creative team at Topps leaned deep into the brand’s historic roots while embracing a new kind of intentionally imperfect design.
2025 Topps Allen & Ginter Baseball honors vintage tobacco-era designs with custom fonts, intentional “imperfection,” and playful Easter eggs — right down to a DNA mini with hidden nucleotide motifs. The checklist adds modern icons like Larry David while keeping A&G’s hand-made soul and collector-friendly minis intact for 2025.
According to Topps senior graphic designer Austin Natowitz, the creative process always begins with the vision of John Doldan, Topps’ art director. “He creates a reference folder full of designs to inspire us, while also creating the logo for the year and the base design,” Natowitz explains. “which “That helps us make every year’s Ginter different from other years, but consistent within the product year itself.”
Each year’s design direction is rooted in Doldan’s meticulous study of 19th-century visual art, print processes, and typography. “He seems to have been inspired by the tools available to the designers of that era,” Natowitz says. “It was a constant refrain this year — ‘imperfect is perfect.’ They didn’t have computers that allowed them to make perfect circles with consistent color all the way through. They had to make designs using what they had, so we were inspired by the imperfection inherent to the cards of the era and tried to create those imperfections in a modern way.”
In many ways, the 2025 set is a celebration of craftsmanship itself — a reminder that Allen & Ginter’s magic lies in the subtle, human touch that connects today’s Hobby to the artistry of the 1800s.
Balancing Heritage and Innovation
Finding new creative territory each year without straying from Allen & Ginter’s rich heritage is, as Natowitz admits, one of the brand’s defining challenges. “That’s the real key to Ginter,” he says. “How to maintain the look of the original era of the designs while also keeping it fresh year after year.”
The solution, he believes, lies in research and respect for history. “John [Doldan] year after year finds new cards and new inspiration from designs from the era that allows us to maintain a consistent design ethos,” Natowitz continues, “while not stepping on the toes of our previous designs.”
That commitment to evolution within tradition keeps the set feeling alive — instantly recognizable, yet never repetitive.
“We don’t want to make something that feels like 2006 or 2018 all over again,” Natowitz adds. “It has to have that Allen & Ginter soul, but it also has to stand on its own as something that could only exist in 2025.”
Larry David Joins Allen & Ginter
Every Topps Allen & Ginter Baseball release brings a mix of baseball legends, cultural icons, and unexpected personalities, but few inclusions have generated as much buzz as Larry David joining the 2025 lineup. While the partnership itself came together through the Topps partnerships team, Natowitz says the design department couldn’t have been more enthusiastic.
“I know everyone on our team was very excited with the collaboration. We love Larry David!” he says with a smile. “I think Larry and Ginter go hand in hand. Both classic and modern at the same time.”
Natowitz and the design team even worked in a subtle artistic nod to David’s unmistakable look.
“The pattern around the edge is supposed to be vaguely reminiscent of his glasses,” he explains. “It’s one of those little design cues that feels right when you see it. You may not notice it immediately, but once you do, it adds another layer of charm.”
That kind of Easter egg is pure Allen & Ginter: understated, clever, and rooted in personality. “When you get a Larry David card, you should feel that mix of sophistication and humor,” Natowitz says. “We wanted the card to carry that quiet wink, like it’s aware of the joke, but still gorgeous enough to display.”
Fan Favorites and Hidden Details in 2025 Allen & Ginter
Beyond the celebrity cards, Topps Allen & Ginter Baseball is beloved across The Hobby for its mini sets and inserts, where design experimentation meets collectability. For Natowitz, one stands out above the rest.
“I’m always a fan of the mini stained glass cards,” he says. “I think they’re a perfect blend of historic design and modern technological capability.”
For collectors who love a little mystery, there’s even more to discover. “There’s a hidden design detail in the Mini DNA relic card,” Natowitz reveals. “On the front of the card, there’s a repeating pattern featuring the four nucleotide bases of DNA (G, A, T, C), but the style of the card predates the discovery of those nucleotide bases. It also shows the double helix shape of DNA, which was discovered even later, but that’s not really hidden.”
Those kinds of subtle, historically playful touches are part of what makes Allen & Ginter so special. It’s a set that rewards curiosity and invites collectors to linger over every detail — an experience that reflects the broader joy of The Hobby itself.
Design Challenges and a Living Legacy
While the cards themselves are whimsical and visually rich, the process behind them is anything but simple. Natowitz points to one of the year’s biggest creative feats: the custom typography.
“A ton of care and work went into every letter,” he says. “Every curve, every serif, it all had to feel like it could have been made with the tools of the 1880s but still read clearly in 2025.”
For Natowitz, that balance between reverence and reinvention defines the Allen & Ginter design philosophy, and The Hobby at large. “I hope that collectors feel the full length of history that inspires not only these cards, but every card we make in the modern age,” he says. “There is a link connecting every modern collector, every designer at this company past and present, every fan of sports collectibles of any type, to the original tobacco cards that inspired the look of the modern Allen & Ginter product.”
That connection is really what it’s all about. “I hope that collectors feel and enjoy being part of that link to history whenever they open a pack,” Natowitz says, “the same way we do while making them.”
2025 Topps Allen & Ginter Baseball Design FAQs
- What’s the design theme for 2025 Topps Allen & Ginter Baseball?
- A blend of 19th-century print aesthetics and modern craft defines the set — custom type, ornamental frames, and purposeful “imperfections” that give each card a human touch while feeling fresh for 2025.
- Are there hidden details to look for in 2025 Topps Allen & Ginter Baseball?
- Yes. Minis feature clever cues, including a DNA mini with repeated nucleotide bases and subtle double-helix references — classic A&G design riddles for detail-oriented collectors.
- Is Larry David really in the 2025 Topps Allen & Ginter Baseball lineup?
- The design team highlights Larry David as a modern cultural addition, complete with an understated border nod to his glasses — smart, collectible, and very Allen & Ginter.
- How does 2025 differ from earlier A&G sets?
- This year’s release preserves the brand’s recognizable look but introduces new custom fonts, refined ornamentation, and fresh Easter eggs.
- What elements reinforce the heritage feel?
- Research-driven references to Victorian-era typography and engraving, warm hand-drawn curves, and layouts that read as period-authentic while staying readable on modern cardstock all contribute to the vintage aesthetic.
Key Facts
- Creative leads: John Doldan (art direction), Austin Natowitz (senior graphic designer)
- 2025 set uses custom fonts and intentional imperfection to humanize the look
- Minis include hidden DNA motifs
- Modern icon Larry David appears with a border nod to his glasses
