SCF Official Review: 2014 Bowman Chrome

[Enigma]

First and foremost, I'd like to thank our sponsors at Topps for providing us with this box.

2014bwchromeBB.jpg

18 packs per box
4 cards per pack
Current Retail Price (online): $64.99 - $74.99

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Bowman Chrome Autographs

Bowman Chrome Autograph Prospects: On-Card

Bowman Chrome Autograph Rookies: On-Card

Prospect & Rookie Autographs will have the following parallels:
- Refractor #'d to 500.
- Blue Refractor #'d to 150.
- Bubbles Refractor #'d to 99. NEW!
- Green Refractor #'d to 75.
- Gold Refractor #'d to 50.
- Carbon Fiber Refractor #'d to 25. NEW!
- Purple Bubbles Refractor #'d to 10. Hobby only NEW!
- Twitter-Blue Social Media-Graph Parallel - Players will sign with their Twitter handle #'d to 10. NEW!
- Red Refractor #'d to 5.
- Superfractor #'d 1 of 1. Hobby & Hobby Jumbo only
- Autographed Printing Plates #'d 1 of 1. Hobby & Hobby Jumbo only


Mini Chrome
Mini Chrome: Featuring top prospects and Major League stars
- Mini Chrome Autograph: #'d to 10. Sticker Autographs.
- Mini Chrome DIE-CUT Parallel: #'d to 150. NEW!
- DIE-CUT Blue Wave Parallel: #'d to 99. NEW!
- DIE-CUT Black Wave Parallel: #'d to 25. Hobby Jumbo only NEW!
- DIE-CUT Red Wave Parallel: #'d to 5. Hobby only NEW!
- Superfractor DIE-CUT Parallel: #'d 1/1. Hobby & Hobby Jumbo only NEW!


Die-Cut Refractors
Fire Die-Cut Refractors: A vertical die-cut and red spin on the 2014 flagship Bowman Prospect design featuring top 50 Prospects and Rookies from in 2014 Bowman and Bowman Chrome NEW!
- Fire Die-Cut Atomic Refractor: #'d to 99. NEW!
- Fire Die-Cut X-fractor: #'d to 25. NEW!
- Fire Die-Cut Superfractor: #'d 1/1. Hobby SKU only NEW!
- Fire Die-Cut Refractor Autographs: #'d to 25. NEW!
- Fire Die-Cut Superfractor Autograph #'d 1 of 1. NEW!

Dualing Die-Cuts Refractor: Horizontal die-cut featuring two top prospects NEW!
- Dualing Die-Cut Atomic Refractor: #'d to 99. NEW!
- Dualing Die-Cut X-fractor: #'d to 25. NEW!
- Dualing Die-Cut Superfractor: #'d 1/1. Hobby & Jumbo only NEW!


Bowman Black Collection
Bowman Black Collection: Bowman Continuity program #'d to 25 Hobby and Hobby Jumbo only
- The Bowman Black Collection Violet Parallel #'d to 10 Hobby & Hobby Jumbo only NEW!

1989 "Bowman is Back" Silver Diamond Refractor: This insert is a continuity program in all Bowman products celebrating the year that Bowman cards started to be produced again in 1989.
- 1989 "Bowman is Back" Super Jumbo Refractor #'d 10 Super Jumbo only NEW!
- 1989 "Bowman is Back" Black Diamond Refractor Autograph #'d to 15 Hobby & Jumbo only NEW!

AFLAC High School All-American & Under Armour All-American Game Autographs: Sequentially numbered to various quantities. Hobby & Hobby Jumbo only NEW!


Base Cards (220)
Veterans (170 subjects): The top veterans of MLB.
These images are picked up from 2014 Bowman.

Rookies (50 subjects): First Year MLB subjects; cards will have the "MLB Rookie Card" logo.

Rookie Variations (10 subjects): Rookie subjects will be shown with image variations. Sequentially numbered to 99. NEW!


Prospects
Prospects Top prospects who were not in 2014 Bowman.
- Prospect Error Card Variations NEW!

Base and Prospect Parallels
- Refractor Sequentially numbered to 500.
- Blue Refractor #'d to 250.
- Purple Refractor #'d to 150.
- Bubbles Refractor #'d to 99. NEW!
- Green Refractor #'d to 75. NEW!
- Gold Refractor #'d to 50.
- Carbon Fiber Refractor #'d to 25. NEW!
- Red Refractor #'d to 5.
- Super-Fractor #'d 1/1. Hobby & Hobby Jumbo only
- Printing Plates #'d 1/1. Hobby & Hobby Jumbo only

Black Wave Refractor Hot packs: Parallel of the Bowman Chrome prospect cards. These cards will be randomly inserted into Hobby and Jumbo boxes and replace 4 cards.

Silver Wave Chrome Refractor Parallel Hot Packs #'d to 10.

WHAT WE PULLED

Base - 29/220 (13.2%)
Prospects - 34/100 (34%)

CCF10222014_00000_zpsaf423492.jpg

CCF10222014_00001_zps75d50b69.jpg

Blue Refractors /250 (2) - Dan Haren, Devin Williams
Bubbles Refractors /99 (1) - Mat Latos

CCF10222014_00002_zpsb07414dd.jpg

1989 Bowman Is Back Silver Diamond Refractor Stephen Strasburg

CCF10222014_00003_zpse38b653f.jpg

Bowman Mini Chrome Jonathan Gray

CCF10222014_00004_zps6364f2cc.jpg

Dualing Die Cuts Colin Moran/Kris Bryant

CCF10222014_00005_zpsfd22dcaa.jpg

Fire Die Cut Carlos Correa

CCF10222014_00006_zps7e3cefbd.jpg

Abiatal Avelino Prospects Autograph (on card)

CCF10222014_00007_zps3c398f94.jpg

Corey Knebel Prospects Autograph (on card)

CCF10222014_00008_zps534a6be6.jpg

Bowman Chrome continues the Bowman tradition of highlighting prospects. Along with a 100-card Prospects checklist, it does however contain a 220-card base set with 170 veterans and 50 rookies. Set collectors should be warned that you will have to break numerous boxes to complete the base set. As is the norm, a plethora of refractors are available with each card. Additionally, you will find 10 rookie variations (/99) as well as short prints and error card variations among the Prospects. Also look for hot packs filled with Black Wave and Silver Wave refractors as well as redemptions toward a complete set of Pink Wave Refractors.

Base/Prospects:
Refractor 1:15
Blue Refractor 1:29
Purple Refractor 1:47
Bubbles Refractor 1:68
Green Refractor 1:90
Gold Refractor 1:138
Static Refractor 1:205
Orange Refractor 1:276
Carbon Fiber Refractor 1:695
Shimmer Refractor 1:479
Red Refractor 1:1,390
Superfractor 1:6,950
Printing Plate 1:1,740
Rookie Variation 1:2,320
Prospect Error Card Variation 1:928
Prospect Short Print 1:228
Black Wave Hot Pack 1:681
Blue Wave Hot Pack 1:681
Pink Wave Complete Set Redemption 1:35,000

Die-Cut overkill reigns with the inserts. Two of the three (four, if you include the 1989 Bowman Is Back continuity set) are die cuts, while the other contains parallels that are die-cut. Bowman Mini Chrome has been around a couple of years in different forms such as Cream Of The Crop. Dualing Die Cuts and Fire Die Cuts focus on the hot prospects primed to make the move to the majors or have appeared recently. All have parallels as well as autograph versions, except for the Dualing Die Cuts.

1989 Bowman Is Back Silver Diamond Refractor 1:18, Shimmer 1:11,425, Superfractor 1:116,300, Black Diamond Autograph 1:30,400
Bowman Mini Chrome Refractor 1:18, Die Cut 1:306, Die Cut Blue Wave 1:465, Die Cut Canary Yellow 1:915, Die Cut Red Wave 1:3,405, Superfractor 1:45,225, Refractor Autograph 1:9,250, Refractor Autograph 1:218,000
Dualing Die Cut Refractor 1:18, Atomic 1:924, Shimmer 1:1,835, X-Fractor 1:3,660, Superfractor 1:90,450
Fire Die Cut Refractor 1:18, Atomic 1:770, X-Fractor 1:3,070, Superfractor 1:28,350, Refractor Autograph 1:9,250, Superfractor Autograph 1:218,000

Each box of Bowman Chrome will yield two autographs of some type. Typically, these will be on-card Prospects autographs. But autographed rookies as well as those from the All-American Game can be found as well to go along with the aforementioned signatures. The Bowman Black Collection Autographs continuity program is present in Bowman Chrome. Redemptions for game used hats from the Futures Game are inserted as well.

Prospects Autograph:
Base 1:13, Refractor 1:82, Blue Refractor 1:207, Bubbles Refractor 1:340, Green Refractor 1:410, Gold Refractor 1:614, Orange Refractor 1:1,250, Static Refractor 1:2,400, Carbon Fiber Refractor 1:3,450, Purple Bubbles Refractor 1:1,250, Blue Social-Media Graph (signed with Twitter handle) Refractor 1:9,150, Red Refractor 1:6,200, Superfractor 1:30,250, Printing Plate 1:7,600, Black Refractor 1:3,000, Purple Refractor 1:29,000
Rookie Autograph:
Base 1:1,835, Blue Refractor 1:3,060, Bubbles Refractor 1:4,620, Green Refractor 1:6,120, Gold Refractor 1:9,250, Orange Refractor 1:13,000, Carbon Fiber Refractor 1:18,350, Static Refractor 1:30,400, Bubbles Refractor 1:17,000, Red Refractor 1:90,400, Superfractor 1:407,000, Printing Plate 1:116,000
All-American Game Autographs 1:1,020
Bowman Black Collection Autograph 1:1:3,667, Violet 1:9,250
Futures Game-Used Hat Redemption 1:21,300

FINAL THOUGHTS

Base - 3.5/5
Design - 4.5/5
Fun - 4/5
Value - 3.5/5
Rebuy 3.5/5

Overall - 19/25 (76%)

NPN

NPN 2014 Bowman Chrome BB
PO Box 2230
Duryea, PA 18642

Limit 1 Request Per Household

Postmarked By: 12/23/14
Received By: 12/30/14

Canada Skills: 13 x 3 + 2 - 11 = ?

Once again, I'd like to thank our wonderful sponsors at Topps for giving us the opportunity to open and review this release. For more information on all of their products, visit them today at www.topps.com.

Base and inserts are available for request. Please PM me with the player or players of interest. Cards will remain available for 30 days from the time this review is posted. As always, only VIP members may make a request for the first 48 hours.

[pwaldo]

The die cut inserts in this product look great. Don't know how the rest of the break went because it is all prospects but they do look good for inserts.