2011 Bowman Chrome MLB

**Taliasen** · 11-08-2011, 11:40 AM

2011 Bowman Chrome MLB

Per box items:
18 packs per box
4 cards per pack
1 autographed card per box

Topps Sell Sheet

2011 Bowman Chrome Baseball is very similar to the 2011 Bowman base set. The standard sized base set cards feature a full color action shot of the player. Bordered in black, veteran cards have red highlights and RC cards have green highlights. The team logo, player name and position are along the card bottom, all in the chrome finish. The set name is also centered near the bottom of the card front. There is the occasional horizontal layout design. The card backs are photo-less and all in a horizontal layout. the backs also have the same red and green trim for veterans and RC. The backs list moderate biographical information, moderate career highlights and last year's and career statistics. The card backs are very glossy.

What I pulled:
72 unique cards, no duplicates
23 base set cards 23/220 = 10% of the base set
5 base refractors
34 Bowman Chrome Prospects
1 Bowman Chrome Prospects refractor
2 Bowman's Best
3 Bowman Chrome Throwback
2 Die-cut
1 Die-cut refractor
1 autograph

Base card front and back:

The Inserts: (not all scanned)
Base refractors: Youkilis, Wood, Longoria, Sale, Arencibia
Prospect refractor Watts
Bowman's Best: Benson, Allie
Bowman Chrome Throwback: Sanchez, Gordon, Rizzo
Die-Cut: Allie, Turner
Die-Cut refractor Tago

The Hit:
Bowman Chrome Prospect Kendrick Perkins autograph

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The "home of the rookie card" certainly lives up to it's name. 2011 Bowman Chrome is loaded with RCs. There are RC in the base set and of course the Prospect set. The photograph and shot selection is good. The quality control is tight with no duplicates and no off-centering or printing errors of note. The autograph is on the card and look super sharp. The only drawback I found with 2011 Bowman is the same complaint I have about a lot of Topps products, way to many inserts. I would have like to have had half as many inserts and first year white border Bowman Prospect cards and that many more base set cards.

The Bottom Line:
I give 2011 Bowman Chrome a buy rating. If you want to complete the base set you will need to open several boxes. You might be further ahead to buy singles in lots. 2011 Bowman Chrome is made for prospectors. Buy a box and trade your Tigers cards to me!

The Final Score:
Final Ratings (Out of 5):
Base set collect-ability: 1/5
Big-hit Hunter: 2/5
Prospector Hunter: 5/5
Overall Design: 5/5
Fun: 5/5
Value: 4/5
Re-buy: 5/5
Overall Quality: 5/5

Overall: 32/40 (80% = B)

Topps sent me this box to review for Baseball Digest. I am also offering base and insert cards to members here for a SASE.

Thanks to Topps for making this review possible!

Tal