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



24 packs per box
10 cards per pack
Current Retail Price (online): $79.99 - $94.99

Product Description

For over 60 years, Bowman has been the go-to brand for collectors who follow the game's top Rookies and Prospects. Bowman's home field advantage continues in 2011 as 30 Bowman Rookies and 110 Prospects take the field led by #1 Draft Pick Bryce Harper!


PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS

BOWMAN BASEBALL LOADS THE BASES WITH:
ALL AUTOGRAPHS SIGNED DIRECTLY ON-CARD
- NEW! Bryce Harper Autographed Prospect Cards
- NEW! Bowman 1948-'49 Buyback Cut Signature Cards
- NEW! Bowman International Parallel Cards
- NEW! Bowman's Best Insert Cards
- NEW! USA Baseball Patch Relic Cards
- NEW! 60th Anniversary Autograph Cards

One Bowman Chrome On-Card Autograph Prospect Card Per Hobby Box!
Three Bowman Chrome On-Card Autographs Per Jumbo Box!


CONTENT DESCRIPTION

NEW! BRYCE HARPER AUTOGRAPH BOWMAN PROSPECT CARD - An autograph Bowman Prospect version from fresh talent Bryce Harper
Available in the following parallels:
- Printing Plates: 1/1 Hobby Exclusive!
- Red: Numbered to 5 Hobby Exclusive!
- Orange: Numbered to 25 Hobby Exclusive!
- Blue: Numbered to 250


BOWMAN and BOWMAN CHROME PROSPECT CARDS - 4 Per Hobby and 14 Per Jumbo Packs
Bowman Prospects - 2 Per Hobby and 8 Per Jumbo Packs
110 Prospects including promising Bryce Harper appear in their MLB uniforms along with a "First Bowman Card" logo. Numbered BP1-110.
Available in the following parallels:
- Printing Plates: 1/1 Jumbo exclusive
- Red: 1/1 Hobby and Jumbo exclusive
- Orange: Numbered to 250
- Blue: Numbered to 500

Bowman Chrome Prospects - 2 Per Hobby and 6 Per Jumbo Packs
The same 110 Prospects shine on Bowman numbered BCP1 -110 with a "First Bowman Chrome Card" logo.
Available in the following Refractor parallels:
- Printing Plates: 1/1 Jumbo exclusive
- Super-Fractor: 1/1 Hobby and Jumbo exclusive
- Red: Numbered to 5 Hobby and Jumbo exclusive
- Orange: Numbered to 25
- Refractor: Numbered to 50
- Blue: Numbered to 250
- Refractor: Numbered to 750


BOWMAN RELIC CARDS - HOBBY & JUMBO EXCLUSIVE!
Futures Game Triple Relic Cards: Each of these 2010 Futures Game participants are recognized on Bowman cards featuring 3 swatches from their gameworn jersey and numbered to 99.


BOWMAN BASE CARDS - 5 Per Hobby and 15 Per Jumbo Packs
Veterans: 190 MLB diamond pros
Rookies: 30 first-timers with the MLB Rookie card logo
Available in the following parallels 1 per pack:
- Printing Plates: 1/1 Jumbo exclusive
- Red: 1/1 Hobby and Jumbo exclusive
- Orange: Numbered to 250
- Blue: Numbered to 500
- Gold: Gold speckled and inserted 1 per pack


NEW! BOWMAN INTERNATIONAL PARALLEL CARDS
Each of the 220 base set Veterans and Rookies, and 110 Prospects are showcased on cards featuring a map pinpointing the respective player's birthplace.


BOWMAN CHROME AUTOGRAPH CARDS - HOBBY EXCLUSIVE! 3 Per Jumbo and 1 Per Hobby Boxes
All Autographs Signed Directly On-Card!

Autograph Rookie Base Card Variations - 1 Per Jumbo And 1:3 Hobby Boxes
14 Rookies from the Bowman base set showcased on Chrome with their signature on a Bowman Chrome card and numbered 211-224
Available in the following parallels:
- Printing Plates: 1/1 Jumbo exclusive
- SuperFractor: 1/1
- Gold: Numbered to 50
- Blue: Numbered to 250
- Refractor: Numbered to 500

Autograph Prospect Card Variations - 2 Per Jumbo And 1 Per Hobby Boxes
31 sparkling aspirants sign their Bowman Chrome cards numbered BC111-141
Available in the following Refractor parallels:
- Printing Plates: 1/1 Jumbo exclusive
- Super-Fractor: 1/1
- Red: Numbered to 5
- Orange: Numbered to 25
- Refractor: Numbered to 50
- Blue: Numbered to 150
- Refractor: Numbered to 500


NEW! BOWMAN BUYBACK CUT SIGNATURE CARDS - HOBBY & JUMBO EXCLUSIVE!
An original 1948 or '49 Bowman Baseball card is embedded into a book card along with a cut signature from the legendary player depicted. 1/1


NEW! TOPPS 60th ANNIVERSARY AUTOGRAPH CARDS - HOBBY & JUMBO EXCLUSIVE!
Sixty players past and present have signed these cards along with an additional inscription wishing Topps a "Happy 60th!" All autographs and inscriptions are signed directly on each numbered to 60 card. Three players' cards will be inserted into each baseball product throughout 2011.


NEW! USA BASEBALL PATCH RELIC CARDS - HOBBY & JUMBO EXCLUSIVE!
Logo Patch Relic: Featuring 65 younsters from the 2010 National Collegiate, 18U and 16U teams, these cards are highlighted with manufactured patches of the current USA Baseball hat logo and are numbered to 25.
Retro Patch Relic: Thirty-five current MLB players can look back to their salad days as young players with these numbered to 25 cards featuring the hat logo from the year(s) they played for USA baseball.


INSERT CARDS - 23 Per Hobby Box and 32 Per Jumbo Box

NEW! BOWMAN'S BEST - 4 Per Hobby Box & 12 Per Jumbo Box
The 1994 Bowman's Best design returns to "The Show" with a dazzling line-up of today's best Veterans, Rookies and Prospects
Available in the following Refractor parallels:
- Atomic: 1/1 Hobby and Jumbo exclusive
- X-Fractor: Numbered to 25
- Refractor: Numbered to 99

NEW! FINEST FUTURES - 3 Per Hobby Box & 4 Per Jumbo Box
Fifty talented young MLB Stars, Rookies and Prospects slated to be the faces of their franchises highlight each of these Bowman insert cards.

NEW! BOWMAN'S BRIGHTEST - 4 Per Hobby Box & 2 Per Jumbo Box
25 top Prospects in each of the traditional five-tool categories.

NEW! TOPPS OF THE CLASS - 4 Per Hobby Box & 2 Per Jumbo Box
25 leading Prospect and MLB Rookie sluggers take a well-deserved bow.

TOPPS 100 - 8 Per Hobby Box & 12 Per Jumbo Box
These top 100 Minor League Prospects are heralded once again in Bowman Baseball.

WHAT WE PULLED

Base: 95/220 (43.2%)
Dupes: 0
Prospects: 48/110 (43.6%)
Dupes: 0
Chrome Prospects: 41/110 (37.3%)
Dupes: 0



Gold (24)
Blue /500 (1): Mike Pelfrey
Orange /250 (1): Ryan Braun
Bowman International (3)
Prospects Chrome Refractor /799 (1): Allen Webster
Checklist Red /500 (1): #3



Bowman's Best (4)
Bowman's Brightest (3)
Finest Futures (6)
Topps 100 (8)
Topps Of The Class (3)



Bowman Chrome Brian Bogusevic Auto ***Forgive the scan as the dark chrome ate up the auto***



Bowman Prospects Dee Gordon Auto



FINAL RATINGS

Base - 4/5
Design- 3.5/5
Fun - 3.5/5
Value - 3/5
Rebuy - 3/5

Total - 17/25 (68%)

Bowman is typically the first set of the year that prospectors and collectors come out in droves and attack. Last year was due to the Stephen Strasburg frenzy. This year, it is about Bryce Harper. While there are other prospects to track down in 2011, none command more interest than Harper.

Like in previous years, there are multiple base sets within the same release. Three sets are in place this year with Bowman, Bowman Prospects and Bowman Chrome Prospects. The Chrome is typically the more sought after version of the prospects as you don't find as many in boxes as well as the look. The card design is just a simple retooling of previous releases. There's nothing noteworthy about it this year. Parallel levels are in abundance and there is a new variation called Bowman International. It is a chrome card that mirrors the regular card, except that the background is a map inset to showcase where the player is from.

Into inserts? Well, Bowman has you covered with five sets. The one that stands out the most is the Bowman's Best series. It's a throwback to the 1994 design of Bowman's Best. It has three parallel versions numbering from 99 to a 1/1. The rest of the sets do not have parallel levels, so it's a one and done should you complete any of them.

Typically, a box will yield 1 Bowman Chrome Prospects Autograph on average. Though, as seen in this break, it is possible to get a second autograph from a couple of other autograph sets. They are the Bowman Chrome Rookies, Buyback Cuts (1948 and 1949) and the continuation of the Topps 60th Anniversary sets. In addition, you can find USA Logo Patch cards on rare occasions. The Logo Patch is manufactured to mimic the logo used on the ball caps of the players in a particular year.

Bowman and its cohort, Bowman Draft, are usually at the epicenter of a prospector's yearly card budget. Between the two prospect version, parallels and insert possibilities, those trying to get in early on the future of baseball immerse themselves in Bowman. Likewise, it's a collectible set for the set builders out there who simply enjoy collecting.

Unfortunately, Bowman takes a drop off from there. Utilizing basically the same designs over and over, the card themselves have become stale. Outside of seeing specific names, the wow factor is gone. And then when you've thought you had seen it all, the unfathomable happens. WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND DECIDED THAT A THROWAWAY CHECKLIST CARD NEEDS TO HAVE ITS OWN PARALLEL VERSION THAT IS NUMBERED???!!! Typically, there are four numbered cards in a hobby box, which means this actually replaced another numbered parallel of a player!

Moving on, the price has held steady, mainly because Bryce Harper is being brought along slowly by the Washington Nationals and is not slated to make his MLB Debut this year. But even then, when you couple one "hit" along with a handful of hopefuls, the price does not merit going back for more if you are simply a collector. I can see it for prospectors, but at the same time they could just enjoy the secondary market and come out money ahead.

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 their products, you can visit them today at www.topps.com.