by Rich Klein
One advantage any Bowman football product has over its baseball counterpart is there is not only always a rookie crop which is usually pretty well defined but also preparations can begin earlier thanks to the NFL draft. Players find their way to their teams by April and then comes the rookie photo shoot before training camp begins. This gives the football card makers a big edge in that they can get many of the players to sign their cards and stickers early and thus have a good idea of how many autographs of a specific player can be produced.
Thus, late in the card collecting year, like this one, when 2012 Bowman Sterling is released, much of the up front work is done so the product can be released right 
on schedule. Every hobby box has six packs and each pack includes three rookie cards, one rookie autograph and one relic card. With six autographs per box along with six relics, the collector has a pretty good chance of having a decent return on investment. Released during the holidays, 2012 Bowman Sterling Football is turning out to be a pretty solid hit, thanks to plentiful autographs from a memorable rookie class.
Those great odds are one of the reasons my local card store (Triple Cards located in Plano, TX) very quickly sold out of his cases of Bowman Sterling at $285 per box and $50 per pack. Leading on-line retailers are currently between $305-320 per box. A neat touch is every base card in the set is a rookie card which guarantees that with the right player (s) there is even more value to the collector.
We couldn't wait to tear into this one in the middle of the NFL playoffs and this time, fortune was kind.
Base Cards 14 of 100. With perfect distribution, that means a collector needs at least eight boxes to make a base card set b
ut that's not usually the motivator in this type of product.
Blue Parallel refractor (#d to 99): T.Y. Hilton
Black Parallel Refractor (#d to 75): Ruben Randle
Gold Parallel Refractor (#d to 50): David Wilson
Cyan Printing Plate Parallel (#d 1 of 1): Kendall Reyes
Jumbo Veteran Relic Blue Parallel (#d to 75): DeMarco Murray
Jumbo Rookie Relics: Joe Adams, Dwayne Allen, Stephen Hill
Jumbo Rookie Relic Blue Refractor (#d to 99): David Wilson
Jumbo Rookie Relic Black Refractor (#d to 75) David Wilson (with all the David Wilson cards I pulled and as a long-time Giants fan, I sure hope Wilson continues to grow from his 2012 rookie campaign)
Jumbo Rookie Patch (#d to 99): Isaiah Pead: Please note this card was a "box-topper" and thus is not usually going to be in any single packs
Rookie Autographs: Matt Kaul, Brandon Pettigrew, Harrison Smith, Taylor Thompson
Rookie Autograph Black Refractor Parallel (#d to 50): Dontari Poe
Autographed Rookie Relic: Dont'a Hightower (Please note this card is an exchange)
Autographed Rookie Relic Gold Refractor (#d to 66): Russell Wilson
Wow...his team is out of the playoffs but Russell Wilson is a star in the making and the highlight of a very solid box. It's well over $150 right now and probably a strong bet to appreciate. Even without that big hit, though, there is a lot of good value in these packs and boxes and collectors can see why my local card store sold out so quickly and at a price level below what this product is currently being sold for by leading online retailers.
Rich Klein can be reached at [email protected]
Check out the most watched 2012 Bowman Sterling Football cards on eBay below.
