The return of a Bowman Sterling set in 2019 after a five-year absence created some excitement among collectors, and Topps is hoping to continue that buzz with its 2020 set.
The company has provided some preliminary information on this year’s product, which has a release date of August 12. A full checklist is available for download below.
2020 Bowman Sterling Configuration/Base Set/Inserts
2020 Bowman Sterling will contain five packs in a hobby box, with six cards to a pack. Every pack will include an autographed card, while the other five cards will be numbered to 199 or less.
Each case will hold 12 boxes.
The base set boasts 100 cards, split into 50 prospects and 50 rookies.
Base set parallels include: Refractor, numbered to 199; Speckle Refractor (99); Gold Refractor (50); Blue Refractor (25); Black Atomic Refractor (10); Red Refractor (5); SuperFractor (1/1); and Printing Plates (1/1).
Inserts
The lone insert set Topps has promised so far is called First Signs and makes its debut with base cards numbered to 99. The card design highlights color and black-and-white photographs of the player — one will show the player as he emerged into the league, while the other shot will showcase the player’s most memorable moments as an established major league veteran.
Parallels will include Gold Refractors, numbered to 50; Blue Refractors (25); Black Atomic Refractor (10); Red Refractor (5); SuperFractor (1/1); and Printing Plates (1/1).
It’s likely additional inserts will be included when the product arrives this summer.
Autographs
Bowman Sterling offers collectors several varieties of autographs in the 2020 edition. The most common will be autographs of prospects and rookies that mirror the base set. The “common” Refractor will be numbered to 150, while the Wave Refractor will be numbered to 125. A Speckle Refractor will be numbered to 99, with other parallels in Orange (75), Gold (50), Blue (25), Black Atomic (10), Red (5) and SuperFractor (1/1). Each prospect and rookie card will have cards in these nine categories.
Dual Refractor Autographs are what you would expect — cards containing signatures of two different players, with each numbered to 25 or fewer. Parallels will include Black Atomic Refractors, numbered to 10; Canary Diamond Refractor (3); Red (1/1); and SuperFractor (1/1) cards.
Triple Refractor Autographs follow the same pattern as the Duals—three signatures per card, numbered to 25 or fewer. Parallels will include Black Atomic Refractors, numbered to 10; Canary Diamond Refractor (3); Red (1/1); and SuperFractor (1/1) cards.
Two signature sets will make their debuts for the 2020 set. Die-Cut Autographs will feature a sharply framed, die-cut card that gets its inspiration from Bowman’s distinctive capital “B.” These cards will be numbered to 99, with Blue Glow (25); Red Glow (5) and Rainbow Glow (1/1) refractors.
First Signs insert cards will also have autographed versions. These cards will be numbered, with parallels in Blue (numbered to 25), Black Atomic (10), Red (5) and SuperFractor (1/1).
You can check current box pricing on eBay here.
2020 Bowman Sterling Checklist
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