Twenty-five years after the brand was brought back to life by Topps, 2024 Bowman Baseball will make its return this spring.
The 1989 edition was in the oversize form the brand utilized from its 1953-1955 era but modern Bowman stays with the standard size it adopted in 1990. The 2024 edition has a release date of May 8.
Configuration and Base Set
Regular Hobby boxes guarantee one Chrome autographed card while Jumbos have three. Hobby cases have 12 boxes while Jumbo cases have eight. 24-pack retail and eight-pack Value (blaster) boxes are also in the works.
The first 100 cards contain veteran and rookie base cards. There’s also a 150-card Bowman Prospect set.
Parallels for the ‘paper’ base cards include:
Sky Blue Border Parallel – #’d to 499
Neon Green Border Parallel – #’d to 399
Fuchsia Border Parallel – #’d to 299
Purple Border Parallel – #’d to 250
Purple Pattern Parallel – #’d to 199
Pink Border Parallel – #’d to 175
Blue Border Parallel – #’d to 150
Blue Pattern Parallel – #’d to 125
Yellow Border Parallel – #’d to 75
Green Border Parallel – #’d to 99 Retail Exclusive
Green Pattern Parallel – #’d to 99 Retail Exclusive
Gold Border Parallel – #’d to 50
Red Border Parallel – #’d to 5
Platinum Border – #’d 1-of-1
Printing Plates – #’d 1-of-1
Chrome Prospects put a shiny touch on those 150 up and comers. Parallels for those will include:
Lunar Glow Parallel – 1:12 Packs
Refractor Parallel – #’d to 499
Speckle Refractor Parallel – #’d to 299
Purple Refractor Parallel – #’d to 250
Fuchsia Refractor Parallel – #’d to 199
Fuchsia Lunar Glow Refractor Parallel – #’d to 199
Blue Refractor Parallel – #’d to 150
Blue Shimmer Refractor Parallel – #’d to 150
Green Grass Refractor Parallel – #’d to 99
Yellow Refractor Parallel – #’d to 75
Yellow Lunar Refractor Parallel – #’d to 75
Green Refractor Parallel – #’d to 99 Retail Exclusive
Green Shimmer Refractor Parallel – #’d to 99 Retail Exclusive
Gold Refractor Parallel – #’d to 50
Gold Shimmer Refractor Parallel – #’d to 50
Rose Gold Refractor Parallel – #’d to 10
Rose Gold Mini-Diamond Refractor Parallel – #’d to 10 (new)
Red Refractor Parallel – #’d to 5
Red Lava Refractor Parallel – #’d to 5
Printing Plates – #’d 1-of-1
There’s a die-cut variation for 20 players in the set, including many of the top young players.
On the checklist (see below), Topps does list a pair of ‘RetroFractor’ variations that will be part of 2024 Bowman: Bob Gibson and Pete Rose. The inclusion of Rose is significant. Baseball’s all-time hits leader hasn’t appeared in an MLB licensed product since the early 1990s after his ban from baseball too affect. Autographed Rose cards will be possible as well.
Inserts
Topps gives a nod to the last original Bowman set from 1955 with a “1955 Bowman Anime” set that includes 15 players.
Rising Infernos is a 20-card set featuring hot (get it?) young prospects.
Gladiators of the Diamond and Origins of Greatness inserts will be in the mix this year.
Also new: Bowman A.I. with advanced player stats to “paint the picture of potential superstars of the game,” according to Topps.
Bowman Scout’s Topp 100, Bowman Spotlights, Rookie of the Year Favorites and rare Hidden Gems cards are among the returning insert sets.
Among the insert parallels:
Bowman Scout’s Top-100 – (1:4 Packs)
Mini-Diamond Refractor Parallel – #’d to 150
Aqua Refractor Parallel – #’d to 125
Green Refractor Parallel – #’d to 99 – Retail Exclusive
Gold Refractor Parallel – #’d to 50
Red Refractor Parallel – #’d to 5
SuperFractor Parallel – #’d 1-of-1
Bowman A.I.:
Mini-Diamond Refractor Parallel – #’d to 150
Aqua Refractor Parallel – #’d to 125
Green Refractor Parallel – #’d to 99 – Retail Exclusive
Gold Refractor Parallel – #’d to 50
Red Refractor Parallel – #’d to 5
SuperFractor Parallel – #’d 1-of-1
Prospect Power-Up:
Mini-Diamond Refractor Parallel – #’d to 150
Aqua Refractor Parallel – #’d to 125
Green Refractor Parallel – #’d to 99 – Retail Exclusive
Gold Refractor Parallel – #’d to 50
Red Refractor Parallel – #’d to 5
SuperFractor Parallel – #’d 1-of-1
ROY Favorites:
Mini-Diamond Refractor Parallel – #’d to 150
Aqua Refractor Parallel – #’d to 125
Green Refractor Parallel – #’d to 99 – Retail Exclusive
Gold Refractor Parallel – #’d to 50
Red Refractor Parallel – #’d to 5
SuperFractor Parallel – #’d 1-of-1
Bowman Spotlights:
Mini-Diamond Refractor Parallel – #’d to 150
Aqua Refractor Parallel – #’d to 125
Green Refractor Parallel – #’d to 99 – Retail Exclusive
Gold Refractor Parallel – #’d to 50
Red Refractor Parallel – #’d to 5
SuperFractor Parallel – #’d 1-of-1
Autographs
A popular staple for years, Chrome Prospect Autographs are the cards collectors will be chasing the hardest, typically delivering some of a player’s most valuable cards, especially the parallel versions.
All Chrome Prospect autograph parallels will be numbered to less than 100. A few will only be available in Retail products.
Green Refractor – #’d to 99 – Retail Exclusive
Green Grass Refractor – #’d to 99
Green Shimmer Refractor – #’d to 99 – Retail Exclusive
Yellow Refractor Parallel – #’d to 75
Chrome Rookie Autographs will feature a checklist of players who are part of the Topps 2024 rookie class like Elly De La Cruz. They’ll have:
Green Refractor Parallel – #’d to 99 – Retail Exclusive
Yellow Refractor Parallel – #’d to 75
Paper Prospect Autographs are exclusive to retail boxes with these parallels:
Purple Border Parallel – #’d to 250
Blue Border Parallel – #’d to 150
Green Border Parallel – #’d to 99
Gold Border Parallel – #’d to 50
Orange Border Parallel – #’d to 25
Red Border Parallel – #’d to 5
Platinum Border Parallel – #’d 1-of-1
Bowman Ultimate brings book cards to the party with a checklist of prospects and players who are just now getting their feet wet in the majors.
Look for autographed copies of many of the insert cards in ’24 Bowman.
Bowman Buyback Autographs are previously issued Bowman cards that were purchased by Topps and autographed by the player. There aren’t any players from the 1950s but you will find George Brett, Rod Carew, Ryne Sandberg, Chipper Jones and Pedro Martinez among a smallish number of names on the list.
You can check out eBay pricing here.
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