By the end of his senior season, big, poweful righty Jeff Juden was a high school pitching phenom in Salem, MA. He was a high school All-American and was named the Gatorade Massachusetts Baseball Player of the Year. The Houston Astros snapped him up with the 12th overall pick in the 1991 MLB Draft. Juden's major league career spanned eight seasons--and eight … [Read more...]
All Aboard the Cole Train: A Gerrit Cole Rookie Card Guide
Never mind, the mind-boggling contract, as soon as collectors learned that he was on his way to the Big Apple, collectors wondered what the impact would be on Gerrit Cole rookie cards. Playing in the biggest media market for the sport's most popular franchise can definitely have an impact, but savvy buyers have been picking up his cards for a long time. While … [Read more...]
A Look at the Evolution of Early Bowman Baseball Cards
After World War II, the Bowman Gum Company quickly became a viable competitor to Topps. Both companies produced sets early in the postwar era but Bowman would eventually get swallowed up by its rival. Topps, of course, ceased printing cards under the Bowman label after 1955 until reviving the brand back in 1989. But while Bowman's first run lasted only from 1948 through … [Read more...]
2018 Bowman High Tek Baseball Has New Inserts, Familiar Designs
2018 Bowman High Tek baseball promises more of the same from its debut last season. The 2018 version will feature new inserts and parallels, but acetate card stock and intricate designs will return. There will be one pack in every box when the product hits stores on September 12, and 10 cards to a pack. A typical pack will include four on-card autographs, a base parallel … [Read more...]
Topps, Baseball Factory Renew Partnership
Baseball Factory, the top player development and college recruiting program in the nation, has renewed its partnership with Topps. Bowman Baseball, the Topps brand focused on baseball’s top prospects, will serve as the official trading card of Baseball Factory. The partnership will provide Topps with access to over 600 events and 35,000 players within the Baseball … [Read more...]
2017 Bowman Baseball Will Tout 70th Anniversary
Bowman baseball is a collector’s pipeline to youth and rising talent, so it’s hard to imagine that the brand itself is actually a senior citizen. The annual release makes its return at hobby shops on Wednesday. The 2017 Bowman baseball set will pay tribute to what Topps is calling a 70th anniversary tear with a mixture of old and new. From the early 1950s … [Read more...]
Whitey Ford Cards Colorful And Coveted
Early in his career he was known as “Slick,” but by the time Whitey Ford ended his 16-year Hall of Fame pitching career with the New York Yankees, the smooth left-hander was called “The Chairman of the Board.” With the 2016 season about to begin, it’s worth noting that Ford was the first pitcher to get the Opening Day starting assignment seven times for the Yankees. It has … [Read more...]
1954 Bowman Football Set Offered Unique Design
While the 1954 Bowman football set may not have had the eye appeal of the ’53 set, the design was still catchy enough to entice collectors. Bowman had trimmed its football set from 144 cards in 1952 to 96 in ’53. For 1954, Bowman introduced a 128-card set. The Design The ’54 set displayed more action shots, albeit posed ones, and there were a few posed head shots. In … [Read more...]
Remembering ‘The Man’: Six Great Cards Of Stan Musial
Stan Musial played in his final major-league game on September 29, 1963, ending a 22-year career that saw him retire as the National League’s career hits leader. Consistent to the end, Musial gave the hometown St. Louis fans a 2-for-3 afternoon. Both hits came off Cincinnati Reds starter Jim Maloney, who was going for his 24th win of the season. The first … [Read more...]
It’s A Wrap: Collecting Football Wrappers Can Be A Challenge
Be honest. If you were a kid growing up in the 1960s or ’70s, saving those wax wrappers for football cards were an afterthought. Packs of cards were usually stacked on shelves at small candy stores and five-and-dime counters. The wrappers were colorful, but unappreciated. Occasionally, an astute youth would notice an advertisement for a sports product on the side panel and … [Read more...]