Bowman is a baseball card set that was produced at least annually from 1948 to 1955 by Bowman Gum. Then Topps reintroduced the brand in 1989 and has released the set annually (at least) since then.
Base Set Card Gallery[]
Bowman Gum Era[]
1948 Bowman[]
This is the first main issue of Bowman cards. It was also the first major sports cards release after World War II. Highlights of the set include rookie cards of Stan Musial, Yogi Berra and Warren Spahn.
Base Set:48 cards
1949 Bowman[]
Base Set:
1950 Bowman[]
Base Set:
1951 Bowman[]
Base Set:
1952 Bowman[]
Base Set:
1953 Bowman Black and White[]
Base Set:
1953 Bowman Color[]
Base Set:
1954 Bowman[]
Base Set:
1955 Bowman[]
Base Set:
1956 Bowman[]
Base Set: None. Pre-Production preview cards only.
Topps Era[]
In 1994, Topps created the Bowman's Best brand, followed by Bowman Chrome Baseball in 1997. In 2000, Topps added Bowman Draft to the roster and then Bowman Heritage Baseball the next year as part of their retro line. By 2016, Bowman offshoots included Bowman Sterling Baseball, Bowman Platinum Baseball, Bowman Inception, and Bowman Originals.
1989 Bowman[]
Topps decided to re-introduce the Bowman brand of cards to the market. This over sized card set was the first Bowman set in 34 years. Base Set:
1990 Bowman[]
The 1990 set was re-sized to be standard sized and was the first of the Bowman sets to focus on prospects and rookies that were not included in other manufacturers sets. Base Set: 528 cards
1991 Bowman[]
Base Set:
1992 Bowman[]
Bowman became more a premium brand in 1992. It was the inclusion of several key rookies that led to Bowman’s rapid popularity growth.
Base Set:
1993 Bowman[]
Base Set:
1994 Bowman[]
Base Set:682 Cards
1995 Bowman[]
Base Set:
1996 Bowman[]
The first year that Bowman had a complete parallel set with the Foil parallels.
1997 Bowman[]
The first year that Bowman was released as two different series rather than one. Also the first year that autographed cards were included. This would become a standard for Bowman (and most other Topps brands) for decades to come. Base Set: 441 cards
1998 Bowman[]
Base Set:
1999 Bowman[]
Base Set:
2000 Bowman[]
The first year of Draft Picks and Prospects rather than two different series releases.
Base Set:
2001 Bowman[]
The first year that game used relics appeared as inserts in the flagship Bowman set. Rookie cards of Jose Reyes and Albert Pujols really highlight the set.
Base Set: 440 cards
2002 Bowman[]
Base Set:
2003 Bowman[]
First year of the Signs of the Future inserts in the main Bowman set.
Base Set:
2004 Bowman[]
Base Set:
2005 Bowman[]
The last set of an era for Bowman. 2005 represented the last year that players who had not made a major league roster would be allowed in base sets. Base Set:330 cards
2006 Bowman[]
With the creation of the RC logo by the MLPA, Bowman could no longer include players who had not played in the major leagues into their base set. Thus the Prospect insert set was created along with its multiple levels of parallels and chrome parallels. Most collectors feel that these cards are rookie cards, even more so than the RC logo cards from a couple years later.
Base Set:231 cards
2007 Bowman[]
Base Set:
2008 Bowman[]
2009 Bowman[]
2010 Bowman[]
2011 Bowman[]
2012 Bowman[]
2013 Bowman[]
2014 Bowman[]
2015 Bowman[]
2016 Bowman[]
Bowman Baseball
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|---|
| Base Sets |
| Bowman Produced |
| 1948 – 1949 – 1950 – 1951 – 1952 – 1953 B&W - 1953 Color – 1954 – 1955 – 1956 Test Set |
| Topps Produced |
| 1989 – 1990 – 1991 – 1992 – 1993 – 1994 – 1995 – 1996 – 1997 – 1998 –1999 |
| 2000 - 2001 – 2002 – 2003 – 2004 – 2005 – 2006 – 2007 – 2008 - 2009 |
| 2010 - 2011 - 2012 - 2013 - 2014 - 2015 - 2016 - 2017 - 2018 - 2019 |
| Secondary Brands |
| Bowman’s Best – Bowman Chrome – Draft Picks and Prospects – Bowman Sterling |
| Bowman Heritage - Bowman Platinum - Bowman Inception |