Collect call: 2011 Bowman Sterling Baseball

Posted Jan 3, 2012 by Bob D'Angelo

Updated Jan 3, 2012 at 09:41 PM

Know this going in: Bowman Sterling is a high-end, pricey product. But if you are willing to spend the cash, there is a good chance you will get rewarded. Scan the Internet, and hobby boxes of the 2011 Bowman Sterling range from $219.95 to $270 (or, if you just like buying the mini-boxes, between $32 and $50 per).

Bowman is the main vehicle for Topps when it comes to rookies and prospects, so this end of the year Bowman product is always eagerly anticipated. The 2011 Bowman Sterling hit the shelves in late December. A hobby box contains six shrink-wrapped mini-boxes of five cards apiece, plus a dual relic box loader in a separate pack. Topps guarantees two autographed cards and a relic per mini-box, with one dual autograph and one dual relic also in the mix.

Topps did not disappoint. This hobby box was loaded with good players.

But let me dispense with the general stuff first.

There are 50 Bowman Reflection base cards in the set, which are prospect cards of players like Bryce Harper, Dante Bichette Jr. and the Rays’ Jake Hager. The box I sampled contained five of these cards spread among the six mini-boxes. There are also 50 Rookie Revelation cards — true rookie cards of players like the Rays’ Desmond Jennings, Mark Trumbo, Yonder Alonso (how can you NOT like this name?) and Craig Kimbrel. The box I looked at had four including one parallel (Dustin Ackley) numbered to 199.

But this product is not about building sets. It’s about collecting autographs and relics.

The hobby box I sampled yielded a pair of Rays autograph cards—Matt Moore and Hager.

That’s only the start of this haul. The final numbers—11 autographs, one auto redemption card, one dual auto, six relic cards, three parallels, and a dual box-topper relic.

That last item was in its own pack, and it yielded an Albert Pujols/Matt Holilday card. A glossy card numbered to 196, it contained a Pujols jersey swatch and a piece of Holliday’s bat. Glossy card, numbered to 196. In light of Pujols’ defection to the Angels, the text on the back must make Cardinal fans cringe: “So joined at the hip are these two stars that Holliday offered to defer salary to allow the Cardinals to re-sign Pujols.”

Ouch.

Of the six mini-boxes I opened, the third one was definitely the nicest. Four of the five cards were either autographs or relics.

There was a dual gold refractor autograph card of Eric Thames and Ben Revere, numbered to 50; an autographed rookie card of Seattle pitcher Michael Pineda; an autographed rookie card of Mike Trout, numbered to 199; and a refractor relic card of the Cubs’ Darwin Barney. The uniform swatch on Barney’s card even looks like there is a large dirt stain in it, right next to a blue pinstripe. As game-used jerseys go, that one is pretty nice.

The dual relic card (two white uniform swatches) was an X-Fractor of Alexi Ogando, numbered to 199.

Other interesting cards: an Anthony Rizzo autograph. Rizzo is a first baseman who has been the subject of trade rumors since San Diego acquired Yonder Alonso (I have to use both names again); an autograph card of Mets prospect Michael Fulmer; an autograph card of Seattle pitcher Michael Pineda; and a relic card of the Braves’ Craig Kimbrel.  There are also Team USA relics of Erich Weiss and Chris Elder.

The redemption card was for an autograph of former Tampa Yankees player Manny Banuelos. I don’t like redemption cards in such a high-end set, but that seems to be a fact of life. Like most collectors, I want the good stuff in my possession when I open the packs.

Bryce Harper is always a nice draw, too, and while I did not find any in the box I sampled, there were plenty of other cards to keep a collector satisfied. The card design is slick and simple, with vibrant (and tightly cropped) action shots.

If you like rookies and prospects and don’t mind digging into your wallet, then this is the perfect set to start the new year.