Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Bowman's Best: 1994 vs 2011

I was excited to see the return of Bowman's Best this year, albeit as an insert in the "retro" design of 1994. However, these were one of my favorite sets of cards in the mid-90s, partly because I'd always see pictures in Beckett and Tuff Stuff but never owned any of these cards. They felt like 1993 Topps Finest, in a way. The card stock thick and they were super glossy for the time. The were like the precursor for Bowman/Topps Chrome.

I picked up a 2011 Bowman's Best Gary Sanchez, and I was a bit disappointed. I was certain that these cards would have been in more of a Chrome look. However, the Sanchez is a foil insert on the same (or similar) card stock as the base cards. How were these not the same card stock as Chrome? I think that's a miss on Topps' part. Maybe it would have been too hard for seeding in packs, but I would have been ok with that replacing a Bowman Chrome card.

1994 Tate Seefried
I put my 1994 Tate Seefried (anyone remember him?!) next to my 2011 Gary Sanchez to compare. The artistic design is similar for the most part. From the side by side scan, it appears that the 2011's have a thinner name bar and the Bowman's Best logo is a little smaller.


Overall, I'm happy with this Sanchez. I just wish it was Chrome.

4 comments:

  1. I'm not sure what's wrong with your Gary Sanchez, but every one of the 2011 Bowman's Best inserts I've seen are the same stock and technology as the chrome. Same card thickness, same use of foil with a plastic overlay.

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  2. That's interesting. Anyone else notice one way or the other? I'm quite a bit curious now.

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  3. I have the Harper Bowman's Best. It's the same as the other 2011 Bowman chromes I have. It's also very similar in feel to the '94 Bowman's Bests.

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  4. Geez, I must be smoking something but I swear mine is different. I need a scale or something.

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