Blaster Madness #6: 2019 Bowman

I went to the Dallas Card Show this weekend on the hunt for a box of 2019 Bowman. There wasn't much to find, and the prices reflected that scarcity. A regular hobby box was running around $140. I decided against that, believing the better deal would be to grab seven blasters.

On my way home, I stopped by the local Walmart and snagged four blasters. Let's take a look and see how I did.

This was the only paper parallel I managed to pull, featuring Roberto Ramos of the Rockies. The blue parallels are numbered to 150.

I also was able to pull this Rookie of the Year Favorites atomic refractor of the Blue Jays' Danny Jansen. It is also numbered to 150. I really like atomic refractors, but I really hate the Blue Jays. Though that may not be as true now that Bautista has fallen off the face of the earth.

Speaking of parallel inserts, I also managed to pull this Top 100 gold refractor of the Royals' Khalil Lee. I know nothing about this guy, but that can be said of everyone featured so far. Also, why isn't this set called "Topps" 100 or "Topp" 100? Seems like the kind of cheesy move that Topps would pull...and I wouldn't hate it.

And we finish with an autograph:

A green refactor auto of Matt Vierling. I don't believe green refractor autos are exclusive to blasters, but I do know that the autographs that are normally found in retail are sticker autos on paper cards (rather than chrome). Regardless, I was stoked to pull this.

So after four blasters, I'm willing to say that my value is already better than what I would have pulled from a single hobby box. I've watched a few breaks online and it seems that color is a hard thing to come by. 

This would indicate that production has been ramped up even more this year. That fuels my fear that the industry is starting to edge back in the overproduction of the 80s and 90s. I really hope I'm wrong.

Have you had any luck with this year's Bowman? Are you concerned that we are approaching a second overproduction era?

Trade with Sports Cards and Memories

A week ago, I saw a post on Sports Cards and Memories that featured Chris breaking a box of Tier One. One of the cards in the box was a Ranger. I left a comment and asked Chris if he would be interested in moving it. Later that evening, Chris emailed me and we quickly worked out a deal!

Without further adieu, here's the card:

This relic auto numbered to 75 of Nomar Mazara! The Big Chill's signature has really gone down hill, but I think that is fairly common with players that sign for Topps, since they are required to sign a million different cards. Either way, I am stoked to have this card in my collection!

Chris also mentioned that he had a couple Pudge cards that I might be interested in, so I obliged and took them off his hands! Along with a few set needs, these were in the package as well:

This is the '59 Bazooka insert from 2017 Topps Archives! I have another copy of this card coming my way in the future from The Lost Collector, but I will never complain about a beautiful Pudge in my collection!

The second Pudge that Chris sent also came from the 2017 Archives set:

This is the blue parallel, numbered to 75! It's the first blue parallel from the set in my collection. 

Thanks a ton Chris! Think of me whenever you pull any Rangers in the future!

PS - I posted earlier today about my want of some 2017 Allen & Ginter inserts. Please take a look and let me know if you pull any of these and want to trade them!

Some Inserts That I Actually Like

Usually, I'm not a fan of inserts. I often feel they are a gimmick, inserted into packs for no reason other than to make building a set more difficult. The common flagship set now has somewhere near 10 to 15 inserts each year. Isn't that a bit overboard?

However, there are inserts that occasionally catch my eye. I'm a big fan of the Fortune Teller inserts from 2017 Gypsy Queen, and I loved the Skippers insert from last year's Allen & Ginter. 

I don't know how, but I missed the 1969 Topps Super inserts from 2016 Topps Archives. When I saw the Cole Hamels card in that set, I knew that I had to snag it. 

There is just something about the simplicity that I love. It reminds me of oddball sets, in that it is simply a photo and a facsimile signature. Plain and pure.

The back is also bare bones. Nothing fancy, no Twitter handles or silly "facts" ("Cole likes video games!" Who cares???). Just a simple box with the player's name, team, and position. This is the base (or "blue back") version.

I also managed to snag the red back version, numbered to 50.

Sometimes, an insert speaks to me. Especially when it is this simplistic.

I hope you are having a great day!