2011 Bowman Chrome Prospect Autographs

Set Size: 70 cards

Design Notes: The set uses the 2011 Bowman design with white borders, since the players are prospects. A white semi-opaque box at the bottom holds an on-card autograph.

Parallels and Similars: Refractor autographs are available in regular, superfractor, blue, gold, orange, and red, plus four printer plate versions.

Distribution: Cards were randomly inserted into packs of 2011 Bowman products. Refractor versions are numbered between 1 and 500.

Thoughts: Bowman's rookie autographs are some of the most sought-after because they are usually a player's first MLB-release autograph. However, out of the 70 players in this set, only one or two might make it big. Reese Havens, for example, had a successful 2010 and a good 2011 in the minors, but hit only .215 in 2012 with the Mets' AA affiliate.

2011 Bowman/Chrome/Draft Parallels

Set Size: Regular parallels have 220 cards, and Draft parallels have 110 cards. Plus, prospect parallels are an additional 220 cards, and prospect Draft parallels have a set size of 110 cards.

Design Notes: The design looks like a modern TV screen, with colored arcs in the bottom corners. The borders on the base version of the card is black for regular cards and white for prospect cards.

Parallels and Similars: Regular cards come in blue, gold, and red parallels, with Chrome parallel refractors in blue, gold canary, gold, orange, purple, red, regular, and superfractor versions. Plates for regular and Chrome versions were also issued.

Distribution: Cards were randomly inserted into packs of 2011 Bowman products. Some parallels are serial numbered as low as 1. Purple parallels were included in retail rack packs.

Thoughts: The red refractor parallel shown above (numbered out of five) is my favorite color combination: the green RC color in the bottom arcs matches perfectly with the red border to make this a very Christmas-y card. Keeping track of all the different sets (regular, Chrome, regular Draft, Chrome Draft) and the multiple parallels is quite difficult but the different refractor colors are attractive.

Additional Images: Various parallels.

 Bowman Chrome Draft version (RC green).

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Bowman Chrome Draft Prospects Refractors.

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 Bowman Draft.

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 Bowman Chrome Draft Prospects Gold Refractors

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 Bowman Chrome Draft Prospects Blue Refractors

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 Bowman Chrome Draft Blue Refractors

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 Bowman Draft Prospects Blue

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 Bowman Draft Blue

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 Bowman Chrome Draft Refractors

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 Bowman Chrome Draft Prospects Refractors

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2011 Bowman Chrome Throwbacks

Set Size: 25 cards

Design Notes: The set uses the 2001 Bowman design, with black and red borders (the black got cut off by my scanner) and a grey/silver arc with a facsimile player signature.

Parallels and Similars: Three refractor versions were made.

Distribution: Cards were randomly inserted into packs of 2011 Bowman Chrome.

Thoughts: Is 10 years long enough to do a throwback insert? I think Bowman's design has been quite stagnant and really the 2011 design isn't much different from the 2001 design. This is a set I have zero interest in.

2011 Bowman Chrome Futures

Set Size: 25 cards

Design Notes: A silver background that resembles a futuristic computer disc is the background behind a player photo, the top and bottom are black with light blue highlights at the bottom. The backs are blue and black and contain a "scouting report" with some career highlights and strengths.

Parallels and Similars: There are four parallel versions, some of them numbered. All use various forms of refractor technology.

Distribution: Cards were randomly inserted into packs of 2011 Bowman Chrome.

Thoughts: If there was a set that ever looked like it was designed by the set designers of Minority Report, this would be it. The use of futuristic shapes and blue and black really hits that home.

2000 Bowman Chrome Retro/Future

Set Size: 440 cards

Design Notes: This set is a parallel to the regular 2000 Bowman Chrome issue, but all the cards use a television border similar to the 1955 Bowman set.

Parallels and Similars: A refractor version of this parallel exists, as well as a refractor version of the original base set.

Distribution: Inserted one in six packs of Bowman Chrome.

Thoughts: Before Bowman Heritage issued a real throwback version of the '55 Bowman issue, this parallel served a similar function. I wonder if some of the 1990s sets that have nods to the internet and computers in their designs will be as lovingly remembered as much as this just-as-gimmicky design from the early days of television.