2010 Bowman Chrome
What I pulled--
Refractors – Manny Ramirez, Kevin Russo, Brandon Phillips, Rajai Davis
Topps 100 – Angel Morales (#104/999)
Autograph – Aroldis Chapman
Review:
I’ve long been a believer that Chrome always makes a set looks better, and that is definitely the case
with 2010 Bowman Chrome.
As with other base Chrome sets, the premise here is simple…take the base Bowman set, including all
of the prospects and USA cards, and, well, make a Chrome version of it. Of course, there is always a
little more than just that, but you get the idea.
Bowman Chrome is one of the sets collectors anxiously await every year for the rookie cards, and this
one is no different, especially in a season with rookie cards of guys like Stephen Strasburg, Aroldis
Chapman and many, many more. Collectors go wild over the Refractors, colored Refractors and
autographs, with lots of prospectors stockpiling guys in hopes that one of this year’s rookie card crop
turns into the next Pujols or Jeter rookie card. And that last part, unfortunately, is where this product falls a little short. There
just aren’t enough parallels in each box.
There is a hobby term called “the rainbow”, in which a collector puts together a set of a specific player in each of the different
colored Refractors. Unfortunately, there are just not enough Refractors, especially the colored ones, to make that feat as easy
as it has been in the past. I want more Refractors than I got, whether they are base or colored, and I think most collectors will
agree with me that four in a box just is not enough. Replacing the Topps 100 insert with one would have been a better option.
As for the autographs, well, I think I pulled what is easily the best one in the product, although it is cut off-center. There are
some other nice, longer term names in the autograph set, but Chapman probably tops them all.
The cards themselves are beautiful, but that is always a given. I’m just not sure the value in the box is as good as it usually is,
and simply adding a couple more Refractors would have solved that issue. That knocks the grade down a little, but this is still
a quality product if you love the base cards.........
B-
What I pulled--
Refractors – Manny Ramirez, Kevin Russo, Brandon Phillips, Rajai Davis
Topps 100 – Angel Morales (#104/999)
Autograph – Aroldis Chapman
Review:
I’ve long been a believer that Chrome always makes a set looks better, and that is definitely the case
with 2010 Bowman Chrome.
As with other base Chrome sets, the premise here is simple…take the base Bowman set, including all
of the prospects and USA cards, and, well, make a Chrome version of it. Of course, there is always a
little more than just that, but you get the idea.
Bowman Chrome is one of the sets collectors anxiously await every year for the rookie cards, and this
one is no different, especially in a season with rookie cards of guys like Stephen Strasburg, Aroldis
Chapman and many, many more. Collectors go wild over the Refractors, colored Refractors and
autographs, with lots of prospectors stockpiling guys in hopes that one of this year’s rookie card crop
turns into the next Pujols or Jeter rookie card. And that last part, unfortunately, is where this product falls a little short. There
just aren’t enough parallels in each box.
There is a hobby term called “the rainbow”, in which a collector puts together a set of a specific player in each of the different
colored Refractors. Unfortunately, there are just not enough Refractors, especially the colored ones, to make that feat as easy
as it has been in the past. I want more Refractors than I got, whether they are base or colored, and I think most collectors will
agree with me that four in a box just is not enough. Replacing the Topps 100 insert with one would have been a better option.
As for the autographs, well, I think I pulled what is easily the best one in the product, although it is cut off-center. There are
some other nice, longer term names in the autograph set, but Chapman probably tops them all.
The cards themselves are beautiful, but that is always a given. I’m just not sure the value in the box is as good as it usually is,
and simply adding a couple more Refractors would have solved that issue. That knocks the grade down a little, but this is still
a quality product if you love the base cards.........
B-
