Buying Bowman: Confusing "Comeback Collectors" For Years!
Returning to the hobby means learning the different nuances of all the sports card products out there!
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Bowman Baseball Cards Can Be Confusing!
If you’ve been away from card collecting, you might be asking yourself how Bowman cards fit into this “new” hobby.
One of the first things “Comeback Collectors” do is search for a player’s rookie card on eBay and then scratch their heads at the results. More likely that not, they will find a Topps rookie card, a Bowman RC, a Bowman 1st card, and a Bowman prospect card. What we hope to do here is explain how Bowman fits into the hobby for today’s collectors and which product is right for you.
Breaking Down Bowman
Bowman currently has three main products released each year. Prices and release dates below based on the 2025 series.
Bowman Baseball
Release Date: Typically releases in May
Formats/Average Prices:
Retail Blaster Box - $40 (no guaranteed hits/autos)
Retail Mega Box - $50 (no guaranteed hits/autos, includes 2 mojo refractor packs)
Hobby Box - $350 (guaranteed 1 auto)
Jumbo Box - $650 (guaranteed 3 autos)
Breakers Delight - $800 (guaranteed 3 autos)
Super Jumbo Box - $900 (guaranteed 5 autos)
Overview: This release includes veteran MLB players, MLB rookies, and minor league prospects. Veterans in this release are usually the more famous stars of the league and minor league prospects who have coveted Bowman 1st cards (a player’s first ever prospect card) are the ones that were not included in Bowman Draft.
Typically, there are 2-3 players from the top 10 picks from that year’s MLB Draft who are held out of this release (usually, it’s pick No. 2 and 3).
Bowman Baseball packs include a combination of paper cards, chrome cards, and insert cards, with numbered parallels possible.
Bowman Chrome
Release Date: Typically releases in September
Formats/Prices:
Retail Mega Box - $75 (no guaranteed hits/autos, includes 2 mojo refractor packs)
Hobby Box - $425 (guaranteed 2 autos)
Breakers Delight - $450 (guaranteed 3 autos)
Overview: Similar to Bowman Baseball, this version has both MLB and minor league players and prospect cards. Players who have their Bowman 1st card in this release typically come from the international signing period, as well as players who were not included in the other two releases. The other differences in this release are that all cards are chrome, and blasters are not an option.
Bowman Draft
Release Date: Typically releases in January (For instance, 2025 product released in January of 2026).
Formats/Prices:
Retail Mega Box - $75 (no guaranteed hits/autos, all chrome cards, includes 2 mojo refractor packs)
Jumbo Box - $650 (guaranteed 3 autos)
Super Jumbo Box - $900 (guaranteed 5 autos)
Breakers Delight - $750 (guaranteed 3 autos)
Overview: Bowman Draft includes only prospects, no veteran MLB players. Bowman 1st cards are mainly of players from that summer’s MLB Draft, and includes almost all of the top prospects. Packs include a combination of paper cards, chrome cards, and insert cards, with numbered parallel cards possible.
Bowman Draft Mega boxes are also a new product this year and will hopefully be part of the 2026 release.
Questions and Answers for Comeback Collectors
There are other areas of confusion with Bowman products that we think need clearing up!
Is a Bowman 1st card considered a rookie card?
No, a Bowman 1st is not a rookie card. For a player to have a rookie card in either Bowman or Topps, they must have played in a major league game. Bowman 1st cards are considered a prospect’s first professional card, though, carrying some value and are highly collectible.
When is the best time to buy and sell Bowman 1st prospect cards?
Bowman 1st cards typically spike in value right after release date of a product and then again right before a player gets called up to the majors, making that the best time to sell.
For buyers, prices typically drop the further you get from release date and also after a player gets a flagship rookie card. When collectors chase the RC, the Bowman 1st card will lose some value, which makes it a great time to buy.
Are Bowman rookie cards as valuable as Topps rookie cards?
When comparing a base rookie card, the Topps card will usually carry more value than the Bowman, but base cards are so common now that price differences are negligible.
Do all prospects have a base version of a Bowman 1st card?
Unfortunately, no. There are a handful of prospects whose Bowman 1st cards could also be an auto card. This will occur more often in the Bowman Chrome release, though it is still unusual. But when it does happen, it is harder and more expensive to get a card of your desired player if the only Bowman 1st version is also an auto card.
What is a Breakers Delight box?
These are boxes designed for breakers, so they don’t have to open tons of packs to find the hits for their buyers. Unlike some collectors, breakers don’t like base cards and just want the hits, so a Breakers Delight box only has one pack with around 10 cards in it, all hits and autos.
What type of card do you recommend a Happy Hobbyist buy?
Prospect cards are extremely risky, as even the top draft picks have a tough path to make it to the majors. With that said, for under $10 you can almost always find a refractor, mojo refractor, or a paper sky blue /499 numbered card to add to your collection, for all but the top couple picks.
If you are getting back into the hobby we hope this helps provide a better understanding of what Bowman has to offer. If you still have more questions, join us in the Happy Hobby Sports Cards Chat and we will do our best to help you out!
Let’s hear from you other “Comeback Collectors” reading this! Tell us in the comments:
What Bowman products do you think you’d like to buy in 2026?
What are your favorite junk wax Bowman cards from back in the day?
Check Out Our “Comeback Collectors” Hub!
We’re all about rookie cards – whether it’s the podcast, the newsletter, our YouTube channel or our DavidGonos.com website. We understand that rookie cards are the lifeblood of a great collection, which is why we’ve tracked down the best baseball rookie cards from every year — as well as football rookie cards, basketball and hockey!
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