2011 Bowman Platinum

I bought one rack pack of this product while I was in Philadelphia and then decided to buy 4 more single packs when I got home. Outside of trying to pick up some Phillies and Astros on eBay, I probably won't buy any more. Not because I don't like them but because they are pretty pricy. $1.35/card, with little hope of a relic in a single packs, is too much. I think the cards are much nicer than last year's foil board cards. This year the cards have a nice refractive foil background. But then again, a blaster of 2010 Bowman Platinum only set me back $0.62/card.

2011 Bowman Platinum #90 Alex RodriguezThere are 100 base cards. Many are rookie cards but it looks like a good selection of veteran players. A-Rod is the best card I pulled, although I also pulled Chase Utley (whom I like better).

2011 Bowman Platinum Gold #21 Mark TrumboThere are several flavors of parallels. Here's the only Gold parallel I pulled. These are not serial numbered and are inserted 1 in 5 packs.

2011 Bowman Platinum Emerald #72 Tim LincecumThe 3rd best player I pulled is this Lincecum Green parallel, inserted 1 in 10 packs. There is also a Ruby parallel at 1:20. It looks like none of these parallels is serial numbered.

2011 Bowman Platinum Prospects #6 Zach DayAs Bowman has done for many years now, there is a separate run of cards they call prospects. This is apparently how they get to make cards of players who do not have major league experience. The Prospects cards have a different finish than the base cards. These have more of a mirror foil background. They are quite attractive. There is one per pack.

2011 Bowman Platinum Prospects X-Fractors #80 Brandon GuyerI'm sure you're as excited by or bored by X-Fractor cards as the next person. I pulled 2 of these.

2011 Bowman Platinum Prospects Purple Refractors #14 Ronnie WeltyAlthough the base Prospects cards have a purplish cast when scanned, these cards are really purple. There were three of these in the rack pack (as proudly proclaimed on the wrapper). I don't know about you, but in my opinion the color purple does not belong on a baseball card, unless, of course, the player is with the Rockies (and that's pushing it even then).