My Reference Cards #3 - 2000 Bowman

Although Bowman had started "color-coding" their cards in 1997, they hadn't quite settled into the black-red and black-blue motif that they relentlessly followed for the next 10 years or so. By "color-coding" I mean that veteran players had a red highlight while rookies had a blue highlight. The set had 440 cards and was issued in one series. Individual packs had 10 cards and were available for $3.00.

A nice design although the player photo is a bit squeezed. Instead of black, the cards are gray. The red is more maroon to me. The player name and card logo are in gold foil. The "Bowman Briefing" on the back first appeared in 1999 and continues to this day.

In addition to the blue highlight, the 'rookie' cards had silver foil. Since Oswalt didn't actually appear in the majors until 2001, under MLB's current rules, this would be called a "1st Bowman Card" and be part of the "Prospects" subset.

There were no subsets in 2000 Bowman, just the division into veteran and rookie cards.  There were however inserts and parallel cards.

Bowman Retro and Bowman Future

This parallel set was printed on foil board and was inserted one per pack. The veteran players were featured on an old-fashioned TV while the rookies were featured on a more modern looking TV set. The cards had the same photos as the base set but cropped to only show the players heads.

Bowman Autographs

There were 40 autographed cards inserted at a 1:144 ratio. I did not get an auto in the hobby box I bought but got this on eBay later. The card has "Certified Autograph Insert" embossed in in blue foil on the front and a holographic sticker on the back. The auto is on-card.

Bowman’s Best Preview

These were inserted in 1:18 packs. I got one of them in the box.

Bowman Early Indications

This 10-insert set had a strange finish. The swirling lines on the front were raised giving the card some texture. These were inserted 1:24 packs. I pulled just this one from the box.

Bowman Major Power

Another 10-card set with a glossy, textured finish. These were inserted 1:24 as well, but I got two of them.

Bowman Tool Time

 Bowman was really fond of this hard-to-scan finish in 2000. This was a 20-card set inserted at 1:8. Higher insert ratio, better chance of getting one. I got 3, including the Phillies Pat Burrell.

There was also a Bowman Gold parallel in this set but I don't have one. Other than that, I have at least one representative card of the entire issue. There's lots of Bowman to go. Coming up will be Bowman Chrome, Bowman Draft Picks (regular and Chrome) and Bowman's Best.