December is my favorite month.
Why, you may ask? Because it’s the month of Bowman Chrome Draft Picks & Prospects baseball, that’s why.
From New York to New Zealand, it’s safe to say that any “cardboard prospector” scrimps and saves all year long in order to purchase as many packs, boxes and cases of Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects as humanely possible.
Some collectors wait on long lines outside their hobby shop’s door while others bombard their local Target or K-Mart store manager practically begging for them to bring in more boxes of Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects from off the pallets in the storeroom.
Suffice to say, eBay listings are cranked up to the absolute maximum as “Chromies” search high and low for bulk lots of their sleeper prospect or that elusive red refractor of the hot rookie that pops up once in a lifetime.
So, when I received my box of Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects baseball from the UPS guy, suffice to say that I was one super-duper happy camper.
(The UPS guy thinks I am crazy)
As I ripped through each pack of the 24-ct hobby box, I fell deeper and deeper into a Chrome-induced euphoria that even my wife couldn’t snap me out of.
My fingers trembled as I sifted and sorted through refractors and x-fractors and autographs before finally succumbing to the dreaded brown cardboard bottom, which essentially meant that the box was empty.
By the time I was finished, I had counted my loot and came up with some really good jewels including a John Mayberry chrome autograph, and a gold refractor of Yankees hurler Chien-Ming Wang, serial-numbered to 50.
Aside from the prime real estate, I also scored heaps of key chrome rookie cards including Jeff Clement and Andrew McCutchen. The gold parallels were good to me, as well, thanks to visits from Clement, McCutchen and Mark Pawelek.
All tolled, the 2005 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects baseball product is to me what chocolate covered bon-bons are to Star Jones.
And I am not the least bit ashamed about it.
Here’s what you might find in a hobby box of 2005 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects baseball:
SuperFractor serial-numbered 1 of 1
Red Refractor serial-numbered 1 of 1
Bowman Red serial-numbered 1 of 1
Gold Refractor-serial-numbered to 50
Blue Refractor- serial-numbered to 150
Bowman White- serial-numbered to 225
X-Fractor serial-numbered to 250
Bowman Gold- 1 Per Pack!
Inserts
Bowman Chrome Autographed Base Cards
Group A: Stephen Drew, Jered Weaver
Group B: Ryan Braun, John Mayberry, Aaron Thompson, Cesar Carrillo, Jacob Ellsbury, Matt Garza, Cliff Pennington, Colby Rasmus, Chris Volstad, Ricky Romero, Ryan Zimmerman, CJ Henry, Eddy Martinez
Signs of the Future Autographs
Group A: Justin Hoyman, Tyler Lumsden, Richie Robnett
Group B: Justin Jones 1:823
Group C: Jeff Frazier, Greg Golson, Jonathan Poterson, David Purcey
Group D: Homer Bailey
Group E: David Murphy, Bill Bray, Jeremy Sowers, Angel Guzman
Group F: Donald Lucey
Futures Game Relic Variation 1: Box
AFLAC Redemption 1: Box (versions include Chrome, Chrome Refractor, Chrome X-Fractor, Chrome Blue Refractor, Chrome Red Refractor, Chrome SuperFractor, Red)
