Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Product Review: 2008 Bowman Chrome Football

Im not going to conduct this review in a normal fashion because Bowman Chrome is always such a simple product. In lieu, I want to discuss my opinions on why it works so well, why people flock to this product even though it never promises more than just an Auto and a few parallels.

Price

As of right now, BC is the cheapest worthwhile product on the market. You can buy Score and Topps base for cheaper, but you will get nothing but a few base cards and maybe a relic. Those products are the throwaway products for the brand, and its not supposed to yield anything in a non-jumbo box. For the price you pay, BC delivers pretty much every time, in that the parallels are usually worth enough when you pull a good RC that it can cover the whole box. That, plus the rest of the RC cards you pull at 1-2 per pack will make your venture one of the only remaining positive value breaks around. Usually.

Parallels

The autos are not the focus of this product, the parallels are the focus and then some. They make this product work for a few reasons. Because they are easy to follow in the colors they have, because the sturcture hasnt changed in many years, and because they are numbered cards in a low hit ratio product, everyone wants them. The people who collect them know that a Blue Refractor from 2002 is going to be pretty much the same value as a blue refractor from 2008, that is why they exist. Personally, I actually think that these cards are the only allowable multi-parallels in an overparalleled world because they are pretty much it for BC. I like pulling them, I would buy them, thats how much I support them.

Superfractors

Besides the fact that the design reminds people of gold literally, these things are actually more valuable than its precious metal counterpart. The 1/1 has always brought collectors to a product but never more than the superfractor, mainly because you have such a rare opportunity in pulling them every time you open a box. They are so "rare" that even the veteran ones are hunted down and killed for wall trophies, that is impressive in today's hobby. If you pull a rookie, the best can fetch mammoth money because the sheer number of people that want it make the card ultra super mega valuable. This should go to show Topps that sets like Triple Threads doesnt need 200 1/1's of the same card to be popular, it just needs one, as the numbering suggests. Idiots.

Autographs

Bowman Chrome is a first world set, people try for the completed product every single year, and that makes the 1 per box auto pretty worthless. It doesnt help that group A and B autos are like one every five million cases, and the refractor autos are even rarer, so its understandable they are not the focus. Yet, when you do pull a goodie, make sure you keep it, because they are seeked out for years after release. Imagine what Brady's would cost if it was produced, even as a group Z!

Whales and Non Whales

The Whales break 10 cases of this stuff and dont break the bank, the non whales break 10 boxes and dont break the bank, they both have a chance at all of the above, and it turns this set into a multi-world favorite. That fact never ceases to amaze me as the guy who breaks Exquisite also breaks a ton of BC. Plus, for people like me, I break it too because I can get value out of a 50 dollar investment. Its an onion, peel back the layers and find another, just like a bad actor.

What Works For It This Year?

I would say this year is a good year for BC. I say this because there are a lot of mid level rookies that people will collect, the 2008 class is very flat in topography. What I mean is in that the class isnt top heavy like 2006 with Bush, Leinart, and Young at the top and very little at the bottom, or in 2007 with its major peak in Peterson and little foothills in Quinn, Russell, and Johnson.

Also, the design is pretty good this year, and that always works for a product. In 2007, the design was awful and I bought very little, yet in 2006 it was better, and I bought a little more. In 2008 I will probably buy the most even though I dont specifically collect any of the RCs.

Lastly, its always been a favorite since its inception, so no matter what they do, it will sell. You can take that to eBay and sell it, because its that bankable.

3 comments:

  1. Great Review of this product. I just picked up a box at the card store 5 minutes ago.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I've come to like the chrome products, both Bowman and Topps. I liked Topps Chrome 2007 design, but 2008 is way worse imo. I thought the 2007 Bowman chrome was pretty nice.

    I have yet to form an opinion of Bowman 2008. What I don't get is why Topps Chrome 2007 is so expensive compared to Bowman Chrome 2007.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I just did a 10 box case of Bowman chrome and the autographs I pulled were very sub par. The best auto I pulled was a Colt Brennan Blue refractor autograph. I feel that the best card I pulled was a John David Booty Red refractor (3/5). There was a fair amount of refractors and the was some really good coalition to the packs. According to the leaflet that was distributed to the hobby dealers, the box toppers were supposed to be in a plastic case. They were not. They were just foiled sealed and some of the cards I have to send back for production damage. Over all I would say a strong "B".

    ReplyDelete