1949 and 1950 bowman baseball five cent wrappers: how do you tell the difference??

[bostonmarathonman]

I was wondering how one can tell the difference between a 1949 and 1950 bowman baseball five cent wrapper (I'm specifically talking about the blue and red versions of each). Mark murphy's guide shows a green and red 49 which is the same design as the 50 (only the colors are different) so is there a way to discern a blue and red 49 from a blue and red 50?? Thanks in advance!

[Volod]

Have fun with this one:
http://net54baseball.com/showthread.php?p=969432

[bostonmarathonman]

Steve, thanks for your reply and the link (I think lol); after reading that old thread just now, no wonder nobody wanted to reply lol!!

I never saw that thread three years ago but now that I have seen it, read it and attempted to make sense of it i'm sorry I asked!!

[Steve_NY]

I am resurrecting this because I am not convinced that it is possible to be 100% convinced that you have a 5 cent 1949 bowman or 1950 bowman baseball wax pack or wrapper.

I've read all of the comments and threads and became more confused. Is there any "simple" way to make that comparison?

When I compared what I thought were 1949 and 1950 bowman baseball 5 cent wrappers, the only difference I noted, was that the bottom 2 sections of the catcher's hat on the 1949 were dark blue, and on the 1950, they were light blue. Remember I am talking strictly about the 5 cent versions and not the 1 cent versions. Could this be a simple way to determine the difference or is it just fading? It really didn't look like fading because the other colors were vibrant and very dark.

Any wrapper or pack collectors care to chime in, and put this comparison to rest? It is frustrating that in all of these years of collecting, that it is so difficult to pin these differences down. I guess that it is simply very hard to find packs that have been opened to make that conclusion.

Thanks,

Steve

[ALR-bishop]

I have more interest in this issue this time around since I have now done all the Bowman sets. The 49 and 50 wrappers I have ( bought labeled that way by different sellers, not a grading company, which I know does not make it so) are red, white and blue with no difference I can spot.

I have a lot of respect for both Larry and Ted's expertise on these kinds of questions. I do wonder as someone in other thread pointed out) if the green/red wrapper was the common wrapper in 1949 and red/ blue were all 1950, why the red/green seem so rare. On the other hand the 48s are far and few between as well.

But if my go to guys on this kind of stuff, Ted, Larry and Dave can not clear this up not sure who can. Hopefully someone,

[Steve_NY]

Al, I agree that there are far more knowledgeable experts than the both of us. I shared my opinion as I also think that there were 5 cent packs in 1949 and 1950, and that there could be a minor difference (see above) that I have theorized. Lets see if we turn up anyone who really knows for certain. Steve