1950 Bowman a good first set?

[jared6180]

I'm completely new to vintage and I really like the looks of the 1950 Bowman Baseball set. Would anyone shed light on if this would be a good set to do for a first timer like me? Limited budget and this seems like a medium sized set. Not looking to compete with anyone on PSA for highest grades, just think it would be cool to have a complete PSA set. Really like that there are some stars in the set and no huge expensive RCs.

[kailes2872]

I am working on this set currently as well. I am collecting a low-mid raw grade. It seems pretty easy to do as the card stock is relatively thick (not quite as thick as the berk ross cards of the era, but feels thicker than other issues - which might be an illusion due to the smaller sized cards).

I am about $1000 in with 17 cards to go. The 17 cards remaining are all relatively high value

6 Bob Feller
21 Pee Wee Reese
22 Jackie Robinson
23 Don Newcombe
32 Robin Roberts
33 Ralph Kiner
39 Larry Doby
43 Bobby Doerr
46 Yogi Berra
75 Roy Campanella
77 Duke Snider
84 Richie Ashburn
98 Ted Williams
112 Gil Hodges
148 Early Wynn
219 Hank Bauer
234 Bobby Shantz

I think that I have more left as far as cost than what I have put into the first 235.

Good luck to you!

[Laxcat]

It's a good set. I'm about 90% done with mine with lots of dupes. So if you do decide to do it you will have at least one potential trading partner right here. The lo#'s can be tough. I'd suggest buying a few lots and trading/selling anything you don't need to keep costs down. Have fun. BTW it gets my vote for the best looking Bowman set.

[PolarBear]

You can't go wrong. One of the best 50's sets out there.

[ALR-bishop]

Jared--- FYI--- there is a thread on this same page started by another collector contemplating a run at this set.

[pokerplyr80]

It seems like it would be. It's a cool looking set and there aren't any major cards or big name rookies that will set you back a lot. If you like the set I'd say it's as good a place as any to start.

[jared6180]

Sounds like it will be fun. I think I am going to do it! Watch my YouTube Channel for future updates! https://www.youtube.com/user/jarmll/about

[wolverinejayhawks]

Sorry to be late to the conversation.

1950 Bowman is an great set. I have the Number two 1950 Bowman set on SGC's site, but I started collecting the set in non-high-end condition years ago in college. I just loved it so much that its one of several sets that I put together in high grade over the years. The artwork in 1950 is an amazing jump over Bowman's previous efforts. The backs have interesting facts like Eddie Waitkus being stabbed by a demented fan (e.g., The Natural), which you wouldn't see in cards today. It also says where the guys served in WW II on a lot of the cards, which is interesting. There are not a lot of outstanding rookies in the set, but that situation helps make it doable on a budget.

Prices on eBay for commons right now are really good and you can buy decent size lots too. Go for auctions, rather than Buy It Now, and be patient. You can use Goofbid to snipe for free at the end of auctions.

BCW carries special size pages that you can order for putting together a non-graded collection in a notebook.

The following cards I would buy graded:

Jackie Robinson
Ted Williams

These two cards are the most frequently counterfeited cards in the set. At grades 2-4 you can find them reasonably priced. Again buy via auction and bid toward the bottom end of what they go for in terms of price. Patience will save you a decent amount of money. Mel Parnell #1 is surprisingly difficult to find and can be a little expensive due to it being Mel's Rookie card and being #1 in the set. The low number cards are actually the short-printed cards as the cards were released in series and that series had the shortest time on the shelf.

Good luck!

[skelly]

To me a baseball card should have a name on the front. I know that they are very popular sets, but the no name, no team logo etc, is why I just can't get into either the 1950 or the 1953 Bowman sets. That's just me, I'm sure there are sets I think are cool that other people would never want to collect ( bazooka's, Red Heart, etc...)