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

[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

[autograf]

I just picked up a 49-55 lot of Bowman wrappers off ebay. The 49 was the undated RWB version on the linked thread. The 50 version was the dated version shown on that thread. I've seen the orange/teal versions on ebay for sale by Dan McKee that say they are the 49PCL's. I think with the scarcity of both the wrapper and the 49PCL's, that's the most plausible explanation. Just my opinion......

[Steve_NY]

Tom, Thanks for your input. I tend to agree but I am really not convinced that past or present collectors really knew the difference if any between a 49 and a 50 bowman baseball 5 cent wrapper. I will keep looking for the truth anyway. I am on one of my quests. See you at this year's National in Cleveland. Anyone else can chime in? Steve

[Steve_NY]

Check out any of the 1950 Bowman packs auctioned in the past ten years (I found one)and look at Mr. Mint's unopened wax pack auction from many years ago, and I see the same thing I saw before. Magnify the catcher's helmet and hat, and NOTE that the lower 2 sections of the hat are light blue whereas the rest of the helmet and hat are dark blue. I still think that the 1949 5 cent wrappers have the catcher's hat in all dark blue whereas the 1950 does not, as shown in Mr. Mint's catalog. Not to say that Al was always right, but it looks like he came to the same conclusion that I did. Any thoughts? Or am I just shooting in the dark? That's it for now, I Think.

[tedzan]

I collected these BOWMAN cards as a young kid. Shown here are my wrappers.


1948 BOWMAN BB 1-cent wrapper





1949 BOWMAN BB 5-cent wrapper......NOTE the baseball stitches are colored Red, as opposed to the Blue stitches on the 1950 wrapper.





1950 BOWMAN 1-cent wrapper....5-cent wrapper is the same





TED Z

T206 Reference
.

[tedzan]

Originally Posted by Steve_NY

Check out any of the 1950 Bowman packs auctioned in the past ten years (I found one)and look at Mr. Mint's unopened wax pack auction from many years ago, and I see the same thing I saw before. Magnify the catcher's helmet and hat, and NOTE that the lower 2 sections of the hat are light blue whereas the rest of the helmet and hat are dark blue. I still think that the 1949 5 cent wrappers have the catcher's hat in all dark blue whereas the 1950 does not, as shown in Mr. Mint's catalog. Not to say that Al was always right, but it looks like he came to the same conclusion that I did. Any thoughts? Or am I just shooting in the dark? That's it for now, I Think.

Hey Steve NY

The blue color differences that you are alluding to are not always consistent from wrappers to wrappers.

Check out the scans of my BOWMAN wrappers in Posts #10 and #11. Especially, the colors of the baseball's stitches (Red for 1949 and
Blue for 1950). These are consistent indicators.

Furthermore, I have never seen a 1950 BOWMAN pack without the 1950 marking on its wrapper. Trust me, I collected 100's of these
packs when I was 10 years old in 1950.



TED Z

T206 Reference
.