The 2017 Bowman Chrome baseball cards were released in July of 2017 as the flagship chrome parallel product following the standard Bowman baseball base set release. Bowman Chrome cards have become legendary in the baseball card hobby due to their photo negative printed design featuring players photographed on bright reflective chrome stock. This parallel set is highly sought after by collectors due to the amazing visual presentation of the cards as well as the prospect of finding superstar rookies and future Hall of Famers at their earliest career stage.
The 2017 Bowman Chrome set featured prospects and minor leaguers in addition to a handful of major leaguers. Like most modern Bowman Chrome releases, the set had 400 total cards with prospects and minor leaguers providing the bulk of the checklist. Rookie cards and first Bowman cards of future superstars like Ronald Acuña Jr., Juan Soto, and Shohei Ohtani were the biggest chase cards from the set. While Acuña and Soto wouldn’t make their MLB debuts until 2018, collectors recognized their immense talent at a young age based on their minor league stats and scouting reports. Ohtani had already established himself as a two-way star in Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan prior to joining MLB in 2018.
Outside of the top prospects, the 2017 Bowman Chrome set also included plenty of mid-tier prospects that have since gone on to become regular major leaguers such as Walker Buehler, Austin Meadows, Alex Reyes, and Tyler O’Neill. Dozens of others from the set roster on MLB teams as role players or depth pieces as well. While they may not reach superstardom, cards of these type of solid big leaguers still hold value in the decades to come. The unique photo negative design on chrome also gives these lesser known players’ cards a premium look that collectors gravitate towards for PC (personal collection) building.
In terms of pricing, the most expensive cards from the 2017 Bowman Chrome set in Gem Mint condition are predictably the big three rookie stars. PSA 10 grades of Ronald Acuña Jr., Juan Soto, and Shohei Ohtani routinely fetch thousands of dollars each. Acuña’s prized rookie card as the face of one of MLB’s premier franchises in Atlanta commands the highest prices, often selling for $3,000-$5,000 in pristine condition. Meanwhile, Soto and Ohtani can bring $1,000-$3,000 by comparison. It’s quite remarkable to think cards from players’ first professional seasons hold value that exceeds what entire hobby boxes originally retailed for back in 2017.
Moving down the prospect rankings, other elite talents like Walker Buehler and Alex Reyes in a PSA 10 can range between $100-$500. While Buehler and Reyes have dealt with injuries throughout their careers that prevented them reaching full potential, they remain quality MLB starters with playing time locked up for playoff contenders. For mid-tier prospects turned regular big leaguers, PSA 10s fetch $50-200 depending on the player. This includes names such as Austin Meadows, Tyler O’Neill, Willie Calhoun and others that remain in lineups but lack true star upside. Overall, PSA 10 parallels of any significant MLB contributor from the ’17 Bowman Chrome set carries value for PC collecting decades from now.
In terms of raw, ungraded cards,Acuña Jr., Soto and Ohtani rookies still demand $50-$200 each even in flawed condition due to explosive player growth and future Hall of Fame trajectories. Lesser stars complete with autographs might grab $20-50 while mid-tier rookie base cards trade hands for $5-20. Special parallels like refractors, negative refractors, Orange Refractors and 1/1 Printing Plates hold premiums over the base rookie cards. These scarce parallel versions could multiply the PSA 10 prices referenced before for the biggest stars. Of course, condition and centering heavily influence the final price – with poor examples selling at bulk rates.
It’s also worth noting that while individual cards from 2017 Bowman Chrome have increased tremendously in value from cover price, the original wax boxes and hobby boxes have increased substantially as well. Sealed wax boxes that once sold for as little as $80-$100 five years ago now regularly attract bids over $1,000 on auction sites. Even opened hobby boxes with hits removed can sell for $500-$800 due to strong overall prospect popularity and lack of remaining supply on the secondary market. Clearly, 2017 Bowman Chrome has proven to be one of the standout releases of the decade yielding multiple true superstars – making it a must own set for any long term baseball card investor.
The 2017 Bowman Chrome baseball card set enjoyed immense success and showcased future hall of fame talents at the earliest juncture of their careers. Cards of lead prospects Ronald Acuña Jr., Juan Soto and Shohei Ohtani have appreciated enormously to become prohibitively expensive today. Meanwhile, other graduated prospects who became solid MLB contributors still hold value as a result of the premium Bowman Chrome design on prospects. Both sealed and single card pricing indicates 2017 Bowman Chrome has become one of the premier modern release to accumulate for long term holdings. While volatile, the baseball card market continues to reward set that yield superstars – making this a prime candidate for future appreciation.
