The 2016 Bowman baseball card set was one of the most anticipated card releases of the year. As one of the flagship baseball card sets released annually by Topps, Bowman is known for featuring prospects and young stars just starting their professional careers. The 2016 edition continued this tradition and gave collectors their first card featuring some of baseball’s next generation of superstars.
Some of the top rookies and prospects highlighted in the 2016 Bowman set included future stars like Corey Seager of the Dodgers, Alex Bregman of the Astros, Dansby Swanson of the Diamondbacks, and Tyler Glasnow of the Pirates. All four would go on to become integral parts of their team’s cores within a few years. Seager won Rookie of the Year in 2016 and helped lead the Dodgers to the World Series. Bregman has been a star for Houston since debuting in 2016. Swanson has been a fixture for Atlanta since being acquired in a blockbuster trade. Glasnow emerged as the Pirates ace after being one of the top pitching prospects in baseball.
In addition to featuring rookie cards of future stars, Bowman sets are also known for including very rare and valuable autograph and memorabilia cards. The 2016 edition contained several inserts that provided collectors a chance to pull cards with autographs or memorabilia from some of the best young talent in the game. Some of the highly sought after “hit” cards from 2016 Bowman included prospects like Albert Abreu, Brett Baty, and D.L. Hall who each had nice autograph cards that hold value today.
The designs and photos used in Bowman sets also help contribute to their appeal. Unlike Topps flagship products which use team logo uniforms, Bowman photos are less polished and feature more candid action shots. The 2016 designs carried this tradition with a clean white border featuring various action photos on a dark gray or black background. The borders also incorporated streaks and pops of bright color that matched the tones of each team’s uniforms. Overall the aesthetics created a vintage baseball card feel that collectors enjoyed.
The 2016 Bowman release also featured several special insert sets that added to the excitement. The Pink Refractor parallel cards were some of the most coveted inserts. Featuring refractors of top prospects in vivid pink borders, these parallels carried premium values. Other inserts like the Baseball Flashback pictured prospects in vintage uniforms to evoke former MLB stars. Special parallels like Gold, Hyper, and Black also provided chances for valuable shortprinted cards.
While the 2016 Bowman release highlighted many future stars, the set itself has also proven to be a strong long term investment for collectors. With the success of players like Seager, Bregman, and Swanson at the MLB level, values of their rookie cards in the 2016 Bowman set have increased tremendously in the following years. Even lesser known prospects from the set have seen rising prices as more break out in the majors. The popularity of the Bowman brand combined with strong long term player performance has made the 2016 edition one of the strongest flagships from the modern era in terms of card value retention and increase.
For both baseball card collectors and investors, the 2016 Bowman release was an iconic set that featured many future superstars at the beginning of their careers. Between its memorable rookie class, coveted autographed and memorabilia inserts, fun designs, and lasting collectibility appeal, the 2016 edition became a landmark year that left its mark on the hobby. Several years later it remains highly regarded as one of the premier modern era releases from the prestigious Bowman brand.
