The 1923 Bowman Gum Company baseball card set marked the beginning of the modern baseball card collecting hobby. Issued as promotional inserts in packs of Bowman Gum, the 1923 set featured over 150 players and managers from both the American and National Leagues. While most sets from this early era are considered quite rare today, the 1923 Bowman set stands out for several reasons that help explain its significance in the history of sports card collecting.
The 1923 Bowman set was the first to feature actual photographs of players on the cards, as opposed to simple drawings or paintings. Prior to 1923, baseball cards were included primarily as advertisements in tobacco products. These early tobacco era cards from the late 1800s and early 1900s typically featured crude illustrations rather than photos due to printing limitations of the time. The 1923 Bowman set changed this by utilizing photographic halftone printing techniques that allowed for realistic black and white player photos on the cardboard stock of the cards. This set the standard for virtually all baseball card issues going forward.
In addition to being the first set to feature photos, the 1923 Bowman issue was also notable for containing cards of current major league players, rather than retired stars of the past which were common on tobacco era cards. By showcasing active players from both leagues, the 1923 Bowman set captured the interest of young collectors who could follow the careers of their favorite teams and players each season. The cards helped promote both the Bowman Gum product and major league baseball at a time when the sport was working to establish a larger national fanbase beyond regional or local levels.
While the 1923 Bowman set is considered a landmark issue in the history of sports card collecting, it is also one of the most difficult and expensive sets to acquire in complete or near-complete condition today. Only a small number of the original 1923 Bowman cards have survived in high grade over the past 100 years. Part of the reason for the set’s scarcity is that the cards were quite fragile when first issued due to the thin cardboard stock they were printed on. The constant bending and folding of the cards as they were inserted and removed from gum packs over the years led to many cards becoming damaged or destroyed.
Another factor that negatively impacted survival rates for the 1923 Bowman set was the lack of awareness about the eventual collectability of early 20th century baseball cards during the peak production eras. Most kids who received the cards as gum and candy inserts in the 1910s-1930s viewed them simply as disposable promotions, not realizing decades later how valuable complete sets would become. As a result, few recipients bothered to carefully store and preserve the cards. Combined with the fragile nature of the early print stock, this led to massive loss over the decades prior to the rise of organized card collecting in the post-World War II era.
For those 1923 Bowman cards that have survived, their scarcity has made high grade specimens extraordinarily valuable today. PSA-graded examples that earn gem mint (PSA 10) or near-mint (PSA 9) scores routinely sell at auction for five and even six figure prices. Some of the most iconic and desirable stars of the era like Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and Walter Johnson have realized auction prices upwards of $150,000 for their 1923 Bowman cards in top condition. Even more common players can still sell for thousands in high grades due to the landmark status of the set.
While the 1923 Bowman issue established many of the foundational aspects of the modern baseball card collecting hobby, the set remains one of the holy grails for vintage enthusiasts due to the combination of its historical significance and overwhelming scarcity in high grades. Nearly 100 years after their original release as promotional inserts, the allure and value of the 1923 Bowman cards continues to grow. They represent the true beginning of baseball card collecting as a hobby and will always have an important place in the history and culture surrounding the sports memorabilia marketplace.
The 1923 Bowman baseball card set was a pioneering issue that introduced many firsts still seen in the industry today. As the initial set to feature true player photographs instead of illustrations, and focus on current major leaguers, it captured the imagination of a generation of early collectors. While the fragility of the cards and lack of preservation awareness has made high grade examples exceedingly rare, the 1923 Bowman set remains one of the most important and valuable in the entire realm of vintage sports card issues due to its immense historical significance at the dawn of the modern hobby.
