BBM Baseball Card Premium 2022 Set Overview
BBM (Bushuya Beisuboru Card) is a Japanese baseball card company that has been producing high-quality cards for over 30 years. Their yearly “Premium” set is one of the most anticipated releases each season among international collectors. The 2022 BBM Baseball Card Premium set did not disappoint, featuring an array of inserts, parallels, and autographs of Japanese baseball stars. Let’s take an in-depth look at what collectors can expect to find in this premium product.
Base Cards and Design
As with past years, the 2022 BBM Premium base set contains 264 cards spanning Nippon Professional Baseball’s Central and Pacific Leagues. The simplistic yet elegant design features each player photographed from head to toe in their team uniform against a white backdrop. Player names, positions, team logos, and stats are printed cleanly along the bottom. The card stock feels sturdy and has a nice glossy finish. Overall it’s a classy, understated look befitting of BBM’s premium reputation.
Parallels and Variations
No BBM set would be complete without an assortment of parallel and insert cards to chase. The 2022 Premium offers several exciting parallels including:
Gold Foil (#/50) – Featuring a gold foil layer adding extra flair to the design. Among the most coveted parallels.
Green Foil (#/100) – A more attainable parallel still retaining the premium foil treatment.
Red Foil (#/250) – For collectors on a slightly tighter budget, the red foil parallels offer shiny color pops.
Rainbow Foil (#/75) – A beautifully iridescent parallel perfect for the most dedicated parallel collectors.
Black Border (#/100) – A simple yet effective black border variation adds just the right amount of contrast.
Insert Cards
Premium also features a variety of highly sought-after insert sets within the base checklist. Here are some of the most notable:
Golden Players – Featuring some of NPB’s biggest stars in elegant gold foil designs.
Team Greats – Honoring franchise legends with regal artwork in team colors.
MVP Contenders – Spotlighting top players from the previous season in MVP-style poses.
Rising Stars – Introducing some of the up-and-coming young talents to keep an eye on.
Batting Stance Variations – Zooming in on unique batting stances in crisp photos.
Autographs and Memorabilia
Of course, the true heavy hitters in any BBM set are the autograph and memorabilia cards. Some of the standout autographed inserts in 2022 Premium include:
Golden Autographs – Rarest of the rare, featuring gold signature swatches of the biggest names.
Authentic Signatures – Standard issue autographed cards, still incredibly difficult to pull.
Team Logo Autographs – Autographs paired with jersey swatches featuring team logos.
MVP Autographs – Honoring past season award winners like Ohtani with autographed patches.
Rising Stars Autographs – For the next generation of stars, with rookie autographed patches.
Secondary Market and Conclusion
Unsurprisingly, BBM Premium 2022 was one of the most sought-after international releases of the year. With its impeccable design, wide range of parallels and inserts, and ultra-rare autographs, the set has proven to be hugely popular in the aftermarket. While retail boxes could be found for around $80-$100, individual cards especially parallels and autographs now command premium secondary prices. For collectors it’s a true premium product befitting the brand’s excellent reputation. After 30+ years, BBM continues to raise the bar with each new Premium release.
