1999 Bowman Chrome Series 1

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1999 Bowman Chrome Series 1

Price: $24 shipped
Packs: 24, 4 cards per pack
Cards for set: 82/220; 37% complete
Duplicates: 1
Rating: 4/5

I think I officially quit collecting by 1998, as I don’t recall much about cards from the 1999 season. Hell, I don’t even remember anything about the bankruptcy of Pinnacle Brands in August of 1998, if that says anything.

My first venture into 1999 of course is a box of 1999 Bowman Chrome Series 1. At just $24 delivered, it seemed like an innocent enough buy that I could hand while looking for other boxes to obtain. While waiting for it to arrive, I was reading up on potential inserts and parallels that might be included, that way I would know what to look forward to when I opened the box.


It appears that the base set of Bowman Chrome mirrored the Bowman set, as there were 2 series as well as 440 cards for the set. There were 2 colors in the set, red for veterans and then blue for rookies and prospects. In each series, there were just 70 veterans and then 150 rookies and prospects. Since each pack contained just 4 cards, I averaged about 2 veterans and 2 rookies/prospects in each.


1999 Bowman Chrome base set

Naturally, a chrome set wouldn’t be complete without the refractor parallel. Inserted at a rate of 1:12, I received just 2 in the box, both of them blue. Oh well, better luck next time, right?


1999 Bowman Chrome Refractor

Another parallel inserted was called Bowman Chrome International. Basically, each player’s card had them pictured on a background of the city/town in which they were born. Unlike the regular Bowman International that was set on foil and not as attractive, this set is actually well-designed and looks amazing on chrome. Inserted at a rate of 1:4, I did receive 6 in the box. Not bad.


1999 Bowman Chrome International

One last parallel, if you will, inserted into packs was Bowman Chrome Gold. Basically, the fascimile signature you see on each card is colored in gold instead of the regular black. Inserted at a rate of 1:12, I only pulled just one. Bummer. I actually missed this the first time going through the packs, as I wasn’t exactly looking for it. I triple-checked the stack of cards too but no such luck in finding another.


1999 Bowman Chrome Gold

The idea behind the Diamond Aces insert was to showcase 9 veterans and 9 up-and-coming stars. It’s not a bad insert, but I personally don’t see the appeal. Inserted at a rate of 1:21, I managed to pull just one.


1999 Bowman Chrome Diamond Aces

The last insert, titled Scouts Choice, showcased 21 of the games’ top young stars. These were insterted at a rate of 1:12, and I did pull 2 from the box. Again, another insert that I don’t really see an appeal towards.


1999 Bowman Chrome Scouts Choice

One of the tougher parallels inserted in the box was called Bowman Chrome International Refractor. Much like the regular Bowman Chrome International, this set is even better looking with the refractor finish. Inserted at a rate of 1:76 and serial #ed to just 100, I managed to pull one in this break. Very nice, no matter the player.


1999 Bowman Chrome International Refractor

Overall, this was a fun break. Still wondering why I only managed to pull 1 gold signature card, but I can’t complain with the International Refractor, no matter who the player is.

1999 Bowman Chrome Series 1 | 90's Box Breaks