2004 Bowman Heritage

Description

2004 Bowman Heritage is a baseball card set produced by Topps. It takes its base design from the 1955 Bowman set. It was the first Bowman Heritage Baseball Card set to incorporate Printing Plates as inserts into packs. The 2004 Bowman Heritage may have been the most popular with collectors of any of the Bowman Heritage sets.

Distribution

The cards were relased in Hobby and Retail packs. Both came 24 packs to a box with 8 cards per pack. The main difference between the two is that Hobby packs had a much high hit rate for autographed and game used inserts. The set was originally released on Dec 22, 2004.

Insertion Ratios

Cards	Total Cards	Numbered To	Hobby Odds	Retail Odds
Base	?	-	?	?

Base Set

• Base Set Checklist and Gallery

A 351 card master set with 300 base cards and 51 short prints. These cards are based on the 1955 Bowman set (the last of the released for the public Bowman designs) with the TV border. The cards are all set up as landscaped photographs rather than portrait in reference to the original set. Cards 40 and 48 feature Victor and Pedro Martinez, each card had a short printed variation with the wrong Martinez's stats on the back. The original 1955 set made the same mistake (albeit unintentionally) with card #48 Milt Bolling. Additionally the Giles brothers are featured on one card #139 as homage to the original set that featured the Shantz brothers on the same numerical card. Umpires are also included in the set as a reference to the original 1955 set.

1 Tom Glavine

2 Mike Piazza SP

3

4 Jerry Hairston

5

6

7 Carlos Zambrano

8

9 Alex Rodriguez SP

10

11

12 J.D. Drew

13 Joe Mauer SP

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21 Eric Gagne SP

22 Brady Penny

23 Al Kaline

24 Mike Maroth

25 Magglio Ordonez SP

26 Mark Buehrle

27

28 Oliver Perez

29 Red Schoendienst

30

31 Ryan Freel

32

33

34 Esteban Loaiza

35

36 Carlos Guillen

37

38

39 Hideo Nomo

40 Victor Martinez COR

41 Bobby Abreu

42

43

44 Russ Ortiz

45

46 Hank Blalock SP

47

48 Pedro Martinez COR SP

49 Austin Kearns

50 Ken Grifey Jr SP

51

52 Kerry Wood

53

54

55 Rafael Palmeiro SP

56 Javy Lopez

57

58 Craig Wilson

59 Whitey Ford

60 Jason Giambi

61

62

63

64 Jim Thome

65 Don Zimmer

66 Shawn Green

67

68

69

70 Bernie Williams

71

72

73

74 Jim Edmonds

75

76

77

78

79 Victor Zambrano

80

81 Lance Berkman

82 Mike Sweeney

83 Ken Harvey

84 Angel Berroa

85

86 Mike Lowell

87 Miguel Cabrera

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

100

101

012

103

104

105 Zack Day

106

107 Khalil Greene

108

109

110

111

112 Edgar Renteria

113

114 Edgar Martinez

115 Joel Pineiro

116

117

118 Ricardo Rodriguez

119 Carlos Delgado

120 Roy Halladay

121 Jose Guillen

122

123 Shea Hillenbrand

124 Luis Gonzalez

125

126 Melvin Mora

127

128

129

130

131

132

133

134

135 Dontrelle Willis

136 Paul LoDuca

137

138 Kevin Brown

139 Giles Brothers (Brian & Marcus Giles)

140 Brian Giles

141

142

143 Don Newcombe

144 Craig Biggio

145

146 Torii Hunter

147

148

149

150 Mark Mulder

151 Rocco Baldelli

152 Bret Boone

153

154

155

156

157

158 Randy Johnson

159 Trot Nixon

160 Dmitri Young

161

162

163

164

165 A.J. Pierzynski

166 Dewon Brazelton

167 Jeromy Burnitz

168 Johan Santana

169

170

171

172

173

174

175 Jeff Kent

176 Kazushia Ishii

177

178

179 Mike Cameron

180 Mike Mussina

181

182 Jaret Wright

183

184

185 Derrek Lee

186

187

188

189

190 Chad Tracy

191

192 Alex Gonzalez

193

194 Ralph Kiner

195

196 Kevin Millwood

197

198

199

200

201

202 Reed Johnson

203 Luis Castillo

204

205

206

207 Mark Rogers RC

208

209 Homer Bailey RC

210

211 Eric Campbell RC

212

213 Gaby Hernandez RC SP

214

215

216

217

218 Scott Elbert RC

219

220

221 Chris Lambert RC

222

223

224

225

226

227

228

229 Richie Robnett RC

230 Taylor Tankersley RC

231

232

233

234

235

236 Dana Demuth UMP

237 Zach Jackson RC

238 Justin Orenduff RC

239

240

241 Matt Fox RC

242 Danny Putnam RC

243

244 Jon Poterson RC

245

246

247

248 Jay Rainville RC

249

250

251

252

253 Yusmeiro Petit RC

254 K.C. Herren RC

255 Dale Scott UMP

256 Erick San Pedro RC

257

258 Billy Buckner RC

259 Mitch Einertson RC SP

260

261 Conor Jackson RC

262 Rick Reed UMP

263

264

265 Merkin Valdez RC

266

267

268

269

270 Jeff Salazar RC

271

272 Joe Brinkman UMP

273 Omar Quintanilla

274 Paul Runge UMP

275

276 John Hirschbeck UMP

277

278 Joe West UMP

279 Paul Maholm RC

280

281 Mike Reilly UMP

282

283 Randy Marsh UMP

284

285

286 Tim McClelland UMP

287

288 Hector Gimenez RC

289

290 Brian Gorman RC

291

292 Tim Welke UMP

293 Javier Guzman RC

294

295 Hector Made RC

296 Jon Connolly RC

297

298 Fausto Carmona RC

299

300 Brad Snyder RC

301 Chin-Lung Hu RC

302

303 Matt Moses RC

304

305 Erick Aybar RC

306 Brad Sullivan RC

307 Nick Gorneault RC

308

309

310

311 Danny Gonzalez RC

312

313

314

315 Tommy Murphy RC

316 Chad Bentz RC

317 Chris Shelton RC

318

319

320 Blake Hawksworth RC

321 Alex Romero RC

322 Mike Gosling RC

323

324

325 Wanell Macia RC

326 Travis Blackley RC

327

328 Shingo Takatsu RC

329 Joaquin Arias RC

330 Juan Cedeno RC

331

332 Lastings Milledge RC

333

334

335

336 David Aardsma RC

337

338

339 Logan Kensing RC

340

341 Matt Creighton RC

342

343 Kyle Sleeth RC

344 Dustin Nippert RC

345 Anthony Lerew RC

346

347 Steve Palermo UMP

348

349

350

Key Cards

The key rookie cards in the set include Felix Hernandez, Phil Hughes, Ervin Santana,Carlos Quentin, Homer Bailey, Yadier Molina, Dioner Navarro, Kurt Suzuki, Lastings Milledge, Fausto Camrona, Wade Davis, Conor Jackson, and Huston Street

Short Prints

51 short prints were included and inserted at a rate of 1 in 3 packs.

Parallel Sets

Black and White

Inserted a rate of one per pack the the Black and White Parallel cards are the primary parallel set for 2004 Bowman Heritage. The cards were printed on thicker card stock as a decoy for the game used cards. If a pack contained a game used card then the Black and White was not included. Note all 351 cards and variations are paralleled but none are short printed. The cards resemble their base set counterpart in all aspects but one; the black and whites contain a facsimile signature on the front of the card that the base set card does not.

Mahogany

One of the most popular parallel sets ever included in Bowman Heritage, these cards are heavily collected by a number of set builders. The cards were printed on a "mahongany" stock with a different texture than the other cards in the set and serial numbered on the back of the card to 25 copies each. The cards were inserted at a rate of 1:39 hobby only (approximately 1 per two boxes). All 351 of the cards in the base master set are paralled.

The set builders working on the this set do not follow book values. If there is a card they need for their set they will pay upwards of $300 for a single semi-star card (For example:In January 2007, a Mike Sweeney sold for $310 on eBay).

Printing Plates

As with many of the other Bowman and Topps products of the mid 2000's, Topps released the printing plates for the set into packs. 4 colored plates were used to manufacture the cards (Cyan, Yellow, Black, Magenta) and all of them were inserted into packs at an overall rate of 1:240 hobby packs only.

Card sales for these printing plates have been relatively light since 2006 due to lack of supply. A Jack Wilson plate sold in Feb 2007 for $32 on eBay.

Roop Binder

In addition to the other sets listed below an exchange card for an M.J. Roop Archivers binder was also inserted at a rate of 1:240 hobby packs (approx 1 per case). The exchange deadline was 12/31/06.

Commissioner's Cut

One extreme chase card was also inserted into packs. A single (1/1), unique cut signature card of Ford Frick, who was the commissioner of baseball in 1955 was inserted at a rate of 1:320,720 hobby packs. This card is known as the Commissioner's Cut card, numbered FF on the back.

Signs of Authority

These cards are autographed inserts of major league umpires. As important as umpires are to the game of baseball, there is simply not a high demand for cards of umpires. This was the first inclusion of autographed cards of umpres in a set. The 20 umpires selected were the most recognized umpires in the game, however the set still did not sit well with collectors.

The base level cards were signed in Blue ink and were inserted 1:49 hobby packs and 1:107 retail packs. The print run of the Blue ink versions is approximately 550 cards.

The Red ink versions were printed to 55 serial numbered copies and inserted at a rate of 1:499 hobby and 1:1019 retail.

Signs of Glory

• Signs of Glory Checklist and Gallery

One of several autographed inserts in the 2004 Bowman Heritage set. These cards feature players in their original pictures from the 1955 Bowman set. The blue ink version was inserted at a rate of 1:246 hobby and 1:530 retail. A more rare red ink version was also printed, hand serial numbered to 55 sets and inserted at a rate of 1:2019 hobby and 1:3961 retail packs.

Signs of Greatness

• Signs of Greatness Checklist and Gallery

Another series of autographed inserts in 2004 Bowman Heritage. These cards feature the signatures of some of the top prospects in 2004. Phillip Hughes is far and away the most popular card in this set.

The blue ink set was inserted at a rate of 1:57 hobby and 1:122 retail and was not serial numbered. The red ink version was inserted at a rate of 1:999 Hobby and 1:2038 retail and had a hand serial numbered print run of 55 copies.

Threads of Greatness

• Threads of Greatness Checklist and Gallery

Overall there were approximately 2 game used by hobby box and 1 game used per retail box. The Bobby Cox, Mike McDougald and Ruben Sierra cards are notable due the small number of game used cards that are actually in circulation for each player.