2012 Bowman Signatures Football Box Break Recap And Review

In general, I like prospecting.  You get in early and take a chance.  I tend to be more forgiving of these early products.  2012 Bowman Signatures Football gets some slack because of its early release that I wouldn’t normally give to an NFL Licensed product.   If Signatures debuted after the pre-season start, I don’t think I would be as forgiving.

I’m not just referring to the lack of Pro Uniforms for the rookies, I prefer the blank uniform to Photoshopped one.  It’s more and issue of price combined with hit potential.  The price for Bowman Signatures is on the higher side, but at this moment, so is the potential upside for these unproven players.  If you think only the top drafted rookies are destined for greatness, just remember the story of Tom Brady, who was drafted in the sixth round, or even Tony Romo, Wes Welker, Antonio Gates, Kurt Warner and Hall of Famer John Randle, all of whom went undrafted.  Certainly, before the season starts and we get to see some of these rookies in action, there is no way of telling which will be the cards of the future instead of just the cards of the moment.

Bowman Signatures Football falls into our premium cards category and just barely escapes Ultra Premium status.  Each hobby box contains 5 packs with 5 cards per pack and each pack contains one autograph for a total of five autographs per box.

Here is a look at some of the cards we pulled from our box.

Base Set

Jason Pierre-Paul, front and back

Jermichael Finley, Cedric Benson, Anquan Boldin

Michael Turner, Jeremy Maclin, Mike Williams

Matthew Stafford, DeMarcus Ware

Kendall Wright, Andre Branch, Isaiah Pead

Bobby Rainey, Chase Minnifield, Dwayne Allen

Insert -  Combine 

Quinton Coples, Melvin Ingram

The Hits

Base Rookie Autographs

Case Keenum,  Isaiah Pead, Greg Childs

Chrome Rookie Autos

Jeff Fuller, Ryan Tannehill

Overall Look

The base cards look sharp but the rookies start to blend together.  Full body shots that have little facial detail with the same blue background for all doesn’t help. Since the majority of the hits are auto versions of the rookie base cards, the same applies.  But the Chrome Rookie Auto cards look great and the addition of the team helmet is a nice touch.

Quality and Variety of Players

The 100 veteran base card set is small, but for a product that comes 25 to the box, it works well.  There are a large number of rookies to pull as well.

Do the Hits satisfy?

No question, the Chrome Rookie Auto cards are the best of the bunch.  There are some other be hits to be found with autos like Accolades, Inside the Numbers and some auto relics that will certainly make a splash with collectors.

Will you keep coming back for more?

If you want to spread the risk, multiple box purchases are your best bet.  If you only want to concentrate the big names or your team’s picks, aftermarket purchases might be the way to go.

 Rating 

4 out of 5

2012 Bowman Signatures Football benefits from an early release and is the first licensed product to hit the shelves.