In twenty years of collecting on and off, I have never once had any interest in building a set. To me, collecting was about pulling the stars, trading the rest. It wasn’t until a few months ago that I realized that for the first time in my collecting life, I wanted to build a set. It’s not your typical set, though. I am out to build a “master set” of 1997 Bowman of a then super-hot rookie, Jose Cruz Jr.
Much like my Ozzie Canseco collection, I have chosen to collect “outside the box”. While these cards are almost worthless to 99% of the Hobby, to me they are priceless. They represent the very last part of my lost childhood and a time when I walked away for collecting for a decade. This master set, if ever completed, will be the final piece of Wax Heaven. Consider it a closing act, if you will.
Until that day comes, I will spend every waking moment of my life chasing the 1997 Bowman Master Set. It may take several years to accomplish, maybe even a decade according to a few. For example, the Bowman’s Best Mirror Image Inverted Refractor last sold for $200 dollars on eBay. Imagine what the Atomic Refractor would go for.
You can view the entire scan of my work in progress by clicking HERE.
Bowman – (4/7)
Promo
Base
International
Scout’s Honor Roll
Autograph (Blue ink)
Autograph (Black ink)
Autograph (Gold ink)
Bowman Chrome – (3/6)
Base
Base International
Base Refractor
Base International Refractor
Scout’s Honor Roll
Scout’s Honor Roll Refractor
Bowman’s Best – (13/21)
Base
Base International
Base Refractor
Base Atomic Refractor
Base International Refractor
Base International Atomic Refractor
Autograph
Autograph Refractor
Autograph Atomic Refractor
Best Cuts
Best Cuts Refractor
Best Cuts Atomic Refractor
Mirror Image
Mirror Image Refractor
Mirror Image Atomic Refractor
Mirror Image (Inverted)
Mirror Image Refractor (Inverted)
Mirror Image Atomic Refractor (Inverted)
Jumbo Jumbo Refractor
Jumbo Atomic Refractor
Mario,
sounds like a cool project. it might take awhile, those 90’s inserts can be hard to find. did you get my guest blog for this month?
Mario, I hope you have your sites set on a entire life of collecting this set. I have tried but have gave up on a set. There are going to be major factors to collecting this set. 1. Finding the truely rare ones. If they have not been busted out of packs they are sitting on a shelf, and being that it is 1997 no one bothers with it anymore. 2. You will need a card that someone has and wants more than it is worth because you need it. 3. Do you know what I did with the commons and refractors after I got out of the hobby, I threw them away. I did not care about collecting anymore and was fed up went to the compactor and crushed them. There might have been something in there that was rare. 4. Money, Money, Money. This set in the end might be worth a ton to you, but do you relize you might be able to buy a car with all the money shelled out, because I can see people donating to the cause, but not that many cards. Mario I wish you luck, but if you are almost the same age as me, you have better luck collecting Topps base sets from the late 70’s to late 90’s, with money left over.
Now if it is just Jose Cruz Jr. I can see that, you will have to go to every show, call every card shop from east to west, and buy the remaining unopened product. And yes the Atomic Refractor is going to be big money.
Yup, it’s just Cruz Jr. I am not THAT crazy.
I think someone missed the memo that this was just for Jose Cruz, Jr. cards
Good luck with that and yes, those Atomic Refractors will go for big $$ considering who is on the Mirror Image with him
Yeah after I re read the blog kinda thought that tried to put a 2002 master diamond king set together, quit after 2 months.
Hey Mario, theres only one more thing I have to say about this, This is why collecting a player becomes difficult, this is only one year of a player that has faded out, I collected canseco for 15yrs thought it would be easy to collect him, in 2004 he had more jerseys autos and patches I could never have a master collection, so goes the 1 of 1 patch on ebay 3 yrs ago that sold for over 1500.00 I stopped collecting.
hey mario are u collectin all cruz jr. cards cuz if u are i have some u mite like
What about the Jumbo Refractors, they were 4×6 and limited in number (serial’d?)…there are two on the bay – the atomic and reg. refractor.
Item #310093703944, and #310093683967
Jason, thanks but I have those. If you look at the checklist it’s at the bottom of the Bowman’s Best crossed out.
Mario, that’s awesome. Glad to see the Cruz Collection is coming along well. I will send that 97 bowman base to you in a couple of days. I am convinced I have the international parallel, but am unable to find it.
So Mario, I go to my local card shop on Sunday to look at the Jose Cruz Jr box that has probably been sitting there since 1998, most of them were doubles, but he did have some of the cards need for your collection. He also has a bowman best refractor not sure which one. So I ask him how much for the box. Figure in it is a 250 count box most being doubles, and since this guy has not been doing much since then I figured at most, $30.00. WRONG. The first thing he does is goes to you guessed it Beckett, so now at this point I really wasn’t concerned because I know beckett will not list him very much. I see him getting this look on his face as though he fustrated, he gets the tuff stuff. Again looks agravated. I said to him, look I’ll give you 40.00 for the box, do you know what he told me. He did not want to lose out, he would have to check e-bay. I have done business with this guy for over 10yrs off and on, him lose out over the years he’s gotten thousands of dollars off me, like my offer of 40.00 was going to ruin him. As he looked on ebay, I browsed the old wax boxes, he has a 1997 Pinnicle certified with a 85.00 price tag. I was interested. He came back and I asked before he stated the price for the Cruz Jr. box if he could reduce that 12yr old box, he said no because you can’t get them anymore. Are you ready for this the Cruz jr box, guess $175.00, Shocked was not the word. This is why card shops are dying, I will not be going back anytime soon.
JL, if you would have paid more than $20 dollars for the box I would have been really upset with you. The owner of the shop must still be living in 1997 to think he could get that much for a box of Jose Cruz Jr. cards which probably didn’t include one single autogragh or even a game-used relic.
Even the $85 for the box of Certified is too much. I paid $70 something with shipping. A week later someone won a box for under $50.
Thanks for trying, though!
Mario,
To keep Wax Heaven going I would have paid that, but your right not one auto or relic. This shop owner thinks that customers will pay for anything he puts his price on. I stopped going to him for a while because his close buddies pack search, again, I won’t be back anytime soon.
Het man best of luck with cruz, jr.! I am a collector of Mark Mcgwire and let me tell you that the Bowman’s best mirror image INVERTEDS are EXTREMELY TOUGH!! Not jst the atomic refractor, but the regular refractor and Regular, as well. I HAVE NO IDEA WHY! Why are these versions hard to get? I have the regular inverted and inverted refractor of Mcgwire, but never have I seen the Atomic over 10 years of ebaying! I believe alot of the inverts are not listed or known as a different version form the regular card…that’s my only theory…That or Bowman only made like 10 of these for each player. Any suggestions would be great! Thanks —John Garcia