1950 Bowman a good first set?

[wolverinejayhawks]

Sorry to be late to the conversation.

1950 Bowman is an great set. I have the Number two 1950 Bowman set on SGC's site, but I started collecting the set in non-high-end condition years ago in college. I just loved it so much that its one of several sets that I put together in high grade over the years. The artwork in 1950 is an amazing jump over Bowman's previous efforts. The backs have interesting facts like Eddie Waitkus being stabbed by a demented fan (e.g., The Natural), which you wouldn't see in cards today. It also says where the guys served in WW II on a lot of the cards, which is interesting. There are not a lot of outstanding rookies in the set, but that situation helps make it doable on a budget.

Prices on eBay for commons right now are really good and you can buy decent size lots too. Go for auctions, rather than Buy It Now, and be patient. You can use Goofbid to snipe for free at the end of auctions.

BCW carries special size pages that you can order for putting together a non-graded collection in a notebook.

The following cards I would buy graded:

Jackie Robinson
Ted Williams

These two cards are the most frequently counterfeited cards in the set. At grades 2-4 you can find them reasonably priced. Again buy via auction and bid toward the bottom end of what they go for in terms of price. Patience will save you a decent amount of money. Mel Parnell #1 is surprisingly difficult to find and can be a little expensive due to it being Mel's Rookie card and being #1 in the set. The low number cards are actually the short-printed cards as the cards were released in series and that series had the shortest time on the shelf.

Good luck!