1948-1955 Bowman series divisions and sheet layouts

[G1911]

For 1954, another way to get datapoints is to use the packs. Obviously, cards in a series can only appear in a pack with other cards from that series. 1954 Bowman Football are a pretty common pack unlike other years, and so some have been opened in a documented venue.

The penny packs are useless, of course, but some of the 7 card nickel packs also exist and have been opened. Here's a video of one being opened several years ago (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zqcbn6_bro0), which alone should have debunked this 32 card series myth if the pack is authentic.

In order the cards are:

32 Elroy Hirsch
17 Bill Bowman
57 Chuck Bednarik
18 Leo Rucka
58 Art Hunter
19 John Cannady
59 William McColl

Hirsch + a 3 card sequence from "series 1" and a 3 card sequence from "series 2".




And another one from the same guys: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tv8S3DLJNqk

118 Stautner
111 Lavelli
119 Ray Smith
112 Leon Hart
120 Neil Worden
9 Pete Pihos
33 Harold Giancanelli

Series 4 and series 1 in the same pack (with several non-commons besides the ruined gum card).




And a third, this time going from the back of the pack to the front: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssu2jyT2Cys
119 Ray Smith
118 Stuatner
117 Olszewski
116 George Connor
115 Al Carmichael
114 Richard Lem Mon
113 Charlie Conerly

1 sequence of most of a row in order (collation must have sucked).



There are more, but the short of it is further evidence that this was either 1 series or 2 series following the 1955 baseball pattern of cards removed and replaced in a rotating sheet, making series a very different concept than the Topps concept.