Sometimes life just unexpectedly drops little nuggets of awesomeness in your lap. I kind of feel like the Topps 582 Montgomery Club is one of those. One of the new member benefits for 2020 was access to preorder a variety of products directly from Topps.com over the course of the year. I assumed it would be the same things we’ve seen the last couple years, and I was going to be happy to have a chance to order some Allen & Ginter X and Topps Chrome Sapphire! It turns out the first two preorders we’ve had access to in the first month of membership were two brand new products. Bowman Heritage is yet to ship, but Bowman Draft Sapphire has been a tremendous benefit.
The Breakdown
The all Chrome Sapphire refractor has a “cracked ice” look, and the 200 card checklist matches the standard Bowman Draft release. Each box contained one pack of 32 cards. Inside the packs were 30 base and 2 serial numbered parallels numbered to 99 or less. There were no autographs possible with this release.
The parallels are as follows:
Blue Sapphire /99
Green Sapphire /50
Orange Sapphire /25
Gold Sapphire /15
Purple Sapphire /10
Red Sapphire /5
Padparadscha 1/1
Members were theoretically limited to 3 boxes per membership at a price of 34.99 per box. However, the website did not restrict orders and many customers purchased more.
My wife and I both have memberships, and we were able to snag six boxes. I was going to open it up, but once I saw the secondary market prices on eBay, the guaranteed profit was too much to pass up. The profit that will come from this product will likely cover the cost of one of our memberships! In the first few weeks after release, sealed boxes were consistently selling for. $90 - $100, and base singles range from about $1 - $50 depending on the player.
Box Break
Take a look at what I got in one of my boxes!
I really like the product at it’s MSRP, but I couldn’t pay the double or triple prices that some collectors (or speculators) are settling for. However, if people want it, I’m happy to sell it to them. Bowman Draft continues to be a popular product, and as long as “prospecting” continues to be a thing, it will stay that way. This new Sapphire wrinkle is a nice addition to the lineup, but personally I don’t see the value in the inflated prices.
For a more detailed write up on the standard 2019 Bowman Draft draft set, click here.
Also, if you haven’t heard, I started a new Podcast called the WaxPackHero Sports Card Minute! It’s available here directly on the site at the Podcast link at the top of the page, or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, and TuneIn! Check it out, let me know what you think, and tell your friends!
Here are the parallels I received in the two boxes I opened.