Buzz Break: 2019 Bowman Platinum MLB (collector's box)

From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2019 Bowman Platinum baseball cards (collector's box)
Where to buy: Click here

Packs per box: 20
Cards per pack: 5
Cards in this box: 100
Base set completion: 
44 of 100 (44 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Ronald Acuña Jr., Cody Bellinger, Juan Soto, Albert Pujols, Giancarlo Stanton, Max Scherzer, Jose Altuve, Francisco Lindor, Ozzie Albies, David Price, Alex Bregman, Miguel Cabrera, Yasiel Puig

Rookie Cards (14) – Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (SP), Eloy Jimenez (SP), Michael Kopech, Christin Stewart, Dakota Hudson, Corbin Burnes, Touki Toussaint, Justus Sheffield, Chance Adams, Cedric Mullins, Ryan O'Hearn, Danny Jansen, Josh James, Ramon Laureano (no RC logo)

Insert cards: 54 (some highlights in gallery below)
Short-printed Rookie Card (2) – Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Eloy Jimenez
Gold parallel (1) – Brian Anderson (/50)
Blue prospect parallel (1) – Dauris Valdez (/150)
Renowned Rookies (4) – Yusei Kikuchi, Danny Jansen, Dakota Hudson, Touki Toussaint
Prismatic Prodigies (4) – Seth Beer, Miguel Amaya, Nolan Gorman, Jonathan India
Platinum Presence (2) – Aaron Judge, Seth Beer
Prospects (40) – Notables include Yordan Alvarez, Wander Franco, Joey Bart, Luis Robert, Jonathan India, Victor Mesa Jr., Jo Adell, Will Smith, Chad Spanberger, Ronaldo Hernandez, Jose de la Cruz, Rylan Bannon, Logan Gilbert

Autographs/Memorabilia: 2
Prospect autographs (2) – Chad Spanberger, Dauris Valdez

What's Buzz-worthy: This is a brand perhaps best tried in this format, which guarantees two autographs for a starting price of $80. The blaster boxes are very lean this year and the combination of the two makes me wonder whether the sweet spot is somewhere in the middle in both volume of packs, hits and price. I only say that because this one felt like it was closer to an average box in terms of its highlight cards. The Gold parallel in this box is one in 396 packs, while the Blue is one in 132 but either seems to be a headline-grabbing card. The SP rookies are good finds here that help the box, too, but ultimately it didn't feel all that flashy on the whole -- though there are plenty of prospects in this one to help out over the long haul. Another reason this format is better is you get five cards per pack instead of four in blasters, which means more prospects. ... As said before, the stock here is skinny but the cards seemed clean and free of issues you might see for foilboard. There are other potential finds here like photo variations and ink but they were not here this time. One thing that did jump out at me? How oddly color-free most of the card backs are here -- it's pretty striking to be be only in black and white for all but two cards in this box. Not a big deal, but it seemed odd for a brand that should have a good demand as a Walmart-only release loaded with prospects and rookies that can truly deliver big.

Product Grade: A-
Box Grade: B
Fun Grade: B

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