1952 Bowman-The Forgotten Set

The 1952 Bowman set – sandwiched between two hobby legends (1951 and 1953 Bowman) and facing off against the legionary 52 Topps set – The 1952 Bowman set definitely gets overlooked, So much so, that some hobbyists have deemed it the forgotten set.

The  Bowman issue had a design similar to the company's 1951 product. Measuring 2-1/16" by 3-1/8", card fronts feature artistic reproductions of player photos and facsimile autographs. The backs boast personal data, biographical information, the card number and details on a mail-in offer.

Released in seven, 36-card series, the 52 Bowman set showcases 252 cards, down the 1951 issue. Cards from the first two series (#1 to 72) can be uncovered with clean white borders and clear pictures or with brownish borders and dull-looking pictures. Cards from the final series (#217 to 252) are generally more difficult to track down than those from the earlier series.

Errors + Variations

The first series seems to be found with images with either "clear" or "dull." The differences are pretty hard to tell with some cards.

Interesting facts

Bowman did not radically change the face of its cards in 1952. The images are color reproduction of actual photographs, just as they were in 1951. Only the player names changed, from typeface to facsimile autographs.

Number	Player
16	Turk Lown RC
22	Willard Ramsdell
32	Eddie Miksis
64	Roy Smalley
88	Bruce Edwards
104	Hal Jeffcoat
126	Phil Cavarretta
136	Gene Hermanski
144	Joe Hatton
159	Dutch Leonard
175	Randy Jackson RC
195	Frank Baumholtz
211	Paul Minner RC
231	Dee Fondy RC
247	Johnny Pramesa