2013 Bowman Sterling Football Cards

Product Review

2013 Bowman Sterling Football Product Review

Reviewed by Tim Hlavac

Good: 13 guaranteed hits per box. Jumbo box topper as additional hit. Amazing looking multi-player autographs. Outstanding checklist of rookies. Veteran players included, unlike last year.

Bad: Sticker autographs. Redemptions. Relic card designs look similar to last year.

The Bottom Line: 2013 Bowman Sterling Football is a high-end product for serious football collectors. This set is catered towards thrill seekers who are into rookie-heavy products. Each pack contains one autograph and one relic card, which will definitely satisfy the collective flame of football hobbyists.

Card Design: 4.5/5.0

The base cards are produced on premium card stock with a Chrome background. The background features a stylish grayscale, etched with a black metallic look. The player pictured is the sole emphasis of each card, which puts the primary focus directly on them. While not as colorful as some other Topps football base cards, this is a premium release which definitely shows from the start.

Every base card has six different parallels. The Blue and Gold Refractors add their respective coloring to the nameplate and backdrop of the card, which is a nice touch. If it wasn't for the serial numbering on the front of the card, the black refractor is kind of hard to distinguish from the regular base card. The Prism Refractor and Superfractor look absolutely stunning in-person.

The main attraction of this product are the hit cards, along with their parallel iterations. Unfortunately, the base relics look too similar to last year's release. Added as an additional hit, the jumbo patch box topper more than makes up for it. Autograph versions of the box toppers are also inserted. The base autographs are essentially the base cards with a sticker autograph. For such a high-end release, I really wish there were no sticker autographs or redemptions cards in this product.

The highlight of this product are the multi-player autographs, relic autographs, and booklets. The triple autographs, as well as the quad and six autograph booklets, are very rare and extremely hard to pull. Only a select few lucky collectors will feel like they won the Super Bowl if they pull one of these top hits from their box. It will definitely be worth it when you see one of those prized cards in person.

Checklist: 5.0/5.0

The base set is comprised of 100 cards, which breaks down to 80 rookies and 20 veterans. Last year's release omitted the veterans completely, so collectors who felt slighted last year will be happy to know that 20 of the top NFL veterans have been added this year. The autograph and relic checklists are top-heavy with rookies galore. Most of the top rookies are featured, including Geno Smith, Cordarrelle Patterson, Eddie Lacy, Keenan Allen, Eric Fisher, and Manti Te'o. The veteran autograph checklist includes Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, among others.

Value: 3.5/5.0

With boxes ranging from $175 to $200, this product is not for everyone. High-end rookie collectors will salivate over the amount of hits pulled in each box. With one autograph and relic card in every pack, the jumbo patch box topper is the icing in the cake. As with all premium products, there is a lot of risk involved. Since this is a watered down NFL rookie class, there is plenty of gamble and no guarantee of a major hit. The sticker autographs and redemptions slightly tone down the total experience of opening 2013 Bowman Sterling Football.

The Fun Factor: 3.0/5.0

Topps delivers another high-end football product that is sure to score a touchdown with football collectors who can handle the price. Football collectors on a budget may want to sacrifice a few low-end boxes and take their chance on this. Even though the box break will be quick since there are only 6 packs per box, opening each pack will keep you in suspense to see which two hit cards you pull.