1955 Bowman

Card #53 - Alex Kellner

The 1955 Bowman set -- Bowman's final baseball issue -- is one that collectors either love or hate. The card fronts were designed to make the players look like they were inside color television sets (and in 1955, there were very few color TVs). There were even umpire cards. At 320 cards in total, this was the largest set Bowman had issued since 1951; its chief competitor, Topps, only issued 206 cards in its set that season. However, Topps was about to win the four-year war between the two companies. It bought the Bowman Gum Company in January 1956.

1955 Bowman's popularity is usually attributed to its design. Card fronts were designed to show a color photo of a player on a television screen. Though not the first cards to feature a TV design (1950 Drake's beat them by five years), color TVs began to roll off RCA's assembly line in 1954 and these cards capture the general look of the first models. The border was either a light brown (on cards 1-72) or dark brown woodgrain, which surrounded a visual picture tube. There was a "color tv" icon at the card bottom made to look like a console with tuning knobs at each end, as well as a small white box on the player's picture with his last name inside. The card backs are much like those in Bowman's 1954 set, with the card number inside a glove, player bio and stats. Many cards have bits written by the players themselves about their favorite baseball moent, the best hitter or pitcher they ever saw play or advice to youngsters. Interestingly, Ted Williams and Stan Musial are mentioned frequently among the "best hitters" listed.

There are a few variations in this set due to errors. Frank Bolling and Milt Bolling had their card backs swapped, and Don Johnson and Ernie Johnson had their pictures swapped. In addition, Harvey Kuenn had his name spelled wrong. In each of these cases, the corrected version is the scarcer and more valuable. The variations are listed among the checklist found below, although it is not necessary to have all variations to complete the set.

Bowman issued a high number series (cards #225-320) that included 31 umpires. This marks the first time in a mainstream baseball issue umpires were featured on baseball cards along with players. Unfortunately, umpire cards were unpopular with kids in '55 but are coveted by collectors today because some of those arbiters are now in the Hall of Fame and these are among the few cards ever issued of them. Also included in this set are the first Bowman cards of Elston Howard, Al Kaline, Hank Aaron and Ernie Banks.

Several things complicate piecing together top-condition sets. First, the wood-colored border is more prone to damage that white borders are. Second, cards are frequently found either off-center or miscut, with a sliver of another card along one edge. Unfortunately, there are cards that have had the sliver cut off to make them appear better-centered or "corrected" with a brown marker.

Card #175 - Wilmer Shantz (Back)

1955 Bowman 1-cent Wax Pack	1955 Bowman 5-cent Wax Pack

1955 Bowman 5-cent Display Box

1. Hoyt Wilhelm
2. Al Dark
3. Joe Coleman
4. Eddie Waitkus
5. Jim Robertson
6. Pete Suder
7. Gene Baker
8. Warren Hacker
9. Gil McDougald
10. Phil Rizzuto
11. Billy Bruton
12. Andy Pafko
13. Clyde Vollmer
14. Gus Keriazakos
15. Frank Sullivan
16. Jim Piersall
17. Del Ennis
18. Stan Lopata
19. Bobby Avila
20. Al Smith
21. Don Hoak
22. Roy Campanella
23. Al Kaline
24. Al Aber
25. "Minnie" Minoso
26. Virgil Trucks
27. Preston Ward
28. Dick Cole
29. "Red" Schoendienst
30. Bill Sarni
31. Johnny Temple
32. Wally Post
33. Nelson Fox
34. Clint Courtney
35. Bill Tuttle
36. Wayne Belardi
37. "Pee Wee" Reese
38. Early Wynn
39. Bob Darnell
40. Vic Wertz
41. Mel Clark
42. Bob Greenwood
43. Bob Buhl
44. Danny O'Connell
45. Tom Umphlett
46. Mickey Vernon
47. Sammy White
48a. Milt Bolling (Frank Bolling back)
48a. Milt Bolling (Milt Bolling back)
49. Jim Greengrass
50. Hobie Landrith
51. Elvin Tappe
52. Hal Rice
53. Alex Kellner
54. Don Bollweg
55. Cal Abrams
56. Billy Cox
57. Bob Friend
58. Frank Thomas
59. "Whitey" Ford
60. Enos Slaughter
61. Paul LaPalme
62. Royce lint
63. Irv Noren
64. Curt Simmons
65. Don Zimmer
66. George shuba
67. Don Larsen
68. Elston Howard
69. Bill Hunter
70. Lew Burdette
71. Dave Jolly
72. Chet Nichols
73. Eddie yost
74. Jerry Snyder
75. Brooks Lawrence
76. Tom Poholsky
77. Jim McDonald
78. Gil Coan
79. Willie Miranda
80. Lou Limmer
81. Bob Morgan
82. Lee Walls
83. Max Surkont
84. George Freese
85. Cass Michaels
86. Ted Gray
87. Randy Jackson
88. Steve Bilko
89. Lou Boudreau
90. Art Ditmar
91. Dick Marlow
92. George Zuverink
93. Andy Seminick
94. Hank Thompson
95. Sal Maglie
96. Ray Narleski
97. John Podres
98. "Junior" Gilliam
99. Jerry Coleman
100. Tom Morgan
101a. Don Johnson (Ernie Johnson [Braves] on front)
101b. Don Johnson (Don Johnson [Orioles] on front)
102. Bobby Thompson
103. Eddie Mathews
104. Bob Porterfield
105. Johnny Schmitz
106. Del Rice
107. Solly Hemus
108. Lou Kretlow
109. Vern Stevens
110. Bob Miller
111. Steve Ridzik
112. Gran Hamner
113. Bob Hall
114. Vic Janowicz
115. Roger Bowman
116. Sandalio Consuegra
117. Johhny Groth
118. Bobby Adams
119. Joe Asroth
120. Ed Burtschy
121. Rufus Crawford
122. Al Corwin
123. Marv Grissom
124. Johnny Antonelli
125. Paul Giel
126. Billy Goodman
127. Hank Majeski
128. Mike Garcia
129. Hal Naragon
130. Richie Ashburn
131. Willard Marshall
132a. Harvey Kueen (wrong name on back)
132b. Harvey Kuenn (correct name on back)
133. Charles King
134. Bob Feller
135. Lloyd Merriman
136. Rocky Bridges
137. Bob Talbot
138. Davey Williams
139. Billy & Bobby Shantz
140. Bobby Shantz
141. Wes Westrum
142. Rudy Regalado
143. Don Newcombe
144. Art Houtteman
145. Bob Nieman
146. Don Liddle
147. Sam Mele
148. Bob Chakales
149. Cloyd Boyer
150. Bill Klaus
151. Jim Brideweser
152. Johnny Klippstein
153. Eddie Robinson
154. Frank Lary
155. Gerry Staley
156. Jim Hughes
157a. Ernie Johnson (Don Johnson [Orioles] on front)
157b. Ernie Johnson (Ernie Johnson [Braves] on front)
158. Gil Hoges
159. Harry Byrd
160. Bill Skowron
161. Matt Batts
162. Charlie Maxwell
163. Sid Gordon
164. Toby Atwell
165. Maurice McDermott
166. Jim Busby
167. Bob Grim
168. "Yogi" Berra
169. Carl Furillo
170. Carl Erskine
171. Robin Roberts
172. Willie Jones
173. "Chico" Carrasquel
174. Sherman Lollar
175. Wilmer Shantz
176. Joe DeMaestri
177. Willard Nixon
178. Tom Brewer
179. Hank Aaron
180. Johnny Logan
181. Eddie Miksis
182. Bob Rush
183. Ray Katt
184. Willie Mays
185. Vic Raschi
186. Alex Grammas
187. Fred Hatfield
188. Ned Garver
189. Jack Collum
190. Fred Baczewski
191. Bob Lemon
192. George Strickland
193. Howie Judson
194. Joe Nuxhall
195a. Erv Palica (No traded line)
195b. Erv Palica (With traded line)
196. Russ Meyer
197. Ralph Kiner
198. Dave Pope
199. Vernon Law
200. Dick Littlefield
201. Allie Reynolds
202. Mickey Mantle
203. Steve Gromek
204a. Frank Bolling (Milt Bolling on back)
204b. Frank Bolling (Frank Bolling on back)
205. "Rip" Repulski
206. Ralph Beard
207. Frank Shea
208. Eddy Fitzgerald
209. "Smoky" Burgess
210. Earl Torgeson
211. "Sonny" Dixon
212. Jack Dittmer
213. George Kell
214. Billy Pierce
215. Bob Kuzava
216. Preacher Roe
217. Del Crandall
218. Joe Adcock
219. Whitey Lockman
220. Jim Hearn
221. "Skinny" Brown
222. Russ Kemmerer 
223. Hal Jeffcoat
224. Dee Fondy
225. Paul Richards
226. W.F. McKinley
227. Frank Baumholtz
228. John Phillips
229. Jim Brosnan
230. Al Brazile
231. Jim Konstanty
232. Birdie Tebbetts
233. Bill Serena
234. Dick Bartell
235. J.A. Paparella
236. Murray Dickson
237. Johnny Wyrostek
238. Eddie Stanky
239. Edwin Rommell
240. Billy Roes
241. John Pesky
242. Ernie Banks
243. Gus Bell
244. Duane Pillette
245. Bill Miller
246. Hank Bauer
247. Dutch Leonard
248. Harry Dorish
249. Billy Gardner
250. Larry Knapp
251. Stan Jok
252. Roy Smalley
253. Jim Wilson
254. Bennett Flowers
255. Pete Runnells
256. Owen Friend
257. Tom Alston
258. John Stevens
259. Don Mossi
260. Edwin Hurley
261. Walt Moryn
262. Jim Lemon
263. Eddie Joost
264. Bill Henry
265. Al Barlick
266. Mike Fornieles
267. Jim Honochick
268. Roy Lee Hawes
269. Joe Amalfitano
270. Chico Fernandez
271. Bob Hooper
272. John Flaherty
273. "Bubba" Church
274. Jim Delsing
275. Bill Grieve
276. Ivan Delock
277. Ed Runge
278. Charles Neal
279. Hank soar
280. Clyde McCullough
281. Charles Berry
282. Phil Cavaretta
283. Nestor Chylak
284. Bill Jackowski
285. Walt Dropo
286. Frank Secory
287. Ron Mrozinski
288. Dick Smith
289. Arthur Gore
290. Hershell Freeman
291. Frank Dascoli
292. Marv Blaylock
293. Thomas Gorman
294. Wally Moses
295. Lee Ballanfant
296. Bill Virdon
297. "Dusty" Boggess
298. Charlie Grimm
299. Lonnie Warneke
300. Tommy Byrne
301. William Engeln
302. Frank Malzone
303. Jocko Conlan
304. Harry Chiti
305. Frank Umont
306. Bob Cerv
307. "Babe" Pinelli
308. Al Lopez
309. Hal Dixon
310. Ken Lehman
311. Lawrence Goetz
312. Bill Wight
313. A.J. Donatelli
314. Dale Mitchell
315. Cal Hubbard
316. Marion Fricano
317. William R. Summers
318. Sid Hudson
319. Albert Schroll
320. George Susce, Jr.