A player’s 1st Bowman card is their first official baseball card, released before their official rookie card. These cards will be designated “1st” or “1st Bowman,” usually in the upper left-hand corner. The 1st Bowman card designation was first used in 1996 but didn’t become a staple of Bowman sets until 2003. Since then, a player’s 1st Bowman has taken on greater value as prospecting has become an increasingly important part of the modern Hobby. Within the collector community, the importance of the 1st Bowman card has come to rival that of the professional rookie card.