1992 Bowman Mike Piazza Lay in Wait

The 1992 Bowman Mike Piazza rookie card is a reminder that, sometimes, worlds collide quietly, and it takes a little while for us to realize that anything at all has happened.

In case you forgot, here is what that cardboard mashup looks like:

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Why a mashup?

Well …

By 1992, Topps was finally starting to figure out what their resurrected Bowman line would be all about — rookies, rookies, and more rookies!

It took a bit of a meandering path to get there, though, and collectors were leery about what was around the next bend the whole way.

For example …

We were less than enthusiastic about the oversized format that Topps reintroduced when dusting off their defunct competitor’s brand in 1989, and the subsequent two issues had their own problems — overproduction, mushy brown cardstock left over from the Truman era, and ever-steeper competition for hobby dollars.

All along the way, though, Topps had been amping up Bowman’s RC checklist, and the hobby began to take notice.

Who wouldn’t want early cards of Frank Thomas, Chuck Knoblauch, Sammy Sosa, John Olerud, and William Suero, right?

And then, in 1992, Topps listened to us, introducing creamy white card stock, better photos, and even a few color images on their card backs (mostly stadium shots) in their base set.

Not only that, they gave us more of the same with Bowman, with an updated design that probably rankled some purists but that felt timely at the, uh, time.

And the Bowman card backs were even brighter and more lively. Here’s is what Piazza’s looks like …

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And that brings us back to the second part of the mashup.

The Dodgers famously selected Piazza in the 62nd round of the MLB Draft, purportedly as a nod to his brother’s godfather, legendary Los Angeles skipper Tommy Lasorda.

Thing is, though, that story is famous now.

Back in 1992?

Not so much.

Sure, Piazza had slammed 29 home runs in 1991, but that was at high-Class-A Bakersfield in his third year as a professional.

It was still a long way to the majors.

But …

With Topps’ increasing focus on pulling guys into their cardboard realm earlier and earlier, Piazza’s power and family pedigree were enough to land him a slot in the revamped 1992 Bowman set.

And, as it turned out, the majors weren’t really all that far off for the young catcher.

To wit, he split that Olympic summer between Double-A San Antonio and Triple-A Albuquerque before making the jump to the Dodgers to start September.

He never looked back, cruising to a unanimous Rookie of the Year Award in 1993 on the strength of a .318/35 HR/112 RBI line that dropped jaws all around the game.

As that magical season progressed, his 1992 Bowman rookie card catapulted from (near) the commons bin to showcase headliner and helped to elevate the set — and the entire Bowman line — to new heights.

All these years later, after a Hall of Fame career as maybe the greatest hitting catcher ever, the Piazza card lags behind that of another youngster who didn’t turn many heads right away.

Who could have guessed that the skinny guy posing for his senior pictures would turn into a legend, anyway?

Well, maybe Topps, by way of Bowman.

But not many others.

And so it is that Mariano Rivera and Mike Piazza stand as the faces of a brand that found its identity — finally — among the ranks of the superunknowns.

Check Prices on eBay

Even after all these years, the Mike Piazza rookie card still makes collectors drool … especially if it features a little something “extra.” Check out the his Bowman RC and all the rest of the top-selling cards on eBay during January 2022 in our video rundown: