1989 Bowman Greg Maddux
The 1989 Bowman baseball card is heads and shoulders above the rest of the cards issued during 1989. Literally.
The card is slightly larger card than what the other brands were issuing at the time. And bringing back the ‘old’ name of Bowman created quite a bit of hype back in 1989 – 20 years ago!!!
The card is nice and features a large action photo. From what I recall and have seen of the few ’89’s that I have crossed paths with recently, the pictures are pretty grainy. The design also incorporates a facsimile signature which was not common among card designs in the late 80’s.
Overall the card is a nice issue with a plain and basic design. If this was a debut in 2009 it would fail miserably due to it’s lack of creativity and quality design, but back in 1989 it was a nice set to go after.
I am happy to add this new Greg Maddux card to my player collection!!!
30-Year Old Cardboard 
Bowman was actually very unpopular when it was re-introduced in 1989. It was an awkward size with and unpopular stat design on the back.
Look at how little a Griffey rookie from this set was worth, even in price guides from the period. I recall dealers having a hard time unloading the card. To put it in perspective, ’89 Donruss held it value better than this set. Bowman remained an unpopular brand until 1992 when Topps did a major overhaul as a last ditch effort. If the 1992 set wasn’t popular, Bowman was slated to be canceled.