The 1950 Bowman baseball card set is jam-packed with Hall-of-Famers and other noteworthy legends.
Of the 252 players in the checklist, 27 made it to Cooperstown.
Unfortunately, none of them are rookie cards.
And that's partly why this set sometimes flies under the radar...
The '49 Bowman set featured seven Hall-of-Fame rookie cards and the '51 Bowman set had five.
Sandwiched right in between them, 1950 Bowman had none.
Still, rookie cards of Don Newcombe, Del Crandall, John Antonelli, Al Rosen, Hank Bauer and other stars of the day are must-haves.
Some of those guys were MVPs at one point.
Those are just some of the key cards in what many consider one of the most beautiful vintage sets in the hobby.
And in this guide, we'll take a look at the 15 most valuable.
Let's jump right in!
1950 Bowman #22 Jackie Robinson
Estimated PSA 5 EX Value: $4,500
Jackie Robinson and the 1950 Brooklyn Dodgers were the victims of a once-in-a-generation pennant race.
Still without a World Series title and coming off yet another Fall Classic defeat in 1949, the Dodgers entered the 1950 season as prohibitive NL favorites.
Robinson was one of the big reasons why.
In 1949, the 30-year-old second baseman won his first-and-only batting title (.342) and led the Majors in stolen bases (37) and WAR (9.3) on his way to a historic MVP award.
The stolen bases weren't there in 1950 (12), yet Robinson still finished second in the league batting race (.328) with 14 home runs, 80 walks, 99 runs, and 81 RBIs in 144 games.
It seemed like a picture-perfect recipe for another World Series crack.
Instead, the bottom-feeding Philadelphia Phillies came out of nowhere to rip the pennant from Brooklyn.
Philly capped off its first league championship in 35 years with a 4-1 win over Brooklyn on the season's final day, eliminating Robinson and the Dodgers with a sudden, jarring kick.
1950 Bowman #98 Ted Williams
Estimated PSA 5 EX Value: $900
The 1950 MLB All-Star Game was the first one to be televised to a national audience.
Millions of fans tuned in to a midsummer spectacle featuring baseball's best.
They also gasped collectively when the game's best hitter fell in a heap.
31-year-old Boston Red Sox left fielder Ted Williams was in the middle of a standout season in a career already full of them.
He entered the All-Star Game as the MLB leader in home runs (25) and RBIs (83).
After leading the AL with 43 homers a year before, 50 wasn't out of the question.
Teddy Ballgame never took a play off, though, and it cost him. Going all out for a fly ball during the All-Star showcase, Williams crashed into a wall and shattered his left elbow.
Doctors removed seven bone fragments the next day, and the future Hall-of-Famer was held out until mid-September.
Williams would later say that he was never the same hitter after crushing his elbow that day.
1950 Bowman #46 Yogi Berra
Estimated PSA 5 EX Value: $575
Before the 1950 season, Yogi Berra was already among the most respected catchers in Major League Baseball.
The New York Yankees backstop had yet to put it together for that big breakout season.
However, he was still invaluable to New York's championship teams in 1947 and 1949.
Even in his mid-20s, his pitching staff and the competitors who faced him treated him like a 12-year veteran.
In 1950, Berra backed up his reputation behind the plate with the best-hitting performance of his Hall-of-Fame career.
The 25-year-old finished in the league's top ten in most offensive categories, including hits (4th, 192), total bases (3rd, 318), home runs (6th, 28), slugging percentage (7th, .533), and batting average (8th, .322).
Berra also finished 3rd in the AL with a career-best 124 RBIs and an identical 3rd in the AL MVP race.
New York won the World Series again, the second of five straight.
1950 Bowman #6 Bob Feller
Estimated PSA 5 EX Value: $450
Military service excluded from 1942-1945, Cleveland Indians great Bob Feller led the Majors in strikeouts for seven consecutive full seasons.
He topped 240 strikeouts four times and posted a career-best 348 strikeouts and 10.0 WAR in 1946.
The toll of Feller's high-speed Hall-of-Fame ascent was evident by 1950.
The 31-year-old righty lost much of the trademark velocity of his number one pitch to arm fatigue and shoulder issues.
Feller's returns eventually diminished, but he was still put together enough to pull it off in 1950.
The former Triple Crown winner made his eighth All-Star team, finishing 16-11 for the fourth-place Indians with a 3.43 ERA.
He completed 16 of his 34 starts and finished with a 4.1 WAR and 126 ERA+, both in line with his career totals.
On the other hand, Feller finished fifth in the league with 119 strikeouts and just eighth in K/9 (4.336).
1950 Bowman #39 Larry Doby
Estimated PSA 5 EX Value: $400
Larry Doby made his All-Star debut in 1949, but his true breakout as a top American League star came one year later.
The first player to integrate the American League hit his stride in his age-26 campaign, rounding out into a complete offensive threat for the 92-win Cleveland Indians.
Doby hit an MLB career-high .326 on the year, finishing fourth in the league batting race.
He led all AL batters in on-base percentage (.442), OPS (.986), and OPS+ (156).
Doby's power numbers remained consistent (24 homers in 1949, 25 in 1950).
The true evolution of his game was his renewed dedication to taking pitches and using the whole field to his advantage.
He only posted three more extra-base hits than the year before.
On the other hand, he tallied eleven more hits and seven walks in 41 fewer plate appearances.
The Hall-of-Fame center fielder notched his second straight All-Star appearance and posted the second-best WAR (6.7) and MVP finish (8th) of his 17-year career.
1950 Bowman #11 Phil Rizzuto
Estimated PSA 5 EX Value: $290
When we think of the New York Yankees dynasty of the 1940s and 1950s, we obviously focus on marquee players like Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle.
In 1950, however, "The Indispensable Man" Phil Rizzuto stood head and shoulders above the box-office names in the Bronx.
One of the greatest defensive shortstops of all time, Rizzuto broke the AL mark for consecutive errorless games at short (289) and the longest errorless games streak for a player at the "six" (58).
He backed up his defensive mastery in 1950 with the best offensive showing of his 13-year-old Hall-of-Fame career.
The 32-year-old led the American League in WAR (6.8) and posted career highs in most categories, including batting average (.324), runs (125), walks (92), and OPS (.857).
The Yankees won another trophy, and Rizzuto was the resounding choice for league MVP.
"How does it feel?" Rizzuto asked rhetorically. "Well, have you ever walked on a cloud? A bright, sunny cloud?"
1950 Bowman #21 Pee Wee Reese
Estimated PSA 5 EX Value: $285
The Brooklyn Dodgers almost promoted Pee Wee Reese to player/manager before the 1950 season.
It made sense, considering the 31-year-old shortstop's clubhouse reputation.
"When Pee Wee told us where to play or gave us some of the devil, somehow it was easy to take," Jackie Robinson said. "He just has a way about him of saying the right thing."
Reese was never a truly elite hitter.
However, he was an unparalleled teammate with the nerves and tact to galvanize a team.
No one would have been surprised to see Reese replace manager Burt Shotton after Brooklyn's deflating five-game 1949 Series loss to the rival Yankees.
That was the scuttlebutt early in the offseason, after all.
However, Dodgers management decided Reese was already invaluable in his current hybrid role and left well enough alone.
Reese didn't have a great offensive year in 1950, posting the only sub-average OPS+ (95) of his nine-year All-Star stretch from 1946-1954.
Regardless, he was again the unifying force for a Dodgers team that narrowly missed out on another NL pennant.
1950 Bowman #77 Duke Snider
Estimated PSA 5 EX Value: $285
In 1950, Brooklyn Dodgers legend Duke Snider was just 23 years old and fancied himself as a five-tool threat.
He had speed to burn in center field, and his hitting skills were evolving ahead of schedule.
Snider had every reason to try and increase his worth to the club by putting it out there as a base-stealing threat.
The problem was Snider didn't have the chops to be a top-tier thief.
During his 1950 All-Star come-up, the future Hall-of-Famer set a new career best with 16 stolen bases.
However, those came at an inefficient clip as Snider was gunned down for an MLB-worst 15 times caught stealing.
Within a few years, the "Silver Fox" put the running shoes in the back of the closet.
Luckily, he was always a generational talent with the stick.
Snider placed in the NL's top five in eight different offensive categories in 1950, including leading the league in hits (199) and total bases (343).
He also hit .321 and posted the first of five career 30/100 campaigns (31 homers, 107 RBIs).
1950 Bowman #23 Don Newcombe Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 5 EX Value: $275
Don Newcombe was as cursed as he was dominant in his first two years as a Brooklyn Dodger.
Just the third African-American pitcher to appear in a Major League Baseball game, Newcombe was a ready-made ace in 1949, earning Rookie-of-the-Year honors while leading the Dodgers to an NL pennant.
Frustratingly, Newcombe took the brunt of Brooklyn's 4-1 Series loss to the hated Yankees.
Newcombe was walked off in Game 1 after battling through a scoreless pitching duel for eight-plus innings.
He also took the loss in a pivotal Game 4.
1950 was more of the same, or at least something dreadfully similar.
Newcombe was again the glue for a Dodgers' pennant chase, earning his second consecutive All-Star selection with a 19-11 record and 3.50 ERA. He completed 20 of his 40 starts with four shutouts.
It burned to ashes in a must-win regular-season finale.
Newcombe pitched masterfully but lost the pennant and a chance at Series redemption after surrendering a three-run, extra-innings walk-off blast to Phillies left fielder Dick Sisler.
1950 Bowman #75 Roy Campanella
Estimated PSA 5 EX Value: $265
Manager Burt Shotton was fired for the Brooklyn Dodgers' pennant miss in 1950.
However, an unfortunate-timed injury may have actually downed the Dodgers.
A former three-time Negro Leagues All-Star, Roy Campanella settled into his role as the National League's most outstanding catcher.
Campy made his second consecutive MLB All-Star Game, catching all 14 innings on national television.
Campanella's reputation skyrocketed, and his production followed suit.
The 28-year-old backstop hit over 30 home runs for the first of four times during his career (31) despite missing nearly a quarter of the year.
His advanced defensive stats as a catcher jump off the page, and his 683 putouts led the NL for the second straight year.
With Campy behind the plate, the Dodgers seemed like a lock to hold off the upstart Phillies for the pennant.
However, he went down with a compound fracture in his right thumb, missing 11 consecutive games during the September stretch.
Brooklyn lost seven of those contests and was edged out of the Series with a season-ending loss to Philadelphia.
1950 Bowman #19 Warren Spahn
Estimated PSA 5 EX Value: $225
Even though he was named NL MVP much later in his career, Warren Spahn was never more feared by Senior Circuit hitters than his four years of strikeout dominance from 1949 to 1952.
While his Boston Braves hovered between mediocrity and disappointment, Spahn used an electric arsenal to eat up both innings and batters.
The Cooperstown legend pitched 1,196 innings during that four-year span, averaging nearly 300 frames yearly.
He pitched to an ERA just over three during that period and struck out an MLB-best 689 batters.
Spahn's best year as a strikeout artist came in 1950.
The 29-year-old lefty set down a career-high 191 batters while leading the Majors in starts (39) for the second consecutive year.
However, there was still some bad news.
While Spahn tied for second in the Majors in wins (21), he also finished 8th with 17 losses, partly due to poor run support and partly due to his 111 walks and 8 wild pitches.
1950 Bowman #32 Robin Roberts
Estimated PSA 5 EX Value: $185
The 1950 Philadelphia Phillies leaned on their two aces to an extreme degree.
Good thing they did.
35 years since their last NL pennant and barely removed from a streak of 16 consecutive losing seasons, the Phillies shocked everyone by outlasting the favored Dodgers for the league title.
The way they did it was simple.
Philadelphia featured the Majors' stingiest pitching staff, with just 4.0 runs allowed per game.
It really boiled down to the all-time 1-2 punch of closer Jim Konstanty and staff ace Robin Roberts.
Konstanty became the first reliever in MLB history to win league MVP, topping all pitchers in appearances (74), games finished (62), and saves (22).
Basically, Konstanty filled in the gaps when Roberts wasn't on the hill.
A 23-year-old All-Star wunderkind, Roberts led MLB in games started (39) and shutouts (5).
He won 20 games for the first time and pitched to the Majors' fourth-best ERA (3.02) in 304.1 innings.
The future Hall-of-Famer was one of just two pitchers to cross 300 innings.
1950 Bowman #112 Gil Hodges
Estimated PSA 5 EX Value: $145
Gil Hodges staked an early claim as one of the best power hitters of the 1950s with a breakthrough age-26 campaign.
The Brooklyn Dodgers first baseman was named to his first All-Star Game in 1949 and was a middle-of-the-order menace for the eventual league champs.
In 1950, the power surge that began the year before became a full-on electrical storm.
Hodges went from 23 homers to 32, passing the 30-homer mark for the first of five consecutive seasons.
It placed him third in a stacked Senior Circuit full of long bombers.
Hodges joined teammates Roy Campanella and Duke Snider as the only MLB trio with at least 30 home runs apiece.
It was an overwhelming display of brute force.
It also drew attention away from the fact that Hodges was the best defensive first baseman in the Majors.
The Hall-of-Famer led all players at the position with a .994 fielding percentage and closed out an NL-high 159 double plays.
1950 Bowman #84 Richie Ashburn
Estimated PSA 5 EX Value: $135
Richie Ashburn pulled the wool over the National League's eyes in 1950.
It was another grad-school-level move by the upstart bunch in Philadelphia known as the "Whiz Kids."
It had been over thirty years since the Phillies were a true contender.
However, this 1950 team had two of the best pitchers in the game (Jim Konstanty and Robin Roberts) and a lineup full of scrappers and intelligent two-way players.
Ashburn may have been the most brainy of the bunch.
A lightning-fast 23-year-old center fielder with little pop, Ashburn took a step back in his 1949 sophomore season as teams employed a "creeping shift" to ward off bunts and infield hits.
Rather than changing his approach, Ashburn changed his bat, opting for one of teammate Del Ennis's heavier pieces of lumber.
Teams began to back off the shift, and Ashburn took off, hitting .370 in April and .303 altogether with an MLB-best 14 triples.
It was a prime example of how the Phillies outthought everyone on their way to a jaw-dropping pennant clinch.
1950 Bowman #33 Ralph Kiner
Estimated PSA 5 EX Value: $125
The 1950 season brought with it a monstrous individual performance by Pittsburgh Pirates slugger Ralph Kiner.
It also kicked off a three-year splitting headache of mounting losses and constant trade rumors.
The object was clear when GM Branch Rickey took over the chair before the 1950 campaign.
Cut costs everywhere, even at the expense of the on-field product.
And boy was the on-field product expendable.
It's not like the Pirates were a contending team.
They oscillated between bad and just above mediocre for most of the 1930s and 1940s.
However, the 1950 Pittsburgh squad was dreadful.
The team finished 57-96-1, with its worst winning percentage (.396) since 1917.
And that's even with Kiner finishing fifth for MVP with an MLB-best 47-homer barrage.
It was the fourth of five consecutive 40-home run seasons for the left fielder/first baseman.
It was also a prime opportunity for Rickey to openly shop Kiner, a saga that would last three years and through multiple strained contract talks.
1950 Bowman Baseball Cards In Review
The colorful artwork on 1950 Bowman speaks for itself and is one of the main draws.
The 1948 Bowman set featured black-and-white photography, while the '49 Bowman set brought in some colorized photos a year later.
However, Bowman really upped their game with the beautiful artwork in their 1950 release.
Many consider it one of their best-looking vintage sets, and for good reason.
In terms of star power, Hall-of-Fame legends like Jackie Robinson, Ted Williams, and Yogi Berra will always be among the biggest headliners in the checklist.
As I mentioned in the opener, the 252-card checklist contains a whopping 27 Hall-of-Famers.
It's just a bummer that no rookies in this set could join those guys in Cooperstown.
Otherwise, the 1950 Bowman set would likely get a lot more attention.
Still, despite that one drawback, this set remains one of the most beloved of the era and was a beautiful way to lead the hobby into the 1950s.