1st Bowman Chrome autos have become a pillar of modern baseball card collecting, with huge numbers of collectors eagerly ripping into products each year hoping to get their piece of the next big player to hit the diamond.
There’s a strong argument to be made that Mike Trout’s 2009 Bowman Draft Picks and Prospects Chrome Autograph is the foundation on which this modern-day tradition rests. By the time the set came out, Trout had already established himself as one of the game's most talented, exhilarating young stars. This card represented collectors’ first chance to land the star outfielder’s licensed MLB autograph, creating one of the most fevered chases of the 21st century. The marquee issue remains one of the most iconic ultra modern baseball cards. Only the /25 Orange Refractor, /5 Red Refractor, 1/1 Superfractor, and 1/1 Printing Plates were produced in smaller quantities than the /50 Gold Refractor versions of the card.
No copies of this card have a higher grade in the BGS registry than this Gem Mint 9.5. Subgrades include 10 for Edges, and 9.5 for Corners and Centering. The autograph has been assessed as a 10.
The certification number on this card has been checked against the third-party grader's online database and is active as of 05/26/2026.
