New Release: 2014 BBM Hawks Achievement

The latest series from BBM is a really nice retro-themed product that is called "Achievement" or might be known as "Oldies Collection". Sold in box set form, each set highlights some great retired players from specific teams.

The 29 base cards are matte finished with a very simple design. A white border surrounds the lower-resolution photo on the front. The set name is on the bottom border, with the player's jersey number and name on the side; the player's position is in parenthesis beneath his name. In this case, Chiaki Sadaoka (#3) is an infielder. This style of designation harkens back to menko and bromide cards.

The green monochrome backs also give a nod to menko, though the basic layout is similar to other BBM designs. The same basic information from the front is on the back, including the kana (pronunciation) characters for the player's name atop his kanji. Basic vitals, career stats, and some highlights are included just like BBM always does.

There are two types of inserts included. The first is a printed autograph:

There are 23 of these, all with gold foil, serial-numbered up to 50 copies each. There are a total of 1135 of these.

Of course, the autographs are the real draw. I am not sure if these are on-card or stickered. There are 21 autograph subjects, with print runs from 19 to 100. A total of 1865 cards were produced.

Of course, add those two numbers together and you get 3000 sets issued. Odds are pretty good you'll pull an autograph. The Hawks set has proven to be much more popular than the Braves set released at the same time. I'll be jumping on the two new sets as soon as I can get to them this weekend!