Abandoned Ohtani Building Bowman Search

I'm going to tell two stories at once!

Early this morning, I had to make a supply run to the WalMarts for paper towels, generic Swiffer dusters and dryer sheets... Notice how when you need to go to Walmarts, it's always for a short list of three items? As long as I was there, I gave the card aisle a quick glance... Low and behold!

There's 3 Value Packs of 2018 Bowman left hanging there!


Yoink!

As far as I know, no one has yet pulled the Ohtani SupaFractor. I think the "bounty" is now over $100K for that card... Would Topps put the biggest card this century in a retail pack? All bets are off with Topps these days... Since it hasn't yet turned up in a Hobby pack, you start to wonder...


Last night I was talking with a friend of mine, who told me of an abandoned school that he never knew existed until he drove by recently. It was also in one of the more unlikely parts of town; the retail and office district of the Denver Tech Center, in Greenwood Village.

I looked it up on the Googles and sure enough, that place needs to be checked out. NOW!


Last Monday, I was talking to Mike of Mike's Stadium Sports Cards in Aurora about 2018 Bowman. He was telling me how Topps is kind of choking the hobby by not getting new product out this month. It's baseball season and there's been a lengthy lull in card releases. Bowman is the only 2018 product out that anyone is interested in. Heritage was three months ago now...

Meanwhile, secondary market Bowman is so expensive it's a tough buy, because retail prices have to adjust. Jumbo boxes have to sell for an unheard of $400+, because that is where the market is...

Plus, what happens when that Ohtani SupaFractor surfaces? Will prices tumble once the lottery is solved?

The only way to find out is to find it!

(Note: I wasn't planning on writing these stories, and am going to whip through it fairly quickly. The scanner is already packed, so we're going with crappy quality digital pictures of my packs!)

Pack One


Pujols... Devers ROY... Refractor... Vlad Jr... Soto Chrome.... 

(And Ladies and Gentlemen... Please welcome, the Jesus Lizard!)

Not a bad first pack...

Most Favorite Card: Tyler O'Neill 


I like that the lowest base Refractors are numbered. And out of 499 is a good amount... 

Wish it wasn't a Cardinal...


Googles Map showed this blocked off former parking lot, that I snapped pictures of from the raised parking lot of the office building next door. Some of these pictures are not as clear as I'd have liked. It was just after 6am when I took these, and lighting wasn't optimal...


I'm assuming there was a lot more to the school that has already been demolished, and that would have been where that grassy field now sits.

Pack Two


I think I have pretty much all of these....


Except this one!

Previously, I got one of these Talent Pipeline cards and liked it, but it was for the Padres, and no one likes that... So this time I got the Rockies. And that's a lot better... Although I would have liked my first Riley Pint card to not look so intentionally grumpy... At least Top Prospect Brendan Rodgers seems to have more than enough enthusiasm to spare...


Looking across the overgrown parking lot, to a staircase leading into a closed gate to the building. Really out of focus, but I still like the picture a lot...

Pack Three!


Wow... I have a bunch of these too... Just not the Buxton or Sam Howard. 

So there's enough to be happy about...


I really think the Bowman Birfdays concept is dumb... 

But thanks for the Buxton I no longer would have to chase on my own!


After driving around the block to find a decent parking space, I walked across the street and tried to quickly hide amongst the overgrown trees and brush, on the northeast corner of the property. According to the Googles satellite photos, there used to be a fairly ornate driveway that circled around to the front of the building, with this fountain off to the side.


I wanted to get in and around quick, as this monstrosity of luxury apartments was at my back. If anyone is going to summon (likely) quick arriving police because of me, it would be the type of people that can afford to live here...


Hey! Your fountain is broken!


Hey! What's in that Bowman Bonus Camo Cards pack!


Yay! Olive Drab!

Though I'm very happy to get that Enlow, and the Welker is a new card to me... 

So... Yay! Bonus Pack!


On the east side of the building, all pavement and landscaping has been removed. The building is clearly being completely renovated, though the exterior still looks great.

Onto the second Value Pack of 2018 Bowman...

Pack Four!


Triples at least of the three veterans... Happy Birfday Matt Chapman... I needed Sam Hilliard...


The Purple Refractors are damn snazzy! And I seem to be getting a bunch of Greg Deichmann cards today. (#188/250 is a nice low number too)


In an effort to be respectful to the property, and to get out of here as soon as possible, I did not go up those stairs. I did reach up with the camera in effort to get a picture through the window.


The window was above my head, so I couldn't see in. This is what the camera brought back...

Pack Five!


Triples at least of the three veterans as well... (grumble)


Blurry Nick Gordon making his Topps Face! (Note: The card is not blurry in real life.) I was very happy to get this card as well. Already sensing good card karma for my collection half way through. Five packs in and three inserts for teams I collect... Not too shabby pal!


Yeah... I'm not going up those stairs. Looks like they were poured yesterday...


And I really don't want to get prosecuted...

Pack Six!


Yup, got a whole buncha these already too... Even the Flaherty ROY...


But there we go with another Insert I need! Okay Bowman, you can give me quadruples of the same 50 base cards if you want to load the packs with Twins and Rockies inserts, I'm all sorts of on board with that plan!


While most of the sidewalk and driveway have been removed from the grounds, here are the remains of -I'm guessing- another fountain...


Bonus pack #2 from Value Pack #2 was disappointing...


Walking around to the back of the building, you can find a ton or three, of stone and marble fixtures, waiting patiently for their moment of being allowed in from the cold...


Including fake fireplace mantles!

Let's move onto Value Pack #3!

Pack Seven!


Meh...


Not an insert, but decent base card of Brendan Rodgers...


Turning around to the east side of the building, past the ugly aluminum siding part, and between the little path cut through the overgrown landscaping... What can I see inside?


Newly tiled floor!

What can I find in... 

Pack Eight?


Bleh... Even Gonsalves is a triple... Nice collation Topps...


For the Most Favorite card, I'll go with Kingery. It looks nice when it's not blurry...


It's also less blurry when you look across that grown over parking lot from this angle! Up on top of that cement wall is where I started these pictures. The closed gate and sidewalk leading to it, are about 10 feet to my right, when I took this picture.


And up a little ways from the last window, was this one. With a solo modern desk on a dirty floor...

Last pack, which would be Pack Nine!


I like Bryce Harper, but I'm sick of that card...

It's my fourth copy...

Most Favorite?


Uhhh.... A.J. Puk?

Freakishly tall left handed starting pitchers always get a little extra notoriety... 

Unfortunately Puk is missing the 2018 season after Tommy John surgery...


The northeast corner has this nice little staircase, leading to a boarded up door... 


The bonus pack of Value Pack #3 had nothing of interest either...


So, as you can see in this picture, there's no Shohei Ohtani...


But it is a very nice front entrance though. Care was taken in putting this property together. Looking at it in mid-renovation leaves more questions than answers...

 What was this place? Why the huge parking lots adjacent to it? What was in that large empty field?
Why do I spend money on 2018 Bowman?


I didn't stick around since it was such a high profile area, and getting hassled by police or roving security wasn't on my ideas of fun list for today...

I never did find out what what once in the large grassy area. According the details on realtytrac.com, the office building is 9,249 square feet, and was (disappointingly) built in 2007. The entire property is listed as almost 11.5 acres.

But it was cool, thanks for the heads up on this place, Tom!


Stop screwing around Gracie, we gots work to do!

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