When it comes to this week in the hobby, I dont think I have been this excited in a long time. Topps Finest football comes out on Wednesday, and Topps Chrome Baseball has already started to show up. Ill save my reveling on Topps Finest for when it goes live tomorrow, but for now, Topps Chrome has me more interested than it has in years. Baseball Chrome is not what it is in Football, if not only because Bowman Chrome is king. This year, Topps has a few reasons to take a look at baseball, one of which has clamoring to find the first few examples.
Here are some of the cards already posted:
2012 Topps Chrome Yu Darvish Auto
2012 Topps Chrome Trevor Bauer Auto RC
2012 Topps Chrome Brett Lawrie Sepia Refractor Auto /75
2012 Topps Chrome Mike Trout Orange Refractor RC Logo
2012 Topps Chrome Bryce Harper RC Logo
First, I love that the autographs continue to be on card, even if they have all been on card for many of the sets prior to Topps Chrome. This product with stickers just doesnt have the same level of appeal. Additionally, there are a number of surprises we have yet to see in terms of redemptions and all kinds of other fun stuff.
I especially like that Topps has opted to keep more of the same refractor parallel structure as last year, especially on the new refractors like Sepia and Atomic. Making Topps Chrome more reflective of what makes Bowman Chrome so popular is a no brainer. The more rare refractor parallels there are, the better this product will do.
Although none have surfaced yet, Topps has already previewed the part of the set that has me salivating over possibilities. They are introducing Chrome buyback autos for the first time ever, and I could not be more excited. I also have heard there are redemptions for uncut sheets, and new die cuts that have not been used in a product like this before.
My biggest fear is that there are no autos we havent seen before, and the checklist of the autos is still pretty weak for the rookies outside of Trout, Harper, Darvish and a handful of others. The design wont be enough to counteract that fact, even though the cards do look awesome. Hopefully there is enough room for a set like this after one like Finest.
Chrome hasnt hit yet, but with a great design and a robust amount of reasons to buy in at the low end, it should be worth a few boxes.
Can’t wait! Ordered a case from Blowout months ago. So glad to see the checklist includes 6-7 rookies that I have been collecting this year. So pumped! If I get one of the refractor hot boxes, I’ll probably freak out and get drunk that day. It’ll be great.