The day that all the prospectors have been waiting for is finally here! 2013 Bowman is live, and there are a lot of reasons that people should be excited based on the first auctions we are starting to see. I have said for the first time in a few years, this class of rookies on the checklist isnt as much of a tentpole, with one guy holding up the entire product. It was very much like that with Bryce Harper, and to an extent Stephen Strasburg, but this year it looks to be a bit different.

Here are the big hits posted so far (HUGE prices indeed):

2013 Bowman Chrome Byron Buxton Base Auto – This is plain crazy.

2013 Bowman Chrome Carlos Correa Base Auto – See previous description.

2013 Bowman Carlos Correa / Byron Buxton Dual Auto

2013 Bowman Jurrickson Profar Base Auto

2013 Bowman Chrome Taijuan Walker Auto Refractor RC

2013 Bowman Manny Machado Orange Refractor Auto

I also think that this year is a very good year for the design of the product, even though the autographs dont look as cool as they did on the sell sheet because of the crazy white ghosting. I think that Bowman has been one of the better baseball designs of the calendar over the last few years, and this looks to be true again. Additionally, there is a lot of content that Topps has added to the product, including some very interesting autographs and other inserts.

To think that there will also be blue wave cards that will be available with the wrapper redemption, it kind of takes the sting out of a steadily rising box price. With Correa and Buxton leading the rookie class in their autographs, and other rookies also commanding some big bucks, I definitely think that there is good reason for a guy like me to take a look at buying a box or two. When that happens to a football collector, its obvious that the price is high for a reason.

There was one addition I think is really cool, and that is the addition of the social media auto refractors /10. These cards are a new subset in which the players sign their twitter handles, from what it looks like. I am always in favor of new inscription cards, and these look to be the first planned inscription subset of the bowman set.

Bowman is one of the biggest sets of the year each and every year, and is waited upon by a ton of different types of collectors. Team collectors, player collectors, prospectors, and even the casual people who just like opening packs. That should showcase the reason why Chrome is king, and will continue to be the benchmark as long as it is produced the way it is.

The first three or four Panini products they previewed were disappointing to say the least. Even more frustrating were the fact that both Prestige and Elite were some of the better Panini products of the year last year. Today we got our first look at 2013 Momentum, a set that I believed was one of the worst of the year for the entire class. For the most part, its about as big an upgrade as I have seen in a Panini product so far this year.

Here is what it was like last year:

2012 Momentum Andrew Luck Triple Jersey Auto

2012 Momentum Robert Griffin III Jumbo Prime Patch

2012 Momentum Russell Wilson Triple Prime Patch Auto

2012 Momentum Joe Montana Laundry Tag Patch Auto

My biggest complaint with Momentum last year was the Triple Threads style approach they took on the box hits. The cards were EXTREMELY boring, and on top of that, ugly. The lack of a player picture that extended the full length of the card made it look like someone was playing tetris on the design, as everything was neatly stacked on the front.

This year, there is a much more dynamic approach that highlights the action shots we should be getting from the rookie premiere in two weeks. Although most of these cards wont feature these ridiculous patches, they will be pretty nice looking for a pre-season release. Im glad they went a completely different direction with the theme here, as the cards look a million times better. Lets just hope Panini’s obsession with the big white box goes away. Its not a good situation as we can see.

Much to my dismay they are previewing the return of the “Studs” set, which highlights players who wear earrings. Im not kidding, that’s actually the case as displayed in last year’s version. The earring is embellished with a diamond or some idiotic theme like that, and as a result makes this whole thing a complete joke. If I had a vote, this would be one of the worst themes ever done in any product – even if it is a rehash from another product of the past.

Here are the rest of the cards:

Something very odd has happened over the last two years, and it involves sticker autographs. With 3 specific players, autographs have changed significantly, sticker vs on card autographs that we know to be real. Not only has the signature’s slant, start and stop point, and composition changed, but they have been added to cards as “guaranteed authentic” by the companies that have used them.

I have already talked about Cam Newton and Dez Bryant on this site a few times, but we need to add Ryan Mathews to the list. For reference, here are the rookie premiere autographs for all three players.

2010 Topps Dez Bryant Rookie Premiere Auto /90

2010 Topps Ryan Mathews Rookie Premiere Auto /90

2011 Topps Cam Newton Rookie Premiere Auto /90

We know these to be real because the rookies sign them during the premiere with reps from the company standing over them. Obviously, its not like Christian Ponder went and signed Newton’s cards for him.

Here are other examples of the same player signing sticker autographs for later in the year. These have all had QUESTIONABLE authenticity because the autographs are so different. Matthews has entered new territory as having 3 ridiculously different autographs. Im not saying these might not end up being real, there has been wide speculation across the message boards they are signed by someone else, mainly because the authenticated in person autographs received look more like the signatures see on the premiere examples.

2012 Gridiron SIgantures Ryan Mathews Auto /25

2012 National Treasures Ryan Mathews Base Auto

2010 Certified Dez Bryant Dual Jersey Auto

2011 Cam Newton Topps Platinum Gold Refractor Auto

Since this has been brought to the attention of the companies, Panini has already released cards of Cam Newton with the original signature:

2012 National Treasures Cam Newton Auto

Again, players change their autographs all the time (example 1 vs example 2), WE KNOW THIS. However, there are usually easy recognition points that can tie the differences to the first example. It doesnt seem plausible that a player can just up and change the slant of their handwriting. That is very tough to do when signing 1000 stickers. Even more problematic, Topps has said on numerous occasions that a rep witnesses all signatures in their products, as a result, we dont see as many of the affected signatures in their recent products. Panini’s language says the player is responsible for the authenticity, and as a result, many of the affected stickers are in their sets. Even Upper Deck and other companies are affected too. When it comes down to it, all I believe is that we are due an explanation.

I am not saying these autographs are not signed by the players, but man, something looks off.

In today’s market, things happen quickly. Because of eBay and the sheer amount of every product opened within the first few weeks of release, the big hits in a set tend to show up relatively quickly. With 2012 National Treasures, ridiculous team logo patches are not as much of a premium because Panini has rigged the deck by having the players wear a ton of jerseys to cut up over the course of the year. This is the beauty of event used or player worn relics instead of game used, as you can technically have a logo patch in almost every card. Most people are still unaware of this situation, which means they are more likely to continue assigning value to these examples.

Here are the biggest ones so far:

2012 National Treasures Andrew Luck NFL Gear Auto Shield 1/1

2012 National Treasures Robert Griffin III Auto NFL Logo Colossal 1/1

2012 National Treasures Andrew Luck / Trent Richardson Dual Shield 1/1

As a result of this practice, each rookie also has 4-5 NFL shield logos in the product. However, arguably the two biggest cards in the product are still at large. RGIII, Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson have had enormous cards pulled and listed, but the 1/1 logo shield autos on the base patch auto have not yet come to eBay or a message board as far as I know. Hey, you could always buy this ridiculously stupid and hideous one in the mean time, right?

The product’s available cases have been split between those people that are holding them to sell in the future, and those that will either sell them or open them eventually. Therefore, there is a huge possibility that one if not both of the cards may never hit the market. This has happened before, as the Superfractor auto of Evan Longoria in baseball has almost become a Loch Ness monster of sorts. Many people have claimed to have seen it, but no one can provide irrefutable evidence.

Im sure that it is in the best interest of the company to keep the cards in the product, as box prices for 2012 NT have reached an all time high. If the 2012 rookie class has another tremendous year on the field, the boxes will continue to be on the rise. The issue is that no one really knows how much more there is to open. Many accusations of distributors hoarding boxes and claiming they are “out” have started to fly around, as is customary for products like this. On top of that, more and more collectors are being priced out of opening a box as the case prices break through the value ceiling.

I have to believe that we will eventually see these hits surface, but I stand by the fact that the Andrew Luck Superfractor, which successfully sold at 16.5K will hold its spot as the chase card of the year when all is said and done. That’s not saying that the build up around the search for this card could eventually push someone to make a bigger impulse purchase. Who knows, its all about the time it takes.

In the last few editions of Bowman and Topps products, they have included a wrapper redemption aimed at rewarding people who open packs and send in the packaging for special cards. As I have said on numerous occasions, giveaways are awesome, and we should be pretty happy that they continue to be included in products despite the cost of producing them. Of course, that is never the case, but I think that the positives of Blue Wave redemption packs far outweigh the negatives.

Here are the most memorable ones over the last few years:

2012 Bowman Chrome Blue Wave Oscar Taveras Auto RC

2012 Bowman Chrome Red Wave Bryce Harper

2012 Topps Chrome Blue Wave Alfred Morris Auto RC

2012 Topps Chrome Blue Wave Andrew Luck Chuckstrong Variation

The main positive of this whole program, which has been done in both baseball and football, is that the entire thing is a toss in – save the small shipping costs of sending the wrappers to Topps. No return shipping or cost to do so, and you will get your cards in the mail. Additionally, the cards’ pattern is exclusive and very cool, which makes the results incredibly valuable, a bigger added bonus in tow. Lastly, Topps has included rare parallels and autographs in every wrapper redemption they have done, including on card autos in some cases. Cant beat that.

There are some MAJOR negatives, especially on the football side, but many of them should have been considered with the way the cards are done. Time spent waiting for the cards is the biggest issue that has been experienced, as we see months go by without updates or information on the status of the packs. Similarly, the packs all come with clear cellophane packaging, which means they cant be re-sold due to searching. Lastly, there have been complaints on collation, as autographs, big names, and parallels seem to be clumped together. Not really sure if anything can be done when the program is thrown together so quickly to mitigate complaints on time, but its worth looking into.

I was lucky enough to get a blue wave pack with one of my football redemptions, and I absolutely love the way the cards turned out. These examples are some of the best giveaways that are done across the hobby, but its all about how much patience and understanding that people possess in the results they receive. Witj small amounts of patience, and no understanding of the process, its likely that this isnt for you. That’s not saying that Topps should get better at putting this together now that its been done so many times, but it is a test of one’s resolve in a lot of cases. The worst part is, not everyone is privy to that mentality, thus causing a lot of frustration.

Although we have already gotten word that the program is in play for 2013 Bowman, being released next week, we still do not have confirmation if its being revisited for Topps Chrome later this year as well.