It seems as though we were just starting to get a clear picture of 2013 Topps Chrome, when now 2013 Bowman Chrome goes live today. The cards are basically a continuation of the 2013 Bowman product that came out earlier this year, only this time, it has a different checklist and Yasiel Puig is included. I was shocked to see that Topps had opted for this type of a release calendar, considering how both products are aimed at similar groups of people in the same week.

2013 Bowman Chrome Yasiel Puig Orange Refractor Auto /25 – first live pack pulled auto this year!

2013 Bowman Chrome Yasiel Puig Base RC

2013 Bowman Chrome Andre Rienzo Auto Refractor

2013 Bowman Chrome Jose Berrios Auto

2013 Bowman Chrome Evan Gattis Auto Gold refractor

I think that this will be a mistake in the long run, as its hard to market the similar products to the same group of people and not face a split engagement between the two. I dont think it was expected that this would be the way both products are released, but I also think consideration should have been given to the fact that we can only take so much. I mentioned before that Puig might be exempt from this situation, but not sure about everyone else. I have heard that mass case breakers were forced to adjust things, collectors buying singles had to choose which ones they wanted to chase, and wax crackers ended up splitting their time. If the products came out months apart, this would not be the case. However, with Bowman Draft also coming later this year, its expected that the delays in Topps Chrome could have pushed too far into the later part of the Topps run.

As with 2013 Bowman, this year's design is VERY well done. The cards look tremendous, just like they did in the spring. However, now that we have already spent most of the money on Topps Chrome, is this product going to get the same type of attention? We already see that for the first time this year, Yasiel Puig has live autographs in packs, which is HUGE due to the rest being redemptions. That means little time to wait instead of possibly months, which is a huge plus. I can only imagine what the cards will eventually sell for, as he has yet to have a true prospect card in Bowman. Since Chrome is king, this is actually a big deal.

I know there were a lot of people who were excited for this set because of Puig, so who knows what might be in the works for this set. You never know how collectors will be reacting to this type of scenario until it actually shakes out. I have seen crazier situations come out okay, but this one looks like the odds for victory are a bit longer than normal.