Topps Chrome Definition
Topps Chrome is a brand of baseball cards that mirrors the Topps flagship release each card season, but with thicker card stock and a chromium finish. The name “chrome” describes the shiny finish and beveled look of the cards, which are traditionally flat cardboard.
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Collecting, buying, and selling baseball cards can be considered a game of “hot and not.” Cards and players spike, and then they fall. Or, cards and players that have been dormant for years will jump seemingly out of nowhere.
This fact in itself isn’t all that mind-blowing, is no secret, and isn’t unlike other collectibles.
But what I and many others sometimes simply can’t get over is the fact that some of this doesn’t even correlate with on-field play. There are countless examples of this, with one of the biggest being prospects who have never taken a a major league at-bat with cards demanding a lot more money than hall of famers with years and years of high (the highest, actually) caliber play.
Another – which might be the biggest head-scratcher of them all – is when a young prospect is making their way through the ranks, and is hyped, cards are selling, etc. only to see a decline when they reach the majors and are still producing at a more than respectable clip for someone brand new to the league!
Anyway, that whole argument is for another time and place, but I’m using it to set the stage for the simple fact that cards don’t always make sense, and in fact, rarely do in terms of their values. There is “hobby hot” and there is “mlb hot” and the two don’t always match up.
And then with cards specifically, certain brands get crowned for one thing while other “best” card brands are crowned for another. If you try and figure out why, you might not ever find the answer, so for now, the important part is simply knowing the differences.
Which brings us to Topps Chrome vs. Bowman Chrome—what are the differences between the two and when might you want one over the other?
Bowman Chrome vs. Topps Chrome
Bowman Chrome will always be known for prospects, while Topps Chrome will forever be linked to MLB rookies as their flagship RC, and one that is more coveted than the paper equivalent.
Beyond that, here are some big differences between the two that might push you in one collecting direction or the other.
Checklists
As mentioned, Bowman will forever be largely made up of new names and players you might not have ever heard of. Thus, going into purchasing and ripping for Bowman Chrome, you might need to do a lot of research before or afterto figure out if you’re even pulling anything good.
On the other hand, if you’re a baseball fan, you should be pretty well caught up on the big names to look for. You’ll also know what rookie cards look like and be able to spot all of them thanks to the RC shield.
Beyond that, though, there are a number of other types of cards to look for—SPs and variations are always a nice twist with Topps and Topps Chrome, and while Bowman has them too, they seem to be more enjoyable with Topps thanks to different photos of familiar faces.
Value
Honestly, this such a hard point to dispute either way, because you’re going to have one group who say they never hit anything in Topps Chrome while another group yells the same about Bowman Chrome. So, it’s not really an argument I want to get into given there are a ton of variables.
What I will say, though, is that from personal experience, I love ripping for Bowman Chrome and then just storing them securely and not even looking at them for a year or two. Last time I did this I was pleasntly surprised with just how many Julio Rodriguez base chrome and mojos I had waiting for me. Where, on the other hand, if I was quick to move what I pulled, my lack of knowledge would have probably put me in a position where those would have gone in bulk, and at a relatively cheap price.
All this to say, value means something different to everyone, and we all have different goals with cards. I enjoy doing the above, but you and the next person will enjoy something else, so go that direction if you enjoy enjoyment!
Inserts
When I was young, we used to rip packs for the inserts. Now of course, everyone is ripping for the auto or low-numbered serial. But, inserts can still be cool!
With Bowman Chrome, you’ll find inserts, and they look nice, but its the same insert “set” year after year for the most part. Meaning, Bowman Scouts’ Top 100 and Rookie of the Year Favorites seem to return year after year.
These are really cool, though:
That’s not to say Topps Chrome doesn’t repeat inserts, because they certainly do (Future Stars), but the other sets always seem to make up for it, not to mention that we now have retro designs to look forward to each release, as was the case with 1986 inserts in 2021, 1987 inserts in 2022, and so on.
Nostalgia
I wasn’t really quite sure what to label this section, but the point is, if you’re an older collector who yearns for yesteryear, you’re out of luck with both Topps Chrome and Bowman Chrome!
No, but seriously, Topps Chrome will get you closer to that nostalgic feeling given you can find cards of retired legends and hall of famers, and as mentioned above, the presence of throwback designs is helpful in that regard too.
Bowman Chrome, though, is definitely focused on the future—not only with its checklist, those aforementioned insert sets, and the overall design.
So, what do you think? Will it be Bowman Chrome or Topps Chrome? “Both” is an OK answer, too!
