The 2023 Bowman Platinum baseball card set is highly anticipated to release in late 2022 or early 2023 from Topps. This high-end product has developed a strong following among collectors in recent years due to its flashy design, prospect autographs, and history of yielding big rookie cards.
Bowman Platinum is the crème de la crème when it comes to Bowman brand releases. The set features a premium chrome card design and focuses exclusively on top MLB prospects and recent draft picks. Autograph and memorabilia cards are abundant in hobby boxes of Bowman Platinum, giving collectors a great chance to land cards of future stars very early in their careers.
Some key things to know about 2023 Bowman Platinum:
The base card design will continue Bowman Platinum’s trend of flashy chrome borders and photos. Past years have featured holographic foil elements that really make the cards pop. Expect another aesthetically pleasing design in 2023.
The set size will likely be in the 200-300 card range like recent years. Along with the base cards will be parallels, short prints, autographs, memorabilia cards, and more.
Top prospects expected to be featured include Druw Jones, Elijah Green, Jackson Holliday, and more from the 2022 MLB Draft class. International signings like Roderick Arias will also be included.
Autograph odds in a hobby box are very good. On average, collectors can expect 2-4 autographs per box, sometimes more. Top prospects like Jones, Green, and Holliday could have 1/1 autographs available.
Memorabilia cards often feature bat, jersey, or patch relics of the top prospects. Serialized parallels like 1/1 are definitely possible in these cards too.
Retail versions of Bowman Platinum will be available as well, though the hits will not be as abundant as in the high-end hobby product.
Secondary market prices for top rookies from past Bowman Platinum sets have been huge. Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s 2018 Bowman Platinum auto has sold for over $10,000 PSA Gem Mint.
In terms of release timing, Bowman Platinum usually arrives in late winter/early spring – around February or March. However, 2022 saw the set delayed until May due to pandemic-related production issues. So the 2023 release window is still uncertain at this point but likely sometime in the first quarter.
When it does arrive, hobby boxes will carry an MSRP of around $150-200. Individual packs can be found for $10-15 as well. The secondary market prices for unopened product climb sharply in the ensuing months after release as top rookie cards emerge.
Some of the biggest hits from recent Bowman Platinum sets provide a glimpse of the excitement that awaits collectors in 2023:
2021 – Roderick Arias 1/1 auto, Benny Montgomery auto /99, Jackson Jobe auto /99
2020 – Adley Rutschman auto /99, CJ Abrams auto /99, Emerson Hancock auto /150
2019 – Bobby Witt Jr. auto /99, Riley Greene auto /99, Brennan Malone auto /99
2018 – Vlad Guerrero Jr. auto, Eloy Jimenez auto /99, Michael Kopech auto /99
Bowman Platinum is truly one of the crown jewels of the baseball card hobby. With its history of delivering prized rookie cards years before players make the majors, the 2023 edition is sure to create buzz and fetch high prices on the secondary market. Savvy collectors would be wise to try and grab a hobby box or two to enjoy the thrill of the chase for the next generation of MLB stars.
