Bowman Baseball is one of the flagship baseball card brands released annually by Topps. As baseball card collectors eagerly await the release of each new year’s Bowman set, there is much speculation around potential release dates. Here is a comprehensive overview of what is known about the Bowman Baseball 2023 release date so far.
Bowman has traditionally been one of the earliest major baseball card releases each year, coming out in late winter/early spring to capture the excitement of the upcoming MLB season. In 2022, the flagship Bowman base set was released on March 2nd. This aligned with release dates in recent years, with 2021 Bowman dropping on February 24th and 2020 Bowman arriving on March 4th.
Given this multi-year trend of late February to early March releases for the base Bowman set, most industry insiders and collectors expect a similar timeline for the 2023 edition. While Topps has not officially announced the date yet, the best educated guess at this point would be sometime in the February 22nd to March 8th window based on prior years.
In addition to the base Bowman set, Topps also releases several high-end Bowman variants like Draft Picks & Prospects, Chrome, and Paper each spring. These parallel releases typically come 2-4 weeks after the initial base set drop. In 2022, Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects hit stores on March 23rd, Bowman Chrome arrived April 6th, and Bowman Paper landed April 20th.
Based on this recent schedule, the premium 2023 Bowman variants could be expected around:
Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects: Mid-March
Bowman Chrome: Late March/Early April
Bowman Paper: Mid-April
It’s also worth noting that Topps has begun releasing early preview boxes of Bowman in very limited quantities at the National Sports Collectors Convention (NSCC) each summer. At NSCC 2022 in August, a tiny allotment of sealed 2022 Bowman boxes went on sale nearly 6 months before the regular release date. There is speculation they may do the same at NSCC 2023 with a small preview allotment of 2023 Bowman boxes.
In addition to the core Bowman sets, Topps also releases special parallel and insert sets throughout the spring and summer tied to specific MLB draft classes and prospect performances. These include:
Bowman Sterling (High-end prospect autographs & patches)
Bowman Draft (For newly drafted eligible players)
Bowman’s Best (Superstar prospect autographs)
Bowman Platinum (Ultra-high-end autographs and patches)
The release timing for these special parallel Bowman sets varies year to year based on the draft calendar and league season progress. But they are usually spaced out from late-March through August following the base Bowman release schedule.
While no official 2023 release date has been locked in yet, all signs point to Bowman’s flagship rookie card extravaganza returning in late February or early March as baseball fans eagerly await the arrival of a new crop of top MLB prospects to chase. The premium Bowman variations and special releases will then follow throughout the spring and summer months. Stay tuned, as Topps is sure to make an announcement confirming next year’s Bowman timeline before the end of the 2022 season.
