One might say that Panini’s venture in sports memorabilia has perfected the art of the curveball. Swapping courts for a brief moment, the sports-centric brand has released its new wave of collectibles: WNBA star Caitlin Clark’s debut cards, all in the midst of the 2023 Bowman Chrome Platinum Anniversary Baseball collection launch.
The 2023 Bowman Chrome Platinum Anniversary Baseball collection, a veritable feast for adamant fans of America’s favorite pastime, stands to deliver a series of 96 cards per box. Each box is a veritable treasure trove, housing one autograph card amongst its glistening cohort. This massive 500-card base set carries a signature mix of retired players, current stars, and future-beloved rookies. All are branded as 2023 editions, keeping with the timeline and resisting the tantalizing temptation of peering a little too far into the crystal ball and projecting for 2024.
Loyal collectors and star-eyed enthusiasts can expect to find 24 packs in each box. Each pack is its own little sphere of excitement, housing four cards, each holding the potential to become a prized possession. A full case comes packed with 12 boxes, ensuring dedicated collectors are supplied with plenty to chase.
Beyond the autographed card, each box is a treasure chest, hiding six Refractors – some of which are numbered to 499 – and an elusive X-Fractor. The series sports a smattering of parallel cards, pampering collectors with a swathe of refractor options. The collection turns opacity into art, offering a delicious buffet set with Blue Mini-Diamond, Speckle, multiple shades, and combinations of the Platinum Toile parallel cards. These eye-candy chromatics range from the lowly numbered 1/1 SuperFractors to the not-so-dime-a-dozen 199s. Some of these, owing much to their lower numbers, are cherry-picked as case hits, inflating their rarity and amplifying their appeal. Several parallels stretch to the autograph cards, further bolstering the anticipation of unearthing something precious.
The hard-to-come-by refractor parallel packs add an extra layer of rarity, demonstrating their shyness in every ten cases. Interestingly, even image variations of base cards are on the table, complicating the layers of rarity and collectivity. This edition of the collection is set to hit store shelves and online stores on May 22. It promises to deliver an engaging collecting experience that simultaneously pays homage to and modernizes the tradition of baseball history infused in every card, including the court princess Caitlin Clark’s WNBA debut card collection.