Chrome Update First Day Issue: October 29 Auction

2026 Topps Chrome Update Series Baseball First Day Issue opens for Dutch-auction preorder on October 29 at noon Eastern / 9 a.m. Pacific. The starting price is $2,000 per box, and the edition’s defining additions are Molten Mercury cards: an autograph numbered to 20 and two parallels numbered to 13 in the advertised box configuration. Topps auction

The card previews make that finish easy to spot. Travis Bazzana’s rookie carries a dark, rippling metallic background behind his red Cleveland uniform. Greg Maddux and Ichiro appear on autograph designs with the same silver-and-blue treatment. This is a specific First Day Issue preorder within Chrome Update Baseball, with its own auction and exclusive configuration.

October 29 preorder, November 27 release

The auction starts at $2,000, then the price falls at set intervals. Topps says buyers pay the price they choose when purchasing; there is no single final clearing price applied to everyone. The sale ends when the boxes sell out or the final price drop is reached. That makes the opening figure an auction starting point, not a prediction of the price at which the product will sell out. Topps’ auction explanation

The exact offer gives November 27, 2026 as the product release date. Preorders are scheduled to begin shipping beforehand, with arrival by release day intended but not guaranteed. October 29 is therefore the opportunity to place the preorder; it is not the day Topps says the cards release. A Topps account is required to purchase. Preorder details

The advertised box—and the autograph-count discrepancy

Topps’ auction page advertises 12 packs of 11 cards, with three autographs per box, including one First Day Issue Molten Mercury autograph numbered to 20. It also lists two First Day Issue Molten Mercury parallels numbered to 13. The numbered autograph is included in the advertised three, rather than an additional fourth signature. Exact First Day Issue configuration

There is a discrepancy: both the landing page and auction text say three autographs, while Topps’ pictured First Day Issue box says two. The figures above describe the current written offer. Topps has not yet clarified which count the final box will carry. Landing page and box image

The Molten Mercury quantities are the useful distinction for this edition: the written offer pairs a /20 signature with two /13 parallels in each box. Those are separate numbered categories, giving the autograph and unsigned parallel chases different scarcity levels.

Bazzana, Maddux and Ichiro show the finish

Bazzana’s preview displays 01/13, an RC badge and the familiar Chrome team-and-position layout. The silver border looks hammered and uneven, while darker pools of blue and purple sit behind the batting photograph. His bright red sleeves cut sharply through that background; the parallel treatment changes the surrounding surface without burying the player. Official Bazzana preview

Maddux’s 01/20 autograph preview uses an ornate, crest-like frame around his Atlanta pitching photograph. The broad signature panel occupies most of the lower half, separating the blue ink from the busy metallic background. Ichiro’s 01/20 example takes a different route: curved silver rails flank a running photograph, and a long horizontal autograph panel sits underneath. They share the Molten Mercury finish while giving the two players distinct compositions. Maddux preview, Ichiro preview

For collectors following Chrome Update’s rookies and retired-star autographs, those previews give First Day Issue a concrete identity: Bazzana in the /13 parallel treatment, plus two very different /20 autograph designs. The full edition checklist and auction floor will add more context; the immediate drop to follow is October 29 at noon Eastern.