Wave 2 of the 2021 Topps 206 sees production drop by more than half from Wave 1, to 11,788 packs. Each wave sees a minor change to the series configuration. For this group, the Old Mill backs have been replaced by American Beauty parallels. As production goes down, the odds of getting some of the rarer parallels get a little bit easier.
This has the same configuration as the first wave, with ten cards in the single enclosed pack. It includes eight base cards along with two parallels or special cards.
Stadium Club is always a collector favorite, and this year is no different. You just can’t beat the quality and selection of photos in this product. It features a combination of current stars, rookies, as well as star from yesteryear. The full bleed photos stand out from other releases, along with the gloss finish.
A box comes with 16 packs of 8 cards each. It advertises 2 autograph cards per box. There will also be a number of parallels and inserts, as well.
The Topps 206 release returns for 2021 with a much more ambitious set this year. Last year, it returned from hiatus with a five wave run of fifty cards per wave. It seemed to be fairly popular, so this year if returns with a ten wave set.
It follows the same format as 2020, with ten cards per pack. This year, those ten cards include two total parallels, rather than two Piedmont, plus any additional parallels that may fall in the box. The set is print to order, so the amount released in each wave will vary. Wave one featured 26,844 packs, which is up a little bit from the lowest print runs in 2020.
The 2021 Topps Series 2 release picks up where the Series 1 release leaves off. It features a 330 card base set, continuing on beginning with 331. The same parallels are present, as well as many of the same insert sets contained in the first release. We see the continuation of the 1986 design inserts, as well.
A box comes with ten packs of 46 cards, and advertises 1 autograph and 2 relic cards. Also included in each box are two “silver packs” containing chrome versions of a few of the insert sets. A few years ago, these silver packs were available as a wrapper main-in rebate, but are now included inside of the box.
As the first full year of the pandemic comes to an end, the hobby world is still adjusting. Is this the new normal? How long will things continue? What will change forever? At this point, it’s not just product being resold for big prices. Even the prices direct from Topps to LCSes are going up drastically. This release has gone up significantly in just the last few years, even with production way up. the odds inside have gotten much worse now, too.
This release pays tribute to the 1972 Topps release. If features cards in the style of that year, including In Action cards for some of the big stars. It also contains the usually types of variations from the previous releases. This isn’t really a hit driven product, but one relic or autograph is advertised per box. The autographs fall a lot less frequently, though. The base set includes 400 cards, with an additional 100 SPs to round out the set.
A box contains 24 packs with 9 cards per pack. Each box includes one autograph or relic, as well as a box topper of some sort. This are loose this year, rather than in their own package.
