This long awaited release makes it out just under the wire to be released in 2020. This follow up to the base Heritage release from early in the year featuring designs from the 1971 Topps design, picks up where the first release left off, with cards numbered 501-725, the last 25 of which are Short Prints. We get the expected insert sets, like Award Winners and Rookie Performers, as well as some new ones like the Let’s Play 2(528) set featuring Ernie Banks.
This release caps a unique year in trading cards, and it’s hard to see things getting back to normal anytime soon. Will more 2020 releases be coming in the new year? These boxes advertise 24 packs of 9 trading cards, with one Real One Autograph or relic card in every box.
In an unusual year, we should have always expected an unusual Update set. Normally, this release will feature players traded during the season and mid year call ups. We often see unexpected rookies make their debut in this set, as well as cards featuring the current year’s All Stars. This year, that all changes.
With the condensed season, there wasn’t as much time for in season trades. There also wasn’t an All Star Game this season. That all leads to a unique Update Series. While normally reserved for special SPs, the base set incorporates a number of retired stars this time, showcasing their All Star and Home Run Derby appearances. We also see the continuation of many insert sets from series 1 and 2, including the 1985 design set.
There are still many rookies, but not many that draw the same excitement as recent years. A jumbo box contains ten packs with forty-six cards per pack. Each box advertises one autograph and two relic cards. In addition to that, there are three box topper packs. Two contain chrome versions of the 1985 insert set, and the other contains something a little bit different. It is a full size cloth patch printed with a normal card front. The players also seem raised on this card.
This release brings to a close the 2020 Topps Total set with the ninth wave. The configuration continues on from the rest of the release, with red, black, and gold parallels, along with randomly inserted autographs and a retired veteran. The print run for this series is almost double every other wave, at 7638 packs. This appears largely because of the inclusion of highly touted rookie Luis Robert in this wave.
The increased print run means a tougher time getting any of the numbered parallels. There seems to be only one major flub in this wave, with a player name being reused on back to back cards. Each pack contains ten base cards, with any inserts or parallels being additional cards in the pack.
This series wraps up the 206 release for the year with a final 50 cards. Again, we have a lot of the normal advertising back variants, along with a “blank back” parallel #/10. Production is up from the previous series, to 29,341 packs, in part because of the presence of one of the hot rookies this year, Luis Robert.
This series feels a little more star heavy, and brings in some interesting names from the past, like Jose Canseco and Derek Jeter. It’s once again the same configuration as the previous releases. Each box contains ten cards, guaranteeing two Piedment back parallels. Any additional parallels or inserts come out of the base portion, unlike another on demand release like Topps Total.
This fourth series has dropped a little but in print run from the third. That isn’t really a surprise, as the third series featured a lot of top prospects from the minor leagues. This series seems to have a lot of stars, but only a print run of 21,350 packs. This is the lowest print run for this release in 2020.
Each wave has a special feature paying tribute to the original T206 from the early 1900s. That often shows up as a more limited card back, but this time, we see a background variation. These are difficult to recognize without having a number of cards together, but luckily they are numbered out of 25, so they are identifiable. Wave four has many of the same parallels as the other releases. Each pack advertises ten cards, two of which are Piedmont backs. The other back variations are mixed in at various odds.
