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 For this group, the Old Mill backs have been replaced by American Beauty parallels.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.
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.
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.
