The second wave of the 206 release follows with a similar format to wave one, with 100 cards. The print run is down a bit from the first wave to 8,532 packs. This wave also introduces a bit of a departure from the normal format relating to the T206s. A new back is included which is identified as All Star Background, featuring a small image of Hollywood on the back.
This wave also contains the chance at a couple of image variations, one of which is from a previous wave, as well as a few autographs. A box still advertises ten cards, including two parallels, but it seems some parallels are being treated as extra cards in these.
The 2022 release of 206 looks very much the same as the previous two years. They changed up the available backs a little bit for wave 1, but many of the old favorites are still present. At first glance, it seems to have a fairly healthy print run of 11,243 packs, but the release has changed this year. Last year, each wave had 50 base cards, but this year has doubled that number up to 100. It will be interesting to see if that’s the new normal, or if people just hadn’t noticed.
This series includes some rarer advertising backs, as well as card where the front appears to be a wood grain, but has the standard backs. There are also a few unannounced image variations which were not included on the checklist. There are some big names, both past and present on this checklist, but one of the headliners is probably a hobby darling from early in the year, in Wander Franco. He may not be as highly sought after currently, but this is still another rookie card for him. A box is advertised as one pack containing ten card, two of which are guaranteed to be parallels.
The Topps 206 set comes to an end with Wave 10, finally arriving in the first week of 2022. With a print run of 10374 packs, it comes in a little bit lower than Wave 9. This time, Uzit backs replace Cycle for this wave. There are also ten short prints of superstars not otherwise featured in this wave.
A box features one pack, containing ten cards. Those ten cards include eight base, and two parallels.
Wave 9 features minor league cards paying homage to the original T206 release. Prospects are featured in their minor league uniforms. Unsurprisingly, the print run has rebounded significantly with collectors looking for these prospect cards. With a print run of 11,668 packs, this wave sees one of the highest runs in 2021. For this wave, Carolina Brights are replaced by Hindu Red backs. There are also a small number of major leaguers featured in their minor league uniforms as short printed inserts.
A box contains one pack, with ten cards, including eight base and two parallels.
The print run for Wave 8 rebounds slightly from Wave 7’s series low, but still comes in at 8,752 packs. Maybe the fatigue is starting to set in with so many waves this year. It really does resemble its namesake, in being a monster of a set. Sweet Caporal returns to replace Tolstoi after one wave.
These boxes contain a single pack, containing ten cards, eight of which are base, while two others are parallels. Much to my surprise, it seems this hard and fast rule may not always be the case.
This box contained:
9 Base 1 Base Piedmont Back 1 Base Sweet Caporal Back
