As with many releases during the pandemic times, this one got pushed back a little bit into an August release. It has the now standard configuration with 300 base cards and 50 additional base SPs. This is a combination of current and retired baseball stars, along with various other pop culture people from across the board. This year feels a little bit light on the random inclusions compared to last year, but they’re still present.
A box contains 24 packs of 8 cards, with an additional box topper. The box advertises three hits, consisting of autographs, relics, and more.
Production for Wave 3 is up slightly from Wave 2, to 12,425 packs. Old Mill backs return to replace American Beauty, while Polar Bear backs makes their first appearance this year, in place of Sovereign. This series has some rookie appearances from Casey Mize and Cristian Pache, along with veteran presence from Aaron Judge and Kyle Schwarber.
The box contains a single pack of ten cards, which includes eight base cards and two parallels or possible autograph.
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 For this group, the Old Mill backs have been replaced by American Beauty parallels.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.
