2020 Topps Total Wave 9 Hobby Pack Break

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 pack contained:

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2020 Topps 206 Series 5 Hobby Pack Break

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 pack contained:

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2020 Topps 206 Series 4 Hobby Pack Break

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.

This pack contained:

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2020 Topps Total Wave 8 Hobby Pack Break

It really doesn’t feel like a Topps Total release unless there are some checklist problems. Wave 8 is no exception to this rule. There is no #737 and two #740, but it seems a bit more complicated than that. One of the #740s has an autograph card numbered #739-A, so it looks like there are a few problems here.

With a print run of 3458, this wave is down just slightly from wave 7. It’s the same configuration as the rest of the release. We see red, black, and gold parallels, along with one retired star and a handful of autographs. Each pack is advertised to contain 10 cards, but packs with a parallel or insert have those as additional cards.

This pack contained:

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2020 Topps Allen & Ginter Hobby Box Break

This set faced a big delay due to the pandemic shut downs. Normally, this set would be released in July, but this year it finally hit stores in mid September. The great card rush is still going on, but it remains to be seen how that will affect this release. While this is a heavy hit product, with three per hobby box, there is a mix of baseball players past and present, and many other pop culture subjects. It’s not a set for everyone.

It can have wide spread appeal, because you can find some subjects that would normally not get cardboard treatment. That same feature can turn off baseball purists, though. It doesn’t get the same sort of attention as other releases, despite the large number of hits, because you primarily see a lot of lower end relics. The biggest current rookie prize is Luis Robert, and he has autographs in this product, but it doesn’t seem to be driving the treasure hunters like in other products.

The base set contains 300 cards, with an additional 50 short prints running 301-350. There are a few regular parallels, with most of the parallels in mini card form. We see a few baseball related inserts sets, but then also some random inserts such as “Where Monsters Live” and “Citadels & Strongholds”. Overall, it’s a fun set as a throwback to a late 1800s set.

A box contains 24 packs of 8 cards, and advertises 3 hits per box.

This box contained:

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