2002 Topps 206 Piedmont Black Back Mini Blue Jersey

Card Manufacturer: Topps

Year: 2002

Card Set: Topps 206

Card Number: 289

Card Type: Mini Parallel Variation

Parallel Type: Mini Piedmont Black back

Variation: Blue Jersey

I really like the 2002 Topps 206 set.  I opened quite a bit of it back in 2002.  My card collecting has had some  hills and valleys in terms of what I collected and opened in my life and 2002 marked a definite resurgence in my collecting.  Spurred by Robin being featured in a lot of the sets with some great cards and it's also the year I started using eBay.  The 206 set marked the start of Topps' vintage brands that were not just reprints or reuses of their old brands.  And while this set isn't the first modern set to insert tobacco sized mini's, that honor goes to the 1999 Pacific Private Stock set, it does mark the starting point where they become a lot more common.  It also is the start of the manufactured short print in the base set.

Topps 206 was issued in three series for a total of 526 base cards.  Robin's two cards are found in the second series.  Not all, but some players had multiple variations to mimic the variations found in the original T-206 set.  Robin has two variations, one featuring him in a blue jersey and the other in pinstripes with a bat on his shoulder. He also has all the mini parallels that goes with that.  Each series had their own backs. Series 2 featured Polar Bear, Piedmont red and black backs, and the rarest Carolina Brights.

This product was a blast to open with the possibility of original T206 cards, I pulled one of those, some great autographs, I pulled a Joe Mauer rookie auto, and some great relics featuring players from the modern era and the T206 era.