206 from TCDB

Mini cards don't appeal to me. But recently I did a small PWE trade on TCDB to pick up a few from the online exclusive Topps 206 set.

It's not to say the cards aren't good looking. These are fairly attractive. Classic design. Vibrant colors in the backgrounds. The Cole looks awesome with the "flames" back there. However, they are just not a preference as a type of card I like. But I still always want my guys, like Tino from A&G.

Despite not liking them, it's always worth adding to my wantlist on the site to give more options for trading. I have a pretty small wantlist, so anything I can do to help increase the chances of being a trade match. I add any Gleyber Torres card I don't have to my list of wants, as I've found his cards a lot easier to get because of his down year, as well as not quite being the flavor of the week while people chase Luis Robert and other youngsters. And Cole is Cole, and I wanted to gobble up any of his cards this past year.

I know there are mixed feelings about online exclusives because they just enable more flipping and hoarding and bots to take all the cards. I actually like them for the purpose that they should serve - offering some sets as a one-off versus a normal release year after year. Topps 206 would fall in that realm for me. Some current sets, like Gypsy Queen, could as well. A set like that would be much more tolerable popping up online than as a regular release. 

It would make them more desirable too. I don't want to see Topps 206 every year. But every few years? Sure.

It all seems a bit moot since cards don't sit on retail shelves anymore, so almost everything has turned into an online exclusive if you want to open something. But if things were semi-normal, I think offering these types of sets online as opposed to retail makes a lot of sense.