2003 Topps 205

I posted some of this set before. I believe the Topps 205 set to be one of the better issues of the past 20 years or so. We've had lots of early tobacco card issues, but 2003 Topps 205 remains one of the best. Way better then any issue of Topps Gypsy Queen (to make just one comparison). I'd already purchased two hobby boxes of this product, one in 2003, the other in 2010 but still need almost 100 cards of the 335-card set.  I'm making completing this set a 2017 priority. Here are seven cards I just acquired which show the diversity of design, and other particularities, of the set.

Several designs feature various framing devices like the Boone card and this Crawford card.

The cards feature a wide variety of back ground colors too.

A number of the cards have variations, some subtle some not. Most usually have the same picture, with a background color change, or team logo change. I already had the variation of this Giamib card. I'd say this is more on the subtle side.

This Piazza card also has a variation but I didn't have either of them. The variation card has a solid orange background.

 Boone, Piazza, Smoltz and Beckett are all players I collect so the cards plug a few different holes.

7 of the first 8 cards I went looking for on eBay were readily available. The one I didn't see was the Piazza variation.