Buzz Break: 2023 Leaf Metal Pop Century 1/1 Proofs

From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2023 Leaf Metal Pop Century 1/1 Pre-Production Proofs
Where to buy: Click here (when available)

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery for what was in this one.

Cards per box: 1
Base set completion: 
N/A
Duplicates: 0

Inserts/short-prints: 1 (all in gallery below)
Orange Wave Pop Century Signatures (unsigned) Pre-production Proof (1) – Ally Sheedy (1/1)

What’s Buzz-worthy: I got my hands on a few of these packs and instead of doing them all in one pop, I figured I'd spread them out over the coming weeks and my second is another notable name of the 1980s, a member of The Breakfast Club, Ally Sheedy. (You know, the quiet one who makes Cap'n Crunch sandwiches and doesn't need a million dollars.) She's appeared in countless other roles -- WarGames, Short Circuit, St. Elmo's Fire, Single Drunk Female and even a small role in X-Men: Apocalypse. She also appears in a lot of stuff I, myself, am not familiar with across from A-listers. This image comes from Only The Lonely (1991) with John Candy, for example. ... This is an unsigned version of a card that was limited to four copies and she's not all that pricey with ink involved in the regular set in general but she's a definite name among a pretty deep crop of pop culture notables. ... As noted before, in past years, the proofs from Leaf's annual celebrity ink-fueled line Pop Century were released as slabbed cards and sometimes as 1/1 Proof autos, too, at a higher price per box. This year? One proof per pack in sealed top-loaders with a sticker and cert attached to both. At a glance on some cards that's a little distracting -- some are on clear plastic -- but ultimately the backs are all blank here along with the autograph spots. The price should be a little more friendly on these this year without slabs and ink but the lineup in Pop Century was as stacked as it gets so there should still be interest here as 1/1s, though there are many varieties per card with all the colors and textures, can sell well for names who are in obvious demand ... and maybe even for some you might not know. For me, these were bonus items with a purchase ... I'm not sure how a price tag attached would affect my feel for these ... but a big name selling well might make pretty much any packs here a winner if you get lucky in a small lot. If not, you still land a 1/1 card that's semi-encased, though I definitely like the slabbed approach better. We'll see how I feel after ripping the rest of my packs but, overall, I like this approach as it's something that could trend affordable while remaining unique and something that could pique the interests of a lot of collectors out there with all of the various genres found here. There's potential.

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Product Grade: A
Pack Grade: A-
Fun Grade: B+ (these were bonus items for me with a purchase -- not sure how a price tag would affect my reaction ... would depend on price)

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