Buzz Break: 2023 Panini Chronicles baseball cards (mega)

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The box: 2023 Panini Chronicles baseball cards (mega)
First Buzz preview: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (when available)

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery of images.

Packs per box: 6
Cards per pack: 8
Cards per box: 48
Chronicles base set completion: 
6 of 35 (17 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Base cards – Jimmy Crooks, Michael Knorr, Yiddi Cappe, Will Frisch, Kevin Parada, Pete Hansen

Non-Chronicles cards: 41 (all cards from box in gallery below)
Classics (6) – Lou Gehrig, Joe Sewell, George Valera, Kevin Alcantara, Duke Snider, Edouard Julien
Clear Vision (1) – Kyle Crigger
Certified (2) – Mariano Rivera, Kevin Parada
Crusade Building Blocks (1) – Evan Carter
Elite (1) – Nomar Garciaparra
Essentials (1) – Taj Bradley
Limited (6) – Seiya Suzuki, Nellie Fox, Adrian Pinto, Jun-Seok Shim, Aramis Ramirez, Jim Bunning
Luminance (6) – Mickey Mantle, Chase DeLauter, Lou Boudreau, Gavin Stone, Mike Mussina, Joe Girardi
Mosaic (1) – Jordan Lawlar
Obsidian  (1) – Cal Ripken Jr.
Pinnacle (5) – Oscar Colas, Brayan Rocchio, Mason Auer, Warren Spahn, Joe DiMaggio
Recon (1) – Cecil Fielder
Vertex (6) – Nick Gonzales, Joe Morgan, Carson Williams, Jimmy Rollins, Jose Ramos, Won-Bin Cho
XR (1) – Masyn Winn
Zenith (2) – Nomar Garciaparra, Bill Mazeroski

Autographs/Memorabilia: 1
Origins Rookie Signatures (1) – Daniel Espino (/199)

What's Buzz-worthy: I grabbed this one simply since it did have a guaranteed hit this time -- something that might not have been a regular thing at retail the last couple years -- and this is a brand that I used to rip relatively heavily save for the last couple years. Last year? Didn't open a single pack. This year, the inclusions are a bit different as there are only prospects, young stars who might have had a deal with Panini and then retirees and Hall of Famers inside ... a lineup that would nix a lot of the active veteran names that you'd perhaps normally find here often. This time I didn't land a single parallel exclusive to this format and just one card (Crusade) was a parallel. The only serial-numbered card here was the auto, which is also one with a bold, on-card auto so at least that's a plus. A lot of the stock here is on the skinny side so some sets show damage easily in here (Pinnacle) while there's a decent mix of stock types but maybe a little less plastic stuff than some years. The variety factor here also seemed a bit "off" with a few sets appearing more heavily here, too, making this one feel a little less special ... a little less Chronicles. Sure, there's still big potential to be found in this release -- it's still Chronicles -- but I'll probably wait until a later time and some lower prices to rip more.

Product Grade: B-
Box Grade: B- (Carter and an auto helped a lot here as this one felt lean for a mega box)
Fun Grade: C+ (variety is good but didn't feel like it had as much as some other years)

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