Buzz Break: Boston Red Sox Mystery Publications Grab Bag

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: Boston Red Sox Mystery Publications Grab Bag
Where to buy: Via Red Sox on MLB.com (find new MLB cards at BlowoutCards.com)

Keep reading for a full breakdown and a gallery of what was in this box. (Yes, it was a box and not a bag ... but that's their image.)

Programs/magazines in this box: 10
Media Guide: 1988 Postseason
Official Yearbooks: 1998, 2012, 2017
Game Programs: 2004 Fourth Edition, 2004 Fifth Edition, 2007 Third Edition, 2007 Fourth Edition, 2007 Fifth Edition
Other: 2018 Harvard-Yale at Fenway Park

Names on covers: Kevin Youkilis, Nomar Garciaparra, Mo Vaughn, Pedro Martinez, David Ortiz, Chris Sale, Rick Porcello, David Price, Dennis Eckersley, Tim Wakefield, Bobby Doerr, Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury and others

What's Buzz-worthy: My last one of these for now (though they're so cheap I will likely do more at some point) was a little less impressive than the one I opened last month -- a David Ortiz Hall of Fame cover then was a very nice one -- but these are still a pretty cheap option to see what surprises they can deliver. Why? Either for a collector or even for somebody who breaks stuff down to flip ... I think there is potential here at times. (Maybe not every time.) These are only $15 direct from the Red Sox on MLB.com (sometimes less with sales) and I decided to grab a couple more on a recent whim as the quality is there and nearly everything would be clean enough to consider grading, too, if that's your thing. These are coming straight from the Sox ... so old stuff here has been sitting untouched for, in some cases, years and other stuff is new. This time, I think the Eckersley Hall of Fame cover is perhaps the best visual and the 1988 is perhaps an interesting oddball find, though its design doesn't compare to anything else. Overall, this batch was not as flashy as others I have done, though. ... The mystery box listing is a little lean on the MLB mothership, simply promising "eight to 12 different publications that can be from the 1980s to current day" with the thought that "you never know what you'll get" but they had me at mystery. I have done these a few times and I don't think I have had too many duplicates yet ... though there are some I wouldn't mind seeing more than once. Plus the newer stuff is probably a little rarer than people might think vs. past stuff as printed stuff just isn't as needed even at the game. (Phones with instant updates win.) There's very little downside to a cheap, different "break" like this from time to time ... other than storage since these mags are a little bit bigger than cards.

Product Grade: A- (good volume and value)
Box Grade: B+
Fun Grade: B (not cards and can have damage)

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