Buzz Buys (March): Going high-end with Ichiro, Bear Bryant, Barrymore & chasing down oddballs with fun slab potential

Here's this month's roundup of items that have recently caught my eye as a buyer ...

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LEGENDARY INK
The Card: Ichiro Suzuki autographed 2001 Topps Rookie Card (BAS 10 auto)
The Price: Not as much as you might think ... but also not that cheap.
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Clean copies of this iconic Topps flagship Rookie Card are not easy finds in general with the boxes and sets likely bricked now if they remain unopened -- that means the gloss will be snowy if you're lucky to peel the cards apart at all -- and then the dark green border and high-gloss on soft stock here is always going to be problematic. When I spotted this card among many where Suzuki has signed for literally years (Mill Creek Sports) without a premium price, I bit on this just before his Hall of Fame results hit. (We all knew he was going in ... but I didn't know if his prices were going to rise.) This copy is super clean vs. many cards out there with some very light roughness on maybe one edge and a light touch on the bottom-left corner ... but some of what's seen in my photo is just how the light is reflecting. I generally don't do a ton of bigger buys for my collection, but this one's cost wasn't that much more than some of the hot and plentiful new release hobby boxes. I went with a safe and iconic bet for my (for me) premium spend and went with the sure thing on an iconic card for a living legend. I pulled his ink once from an unlicensed release -- and it was in one of my earliest Making The Grade posts here -- but a signed RC means I'll likely never need to sweat his stuff again. (Might window shop, though, or bite if price is right for a nice certified.) One more fun part of my card? If that label had a simple added line of Beckett/Fanatics witnessed instead of signed for Mill Creek and then slabbed, the price likely would be double what I paid. I wouldn't pay that -- and this one is a win in my book.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but MLB cards are here.

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

LEGENDARY INK II
The Item: Paul "Bear" Bryant autographed/inscribed 8-by-10 photo from 1982 (BAS)
The Price: $130 -- less than half of what this kind of item might sell for normally.
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is another big win and my jaw dropped when I spotted it. After I quickly picked my jaw up off the floor I grabbed this instantly -- even though my name isn't Richard. The legendary Alabama Crimson Tide coach who won 323 games and six national championships in dominating form back in the day -- he was Nick Saban before Nick Saban in terms of dominating teams and his autograph is always in demand. This kind of photo was a standard item for fans who wrote in and/or boosters to receive, so they're not that rare -- but they are often found with a fading halo from framing or in rough shape due to their age even though they are printed on what's really more like light trading card stock. There's a minor speck of some foreign substance on the image above his eyebrow -- that's why the seller set a lower price -- but it blends in rather naturally to my eye (you probably wouldn't see it above if I hadn't mentioned it) and the autograph is truly clean. This was my third time (I think) landing his ink but all of my previous were of the cut variety -- a page from a paperback and then at least one (or maybe two) iconic red-paper cuts from his book's hardcover edition. Due to cost, I'd never bothered with a photo but this cost less than my cuts. The date is also of note as it's from the summer before his final season. He died at age 69 in January 1983. This won't be the last time you'll see Bryant here this year -- I've had some other jaw-droppers present themselves just recently. 
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but football cards are here.

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COMPLETED RAINBOW
The Cards: Drew Barrymore 2024 Leaf Electrum Fame printing plate set (blue, cyan, yellow, black) ... all 1/1s
The Price: Pricey but less than nearly all of her Leaf autos ... so far.
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: A random Barrymore search online one day not that long ago was a shocker to me -- she had her first certified auto cards pop up as super-rare inclusions in a Leaf sports set. All Fame cards in the multi-sport edition of Electrum are 1/1s but with different colors/textures applied for 10 looks on 10 1/1 autos. It feels like that is a place for some surprises/soft launches of ink -- stuff that will sell because of the those factors -- before others arrive. She's since appeared in newer sets but they're all still pricey for her simple "DB" autograph (hey, she has a long name) on a sticker. It's on my radar but I'm watching for dips and clean ink as more appear as I have her autos a number of times on publisher-edition books bought with good discounts -- too good to not grab them when they lasted -- and they're mostly bigger and bolder 'graphs. Back when this arrived, though, I figured I'd go for a sure thing and grab a plate set -- all four is cool -- to hold me over before adding a card or two I like if they dip. I can't collect it all for his star -- there's a lot out there for stuff in general -- so my focus beyond a few early things is more narrowed time-wise and this set was closer to my sweet spots for. (I prefer 1990s/early 2000s stuff.) This is close enough it was an easy addition at a high-ish price.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but non-sports cards are here.

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THE FUTURE
The Card: Oba Femi 2024 Panini Three Count WWE Prime Memorabilia Autographs (/99) -- RC-year auto 
The Price: Under $40
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This 26-year-old Nigerian is fresh to pro wrestling and stands 6-foot-3, 310 pounds and, most importantly of all, he can talk. Unlike so many behemoths, he's able to tell his story in part with his mouth (here's a sample promo) and he appears to be the total package (at least for a big guy) despite beginning his in-ring career in just 2023. (Watch this super-fast clip for a crazy in-ring power moments.) He's already held the top two titles in NXT and should be an undeniable presence any time he's promoted to the main roster. Not bad for an SEC track and field champion at shot put for the University of Alabama -- so, yeah, there's a secondary reason I wanted this for my school ties part of my collection. (Roll Tide.) When this brand was first revealed, this set design simply spoke to me -- it would be perfect if those autos were on-card -- but thanks to the flood of releases late in the Panini run and the new focus on Topps' return to the ring I have been able to pick off a few names I like in this one and build my own box (or two) for the price of a box (or two), maybe less. Femi is going to be on my radar quite a bit for singles and for slabbing, though may main focus remains collecting WWE on the women's side as there are many stars who are strong right now (and a lot of this month's buys show that). This guy might be the whole show on the men's side of things in the coming years. 
Grab a box right here: WWE cards are here.

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NO PARALLELS FOR ME
The Cards: Roman Reigns/The Rock & Rhea Ripley 2025 Topps Now WWE cards (announced /16,878 on Rock-Reigns, /6,818 on Ripley)
The Price: Direct cost from Topps (too much for me ... as I landed no bonus cards)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The chase got me and plenty of others to bite here -- one for the dynamic duo where an inked card was a possible inclusion with your order -- and a five-pack for Ripley, who I do collect here and there, who also had chase cards seeded into orders with the return of Topps Now WWE. I only did one of that card because I knew the ordering volume would be high, making the odds on the 1/1 hit or a parallel low. I did more on Ripley figuring a bonus card might be easier ... no dice for me. The orignal run of Topps Now WWE had many, many cards -- of good names now -- have fewer than 100 copies sold with the higher-run cards lower than even this new Ripley. The chase adds to the volume sold but that also means there's volume on the singles markets for these standard cards later. Values may not be pretty. I'll probably slab one of these once I give them a closer look but a subsequent Now buy was where my winning happened ... look for that one next month. (Its arrival was dramatically delayed in postal hands vs. these, so I'll wait for Wrestlemania month to show that one.)
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but WWE cards are here.

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ONE OF THE AMIGOS
The Card: Chevy Chase 2024 Leaf Metal Pop Century Now Showing Autographs (unsigned) Light Blue Kaleidoscope Pre-production Proof (1/1)
The Price: $8.54
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: These proof packs include one card -- a 1/1 card -- every time and I've bit on a pack lot as well as a small volume of proofs in colors that caught my eye. Why? They're cheap, unique and I can collect by subject, set or color if it strikes me ... at least as long as they're available from sellers who ripped in bulk and are selling that way, too. (Once they're gone they're gone, though.) This color/texture combo is one I like and the photo being from The Three Amigos -- a dumb classic/hit movie from back in the day -- got me to bite vs. generic Chase photos. Why the photo? That goes with this insert set's theme. 
Grab a box right here: Non-sports cards are here.

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MAGAZINE COVERS ON CARDS
The Card Decks: 2004 Esquire magazine Women We Love playing card decks (a few, keep reading)
The Price: Probably too much ... but grading makes me do irrational things.
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This deck is a simple one filled with strong portraits and iconic images of many big names from the recent past and all of them are photos taken for covers or features with the long-running lifestyle and pop culture-focused magazine. The name is a nod to its annual "Women We Love" issue that spotlights notable stars on the rise or dominating their fields in pop culture (movies, TV, music, modeling, etc.) at that time and these decks include a bunch of names where, to me, there's a boatload of grading potential to have unique stuff for names who might not have a lot of card appearances. (The photos aren't limited to just 2004ish.) The challenge here and reason I bought more than one (and I think actually not three as seen here but five) of these decks over the last few months or longer? Condition. I landed one opened/played and, well, those were predictably not clean enough. (And these decks aren't that easy to find with their age.) Then I found one sealed deck only to have the card backs (pure black with a white Esquire logo) show oxidation issues where the gloss coating isn't aging well. So I tried more opened ones -- I found cleaner cards but all still had the issue to a degree -- and then one last sealed one that was a lot cleaner on most cards. Between them all, I found some good candidates but grading here still won't be easy. But I did it on a few to start. Results were good at times, perhaps not as good for others, but I think some more notables will be Making The Grade this year. My first ones will pop up in that monthly series here later this summer. Who's in this one? I'll reveal more names later. 
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but non-sports cards are here.

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THIS CARD ROCKS
The Cards: Halle Berry (aka Fred's Personal Secretary) 1994 Topps The Flintstones movie 
The Price: Pulled from a box ... saved you the repetitive redo Buzz Break
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This one is similar to the Esquire situation -- I needed this card of Miss Stone in a slab and a couple of super-cheap factory sets I grabbed before this were not up to snuff for chasing a high-grade slab. Why? I believe this is Berry's first card appearance of any kind during what has become a legendary career that has included some historic firsts awards-wise. This kids comedy was intended to be a blockbuster back in the day and the print run here from Topps shows it in a few formats -- you can still easily find this with a standard box, retail boxes with some other stuff and boxed sets -- and she has a number of cards in it, too, but this one's photo feels most like it's "her" card vs. a highlight/moment card. That's why it's on my grading radar -- something cheap, something notable and something different. I grabbed the box for around $20 (I think ... it was a while ago) but it was a win yielding four of these. She has a few others I might ponder, too, but for now this one is the start. The collation on the box was a little weird -- some cards had more, some had a lot less -- so it's not the safest way to chase a clean copy of a particular card but this one hit the mark.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but non-sports cards are here.

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FRESH PROMO CARDS
The Items: Tuff Stuff's Collect! December 1998 (three unopened issues) with promo cards inside each
The Price: About $20 shipped
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Contrary to the cover subject of the mag and my typical collecting habits showcased here regularly (and this month), this buy was not about the wrestling stuff found in this issue. I was actually looking for untouched copies of the Jerry Springer promo card -- one of a couple cards for a set that actually never got made -- with an eye on maybe grading one of those. Why? It's a clean image and The Jerry Springer Show, was a big deal back in the day on a few levels, including being its own commentary piece about trashy TV. That's an iconic, simple slab to have in my mind with a top mark. It'd go well with a copy of the card I got signed when he showed up doing a college speaking tour in the midst of those prime years, too. As for the rest of the stuff, the Magic promos are oversized cards, while the 1998 WCW/nWo promos were a nice surprise as there are three cards from a five-card set that also includes Sting and Goldberg. Untouched cards don't always mean grading-worthy cards here, though, as they can bounce around in the bag and damage each other with surface lines and issues caused by stacks of mags and even the seams of the polybags. Will anything be graded here? I might not have thought anything was worthy as, well, I don't even know where I ended up putting them among all my storage boxes -- I know they aren't currently on the tarmac for grading with other fun stuff I like. 
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but WWE cards are here.

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A WNBA LEGEND
The Card: Margo Dydek 2007 Rittenhouse WNBA Autographs
The Price: $15
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Quick, how many basketball autographs in your collection come with a ball? None? Not surprising ... but that's not why I added this card of a FIBA Hall of Famer. Dydek stood 7-foot-2 -- an inch shorter than Victor Wembanyama -- and played a decade in the WNBA, averaging 10 points a game while racking up 6.6 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game after being the No. 1 pick in the 1998 WNBA Draft out of Poland. She was a two-time All-Star, a defensive standout, and all those blocks led the league in eight of her 10 seasons. The tallest women's basketball player in the world went on to the coaching ranks after playing but tragically died at age 37 in 2011 from a heart attack while pregnant with her third child. This is her only certified autograph card. 
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but WNBA cards are here.

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REMEMBER ME IN 1985 TOPPS?
The Card: Barry Larkin 1992 Topps Dairy Queen Team USA 
The Price: Under $1
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This member of the 1984 USA Baseball squad went on to be a Hall of Famer enshrined in Cooperstown but you didn't find his Rookie Card in 1985 Topps alongside Mark McGwire and others. Why? He wasn't a senior and only seniors could be seen on cardboard thanks to NCAA eligibility rules at that time. (We didn't get Will Clark, either.) Both of their Rookie Cards are in 1987 MLB sets and that's fine ... but every time I see those guys (and others) in this set from a food-issue set I stop and look. I really want to grab and slab a few names here but I've run into bad corners almost every time I've bit on some. 
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but baseball cards are here.

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COULDN'T PHOTO-MATCH IT BUT ... IT'S LEGIT
The Item: Nick Swisher game-used D195L Louisville Slugger (2016)
The Price: About $100
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This 2016 model bat is from the end of his big-league career -- and it's a model of Louisville Slugger with its modern logo that I didn't yet have in my stash of game-used stuff for Swisher -- when he was in his last spring with the Atlanta Braves. Ironically this bat's order date was one day after he was released by the Braves, so that explains why I never found any photos of this model being used that spring and why I held up using this bat in my monthly Collecting Game-used series since landing it. (I couldn't photo match it so it wasn't as much of a priority for telling a story there.) That means this likely was used during his last stint in the minors, playing 55 games for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, the Yankees' Triple-A team. (I won't have much luck trying to photo-match something in the minors, but at least that window is small.) Swisher announced his retirement in February 2017, a good run that began as part of the Oakland A's Moneyball draft class in 2002. 
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but MLB cards are here.

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FOUR SHOTZIS ... AND I'D DO MORE
The Cards: Shotzi Blackheart 2022 Panini Immaculate Collection WWE base (/65) and Red (/40) parallels & 2022 Panini Impeccable WWE (/99)
The Price: A little more than my norms since they are high-end releases.
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This fearsome foursome added up over time as I'll simply pick off singles of key names I collect when they dip or the prices feel comfortable for cards that aren't found several times per box in these kinds of releases. These are examples that are what they are -- I picked them off to add to the stash over the last year or so -- but some absolute dumb luck of the best kind now makes all of these cards and some others from 2022 Panini WWE sets even better in my collection. Spoiler: You'll see them here again soon -- search her name in the archives for a recent hint. 
Grab a box right here: WWE cards are here.

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POP ART FOR PULP FICTION
The Item: "Uncomfortable Silences" by Aaron Lea (Title Variant Second Edition /150) 12-by-12 giclee print 
The Price: $28 (on sale) via Hero Complex Gallery
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This Los Angeles-based illustrator has worked for a number of notable companies and performers for pieces -- Disney, Marvel Studios, Mondo and Rob Zombie among many others -- and this comes from a series where he meshes film characters with the aesthetics of retro-styled album covers. I've window-shopped a number of his Quentin Tarantino-inspired homages -- he's got many -- and finally bit on this Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman) piece from Pulp Fiction late last year when the gallery had a sale. Lea's prints are perhaps an unusual size for art but not for the music realm -- they're the size of record sleeves -- and can have various versions with and without title plates for songs that were on the film soundtracks, so they are iconic in a couple ways. This one was paired with a Vincent Vega (John Travolta) to complete the scene -- I probably should go there again for that one ... but others may grab me first. Simply put, these are coooool, Daddy-O.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but non-sports cards are here.

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RAZOR-SHARP HANK
The Card: Hank Aaron 1975 SSPC Samples 
The Price: About $7.50
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This retro pick-up is one I pondered for slabbing and probably will at some point as it is clean and likely from some big stashes of stuff from the 1970s for TCMA and Sports Stars Publishing Company creations found years after they were made. These sets ended up sparking a legal battle with Topps over licensing and, ultimately, the company was allowed to sell off its stock and then cease on sets of active players, instead turning to MiLB and old-timers' stuff. This was at the end of Aaron's active career and it looks good ... its only real flaw is there's a light halo of ink from the black border here on the card back.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but MLB cards are here.

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HE'S GOT RED ON HIM
The Card: Win Chester (Simon Pegg in Shaun Of The Dead) 2022 Topps Garbage Pail Kids Oh the Horrible Wave 3 (announced /1,406)
The Price: $1.23
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: There are so many Kids cards that are homages to pop culture and this is a textbook example of that from one of the online-sold Topps creations that make them rarer than in-pack stuff. (Though, there's no visible difference between the singles out there in the wild.) I want to slab this one -- and probably will -- but I spotted it on COMC and the stock used for some of these online sets can be funky at times ... and it's hard to tell if white corners have issues -- so I didn't grade it without seeing it in-hand first. This is a throwback to a zombie-fighting scene in the Dawn Of The Dead-inspired comedy with other touches -- see a tiny part of it right here. 
Grab a box right here: Non-sports cards are here.

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THREE FROM EXCALIBUR
The Cards: Captain Britain 2023 Fleer Throwbacks '89 Marvel Edition Red, Shadowcat 2023 Fleer Throwbacks '89 Marvel Edition For the Record & 2023 Upper Deck Marvel Platinum High Series Rainbow parallel 
The Price: All pocket change pick-ups
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This trio of cards all features artwork from past issues of Excalibur, an X-Men related team that arrived as their own series in 1988, and the images are all from my favorite artist, Alan Davis. The Platinum card is pulled from the first issue's cover, while the other two are from poster images on back covers among the first few issues. Iconic art on a couple of designs from the time make these a win to me. I had ideas of maybe slabbing here but the stock on the two cards I like more isn't all that cooperative when it comes to clean corners. We'll see. 
Grab a box right here: Non-sports cards are here.

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IT'S ALWAYS TIFFY TIME
The Card: Tiffany Stratton 2024 Panini Prizm WWE Sensational Signatures 
The Price: More than I'd normally do ... but there's a reason.
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is a strong card on all fronts for a star newcomer who already holds WWE gold and has worked with some of the best in the game -- past and present. The kicker here as to why I ponied up a little more here than I typically would on an impulse buy? That signature is perfect and the only flaw in her game at all these days is the fact that her autograph can at times be way, way, way, junkier as she's signing more and it's gotten shorter and sloppier -- and others from even this same set can look really bad. Some are signed Tiff, which I can be OK with though the empty sticker can look odd, while some are sloppy and some can run off stickers. (This might be from an earlier batch of stickers than the others. A full signature with no off-card issues like this is as good as it gets.)
Grab a box right here: WWE cards are here.

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FOUR FROM DC
The Cards: Justice League & Suicide Squad 2023 Kayou DC Glory of the Universe Collection
The Price: $1 apiece
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: These imports are on really nice stock and impressive with scenes from notables actors/characters here -- Wonder Woman, Harley Quinn, The Joker -- and really the only aspects that aren't top-notch are the corners at times. This kind of stuff is totally on my grading radar, too, with stuff from big-name actors in movies ... not for the cash but as a collector. But, since they aren't super-pricey, I need to sub stuff that's as clean as possible.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but non-sports cards are here.

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TIMELESS, TIMELESS, TIMELESS ...
The Item: "Timeless" Toni Storm YouTooz vinyl figure (Black & White Ringside Collectibles exclusive variant)
The Price: $25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: These stylized vinyls stand about five inches tall and this one was the only variant in a series showcasing AEW stars released late last year. (The regular one is in color.) The Timeless One has been one of the best characters in all of wrestling for a while now -- and probably is all-timer at this point -- but seeing this always-in-character bawdry (yet TV-allowable) retro Hollywood persona on cardboard has been slow at times thanks to set delays. (There are a good number by now ... but they've been in more-recent releases.) This was an easy grab for having a little something more in the collection back when they arrived.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but AEW cards are here.

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REFRACTOR FOR RIPLEY
The Card: Rhea Ripley 2020 Topps Chrome WWE Refractor -- Rookie Card parallel 
The Price: $14.95
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This price was perhaps a little high for what I might normally pay for a basic card, but a Refractor of a top name's RC was enticing. The centering is a smidge off but it's still clean -- there's a likely future slab here, too, but I still have Chrome autographs from her rookie year I need to grade first. 
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but WWE cards are here.

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A CLEAN PSYCHO CARD
The Card: Anthony Perkins 1964 Ediciones Raker Estrellas del Cine y de la TV 
The Price: $2
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Buzz isn't some retro horror fan revealing a fondness for Psycho here, but this card caught my attention for its age, price and condition on a deep non-sports dive. It's essentially a paper sticker (no adhesive) meant to be pasted into an album from a Spanish set that showcases stars of cinema and TV. There are a lot of big names in this set and a lot of strong images, too. This actually wasn't my first time I picked up a card here but I didn't realize it until looking over some album images prepping this. If they're clean, I might track down a few more -- the photo crops are really nice vs. a lot of the typical stuff in vintage sets. 
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but non-sports cards are here.

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LIFE AFTER SLATER IN DAZED & CONFUSED
The Card: Rory Cochrane as Tim Speedle 2004 Strictly Ink CSI: Miami Series 1 DVD Promos
The Price: $3.25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This oddball card isn't one where it had normal distribution, so that's one reason I opted to grab it -- I figured it would be more interesting than a simple base card of the character -- but it's also the actor here who doesn't have a bunch of cards but should for one iconic 1990s role from a cult classic movie ... see that here. My low-priority notions about a possible novelty slab for Slater went up on smoke when it arrived with some creasing from an obvious past fight with one of the rings in a card binder. 
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but non-sports cards are here.

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A PRIZED PULITZER
The Card: Joseph Pulitzer 2022 Historic Autographs Gilded Age 21st Pack Hobby Amethyst (/16)
The Price: About $6
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This rarer card isn't gonna be seen again (slabbed) thanks to that bum bottom-left corner ... but I pondered that when I grabbed it online given the name -- a big one in publishing history -- and the scarcity. Also, I was just curious about how this one might look in-hand with the combo of embossing and foil as I don't see a ton of Historic Autographs stuff that often. The cutting was a little rougher than I had hoped but I've seen better and I've seen worse. 
Grab a box right here: Non-sports cards are here.

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INTERNATIONAL ENIGMA
The Item: Mizuki autographed 8-by-10 photo via Wrestling Universe 
The Price: $25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I actually can't tell you that much about this veteran of Japanese wrestling, but watch this move. Just watch it ... watch it over and over. It's called "Whirling Candy" and it's crazy good -- and now when I happen upon her stuff I stop and take notice. This was my first time seeing her auto, so I added it to my collection with no hesitation. Mizuki has been wrestling since 2012 but is only 29 and that move is as simple as it gets once you figure it out, but the speed (a benefit of being small in stature in the ring) and the visual just makes it so impressive.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but wrestling cards are here.

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TWO FOR DREW
The Items: Drew Barrymore press kit photos for Never Been Kissed and Poison Ivy
The Price: About $25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: One is a set and the other is part of one for a name I collect, so I pick off stuff from time to time when the price is right and the prints look clean. A lot of photos can have asking prices of $10 a pop -- or more -- depending on the subjects for a lot of movies. Thankfully, I think I've got most of the Barrymore stuff that I'd want on this front ... at some point I might dabble with slabbing some favorites, but since the cost is high and the market seems to be a little bit of a non-priority to a lot of collectors, I'm not looking there yet. But for some clean favorites I might consider it. 
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but non-sports cards are here.

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SURPRISE PAIRINGS
The Items: Celebrity Photo Agency (and related companies) image slides with cameos from Spider-Man, Candice Bergen, Bruce Davidson, Harry & The Hendersons, Ronald McDonald, Tia Carrere, Sharon Stone, Mickey Rooney, Tom Selleck, John Hillerman, Halle Berry, Whoopi Goldberg, Lionel Richie, Sarah MacLauchlan, Julia Roberts and Keifer Sutherland
The Price: Pocket change via some lot buys
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This niche is one that is dirt cheap and interesting -- and as this small selection shows you never know who might pop up on a red carpet or at an event. Some of these pairings might be naturals ... and some are just odd. What do you do with these? Pick a name and page 'em up ... just like cards. 
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but non-sports cards are here.

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THUNDERSTRUCK
The Cards: Assorted Thunder Rosa AEW basic, insert, memorabilia and autographed cards
The Price: Pocket change up to about $45 for the Precious Metal Gems card. 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This high-energy, self-made international star is one where she's got a good amount of cardboard to chase, though nearly all of it comes from recent years with AEW. The PMG card is the priciest as I ponied up a little bit there so I could finish off my run of her three Reds (eventually) and Purples in slabs. Others are either from sets where I like the vibe for (Allure), Rookie Cards (Spectrum), throwback cards with familiar looks from the past or unique moments that stuck me as a little more interesting than other cards for her. Am I picking off everything? No, but a little bit of everything maybe once prices dip after release. 
Grab a box right here: AEW cards are here.

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STRONG SELECTIONS
The Cards: Assorted Panini Select WWE cards (base, Rookie Cards, rarer-tier SPs, parallels, inserts, hits) for Paige, Arianna Grace, Thea Hail, Gigi Dolin, Xia Li, Maryse, Roxanne Perez, Xia Brookside, Indi Hartwell, Jacy Jayne, Charlie Dempsey, Grayson Waller
The Price: Pocket change up to roughly $10 (maybe less)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Select is a brand that, realistically, is my favorite of all the Panini WWE releases to open for sure, but the depth of possible finds with all of the tiers, parallels and more have had me dabbling with a lot of cheap singles for younger names or past favorites over the last couple years. So much so, some of these names have come and gone from WWE while some NXT names are still working for their main-roster arrivals. Rather than pick and choose a new name, I figured I'd dump all my Select grabs here as more of a gallery this time to clear out some of my waiting files ... after all, odds are there's more coming anyway. There's a lot to find here from 2022-24.
Grab a box right here: WWE cards are here.

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GOT IT COVERED
The Cards: Drew Barrymore and Dolly Parton 2004 Stellar Playboy 50th Anniversary cover (base) cards
The Price: About $2 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This group of celeb cards caught my attention for varying reasons. Barrymore, I simply collect what fits into the career timeframe I prefer (1990s and up) while the Parton card was interesting as she donned that iconic night-club costume for an interview (and nothing more in that issue) back in the day. The Barrymore card is one I have dropped here before (I have a few and am chasing perfect copies to grade but they're not easily found -- the two here may or may not get a slab) while the other had me wondering ... does Parton even have that many card appearances? I really couldn't think of any but there are some -- but not a lot -- for a huge name in pop culture for decades now. That card would be a grading challenge with all its red ink and problematic corners (I think minor damage happens here regularly on both cards and it's from packaging) but it would make for a nice high-grade slab. None of this stuff is truly expensive ... but small-company non-sports stuff from the past might not be found as easily as one would think. (Simply not as much made vs. traditional sports stuff found at chain stores.)
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but non-sports cards are here.

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