Buzz Buys (May): Tiffy Time, Little Leo, Big Bo, botched cards, game-used stuff, a Tua steal, lotsa Shotzi, awesome ink & more

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

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IT'S ALWAYS TIFFY TIME
The Card: Tiffany Stratton 2023 Panini Immaculate Collection WWE Ruby Memorabilia Autographs (/25)
The Price: A meaty amount (for me)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Much like Rhea Ripley rookie autos in 2020, I've focused on trying to find one card from each of the lineups for Stratton's first year of ink in 2023 (RCs in 2022) with cleaner/full sigs on them and this brand was one of my targets for a while. I finally found one that looked good for a price I could pull off. Why chase? Stratton has delivered and figures to do so for some time with her latest big landmark moment being a bruiser of a win over Charlotte Flair at Wrestlemania. "Buff Barbie" is an informal nickname here so far -- they're avoiding trademark claims -- but they're also playing into that more and more with her Wrestlemania debut entrance having a Barbie Dreamhouse/packaging feel before a brawl that left her, in her own words, "looking like a broke down Barbie." That spectacle of an entrance and the match were both proof that the meteoric arrival and win over an all-time great at the biggest event of the year is just the start and the WWE is still fueling that rocket. I've been buying (this was a pre-Mania pick-up) and will keep looking for more somewhat selectively -- since stuff is at times pricey.
Grab a box: WWE cards are here.

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

IT'S TUA TIME, TOO ...
The Item: Tua Tagovailoa autographed and authenticated official NFL Football from 2024 Fanatics UnderWraps mystery box
The Price: Just under $120 shipped
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: My jaw dropped when I spotted this, and had to grab it for a few reasons and it's also a mystery as to what sellers might be thinking at times these days. An unsigned official NFL ball costs more than this did -- about $170 on the NFL site as I type -- while this ball came from a $450ish mystery box and is a good name among many -- checklist here. One could have done far worse than this ball when opening a box. Maybe it was some group-break win and they got it as a bonus? Maybe they were a Bills fan? Or maybe the Dolphins made him cry. (That you, Hootie?) Either way, this one's perfect for my Crimson Tide collection. The football arrived with its shrink-wrap crisp and clean to protect the auto, full Fanatics stickering/authentication, velvet bagged, presentation boxed and with its mini-cert business card all in there. This former Alabama star has put up big numbers in the NFL but, yes, has had injuries ... yet an official ball with unquestionably legit ink for less than some basic flagship box of cards? Easiest Buzz Buy ever. (My only challenge was how to photograph this one ... mixed results for sure.)
Grab a box: Nothing for this ... but NFL cards are here.

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SIMPLE PIECES
The Card: Michael Harris II 2024 Topps Series 2 Major League Materials Gold Relics (/50)
The Price: $8
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This parallel of a Relic from flagship is not an easy find -- one in 4,448 hobby packs, one in 614 jumbo packs or one in 35,527 blaster packs among other formats. That's crazy and yet it only had that asking price. Anything numbered from flagship for a decent name (All-Star veteran or young star of note) should get a look as stuff gets spread out a lot in several formats and a decent amount might never get pulled from packs. In the long run, stuff like this could be in more demand than people might think now as a lot of stuff from releases in general can be found ... for now.
Grab a box: MLB cards are here.

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BIG BO, BIG BO
The Cards: Bo Bichette 2020 Topps Heritage 1971 Topps Super Baseball
The Price: About $20 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: These box-toppers are something I have picked off a few times but it's all about the photo and a simple RC logo here. The facsimile auto is a little thick and clunky but that's about the only thing that doesn't work that well. If that was cleaner, this is a perfect card. That's not always easy when revisiting design approaches from the 1970s.
Grab a box: MLB cards are here.

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THE BAMBINO
The Card: Babe Ruth 2020 Topps Transcendent Collection (/95)
The Price: $28
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This non-traditional photo got me to bite on The Bambino from this uber-deluxe brand for a price perhaps higher than my norm ... but I simply liked it. For a fun thought, wonder this ... what might seven Babe Ruth game-used or simply seven Ruth-signed bats be worth these days? Now how about a flute-styled gamer?
Grab a box: MLB cards are here.

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REMEMBER THESE GUYS?
The Items: MLB Authenticated game-used baseballs from 2014, 2015 and 2019 -- including Leonys Martin, Jeremy Hellickson, Brett Lawrie, Colby Lewis, Max Muncy, Jose Alvarez, Dominic Smith and Jake Arrieta (click to read the details on each ball)
The Price: Typically around or under $30 (and likely less)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This fearsome foursome is proof that not all of my blind-bag guys over in the Collecting Game-used series are winners -- that's not to say these are bad as there are some good names here, but I just don't have as much to say about them and the MLB Film Room footage database doesn't go back that far to make for more-detailed posts for two of them. (That's generally 2016-forward and I still have other baseballs waiting patiently for their one last moment in the spotlight but can't do just a game-used baseball every month.) Only two guys here are still on an MLB roster this season and ultimately only one ball here has that much action, anyway. That said, grab bags have treated me pretty well in the last couple years with names and moments caught on film ... but when there's no extra stuff going on with a baseball visually (stains, wear, video) there's less to be said in my mind. This kind of stuff is always worth the look for a collector who is focused on one team or player -- they should have something like this in their collection ... and they're more easily found than ever. (At least for now. Later might not be so easy for particular names.)
Grab a box: Nothing for this ... but MLB cards are here.

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UNINTENTIONALLY STARTING THE RAINBOW?
The Cards: Shotzi 2024 Panini Three Count WWE Memorabilia Autographs Red (/15), Purple (/25), Blue (/99) & base (/149)
The Price: $25 to $85
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This high-end brand was one where its price and box inclusions don't work for me -- too risky too often given the typical prices for a lot of WWE stars' ink -- but the secondary market was perhaps softer than expected (at least softer than I expected) with so much wrestling stuff coming out around the same time as Panini wrapped up its licensing run early and Topps took over. Instead of pondering a box, I focused on some names I knew I wanted and watched. I grabbed the Red-foil card here first -- the priciest -- as I felt that parallel color was the best match for this photo and I figured that would be it for me. The others presented themselves more on the cheaper side of things so I bit ... and I actually have landed others since these -- and might do more if the price is right. Why? I'm a collector -- and there's plenty of Shotzi around here if you check out the archives. Had these not been sticker autos, this release might be close to perfect in a lot of its sets.
Grab a box: WWE cards are here.

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LITTLE PIECE, BIG BOOK?
The Card: Joe Sewell 2023 Panini National Treasures Legendary Materials Booklets (/49)
The Price: $19
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This Hall of Famer for the New York Yankees (and an Alabama Crimson Tide great) has a few spots in my collection, but I wasn't sure I actually had a game-used card. I typically try to land an auto, a mem card, a Rookie Card and maybe a game-used item for names ... but he's a little too pricey on that last part. This booklet is a little goofy with the tiny Bat piece, but the photo and design is pretty clean and simple ... and at that lower blaster-level price I figured it was a safe, easy buy vs. some blaster that might be barren.
Grab a box: MLB cards are here.

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LITTLE LEO ...
The Item: Leonardo DiCaprio Type I photograph 8-by-10 print by Janet Macoska -- dated August 1990
The Price: $13
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This popped up on a deep dive of old publicity prints for various actors and that New York Mets cap was the first thing that got me to notice -- then also how a 15-year-old DiCaprio looks oddly a lot like Mark McGwire in his earlier years. Then I checked IMDb and was surprised to see this was roughly from DiCaprio's first year or so as an acting regular ... so that made this an easy addition, though I tend to stick with studio-branded prints. The photographer's sticker on the back means it's a print from an Ohio-based creator who has photographed plenty through the years with a focus on music. This appears to be a Type I print and some Internet scraps from the past for other prints from this same shoot suggest that it might be (not totally sure) from an early if not a first photo shoot for him for either publicity or a major publication. (There was no meaningful Internet bandwidth for photo services to go digital back then so slides and prints are how stuff like this was distributed regardless of where it was headed.) I've never gone there for an authentication/slabbing of a photo, but this is tempting just because it feels like a solid and potentially pricier item found on the cheap. This having a sports tie also adds to its appeal more than the other photo linked above -- and it's got all the same details on the back. How many were made? How many might have even have survived? That's some of the appeal of stuff like this, too.
Grab a box: Nothing for this ... but MLB cards are here.

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TRIO OF PARALLELS
The Cards: Kelani Jordan 2025 Topps Chrome WWE Women's Division Blue Refractor (/150), Aqua Geometric Refractor (/125) and Gold Geometric Refractor (/50)
The Price: About $29 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This trio of parallels for an NXT standout was me doing some dabbling with Chrome WWE without spending too much -- and, in reality, had I waited longer these would have cost me less. But ... I'm a collector. This set is, in my mind, one of the better options in the release with its names on the checklist and a clean design that's best found as a standard Refractor to get that background popping. That version is none of these but I still bit on a couple of the Geometric parallels since the border color basically blends in naturally here compared to the solid colors used on the regular Chrome parallels where this borders can, oddly, overlap the photo awkwardly at times. While I scouted a few and picked off some over on COMC, these were my first samples of these cards in-hand. In Jordan's case, there isn't a ton of photo overlap (Blue border and elbow collide here) so it's less jarring than others. Will I pick off some others here? Over time, yes ... slabbed and unslabbed. 
Grab a box: WWE cards are here.

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NO PARALLELS FOR YOU!
The Cards: The Rock, John Cena & Travis Scott 2025 Topps Now WWE (announced /55,211)
The Price: Five-pack bundle price via Topps
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: John Cena's shocker of a heel turn lit the wresting world ablaze with this trio leaving Cody Rhodes in a bloody swollen heap on the mat leading into Wrestlemania this year. This Now card had a parallel chase as usual along with a triple-auto card ... none for me. It happens, but I had my shot.
Grab a box: Nothing for this ... but WWE cards are here.

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MISSED SOME STEPS
The Cards: Shaun Alexander 2000 Collector's Edge Graded & missing foil version
The Price: About $3 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This pair of old cards offers a glimpse at some of the steps that go into making some sets from the past with the left one missing a texture-stamping stage and/or a foil-stamping pass, too. I'm not totally sure if it's missing just one elaborate stamping or whether it was done in waves, but I like the looks of seeing both together. It's not something you run into every day and when you can find it on the cheap -- for a player's Rookie Card year no less with a firm spot in the collection -- it's a win.
Grab a box: Nothing for this ... but NFL cards are here.

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GO BIG OR GO HOME
The Card: Spencer Strider 2024 Topps Heritage High Number jumbo box-toppers 
The Price: $10
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Strider has put up the numbers and this jumbo topper spoke to me when I saw it. While I'd rather have one of his autographed toppers that looks even better, that comes with a steeper price (and they're rare) so I started with a simpler option. He's a player where I'd want to do a slab run or even an un-slabbed run of all of his Heritage stuff ... there's not a lot so I am close (Rookie Cards in 2022). Why? Just for the fun of it ... regardless of what he might do next on the field (and for my fantasy team).
Grab a box: MLB cards are here.

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BIG FRANK
The Card: Frank Robinson 2016 Panini Pantheon Guilds Gold 500 Home Run Club (/49)
The Price: $8
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This premium brand included a lot of big and simple stuff -- and it's not a cheap box these days because of a lot of big possibilities. This is from the first of two releases and I really liked the look and feel of these thick-stock, foil-stamped die-cut memorabilia cards. I also really like the facsimile auto as foil touch here atop of how clean they are. This could easily end up slabbed, though memorabilia cards aren't always the best grading subjects.
Grab a box: MLB cards are here.

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MUSICAL INK
The Item: Paula Abdul autographed 8-by-10 photo via GalaxyCon with JSA Witness Certification
The Price: About $50 shipped 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This one had a typical price of $69.99 -- too high for my taste -- from the pop culture convention's store, but when this one was half price during a sale not that long ago? Well, this was a straight-up, rush-rush addition to my collection. Why? Abdul is a big name from the 1990s and beyond -- a sort of wheelhouse for me and autographs -- and that price is actually lower than some of her few certified autograph cards that use sticker sigs. Plus, she's got a notable sports world tie, too, though that won't probably ever get a card tie-in. (Companies have asked.) As for the image choice, it's an outtake from the shoot for the cover of her first album and I liked that earlier tie more than a random portrait or American Idol studio shot. 
Grab a box: Nothing for this ... but non-sports cards are here.

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NOT EVEN SUPPOSED TO BE HERE TODAY
The Cards: 2022 Zerocool Clerks III parallels -- Yellow (/99), Yellow & Blue (/69) and Blue (/15) -- featuring Randal Graves, Dante Hicks, Becky Scott and Jay & Silent Bob
The Price: About $8.50 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This was me doing some bargain-hunting for parallels from a release that's not the easiest to rip into -- no guaranteed autos per box with none very possible in a premium-priced box -- but after I won big on a couple and lost on one or two others I looked toward singles for some favorite characters from this film franchise. 
Grab a box: Nothing for this ... but non-sports cards are here.

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MORE SWISHER STUFF
The Cards: Nick Swisher 2014 Panini Immaculate Collection Diamond Fabric Prime (/10), 2014 Donruss Jersey Kings Prime (/15), 2014 Bowman Purple Ice parallel (/10), 2016 Topps Mini Blue parallel (/10)
The Price: About $55 total (I must have been feeling rich)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Two patches, a mini and an overpriced rarer Purple parallel -- that one is almost half the cost so I don't know what I was thinking there -- for my player. Collectors do weird things when their player no longer appears on new cardboard. Fun fact I've mentioned here before? I own game-used items worn in the photos on at least two of the cards here and maybe a third. If you're a regular reader, I've mentioned them before -- and that trivia might be one reason I ponied up for the Purple beyond it being rare.
Grab a box: MLB cards are here.

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NO PARALLELS FOR YOU, PART II (... OR INK FOR THAT MATTER)
The Cards: Stephanie Vaquer 2025 Topps Now WWE (announced /6,250)
The Price: Five-pack bundle price via Topps
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This one had an autograph chase ... and I failed on that as well as the parallels despite the print run here being way lower than the previous Now card today. Vaquer is a veteran internationally who finally arrived in WWE and has been impressive working her way toward the main roster where she easily could have started save for her wanting to work on her microphone skills and English. (She's from Chile and has also worked in Japan.) Her few 2024 Panini card appearances -- there aren't many -- can be pricey but I haven't gone there yet. This one got me to bite with the possibility of ink. 
Grab a box: Nothing for this ... but WWE cards are here.

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NO USE WITH THIS ONE ... BUT A NICE SAMPLE
The Item: Nick Swisher autographed and inscribed 2007 Louisville Slugger B274 (game-issue but clearly not prepped for use)
The Price: $133 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Doing some spring cleaning here -- I landed this one about two years ago but never wrote about it as I came up short on any additional research and ultimately forgot about it. It's clear that there's not a super-deep story on this -- it's a game-model bat from his last season in Oakland -- but to doesn't have the elaborate handle wrap or knob markings that would come with a bat he intended to use. Instead, this looks like this one was possibly given away -- perhaps for an auction or some kind of event given the extra inscriptions. It's a very clean model and I don't think I have any bats in my 20-somehting stash of them from this stage of center brand (they moved to stickers for maple bats and added the barrel stamp) during his later days in Oakland. The price was really nice, though, as even basic gamers or bats close to it like this one have sold for more in recent years with more collectors perhaps looking and fighting over what's left of the same diminishing supply of items -- what was used was used. 
Grab a box: Nothing for this ... but MLB cards are here.

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COBRA'S OTHER COLORS
The Card: Dave Parker 1990 Donruss Learning Series
The Price: $1
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This new Hall of Famer has a good amount of cardboard and most of it can be found somewhat easily (Rookie Card in 1974 Topps, by the way) unless it some rare inked parallel or new low-run creation from recent years. I picked off a couple of late-career oddballs with an eye for a simple higher-grade slab and this is one of those that shows him with a different team than his standard Donruss card this year and has a much-better portrait. This comes from a small set of around 50 cards where they were intended to be used as part of classroom teaching sessions -- something definitely not found anywhere and everywhere like basic Donruss cards back in the day. 
Grab a box: Nothing for this ... but MLB cards are here.

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RECENT AWARD-WINNER
The Card: Cory Hahn 2009 Upper Deck USA Baseball Patch Autographs (/99)
The Price: $6.25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This former USA standout popped up in the headlines recently when Baseball America awarded him its Trailblazer of the Year award as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks front office for the last decade. What's his story? During an Arizona State baseball game in 2011 he was paralyzed during a head-first slide into second base. The Diamondbacks drafted him anyway in 2015 -- here's his story from not long after that happened -- and the D-backs hired him to work for the team. He can be found on a number of 2009 and 2010 USA Baseball cards.
Grab a box: Nothing for this ... but USA Baseball cards are here.

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NEWER PROMOTIONAL STUFF ...
The Item: Fever Pitch digital press kit featuring Drew Barrymore & Jimmy Fallon
The Price: $16 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This isn't my typical kind of media kit buy at all -- a CD and info disc -- and the price is far higher than my norm, too, but I picked it up with an eye on something that was supposed to arrive with it. What you don't see is an intentional cheesy greeting card-style promotional card for the comedy. It didn't (the seller had a pair and I guess they sent the wrong one or no longer had it) and since it arrived late I didn't bother following up and this sat on my desk for a while partly out of disgust. I also picked it up hoping it would have some kind of extra info to help me with the story on this piece, too, but it arrived too late for that date.
Grab a box: Nothing for this ... but MLB cards are here.

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CHASING DOWN DARBY CARDS
The Cards: Darby Allin 2021 UD AEW Spectrum Rookie Cards & 2021 UD AEW Pyro and Gold RC parallels 
The Price: Pocket change up to $1.35
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This AEW star is, to me, an iconic one for the company with his many insane spots/stunts/moments that are legendary in a good (bad) way in wrestling. In short, dude's crazy. These are from his first year of cards in packs, so I picked off a run for the heck of it on the cheap. I will probably grade a cleaner copy of something from these -- Spectrum a safer bet -- but other cards are in line in front of him for grading. (Names I collect a little harder.)
Grab a box: AEW cards are here.

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WORST CARD PHOTO EVER?
The Card: Ellie Rodriguez 1973 Topps
The Price: Pocket change
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The subject of this card is part of the glob in the middle with the ump show and a pair of teammates getting more space than the catcher. There are some years in the past with some awful images -- 1981 and 1982 Donruss and Fleer come to mind -- but the earlier takes on action photos in 1970s Topps sets like this can be downright bad. If I had to pick a bottom five worst five photos ever, this just might be a contender. 
Grab a box: Nothing for this ... but MLB cards are here.

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TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE?
The Card: Annette Funicello 1959 Nu-Cards Rock & Roll 
The Price: About $15
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This oversized card was absolutely one I had an eye for grading over on COMC as it's super clean and bright and basically flawless save for that centering -- well, at least flawless vs. what all the others looked like. What I didn't realize until later was how this card was not standard size and that nixed my grading idea ... but this is a super-clean vintage card for an iconic name in the original Disney story and an icon of the 1950s and 1960s.
Grab a box: Nothing for this ... but Disney cards are here.

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THRICE THE PRICE? NOPE ...
The Card: Bo Bichette 2024 Topps Tribute Triple Relics Blue (/150)
The Price: $5
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This multi-piece Relic is a simple one with a decent volume and it came from a pack that was too pricey for my blood. This price? Yep, mine. That price for that price is why you won't see me ripping much Tribute ... the misses are too risky.
Grab a box: MLB cards are here.

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SIMPLE CONCEPT
The Card: Julio Rodriguez 2024 Bowman Chrome My 1st Bowman Mega Box Mojo Refractor
The Price: $1.44
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: A player holding his first Bowman card on a Bowman insert ... a simple project that should have happened a long time ago and seems like it should have been very do-able considering all of those spring training photo shoots like this that filled up Heritage sets for years. A chase element here beyond the parallels? Players signed those cards and those were put into packs. 
Grab a box: MLB cards are here.

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CATCHING UP ...
The Cards: Bo Bichette 2024 Topps 582 Montgomery Club & All-Star Game foilboard factory set parallels 
The Price: About $1.25 apiece
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: These were cheap grabs just to see these newer parallel approaches in-hand for a player I collect. Not bad ... but ultimately not anything I need in any kind of volume. I might pick off cheap graded copies if people go there for some names and if I don't mind a card, player or the price. Otherwise? Never really been a big foilboard fan. 
Grab a box: MLB cards are here.

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BABY SPICE IS BACK
The Cards: Emma Bunton (aka Baby Spice) 1999 Panini Smash Hits Planet Pop Collection, 1998 DS Sticker Collections Hit Parade & 1995-98 Bravo Magazine
The Price: $6.50 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This trio of pick-ups came during a curiosity search for some 1990s music and movie names. I don't have any kind of goal, list or day-in, day-out mission here to collect things ... just a name I'll pick up if all the variables are comfortable and it's there in front of me.
Grab a box: Nothing for this ... but non-sports cards are here.

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ALL-ANNA WRESTLING
The Cards: Anna Jay assorted AEW inserts and parallels 
The Price: Pocket change to a few bucks for the memorabilia card and some of the serial-numbered parallels
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This AEW star has had some potential break-out moments here and there so some of these favorite brands of mine where I pick off stuff on the cheap for some names for those sets. Some of them have a solid photos, some are creative approaches or design styles and some were just dirt cheap. A couple were not. 
Grab a box: AEW cards are here.

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A TIMELESS FINALE
The Item: "Timeless" Toni Storm autographed and inscribed 11-by-14 photo via High Spots with JSA Witness Certification
The Price: Around $68 (on sale)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This inscription is her sign-off/confidence-boosting catch-phrase and warning to her foes almost every week during TV segments and I landed this on sale via High Spots back around Black Friday when a steep discount put it more into my zone for picking up ink. (And I have a lot of ink for her -- she's generally pretty easy to find.) Signings now (at least a recent one) charge roughly that amount alone to add this inscription as it takes more time to sign and that has put prices on items like this well over $100. This character and all of her bawdry bombast -- I've written about it more than a few times so check the archives for more cards, takes and links -- are some of the best stuff in wrestling in a long, long time, if not among the best of all time. This was an easy, easy, easy pick-up. It's timelesssssss.
Grab a box: Nothing for this ... but AEW cards are here.

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