Buzz Buys: My usual suspects ... Shotzi, Bo Bichette, X-Men & more with some other surprises (Bjergen Kjergen, anyone?)

Buzz buys and busts a lot of boxes right here for Buzz Breaks, but one of my goals is to rip a little less and talk more about cardboard that I -- and you -- might like. One way to do that? Simple show and tell -- present a few pick-ups and say why they captured my attention.

So, with all that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ... 

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THE PERFECT EARLIER SIG
The Card: Shotzi Blackheart 2020 Topps WWE NXT Roster Blue Autographs (/50)
The Price: Less than a box these days
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: If you're a regular reader, then you know this set and this auto -- in all colors -- is high on my radar and that's why I grabbed this super-clean copy with an eye on grading. It's not totally perfect but I'm fine with that as the core reason I bit here was how clean this sig is with her original WWE ink, not the shortened one that has come about on her cards since this earlier signing. (It's not quite her pre-WWE auto, which is more of a puffy almost "tagging" writing style with big curves and loops on all letters.) A quicker auto happens for many signers as they ink more and more stuff and some styles just won't come back -- so that's another reason this one is a favorite ... plus, not that many of her WWE cards have this auto.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... but WWE boxes are here

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

FOUR COLORS OF HERITAGE CHROME
The Cards: Bo Bichette 2021 Topps Heritage Chrome (/999), Chrome Refractor (/572), Blue Sparkle Chrome, Purple Hot Box Chrome
The Price: About $20 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This was a simple quick pick-off for me as I'm still really toying with a run of this guy's Heritage cards in slabs, though when I got these in hand one card served up the reminder that I really should just let somebody else do the work and pick off cards already graded. Will I? Won't I? Well, I have a lot of his slabs as it is and I've pondered this project publicly before a few times ... what I really need to do is get organized to figure out what I do have to, you know, figure out what I need. 
Grab a box right here: MLB boxes are here

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THREE FILM SCENES 
The Cards: Drew Barrymore 2021 Historic Autographs Famous Americans Film Cell cards (/118 and /133)
The Price: $15 for the lot
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This trio of cards for my always-growing, yet still focused stash of Barrymore stuff -- selected cards, magazines, signed books, slides and other flat/paper items -- isn't from one of my favorite movies (admittedly, I have not seen this one since a Netflix binge way back in their by-mail DVD days) but I really like the simplicity of the concept here ... and these are found regularly in one of this set's formats. These types of cards also allow Historic to make cards of names they wouldn't be able to license since these are not new creations, just a piece of a previously existing item ... like putting a postage stamp into a card. There are a lot of possibilities on the checklist for names from more-recent years .... I really need to scout these more.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... but non-sports boxes are here

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A DEBUT FRAME ...
The Card: Kitty Pryde (aka Shadowcat) joins the X-Men -- 2020 Upper Deck Marvel X-Men Metal Universe Comic Cuts (Uncanny X-Men No. 139 in 1980) (/45) 
The Price: $23
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Comic book cuts have been done for a few years now and the original logic is that an old or really expensive issue in demolished condition could end up in a collections in a new way and in a way that's affordable. That's still probably in play on elite stuff but I've also seen cheap books get this treatment, too. This one? It's not quite either of those but it is a key issue as this is the first appearance for Shadowcat as a full member of the X-Men. (I initially thought this was first appearance but it was not.) I tracked down the frame in digital form and liked how it's her saying her own name (a reveal to another character) and that's Storm right beside her on the card ... but both of those facts got chopped off. I still like this card and it joins a small crop of these types (mostly one key character I like but some other bargain buys) in my stash and it probably won't be the last. 
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... but Marvel boxes are here

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AN AEW DOUBLE-SHOT
The Card: Penta El Zero M & Thunder Rosa 2021 Upper Deck AEW Spectrum Chair Shots
The Price: About $15 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: These die-cut cards are printed on a piece of relatively heavy metal, which helps make the gimmick work -- they're headshots on a steel chair, which has a history in pro wrestling -- the steel chair as a weapon ... hits to the head not so much these days. These two are arguably my favs among stars who have been with AEW for a longer time vs. some WWE imports who I collect, too, so once prices on these dipped a bit I grabbed them. (They come from more of a premium-priced box that I didn't rip ... but there's always a chance I might if prices dip at some point.)
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... but AEW boxes are here

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JUST THE DETAILS ...
The Item: Spencer Strider unsigned 11-by-14 photo print
The Price: $9.50 after discounts 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This was a throw-in to get free shipping out there in the world and it was because I like the amount of detail you can see in this oversized photo of a key pitcher of the last couple years and the pose/timing is perfect for a pitcher. It's also the perfect kind of photo for signing and even maybe inscriptions with all that open space. There's a Topps Now card from this same moment -- just not the exact frame -- that I need to grab to go with it. I very casually collect him as he's carried my fantasy team as much as the Braves.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... but MLB boxes are here

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TOUGH TO TELL
The Card: Eddie Munson 2022 Zerocool Stranger Things The Party Lenticular
The Price: About $2
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: These lenticular cards don't really photograph well, and, well, they don't really reveal the images all that well, either ... but I tried. The Metallica tie-in in this series and this moment got a lot of mainstream chatter (the song even re-charted) in the world and the character is a popular one, too. I skipped this release without hesitation with the inclusions-vs.price ratio was not all that compelling (or I'm just not fan enough of the show) but I'll check singles here and there on some deep dives.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... but non-sports boxes are here

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SOME OVERSIZED SLIDES
The Slides: Slash 18 1990s Jeffrey Mayer portrait slides 
The Price: About $2 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: As I noted last time, I grabbed a decent-sized lot of these larger-format slides -- these images are 2.25 inches with the frames even larger -- and I did that for this lot. It's from a photo shoot with the iconic Guns N' Roses guitarist posing with some of his Les Pauls. Because of the volume in the overall lot -- it was a mostly a bunch of pop/low-grade boy-band celebs and others -- they all came out to about 12 cents apiece. These are all slightly different and feel more like kind of one-of-a-kind items -- unless you can find me some others -- and they feel, to me, like items that could command a decent little price for each on their own. (Especially with their larger size.) You never know what you might find if you look around at stuff you might not normally search for. Now, I wonder ... are any grading companies open to slabbing stuff like this?
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... but non-sports boxes are here

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THREE OF A KIND
The Cards: Shotzi Blackheart 2022 & 2023 Panini Revolution WWE autographs 
The Price: About $70 total (over a few months)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This high-energy WWE star is a regular buy of mine and this is a brand where I've actually not opened a single pack the past couple years as the ink isn't guaranteed in every box. Instead, I added these three for about the price of a box after the dip. The stickers atop foiled holoboard aren't the greatest look, but it is what it is and these cards are generally pretty clean save for maybe some back edge/corner issues at times. These are also examples of how most of her autos look vs. the first card on this roundup. I'll eventually open a box or two ... just not yet.
Grab a box right here: WWE boxes are here

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SIMPLE CARDBOARD
The Card: Bryce Young 2023 Panini Chronicles Draft Picks Contenders College Ticket -- Rookie Card
The Price: Under $2
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The No. 1 pick is a guy who, well, I've waited to buy and I've been right as his NFL time hasn't been all that dominating thanks to the team he went to. At the same time, I still want his cards as he's firmly part of my school ties part of my collection. I have ink -- landed that back in his NIL years in an affordable Onyx box -- but picking off some fully licensed cheaper cards from a variety designs as found in Chronicles is definitely on my to-do list for the coming months. There will be more.
Grab a box right here: Football boxes are here

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AND NEW ...
The Card: Aoife Valkyrie (aka Lyra Valkyria now) 2022 Panini Prizm WWE Silver Prizm & 2022 Panini Select WWE Premier Level Silver Prizm -- Rookie Card parallels 
The Price: 99 cents apiece
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This pair of cheap pick-ups was kind of a hunch move as she seemed to figure into some recent storylines somewhat prominently -- or, at least was in there in matches with key names -- and I figured that a couple of cheap Silvers wouldn't hurt for their price. The challenge for collecting the new NXT women's champ is that she's had a name change since her Rookie Cards -- she's now known as Lyra Valkyria -- and while I think that's a better name I'm still not sure that's all that search-friendly. (Just "Lyra" is what I bet WWE settles on at some point.) She had a pretty prominent path to the belt as she took out future Hall of Famer and fellow Irish star Becky Lynch with a clean win. She's very affordable and I need to pick off some of her early ink ... as future stuff won't be the same with the name change.
Grab a box right here: WWE boxes are here

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SOME WILD SCENES
The Clips: Two Ricky "Wild Thing" Vaughn, Willie Mays Hayes, Lou Brown Major League 35-mm film cuts (five-frame strips)
The Price: Less than $5 apiece (with promo/extras in order)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: These cuts from past film prints have made their way into my Buys a number of times and what I said in the past applies here with some of the key characters from this classic baseball movie. They're presented rather card-like in semi-rigid holders (at left) and the amount of detail in them is very strong. I dig 'em and will occasionally do a deep dive to see what's out there from the seller (name previously mentioned in this series) ... this really feels like there could be card creations made just like photo slides. After all, ticket stubs made their way into cards ... even the ugly Ticketmaster ones.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... but MLB boxes are here

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DIRECT FROM STOCKHOLM ... NO, REALLY
The Slide: Drew Barrymore as Bjergen Kjergen in Wayne's World 2
The Price: About $22 ... international shipping got me 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I didn't do a project on Sweden in the eighth grade, but this this scene is one that I had totally forgotten about until this slide popped up on some search for this star. I routinely pick up press kits with photos to promote movies of the past and this comedy is absolutely loaded with cameos making the photos more interesting than just core cast members. There are Wayne's World 2 kits out there with images and a page of slides but none of them included this image, which made me wonder what the deal was. Then, I realized that this slide of Bjergen Kjergen (seriously watch the clip ... it's a quick and simple scene) was coming from a seller in Sweden. Did these get included in all international film kits or was it made for a special request? I have no idea. After eyeing it for a few months I bit when the seller offered a discounted price and then waited about a month for it to arrive after some (Wayne's) world travels.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... but non-sports boxes are here

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SOME WWE CROSSOVERS
The Mags: Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, The Bella Twins & Sasha Banks -- Muscle & Fitness Hers/Muscle & Fitness covers; Jan./Feb. 2016 (Flair), Oct. 2016 (Bellas), Sept./Oct. 2016 (Bliss), June/July 2016 (Banks)
The Price: About $50 via three buys
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The Banks issue is one I previously told you about in Making The Grade this month -- one of these is now slabbed -- and the other two were later pick-ups. I remembered this issue at newsstands long ago but wasn't doing anything mags-wise (for collecting or grading) and couldn't find it forever. After maybe a year of it being in a saved search the lot of four popped up at a cheap price ... and I actually paid more for the two single Banks issues later. Why? Some smaller details about the issue I landed in the lot weren't as crisp and clean as I had wanted for grading. Would I grade others here? Maybe, though the Bliss mag, which would be my leading candidate, has a weird spine issue where the glue used to bind it has its oil soaking through the paper. (I'm not sure how that might grade.) Had the Banks issue presented itself on its own, I probably wouldn't have the others.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... but WWE boxes are here

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SOME WILDCATS DÉJÀ VU ...
The Item: Wildcats movie press kit photos (1986)
The Price: $9.99
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I liked these so much I bought them twice ... and this is basically what I said last time (long ago) when I trotted that one out here ... this Goldie Hawn comedy is about a woman taking over as a high school football coach and is one I haven't seen in years. But, its cast includes a ton of people you can find on cards and in roles elsewhere -- Hawn, Wesley Snipes, Woody Harrelson, Mykelti Williamson, Nipsey Russell, Swoosie Kurtz, Robyn Lively, Jan Hooks, Jsu Garcia, M. Emmet Walsh, Gloria Stuart, Bruce McGill, James Keach and even L.L. Cool J with a cameo and the films main theme song. If you don't know some of the names, you'll probably know their faces if you've watched any 1980s or even early 1990s movies or TV. The photos here were clean and flaw-free (from an unused press kit for promotions) with some of those photos easily potentially selling for more than I paid for all of it.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... but WWE boxes are here

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A PREMIUM ROOKIE CARD
The Card: Kay Lee Ray (aka Alba Fyre) 2021 Topps WWE Transcendent Collection (/50)
The Price: $16
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This WWE newcomer was a cheap and easy pick-up for me when I thought this was a Rookie Card ... but she had WWE cards the year before. No worries, it's still a good buy considering the price of the box this came from. (She does have indy stuff before all of those cards, too.) I have picked off a few younger names/rookies from this premium brand when they surface affordably.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... but WWE boxes are here

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AN INDY SET THAT DELIVERED BIG
The Cards: 2023 Rising Stars of Wrestling set (Logan Paul, Jamie Hayter
, Solo Sikoa
, Gigi Dolin
, Sol Ruca
, Carmelo Hayes
, Giulia
, Grayson Waller
, Ava Raine, L.A. Knight, Cora Jade, Dominik Mysterio, Lola Vice, Charlie Dempsey, Thea Hail) plus three bonus parallels -- Ava Raine (Silver Scale /7), L.A. Knight (Silver Scale /7) and Sol Ruca (Gold Rainbow 1/1)
The Price: $20
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This second release in this series was a no-brainer of a buy for me as this artist-created set is both well-done and cleanly created, easily giving me a reason to grab a set of what is unlicensed cardboard touching on a number of young/new stars for a few companies all in one spot. Atop that, earlier buyers got extra bonus cards with their set. I liked a number of the likenesses here and a number of them are names I'd easily collect if they had more. My bonus cards are three definite notables -- The Rock's daughter, a guy who was in the main event of the past big show (yeeeeaaahhhh) and a 1/1 of the card that, without question, is the one I would have wanted most had I drawn up a want list here. The creator does a really good job with the bonus parallels here with a few color types and all being relatively scarce. I'll likely do more at some point if they remain available.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... but WWE boxes are here

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SIGN OF THE TIMES
The Item: Mike DuBose 1989 Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed payroll check 
The Price: $33
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This was an oddball find I couldn't pass up when I found it on a random search after some MLB team payroll checks popped up in some search on the serious cheap. While I didn't bite on any of those -- and some were as cheap as a dollar or two -- I had to have this one as DuBose was a former Alabama Crimson Tide head football coach (who I actually interviewed once) and football lifer who worked at every level. After I cross-checked the ol' Wikipedia to confirm he was there then (he was ... defensive line coach in his only NFL stint) this was a no-brainer of an addition despite a beefier price than I might normally pay. Why? I can bet that the odds were low of me ever seeing one again if I passed and those Creamsicle colors just added to the quirky 1980s NFL feel here, too.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... but NFL boxes are here

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HE'S BACK ...
The Card: Carlito 2006 Topps WWE Heritage II Autograph
The Price: About $3 in a lot deal
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This wrestling veteran and part of an iconic Puerto Rican wrestling family is back in WWE after several years away and that made me remember I had this one sitting in my stash of buys waiting for a spot in the lineup. He's only got around 20 certified autos and only eight of those came from Topps WWE sets -- three of those came the same year this one did. The rest arrived via Leaf.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... but WWE boxes are here

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SOME FLASHY BO ...
The Cards: Bo Bichette 2022 Bowman's Best Refractor & 2021 Topps Chrome Update All-Star Game
The Price: About $2.50 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This pair of Chrome-stock Bichettes are cards that simply caught my eye with that red uni and with the horizontal swing shot ... both cool to me. Both also are cards I'd totally want as slabs since the cards have good looks to them. Would I slab on my own? Maybe. Would I buy somebody else's slabs at a reasonable price? For sure. (They're not all that expensive so a "miss" on a lower grade would sting.)
Grab a box right here: MLB boxes are here

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EVEN MORE INK ...
The Card: Shotzi Blackheart 2022 Panini Immaculate Collection WWE Modern Marks (/99)
The Price: $18
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This brand is one I really like and it would have been a near-perfect release in my eyes had all the autos been signed on-card. This insert set's design is a bit busy with all those elements on the right, but the photo and the clean spot for the auto got me to bite ... and I've bit more than once.
Grab a box right here: WWE boxes are here

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PLATE APPEARANCE
The Card: Nick Swisher 2006 Topps Opening Day Black Printing Plate (1/1)
The Price: $13.50
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: My player's new card appearances are non-existent for years now, so when a 1/1 can pop up on the cheap, I'll bite ... this is one of those times and it's from earlier in his MLB career. Not much else to say beyond that.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... but MLB boxes are here

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MORE LOBBY CARDS
The Lobby Cards: Assorted Salma Hayek lobby cards (several projects, domestic and international versions)
The Price: Pocket change per card
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This stash of lobby cards from a number of movies for this star came as part of a cheaper lot deal in recent years (yes, years ... it was a big stash and I'm just dropping a few here at a time every once in a while) and I present it as a reminder that some card-like items do exist where you can collect without stuff having to come from a pack. What was a little odd here (not the norm when you look) was that the collector would break up full sets of lobby cards (typically a movie will have a half dozen or more scenes) and only pull out the key names that fit their collection. I bit as the names were good ones and the depth of items per name was good and, well, it would take a ton of work to amass this much for one name and it would cost a lot more to do that, too. I kind of wish I could find some runs like this for names I actively collect more.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... but non-sports boxes are here

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PATCH POWER
The Card: Nick Swisher 2007 Upper Deck Exquisite Rookie Signatures Exquisite Signature Materials (/25)
The Price: $18 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is a card I apparently picked up a year ago and it was buried in my reserves here as, well, yes, I buy stuff for my player often but I spread them out instead of dumping them all here at once. A four-piece patch auto from the Oakland years will always get my attention every time from certain premium brands ... and it doesn't matter if I already have one if the price is right.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... but MLB boxes are here

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FOLLOWING UP THE ROOKIE CARDS ...
The Cards: Maki Itoh 2019 BBM True Heart
The Price: $4 apiece
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: These second-year cards were too cheap to pass up, so I grabbed them both and one has already been graded. Why? I have a few of this Japanese star's cards and have pondered trying to do a basic run of her BBM stuff in slabs. There's not an absolute boatload to chase from what I have seen ... though some can be pricey among the slightly rarer "Secret" variations.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... but wrestling boxes are here

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A THROWBACK
The Card: 1954 New York Giants offense 1981 TCMA Greats 
The Price: Pocket change 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This card from a somewhat obscure football set looking back at even further in the past was probably a cheap impulse buy. It was probably for an Alabama player of the past, but it's a name that's even a bit obscure for me ... so it might have been some other trivial tie that got me to bite that I don't even remember. (Insert shrug emoji here and we're moving on to the next card.)
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... but NFL boxes are here

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AS SEEN ON NETFLIX ...
The Card: Al Snow 1998 Cardinal WWF Trivia Game
The Price: Pocket change 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This name is one you probably know if you've been on Netflix lately -- Wrestlers is the series ... see the trailer here -- and Snow is a linchpin in Ohio Valley Wrestling as a former owner and now its boss and still a part-owner. He's got a decent volume of cards with all his years in the game, and this comes from around the same time as his first in-pack (Rookie Card) stuff from years after his in-ring debut. These aren't all that rare, but these cards that came with some late-1990s trivia games for a few years can be pricey at times with some popular names attached. He's not one of those, but I have my reasons for dabbling here and there for his cards and I've had a Rookie Card and his first certified auto in my stash for a long time.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... but WWE boxes are here

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BOWLING FOR THROWBACKS
The Card: Nikki Gianulias 1991 Little Sun Ladies Pro Bowling Tour Strike Force
The Price: Pocket change
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Cards have really come a long way since this one, which is from a small company that made a number of small sets with interesting and odd subjects. When I saw that Leaf was bringing bowling cards back to the masses I went and did a search for what there was from the past. This funky frame got me to bite ... simple as that.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... but "other sports" boxes are here

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