Buzz Buys (Oct.): Vintage perfection, Nick Kurtz's autograph, a few MLB names, WWE stars, oldschool oddities and more

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

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MY BEAR NECESSITY
The Item: Paul "Bear" Bryant autographed & dated/inscribed (Oct. 18, 1976) 8-by-10 photo (BAS authenticated)
The Price: $219 ... high for me but it's the perfect item for me
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This was a jaw-dropper of a find for me during a random search of Mill Creek Sports' superstore for autographed stuff earlier this year and I've saved it for football season, specifically this month, to present it and tell its story. It's personalized and that makes it perfect for me this time ... and to top that, the signed date -- the legendary Alabama Crimson Tide football coach and football icon who won 323 games dated everything signed like this -- might as well be on Buzz's actual birthday. (It's close ... close enough.) The odds of this existing or one being signed on my actual birthday? Well, I'm sure there were a number of things to sign on this Monday and I'm also very sure he wasn't sitting down to sign requests on a gameday when I kicked things off in the world. So, this is perhaps as close as it can get. The quality and condition of the photo are perfect and the ink is perfectly legible, too. Now, is his autograph really rare? Not particularly, but he died in January 1983 well before sit-down and paid signing sessions were en vogue for sports legends and he's still in high, historic demand despite Nick Saban equaling him and/or re-writing the Alabama record book in more recent years. It's the perfect item at a perfect price and it will always be mine.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but football cards are here.

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

GOOD YEAR FOR GOODMAN
The Card: Hunter Goodman 2024 Topps Pristine Purple Pristine Pulsar Refractor (/99) -- RC parallel 
The Price: About $13
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This guy had a solid season for the lowly Rockies this year -- see his stats here -- and that got me looking at some of this stuff as it is/was dirt cheap. I didn't chase down an auto -- I might in the off-season -- but I liked the color and price of this one in its uncirculated case. There were a lot of younger, emerging names in MLB this year -- so many there still weren't boatloads of price surges -- and I think some of that is people just focusing on the biggest names and biggest cards (to flip) or perhaps some extra signs overproduction volume. There are some good buys to be found out there if you're a collector wanting to dabble, though.
Grab a box right here: MLB cards are here.

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KURTZ INK
The Card: Nick Kurtz 2025 Onyx Vintage Autographs
The Price: $45
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I picked off this ink on the night of his historic four-homer game, knowing that I'll get to wait for another time to land an MLB-licensed auto, which would have cost me much more. In this case, I just wanted to cross off having the ink, though I like this retro feel with the fake crease and the on-card auto here. Kurtz had a monster rookie season -- check the all-time MLB rookie home run years -- and he will be the Athletics' showcase star no matter where they play, barring injuries, for some time. I figure that his big year will spawn as much ink as he can sign, so the supply could be plentiful in the next few months ... I'll find more at some point after things settle.
Grab a box right here: Baseball cards are here.

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MASCOT MEM
The Card: Wild Wing 2023-24 SP Game Used 2023 All-Star Mascot Fabrics
The Price: $3.25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Buzz doesn't do much of anything with The Hockeys (can't collect it all), but a jersey card of a mascot that looks as badass as this? Easy buy ... and I will probably do more. Simple as that.
Grab a box right here: NHL cards are here.

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BOND ... IN THE RIGHT UNIFORM
The Card: Isaiah Bond 2024 Leaf Press Pass Premium Fields of Fury Bronze Prism autographs (/25)
The Price: $11
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: He was a star receiver at Alabama -- where this photo was from -- before he cashed out for a final year at Texas and then went undrafted after a bad season and had legal issues. With that recently cleared up, he signed with the Cleveland Browns and I added a lone auto (I don't really need more given how that looks) that was a good price on the rare side with the top-notch James Bond-inspired celebration photo I've mentioned here before. It's pretty much a perfect card save for a speck of white on the top border. I would have perhaps graded it save for that very minor flaw.
Grab a box right here: Football cards are here.

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AN NEXT DEBUT & TOWARD THE END
The Items: Shotzi Blackheart circa 2019 NXT promo photo & autographed 8-by-10 photo with Gigi Dolin (2025)
The Price: About $65 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This pair of photos was a little higher-priced than I might normally go here -- I have plenty of stuff for Shotzi and you know that if you're a regular reader -- but there were a couple of key reasons why I did. I believe the NXT photo is her absolute first from when she signed with NXT and it's got a style of autograph that she no longer uses. (It's also a print I've never landed unsigned and I'd totally want to more of those.) That more swirly almost graffiti/tagged style of writing went away with the higher volume of signing stuff with WWE and it devolved quite a bit until the end of the Panini years when it changed again. She now signs more of a printed sig and that's what's seen on the dual-auto with her recent Chemical X teammate in NXT -- it was a shoot and signing with an ice cream truck theme right at the end of her WWE run. I picked these off months apart and they're now NXT bookends as she's making noise in the independent wrestling world.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but WWE cards are here.

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A $10 PAIR OF CONVERSE ...
The Items: Two mini Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars green keychains
The Price: About $10 total direct from Converse (on sale)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This was a total goofy impulse pick-up after I saw a random Converse tweet and wondered if these still existed. Years ago, I had one of these keychains with the white Converse style -- it's legit all the same materials just small-dog sized -- and used the two I had for so long I wore them out. When I saw these on a slasher sale from the company, I opted for a new pair. Why? For the heck of it ... though that color of Converse did just give me a Shotzi autograph idea. (That's what she regularly wears in the ring ... but in black.)
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but basketball cards are here.

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HANK PASS
The Item: Hank Aaron 2000 All-Star Fanfest Laminated Passes (collector version)
The Price: About $6
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This oversized find was on my watch list for a long time before I finally added it. Why? I don't know ... I just thought it was something different enough to grab. For years, major card shows have used an actual card laminated into attendees' credentials and this is similar but not an actual pre-existing card. A card does exist like this -- each company made one of him for that show -- and other colors of these passes exist for media and dealers, too. Passes also showed the other cards ... so there are rainbows to collect if you wanted a little project.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but baseball cards are here.

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A FAMILIAR THROWBACK
The Card: Ichiro Suzuki 2017 Topps Throwback Thursday 1988 Topps Record Breakers (announced /1,166 made)
The Price: Under $2
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This weekly online set would revisit past designs during the year and I liked the use of this photo on the funky (not in a good way) subset from the 1988 Topps set that's perhaps best remembered for a couple of error cards that got corrected. I was around for that one, so that's probably why this one resonated a bit in its cleaner, modern form. 
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but baseball cards are here.

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THROWN IN FOR FREE SHIPPING
The Item: Spencer Strider 8-by-10 photo print
The Price: Around $10
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This isn't anything revolutionary -- just a throw-in to get free shipping on an order (of probably some game-used baseballs). I did like the unusual photo here for a pitcher who had been lighting it up in Atlanta at a record-setting pace before the wheels fell off due to injury. This season was rough but at least he was back ... next year could be an interesting one for his cardboard. 
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but baseball cards are here.

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BACK ON SCREEN
The Cards: Kiana James 2023 Donruss Elite WWE Blue (/149), 2023 Panini Select WWE Concourse Tri-Color Prizm, 2023 Panini Prizm WWE Ruby Wave Prizm -- RC parallels 
The Price: $10 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: These pick-ups happened long ago and sat as she was out for some time due to injuries after a surprising call-up to the main roster of WWE. What were the plans? I'm not sure ... and then the injury happened. Her heel businesswoman schtick is simple, complete with a loaded bag as a weapon, but it and the promotion was enough for me to pick off a few parallels in case it all went somewhere. She's now back on TV recently, so we'll see if there are developments beyond her being a talking head for an international wrestler (Giulia) right now. 
Grab a box right here: WWE cards are here.

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ONE MORE YNOA
The Card: Michael Ynoa ("Inoa" is an error) 2008 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects Chrome Refractor Autographs (/500) 
The Price: $1.45
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Poke around in the archives in Buzz Buys or Making The Grade and you'll see other pick-ups for this can't-miss prospect who was a miss ... it's a reminder of one possibility if you're heavily speculating for the long-term in the here and now and paying a lot more than $1.45 for a Chrome Refractor auto of a can't-miss guy. And this one is limited to only 500 copies! 
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but MLB cards are here.

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SOME FAVOTRITES & A RARITY
The Cards: Nick Swisher 2006, 2007 & 2008 Topps Allen & Ginter Mini Framed Relics and Lenny Dykstra/Jason Bay/Nick Swisher 2005 UD Trilogy Generations of Materials triple jersey (/50)
The Price: All just a few bucks with the rarer one at $7.75
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This group of Ginter Relics for my player are ones that I have stockpiled pretty much heavily across the board -- so much so I don't even know how many I have but it was easily 20-plus copies of a couple of them not long ago. He never got a Ginter auto and that one was my favorite brand for a stretch in the early years until the results vs. box prices didn't line up for my tastes, but I'll keep stockpiling him when I see them and if the price is right. Why? I'm a collector. 
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but MLB cards are here.

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AN EARLY ROLE
The Item: I Married Dora (1987) ABC 8-by-10 press photo featuring Juliette Lewis, Daniel Hugh Kelly, Elizabeth Peña & Jason Horst
The Price: Around $8 (it was in a lot ... the other stuff was better)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This isn't a show I remember at all and that's probably because it was canceled in its first season. I picked this up as this was a first-year credit for veteran actor Lewis (her second role but the first that aired in America as well as her first TV series), while Peña had her fair share of roles in the past, too, as did Kelly. Horst acted into the 1990s but I'm not sure anything can top playing Will Farrell in this one. (That was his name ... different spelling. Buzz has jokes. Really dry ones.) The plot is an odd one here as you can see from the photo's info. Another quirky thing? How the final scene of the final episode went.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but non-sports cards are here.

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EARLY INK
The Cards: Rowe & Hanson (aka War Raiders while in NXT) 2018 Topps WWE Series 2 Blue Autographs (/50)
The Price: About $25 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Why did I spring for these? I really like the 2018 design and a a lot of the Blue parallels (signed or not) but that's not the main reason I graved these champion tag-teamers' autos. I grabbed them (admittedly a long, long time ago at this point) because they are the only autos they ever signed with these names. Their team name and their names have changed a few times over the years ... and these cards stand alone so that unique twist is why I added them. If I ever get my stuff organized (doubt it), I will see which Blues I need and maybe try for the set ... though there's an outside chance I might already be close or even have them all. The sets in the previous Topps WWE run were affordable and the autograph checklists were far more selective. 
Grab a box right here: WWE cards are here.

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THROWBACK SIMPLICITY
The Card: Ken Stabler 2012 Fleer Retro 1961 Fleer Design
The Price: About $5
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I have no idea what might have prompted me to pay the price I did here, but I did like the look of this throwback insert card with the super-minimalist design. They may not be the easiest pulls from the higher-cost brand as the price where I bought this one is still in that ballpark ... chalk it up as one of the things you do as a team collector, I guess.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but football cards are here.

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COLORFUL INK
The Cards: Shotzi Blackheart 2024 Panini Select WWE Ringside Action Signatures Tie-Dye (/25), Silver & Red Wave Prizms 
The Price: Under $100 total (likely less but the rarest card was a Canadian buy ... I'm too tired to look up retro conversion rates)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The Select Tie-Dyes really work for me and I think I grabbed that one first before the others all presented themselves on the far cheaper side of things (the others all under $15 apiece). The set here was a fun one for a couple years of Select and you'll see more of this one at some point (and I think you've seen the other year previously if a regular reader). Rather than gamble with pricey packs of new stuff, I'd rather at this point just buy specifically what I collect and I can see the quality control on what I am buying, too. 
Grab a box right here: WWE cards are here.

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DODGED A BUMMER
The Card: John Lennon & Yoko Ono 1978 Swedish Samlarsaker (period after number version)
The Price: About $4
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I picked up this simple card for a potential affordable but unique slab over on COMC since it looked quite clean and seems like a time-specific example of cardboard for The Beatles' star -- years after the biggest part of his musical journey. I dodged a bad slab here after I had it delivered (after grading prices went up over there) when I saw that it had a crease down the middle. That explains why it was so cheap despite those sharp corners. He has plenty of cards from Beatles sets ... this one just seemed more interesting.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but non-sports cards are here.

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COLLECTING COMICS
The Book: What If ... Donald Duck Became Wolverine No. 1 (Marvel & Disney, 2024) -- Collect Forever uncirculated copy
The Price: about $10
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This Marvel crossover was too goofy (no, not Goofy) to pass up with Donald Duck taking on the claws and mask of the iconic character on a cover emulating the iconic mini-series debut issue from 1982. The uncirculated soft slabs are an interesting twist -- I don't mind the approach -- so if I like it and the price is right I'll bite. (I don't think the stuff is all that rare ... it's just another way to buy a copy and ensure it's clean.)
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but Marvel cards are here.

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AN ODDBALL INCLUSION
The Card: Carmen Electra 2005-06 Topps First Row Black & White parallel (/225)
The Price: Less than $5
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This comes from a short time where Topps NBA included a handful of celebs to add some chase and variety in its releases with both standard cards and inserts as well as autographs and memorabilia. Why? Probably just because they could. These cards are printed on very rough retro stock but this one looked quite clean compared to some and the price wasn't bad for a lower-volume card. Why did I grab? Something odd and it'll also end up slabbed in my stash ... also because it's odd. Odd stands out to me a lot more than a lot of basic NBA cardboard from the past. 
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but NBA cards are here.

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THERE'S MY MEMORABILIA
The Card: Dusty Baker & Darren Baker 2025 Topps Heritage Chrome 
The Price: Under $1
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Why did I buy this? Click here. It's pretty cool if you ask me. 
Grab a box right here: MLB cards are here.

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THREE FROM BALLERS
The Cards: Business cards for Charles Greene, Andre Allen & a generic NFL Owners emergency meeting -- props from Ballers
The Price: Not much as they were companions with other items bought from an auction house sitting on a lot of wardrobe and props.
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: It's been a while since I trotted out any Ballers stuff -- click here for several past pieces -- but I still have one item I need to research to photo match and I'll have another piece incoming soon where I think there could be a story. Simple stuff made in somewhat mass like business cards for a show? Not as big of a deal ... but here are two and another more-generic card and the cert for these and another item not seen here. (Some fall cleaning, really ... and I threw them in since it's football season.) You can find stuff like this for just a few bucks with looking ... and it's stuff that could be faked (if somebody wanted a few bucks) so I wouldn't go crazy. These were just throw-ins.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but football cards are here.

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A STRONG BUT CHEAP SET
The Cards: Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me 1999 Panini photocards set (72 cards) -- featuring Mike Myers, Heather Graham, Verne Troyer, Seth Green, Mindy Sterling, Kristen Johnston, Rob Lowe, Elizabeth Hurley & others
The Price: $5 for the se
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I had an idea for an oddball department where I revisit a past oddball set of the past once a month or perhaps just whenever needed on a slow day, but I never pulled the concept together. Rather than flesh out that format and go on and on about cheap cardboard I figured I'd just drop this one in here this time and probably go this route going forward to keep it simpler. This postcard/photo-sized set is really loaded with good images from this classic comedy and they are perfect for autographs (if that were an easy option, but it's not) or even slabbing but that's not all that cost-friendly with the oversized format. Either way, there was a lot to like and the best of the best from a number of memorable characters and scenes are seen above.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this... but non-sports cards are here.

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INCOMPLETE CARDBOARD
The Cards: Shaun Alexander 2000 Collector's Edge Graded Making the Grade (/2,000) & missing foil/missing number version 
The Price: About $7 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This rookie-year insert for this former Alabama Crimson Tide star popped up first as the scrap/botched version and once I added that I had to go back and get a finished one, which actually was a lot cheaper than the error. A lot of leftover/unfinished Collector's Edge stuff got into the public's hands once the company closed up and this is a prime example of how a simple step (or maybe two) with foil stamping/embossing can make a world of difference visually. I knew I needed to showcase them together. Could these end up in my verison of Making The Grade in CGC slabs? It's a thought. We'll see ... would be unique additions to my graded Alabama stash.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this... but NFL cards are here.

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PARALLEL POWER
The Cards: Shotzi Blackheart 2021 Topps Heritage WWE Green (/99) and foilboard & 2024 Panini Prizm WWE Red Pulsar Prizm (/399) parallels 
The Price: About $20 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Almost all of the cost here is for the Green parallel -- that's the color for this wrestling star -- while the Red did look like the best option for that Prizm card from her "spikes era" hair and with the red gear. The Heritage cards were/are perhaps slab targets -- I really like that set, or at least some cards from it -- but the stock and cutting is funky. So much so there are seemingly always some kinds of corner issues and some cards found on eBay are likely trimmed by some buffoons hoping to clean them up to make more money. (Sign of the recent times.) I think -- it's been awhile since I landed it but would need to re-check -- my Green is a victim of that decision and it might not even be the only time it's happened to me. Just stop doing that, newbs/scammers. We can use rulers.
Grab a box right here: WWE cards are here.

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RED PARALLELS & MORE
The Cards: Red Velvet 2022 UD AEW Exclusives (/100), Red Mat Relics (/50), 2021 AEW Spectrum On the Mat Relics & 2021 Upper Deck AEW Spectrum Red (/50 ... RC parallel)
The Price: Just under $25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This color of parallel just felt like the proper one to grab after a notable match or two for her when returning from injury in AEW months ago at this point, so I did some speculative picking off of cheapish/rarer parallels just in case I would regret it later. She's a Ring of Honor champ at the moment, so it's gone well but I actually don't actively watch that show ... so they never got worked into an item here. Spectrum is a higher-end brand that doesn't really deliver that well (I think the checklist is too deep and boxes too lean) but the singles can be picked off somewhat easily ... and that depth does mean there are a few names with RCs there not seen elsewhere. She's one of those rookies and while I did spend a little bit here those rarer cards are still roughly the same prices now. 
Grab a box right here: AEW cards are here.

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HOW MANY DO YOU RECOGNIZE?
The Item: FCW Wrestling Live program/magazine, Fall Edition 2009
The Price: Around $10
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is a publication that's relatively obscure as it's for what's now known as NXT -- but well before that -- and it's the home to some familiar names and ones that aren't now, too. Some have the same monikers, some don't. Who's of note? A.J. Lee, here, for example, just returned to WWE after a decade away and this program is from her first few months in WWE's ranks (she debuted in July 2009). Duke Rotundo went on to become Bray Wyatt and his brother, Bo Rotundo, is in there as well. This isn't even all of the roster pages in this one but the ones seen here include names who could be familiar on each of them. WWE fans and casuals ... how many do you know?
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but non-sports cards are here.

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REMEMBER THIS STORY?
The Card: Dick Farrell 1958 Topps (team name in white) -- Rookie Card
The Price: $1.75
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Why is this here? A nod to this Richard Dotson item in The Buzz Archives. I grabbed this RC when I learned of the unusual story at that link.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but MLB cards are here.

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A SIMPLE FAVORITE
The Card: Spencer Strider 2023 Topps Flagship Collection 
The Price: Under $2
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This set stands out as unique from many around the flagship realm as they were only found in packs as part of the super boxes at retail. I'm not even sure I ever opened any of them from this year ... I instead just picked off singles for him and Bo Bichette. (I think.) Why? Can't rip it all these days and I'm not as interested in a pack of misses from a premium box. I'd speculatively buy more if SRPs were reasonable to go along with plenty of stuff being made.
Grab a box right here: MLB cards are here.

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SEVEN FROM SDL
The Items: Steph De Lander/Persia Pirotta autographed wrestling cards & 8-by-10 photos via her website 
The Price: Around $5 apiece during a recent flash sale
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This former NXT star turned indy worker turned TNA standout is among a few names out there who makes and/or sells her own cards and autographed photos -- and I grabbed all of these during a couple of flash sale scenarios. I prefer the Pirotta graph over the initialgraph -- at least that's since she has a long name -- but at these prices I didn't mind. The photo quality was there for sure and the variety was, too, taking one through her career with just these selections. The Maki Itoh pizza-cutter photo was a crazy surprise to see so I had to grab it despite its oldschool crimson mask vibes from a GCW match (I feel like her opponent would be more likely to sell that then her) while the others are throwbacks to some familiar pop culture or wrestling moments from the past. 
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but wrestling cards are here.

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