Buzz Buys (Sept.): New oddball cards, vintage finds, Ozzy, Shotzi, Bo Bichette and plenty more of my usual suspects

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

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GOING FOR THE GOLD
The Card: Shotzi Blackheart 2022 Panini Select WWE Gold Wave Prizm (/10)
The Price: Around the price of a blaster box at arrival
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This brand is my favorite of the Panini years for WWE, and in the case of this star who I collect I have seemed to found her rarities on the affordable side at times with this release. This is a perfect example of that with it being one of the rarest parallels in there but it cost me not much more than the price of a retail box. It was arguably underpriced, so I grabbed it quickly when I spotted it. Will I grade it? It's a possibility, though this release's centering issues can create some surprises (that aren't totally surprises) as I found out with a different parallel of this card. Poke around in Making The Grade last month for an example.
Grab a box right here: WWE cards are here.

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

SPOTTED A SNAKE
The Item: Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs Nov. 4, 1967, game program
The Price: About $40
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The player on the bottom left? That's the Oakland Raiders' Super Bowl-winning and Hall of Fame quarterback Ken Stabler. That's absolutely the reason I grabbed this relic of the past. It's a little discolored on the edges and the center scores page with rosters is loose, but it's otherwise pretty clean for a program that's far older than I am. I know the grade wouldn't be that high, but I might go there as I think it would present well in a slab -- and Snake is a player I met several times as he was an announcer for games back in my day.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but football cards are here.

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NEEDED SOME OZZY 
The Item: Ozzy Osbourne 1995 Epic Records 8-by-10 promotional photo
The Price: Around $20
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This icon's recent death had me watching the MTV Classic marathons for a couple days and, despite that immersion into all the metal there, I didn't pick off a single thing when it came to collectibles ... save for this. Why? Well, I met him and got some books signed years ago, pulled his ink out of card boxes for his TV show, too, and have slabbed a fun item or two in the past ... so I have most of my collecting bases (at least stuff I like) covered. I had stashed away a scan of this image -- an iconic photo perfect for the time where I was probably first familiarized with him -- as a reminder to find one. It presented itself on a search, so I bit. It's not perfect but that reinforces that it's not some freshly printed knockoff copy.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but non-sports cards are here.

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GOING FOR GOLD II
The Cards: Nick Swisher 2013 & 2014 Panini Prizm Gold Prizms (/10)
The Price: About $15 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This pair of cards for my player arrived in my hands for prices far lower than I would have paid ... both underpriced in my mind given their volumes. Gold Prizms pop the best if you ask me ... so I grabbed them the second I spotted them and would do more. 
Grab a box right here: MLB cards are here.

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TOYING AROUND
The Item: Lou Gehrig Funko Pop! Deluxe (in dugout) figure
The Price: Free with some rewards points ($30 suggested retail price ... can be found lower)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: There are a lot of simple Funko Pop! toys out there where it's the same pose for sports with just minor tweaks (if at all) and uniform paint changes ... so that's why sports figures don't enter my collection as often. This one is modeled upon this image in a place where The Iron Horse was not often found ... the dugout. It's from the 1939 World Series -- the year he retired. I was a little surprised to see this came in two separate pieces (the vertical back piece is separate) for some reason, but I liked the feel here. If my desk was less cluttered, this would reside there.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but MLB cards are here.

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ENCASED & FLASHY
The Card: Spencer Strider 2024 Topps Pristine Gold Pristine Pulsar Refractor (/50)
The Price: About $8
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This once-dominating pitcher has struggled this year, so I have really slowed on adding his stuff ... but this was a nice encased card with some dazzle to it at a decent price for that lower volume. An easy buy.
Grab a box right here: MLB cards are here.

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COLORFUL & FLASHY
The Card: Mira Sorvino 2024 Leaf Pop Century Metal Pre-Production Proof Light Blue Kaleidoscope Autographs (1/1)
The Price: Around $7
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This former Oscar winner might be best remembered for the 1990s comedy Romy and Michele's High School Reunion, but I picked off this proof on the cheap since it was a good price, a good photo for the design (not always a given with catch-all celeb sets) and I really like this combo of color and texture. 
Grab a box right here: Non-sports cards are here.

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A RARER PULL
The Card: Bo Bichette 2022 Topps Series 2 Major League Material Relics Gold parallel (/50)
The Price: Under $5
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This parallel hit is one in 5,992 hobby packs, which is, well, just dumb ... so it was an easy grab knowing how rare it is. Any time you can add such a low-volume (known, not announced volume) card from a flagship release at a low price it should be considered. These won't be easy finds later as they aren't easy finds to start with.
Grab a box right here: MLB cards are here.

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NO PARALLEL FOR ME!
The Cards: Blake Monroe 2025 Topps Now WWE 10-pack (announced /3,679)
The Price: 10-pack price direct from Topps
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This WWE card debut for the wrestler known internationally as Mariah May is also the debut for her new trademarked WWE name. That is a nod to her niece, Blake, and Marilyn Monroe. Why? Her character is all about the bad-girl glamorousness as she simultaneously pulls out a can of whoop-ass on her opponents each week in NXT. (Also, her real name is Mariah May Mead and WWE prefers to use trademarked names to protect its long-term business interests.) I had hopes for a parallel, so that's why I grabbed a 10-pack, and I also did that to potentially grade one of these. No parallel ... and seven of my to here had some funky edges or weak centering. This batch might be why I buy less raw Now cardboard and just buy somebody else's graded copies.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but WWE cards are here.

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THREE THROWBACK AUTOS
The Items: John "J.J." Johnson, Jack Sikma & Slick Watts autographed Seattle Sonics 6-by-9 promotional photos 
The Price: Around $22 for the lot
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: These photos have some funk on their top edges like they were printed as an old-style tablet of light cardboard images that were then just peeled off after they were signed. The paper isn't high-gloss and the size is odd, so those are also reasons why I think these were done like that -- likely for an event toward the end of the franchise's run in Seattle. Johnson, the father of Spurs coach Mitch Johnson, is the first NBA player I interviewed due to some school ties for me, so that's why I occasionally look for his stuff. He and Sikma were on the Sonics' championship team in 1979, while Watts was a mainstay in the years leading up to that one.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but NBA cards are here.

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ICONIC MOMENT
The Card: Marilyn Monroe 2007-08 Breygent Marilyn Monroe Shaw Family Archive The Shot Seen 'Round the World
The Price: $2.50
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This card comes from a nine-card insert set that was all about that moment in The Seven Year Itch and the reason she's here as I found this card on a deep non-sports dive where I pondered some cards for interesting or iconic slabs of big names. This is an iconic moment -- perhaps one of the biggest in pop culture history from that era (and likely beyond) and one of the biggest of her career -- and that's why I grabbed it. With all of its dark ink, I opted to get this one in-hand for a closer look instead of grading it directly via COMC. It might make a future cut. This happened on Sept. 15, 1944, by the way ... so 71 years ago this month. (I didn't know that until I prepped this month's item.)
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but non-sports cards are here.

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THAT SWATCH
The Card: Rich Little 2011 In the Game Canadiana Mega Memorabilia Gold (announced /10)
The Price: Under $20
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Speaking of COMC, this oddball memorabilia card for this legendary comedian and impressionist shows his face as it appeared on what looks like a T-shirt design ... and this exact card sat on that site for sale for years ... it was on my watchlist for easily a decade before I grabbed it. Why did I pick it off? It's just odd ... and there are only nine others like it with this color of parallel having an announced print run. Do all others also have a face on the swatch? I'm not sure, but probably not ... 
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but non-sports cards are here.

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CHEAP BUT IMPORTANT
The Card: George Foreman 1991 Kayo
The Price: Pocket change 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Boxing cards don't have as many focused, in-pack releases compared to other sports and this card is one of a few for the boxing legend like that from late in his career. The card back reinforces that part with him about to munch on a sandwich on the back a few years before the George Foreman Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine arrived and he went on to culinary legend status. Would this be a Rookie Card? Some might say so, though he has stickers and oddball cards/card-like items years before this -- along with another 1991 in-pack card in the All World Boxing set. This copy was really clean and cheap so I grabbed it. I'll probably grade it, too.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but other sports cards are here.

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SUPER-CLEAN CARDBOARD
The Card: Dave Stewart 1988 Mother's Cookies Oakland Athletics Stadium Giveaway
The Price: Pocket change
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: These food issue cards were made for a number of teams in the past and there were a few other smaller sets for specific players or groups of players, too, all with basic looks like this one. The one thing that makes them stand out today beyond the high gloss and those rounded corners? The strong portrait photography. I picked off this A's ace for next to nothing just to add one and offer up Mother's Cookies as a search you might try on eBay. There's some fun stuff that can be round here without breaking the bank.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but MLB cards are here.

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MASSIVE INK
The Item: Toni Storm autographed 8-by-10 NXT photograph 
The Price: About $22
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This photo comes from before her Timeless era in AEW and it's totally not certified in any way but I'm confident it's legit -- knowing that her handwriting definitely has a few varying styles over the years. So, why add when I already own her ink a number of times? None come close to having as big of a dominating autograph as this one does. That just amused me and I like it. A big sig kind of helps a slightly stiff and distant image, too.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but WWE cards are here.

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BASKETBALL SEASON YET?
The Card: Bo Bichette 2021 Topps Now MLB (announced /1,005)
The Price: Under $3
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This second-year MLB card (and actually third-year card for Bichette for Topps Now) isn't pricey nor is it all that plentiful ... it's just another fun "moment" card. This one was a game-winner and his second of the game against the Yankees -- see it happen here.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but MLB cards are here.

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A NEW START ON CARDBOARD
The Cards: Shotzi Blackheart 2025 Panini Instant MLW (/128)
The Price: About $15 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This licensing move was a bit of a surprise as Major League Wrestling is an established company among the indies but not one with a major TV deal that would have led one to think cardboard could be coming. Earlier this year, Panini revealed plans for an in-pack MLW set as well as Instant cards and this star I collect was among the first wave of cards. This wasn't for a debut match -- just her showing up fresh off of her WWE run -- and only 128 of this one were ordered and made. A second MLW wave with more cards hasn't (oddly) happened yet -- but I had to have a couple of these. When I got botted out of grabbing a parallel when they launched (gone in seconds) I opted to just pick off two singles from eBay. You'll likely see one of these sometime soon in a future item (or maybe even both) here on The Buzz. 
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but wrestling cards are here.

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A THROWBACK TO OAKLAND
The Items: Nick Swisher, Eric Chavez & Bobby Crosby on 2006 Oakland A's Root Beer Float Day mugs (four)
The Price: Less than some retail card boxes these days 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: With the A's out of Oakland and my player's cardboard days over for almost a decade now, I've picked off some oddballs here and there in recent times for both cards and memorabilia. For years, the team raised money for charity with a day where players and others from the franchise would be on hand to personally serve root beer floats to fans with heavy duty commemorative plastic mugs the souvenir. This one shows three past stars on mugshots and I bit for a good price and good volume. Why? I didn't have one and these are closing in on 20 years old now.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but MLB cards are here.

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AN AMERICAN IDOL
The Item: Kelly Clarkson autographed 8-by-10 photo (BAS authenticated)
The Price: About $60 (more than you can find some of her signed stuff ... I was picky about the item/auto quality here)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I'll tell you right now that I've never watched a minute of an American Idol episode, but I do know some names from the show thanks to past card sets and other stuff in the collectibles realm. Beyond that, MTV Classic gets a lot of in-the-background play as I work often so a few names have been curiosity searches on eBay in the pop culture/music realm ... and, well, here we are. Clarkson's ink isn't too hard t0 find -- she regularly sells signed editions of her albums on her website and/or via her label -- and other signed items are out there so she's not apparently that tough, but I finally spotted this with a few boxes checked for a signed piece. I preferred a photo over a CD sleeve and something more from her earlier pop rock years vs. Idol or newer stuff or stuff from her talk show. Plus, I wanted to see the specific auto vs. a stock image ... otherwise I could have just bought one of her CDs.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but non-sports cards are here.

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HIGH-GRADE VINTAGE GRAPS
The Items: Bobo Brazil on Oct.-Nov. 1976 Wrestling News (WWWF Edition) & Lady Caroline (Verne Bottoms)/Ron Reed/Jack Donovan on April 1969 The Ring Wrestling magazines
The Price: About $25 total 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This pair of oldschool wrestling mags were both ones I grabbed because the price was good for high-grade issues where, well, they just intrigued me being so clean. Brazil is a WWE Hall of Famer so that was a draw for me there, while the other is an offshoot of the long-running boxing magazine that just screams oldschool with the colorized photo and a few key names in the yellow rundown on the left. The Ring arrived in 1922 and ran until 2022 and this offshoot title arrived in 1963 and ran until at least 1984.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but wrestling cards are here.

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JERRY! JERRY! JERRY!
The Items: Ringmaster (1998) press kit with eight photo slides and four 8-by-10 photos (Jerry Springer, Jaime Pressly, Michael Dudikoff, Molly Hagan, Tangie Ambrose, Nicki Micheaux, Neil Abramson, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Michael Jai White appearances)
The Price: $14.99
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Jerry Springer is a big name for the TV realm for a short period of time in the 1990s and his self-titled show actually ran until 2018. Among many projects, cameos and other ventures was this comedy that was a bit of a self-parody ... or something. Whatever it was, it bombed. I regularly pick off press kits here and there at this price and lower and grabbed this one at some point after he died of pancreatic cancer at age 79 in 2023. (My spring cleaning of pick-ups has tricked into late-summer spring cleaning.) 
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but non-sports cards are here.

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BAMA TIMES FOUR
The Cards: Shaun Alexander 2000 Collector's Edge T3 Preview HoloPlatinum, 2000 Upper Deck Ultimate Victory Battle Ground, 2022 Panini Select Draft Picks Red Lazer Prizm, 2021 Panini Legacy Premium Edition Mini Silver
The Price: Less than $4
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This former Alabama Crimson Tide and Seattle Seahawks star was a first-round pick in 2000 and was the undisputed star of the team when I was there, so I always pick off early stuff and cheaper finds as long as they strike me as interesting. (There's a lot that doesn't.) The two rookies I didn't have, the mini is a fun card with flash and then that Red is from a photo from the cover of a program from when I was there. I had that program signed long ago so that's a reason why I like the image. 
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but NFL cards are here.

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COLLECTING THE COMEDIAN
The Cards: Arianna Grace 2023 Panini Immaculate Collection WWE Red (/35) -- RC parallel & 2023 Panini Select WWE Signature Selections
The Price: About $35
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This NXT veteran is the daughter of a WWE star of the past who was a comedic master -- and she's right there with her beauty queen schtick as Miss NXT. Whether that specific style might continue into the higher ranks isn't obvious to me but the character side -- the entertainment factor -- is there so I picked off the high-end RC parallel and an auto in recent months.
Grab a box right here: WWE cards are here.

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FAME BEFORE WWE ...
The Items: Laker Girls team-signed promo photos from 2010-11 & 2007-08 seasons -- one featuring Leah Van Dale ... aka WWE star Carmella
The Price: About $30 for the pair in a lot
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This pair of photos also arrived in a lot including a calendar but that wasn't really pertinent as to why I grabbed this. Among the team members was a future WWE star and her real-life signature is here along with her teammates. She's not the only athlete who turned to dance/cheer work before joining WWE -- there are others who can be found on items like this -- and she also was a New England Patriots cheerleader. I don't have a ton of wrestler autos with real names but I do have a few ... this one struck me as pretty unique, though my name isn't Mark. (I probably am a mark, though.)
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but NBA cards are here.

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FINISHING OFF THE STILLS
The Items: Assorted TV & movie promotional 8-by-10 press photos featuring Neve Campbell, Fairuza Balk, Skeet Ulrich, Jamie Foxx, Tommy Davidson, Vivica A. Fox, Halle Berry, James Belushi, Casey Affleck, Eliza Dushku, Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Kevin Connolly & Nikki Cox among others 
The Price: Pocket change apiece via a small (binder) lot
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Months ago, I landed a small binder that was a collection of TV and movie stills -- some small sets and some stragglers from others that included big names. Here's one last small sampling from them. How many do you recognize? Probably quite a few. But the shows or movies? I've definitely never heard of some of them.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but non-sports cards are here.

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STILL NOT GLOSSY ...
The Card: Jose Canseco 1988 Score (not Glossy)
The Price: Under $2 (that's way too high for ... not Glossy)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This set is my nemesis ... at least twice -- but maybe more -- I have purchased 1988 Score Glossy cards to have a slab or a key name from the set in my stash and both times they arrived and, well, simply were not the rarer Glossy version. This one is probably the one I'd want most here ... I have just never bothered looking that hard and know it's not truly worth paying that much. (It's just gloss.)
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but MLB cards are here.

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TWO NEW PAIGES
The Cards: Paige 2019 Topps WWE Smackdown Purple (/99) & 2018 Topps WWE Undisputed Green (/50)
The Price: Under $12 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This WWE star of the past moved over to AEW as a surprise and that run has come to an end ... but will there be another return to WWE? I think so ... and that hasn't stopped me from picking off reasonably priced rarer cards of the British star if I like them. 
Grab a box right here: WWE cards are here.

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MEMORABLE INK
The Card: Nick Swisher 2007 UD Sweet Spot Signatures (fielding glove brown leather) (/75)
The Price: $15
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I've always been a sucker for Sweet Spot autos of the baseball type -- complete with laces -- but there are years where they tricked things up heavily with glove, bat and ball swatches ... and then color variants, too. Do I have them all? Probably not. Will I try and hunt them all? Probably not. But I will pick stuff off if it looks clean and is on the affordable side. The thick but soft stock here is a challenge at times -- lots of bad corners -- but they stand out as unique cards when your player has them.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but MLB cards are here.

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DOG DAYS OF SUMMER
The Card: Siberian Huskies (puppy variation) 2018 UD Canine Collection 
The Price: Pocket change 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Puppy power got me to bite here ... not even sure why. The set was a creation over on e-Pack with a mix of Presidential dogs, Costume Dogs, Air Buds, Dogs Gone Wild, Holiday Hounds and more among its sets -- more than 200 cards. This was a variation showing one breed in the younger years. This might have ended up on my oddball slab radar, too, but I opted to grade other stuff. 
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but non-sports cards are here.

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A COOL CHANGE
The Card: Xia Li 2022 Panini Impeccable WWE Indelible Ink autographs (/99)
The Price: Around $30
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This card popped up on a search for me when some on Twitter were discussing how Japanese baseball star Masanori Murakami's autographed First Pitch cards from 2025 Topps were designed ... his autograph appeared sideways on its card as there was no realization of his signing being vertical. The same happened more often than not with inked cards for this Chinese star on her WWE cards but some -- only a few -- had modified looks to accommodate the switch to be correct. This on-card auto is one of them. I always liked the look here with the photo and design elements perfectly showcasing the auto. I overpaid some I'm sure but I grabbed it right then. It's a solid card.
Grab a box right here: WWE cards are here.

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PARALLEL POWER
The Cards: Assorted Nick Swisher parallels from 2007-16
The Price: Pocket change up to around $10 for the rarest parallel 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This grouping is just a sampling of my Swisher parallel buying from perhaps the last year or so ... they do pile up. Most here are rarer or numbered and that's why I'll pick them off as a collector. Do I have them already? Probably, but if they are cheap I'll always take more if the price is right. You know ... collecting.
Grab a box right here: MLB cards are here.

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RARER, PARALLELS & KEY NAMES
The Cards: Carmella, Peyton Royce, Mickie James, Trish Stratus, Charlotte Flair & Ava assorted variations, parallels, inserts & only releases
The Price: $1 (Stratus) up to $10 (Royce)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This six-pack of names have come and gone in their WWE roles to a degree -- not all but all have evolved since these arrived -- but they were easy grabs for modest prices or were cards I liked. The Carmella -- the former Laker Girl you saw earlier -- is a photo variation, the Royce is a parallels of an early card, the James is a retail parallel on the rarer size and then the others are from The Living Set or dazzlers from Revolution. Like Swisher stuff, I'll pick off cheaper cards as they present themselves and seem like a good card at a good price ... they pile up easily so sometimes I'll just throw them all in one spot here together. You know, just collecting. 
Grab a box right here: WWE cards are here.

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PLENTY OF A-LIST TALENT
The Items: Assorted Celebrity Photo Agency editorial slides featuring Leonardo DiCaprio, Salma Hayek, Hugh Grant, Tom Cruise, Jim Carrey, Sharon Stone, Raquel Welch, Reese Witherspoon, Julia Roberts, Michelle Pfeiffer, Kristin Davis, Benjamin Bratt, Kevin Costner, Dennis Quaid and Kate Hudson among others
The Price: Pocket change apiece as part of a couple lot buys 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This grouping of slides is from a short-lived massive haul of stuff like this I did where they ultimately cost me pennies apiece ... many ended up staying in the boxes they arrived in but it was fun to go through them and I even picked up some pages and made a binder with pages for some names and some I might be inclined to collect. Others, I'd build pages for for a genre such as music or specific TV shows/movies. Why? Collecting. Just for cheap thrills ... and digging through boxes to see what you might find can be fun, too, if it's not solely about the cash.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but non-sports cards are here.

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