It's also a way to get an autograph of the Chicago Cubs' World Series-winning manager who has never sat down with a card company for a certified signature on a card despite a 15-year career as boss atop plenty more time as a coach and minor-leaguer. It's that time that helped bring some of these concepts to life.

"I’ve been wanting to do this for years" reads on essay on the Maddon Art website. "I’ve always enjoyed art, we all do. I’m not saying I’m an artist by any means, but I’ve always enjoyed the concepts. I believe baseball is a very artistic game and that major league players are artists, just like athletes from all of the other professional sports. For some time, I have tried to coerce Major League Baseball to utilize 'Put the Art Back in Thee Game' as a marketing campaign. I was unable to get anyone to bite, so I did it myself."

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Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today's your day then as we launch 12 in 12 -- a series of a dozen breaks of wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We'll post one every hour all day long ... this is Hour 4.

The box: 2017 Leaf Originals Artwork
The cost: $79 (price will vary ... if you can find)

What's inside this one? Keep reading ...

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The Trading Cards are back -- and they are in packs once again, too.

Long-time readers of The Buzz probably remember California-based illustrator Cuyler Smith whose "Trading Cards" bring the stars of the reel world (memorable movies and TV roles) to real life using nods to memorable sports card designs from the past.

He's back with a third series and a third show -- all with a new wave of cardboard -- arriving tonight in Los Angeles.

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An iconic painting used to make a Hall of Famer's only Topps baseball card during his playing career is on the auction block.

It's the 3- by 5-inch painting by Gerry Dvorak used for the 1953 Topps card of Satchel Paige and it was saved by former Topps executive Sy Berger after the set was made. This one was one of a small selection of paintings that previously hit the auction block in 2010 via Robert Edward Auctions. 

That's also the auction company handling this sale, which wraps up in the next couple of days.

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Have you seen the latest crazy items on eBay? If not, you just might see some of those here every week as we're launching a weekly version of our eBay Buzz pieces that pop up from time to time. We’ll spotlight some items that have a story or just wow us with how much interest it might have — and we’re not just talking baseball cards, either.

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LIVING IN AMERICA -- HUGE TOPPS LIVING SET INTEREST
The Item: 2018 Topps Living No. 6 Nick Markakis
The Price: $224.51 so far (after 22 bids) -- see what it's up to now
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The market for 2018 Topps Living Set cards is going a little wonky for some players on eBay with the lesser-knowns and lower-volume cards from earlier weeks like this one commanding way more than you might think. Markakis sold only 2,678 copies. It shows that the interest is there from set collectors who must have it all. On the flip side, guys like Shohei Ohtani sold more than 20,000 copies and Ronald Acuna more than doubled that. Ohtani has been a steady seller for some who have opted to get theirs graded but demand for Topps Living isn't just living it's thriving right now.
Similar Pieces: Click here for more 2018 Topps Living
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for 2018 MLB cards

Keep reading for four more interesting items in this week's roundup ...

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If you're a fan of Legos, movies and music of the 1980s and want to pick up something that somehow combines them all into one, here's an option for you that's new to Buzz.

They're called Lego Memories and they're a series of 12-inch prints by UK-based graphic designer Dan Shearn.

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There's no word on whether there's a McDonald's Szechuan sauce tie-in, but fans of Rick and Morty will have plenty to salivate over with the upcoming release from Cryptozoic.

Set to arrive later this year (June as of now) will be Rick and Morty Season 1 trading cards and they'll include autographs from some of the zany animated series' notable voices as well as sketch cards and plenty more to represent the Adult Swim series.

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It's no secret that original comic book art has exploded in demand and value in the last decade or so and that dominance continues near-daily with one-of-a-kind pieces trading hands both privately and on the auction block.

But sometimes the examples that command big money aren't classic first appearances from the past or the work of artists on the Mount Rushmore of past greats.

Sometimes they're the from the masters of today -- and one such example is on the ComicLink auction block right now.

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The original home of Superman is hitting a milestone -- and DC Comics will have the variant issues ready for those ready to collect them all.

Seven of the eight covers for Action Comics No. 1,000 have been teased by the company in advance of its release and they'll all reflect different times in the 80 years since "The Man of Steel" starred in the first issue.

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Just 10 of the most-notable items in the sports world that were sold in 2017 totaled more than $6.7 million in sales, ranging from the $1.68 million Norman Rockwell piece you see here to high-grade copies of Mickey Mantle's iconic 1952 Topps card.

And they all had one thing in common -- PSA or PSA/DNA authentication.

"We certified a myriad of incredible items last year, and the list is full of sports history from top to bottom," said Professional Sports Authenticator VP Steve Sloan. "We'll continue pushing ourselves toward another great year in 2018, and look forward to what’s in store."

The Newport Beach, Calif.-based company recently took the time to examine the markets last year and touted its Top 10 for 2017. Keep reading to see everything on the list.

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A fun and so far inexpensive piece of pop culture history has hit the auction block via Heritage Auctions and it's a bit bananas.

B-A-N-A-N-A-S.

It's some artwork form Dan Fraga, an artist who also has worked in comic books and television, and they're the storyboards for the "Hollaback Girl" video from Gwen Stefani -- one of the hits from her debut solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. back in 2005.

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2017 Topps Gallery baseball cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: Initially only at Walmart

Packs per box: 8 (seven standard & Artist Proof pack)
Cards per pack: 4
Cards in this box: 33
Base set completion: 
24 of 150 (16 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Justin Verlander, Yoenis Cespedes, Jose Bautista

Rookie Cards (10) – Alex Bregman, Carson Fulmer, Jesse Winker, Alex Reyes, Hunter Renfroe, Trey Mancini, Magneuris Sierra, Ian Happ, Lewis Brinson, Orlando Arcia

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2017 Topps Gallery baseball cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: Initially only at Walmart

Packs per box: 8 (seven standard & Artist Proof pack)
Cards per pack: 4
Cards in this box: 33
Base set completion: 
24 of 150 (16 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Paul Goldschmidt, Luis Severino, Carlos Correa, Kenta Maeda, Andrew McCutchen, Nolan Arenado, Gary Sanchez

Rookie Cards (8) – Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, Andrew Benintendi, Amir Garrett, Sean Newcomb, Dinelson Lamet, Mitch Haniger, Antonio Senzatela

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Hollywood news can have an impact on the collectibles world and comic book movies are the perfect example of what an influx of mainstream pop culture focus can do.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, a Gambit film starring Channing Tatum is a go for Valentine's Day 2019, bringing the card-throwing, slick-talking member of the X-Men to the screen solo for the first time.

Just like Deadpool, certain characters pick up steam with fans and news like this prompts added interest in first appearances of the characters and the one-of-a-kind original comic art that helped bring those books to life. A movie with Tatum in the main role? With apologies to Yogi Berra, it could be déjà vu all over again.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Nothing but baseball breaks and other MLB posts in today's edition.

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The old saying is that a picture's worth a thousand words, but in the case of pop music legend Madonna and an old set of Polaroids, that price is a bit different.

They're $5,303 apiece -- but fans of the icon still might call them priceless.

The set of 66 original images is being offered for $350,000 and it comes from Richard Corman, a portrait photographer who shot Madonna in 1983 -- just six weeks before the arrival of her first album and her being thrust into the international spotlight.

"She had charisma like I have never seen," Corman said in Vogue, which is noted in a listing for the photos via The Manhattan Rare Book Company. "When you look at somebody through the camera, you either see behind somebody’s eyes or you don’t. And with her, it was 'Wow.'"

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If you're in the camp that sports novelties just weren't quirky and fun enough, then Forever Collectibles has something you might like.

They're caricature bobbleheads.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Supplies vs. wax, NBA pulls, opening that last box, sketch card controversy, Mayweather vs. McGregor & more.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Big pulls, 2017 Allen & Ginter, storage tips -- and real fake news hits the hobby.

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Ok, it's not the weekend, but this further proves that Buzz's fantasy baseball draft just took waayyyy too long yesterday. (Hear that, commish?) Here are several stories worth a look if you missed out. Check 'em out & subscribe at right if you want email updates.

This Week's Big Hit?
We're less than a week away from WrestleMania 33 in Orlando and Topps dropped the biggest mic of them all ("pipebomb" in WWE-Punk parlance) for collectors with the arrival of autographs from Undertaker for the first time in Topps packs -- and just the third time in hobby history. Get all of the details on which brands get his legendary ink here.

Keep reading for more ...

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are five threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: National Treasures hauls, original comic sketch covers and ... how long have you left a case of cards closed?

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We don't have all of the details yet, but one of the most-popular video games of the 1980s is getting full artistic honors with a tribute show launching tonight via a Los Angeles gallery.

The game is Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! and the locale is Gallery1988.

It's the latest show with ties to pop culture and the sports world at the venue and this time it's several artists taking on the battles of Little Mac -- and those are items that could be in big demand from fans and collectors.

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Ok, it's not the weekend, but this was slated to be sent last night -- further proving that it was a busy one on The Buzz this past week. Here are 10 stories worth a look if you missed out. Check 'em out & hit the subscribe button at right if you want email updates.

This Week's Big Hit?
It seems that 2017 Donruss' arrival has collectors talking and there's fun to be found inside its packs. Click here to start with variations and find links to checklists & more. After that, check out a Buzz Break of a hobby box right here.

Keep reading for more ...

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Ballpark foods on baseball cards are fun (and coming soon from Topps), but Fictional Foods can be pretty cool, too.

That's the name of a couple collections from Baltimore-based artist Joshua Budich that can be found via Gallery 1988 in Los Angeles.

Some of the prints are sold out -- sadly, his tribute to Pulp Fiction's Big Kahuna Burger is already among those -- but other prints can still be nabbed by collectors and they're worth a look.

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The newest small star of the big screen world that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be a big deal once again very soon on the auction block.

How?

The original art used for the first comic book appearance of Laura Kinney, aka X-23, will be hitting the open market next month via Heritage Auctions.

X-23 is the new star played by Dafne Keen alongside Hugh Jackman in Logan, which has raked its way to more than $104 million at the box office in the United States alone since its release less than one week ago. (It's up to $295 million world-wide.)

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