A future NHL star's autographed hockey cards will only be found in one place in future years thanks to a new deal announced on Friday.

It's Nico Hischier and he'll only be signing for Leaf Trading Cards. 

"Working with Nico, along with Allain and Jordan from RSG Hockey, has been an exciting and rewarding process," said Leaf CEO Brian Gray. "To see an agency thinking outside the box and aggressively marketing their athletes is refreshing in a traditional sport like hockey. Nico is now part of that movement in the hockey world."

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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: Legendary maildays, NFL Draft scenarios, big pulls & more.

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NFLPA Rookie Premiere kicks off today in Los Angeles and the first glimpses of the autographing action are in.

Your first signer of those images teased so far from Panini America is former Tennessee and future New Orleans Saints RB Alvin Kamara.

We've also got our first glimpses at 2017 Panini Origins, which will have Photoshopped action images of players in NFL uniforms that will be signed during this weekend's event. Keep reading for a look.

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This is one of those black days for music fans.

Soundgarden and Audioslave singer Chris Cornell -- one of the iconic voices of grunge music in the 1990s and a successful performer in all the years since -- has died at 52.

Known for his intense guttural sound but also dramatic range, Cornell was part of six studio albums with Soundgarden and three with Audiosoave as part of a career that spanned more than 30 years and included two Grammy awards.

“For me to make a connection with music it has to either have a visceral nature, whether it’s anger or aggression or that kind of passion which shows up in rock music, or there has to be some sort of melancholy and introspection, something about it that makes you feel your own pain,” he once told Rolling Stone.

But, when it comes to cardboard, there's not a lot to go around to note his lengthy career.

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You may not know the name of too many umpires in Major League Baseball -- at least you shouldn't -- but one should be known for his story away from the diamond.

His name is Steve Palermo.

Palermo died on Sunday after losing a fight against cancer at age 67 but it was his battles after a night in 1991 that changed his life.

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Captain Phasma autographs are coming to Topps Star Wars packs.

The company announced on Friday that Gwendoline Christie autographs will be coming in future releases for the legendary movie franchise.

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To say that the baseball card landscape has changed in the last decade might be an understatement, but there's been one prospecting brand that has delivered many of the biggest names early and often and delivered a good amount of ink, too, thanks to Hot Boxes.

It's packed a number of surprise inclusions, a tremendous rainbow of serial-numbered parallel autos and even some pretty good bargains as many collectors have their established habits elsewhere. In recent years, it's also given us a teaser of younger USA Baseball players, too.

This mainstay -- and arguably a simultaneous sleeper -- is Elite Extra Edition. 

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What: 2017 Rittenhouse Women of Star Trek 50th Anniversary trading cards
Arrives: July 26
Box basics: Three autographed cards and one costume card per 24-pack box (12 boxes per case)

What's buzz-worthy: The 50th anniversary of Star Trek's arrival continues on cardboard with a look at the women in the sci-fi franchise's extensive universe.

Keep reading for more.

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Blaster boxes are the taste-testing location -- the sample platter you might say -- of many products for many people who may not have a hobby shop or want to try something new without spending too much.

After a few years, some of those boxes get dirt cheap as collectors' attentions are focused elsewhere and it's fun to dig in with those boxes become available at a fraction of their original cost.

One such product for this collector is 2011 Panini Americana, a non-sports release that's somewhat higher-end and hit-driven at hobby -- one hit per pack, just four packs per box -- while the blasters typically include a hit of some type and typically more base cards than a hobby box inside.

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and break down 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 Leaf Originals Wrestling (Hot Box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 1
Cards per pack: 5 (all parallels in Hot Box)
Cards in this box: 5
Base set completion: 
0 of 41
Duplicates: 0

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What: 2017 Topps WWE NXT wrestling cards
Arrives: Sept. 6
Box basics: Ten autographs per 10-pack box (eight boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here to view

What's buzz-worthy: The WWE's developmental promotion gets its own full-scale, hits-based release with this one going to full hobby channels after a Topps.com test run last year.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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What: 2017 Topps Star Wars Masterwork trading cards
Arrives: Nov. 8
Box basics: Four hits in every four-pack hobby box with two autographs guaranteed (eight boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here to view

What's buzz-worthy: Topps' high-end Star Wars brand ups the ante with the ink while continuing to offer other hits with a mix of the past and present films in the sophomore third release of its highest-end set for the franchise.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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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 past wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We'll post one every hour on the hour all day long today ... this is Hour 1.

The boxes: 2017 Leaf Pop Century Signed Photograph Edition (two boxes)
The cost: Click here

What's inside these? Keep reading ...

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Not that long ago, Steven Holcomb's Olympic dreams were challenged by failing vision and depression, but a surgery to correct his keratoconus -- a disorder that had him seeing with 20/500 vision -- helped make him one of the United States' most-successful bobsledders in years.

His successes included three Olympic medals and it was was one that had been documented in a book -- his autobiography, But Now I See: My Journey from Blindness to Olympic Gold -- but there won't be new chapters. He was found dead Saturday in Lake Placid, N.Y., at age 37.

"The entire Olympic family is shocked and saddened by the incredibly tragic loss today of Steven Holcomb," U.S. Olympic Committee CEO Scott Blackmun told The Associated Press. "Steve was a tremendous athlete and even better person, and his perseverance and achievements were an inspiration to us all. Our thoughts and prayers are with Steve's family and the entire bobsledding community."

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Apparently Takk didn't take the time to sign all of his stickers for Panini America -- and now the company is replacing the cards.

The company announced on Friday night that some of the autographs of former UCLA Bruins football star Takkarist McKinley -- a first-round pick of the Atlanta Falcons -- will be replaced by those requesting them.

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What happens when a New York Yankees rookie hits his league-leading 12th home run of the season?

Baseball cards just keep selling.

Aaron Judge is that Yankee and thanks to several years' of prospecting sets and his 2017 Rookie Card arrival he's arguably the hottest cardboard in the hobby today. As we documented here on Monday, he's got more than 400 different autographed cards already -- and there's undoubtedly more on the way -- and that's a good problem to have.

But what if you don't have a Judge auto? Where should you start? Consider these 12 sets or specific cards ...

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The Deadman has hit eBay.

The first Topps autographs signed by future WWE Hall of Famer Undertaker -- just the third certified autographs of his career -- have arrived in boxes of 2017 Topps WWE and the asking price for the first card to hit the auction site has a jaw-dropping Buy-It-Now price.

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Panini America's NBA team has a new player.

Damian Lillard signed a multi-year exclusive deal for autographed trading cards and memorabilia with the company and it was revealed on Monday.

"Damian is absolutely one of the most popular and exciting players in the NBA today and his star is on the rise," said Panini America CEO Mark Warsop. “He’s a bona fide superstar and a perfect fit to join the exclusive fraternity of Panini Authentic exclusive athletes. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed watching him blossom since entering the NBA. Now we get the opportunity to work closely with him to the benefit of his countless fans and collectors."

Lillard's first signed cards will appear in 2016-17 National Treasures, which arrives this week, and autographed memorabilia can be had via alongside other exclusives Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, John Wall and Blake Griffin.

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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: The NFL Draft, big NFL & NBA pulls, 2017 Bowman and a masterful custom auto card set.

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Your new can't-miss high school star to collect is here ... at least according to Sports Illustrated.

First, take a second and read the blurbs. Then go read his story.

Now, Buzz is here to let you know that Hunter Greene already has baseball cards and certified autographs that can be found in packs or added to your collection now. Heck, he's already been on cardboard so long that you just might already have his cards in your stash ... and not even know it.

How?

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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: Who would you want to sign for Americana or Pop Century? Plus big pulls and other talkers from the boards.

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Update: The auction ended at $382,500.

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A 20-page typed speech with hand-written notes by Martin Luther King Jr. is on the auction block.

The speech was delivered on July 6, 1965, in Chicago and included what is believed to be King's first public statement of a phrase that became known very well as part of the civil rights movement, "we shall overcome." In fact, that famous phrase ends the speech and is hand-written as part of a one-page addition to the prepared comments, which have been collected and bound.

Although it is not signed, the book is expected to sell for more than $500,000 via Goldin Auctions, which notes that other original past King speech manuscripts "have been appraised in the millions" and that the owner of the "I Have a Dream" speech has turned down $5 million.

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What: 2017 TRISTAR Quest autographs
Arrives: June 7
Box basics: Five envelopes per lockbox -- each with an autographed flat or memorabilia redemption inside (three lockboxes per case)

What's buzz-worthy: This TRISTAR line will be limited to only 50 cases of autographed items from around the sports world and beyond.

Keep reading for more.

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What: 2017 Leaf Autographed Football Helmets
Arrives: August
Box basics: One autographed full-sized replica helmet per box (four boxes per case)

What's buzz-worthy: Leaf offers another edition of this one with every box yielding either a Hall of Famer, past legend, current NFL star or rookie.

Keep reading for more.

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A new season's new emerging names are doing just that.

Your MLB home run leader right now is Eric Thames of the Milwaukee Brewers, who has smacked seven longballs so far. The latest came as part of a 3-for-4 day Monday against the Cubs in Wrigley Field.

The 30-year-old entered this season with 21 homers in his previous three big-league seasons -- his last being in 2012 with the Mariners. He hit 12 of those homers as a rookie with the Blue Jays in 2011 but struggled with a career average that's up to .259 with his .405 start this year. How far off the radar was he? Thames spent the last three years playing in Korea's KBO League -- where he hit 124 homers in 390 games.

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