Autograph Collecting
Need a 2016 Topps WWE Undisputed checklist? Get it here ...
Topps is following up on its first high-end WWE set with a sequel less than a year later and we're just two weeks away from the arrival of 2016 Topps WWE Undisputed, which is now set for a July 6 release.That means the final checklist is here.
There won't be as many autographs in every box this time around, but there will be plenty of autographs that should be in demand with a crop of new signers and young stars filling those high-end packs.
Gallery: 2016 Panini Flawless soccer cards (updated)

We've all seen the outrageousness of the cleat cards that 2016 Panini Flawless soccer brings to the hobby, but now that it's here we get to see some of the more standard results pulled from those shiny cases that have made their way onto eBay.Barry Bonds adds autographed memorabilia to his official website -- and much of it sells out instantly
Maybe the MLB Home Run King doesn't know his market all these years later.Barry Bonds offered a number of team-issued memorabilia pieces on his website on Tuesday afternoon -- a number of travel bags and a couple of warm-ups and a jersey -- and nearly all of the autographed items were gone in minutes.
Why?
Gallery: 2015-16 Panini Gala basketball cards (updated)

The NBA season is over but the cardboard season just keeps going -- and the latest release from Panini America arrives tomorrow with plenty of high-end potential.It's 2015-16 Panini Gala and every five-card box includes four autographs or memorabilia cards.
Willson Contreras makes bid for Next Big Thing status in Chicago
With the first pitch he saw as a big-leaguer, Willson Contreras delivered and that might spark more future deliveries for collectors as he's not got that much cardboard just yet unlike all of those other young Chicago Cubs stars.His first pitch resulted in a pinch-hit two-run homer -- and that's resulted in his first MLB Rookie Card, a Topps Now card available right now and only for the next 20-plus hours.
But it's not his only card -- or his only card to come.
Gallery: The Vampire Diaries Season 4 autographs from Cryptozoic

The Vampire Diaries may be in its eighth season, but it's Season 4 that's in the spotlight this week when it comes to cardboard as the show's new trading card set arrives on Wednesday from Cryptozoic.
Every box of The Vampire Diaries Season 4 will include at least one autograph and one memorabilia card with a pretty deep roster of signers that includes some of the series' longest-running stars.
LeBron James & Kevin Love NBA champs autographs now available from Upper Deck Authenticated

The Cleveland Cavaliers' first NBA championship means there will be plenty of new commemorative pieces to come -- and two of the team's biggest stars' autographs will only come from Upper Deck Authenticated.They are LeBron James and Kevin Love -- and there are already six autographed items available.
Gallery: 2015-16 SP Authentic hockey cards
The hockey season may be over, but the big hits will still be coming thanks to the latest NHL release from Upper Deck. It's 2015-16 SP Authentic and it's set to arrive on June 29.
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (June 17)
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: New breaks, a massive Tom Brady collection, The Walking Dead, NFL penmanship & The National.
Panini America's NASCAR plans include strong retail presence
We've not yet seen the first images of cards from Panini America's four forthcoming NASCAR products, but the retail details for three of those products promise to rev the engines of racing fans who have waited a long time for new cardboard.For starters, there will be a hit in every single blaster box.
Colby Lewis' near no-hitter puts spotlight on his lack of cardboard
Colby Lewis flirted with throwing a no-hitter and the 24th perfect game in MLB history on Thursday in Oakland, but settled for a complete-game two-hit victory as his Texas Rangers beat the Athletics 5-1.He struck out four in the game. The last gem was Kenny Rogers' perfect game back in 1994.
For collectors, and particularly Texas Rangers fans, an uptick in his play could be an interesting development as the 36-year-old right-hander has got very little cardboard.
Upper Deck's latest Michael Jordan autograph piece could let you have fun with game ... but you shouldn't
We all know that Michael Jordan is the biggest autograph in basketball and that his exploits in the NBA's Slam Dunk Contest are still memorable to this day.A new item from Upper Deck Authenticated combines those two things with a twist.
Topps teases more surprises to come in Topps Now program
Ten collectors who recently purchased card No. 100 in Topps' real-time card program, Topps Now, were surprised to find a certified autograph version of the Brandon Crawford card that they ordered instead of a regular one.It wasn't an accident.
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (June 16)
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: Scenes inside fan caves, Topps NBA chips, big breaks, big blasters & the National Sports Collectors Convention.
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (June 14)
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: Big breaks, The National and Preacher.
First Buzz: 2016 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures autographed baseballs (Series 8)

What: 2016 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures autographed baseballs (Series 8)
Arrives: July 20
Box basics: One autographed baseball per box (12 boxes per case)What's buzz-worthy: TRISTAR's autographed baseball chase brand returns with a Ruthian inclusion as well as some specialty balls that will add to the chase.
Keep reading for more.
Sunday Six: Memorable (and cheap) cards from 1992 Pro Line Portraits

There are many sports cards sets out there from the past that aren't valuable in the financial way at all but they can carry some intrinsic quality that should just resonate with some collectors anyway.
Maybe it's just because Buzz ripped these packs in the past -- or maybe because they are just so much more different than anything made in the years since -- but one set that feels that way for me is 1992 Pro Line Portraits. It's a football card set that's simple -- portraits on the front -- and oddly non-statistical with thoughts from the person on the back. Most are football players, but some are players' wives and others are celebrities who have a fondness for the game. One of those people, for example, is Muhammad Ali and you can see his Team NFL insert card (No. 1 in the set) above. The biggest draw of these back then? There was an autographed card guaranteed in every box.
For a simple Sunday item -- call it a Sunday Six -- here's a look at six fun cards from the product.
Will "O.J.: Made in America" spark new interest in O.J. Simpson cards?
There's no doubt that even after years out of the spotlight that O.J. Simpson remains one of the more-controversial and polarizing people on the planet, and we'll get a new wave of discussion about the retired and incarcerated football star with the premiere of O.J.: Made in America, which is a five-part ESPN Films documentary, tonight on ABC.
Simpson, of course, is behind bars for armed robbery and kidnapping after an altercation with a memorabilia dealer back in 2007. His acquittal in the deaths of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman -- and the 1997 civil suit found Simpson liable for their deaths -- will be one of the main focuses of the nearly eight-hour series.Will the new story spark any added interest in his key cards? It's very possible and people are seemingly already interested to some degree. His 1970 Topps Rookie Card (above) actually surged in value back during the first trial and there were non-NFL-licensed card companies that actually had him sign autographs while in jail. According to one advance account of the new documentary, those autographs signed in jail are discussed in the series.
"O.J. had only been in jail for two or three days when, per his agent Mike Gilbert, he gave instructions to start 'marketing and merchandising and generating a lot of money,'" reads one advance review. "Gilbert and memorabilia dealer Bruce Fromong brought in fabric numbers for O.J. to sign, which would later be sewn into jerseys, and leather panels that would eventually become footballs. Demand, says Fromong, was through the roof, and as photographs reveal, an O.J. autograph signed from behind bars could go for hundreds of dollars.
"'He sat in jail,' says Fromong, 'and we did $3-million dollars in autographs.' One photograph of O.J. and Johnnie Cochran got both their signatures. 'I look back,' says Gilbert, 'and think, this sucked. I can’t believe we did this.'”
Sports loses an icon -- "Mr. Hockey" Gordie Howe dies at 88

Before "The Great One," there was "Mr. Hockey."
Gordie Howe, who led the Detroit Red Wings to four Stanley Cups and won six MVP awards before retiring as the NHL's most-prolific scorer, died on Friday. He was 88.
"A lot of times when you meet your idols and people you respect and look up to, sometimes it's not as great as you had anticipated or you built it up too much," Wayne Gretzky told ESPN. "I was so lucky when I met Gordie. I was 10. It was so much nicer and bigger and better than I had ever imagined it. To this day when people come up to me that talk about having done a book report or speech about me, I always talk about the time that my fondest memory in public school was writing a book report on Gordie Howe."
Potential No. 1 pick A.J. Puk appears on plenty of cards before MLB Draft
With the MLB Draft set for Thursday night, we'll soon have a new crop of prospects attached to their professional teams and new players that collectors can now focus upon.Thanks to various high school all-star sets and USA Baseball releases from Panini America, many of the players who'll be tabbed for future greatness already have cardboard.
That includes potential No. 1 overall pick A.J. Puk, a 6-foot-7 left-handed pitcher for the Florida Gators who was previously drafted in the 35th round by the Detroit Tigers out of high school back in 2013.
As Swin Cash's career comes to a close, there's not much cardboard for collectors to chase
The WNBA is in its 20th season and one of the best all-around players in the history of the league, Swin Cash, announced on Tuesday that this will be the final campaign of her 15-year career."This game I love saved my life after a cancer scare. It’s provided for me and my family. It’s given me championships in college and the pros," she wrote in a piece for The Players Tribune. "And it’s asked me whether or not I had the tenacity and perseverance to compete with and against the greatest athletes in the world, and take home the prize of prizes: an Olympic gold medal. Twice."
She's one of the top players statistically -- yet she's got very little cardboard for fans to chase. Her story is not a unique one as WNBA cardboard has been largely limited to a small boxed set each year since 2009.
Topps' Kimbo Slice autographs a rare find -- and one's even rarer
He's got just one certified autograph -- but if you have it you may need another.Kimbo Slice was a backyard brawler and YouTube enigma before he became a professional MMA fighter. He had a 5-2 record with Elite XC, UFC and Bellator but that limited time with UFC was enough to get him a single certified autograph card appearance.
The fighter, who died on Monday at age 42, signed a limited number of 2009 Topps UFC The Ultimate Fighter Season 10 cards. However, there's a twist here.
Cryptozoic reveals at least one surprise coming in Orphan Black
The unique structure of the Orphan Black story -- one where lead Tatiana Maslany plays not one but five characters -- is sure to prompt some creative twists from Cryptozoic as it readies its Orphan Black Season 1 set.
The first twist can be seen above.As Cryptozoic released teaser images of it signers for the forthcoming product, it also provided to Buzz a look at a variation autograph of Maslany as Helena. This comes in addition to her standard autograph as Sarah Manning.
Could three more autographs be coming? We'll learn more in the weeks before this one is set to arrive. Keep reading for more on what's been revealed about the product so far.
Big weekend for Dodgers' Corey Seager prompts collecting question
Los Angeles Dodgers rookie Corey Seager's hot streak started Friday night and continued again on Sunday with his weekend tally including five homers in three games.Not bad for a guy who was waiting (and waiting) for the call a year ago.
But Seager's domination at the plate got Buzz wondering which way collectors are leaning on Seager ink. He's pretty much a given to appear in forthcoming brands this year -- so there are plenty more autos to come with an RC logo attached (including Tier One this week) -- but he's already got a rich autograph history. Even on Chrome.
Sports world loses a legend -- Muhammad Ali dies at 74
As he told us all, he floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee -- he was the greatest of the great ... his name was Muhammad Ali.The legendary boxer, iconic athlete, activist and cultural figure died Friday night. He was 74.
"A true great has left us," promotor Bob Arum told ESPN. "Muhammad Ali transformed this country and impacted the world with his spirit. His legacy will be part of our history for all time."






























