Baseball
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (Feb. 3)
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: 2016 Topps, 2016 Topps and more 2016 Topps on the day of 2016 Topps' official arrival.
Contest: 2016 Topps Series 1 is here ... and we want a box to be yours
A new baseball card season is officially here tomorrow with the arrival of 2016 Topps Series 1 and we want a box to be yours.How?
Leave a comment here telling us what you think of the product before Saturday, Feb. 6. We'll select a winner from all entries received through Friday. (Winner will be contacted via the email account left with comment on Saturday.)
If you haven't seen the cards yet, check out our two galleries below.
2016 Topps baseball card gallery
2016 Topps First Pitch baseball card gallery
Follow Buzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz or send email to BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.
Luis Severino's Topps Authentics debut comes with 2016 Topps Chrome Jumbo autos
New York Yankees pitcher Luis Severino is the latest Topps Authentics player and his autograph line debut arrived on Tuesday with a rainbow of 2016 Topps Chrome Jumbo Autos as well as signed memorabilia.The Superfractor opened at $499.99, while the basic auto was $89.99. Four other colors were limited between five and 50 copies and priced in between.
First Buzz: 2016 Topps Tier One baseball cards
What: 2016 Topps Tier One baseball cards
Arrives: May 18
Box basics: Two autographs and one Relic per box -- 12 boxes per case
What's buzz-worthy: Topps' high-end hits-driven brand returns for another season with "refined, high-end trading cards that showcase some of the most sought-after on-card autograph content and rare Relic memorabilia cards from the most collectible baseball players of the game." Among the new inclusions here? Player-used autograph pen Relics known as Signature Tools Autograph Relics.
Keep reading for more.
Gallery: 2016 Topps baseball cards

Contest >> Click here to win a box of 2016 Topps Series 1This one will be purely visual -- a sampling of 2016 Topps baseball cards already pulled by collectors. Keep reading to see more and Buzz will update this one as more interesting cards surface. (Looking for the First Pitch cards? You will find them here.)
Look for camouflage uniforms as part of the photo variations in this set, too.
Add Mo'ne Davis & Kristaps Porzingis to the 2016 Topps First Pitch roster + gallery/checklist
Contest >> Click here to win a box of 2016 Topps Series 1A few more First Pitch cards from 2016 Topps Series 1 have begun to trickle out onto eBay in advance of the product's official release on Wednesday and there's another surprise among the celebs doing the ceremonial honors.
One of them is former Little League World Series star and 14-year-old Mo'ne Davis.
Davis became first girl to earn a win and to pitch a shutout in Little League World Series history during the 2014 event capturing the hearts of many. She appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated and became a household name.
Who else is among the surprises in the set?
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (Jan. 31)
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: 2016 Topps Jordan Spieth First Pitch, big breaks, a 264 collector, Johnny Manziel & more.
PGA star Jordan Spieth among the 2016 Topps' First Pitch celebrities
The first retail pulls from 2016 Topps have begun to hit eBay in advance of its widespread release on Wednesday and that means we get out first glimpses at the surprise inclusions in the First Pitch set.A checklist has not been released for the insert set, but it appears that this year's version will include golfer Jordan Spieth who has not had any official PGA cardboard despite dominating successes this past year.
#BuzzWorthyPulls Week 3 -- Show us your favorite Topps baseball pull
Our weekly Blowout #BuzzWorthyPulls Contest is back. Every single Saturday we'll launch a new post where all you have to do is show off your biggest, newest card via a photo posted on Twitter and here on BlowoutBuzz.com.
Your prize if you're the winner? A $25 BlowoutCards.com gift certificate.This week's contest & instructions (read closely): Show your best Topps baseball pull. Maybe it's in your box of 2016 Topps Series 1 to rip later this week -- or maybe it's something from an old box. Show us your top Topps card pulled lately.
Step 1 -- Take your photo. This must either be a selfie with the card or an image of the card with paper that has #buzzworthypulls hand-written on it. Be sure to show the card clearly. No exceptions.
Step 2 -- Tweet us and tag it. Tweet your pic to @blowoutbuzz and @blowoutcards and you must include the #BuzzWorthyPulls tag. You don't have to say anything else but if you need to add a detail ("Card is a 1/5.") you can.
Step 3 -- Copy-and-paste that tweet into a comment posted on this thread. (This helps us keep track of things.) We'll only consider one entry per person per week -- so make it count. If you don't copy your tweet here, you can't win. Simple as that.
What's next? Be Patient and wait for the following Saturday ... we'll announce a winner either in the early morning or in the evening (depends on Buzz's schedule). The winner will be notified on Twitter and noted in the comments for that week. The comments will then be closed. At the same time, we'll post the next contest and you can enter there.
Are you ready to win? You know what to do ... show us your #BuzzWorthyPulls.
Do you have a collecting story worth seeing here? Follow Buzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz or send BlowoutBuzz a direct message on the Blowout forum.
First Buzz: 2016 Bowman Inception baseball cards
What: 2016 Bowman Inception baseball cards
Arrives: July 6
Box basics: Four autographed and one autographed Relic in every box.What's buzz-worthy: Bowman Inception is back with a new array of colors for top rookies and prospects and five hits in every box without a high-end price -- and new this year are veteran autographs signed on-card.
Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.
Chasing "Thunder & Lightning" not as easy as you might think in Panini America's high-end college brands
Buzz is a collector with varying tastes -- one where there's definitely not one focus but many.It's a blessing and a curse.
When one favorite player isn't playing well or is off the mental radar, the collection doesn't suffer -- the focus turns elsewhere. And then, sometimes, there are just cards that pop up because they are interesting.
Panini America's recently released Immaculate Collection College set and the upcoming National Treasures College edition are packed with singles on Buzz's radar because they show something we haven't seen before -- or at least not a lot of -- in the hobby. One example? A Rafael Palmeiro Mississippi State autograph like the one above that's coming in National Treasures. It's not that Buzz cares one bit about the Bulldogs or even Palmeiro, but the 1985 season where MSU had Will Clark and Palmeiro, aka "Thunder and Lightning," is one that's pretty significant in college baseball lore. And since college baseball is something we haven't historically seen a lot of on cardboard (other than new prospects awaiting their pro colors) that makes a card like this interesting.
New spring training unis will make memorabilia cards more exciting
Your Relics may have just gotten a little more interesting.On Thursday, MLB revealed the new looks for all 30 teams in spring training this year and there are new touches to be found on jerseys and caps beyond the obvious new colors and logos.
For starters, all names and numbers now have a spring-themed sublimated texture as part of the material which will allow collectors to, in some cases, see when the material in their cards was used. The year, along with other spring designators, is part of the design.
Collectors vote Mike Trout as card No. 1 in 2016 Topps baseball card set
When 2016 Topps Series 1 baseball cards arrive on Wednesday, leading the way in the set will be Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout.Trout was voted card No. 1 by collectors and Topps revealed that nugget about its 65th-anniversary release on Thursday.
>>> Need a 2016 Topps Series 1 baseball card checklist? Click here.
“It's awesome," Trout said in a prepared release. "I appreciate the support from fans across MLB. It’s pretty special to be the No. 1 card for Topps."
If this was your only way to own the iconic 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle baseball card, would you buy it?
Buzz did something today that he hadn't done often in years of collecting -- out of curiosity, he searched "1952 Topps Mickey Mantle" on eBay.Surprisingly (though maybe not given auction prices these days) there were nearly 20 graded copies of the iconic card to be had. On the high-end was a PSA 8 OC copy of the card with a hefty price tag and a PSA 7 copy as well. Not bad price-wise, there.
Buzz flipped over to completed auctions out of curiosity and found nearly 30 more completed sales for slabbed copies of the card before finding the gem you see above.
Buzz Poll: Will you miss presidential candidates cards from 2016 Topps?

Topps announced on Wednesday that it removed a set of presidential candidates cards from its 2016 Topps Series 1 baseball card set that is to arrive in seven days.
What are your thoughts about not finding Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump and the other hopefuls in packs of cards?
[polldaddy poll=9288375]
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Follow Buzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz or send email to BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.
Gallery: Don Drysdale collection coming to market via SCP Auctions
More than 20 years after his death, the memorabilia of Hall of Famer and Los Angeles Dodgers pitching great Don Drysdale is coming to auction.The sale will be handled by Laguna Niguel, Calif.-based SCP Auctions and will open on April 6 with more than 1,000 lots as part of the overall event.
“We feel honored to have been chosen by the Drysdale family to bring this extraordinary collection to auction,” said SCP Auctions President David Kohler. “Don was among the most accomplished and revered pitchers in Major League Baseball history and his impressive assemblage of awards and accolades speaks volumes as to his winning ways out on the mound.”
Abe Vigoda had very few roles when it came to trading cards
Actor Abe Vigoda had many roles in his acting career, but for people of a certain age his roles in Barney Miller and The Godfather might come to mind first.Sal Tassio and Detective Fish were the most-memorable for the veteran actor during a career that spanned from the 1940s into the 2000s -- nearly 100 credits. He died on Tuesday at age 94.
His roles on cardboard? They were much more limited.
First Buzz: 2016 Topps Triple Threads baseball cards

What: 2016 Topps Triple Threads baseball cards
Arrives: Sept. 14
Box basics: Four hits in every two-pack box.What's buzz-worthy: Triple Threads returns for an 11th year of high-end hits with a familiar two-pack box format and plenty of potential, which includes a Kevin Costner Bull Durham autographed Relic, plenty of autographs and memorabilia and plenty of booklet cards.
Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.
High-grade Hank Aaron 1954 Topps Rookie powers big Mile High sale

A near-perfect PSA 9 Hank Aaron 1954 Topps Rookie Card led the way in the Mile High Card Company auction that ended during the weekend -- and it was just one of 10 lots that topped the $20,000 mark.
All were graded vintage cards in high grades or key specimens slabbed by PSA or SGC -- meanwhile 13 other auctions topped the $10,000 plateau in the sale.
Click the first image below to enter our gallery and get a closer look at the top 10 lots as well their final sale prices. We added an extra one so you can see a surprising sale price on the only PSA 10 Joe Torre 1962 Topps Rookie Card in existence.
Follow Buzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz or send email to BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.
>> Click here to buy baseball cards on BlowoutCards.com.
- 1954 Topps #128 Henry Aaron PSA 9 MINT # Bids: 25 Min Bid: $25,000 Final Price: $192,527
- 1933 Goudey #92 Lou Gehrig SGC 96 MINT 9 # Bids: 27 Min Bid: $12,000 Final Price: $57,183
- 1970 Topps #140 Reggie Jackson PSA 10 GEM MINT- (Only PSA 10) # Bids: 32 Min Bid: $3,500 Final Price: $43,101
- 1980 Topps #482 Rickey Henderson PSA 10 GEM MINT # Bids: 12 Min Bid: $5,000 Final Price: $29,872
- 1954 Topps #128 Henry Aaron PSA 8 NM/MT # Bids: 18 Min Bid: $5,000 Final Price: $28,449
- 1954 Bowman Football Set (#3 On PSA registry, 9.59 rating) # Bids: 12 Min Bid: $7,500 Final Price: $27,751
- 1952 Bowman #101 Mickey Mantle SGC 96 MINT 9 # Bids: 16 Min Bid: $5,000 Final Price: $27,095
- 1915 Cracker Jack #57 Walter Johnson SGC 96 MINT 9 # Bids: 21 Min Bid: $6,000 Final Price: $26,867
- 1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle PSA 2.5 GOOD+ # Bids: 18 Min Bid: $3,000 Final Price: $21,549
- 1956 Topps #135 Mickey Mantle SGC 96 MINT 9 # Bids: 14 Min Bid: $6,000 Final Price: $21,049
- 1962 Topps #218 Joe Torre PSA 10 GEM MINT (Only PSA 10) # Bids: 17 Min Bid: $1,800 Final Price: $15,536
Long-term Fanatics deal already changing look of things for collectors on MLB.com

A big business deal announced last June probably didn't generate much Buzz for collectors then, but it's a big deal that's already helping shape MLB fans' collections.Last year, Fanatics signed a 17-year-deal to handle the electronic stores on MLB.com and team sites -- and as part of the move that began this year collectors of autographs and game-used memorabilia are already seeing more options on their teams' sites. The pact runs through 2033.
So, what might be found on the sites now?
New Buzz: Products out this week (Jan. 24-30) include Signature Series, Leaf Trinity & new Yu-gi-oh release
Call this week the calm before the storm.There are just three brands on the schedule for release this week -- one football, one baseball, one gaming -- in advance of 11 coming next week.
For football fans, Panini America presents 2015 Donruss Signature Series, which includes four autographs per box. The base set consists of 400 signed cards and every box includes an autographed rookie jersey -- or a multi-auto booklet, which is found one per case.
Board Buzz: Five must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (Jan. 24)
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: Cracked Ice & Snow Camo seem perfect with the weather, 1997 Upper Deck Legends, some big box breaks pulls and much more.
First Buzz: 2016 Leaf Babe Ruth Collection baseball cards
What: 2016 Leaf Babe Ruth Collection baseball cards
Arrives: March 2016
Box basics: 20 packs per box (20 boxes per case) with two boxes per case including a Babe Ruth relic (on average)What's buzz-worthy: Leaf Trading Cards brings The Bambino to the masses with a retail release that gives everybody a realistic shot at Babe Ruth memorabilia in a box that's just $29.99 suggested retail price.
Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.
Auction Gallery: Game-used baseball bats from Goldin Auctions

Game-used baseball bats are often some of the most-abused and most-personalized pieces of game-used memorabilia to hit the market.
And, because of the number of bats a player uses in a season, they can also be bargain-priced at times. But in the case of the Old Hickory J143M used by Mike Trout to hit four home runs during 2013? Well, that bat opened at $2,000 and sits at $7,000 after 17 bids with plenty of time remaining ... so not every bat can be a bargain.
Check out this gallery of 18 gamers presently up for grabs right now from Goldin Auctions. You can see a larger image, the model specs and the opening bid price once inside the gallery.
- Kris Bryant — Model: 2015 Chandler CB243.1 used on May 8. (MLB Authenticated) … Opening Bid: $1,000
- George Brett — Model: 1977-79 T85 Louisville Slugger. (PSA/DNA 8) … Opening Bid: $300
- Christian Colon — Model: 2015 Victus I13C. World Series Game 5 game-winning RBI bat (Anderson LOA & PSA/DNA GU 10) … Opening Bid: $500
- Mike Trout — Model: 2012 Old Hickory J143M. (Anderson LOA & PSA/DNA GU 10) … Opening Bid: $1,500
- Ken Griffey Jr. — Model: 1997 C271 Louisville Slugger. (PSA/DNA and JSA) … Opening Bid: $1,000
- Barry Larkin — Model: 1993 I13 Louisville Slugger All-Star Game model (Barry Larkin and PSA/DNA) … Opening Bid: $500
- Tony Gwynn — Model: 1999 B267 Louisville Slugger. Used for hit No. 2,995 in career. (PSA/DNA) … Opening Bid: $1,000
- Mike Trout — Model: 2013 Old Hickory J143M. Photo-matched to four home runs. (Anderson LOA & PSA/DNA GU 10) … Opening Bid: $2,000
- Roger Maris — Model: 1965-1968 D145 Louisville Slugger (PSA/DNA) … Opening Bid: $500
- Bryce Harper — Model: 2012 Marucci Luke1:P37. (PSA/DNA GU 10) … Opening Bid: $1,000
- Lloyd Waner — Model: 1927-1928 Hillerich & Bradsby side-written bat (Mears A-8) … Opening Bid: $1,500
- Barry Bonds — Model: 1993-1997 H238 Louisville Slugger (PSA/DNA GU 9.5) … Opening Bid: $400
- Derek Jeter — Model 2002-2005 P72 Louisville Slugger (PSA/DNA GU 10) … Opening Bid: $1,500
- Willie McCovey — Model: 1959 K55 Louisville Slugger (PSA/DNA GU 9 & JSA) … Opening Bid: $1,000
- Johnny Bench — Model: 1968-1970 220A Adirondack (PSA/DNA GU 9) … Opening Bid: $750
- Cal Ripken Jr. — Model 1986-1989 F149 Louisville Slugger (PSA/DNA GU-9, JSA, & Mears A9.5) … Opening Bid: $750
- Max Carey — Model: 1928-1930 Hillerich & Bradsby (PSA/DNA) … Opening Bid: $1,000
- Gabby Hartnett — Model: Circa 1925 Krens I13GH (PSA/DNA GU 8) … Opening Bid: $1,000
Follow Buzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz or send email to BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.
Can you collect MLB Network talents' autographs? Yes and no ...
Buzz has spent a lot of the off-season watching MLB Network because there's plenty going on when it comes to transactions, baseball chatter and there's always time for documentaries.And there's Intentional Talk, too.
But watching a lot of the Network also got Buzz wondering about autographs of many of the people on the air bringing the news to us. Many are former players who have certified autographs that were placed into packs of baseball cards -- but there are some who have far fewer cards than others. Who might cost you the most between Billy Ripken, Kevin Millar, Sean Casey and Peter Gammons? It might be surprising -- but the first challenge is to just find a signed card from some of them.
It's surprising that a card company hasn't attempted some type of card set focusing on the Network (signed or not). An unsigned set would immediately become a favorite of through-the-mail autograph seekers -- and probably a good piece of marketing for MLB, too.
Keep reading for a rundown of the MLB Network roster when it comes to certified autos ...





























































