Buzz buys and busts a lot of boxes right here for Buzz Breaks, but one of my goals is to rip a little less and talk more about cardboard that I -- and you -- might like. One way to do that? Simple show and tell -- present a few pick-ups and say why they captured my attention.

So, with all that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ...

--

IT'S FOOTBALL SEASON ... 
The Item: Paul "Bear" Bryant cut autograph (BAS authenticated)
The Price: Less than a lot of new hobby boxes.
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This pricier (for me) pick-up actually came in the last week of last year but I decided to hold onto posting it here until it's the right time -- and since football season is upon us, well, that means now's the time. In the fall of 2019, I bought a starter auto of this legendary Alabama Crimson Tide coach who before Nick Saban was easily the greatest in school history (right now, it's perhaps a toss-up) -- that one was an inscribed nickname-only auto -- for a lot less as it was a cut from a paperback book. This one? It's signed on thick, red paper (almost a light cardboard stock) and I know exactly where it came from -- a 1975 copy of his autobiography, Bear: The Hard Life and Good Times of Alabama's Coach Bryant. I have a clean-but-ratty copy of that book somewhere in my stash from an antiques store find 20-some years ago, but when this popped up from a West Coast mega-dealer of vintage (and selected modern-player) autographed stuff and plenty more I bit. I actually prefer the cut auto feel here in its case vs. the full book as it can be viewed when you find it vs. tucked behind a cover. A lot of Bryant autographs are found these days -- 40 years after his death -- are on signed copies of this book or on a style of autographed photo or two that is nearly always found inscribed and dated to fans or boosters from back in the day. While a photo (preferably slabbed) would be nice, this is a better, simpler item. Authenticated photos can cost less but look iffier depending on condition. I like this one -- and it's card-like feel -- and, heck, I might even do more. They are out there and findable.
Grab a box right here: College football boxes

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

Continue reading →

What: 2023 Topps Star Wars Chrome Black trading cards
Arrives: Sept. 27
Box basics: One autograph in every four-card box (12 boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: The Topps Chrome Black formula goes intergalactic once again with Star Wars and the formula that has been previously used for Topps' dark line.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

Continue reading →

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: 2023 Uno Barbie The Movie playing cards 
Where to buy: Retail for these ... BlowoutCards.com for past Barbie sets

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery of what was in this one.

Continue reading →

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: That Ja Morant cameo card has others, new pulls, eBay Authentication blunders, lawsuit reactions and more.

Continue reading →

What: 2023 Topps Star Wars Chrome Galaxy trading cards
Arrives: Aug. 30
Box basics: 18 four-card packs per box (12 boxes per case) -- one sketch card per case
Checklist: Click here
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Star Wars' art-driven Galaxy line gets yet another go on Chrome revisiting all aspects of the Star Wars universe but with a dramatic change compared to last year.

Keep reading for more as well as a gallery.

Continue reading →

Buzz buys and busts a lot of boxes right here for Buzz Breaks, but one of my goals is to rip a little less and talk more about cardboard that I -- and you -- might like. One way to do that? Simple show and tell -- present a few pick-ups and say why they captured my attention.

So, with all that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ... a mix of low-and and higher-end finds as well as some non-traditional things people might like to collect. 

--

MY HERITAGE SLEEPER SET ... 
The Card: Hank Aaron 2023 Topps Heritage Puzzles (announced /500)
The Price: $17.99
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This oversized box-topper set isn't huge at just 20 puzzles on the checklist but they don't drop all that often, either, from what I have seen -- one per case at most (and maybe not at all). It's one that I knew I liked immediately back when Heritage dropped with its lineup of mostly current names but also with some past stars all in one spot. What are they? Literal puzzles shrink-wrapped to a cardboard backer placed atop the packs in some boxes. A total of 13 active players (two rookies) are here along with seven Hall of Famers -- but some obvious names like Shohei Ohtani didn't make the cut ... so I suspect we'll see more in the second series later this year. I liked a few of the options in this one but waited for prices to dip and they really haven't as much as I had hoped they would. (Why? They're on the rarer side of things compared to a lot of stuff in this one.) This one presented itself on more of the affordable side more recently so I bit. These are just oldschool cool if you ask me -- something that feels a bit anti-2023 but also not totally part of a rigid Heritage formula that's been going for two decades plus now. I like surprises -- and this set felt like one.
Grab a box right here: 2023 Topps Heritage

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

Continue reading →

Like many collectors, Buzz is a fan of grading and knows that there are many reasons that collectors choose to slab cards. Sometimes it's to enhance the appeal and protect them when selling. Other times it's to protect an investment for the long-term or to protect for sentimental reasons. Or, it might be just for fun or curiosity about a potential grade.

Here's this month's grading diary here on The Buzz ...

SHINE LIKE MINI-DIAMONDS ...
The Card: Ronald Acuña Jr. 2021 Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary Edition Rose Gold Mini-Diamond Refractors (/75)
The Reason Graded: Generally, I only do Chrome stuff in any kind of volume when it gets cheap -- and in this case they were as I found a run of mega boxes of this one priced less than blasters and that got me to bite. (They're all Buzz Breaks so go check the archives.) One of my better finds in those boxes was this card, which is a super-sparkly take on the 1952 Topps design that, in my mind, does work while a lot of the basic Chrome takes found in this set just don't. (There were a lot of quality control issues with this release.) In this case, since it's a top name, a rare card and a crisp and cleanly centered copy I put it into a bulk sub. Why? I like it and the player ... and I felt like it had some good potential.
The Grade: CSG 9.5

Reality Check: It's the lowest of two copies graded by CSG (now CGC) with the other one checking in where I had hoped to be. No biggie ... I like this card no matter what and all of his stuff -- Rookie Cards, hits and rarities -- should be getting looks as he could become baseball's newest 40-40 Club member -- and might even push higher if he gets really hot with the bat in the second half. With him you never know.

Keep reading for more of this month's pick-ups and new slabs for Buzz.

Continue reading →

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: A big Flawless surprise, The National, bad quality control, Elly De La Cruz, Garbage Pail Kids and ... TacoFractors! 

Continue reading →

What: 2023 Topps Garbage Pail Kids x View Askew stickers
Arrives: Now via Topps.com
Box basics: 24 cards per six-pack box
Checklist: Click here
Order: Click here (when available)

What's buzz-worthy: The stars of Kevin Smith's multi-film empire -- the View Askewniverse -- gets taken on by the Garbage Pail Kids with a small set packed with nods to the comedies' profane pasts.

Keep reading for more as well as a full gallery of images.

Continue reading →

Buzz buys and busts a lot of boxes right here for Buzz Breaks, but one of my goals is to rip a little less and talk more about cardboard that I -- and you -- might like. One way to do that? Simple show and tell -- present a few pick-ups and say why they captured my attention.

So, with all that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ... 

--

BIG AUTO, BIG PHOTO ... SMALLER PRICE
The Photo: Michael Harris II autographed 16-by-20 photo (Fanatics Authentic)
The Price: Under $65 ... Note: this large-size item isn't easy to photograph all that well without a lot of glare on its top-loader, so the image above is their Photoshopped sales mock.
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I have this one batting lead-off as it's an item I wanted last year -- when he won the National League Rookie Of The Year award -- but I had my same-day order canceled by the company. Why? Perhaps it was my use of an extra sale code via a site that sells their stuff (it worked and the order was processed) but there was no reason given. I picked this up more recently -- with a rewards code atop a sale price -- from that same place, though, after he had a tough start to this season. No cancellation this time and no worries -- I just wanted his auto in my stash and I like the feel of a nice display piece (though I display nothing) with a large signature vs. a card that's likely going to cost more. In fact, the cheapest auto for him on a non-MLB card on one site where I buy singles is higher than what I paid for this. I'm probably a one-and-done on his autos unless they get cheaper over time, anyway, though. Why? His signature is a bit oversimplified as he's been in demand. It does look better than the mock but is still quite simple for my taste -- I'll start here and play the waiting game on any more.
Grab a box right here: Michael Harris RCs in 2023 releases

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

Continue reading →

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: First Bowman vs. Topps Rookie Card, The National, MLB chatter, new Star Wars pulls and more.

Continue reading →

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: New pulls, reacting to the latest headlines, reacting to Star Wars Sapphire, influencer myth-making, The National and more.

Continue reading →

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: Some burning questions -- "Should the Angels trade Shohei Ohtani?" and "If Tom Brady was Thanos, who would the NFL's Avengers be?" -- and plenty more in today's edition.

Continue reading →

What: 2023 Topps Star Wars trading cards
Arrives: Aug. 11
Box basics: 24 packs and one WideVision card per hobby box (eight boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: This one will include "tons of new content to collect including chase pieces like hologram cards, rare short-prints and various SKU exclusives for the more-serious collectors," according to Topps, but there may not be any hits -- autographs or printing plates -- per box this time around.

Keep reading for more as well as a gallery.

Continue reading →

Like many collectors, Buzz is a fan of grading and knows that there are many reasons that collectors choose to slab cards. Sometimes it's to enhance the appeal and protect them when selling. Other times it's to protect an investment for the long-term or to protect for sentimental reasons. Or, it might be just for fun or curiosity about a potential grade.

Here's this month's grading diary here on The Buzz ... an edition heavy on MLB and WWE but with some surprises.

A FULL SIG THAT'S TWICE AS NICE ...
The Cards: Shotzi Blackheart 2020 Topps WWE NXT Roster Autographs
The Reason Graded: If you're a regular reader then you know it's no secret that I've busted tons of these boxes and picked off tons of her cards as the WWE's Tank Girl is high on my collecting radar. Why? She's unique and fun -- and the name and character is self-made, too, so if her WWE run were to ever come to an end, well then "Shotzi" won't. In this case, I pulled both of these autos myself and since it's among her first certified sigs as well as a more of a full auto (unlike how she signs now) I'm eventually slabbing all I own ... but not all at once.
The Grade: CSG 10

Reality Check: The stock here is skinny and since there are on-card autos they are prone to having some issues at times ... so this pair of 10s was an exciting return. The pop report looks pretty good, too -- I really need to get all my stuff organized to see how many of those are mine and how many more I need to slab ... eventually they'll all get graded. Why? I'm a collector and I like this one (and it's parallels) that much. 

Keep reading for more of this month's pick-ups and new slabs for Buzz.

Continue reading →

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: 2023 Topps Chrome Star Wars trading cards (blaster)
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here
Pack/Box Odds: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery of what was in this one.

Continue reading →

Buzz buys and busts a lot of boxes right here for Buzz Breaks, but one of my goals is to rip a little less and talk more about cardboard that I -- and you -- might like. One way to do that? Simple show and tell -- present a few pick-ups and say why they captured my attention.

So, with all that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ... 

--

SIX-PACK OF SHOTZI
The Cards: Shotzi Blackheart 2022 Panini Impeccable WWE Indelible Ink autographs (/99)
The Price: Between $30-40 each (but mostly on the low side of that)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This card is easily among my favorites from the entirety of the Panini WWE run so far with an on-card auto, a unique photo and simple crop for a colorful high-energy star who's known to bark at the moon and come to the ring on a miniature tank wearing a horned Army helmet atop her long neon green hair. (Really.) I picked off these on the lower side of things over recent months and need to find more, but opening of boxes seems to have slowed some recently with more new releases popping up. I like this one with its thick stock, too. Ideally, I'd like to run up my total to maybe nine or 10 ... maybe more if I spot them with the right prices.
Grab a box right here: 2022 Panini Impeccable WWE

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

Continue reading →

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: 2023 Topps Chrome Star Wars trading cards (blaster)
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here
Pack/Box Odds: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery of what was in this one.

Continue reading →

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: Women of Star Trek Art & Images trading cards
Where to buy: Click here

Keep reading for a full breakdown of what was in this over-delivering box as well as a gallery.

Continue reading →

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: 2022 Leaf Metal Pop Century 1/1 Pre-Production Proofs
Where to buy: Click here

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery for what was in this one.

Continue reading →

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: RIP to the Iron Sheik, Elly De La Cruz arrives, ripping new Star Wars, 2023 Topps Series 2 is here ... all that and more in today's edition.

Continue reading →

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 packs: 1994-95 Pyramid Street Fighter movie cards
Where to buy: Will take some hunting ... hit BlowoutCards.com for newer non-sports cards

Keep reading for a breakdown and gallery for what was in this one.

Continue reading →

Like many collectors, Buzz is a fan of grading and knows that there are many reasons that collectors choose to slab cards. Sometimes it's to enhance the appeal and protect them when selling. Other times it's to protect an investment for the long-term or to protect for sentimental reasons. Or, it might be just for fun or curiosity about a potential grade.

Here's this month's grading diary here on The Buzz ...

TICKET TO HISTORY ...
The Ticket: Woodstock (Aug.15-17, 1969) -- three-day ticket ($24)
The Reason Bought: There are more than a dozen different styles of tickets for this historic event in music and pop culture history and none of them are all that rare -- and that makes for an interesting grading market. High-grade tickets can be priced like they're non-existent yet about 60 percent of the full tickets that are slabbed check in at a PSA 9 or 10 and raw tickets (assuming they are real ... but there's a chance they might not be) can be found on the cheap under $100. I knew quite awhile back that I wanted one in a slab and I was patient with my window shopping until I spotted this one. I wanted a three-day style but there are single-day tickets that are very traditional-looking and I finally spotted this one at a good price (just under $100) vs. the same thing with asking prices for 9s and 10s that are as high as $1,000. Actual sales for higher grades are typically anywhere from $200 to $700 on eBay with a lot of irregularity -- and BINs just under the $200 mark quite often. In short, they're findable.
The Grade: PSA 8

Reality Check: More than 3,750 different full tickets have been slabbed for Woodstock and this version -- one of three types in the PSA pop report for a three-day ticket -- is the easiest and the only one with more than 1,000 copies slabbed. In fact, the number of 10s for this style is higher than all but two of the entire slab totals for other styles. I didn't sweat the grade as the flaws on this one seem minor -- I'm imagining some minor black ink "snow" on there perhaps dropped it a grade but generally everything here is clean to the eye with no obvious flaws. That's good enough for me as beginner or one-time dabbler. Modern tickets for big artists can be quite pricey when slabbed as availability is often an issue, but I'm assuming a bulk "find" of these happened at some point back in the day given the high-profile event and all that went into it.

Keep reading for more of this month's pick-ups and new slabs for Buzz.

Continue reading →

--

Buzz buys and busts a lot of boxes right here for Buzz Breaks, but one of my goals is to rip a little less and talk more about cardboard that I -- and you -- might like. One way to do that? Simple show and tell -- present a few pick-ups and say why they captured my attention.

So, with all that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ... 

TIFFY TIME ... IS NOW
The Cards: Tiffany Stratton 2022 Panini Prizm WWE Premium Box Set (/199) & Orange Prizm (/99) -- Rookie Card parallels
The Price: About $60 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: She's the new NXT women's champ and that is likely going to mean more people are looking for her 2022 Rookie Cards from Panini America where she arrived in the meaty Prizm debut but actually didn't make the cut in all of the other sets from last year. Why? She was very new to WWE even when this first set arrived. I picked up both of these this spring when it seemed very obvious her time -- what she calls "Tiffy Time" -- was coming in NXT and I suspect it won't stop here. For more on her background, check out my previous Buzz Buys where there were more pick-ups. In short, I'm sold on the in-ring potential here and the over-the-top character work, too. These also will both eventually be slabbed cards in my collection.
Grab a box: WWE boxes are here.

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

Continue reading →

What: 2023 Topps Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi Chrome Sapphire Edition
Arrives: June 21 (Wednesday online-first release; $199.99 start)
Box basics: Two parallels per 32-card box
Checklist: Click here
Order: Click here (when available)

What's buzz-worthy: The 40th anniversary of Return Of The Jedi gets its cards Chromed with a Sapphire touch coming this week from Topps.

Keep reading for more.

Continue reading →