Ace Authentic's run as a pro tennis card creator included some of the biggest names in the game signing on and a number of appearances on memorabilia cards that are still among the only options out there for fans of the action on the court.

Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova, Rafael Nadal, Anna Kournikova, Andy Roddick, Jennifer Capriati, Andre Agassi and Billie Jean King are just some of the notables who signed for the company during its run before Leaf purchased its assets and intellectual property back in December 2012.

A new (old) arrival in the BlowoutCards store on Friday sparked some interest as, well, there aren't a lot of tennis options to be found out there in the world right now -- these are actually the only tennis option on the site. And, as a result of there being no new stuff on the market, some cards have had some crazy sales recently over on eBay. There's also an element of mystery here, too, as you might guess from the visuals above.

What is it? Keep reading.

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 ... and this time around it's an oddball edition of stuff I've picked up throughout the last year.

--

BERNIE BATTING LEAD-OFF
The Card: Bernie Brewer 2018 Topps Opening Day Mascot Relics
The Price: $8
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This one isn't all that unusual if you know Opening Day's inclusions through the years, but Mascot Relics are still odd in the big picture and mostly only found in this brand that gets a "for the kids" label slapped on it often when it's really one that's "for the collectors." So, what's the catch? Stuff like this has odds so long that you don't see them pop up unless you're ripping in bulk. How rare? This one was close to one in 5,000 packs. There are mascot auto Relics in there, too, at close to one in 94,000 packs. Only seven mascots had these cards in this particular set and I'd argue that this guy might be among the better ones.
Grab a box right here: 2018 Topps Opening Day MLB

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: Collecting just one brand, revisiting an NFL name from the past, LeBron James' RCs blow up, tennis cards and more in today's edition.

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.

--

OFF-SEASON GRAB
The Card: Calvin Ridley 2018 Donruss Optic Aqua (/299) -- Rookie Card parallel
The Price: $2.25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This card is a perfect example of an off-season pick-up that can show you some volatility and gains when in-season. The price above is a "then" price. The asking price now where I grabbed it? Basically add a zero and then a few bucks. Now, I'm not sure it'll sell for that much right now, but that's the kind of stuff that can easily happen when a player has a hot start to a season and is among the league leaders. Ridley had at least 109 yards in all but one game (that one a big fat zero) and he's a go-to for his struggling team right now. His auto isn't much to look at so I don't grab them as often, but I don't mind his RCs and memorabilia cards when I can land them cheaply.
Grab a box right here: 2018 Donruss Optic football cards

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

Continue reading →

If you're looking for a Naomi Osaka officially licensed trading card, there are ultimately just two boxes that are options -- two recent International Tennis Hall of Fame-approved card sets from Topps.

And they couldn't be more different.

One is a 50-card set of basic cardboard from 2019 that includes her every time along with one other current star and 48 Hall of Famers that sold for about $20, and the other is the ultra-premium 2020 Topps Transcendent Collection Tennis Hall of Fame set that can include her autograph on a metal-framed premium design and plenty more legendary cardboard with a catch ... only 50 sets were made.

The good news, though, is that every set includes one of her basic cards -- again only 50 made -- and every box also has a statistically decent shot at landing her autograph, too, as each set has 30 cards from 51 signers. She's in there with some of the greatest players in the history of her sport.

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 Today: Remembering Lou Brock, big pulls, tennis cards, a Project 2020 rumor and are people dumping certain cards?

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 Today: Big pulls, five NFL cards worth a look, bad eBayers and more in today's edition.

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 that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ...

--

PROJECT 2020 GOT ME
The Card: Ken Griffey Jr. 2020 Topps Project 2020 -- Artist: King Saladeen (/2,504 made)
The Price: $19.99
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This was my first card I picked up in the recently launched Project 2020 series from Topps, which is a higher-end premium-stock card set that takes a look back at 20 memorable players' memorable cards through the eyes of 20 different artists. They start at $19.99 with combo and volume discounts available, but I'm going to be on the boat for selected cards here and there as I don't heavily collect any of the players and all artists' styles aren't for me. That said, this card is a memorable take of a memorable Rookie Card for one of the biggest players of the last 40 years so I grabbed it. There are 400 cards in the set with each having Artist Proofs (/20) that vanish instantaneously as well as a Gold 1/1 that's randomly inserted into direct orders from Topps. You'll see more of these cards here throughout the year and you can see the ongoing gallery that updates every weekday right here on The Buzz. I have more of these incoming but this is the only one I presently have in-hand.
Grab a box right here: No boxes for this set ... see MLB boxes here

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

Continue reading →

What: 2020 Topps Transcendent Collection Tennis Hall of Fame tennis cards
Arrives: April 1
Box basics: 33 autographs and more per box
Checklist: Click here
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Transcendent takes to the court with the super-premium format known to baseball and wrestling fans but this time around it's the biggest legends from the tennis world -- the stars in the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

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

Continue reading →

Topps is taking to the court.

A new set offered by the company on Tuesday is the 2019 Topps International Tennis Hall of Fame set and it includes 48 past greats of the game as well as two active competitors.

Continue reading →

Buzz buys and busts a lot of boxes right here for Buzz Breaks, but one of my goals just might be to rip fewer blasters this year 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. Would they capture yours? I'd be interested to know -- sometimes they might, sometimes they won't and that's fine. It's a buyer's market out there with plenty of options and bargains as well as high-end gems to chase.

So, with all that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ... and this time around it's a mix of hits and basics.

--

A SMALL USA BASEBALL GEM
The Card: Tony Zych 2009 Upper Deck Signature Stars USA National Team Premier Materials Cap Flag Patches (/4)
The Price: Under $10
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: USA Baseball products have some types of hits you just don't see elsewhere and they aren't all one-of-kind creations, either. Zych was still a college player here but he did make it to The Show for three seasons with the Mariners but he's ultimately not why you see this one here -- it's because it's a unique patch from a cap that's a small version of a larger chase that USA sets are known for. This USA crop in this particular release is stacked between all of the USA ink and mem cards and a strong list of names who have made MLB. Other players with cards like this one in those cheap boxes? Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, Trevor Bauer, Gerrit Cole, Sonny Gray and Kolten Wong. There are 27 players with these cards, though not all have four copies. Either way, this one is a gem to me as I have always had a soft spot for prime USA stuff. Why? Because I've actually pulled some -- they're far from impossible finds and they're not from high-end boxes price-wise.
Grab a box right here: 2009 Upper Deck Signature Stars

Keep reading for several more interesting items ...

Continue reading →

What: 2018 Leaf Grand Slam tennis cards
Arrives: October/November
Box Basics: Eight autographed cards per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's Buzz-worthy: Leaf Trading Cards returns to the court with what it calls its "most value-driven tennis release of all time." with nothing but autographed cards for this one.

Keep reading for more as well as a gallery.

Continue reading →

Those who pick up a VIP ticket package for this year's National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland will have a five-card Prominent Cuts set from Upper Deck in their bag and that's just the start of what the company has planned for the five-day show that begins on Aug. 1.

The stars leading the way in that set? Ben Simmons, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Tiger Woods and Serena Williams. 

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 Today: Big pulls from the card world, big concerns in comic world & more.

Continue reading →

What: 2017 Leaf Signature Series tennis cards
Arrives: Aug. 15
Box Basics: 10 autographed cards per box (12 boxes per case)

What's Buzz-worthy: Leaf Trading Cards takes to the court once again with a product that "features a very strong checklist including the addition of a number of elite new names" while also having a small print run.

Keep reading for more as well as a gallery.

Continue reading →

What: 2016 Leaf Metal tennis cards
Arrives: August
Box basics: Five autographed cards per box (12 boxes per case)

What's buzz-worthy: Tennis gets the Metal rainbow for the first time with autographs of Serena Williams, Roger Federer and plenty of the other top names in the game in a product that arrives just in time to be a wrapper redemption at this year's National Sports Collectors Convention.

Keep reading for a gallery of images and more info.

Continue reading →

He's a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame as a writer and broadcaster -- the "preeminent and foremost authority on tennis in the world" according to the Hall -- and a legend in his own field as a winner of the Associated Press Sports Editors' Red Smith Award and a member of the National Sportswriters and Sportscasters Hall of Fame.

He's Bud Collins -- the voice of tennis for more than 50 years -- and he died Friday at age 86.

“No media figure in history in my mind has ever been as important to one sport as Bud Collins was to the sport of tennis,” said Mike Lupica, a New York Daily News columnist, to The Boston Globe, where Collins was a long-time writer. “You can’t minimize it. He became the de facto ambassador to that sport as it was exploding in this country. He educated. He entertained.”

And he had tennis cards, too.

Continue reading →

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: Rat-bone Relic reactions, 1990s insert cards, 2015 Panini National Treasures baseball cards. 2015 Leaf Ultimate tennis cards and 2015 Panini Select soccer cards.

Continue reading →

What: 2015 Leaf Ultimate tennis cards
Arrives: Dec. 18
Hobby box basics: Five autographed cards per box. Twelve boxes per case.

What's buzz-worthy: Leaf Trading Cards is taking tennis high-end once again with the arrival of 2015 Leaf Ultimate, a hits-driven brand that will include many past and present stars from the court. Some of them have not appeared on trading cards before.

See a gallery and more ... below.

Continue reading →