What: 2024 Topps Star Wars Chrome Black trading cards
Arrives: March 19, 2025
Box basics: One encased autograph in every box (12 boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here
Odds: Click here
Order: Click here

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

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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What: 2025 Kakawow Aura Disney trading cards
Arrives: March 2025
Box basics: One to four "limited numbered" cards per 10-pack box (10 boxes per case)
Checklist: TBD
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: This international card-maker turns its focus to everything Disney with another massive collection -- more than 1,300 cards across 20 sets this time -- as part of a release that's limited to only 4,000 cases globally.

Keep reading for more info.

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Here's this month's roundup of items that have recently caught my eye as a buyer ... 

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CROSSING HIM OFF 
The Card: Joe Montana autographed 1988 Topps card (BAS slabbed)
The Price: About $65
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Rewind the clock to the early/mid 1990s and Montana is the unquestioned top QB on cardboard with perhaps only a small number of RBs or WRs even coming close to competing with him for popularity on cards. Back then, in a new era of certified autographs from brands such as Pro Line and Classic or mail-order autographed items, there was ink to chase but Montana was never, ever on my radar. Why? Look at that auto ... there's still not much going on there that would have sparked me to pay a premium price for a glorified initialgraph with a slight more added on. Fast-forward to now and the Hall of Famer still has all those rings and all those MVP awards, but he's been surpassed on the stat sheets and cards ... it happens. The 68-year-old has done a lot of signing for Leaf for its releases and buyback brands -- I think this was one from there -- in recent years and it had been on my radar for literally months as I really like the look of many of his 1980s Topps cards. A relatively clean copy with an on-card auto is a no-brainer if the price is right and I got this one for about half of the asking price of man identical copy I'd been watching. All these years later, I can cross Montana off my ink-needed list.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but NFL cards are here.

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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What: 2025 Topps Finest X-Men '97 trading cards
Arrives: Feb. 26
Box basics: One Refractor per 12-pack box (eight boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: The Finest brand meets the popular X-Men cartoon series with a tiered set approach and a lot to chase.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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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 pack: 2025 Wild Card Decades "One" trading cards ... 1990s pack
Where to buy: Click here
First Buzz preview: Click here

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

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What: 2024 Topps Star Wars Hyperspace trading cards
Arrives: Feb. 19, 2025
Box basics: Two autographs per 12-box case -- four serial-numbered parallels per box
Checklist: TBD
Odds: TBD
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Topps takes a planetary approach to Star Wars with "a first-of-its-kind product celebrating the many different planets in the Star Wars Universe." This time? Naboo, Kashyyyk, Hoth, Bespin and Mustafar.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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Like many collectors, Buzz is a fan of grading ... so here's this month's grading diary here on The Buzz.

GETTING EVEN BETTER?
The Card: Victor Wembanyama 2023-24 Panini Haunted Hoops -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: I'm basically casually ripping at best when it comes to NBA these days -- just can't collect it all at today's prices (and might not want to with that) -- but the holiday-flavored version of Hoops got me to bite a few times since it's got a good volume of stuff in a box and a pair of Wemby RCs on the checklist. Is this a big card in the big scheme of things? Nah, but the printing and cutting here was so clean I knew I needed to grade it. Why?
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: Because this should be the result more often than not as long as the centering is there ... and the stats here show that to be the case roughly half the time. The phenom seems to be getting better with time and once the wax dries up for even stuff like this there could be interesting trends that buck the idea that stuff is overproduced these days -- it is ... but not when there's increased demand for a popular player. I need to scout singles more for this guy and cards I like ... I think there's more potential here over time than people might think based on soft prices for raw cards. (Even if boatloads of his cards are already graded.)

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

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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 pack: 2025 Wild Card Decades "One" trading cards ... 1980s pack
Where to buy: Click here
First Buzz preview: Click here

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

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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 pack: 2025 Wild Card Decades "One" trading cards ... 21st Century pack
Where to buy: Click here
First Buzz preview: Click here

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

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What: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 trading cards
Arrives: April 9
Box basics: Three autographs and one memorabilia card per 24-pack box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: This newer Star Trek series gets a sophomore release that's stacked with hits and some other chases for collectors.

Keep reading for more details.

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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: 2024 Marvel Studios' Series One Disney+ trading cards (blaster)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby when available)

Keep reading for a full breakdown of what was in this one along with a gallery of images.

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What: 2024 Kakawow Cosmos Warner Bros. 100th Anniversary All-Star trading cards
Arrives: Jan. 31, 2025
Box basics: Two to five "limited numbered" cards per 10-pack box (10 boxes per case)
Checklist: TBD
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: The international card-maker turns its focus to everything Warner Bros. once again with a massive collection -- more than 3,200 cards across 31 sets this time -- as part of a release that adds to the mix of possible finds, too.

Keep reading for more info.

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What: 2025 Wild Card Decades "One" trading cards
Arrived: Jan. 17, 2025
Box basics: One encased 1/1 autographed card and four other  1/1 encased cards per box (20 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Wild Card offers up its first official Decades release after a preview set last year -- but this time it ups the ante with a 1/1 card in every pack and a 1/1 autograph card in every box.

Keep reading for more info and a gallery of images.

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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 pack: 2024 Leaf Metal Women of Sport 1/1 Pre-Production Proofs
Where to buy: Click here for regular boxes (when available)

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

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What: 2024 Topps Star Wars Galactic Antiquities trading cards
Arrives: Feb. 5, 2025
Box basics: Five autographs and one sketch card per nine-card box
Checklist: Click here
Odds: Click here
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Topps ushers in the "new standard of ultra premium for Star Wars trading cards" with a release that includes hits, premium base cards and nods to the past.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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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 pack: 2023 Leaf Metal Pop Century 1/1 Pre-Production Proofs (two)
Where to buy: Click here (when available)

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

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What: 2025 Leaf Power Slap trading cards
Arrives: Jan. 17
Box basics: Four autos and four other cards per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: The spectacle that is Power Slap gets its first trading card release and it arrives with plenty of of punch -- err, slap -- with a variety of approaches, colors and star power as part of an exclusive licensing deal.

Keep reading for more.

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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 ...

THEY'RE BACK ... SOMETIME SOON
The Item: Stranger Things Season 1 Target-exclusive Blu-ray set (2016)
The Reason Bought: How many Netflix series these days get a physical DVD release of any kind? How many get chain store-exclusive variant versions? Not that much of anything TV gets a physical release, really, not at least anywhere near the volumes of the past and that thought, along with the fact that the final season of this franchise is finally dropping sometime this year, got me looking here. I really liked the feel of this DVD set that's made to look like an old 1980s VHS sleeve that's had plenty of wear and tear and I also liked the idea of a graded item with that feel -- one where its actual flaws can blend in well and not stand out as glaring reasons why an item didn't grade higher.
The Grade: CGC 9.4 (A+ seal)

Reality Check: There are definitely other* copies of this one graded, but a pop report doesn't yet appear to be live for CGC Home Video (or it was down when I prepped this) and my number didn't come up on the verification search, either. That's OK for me as slabbed movies and games aren't as high on my radar in slabs as cards and magazines in terms of a "commodity" ... these are more the kind of shelf item with maybe some longer-term potential substance to them. To me they're more of a name-your-price novelty -- and, as an aside, I do like CGC's cases a lot more than others in this realm. This was a relatively cheap addition as well -- less than a lot of retail card boxes -- and over time affordable items can build a collection. One scary part? This is not far away from being 10 years old ... time flies.

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

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What's a Bulk Break? Well, it's basically a Buzz Break -- but with a lot of packs or something that's found in volume but not in box or case form. 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 lot: 2012 Cryptozoic The Big Bang Theory Seasons 3-4 (72 retail packs)
Where to buy: Will take some looking ... newer non-sports cards are here

Keep reading to see what was in this lot.

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This one comes from a team that only played in the reel world -- but it was all captured on film and that makes it game-used, right?

This second item this month in the Collecting Game-used series is one I grabbed a while back but it kind of got lost in the shuffle for a few reasons -- but with some year-end housecleaning I figured I'd take the time to revisit the set of Ballers for a piece of the action. (My other option would be to start a props series each month but ... that's just not happening yet.)

What is it this time? A teaser is above ... keep reading to see the details.

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What: Cheers Premiere Edition Trading Cards
Arrives: Feb. 26, 2025
Box basics: Two autographs and one memorabilia card per 24-pack box (12 boxes per case)
Pre-order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Making your way in the hobby world today may take everything you've got, but Rittenhouse Archives will start off a new year where everybody knows your name as the cast of this past classic -- and a number of notable guest stars known elsewhere -- come to cardboard for the first time.

Keep reading for more info on this one.

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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 pack: 2023 Leaf Metal Pop Century 1/1 Pre-Production Proofs (two)
Where to buy: Click here (when available)

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

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For years now, autographed books coming direct from the publishers -- or direct from the authors themselves -- have been an affordable way to collect ink from notable names in all realms of pop culture.

It's not a perfect system with stamped autos, fakes and autopens sometimes in the mix -- a problem for publishers to catch as they are not authenticators -- but thanks to dedicated collectors on the Blowout Cards Forum and elsewhere, those problems often get caught and fixed ... or at least become well-known enough to avoid if it's an issue that goes uncorrected.

Getting ink in-person is always best -- book tours still happen, of course -- but landing autographed editions from publishers, online sellers or celebs themselves via their websites or other appearances are common.

Our latest subject and autograph in this ongoing series? Game Of Thrones star Emilia Clarke but without the Daenerys Targaryen price tag.

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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 ...

STRONG SEASON ... WHAT'S NEXT?
The Card: Juan Soto 2018 Topps 582 Montgomery Club Set 1 -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: A big season that came up short of the goal ... but now it's time for a historic payday while still in his mid-20s. Soto's Rookie Cards (2018) aren't all that rare, really, but there's a lot of demand -- but they still might be good buys depending on where he goes next. (Mets? Watch out.) All those thoughts were in mind when I popped this one into a submission earlier this year along with other key names from this small set for Club members. It's not a traditional RC since it's from a small set, but it's still a good Soto to me ... so I slabbed it.
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: Top grade of a small volume works for me. I'm sure there will be more and I'm sure the pops are higher elsewhere, but the range of the grades here shows it might not be the easiest kind of card to grade thanks to that retro stock.

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

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What: 2025 Keepsake Steve McQueen Premiere Edition trading cards
Arrives: Jan. 21
Box basics: One encased Keepsake Relic and one five-card pack per illuminated box (five boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: The newest Keepsake release turns its commemorative lens toward a Hollywood icon who brought action and attitude to the big screen in the 1960s and 1970s.

Keep reading for more info and a selection of images.

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