Making the Grade (April): Shohei Ohtani, Will Ferrell, Dogpool, Hank Aaron, Halle Berry, WWE stars ... and a Superfractor?
This entry was posted on April 1, 2025
.Like many collectors, Buzz is a fan of grading ... so here's this month's grading diary.
STARTING ON A SERIOUS NOTE ...
The Card: Will Ferrell 2015 Topps Archives Will Ferrell Inserts
The Reason Graded: Back in 2015 this comedy legend took to the field for 10 MLB teams and played 10 positions in a single day of real spring training action -- you can see his stats here -- as part of a project with a charity component called Ferrell Takes The Field. Collectors ended up chasing his autographs on 10 different cards in Archives that year -- roughly one per hobby case if I remember correctly -- but, alas, I went 0-for-1 there before those boxes got too pricy and/or vanished ... but I did hit the blasters. There, the regular Ferrell inserts were found one per box -- at least until all of those boxes disappeared, too. It's been a decade since this publicity stunt took place (March 12, 2015), so I figured we could start this new MLB season here on a serious note. These aren't his only cards -- he popped up a few times that year -- but this was the first set and this was the first card -- and one for my team.
The Grade: CGC 10
Grade | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | P10 | Total |
Population | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 |
Reality Check: There's a small volume of stuff slabbed for this card -- roughly all cards here have no more than 10 slabbed copies across the entire set -- and this is among the top marks. This card has full-bleed back edges in bright blue just like in 1965 Topps and when I saw how clean this card was, well, it was a no-brainer. I previously slabbed one elsewhere years ago and this copy will go well with that and a slab of the same photo used on a magazine cover that ended up on a show promo card. A lot of those who likely weren't collecting back then seem to be interested here as asking prices can be steep -- raw or graded -- for Ferrell stuff.
Keep reading for more of this month's pick-ups and new slabs for Buzz.
ANOTHER BIG ONE
The Card: Shohei Ohtani 2018 Topps Heritage High Number -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: Back in 2018, Buzz was able to pillage the retail aisles heavily and did so between arrival time and when releases like this would end up (briefly) in clearance bins by the next spring. That led to a lot of stockpiled Rookie Cards for some names -- and a smaller set size for Heritage High made it easier to do that. How many of this one have I had? I probably pushed about 15-20 -- and I've slabbed a few -- but other than presenting stuff here my stash isn't exactly organized, so I can't even tell you how many of these I have graded. (Maybe a half-dozen?) With his historic 50-50 campaign last year, I opted to grade a few basics and Heritage is, to me, his best RC on the cheaper side of things as this 1969 Topps homage is a strong, simple card.
The Grade: CGC 10
Grade | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | P10 | Total |
Population | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 32 | 153 | 68 | 188 | 3 | 447 |
Reality Check: I knew this one was clean -- there are almost always bum bottom corners here thanks to (probably) packaging -- so I sent it in ... and only three copies have graded higher out of a bunch slabbed. Those elite marks command good cash and even modest ones that aren't top grades will, too, and I think demand will grow over time barring any new injury issues. Ohtani seems to be as safe as it gets and the Dodgers have all the reasons in the world to be World Series favorites for a few more years.
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A LEGENDARY FEUD
The Cards: Mariah May vs. "Timeless" Toni Storm 2024 UD AEW Match Dated Moments
The Reason Graded: If you look closely at this card from their bruiser of a bout at Wembley Stadium in London last year you'll see a spot of blood on May's forehead as she flies through the air to land a kick on her sometimes aloof, often bawdry retro-actor foe. That's about the only hint at this feud's intensity here or on cardboard. Their saga is easily among the best things wrestling has seen in years on any front -- and it's among AEW's best, too. It's a story that recently got a Hollywood ending -- with a boatload of blood -- that elevated both stars after months (actually, a couple years) of storytelling strong in so many ways (character work, plot, matches, etc.). They started as friends, they became foes with this shocker of a heel turn and bloody moment and then they traded personas (literally) and jabs for months before Storm seemingly reverted to her rookie persona ("Amnesia?" they thought) before another turn/reveal and another match. That was all before a final bloody classic that's definitely not the norm for women's wrestling among the major companies. (I can't do it justice ... you just have to find it all -- this is a start on the earlier stuff.) The new card like this for their bloodbath bout was a serious bummer image-wise when it arrived in March -- it looked like it could be for any match -- but this one card first and it caught my attention for grading.
The Grades: CGC 10
Grade | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | P10 | Total |
Population | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Reality Check: I knew I needed this card slabbed but I couldn't decide which one ... so they both went. Top marks for now and all mine.
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MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
The Card: Nick Swisher 2016 Topps Chrome Sapphire Edition Superfractors (1/1)
The Reason Graded: If you poke around in the archives here, this card made a Buzz appearance long ago -- I landed it via BlowoutTV via former Yankees pitcher Phil Hughes who got it in a break -- and I'd had it stashed away all these years before I decided my Superfractor needed a slabbed home. Why? Its Super status and it looking flawless weren't the only reasons -- I actually own the game-used and MLB-authenticated jersey he's wearing in the photo. I landed that a few years ago, too, though I never wrote up the story about it here (I wasn't writing about my game-used stuff then). Maybe I'll dig it out of my storage and take some photos at some point here.
The Grade: CGC 10 (Pristine)
Grade | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | P10 | Total |
Population | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Reality Check: Only copy that exists = top mark no matter what ... but it's perfect.
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THE RED ONE
The Card: Thunder Rosa 2022 AEW Metal Universe Skybox Premium Star Rubies (/50)
The Reason Graded: This high-energy star has a lot of affordable cardboard, so I dabble often with both raw cards and then grading some that I think are interesting, different or carry the energy befitting this self-made ring veteran. This rarer parallel wasn't the cheapest card, but I ponied up a bit (at least for a card limited to 50 copies) and slabbed it as it looked flawless -- and that's not that easy with the stock used here and all that colorful full-bleed foil. The backs are also a full-bleed color -- there's a lot that could showcase minor flaws.
The Grade: CGC 10
Grade | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | P10 | Total |
Population | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Reality Check: I've graded quite a few of her cards from this release and this was a winner -- and you'll be seeing more here in the coming months. Why? I'm a collector.
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GOING FOR GOLD
The Card: Bo Bichette 2023 Topps Gilded Collection (/99)
The Reason Graded: This premium brand is one that I'll never open, but as a collecting mini-project I decided recently that I'd pony up a little to grab this player's base card -- one that's relatively rare in the big scheme of things -- each year and slab 'em up. Since last year's edition was just the third for the brand, it's not some big challenge and, in fact, I'm one card away from being done ... just waiting things out for a cheap copy and then an inevitable 2025 arrival, too.
The Grade: CGC 10
Grade | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | P10 | Total |
Population | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Reality Check: I wasn't expecting a 10 here -- I think this was a COMC grab so I never saw it in-hand before grading -- but I'll take it. I don't have a minimum grade I wanted to do here for the run but a 10 makes this a nice start.
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THE STASH GROWS
The Card: Rhea Ripley 2020 Topps Transcendent Collection WWE -- Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: My first graded copy of this card also came with my highest price tag but, to me, that didn't matter. I'm slowly but surely picking up copies of this dominating star's highest-end RC like Dominik Mysterio picks up chicken tenders -- well, not that often but regularly. How regularly? Well, only 50 exist and I'm up to 28 percent of the print run. In other words, there are only 36 copies out there that aren't mine. I've slowed on Ripley as she's pricier now -- and should be -- but back in her rookie year (2020) I made sure I grabbed at least one of her autos from all releases and this little stash of cards also began. Why? I knew long ago she had game-changer potential ... and she has shown it.
The Grade: PSA 8
Grade | 1 | 1.5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Total |
Population | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Reality Check: Didn't check the pop report before grabbing this one -- didn't care -- but it's one of only two slabs here. Prices have gotten steep -- even this stockpiling whim of mine has limits -- but this Australian star is legit, still in her 20s and has been wrestling more than a decade.
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TWO TIMES
The Cards: Halle Berry ("Fred's 'Personal' Secretary") 1993 Topps The Flintstones
The Reason Graded: As I noted in last month's Buzz Buys, this card is, I believe, Berry's first of any kind despite a number of roles where she has cards -- you could easily grab and grade a bunch of stuff from a bunch of sets and have an interesting registry entry/collection for an iconic name of the 1990s and beyond. I picked off the left card last year (maybe even earlier, actually) on COMC but it came up surprisingly short of where I thought it would land ... so the second one came from a box I opened more recently. That was after some really disappointing finds in a couple factory sets I grabbed in *checks notes* late 2021. (Time flies when you're Buzzing.) So, needless to say, this cheap but interesting card has been on my radar a while now.
The Grade: CGC 8 & CGC 10
Grade | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | P10 | Total |
Population | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Reality Check: The lower-graded card is super sharp but it has a lifted back edge (top if I remember correctly) where I couldn't spot that on a COMC scan and the centering might be a smidge off too much for a higher mark. It happens. My 10 was the cleanest of my copies from a new box, though, and I wasn't sure I'd get there but I'll take it. The stock here is sturdy but it's a little soft for corners and edges, is gloss-less, and it's also the type of cardboard that might lose ink if cards are handled too much over time. Plus, there's all that full-bleed ink on the front and back to showcase issues more than it might on a simple white-bordered card. Will I grade more Berry card appearances? I've considered it a couple times, actually, only to land cards where there were some issues that scared me off -- stuff that would instantly nix them from 10 contention. I don't want to Jinx anything ... but it's possible.
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AN ICONIC IMAGE
The Card: Tiffany Stratton 2023 Panini Chronicles WWE Luminance
The Reason Graded: This subset in this catch-all brand from Panini is one that showcases strong photos and this moment is from her short-lived reign as NXT women's champ and her entrance at the 2023 Great American Bash in Austin, Texas. (That explains the hat -- and it can also be seen in The Buff Barbie's final NXT appearance -- her punishment for losing a match in an ugly feud with Fallon Henley. It's a classic segment and a callback to some 1980s stuff.) These days, Stratton is readying for her first Wrestlemania appearance, defending the WWE Women's Championship against Charlotte Flair in Las Vegas. This card was immediately on my grading radar when it arrived but with a Pink parallel the main target. Unfortunately, something with the printing or packaging stage seems to have played a constant smackdown with the edges and corners of parallel cards, so I opted for a base card that looked really clean for a first grading submission.
The Grade: CGC 10
Grade | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | P10 | Total |
Population | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Reality Check: Not a perfect slab but given the softer stock here and all that darker full-bleed ink it might as well be. This one surprised me. Will I grade more? Yep. Like Ripley, Stratton is on my radar and will be a top name as long as she wants to be in the ring -- it's that obvious already. (Need more thoughts? They're both all over the archives ... I've almost ran out of things to say about both of them.)
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AN ICONIC MOMENT
The Mag: Hank Aaron -- Sports Illustrated (April 15, 1974), subscription edition
The Reason Bought: This issue has been on my buying radar -- raw or already slabbed -- for a long time now and I finally bit on this one when the price dipped more into my price range. It's not super cheap but not expensive in the big picture for a clean -- but not perfect, of course -- copy of the magazine showcasing the new MLB career home run champ more than 50 years ago. It will go perfectly with a signed oversized photo from around this moment that I landed in the earlier days of The Buzz (that's in the archives, too) along with a few slabbed cards. Believe it or not, his lengthy career didn't land him on the cover of this weekly magazine often in his playing days. I can only think of three main cover appearances while he was playing -- his first cover in 1969 (16 years into his career), this one and then when he joined the 3,000 Hit Club.
The Grade: CGC 8.0 (Universal)
Grade | 7.0 | 7.5 | 8.0 | 8.5 | 9.0 | 9.2 | 9.4 | 9.6 | 9.8 | 9.9 | 10.0 | Total |
Population | 9 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 49 |
Reality Check: An eight may not sound great, especially if you know how many slots are atop that on the CGC grading scale, but only four copies are above this -- all 8.5s -- for copies like it that were mailed. Only 73 total copies have been graded for label-free newsstand copies -- that's actually a lot of copies for an older mag -- and there's one 9.8, one 9.4 and 24 copies in other grades that would check in higher than this one. Meanwhile, a lot of those also check in lower than this. I like mine a lot for my price -- about the only minor thing I'd wish away would be how the label is slightly covering the Braves logo. Some copies out there do have a vertical label, but I was more about the central image being clean for a good price ... and it is.
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THE DEBUT
The Card: Ronald Acuña Jr. 2017 Bowman Prospects -- first Bowman card
The Reason Bought: From one Brave to another, this was a recent pick-up for less than it would have cost me to slab it ... so that makes this one a win. Why so cheap? While it is a first Bowman card it's not Chrome, a parallel or an auto ... so it's arguably the least in-demand and at the same time also likely the most-plentiful card in that lineup for this modern-day Atlanta star. Those demands of other card types make slabs here affordable but even these kinds of cards will dry up more and more over time as long as he's delivering on the field. (Boxes aren't exactly as cheap or plentiful these days, either ... they got opened.)
The Grade: CSG 9.5 (now 10)
Grade | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | P10 | Total |
Population | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 49 | 5 | 142 | 2 | 208 |
Reality Check: Plenty graded but only two top it ... not bad. I'd much rather pick off already graded copies here as the stock is super-skinny and that has the potential for a lot of issues to present themselves.
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IT'S DOGPOOL!
The Book: Deadpool No. 5 (2024) -- Dogpool photo variant cover from Deadpool & Wolverine
The Reason Graded: Dogpool has been around comics a while now -- hit the archives to see a couple of earlier appearances I landed for Buzz Buys pieces -- but a real-life dog named Peggy helped bring 'pool to life on the big screen ... and that led to this variant cover. I picked off a pair of these raw and graded both as a fun but weird slab for my stash.
The Grade: CGC 9.6 (Universal)
Grade | 7.0 | 7.5 | 8.0 | 8.5 | 9.0 | 9.2 | 9.4 | 9.6 | 9.8 | 9.9 | 10.0 | Total |
Population | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 65 | 0 | 0 | 74 |
Reality Check: My first one back checked in at the second-highest spot which was a bit of a surprise -- I figured its minor spots of concern might knock it down lower -- but I'll take it. I was surprised to see so many graded as I didn't recall there being any graded at the time I subbed ... but it's also not surprising with a modern issue for a popular universe/character. My other one will pop up later this year ... I'm spreading them out as I didn't grade as many comics vs. cards among recent subs.
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EASY BEING GREEN
The Card: Roxanne Perez 2023 Panini Prizm WWE Green Pulsar (/25)
The Reason Graded: I did a blaster case of this last year and, if you poke around in the archives, it ultimately wasn't as impressive as I had hoped even at a strong slasher price. Why? My case only included a pair of numbered cards like this -- though two decent names -- and it only included one auto. Not what I expected at all and I'm not sure I've done a Prizm blaster since ... yet this nugget has value. Here goes. You should be picking off anything like this as Green Pulsar is retail-only and some stuff might not ever surface on eBay again given the size of set, volume of cards made and volume of retail boxes for stuff like this. Perez isn't as high on my radar as she might have been at arrival on cards in 2022, but she's more recently arrived as a potential player on the main WWE roster and has worked with big names so far. Her permanent arrival is likely here soon so that's why she makes this month's lineup ... I actually graded this last year just to see how it might come back.
The Grade: CGC 9
Grade | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | P10 | Total |
Population | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Reality Check: It's not a Rookie Card, so it's not surprising that this is the only copy of her card in this one -- in any color -- to be graded. But, Perez will likely have more and more cards in slabs as long as she sticks. She's good, is a strong smaller baddie with a mean side and a big mouth when it's time to scrap as a heel -- but also could be popular as an undersized underdog, too. It's just a matter of which way WWE wants to go.
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THE DELUXE VERSION
The Book: X-Men No. 1 (1991) "special collectors edition"
The Reason Graded: I recently dug out my stash of Jim Lee reboot X-Men issues from 1991 -- a modest hoarder stash of only a few copies for the four standard versions that combine to make one bigger image and then a smaller handful of this edition, which has a fold-out cover showing all four covers and is printed on slightly heavier, more-premium paper. This version was pricier and only available via shops or mail-order, so my "in" having a parent working at a book store meant I didn't have access to untouched copies. I didn't sweat this series as much, though, as I liked X-Force and Excalibur more (characters-wise), while there's no doubting Lee's art and vision. That's why I still picked up copies of roughly the first 25 issues -- but not in volume -- before stopping, though his run didn't last that long as he was off to his own creations with Image Comics.
The Grade: CGC 9.6 (Universal)
Grade | 7.0 | 7.5 | 8.0 | 8.5 | 9.0 | 9.2 | 9.4 | 9.6 | 9.8 | 9.9 | 10.0 | Total |
Population | 18 | 19 | 45 | 93 | 145 | 177 | 470 | 1,106 | 4,170 | 24 | 0 | 6,277 |
Reality Check: I could have easily just grabbed one of these already graded, but I actually like the regular issues more -- and I decided to send all of 'em in for grading together. (Look for more of them here this spring/summer -- either spread out or all at once. I haven't decided yet.) I also didn't want to overpay here with nothing none of them ultimately being rare ... but all my newsstand copies of the regular issues might be more in-demand in top marks than others. Oddly, this version is broken out on the pop report but the four other covers are all mixed together so there's no way to know which ones might be rarer than others. I wasn't surprised by a 9.6 here as all of my copies here had something that wasn't up to my "tight and right" feel for essentially untouched books back then but, then again, this one isn't the whole show for me. That's why you're seeing this issue first.
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ALWAYS LIKED THIS ONE
The Card: Bobby Witt Jr. 2022 Topps Archives
The Reason Bought: This newer take on 1963 Topps got my attention the first time I saw it for sure -- it's a fun card where a new name like Witt missed the Heritage boat on this look by a decade. But, thanks to Topps Archives, we got this one, which is close enough. I'm not sure if I pulled one of these from a pack or not -- my Archives ripping is way down in recent years like a lot of brands and I think this one had a lot of issues that made it not very grading-friendly -- but I did like the looks of this card so I grabbed this one already graded.
The Grade: CSG 9
Grade | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | P10 | Total |
Population | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 22 |
Reality Check: Most copies of this one check in the same as mine, which isn't surprising given the stock and those color corners, which I'd assume can be problem spots. They're not bad here but I am sure something else among all of the variables knocked this down to a nine.
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REMEMBER ME?
The Mag: Mad No. 441 (2004) -- an Alias-Jennifer Garner spoof
The Reason Bought: Issues of this long-running title with strong visuals spoofing memorable subjects in pop culture always get me to stop and look -- and this is an example of that from more recent years where the visuals took on more clean technology-aided (or at least not obviously hand-drawn) caricature work. Artist/illustrator Mark Fredrickson handled this and it is quite striking as a take on a franchise and it-girl of the early 2000s. Garner has plenty of cards with this TV show and more with other roles but this just jumped out at me when I saw it.
The Grade: CGC 9.6 (Universal)
Grade | 7.0 | 7.5 | 8.0 | 8.5 | 9.0 | 9.2 | 9.4 | 9.6 | 9.8 | 9.9 | 10.0 | Total |
Population | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Reality Check: The fact that this is the only copy graded also works for me -- and I'm betting that minor bottom-right corner spot might be why it didn't get a top mark. There are tons of fun covers from the past but the paper used in a lot of those years is really cheap ... so stuff may not have aged well. Thankfully, the newer issues with covers like this that are more in my taste wheelhouse used better paper. But, the overall volume of copies made vs. in the previous decades make these issues, generally speaking, sometimes tougher to find.
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RETRO APPEAL
The Card: Michael Harris II 2023 Topps Heritage High Number Award Winners
The Reason Bought: This retro insert set doesn't use, to my knowledge, a past Topps design like a lot of Heritage sets do, but this one screams "Wonder Bread!" and "Hostess!" in my mind with its super-simple design that feels like it could have been on the bottom panel of some food box back in the day. It's very minimal and simple but the biggest reason this one works is that the portrait that all that simplicity frames up is quite strong. Cards can often be all about the photo and this is a perfect example.
The Grade: PSA 9
Grade | 1 | 1.5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Total |
Population | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
Reality Check: Only four copies graded seems low for PSA but at the same time this isn't some big-money insert ... and it's really an end-of-year afterthought in terms of Harris cards from his Rookie Card season ... but I dig it and it was an easy addition for a modest price.
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PARALLEL POWER
The Card: Jimmy Kimmel 2016 Topps Chrome First Pitch Green Refractors (/99)
The Reason Graded: I picked up this card for a few bucks back in the day -- before a lot of the non-traditional First Pitch cards seemingly blew up a bit more in price, especially for the few on Chrome -- but when I was revisiting some past buys this one seemed pretty clean ... clean enough I figured it might make a decent novelty slab. (It's also not the TV host's only card appearance, so there could be more on my radar at some point later.)
The Grade: CGC 9
Grade | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | P10 | Total |
Population | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Reality Check: A trio of his regular card have been graded and they all checked in higher than mine ... but I'm the only parallel.
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GO WITH THE FLOW
The Card: Bo Bichette 2018 Bowman Draft Sky Blue parallel (/499)
The Reason Bought: I might have this in a slab already -- I might have shown one before -- but it was too cheap to pass up, so I rescued it with a few others for my collection of Bichette stuff. Not much else to say there.
The Grade: CGC 10
Grade | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | P10 | Total |
Population | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Reality Check: Surprisingly, it's the only one graded. That works for me, too.
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REMEMBER WHEN?
The Card: Kelsey Plum 2024 Panini Origins WNBA Drip
The Reason Bought: Remember that one day last year when WNBA star Kelsey Plum decided to own the Internet with her pre-game fashion choice before she went out and scored 19 for her team, the defending WNBA champs who were getting their rings that night? The tabloids, the fashion police sports bloggers and various social media sound-off reaction-roundup specialists do remember. Don't take my word for it ... there are hot takes all over the place out there and, ultimately, it's a subject that's nothing new as cards for fashion have had a spot in card sets for a number of sports for a while now, too. In this case, the WNBA moment arrived on cardboard way later in the year in this set, which is seeded as more of a rarer insert with a trio of parallels -- Teal (/49), Gold (/10) and 1/1 Black. Popular names can be pricey so this one was on my radar and I watched a lot of them come and go back when this arrived. Recent sales for her parallels have pushed as much as $100, while base versions have pushed as much as half that -- and I think others have actually gone higher, too.
The Grade: BGS 9
Grade | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | P10 | Total |
Population | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Reality Check: I simply wanted a slabbed copy but those purple corners can be a problem and on the parallels even more color is added. I waited it out and grabbed an already-graded copy for a decent but not dirt-cheap price -- one that's not that much higher than the few raw copies up for grabs. The corners are clean here so I assume it might have been a slightly (but still minor) rough back edge that dipped this down. I can live with that. The front is clean.
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INTERNATIONAL ADDITION
The Card: Mickie James 2006 Topps WWE Payback Body Blow -- RC-year insert card
The Reason Bought: This one comes from an international release and it's an insert using scratch-off panels as part of a gaming component so ... yeah, I'm not that familiar with it and it seems like those scratch-off spots might be grading Kryptonite. But, it's from her rookie year on cardboard and this was cheaper than a lot of options out there for oddball WWE slabs so I grabbed it ... and apparently it's not just a mystery to me. What does that mean? Keep reading ..
The Grade: BGS 9
Grade | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | P10 | Total |
Population | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1* |
Reality Check: This one doesn't show up in the pop report at all* and when you type in the card number it shows zeros across the board for its population ... yet the slab exists and the page for the card does, too. (That's oddly useful?)
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PERFECT INK ...
The Card: Tiffany Stratton 2024 Panini Prizm WWE Sensational Signatures
The Reason Graded: As I noted in last month's Buzz Buys, I ponied up for this card because of a perfect autograph on what, to me, still looks like a perfect card ... but clearly I missed something. But my autograph grade is perfect ... so that's good.
The Grade: GGC 8.5 (10 auto)
Grade | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | P10 | Total |
Population | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Reality Check: I likely missed something on a back corner or edge here as the front still looks really solid to me. I've had really good grading results from other subs from this set and its parallels, too, so that made this result a surprise. Ultimately, this one is only a minor bummer as I collect Stratton heavily (as you know if a regular reader) and I thought it might have checked in with an elite mark. Alas, the only way this is elite is it's the only one ... and it'll likely take on the mantle of lowest-graded copy when somebody else slabs. But until then ... it's Tiffy Time 'round here and this is the best-graded copy.
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THE RIGHT COLOR
The Card: Tua Tagovailoa 2020 Panini Chronicles Draft Picks Absolute Football Spectrum Red
The Reason Bought: Right color of parallel, right team and a notable player in my school ties part of my collection. Oh, and an easy filler slab in my stash for less than $6.
The Grade: GGC 8.5
Grade | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | P10 | Total |
Population | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
Reality Check: Behold ... the worst copy! That's OK ... I have another one to take up a late-filler spot in a future month, too.
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ONE FROM GAMING
The Card: Trish Stratus 2005 SBG WWE DVD Board Game Chaos Card
The Reason Graded: This card of the iconic WWE Hall of Famer is from a gaming set where a deck of cards is a companion to a DVD. (I own the set from the year after this one, but I didn't even try to discern how it works.) Why? I like the simplicity of the cards and the oddball factor vs. the standard Fleer/Topps stuff of that time which isn't always grading friendly. I picked off this single on COMC as it all looked pretty clean and I figured I'd work something oddball into my mix of WWE slabs.
The Grade: GGC 9
Grade | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | P10 | Total |
Population | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Reality Check: This is one of just two cards graded from either of the two sets -- the other being a Lita card from 2006 that checked in a grade lower. I was a little surprised to see a nine here but never saw it in-hand ... so the stock type may or may not be that grading-friendly here.
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A PAIR OF ACES
The Cards: Jennifer Lopez & Cindy Crawford 2004 Esquire magazine Women We Love playing cards
The Reason Graded: I told my story of this set in last month's Buzz Buys and, as promised, here's the first of a few cards I opted to slab. In this case, both are past covers of the magazine -- the Lopez from an issue where 1940s style pinup approaches were a focus for her story or an issue theme, while the iconic 1990s supermodel and MTV host was on the cover of Esquire's annual stars in the spotlight issue in 1995 as she was windng down House of Style and branching out into films and other projects. Why did I grade here? Both are big names in pop culture from the 1990s and beyond and neither has a massive amount of card appearances -- Lopez has a little bit of earlier stuff and some 2000s oddballs but Crawford has next to nothing for cards from what I have seen.
The Grades: GGC 9.5 & CGC 9.0
Grade | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | P10 | Total |
JLo Pop | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
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Grade | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | P10 | Total |
CC Pop | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Reality Check: Both of these are lone copies graded -- and I suspect more that I slab later will be, too -- but I think there are a lot of good names found in these decks that make for good slabs.
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