Making the Grade (August): New Vladdy, Acuña, Rally Squirrel, Undertaker, Juggernaut, Michael Jordan, Paige, Kurt Cobain, The Bad News Bears' ace ... and Keith Comstock's beanballs?

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 ...

The Card: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 2019 Topps Living Set #179 RC
The Reason Graded: While I own a few Topps Living Set cards the arrival of this second-generation MLB star in this weekly release sparked my first purchase from this popular brand that's clearly popular with flippers. I ponied up for 10 copies of the card --solely with potential grading in mind -- but didn't receive a single perfectly centered card in my batch, which was a bummer. After some grumbling, I picked out this one from the batch and sent it in.
The Grade: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: It graded as well as I thought it could -- maybe better -- so I wasn't unhappy with the grade and it appears that I'm perhaps on the luckier side with just two 10s out there better than it via BGS ... for now. This is a card that will likely be graded more and more often so those won't last but but it appears that this one is arriving between 8.5 and 9.5 more often than not. I have a second one I'll submit to PSA at some point with my sights set on a 10 there. We'll see sometime later this year.

The Card: Ronald Acuña Jr. 2018 Donruss Optic Red and Yellow #63 (RC parallel)
The Reason Graded: I've been on the low-end Acuña RC bandwagon for a while now and I pulled this parallel from a retail Mega Box last year. While the brand is loaded with rookies from a good crop, I think this is the only one I pulled for this guy ... so when I saw it in one of my top-loaded card boxes I figured I'd throw it into the mix so it could go with other slabs of this young and super-promising slugger.
The Grade: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: It graded better than I had expected so absolutely no complaints here. These cards often seem like they have dull-cut edges on their plastic stock but that didn't apply here. I was surprised by my grade but also the volume. It seems like a low total but there are also two others in this grade. Makes me think there could be a better market for these over time vs. the heavily graded MLB stuff from last year.

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The Card: Undertaker 2018 Topps WWE #96B SP variation
The Reason Graded: This may look like a standard card at a glance or to the non-WWE fan and, well, it is. But it's the short-printed photo variation of this legendary figure known for his ritualistic, deliberate and chilling entrances and post-match routines. This image captures a post-match moment where he takes a knee, rolls his eyes back in his head and celebrates taking another soul in the ring. Something like that. Ultimately, this is just a badass photo of a long-time star -- and while he has plenty of very photograph-worthy moments they don't often hit cardboard in a lot of WWE boxes.
The Grade: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: I grabbed this card raw for about $10 since I literally hadn't ever seen one -- and still haven't seen any others -- so I figure they are pretty rare or more overlooked. I had expected a BGS 9 or higher and was glad to see the mark this one got as the dark edges can be dangerous. (Ronda Rousey's RC from the second series here showcases issues in certain spots often ... so that one won't be seen here, for example.) Will any others get graded? We'll see.

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The Card: Austin Riley 2019 Bowman Chrome Mega Box Prospects Purple Refractors #BCP129 (/250)
The Reason Graded: I pulled this one out of my first Mega Box rips of this year and that was right in the midst of his power-driven tear that came after his MLB debut. He's still smacking the ball around but he's hit a bit of a rookie wall it seems since I sent this one in and got it back. It's not a big card but I pulled it at a good time and he's on a team to watch so I figured "Why not?" in terms of slabbing.
The Grade: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: It graded well for right out of a pack. There could be more on the way if he picks up the rest of the way this season but for now it's a pop report 1/1. (I own a few of those because I like off-radar stuff.) I'm sure his previous Bowman Chrome ink and rare cards will get attention and slabs -- same for all those RCs still to come this year.

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The Card: Deion Sanders 1990 Topps Tiffany #61
The Reason Bought: This one isn't a Rookie Card but it's a Tiffany version of his first appearance in a basic Topps set and the 1990 release is one that's very hit and miss on its standard stock with all that ink and color. Some cards look good, some look washed out way too often -- but that's not really the case with these much-rarer Tiffany cards printed with glossed fronts and on bright-white stock just like Topps Traded cards.
The Grade: PSA 9

Reality Check: I picked this one up for $7 though I probably overpaid a little bit since he does have his 1989 Topps Traded RC out there but my cost of getting one slabbed would have been higher than that. Either way, I think Tiffany slabs are safe buys for names in the long haul. They're still findable but not nearly as easy as the standard stuff.

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The Card: Vinnie Jones 1990-91 Pro Set England #194
The Reason Graded: You may know him as Bullet Tooth Tony, Sphinx or Juggernaut, but long before he was in Snatch, Gone in 60 Seconds or X-Men: The Last Stand he was a bruiser on the pitch for a number of clubs. He's got nearly 100 different credits on IMDb but nowhere near that many soccer card appearances back when he was sometimes called "Vinny." I picked up a junk wax lot last year and it included a number of these packs -- a dirt-cheap set that was not a fun rip -- but I only pulled one of these cards. I had one other one I picked off COMC years ago so this one is one of those ... whichever one looked better. I think it's one of his earlier cards but there's a good shot he has older ones from UK releases that I'm not all that familiar with.
The Grade: BGS 9

Reality Check: I'm fine with a 9, though I just don't see the flaws based on the front of this card. It's probably edge issues on the back of this one as Pro Set cards are notorious for rough edges even out of fresh never-touched packs. I'm this close to swearing off Pro Set cards as high-grade possibilities for BGS (9.5 near impossible, 10 absolutely impossible) based on a few submissions over the last few months. (Go check top and bottom back edges of cards from 1986-1989 Fleer in top grades and tell me those are treated like Pro Set. I think not. Darth Grader loves to hate some Pro Set.) Ultimately I wasn't grading this one for its 10 potential ... it's just a classic example -- one of quite a few -- for actors with sports ties.

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The Card: Jimi Hendrix 1991 Pro Set Superstars MusiCards #11
The Reason Bought: Speaking of Pro Set ... I literally busted a case of this junk wax recently for maybe $2.50 a box and literally found not one copy of this card that I could see as a BGS 9.5 or 10 copy -- and very few of other key names that I'd want to slab from this well-crafted but poorly printed and cut set from back in the day. The metallic ink used on the legends subset is bad news even out of fresh wax though I have since had one card you haven't yet seen here graded. (It was still a bummer by my standards ... see previous card for my Pro Set/BGS thoughts. You'll see it at some point.) I've seen some very iffy Pro Set cards in PSA slabs so I hadn't gone there before this one.
The Grade: PSA 10

Reality Check: It's one of just two PSA 10s and it's so clean it makes me wonder how it happened. Could it have evaded being put into a pack and instead got out in some other way to save it the kind of damage that can happen simply by being penny sleeved? Its size looks perfectly fine and it's a new PSA slab so I don't have any worries there. This isn't a pricey set but it has some really good cards in it -- and I paid a decent chunk to own this one (two blasters) since I have a small graded music card stash. I don't think I regret it based on the pop report and the reality of how rough stuff can look out of wax. Don't @ me!

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The Card: Courted Kurt 2019 Topps Garbage Pail Kids We Hate the '90s Spit parallel #MUS2a (/99)
The Reason Graded: The Garbage Pail Kids cards with music and celeb nods are ones that get my attention first and this one gives us a new look at Nirvana's Kurt Cobain on cardboard -- and there aren't many card appearances for this 1990s rock icon. I recently picked up another box of this release 100 percent to get some of the cards I like in the release graded and this one was an obvious choice. Why? It was the lone serial-numbered card in my box while also having a subject I liked.
The Grade: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: I figured this one would grade well, though the way the parallel colorful pattern is applied can throw off your eye a tad when it comes to centering. I have others from this set on their way to PSA since I wanted matching slabs for one duo and knew they wouldn't be an easy grade match based on their centering. Grading of GPKs isn't that common for new stuff but the printing is pretty clean here. About the only risk is centering and maybe some corner tweaks since they're stickers. I won't do a ton of GPKs but high grades on memorable cards with nods to other media (this set is loaded with them) could sell better than you might think.

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The Card: Pete Maravich 2008-09 Topps Murad T-51 #160
The Reason Bought: "Pistol Pete" is an iconic player with stats that have to be seen to be believed -- especially in college -- and this Hall of Famer has a lot of cardboard in recent sets that could be worth a look without breaking the bank. I don't heavily collect him, but some cards do get my attention when they are on the affordable side or fit some other taste. This mini from a retro Topps set based on the early 1900s tobacco cards of the same name. I like this release's feel and boxes aren't exactly cheap these days based on what they typically include so picking off singles is a way to go. These minis are fun cards that are the same size as the originals, which showcased schools and sports/pastimes beyond basketball and other traditional sports.
The Grade: PSA 9

Reality Check: I may have overpaid a tad for this one at about $9 -- at least based on how the pop report looks -- but it was still a card that I liked. On the flip side, it's not like these are plentiful in slabs nor would there be a lot of people out there getting them graded.

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The Card: Mark McGwire 1987 Donruss #46
The Reason Bought: This isn't a Rookie Card for the former Bash Brother, but it's one of my favorites from his first year of MLB cardboard. Those black edges can make high-grade copies a little tougher to find and the pop report here reflects the madness that the created for his cardboard back in 1998. It's also reflective of the power of the 1986-87 rookies that sold so much wax for so many people back in the day that helped create the industry explosion.
The Grade: PSA 9

Reality Check: I didn't check the pop report when this one was priced at just $6 -- I simply grabbed it. It's a very clean 9 and I'd bet it came from a factory set based on how clean it looks. I wouldn't rip wax to grade from this set -- centering, edges and corners can be brutal out of those sloppy wax-paper packs -- instead I'd find a factory set. I have a few cards from 1986-88 Donruss I'd want in an elite grade (especially BGS 9.5-10) but haven't really dabbled hard to go there. I should but it's also worth watching singles when they can be cheap like this one was.

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The Card: Tatum O'Neal 2013 Panini Golden Age Mini American Caramel Blue Back #145
The Reason Graded: A simple collecting challenge of the last decade might be grabbing the cardboard of The Bad News Bears that appeared in this one year of Panini Golden Age. The autographs are the biggest draw -- I pulled them all -- but those cards have a richly colored red design that does nothing but showcase flaws with their soft stock. (So grading them is just not a reasonable option if you like your slabs with gold.) The base cards are the simplest option, but I ripped so many of those boxes that base just doesn't feel all that special to me at this point. I turned to my big stash of minis, though, for an Amanda Whurlitzer to add to my graded movie stash.
The Grade: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: This one graded about where I had hoped as these minis have soft stock and they bounce around some in their packs so minute issues are pretty much to be expected. The only other card of her graded from this entire product was an auto and it landed a BGS 9. There have been 72 auto cards graded -- just three with a 9.5, none higher -- and most check in at an 8.5 or 9.

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The Card: Paige 2015 Topps WWE Undisputed Black #31 (/99) (RC parallel)
The Reason Graded: In my book, this is the key color of parallel for this former champ from the best set from her rookie year of cards on the main WWE roster -- and the standard card is one that I was surprised to have never pulled despite busting a few boxes of this landmark high-end release that had a hit in every pack. She's no longer in the ring but she's still immensely popular with some eBay bidders out there and that means chasing hits and rarer cards will cost you. That's probably another reason I opted to slab this one beyond the fact that I have graded a few of her key cards in the past.
The Grade: BGS 9

Reality Check: The grade here was a bit of a bummer but the card back is probably where it earned the corners grade. The front of this card is flawless in my eyes so that's why I sent it, but the laminate or whatever Topps used on the card surface tends to make for some bad back corners on these cards that also have black backs. Boxes of this one might as well no longer exist, so good luck chasing rainbows of anything here -- and it's a loaded set with a great auto checklist and a number of young stars as well as big veteran names.

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The Card: Rally Squirrel 2015 Topps Update #US318B SP
The Reason Graded: Gimmick variations don't bug me as long as they have common sense ties to the game and this one, well ... it happened. This isn't the first Rally Squirrel appearance -- that's from back in 2012 and that's a pricey card that I pulled and own in a 9.5 -- but it's a good photo from a fun moment in a different MLB city. I think I pulled this one and had it tucked away in a top-loader since that time. It got get-graded status when I checked out the card under a loupe out of curiosity -- it looked very good.
The Grade: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: And it was -- a top-graded card sharing honors with three other copies. It's not an expensive card (around $5 raw where I typically pick stuff up) but I like how they changed the name on the front instead of it being the player's. Phillippe Aumont's stats are on the back as he was pitching during this rodent run-in.

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The Card: Michael Jordan 1994 Action Packed #23
The Reason Graded: I'm also a sucker for Michael Jordan baseball cards -- at least not the ones that are super-plentiful -- and this was one that I had several copies of but never slabbed. After some good luck with Action Packed grades in recent months, I figured I'd do one of these.
The Grade: BGS 9

Reality Check: My good luck ran out but I think I see what the problem is here now -- I missed it before. The embossing and spot gloss in that area isn't aligned perfectly with the image so I think that's what got it an 8.5 and locked it into a BGS 9 despite strong marks in all other areas. I had been so hung up on watching the folded areas and corners for these glued-shut cards that I didn't realize that. This brand was very plentiful at the time -- probably thanks to Jordan more than others  -- but it's not the easiest box to find now. Nor are they super pricey. If you do rip you should get a few copies of this card (I ripped it so long ago I don't remember whether it was as high as three or just two) so that's a good thing. Given the volume of cards on the pop report, though, it might be easier to just buy the 9.5 instead of slabbing to get one. It's interesting to see not one has ever gotten a 10 of any type.

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The Cards: Keith Comstock 1989 ProCards Las Vegas Stars #14
The Reason Graded: Why this duo landed here is a far longer tale than it just being a card of a player perhaps known best for three weird releases from the past. I ripped a huge lot of cheap wax packs awhile back and a ton of them were from this series where MiLB team sets were worked into packs since so many people were chasing "rookies" and anything like them. I probably ripped 30-40 packs of these and didn't land a single copy of this card where the veteran pitcher posed like he was being beaned ... in the cup. Then I tried for pulling it from a full box ... and it was the wrong one. Then I got the right box ... but was blanked by bad collation or somebody pulling out certain packs since they had cellophane wrappers. Then, I bought a single team set in its sealed wrapper -- Comstock arrived with a mangled corner. I was about to give up on this potential grade but I then remembered a certain MiLB specialist and found the team sets dirt cheap ... and bought a few.
The Grades: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: These are the only two copies graded by BGS and I was pleased with the results as they were razor sharp unlike a couple of others I got in my sets. Why does this matter? Well, it's a funny card that has some demand -- people have paid between $10 and $16 for it raw on eBay and asking prices run as high as an unrealistic $50. It's not some rare error card -- they're all that way -- but it's clearly got some viral interest because of its goofiness. (He's also known for a tougher error card in 1988 Topps and another error in 1991 Topps that makes zero sense. All that for a guy who had a 10-7 record in six MLB seasons ... but played from 1976 to 1991. In case you're wondering -- and you're probably not -- PSA has graded four copies with none grading higher than a PSA 9. I'm planning to submit one more there at some point ... I want the first 10.

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