Making the Grade (July): A perfect Caitlin Clark, clean comics, young WWE stars, Shohei Ohtani, Bo Bichette & plenty more

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

AS GOOD AS IT GETS
The Card: Caitlin Clark 2024-25 Panini Instant WNBA (/26,980) -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: I watched and waited for the most part with Caitlin Clark cards as Panini Instant stuff arrived regularly and her in-pack WNBA Rookie Cards arrived later in the year. But, when this award-winner card popped up with a clean and iconic studio photo? Well, I pretty much instantly (pun not intended as it's simply true) grabbed a 10-pack with an eye for a slab. It's in a past Buzz Buys (hit the archives) and this is the result a few months later.
The Grade: CGC 10 (Pristine)

Reality Check: This one is heavily made and should be heavily slabbed -- the number of Pristines has at least doubled just in the few weeks since I got these back from CGC -- but many won't be checking in at this top mark. I didn't slab to expect a perfect 10 but I thought this one had potential after going through my stack. Three of my 10 had solid centering and this one was first to make that cut ... with this mark I may not need to send in the other two. It's my lone Clark slab ... and it's strong enough it might stay that way just so I can say I went 1-for-1 grading here. We'll see.

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

ONE MORE RC
The Card: Shohei Ohtani 2018 Topps -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: This was my second copy of this RC that I sent in and, well, I wasn't expecting a nine on this one -- the two I sent were head and shoulders above the others I pulled from packs back in the day. My other copy checked in higher -- it was a 10 -- and I felt like this one was, too, but with the skinny stock used here any little thing is possible.
The Grade: CGC 9

Reality Check: I'm fine with nines -- and most check in either there or a 10. That's a little surprising as the stock and those dark colors just seem prime for displaying flaws.

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BEFORE THE WWE
The Card: Giulia* 2022 Bushiroad ReBirth For You X Stardom Partner Special Edition Shiny (holofoil) (* -- name is incorrect on label)
The Reason Graded: I pulled this in my first break of these boxes -- see it here -- and knew it wold head into grading as it's a big name, a rare card here and she's already in WWE on the main roster with a championship in hand. (That was merely a possibility back when I opened the box -- she arrived quickly.)
The Grade: CGC 10 (Pristine)

Reality Check: There's a minor spot on the bottom left corner -- that's actually part of the image if I remember correctly -- but otherwise this card looked really clean -- a no-brainer 10 -- to me. Almost everything in this release is that way. I haven't really tracked down any of her newer stuff just yet but won't sweat it that much with a solid Japanese slab starting things off in my stash. Her BBM Rookie Card and WWE debuts are pricey cards right now -- but she has a good amount of pre-WWE cards to consider if working on a budget like I am.

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MY NEWSSTAND GEMS
The Card: X-Men (1991) No. 2 -- newsstand edition
The Reason Graded: Jim Lee's reboot of the X-Men sold millions of copies -- thanks to a puzzle/variant cover packed with landmark visuals -- and I bought my fair share of them back then but not as much as I did for other titles and artists that I liked more. Why is this book from a heavy-run era here in a slab? As I've noted in past lineups here, I had a relative who worked at a book store in a small town, so I was able to see comics before they hit the spinner racks to have their spines broken by meandering fingers and that allowed me to pick off razor-sharp, clean newsstand copies ... while most people got their comics at comic shops. The pop reports aren't split apart -- I wish they were -- but UPC issues like this (vs. a direct copy with a logo in that box) seem to be far rarer in elite grades and completists will pony up more for stuff like this when it comes back with a top mark.
The Grade: CGC 9.8 (Universal)

Reality Check: Top mark it pretty much is -- as you can see with those numbers the 9.9 really doesn't exist (it's also a newer phenomenon) -- so this one felt like a win. I still have my four editions of the first issue to pop up here at some point soon -- I slabbed a set (all but one newsstand) as well as the deluxe version to have all of them and some other earlier issues like this one all in slabs. This issue is pretty solid considering it cost me less than $1 (I got a discount) and then the cost of grading.

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OMG, IT'S BLAKE MONROE!
The Card: Mariah May 2024 UD AEW Dynamite parallel (/149) -- Rookie Card parallel
The Reason Graded: Mariah May just recently moved to WWE and NXT in June after a stint in AEW and then work for other promotions around the world in recent years. While she does have some oddball cards and online-set releases, this marked her first traditional cards found in packs, a Rookie Card, and I have picked off a number of them -- for the heck of it -- as well as slabbed some. I think I have one of her Japan cards still awaiting a spot in this series sitting in my reserves -- pencil that in for next month -- but since this was a newer slab it wins today.
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: Foil cards can be a big challenge when it comes to grading -- some of my other parallels here were brutal on surfaces -- but this one was a massive win, considering it was a COMC buy and I never had it actually in-hand before grading. I knew everything I could see in the scan was a winner ... and it was. The photo is pretty clean and iconic and the color of this parallel really goes with the image ... it's a really solid card.

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YOU KNOW, BO ... ALWAYS
The Card: Bo Bichette 2020 Topps Transcendent Collection Transcendent Icons (/95) -- Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: If you're a regular reader, then you know I've been picking off Bichette RCs for some time now -- albeit casually in terms of timing -- and this one was a premium card where I just waited to see what presented itself at what price. I landed this one already graded for less than $45, which was a win considering the price of the box it came from.
The Grade: PSA 9

Reality Check: I didn't check the pop report -- didn't care at this price -- and I now have both of his RCs from Transcendent brands crossed off and slabbed along with an auto from one of them, too.

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TOP OF THE LADDER
The Card: Tiffany Stratton 2024 Panini Instant WWE (/274)
The Reason Graded: This card noted one of landmark moments that showed the arrival of "Tiffy Time" in WWE as this newcomer to the ring has basically done it all en route to one of the company's two main women's titles in a short span. Here's the end of the match where this card is concerned. The winner got a contract for a title shot any time, anywhere and, well, she's the champ now. I picked off a /5 parallel and an auto for this one -- I wanted to grade them all -- but I've chickened out on those rarer ones for now ... I don't like slab surprises with cards I really like so I went with the best from my 10-pack bought along with them last year.
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: A top mark but not a perfect mark. I'll take it. I'm not sure my others will check in at 10s ... but we'll see at some point. Maybe.

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A DRAFT THROWBACK
The Card: Tua Tagovailoa 2020 Panini Instant NFL Draft Night (/4,063) -- Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: I picked off this card already slabbed, letting somebody else roll the dice on the Instant stock sets -- it can be hit and miss as it seems thicker and chippier than the stock used elsewhere. This one's bottom right corner has some funk and that's probably what knocked it down ... but at the price I paid I wasn't sweating that ... this is just a little slab action for my Crimson Tide stash and it was less than $7 already graded.
The Grade: BGS 9

Reality Check: A nine might be a generous grade on that corner but it looks like the only true issue and nothing is checking in here above a 9.5 ... so suddenly it doesn't seem as rough.

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SO SHARP I HAD TO GRADE IT
The Card: Bettie Page 2006 BenchWarmer Classic Pinups
The Reason Graded: This once-controversial and legendary pinup icon of the 1950s has a number of sets that showcase her and her alone that were made through the years, but ever since I found this card -- this razor-sharp cleaner than clean and cleaner than the rest insert -- in a box of BenchWarmer cards I knew it would end up graded at some point. Why? I legit thought this would absolutely check in at the absolute top mark. The photo isn't the best iconic image for Page on the front -- the back is much more styled and more like what you'd find on a comic cook cover (she has many of those these days, too) -- but overall I thought this might make for a good slab, despite not being any kind of super-pricey card.
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: It checked in at a 10 ... just not the 10 spot that I expected. All good.

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AN UNUSUAL CARD
The Card: Pete Rose 1985 Renata Galasso Pete Rose set
The Reason Graded: Nope, he shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame -- he broke the biggest rule, lied about it and only came clean to sell a book and autographs -- but when he died late last year I wondered if I needed to add some kind of other card to my slab stash here. But then I also remembered the other baggage that ain't kosher ... but I checked this boxed set's cards anyway as there are some unique finds as it looked at his career all those years ago (arriving in the off-season after he became MLB's career hits leader). That's when I saw this odd card and said, yeah, I'll slab that.
The Grade: CGC 9

Reality Check: I remember exactly what I was doing as a kid when this happened -- I was riding my bike (probably off some wooden ramps) out front of my house as a thunderstorm was rolling in when I got called inside to come see the highlights of what just happened on TV ... a day that ended up in history for a different reason years later. While this set has a bunch of cards from that moment on cards and even photo sequences of it happening, there's only one that showed the lineup card from the game on Sept. 11, 1985. How many other baseball cards show a lineup card? I can't think of any ... and that's why I slabbed this card.

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THE WEEKEND'S VARIATION
The Card: Bo Bichette 2020 Topps Player's Weekend photo variation SP -- Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: Yep, another 2020 Bichette slab ... this one a short-printed flagship variation featuring the photo shoots for the alternate unis worn once a year in MLB. Ultimately, a lot of the game-action photos on cards like Topps Now here show how these all-white looks weren't good ... this one just makes it slightly less obvious. That's not to say I don't like this card -- it's unique -- but I waited it out on the price for a slab.
The Grade: PSA 9

Reality Check: I landed this for less than the price of a couple blasters back then -- and that still might be high given how the pop reports look -- but I can cross it off and never look again.

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ESSENTIAL INK
The Card: Rhea Ripley 2020 Topps NXT Roster Autographs Blue (/50)
The Reason Graded: In a recent sub, I sent in some of my ink from this set -- one of the best from the previous Topps run if you ask me -- as it included one A-list name here in Ripley and an iconic favorite (you'll see) of mine both signing on skinny-stock cards that are a grading challenge. These boxes used to be really affordable but Ripley's ascension to the top of the WWE ranks -- men or women -- helped make a lot of these boxes vanish as her first-year ink can be found here on a number of colors and a couple different cards.
The Grade: CGC 9.5

Reality Check: Both copies of this one on the pop report are mine and I have slabbed 'em up on a couple other colors, too. And I'm still not done. Ultimately, I may slab all key autos from this release at some point ... it's simply a favorite.

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UNUSUAL RELICS
The Card: B.J. Upton 2011 Topps Allen & Ginter Framed Relics
The Reason Bought: This one is an oddity among many oddities in the realm of Allen & Ginter and you've perhaps never seen them if you weren't collecting 14 years ago -- time flies -- or if you're just not looking back at stuff that's not as easily found these days, anyway. These plaid cards are found for manager Joe Maddon, first baseman Carlos Pena and on Upton as these Relics come from the Rays’ BRaysers from 2010, which the team wore on road trips as a way of showing their team unity. The team also wore caps with plaid bills as a nod to their team's formal-wear when on the road. I found this already graded and in a high mark which isn't as easily found on memorabilia cards.
The Grade: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: I didn't check the pop report but that doesn't surprise me. I landed this for about the price of a hanger box (with tax) these days ... I think it's a better card than that.

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ESSENTIAL INK II
The Card: Shotzi Blackheart 2020 Topps NXT Roster Autographs
The Reason Graded: Remember how I mentioned an iconic favorite earlier? Blackheart is the one and every copy of this card I own already is -- or will be soon -- slabbed. These were, I'm 99.9 percent sure, her very first certified autos in her WWE run and the autographs here are big and bold with this particular copy a near-perfect specimen. Once she had to sign a lot more for Topps' WWE releases and also sign on stickers a lot of those details in her auto vanished for a few years and her ink becomes, well, pretty rough before making a similar but still different semi-printed auto late in the Panini run and in Chrome this year.
The Grade: CGC 9.5

Reality Check: I own four of the seven CGC slabs for this one ... I was surprised that wasn't higher but my others are other colors of parallels.

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AN AMERICAN DEBUT
The Book: Marvel Team-Up (1978) No. 65 -- first U.S. appearances of Captain Britain & Arcade
The Reason Bought: I've mentioned a couple of freebie slabs I landed from the comics realm in recent months and those were all books that arrived with the purchase of this book, which is not a top mark but still a pretty clean copy with plenty of issues above it on the pop report. I'm not sure why it's pricey, it's always been findable, but this one is oddly expensive at times when slabbed -- perhaps it's partly Spider-Man fans, the classic formula kind of cover or a reflection of the printing sloppiness of the era, but it's also the first American-issue appearance of a character that has had movie chatter in recent years. For me, I latched onto the Captain Britain character for trivial reasons long ago when Marvel Universe cards arrived and still pick stuff off here and there.
The Grade: CGC 9.0 (Universal)

Reality Check: This one still wasn't that cheap but prices can be higher -- even for a 9.0 -- vs. what I paid. This copy worked for me as its flaws don't really bug my eye like they might for newer books. My two or three raw copies here I landed from Mile High Comics probably 30-plus years ago at this point definitely were not clean enough to land a grade like this. Crossed this one off and deleted my daily saved eBay search, too, after finally landing it.

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A SLEEPER
The Card: Wendy Choo 2022 Panini Prizm WWE Ruby Wave -- RC parallel
The Reason Bought: This was more of a fun filler slab picked up already graded some time ago when her tired, night-time wrestler gimmick -- she comes to the ring with a pillow, fights in pajamas and can fall asleep in the corner during tag matches. The schtick was amusing before she was out with injuries and arrived back in WWE with more of a darker nightmare persona under the same night-time role. It's from the landmark first Prizm set -- and it's her first card that I'm aware of though she had time in the indies -- though she also had some time in NXT as a character known as Mei Ying, too. (You'd never know that, though, based on the visuals.)
The Grade: CSG 10

Reality Check: Top graded copy works for me, especially at a price that was probably less than what it cost to grade it. She's still in WWE, so we'll see if all of the roster shake-ups result in her getting more TV time.

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BIG Ks, SMALL PRICE
The Card: MacKenzie Gore 2021 Bowman Next Baseball America Top 100 Prospects (/750)
The Reason Bought: I plucked this one out of the cheap bin after one of his 13-strikeout games this year -- I can't remember if it was the first one or the second -- but it was mostly because I liked the price for the grade (under $8) and it shows him with his original MLB team where he played 16 games in 2022. The rest have been with the Washington Nationals since he was in the Juan Soto trade with James Wood, C.J. Abrams and others.
The Grade: PSA 10

Reality Check: Now cards can be heavily slabbed but in this case it's not really one of those -- nor was it heavily made vs. the standard Topps Now singles. Those are reasons I didn't mind this one, either, just like that price.

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I BELIEVED BEFORE ...
The Card: Solo Sikoa 2022 Panini Prizm WWE Premium Box Set (/199) -- RC parallel
The Reason Graded: Early on, this newcomer's presence at the top level of WWE was a strong one -- he was the silent muscle for The Bloodline -- champ Roman Reigns' group -- and for its interactions with The Rock and with Cody Rhodes in the recent past. But as stories have evolved away from that time -- that's back when I finally opted to slab this one as I like this set parallel's look -- in more recent times, I have softened on my interest here. Because of that, this card sat, despite my landing a good grade. Will new developments bring Sikoa back around to where I'd like to see? Maybe ... it certainly can't hurt to have him doing more and him having a championship after this past weekend.
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: This is a mark that has happened a majority of times in this set -- I think it's a sign that they are reliably clean -- but there are still some lower grades there don't mean it's a guaranteed easy grade.

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MORE MAC
The Card: Mac Jones 2021 Panini Playoff Kickoff -- RC parallel
The Reason Bought: Simply put, this one is some Crimson Tide filler at a super-cheap price that was too low to pass up.
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: Only one card higher ... not bad for about $4, though I do prefer seeing him in his college colors.

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PRE-TIMELESS TONI
The Card: Toni Storm 2020 Topps WWE Undisputed Blue parallel (/25)
The Reason Graded: This photo is one of my all-time favorites for any set, any sport. It's so simple -- it's a pose from a pre-match entrance routine that happens super quickly (I've seen the video somewhere yet can't find it now) -- and perfectly timed details are there down to the rock 'n' roll hand gesture from her time as a music-loving rocker type in NXT and NXT UK. I think I own every parallel here except the 1/1 -- I own the Topps Vault 1/1 instead -- and slowly but surely I'll slab them all. These color parallels are super simple but add to the feel in a subtle way that doesn't take away from a solid photo. Her career has evolved quite a bit in the years since this, but I have to say that this card is timeless even though that's not "Timeless" Toni.
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: Lone copy graded is no surprise as it's not a Rookie Card ... it's just a rare parallel of a great card.

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HIS CHROME DEBUT
The Card: Bo Bichette 2016 Bowman Chrome Draft Picks & Prospects
The Reason Bought: I may or may not own more than one of these -- I don't even know -- but I picked off this 10 at a modest price for a Chrome debut and it's now living in a two-row box along with all of my other Bichette slabs. Just some spring cleaning to get some of them in here vs. waiting in the reserves.
The Grade: CSG 9.5 (now 10)

Reality Check: That pop number is a little high for some names around this time in the prospect realm, but the volume of cards in the top slots isn't really. I bet the numbers are far higher and perhaps more skewed over in PSA land where it could cost more despite being more available. I'm good with this one. (I prefer Rookie Cards and later but will go back and revisit pre-rookie prospect card when cheaper slabs.)

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COSPLAY INSPIRATION
The Card: Nezuko Kamado 2021 Bandai Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Wafer Cards Vol. 4
The Reason Graded: I think I mentioned this one in a past Buzz Buys for the trivia that's behind how this Japanese anime card ended up in my collection and in a slab. What's the deal? Well, indy veteran wrestler Sü Yüng has a rather demonic and creepy persona also known as "The Bloody Undead Bride," also has worked for an indy wrestling promotion focused on pop culture and cosplay in the ring where she took on this anime character, who has become a demon but has her urges held in check. (Something like that.)
The Grade: CGC 9.5

Reality Check: These are printed on plastic and are pretty nice ... they're also something that would make for a unique autograph, too. This one got graded and did pretty well. Yüng has very few actual wrestling cards so this one goes right with those in my stash of slabs.

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THE PERFECT CARD?
The Card: "Strange Requests" 2017 UD Clerks 37 Foil parallel (/37)
The Reason Graded: I'll be brief here -- the 37 scene's card on the /37 parallel and its serial-number is 37/37. If you know the movie then you know how that number in this R-rated comedy comes into play. This card is the perfect card in this set and that's all that needs to be said.
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: A 10 works for me ... but this was getting slabbed no matter what.

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A DEBUT?
The Card: Dark Angel Jessica Alba 2002 Topps Dark Angel promo card
The Reason graded: A few years ago, I picked up a small lot of non-sports promo cards with an eye on grading but none of them were truly elite-grade slab worthy ... but I still like the feel of late-1990s/early 2000s promos as they're just not seen as often as you might think vs. traditional sports and their promo cards. (Still findable, just not everywhere.) This James Cameron TV series wasn't anywhere near her first role but it did launch her into the pop culture radar of many ... and it was only around for two seasons. That was enough to get it cards and this promo card which noted it as having a March 2002 arrival. The show was done by that May.
The Grade: CGC 8.5

Reality Check: Lone graded isn't a surprise as these aren't going to generally grade that well ... but I have to think it's among her first cards so that's why I went there on this one.

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ANOTHER DEBUT
The Card: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 2016 Bowman Prospects
The Reason Bought: Remember my Bichette thoughts? Same here, though I don't really collect Vladdy much at all save for picking off some cheap slabs or a few cards I like here and there.
The Grade: CSG 9.5 (now 10)

Reality Check: I liked this first Bowman for the price -- less than $9 -- and for its top mark ... which still as not been topped by a perfect 10.

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SOME STAR-POWER PROFITS?
The Mag: Bo Derek -- Playboy, March 1980
The Reason Graded: If you grade stuff long enough and build up a good eye for spotting a good item -- a potential top-grade kind of piece -- odds are you'll know it instantly when you see it whether it's a card or a magazine. This is one of those times and one of those items where one might also say "this is why you grade." I spotted this -- an essentially unopened, never-touched copy -- among items from an antique dealer where it was clear the owner had bought copies and simply wrapped them all up for storage. This was in a homemade vinyl/plastic wrap bag so old that the pieces of scotch tape used to close it had turned a brittle yellow but everything still looked perfect and, well, it essentially is. The only flaws are perhaps some staple puckering/indent/bulge you can see a hint of at top left (nothing torn just these thick magazines and staples are not aways good teammates) and maybe a super minor scuff spot on a back cover with a lot of dark-color ink. The only other flaw I saw was a very minor bend spot on it the front -- not even really a wrinkle to affect color and it definitely would have pressed out with a longer wait for an extra fee -- but I didn't go there as this one was still super clean and I just wanted this slabbed and back ASAP when I finally sent it in. Back in the day, a celebrity issue like this would have gotten a lot of publicity and sold a lot of copies -- I'm sure it did -- and Bo Derek was a massive name in pop culture before this, too. It was the first of several covers for her through the years.
The Grade: CGC 9.2 (Universal)

Reality Check: Between buying and grading, I've put just under $100 into this and, well, if I had had it pressed during grading there might be none higher on the pop report. As it stands now, there are only two others like it, a single issue at 9.4 and none higher out of nearly 100 copies graded. (That's a pretty high number actually since it's a celeb issue.) Those pesky staples will always be trouble and the paper covers here are not glossed -- so ink can and will wear off if handled. The most-common grades here are 6.5 (15 copies) and 6.0 (14 copies) and they even dip as far down as a 3.0 -- those marks would likely qualify as "mangled" to many of you as they do to me. Meanwhile, high-grade old copies of this title (some issues, not just this one) can command hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars -- for the oldest issues and rare, high-grade stuff -- and this era could have buyers. A 1978 Dolly Parton cover appearance for an interview that graded a CGC 9.0, for example, topped $800 on eBay and stuff from the 1990s in grades like this can also command way more money than you might think (hundreds) considering they can be found far more easily. Only one issue tops this copy and the odds of there being boatloads more out there 45 years later that are untouched seems not impossible ... but also not likely.

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