Making the Grade (March): Shohei Ohtani, Tiger, Spider-Man, young WWE stars, strong vintage, cheap NFL rookies & more

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

CLOSE TO PERFECT
The Card: Shohei Ohtani 2018 Topps -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: Ohtani's historic 2024 season had me assessing all of my cards from my 2018 stash -- mostly lower-end stuff that's heavily graded -- but not graded by me. Why? I don't grade the heavily submitted stuff because a lesser mark wouldn't be as worthy of going through the process and, really, in most instances a card can always be found already graded if it's needed. But, with his 50-50 season being so big, I opted to slab a few basics and this is one that made the cut. The stock used in 2018 is almost as thin as it gets and all that dark ink definitely showcases flaws, but I picked a pair of cards I thought were perfect from my stash and sent them in.
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: I don't know where I missed a perfect mark here but I'll still take a 10 ... less than half check in there and I think it's really harder than that -- people are examining their stuff harder before sending them in. The fact that these have checked in as low as a seven show how this one isn't easy sledding when it comes to slabbing. And as for my perfect aspirations? Well, it doesn't exist.

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

NOT A BAD BLASTER PULL ...
The Card: Freddie Freeman 2019 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs Red Ink (/70)
The Reason Graded: His dominant World Series showing obviously got this one into a grading sub as I have had this card stashed away for some time. It's a nice card but he's not a player I have ever particularly liked despite what looks like a Cooperstown track being followed. But ,this pull was found in a $19.99 blaster box at a Walmart and it's razor clean. Atop that, it being a parallel auto makes it an even bigger win.
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: I think only the vertical centering being a smidge off prevented me from a perfect mark but, alas, it's still the highest-graded copy and the lone slab.

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SHELDON COOPER'S NEMESIS
The Card: Wil Wheaton 2012 The Big Bang Theory Seasons 3-4 Autographs
The Reason Graded: Sheldon Cooper's nemesis and pal of Kevin Smith, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and William Shatner among others when it comes to gaming night arrived in my collection a few years ago when I opened a box -- it's likely here as a Buzz Break in the archives. It has always been on my mental radar for a slab.
The Grade: CGC 10 (9 auto)

Reality Check: Why? All that black ink up top is flawless and the bottom half and the corners were all clean, too. A 10 here wasn't a surprise -- it was expected -- though the auto grade did surprise me. I actually didn't notice the pen stroke going off the card since it was in the black area and there's one lighter spot in the "t" that night have hurt that slightly, too. Good thing I don't care about auto grades.

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HANGING 10
The Card: Sol Ruca 2024 Panini Prizm WWE Sensational Signatures Undercard
The Reason Bought: This acrobatic NXT standout is still working toward her big break but she's riding the waves -- some ups and downs with injuries -- and still putting on a show when it comes to ring time. I picked off an autograph early on not on a card -- a different-style sig -- just to save some bucks and have something in the stash as I waited things out for cost for a card auto. This one presented itself with a solid price for a perfect slab with a newer-style sig. (Her auto has changed once again with Topps Chrome ... she's down to just "Sol" but the wave has stuck in there the whole time.)
The Grade: CGC 10 (Pristine)

Reality Check: Top copy and can't be topped. An easy addition and I have always really liked the unusual looks from the "circles" stock texture used here. Since she has more and more autos before her main roster debut to come, her prices have come down but a card like this should remain solid no matter what.

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TAMED THE TIGER
The Card: Tiger Woods 2001 SP Authentic Preview Authentic Stars /Sample -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: I have landed this one a couple times through the years ripping packs -- back when those packs were dirt cheap and there were repack retail boxes filled with nothing but those preview packs from rack packs. That was long ago and my other Tiger from those is bouncing around somewhere deep in my collection. I ran across this one last year while sorting stuff and finally decided to slab it up. I think my other one is in a set that I built (I ripped that many packs) and stashed away somewhere. Why is it a big deal? Well, it's a premium-brand but an easy version of a better RC -- not a tough find at all back then (the parallels are where the money is along with the regular SP Authentic card) but that was 24 years ago and prices on boxes are higher than they used to be as so much of the stuff has been opened.
The Grade: CGC 9

Reality Check: My grade didn't surprise me as the soft, gloss-less stock here can have its moments. On mine, one corner had a minor spot but I knew it was still slab-worthy. It looks like most probably have that issue or something similar as top marks are a little tougher and most have checked in the same as mine.

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HAMMERIN' HANK
The Card: Hank Aaron 1975 Topps
The Reason Bought: This Hall of Famer's death in late 2021 was a bummer in the baseball world for sure -- and it was also a bummer for fans of Topps Heritage who likely would have had tribute cards and autos for him in the 1974 and 1975 Topps homages (2023 and 2024) but that didn't happen. And, actually, there wasn't much cardboard for him of any kind in those sets when they arrived -- and that got me looking back at the originals. This led off the 1975 Topps set highlighting his status as the new home run king and this card looks so good it should have checked in higher condition-wise ... that made it an easy, easy, easy addition at a bargain price.
The Grade: PSA 6

Reality Check: Check out that top part of the stats. That's, fair or unfair, how a lot of vintage looks and that makes me feel even better about this clean card that's lower down the scale ... but could visually compete with any of them. Sure, it's not perfect, but I'm not paying up for perfect. This is one of my favorite slabs of anything Aaron that I have ... and maybe others.

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NOW ONE OF MY FAVORITE CARDS ...
The Card: Shotzi Blackheart 2024 Panini Prizm WWE Sensational Signatures Red (/99)
The Reason Graded: My perfect grading result here already had this color-matching card of the WWE's Tank Girl in her "spikes era" (she cut off her trademark green hair in a feud as a nod to her ill sister) among my favorite slabs, but a future item you'll see here on The Buzz will take this card to an absolute another level in my collection. That's not a prediction ... that's a spoiler.
The Grade: CGC 10 (Pristine)

Reality Check: Lone card graded and it can't be topped ... and this card likely won't be topped among my Shotzi stash once you see my future item here later this year.

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RAZOR-SHARP VINTAGE
The Card: Utah Stars Team Leaders (Moses Malone, Ron Boone, Al Smith) 1975-76 Topps
The Reason Graded: I landed this one in a lot of about a dozen ungraded vintage NBA cards for around $10 -- it's a lot buy in the archives here -- and this was one of two in there that looked razor sharp and slab-worthy. What makes this one a little more interesting than a typical leaders card? It's the Rookie Card year for Malone, who is a Hall of Famer.
The Grade: CGC 8

Reality Check: Only one card checks in higher than this from CGC grading and I'm not exactly sure what might have dropped this down to where it landed along with three others ... but for vintage stuff I'll still gladly take it. The front looks flawless to me, so I am sure it's something minor on the back that perhaps pulled it down. It's an amazing card and I think scouting 1970s basketball leaders cards for big-name Hall of Famers that would grade well might be really fun when you spot the standout copies. It won't be easy as those years can be a slop-fest, but the wins will be worth it.

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MIGHTY NEWSSTAND SAMPLE
The Book: The Amazing Spider-Man No. 374 (Feb. 1993) -- Newsstand edition
The Reason Graded: I knew this one would check in with an elite mark and that's because it was a never-touched copy I landed back in the day when I had a parent working at a book store and I could check for issues before they ever hit the spinner rack to have their spines cracked Bane-style by casual browsers. How many of the 9.8s out there are newsstand copies? Some ... but I bet it's a distinct minority and that's why a lot of my barcode copies from this era are getting slabbed ... everybody had a comic shop back then it seems and few would buy retail. I did.
The Grade: CGC 9.8 (Universal)

Reality Check: The lowest 9.8 here checks in on eBay for about a $75 asking price -- for a direct version -- while the lowest newsstand copy at a 9.8 checks in at $125 asking price. I paid less than cover price for mine plus grading. I always liked the Venom-Spidey stuff around this time, so I grabbed a number of copies but never in bulk like the couple years before this. Stylistically, they still hold up well despite being somewhat traditional comics style vs. the Todd McFarlane/Jim Lee style of really dynamic stuff from back then that helped change the game.

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THE ALTERNATE IMAGE
The Card: Bo Bichette 2018 Topps Heritage Minor League Image Variation
The Reason Bought: This isn't my favorite card here at all with the alternative image actually being less interesting than the standard one ... but I wanted to keep my slab run of Bichette Heritage going and found this on the more-affordable side of things.
The Grade: CSG 9

Reality Check: Lone copy graded works for me. I didn't even check the pop report when I grabbed it.

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WALK THIS WAY
The Book: Shadowman No. 19 (Nov. 1993)
The Reason Graded: I landed this book via mail-order back in the day and it was off one of those ads on the backs of issues -- that's how I had to land the indy publishers and more direct gimmick covers in a small town. Why did I grab? Well, Aerosmith was perhaps at its resurgent peak back then with Get A Grip and the MTV hits that came off of that album and a comic book cameo was just unique. It's been stashed away all these years in my boxes of stuff and when I revisited them last year I couldn't help but note how nice this one was so it went into a sub even though I actually already picked off a slabbed copy of this in recent years at a price that was easy to grab.
The Grade: CGC 9.8 (Universal)

Reality Check: As good as it gets ... works for me.

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CAUGHT IN ACTION
The Card: Bo Bichette 2021 Topps Heritage (In Action)
The Reason Bought: Like my other Heritage card, this was me picking off yet another Bo -- but with this one at a bargain price ... less than it cost to slab it back in the day. Why? Who's chasing second-year subset base cards when there's an obscene volume of slabbed RCs for a player who's having a downtown? Well ... me, but I'm a collector grabbing stuff I like on the cheap for a player I collect. The 10 makes it easy ... Heritage 10s generally aren't a gimme when grading, either.
The Grade: CSG 9.5 (now 10)

Reality Check: All three checked in at a top mark, which is surprising for Heritage but not impossible. The stock and cutting here can be sloppy but if you have enough copies to be selective and they all have clean corners it's do-able.

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A THROWBACK
The Book: Moon Knight No. 1 (Nov. 1980)
The Reason Bought: This is a lower-grade filler book for a character that had a recent TV series and one that should return elsewhere at some point. Why did it make the cut here? Well, this book was 100-percent free to me with the purchase of a different vintage slab I had my eye on for months and finally found at a good price. When I opened the box, my book was in there along with not one but two freebies. Amazing. I contacted the seller just to make sure it wasn't an error ... they were just extras they wanted to get rid of.
The Grade: CGC 8.0 (Universal)

Reality Check: There are literally thousands of copies of this one that check in higher but it's all good in my mind. I liked the look of this character since the first Impel Marvel Universe card, though by that point there had been several series of comics to showcase him. He first appeared back in 1975 and this series arrived after several appearances years later and it lasted almost 40 issues. There have been plenty of starts and stops since ... but free works for me every time.

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THE RIGHT COLOR OF PARALLEL
The Card: Tua Tagovailoa 2020 Panini Chronicles Draft Picks Elite Rookies Aspirations -- RC parallel
The Reason Bought: I grabbed this on the cheap since I'm a believer in this former Crimson Tide star -- just look at the NFL stats and ignore the chatter -- and his Alabama cards will always have a spot in my school ties part of my stash no matter what happens. Simple as that.
The Grade: CSG 9

Reality Check: Not the best copy graded but I liked this as the color is the perfect one for the Crimson Tide. (Though the color isn't actually the parallel ... it's the name.) The standard card is silver foilboard. It's not the best copy but it's good enough for me.

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BARGAIN SHINE
The Card: Nick Swisher 2013 Panini Select Prizms
The Reason Bought: Just another cheap slab grab for my favorite baseball player of the past. Nines are fine and this one finally dropped in price to make the grab with no hesitation. Did I need it? Nah ... but I'll take it.
The Grade: PSA 9

Reality Check: Only copy one graded via PSA is pretty rare ... that also works for me.

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FINISHED STRONG
The Card: Bryce Young 2023 Panini Phoenix -- Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: Another waiting-game grab for a past Crimson Tide star ... I let the speculators do their thing and buy them up early on for prices I won't pay and then I pick off what I like or what dips into my comfort zone price-wise on the back end. I think I grabbed this before his end-of-year resurgence so that made this an even better bargain in my eyes. I didn't need it either way, but I liked it for my price.
The Grade: PSA 9

Reality Check: More than half of the slabs here check in at 10s, so there's no reason to overpay even for those. If it looks good and the price is right, just grab it if you like it on any card.

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IT'S ALWAYS TIFFY TIME
The Card: Tiffany Stratton 2023 Panini Select WWE (Mezzanine-tier SP)
The Reason Bought: This was her only appearance on a standard card in this release -- a rarer but not impossible tier in this popular set -- and rather than chase copies to grade I have simply grabbed slabbed versions a couple times in the past. (I think you'll find a Silver Prizm of this if you poke around in the archives.) Why? The borders on the right are pretty narrow, so it doesn't take much to be off-center -- and Prizm-stock stuff can be messy at times, too.
The Grade: PSA 9

Reality Check: I'm sure I ponied up a little more than I might normally for this, but I bought it before she landed on the main roster and grabbed her first major title. I've been a believer and a buyer in this WWE star for a good time now and as long as the price worked for me I grabbed stuff. I should have grabbed more and she will be in a prime spot with a Wrestlemania match against Charlotte Flair this year coming after teaming up with Trish Stratus for a match tonight. The torch of a couple generations of WWE stars is being passed this year because Tiffy Time is here and is not going away. I don't think she will lose to Flair.

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AFFORDABLE ROOKIE CARD
The Card: Spencer Strider 2022 Topps -- Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: I landed a pair of these for around $10 and that simply was too cheap to pass them up. I can't actively collect everybody but nines are fine and Strider's numbers have been absolutely obscene in the last few years. There are still other cards I have been meaning and wanting to land, but he should be back from injury this year so I need to get on it. There's a lot to collect out there for him and others ... if you believe in pitchers on cardboard. (That's not the easiest thing to do.)
The Grade: CSG 9

Reality Check: The pop here isn't massive, but it's not small, either. The left-right centering seems to always be an issue but as long as you're comfortable with that most cards should be pretty clean if slabbed here.

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BEFORE THE TRANSFORMATION & WWE ARRIVAL
The Card: Jordynne Grace, 2021 Impact! Wrestling -- Rookie Card (announced /300)
The Reason Graded: Her life and world have changed a lot since this first card from a revival of sets for Impact!, which is now back known as TNA Wresting. Grace's powerlifting past has evolved into a look-changing physique -- a lot of changes -- but none are as big as her now being in WWE. I slabbed this long ago anticipating she'd be popping up at some point. I don't remember if I graded her auto that I also landed in my set ... but I will if I haven't.
The Grade: CGC 9

Reality Check: It's not the top mark but a nine is fine when you consider the color schemes and the stock used for a card set that was slid into a box. The dark colors and soft stock means corner and edge issues are likely a thing more often than not ... and the backs can be where flaws are even more obvious.

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'SUP, DOG?
The Card: Crime Dog (a Fred McGriff homage) 2024 Topps Heritage  '75 Topps Zoo's Who
The Reason Graded: It's a goofy card from a goofy set -- I'm not sure who asked for a set of baseball player/team nods using animals but it happened in Heritage last year. When I pulled this one it immediately went into a maybe-grade stack ... that image simply speaks.
The Grade: CGC 9.5

Reality Check: The dark borders are a challenge here as well as skinny stock -- skinnier than regular Heritage if I remember correctly -- but really the only issues on this one were very light spots on a couple of corners. That kind of stuff is allowable on cards in higher grades but isn't as often-noticed when it's not pure black. A 9.5 night be generous here but I was fine with any grade on what's more of a novelty slab for my stash. It's a goofy card ... wait, was Goofy this dog breed? (A Google search for another day.)

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DEBUT CARDBOARD?
The Card: Kathy Ireland 1993 Eclipse National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon I -- First card?
The Reason Graded: I'm not sure if this set has her first trading card appearances, but it's a possibility. She had a number of acting credits in the late-1980s and even more after her arrival as a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover model in 1989 and 1992 -- and that propelled her more into pop culture. This spoof is full of good names on a number of cards so I grabbed this one along with a Samuel L. Jackson appearance for slabbing. Why? I think they are first cards for them, though there were a lot of obscure non-sports sets back in the day just like this.
The Grade: CSG 8.5

Reality Check: This didn't pop up in the pop report* when I searched it, but I expect I'm the only one to grade. That black box being close to the border likely bugs the eye -- it bugs mine -- but the white border here is what matters for centering. Since this looks to be off-center a smidge both directions, an 8.5 makes sense. I had hoped for a nine or higher but I'll survive.

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AN ENIGMATIC CARD?
The Card: MJF as Handsome Jack 2024 Fantasy Super Cosplay Wrestling Series 4
The Reason Graded: I've got a love-hate take with this AEW performer -- he does things well, really well, but goes to some easy/tacky wells too often, too -- a situation where I've taken less stock in the performance and potential overall. What does that mean? I haven't slabbed some of my cards here and there that I have pondered grading. (I'm not an active buyer but I have pulled some cards from packs.) I picked up a few copies of this oddball set to land cards of one other wrestling star that I knew was in here working for the promotion -- one where wrestlers take on other personas to bring comic con (and related) characters to life in the ring. But I was really surprised to find MJF as a character from the Borderlands 2 video game in each set.
The Grade: CGC 9

Reality Check: There can be some minor edge spotting on the top or bottom edges here likely due to the wrappered packaging, but I picked my best of a few from the packs I opened and sent it in. (Centering being slightly off might have got me here to a degree, too, but this was the best of mine in my mind for the edges.) First one slabbed is fun.

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HALF OF THE CRAZY BABYSITTER TWINS ...
The Card: Electra Avellan 2008 Donruss Americana II Gold Proof (/10)
The Reason Graded: She's one half of The Crazy Babysitter Twins from Grindhouse (aka Death Proof and Planet Terror) and other Robert Rodriguez (he's her uncle) movies and this is a rarer parallel from a set I bought a lot of in the past. I graded it since it's rare and would work among my Quentin Tarantino slabs -- there are a number of cards from these sets and others that together cover the lineups of those movies pretty well.
The Grade: CGC 9

Reality Check: Lone copy graded makes sense. I think some minor surface funk on one corner dropped me down. It looked clean when I grabbed it on COMC, though.

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COLORFUL SIMPLICITY
The Card: Bo Bichette 2019 Bowman Ready For The Show Green Refractor (/99)
The Reason Bought: This parallel of an insert from before his Rookie Card year is among a number of potential finds for a lot of names where prices can often be soft since they aren't a first Bowman card or a coveted auto. I didn't need this for my Bichette stash -- I actually prefer 2020-on stuff -- but it was affordable and I landed it along with a few other slabs where it was all a comfortable pick-up for the price. For something numbered, the price was good.
The Grade: CGC 9.5

Reality Check: Lone copy graded is all good in my book.

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SHE'S BACK ...
The Card: Alexa Bliss 2015 Topps Chrome WWE Refractor -- RC parallel
The Reason Graded: Poke around in the archives and you'll find a perfect BGS 10 Black copy of my other copy of this card with both pulled from packs back in the day. It's a Rookie Card parallel as the NXT stars were part of the main set's checklist in this release and not inserts -- a move where the standard Topps flagship card that looks the same isn't an RC as that's from an insert set. Either way, given my results via BGS and how clean this one looked I finally slabbed it, too. Why? I knew Bliss would be back at some point and that return was at this year's Royal Rumble. What's to come? Only WWE knows ...
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: Not a perfect slab but the top copy graded here ... another win.

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STAYING PUT
The Card: Pete Alonso 2016 Bowman Draft -- First Bowman Card
The Reason Graded: This is a perfect example of how early Bowman cards when not inked or Chrome can be overlooked by the chase stuff. They're readily available so, no, they shouldn't be that pricey -- they made a ton -- but Alonso's re-signing with the Mets got this one a spot here this time. I landed it for less than $5.
The Grade: CGC 9

Reality Check: Most copies of this check in here, so the price is probably fair, though still low. The next-highest volume is 10s, so I wouldn't pay up big there, either. Overlooked pre-rookie Bowman slabs are plentiful but that doesn't mean they can't be collected and maybe pick up steam over time.

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INTERNATIONAL APPEAL
The Mags: Drew Barrymore Playboy Taiwan (April 1997), United States (Jan. 1995) and Czechoslovakia (Oct. 1995) issues
The Reason Bought/Graded: This 1990s icon who I collect turned 50 late last month -- time is flying -- and among my recently found slabs (in the last year) are a bit of a project that I am slowly taking on, though it might be glacial as it's just not a challenge that can be easily done. This title is heavily collected and stabbed -- much like Sports Illustrated, for example -- as it was a staple from the 1950s until its demise in recent years ... but what isn't easily found are international editions that arrived and then vanished over the years in many countries. The American version of her issue is easily found, but grading is still a challenge -- only one 9.6 exists and nothing higher with a good volume graded. I slabbed a basically untouched copy and landed a respectable grade. Finding essentially untouched international copies? Seemingly impossible -- and that's if they can arrive one last mailing to you without damage from wherever they might be found far, far away -- so I opted to just grab these already graded copies.
The Grade: CGC 9.2 (Universal)

The Grade: CGC 9.4 (Universal)

The Grade: CGC 9.2 (Universal)

Reality Check: The international issues are the only copies graded -- and I paid up (perhaps more than anything else in this month/year's lineup of slab buys) when I spotted them. Why? Because I wanted them. There are at least a dozen countries to find -- some covers better than others, definitely not the same across the board -- and I am sure I'll never land them all. I'll be adding slabs if they present themselves affordably for their marks -- anything nine and up on international stuff is good because, while there are graded copies out there, the volume is nowhere near the size of the U.S. edition. Plus, these are all pushing 30 years old (or already there) as of this year.

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