Stacking Paper: Concert posters, sports programs, ballots, photos, magazines & more to start a new collecting series

There are a lot of things one can collect that aren't cards -- sometimes they can even come in packs or repackaged memorabilia boxes and sometimes they don't. Buzz has been exploring the world a little bit in different directions but with many of them still being paper items -- stacking paper but not in that ol' green (money) kind of way. Here's a look at a few items that entered my collection in recent months that can all fall under this department, which will be found here roughly once a month. 

TODAY'S THE GREATEST
The Item: The Smashing Pumpkins concert poster -- Melbourne, Australia, April 22 & 27, 2023 (announced /175)
What It Cost Me: $35
What's It Worth: Original cost $35 ... recent eBay sold $45 ... recent eBay asking $115
The Buzz: If you know and like the song and video for "Today," then this 18-by-24 piece from illustrator Pat Fox might appeal to you like this did for me. It's a nod to the 1993 video that arguably launched this band into the mainstream and this retro take for a more-recent show just seemed different and cool from the genre in my eyes. I've recently started dabbling around in this realm -- but only on the relative cheap -- after finding a seller/collector with a vast stock with nearly everything so fresh that the prints have never even been rolled ... so damage is almost non-existent. I've picked off a few dozen prints in recent months and you'll see concert posters like this pop up here regularly and perhaps elsewhere from time to time as unique buys come my way. Why? I'm hooked, amazing stuff can be found cheaply and I'm just collecting something a little different while they are also, in essence, bigger cards but made in far-lower volumes. The only drawback? Storage -- top-loaders for stuff like this doesn't come cheap -- but I'll adapt.
Find Cards At: Non-sports boxes at BlowoutCards.com

Check out even more items after the jump.

TAKING THE FIELD
The Item: 1993 MLB National League Championship Series media credential (unused)
What It Cost Me: $2
What's It Worth: Who knows ... but here's how these look on eBay
The Buzz: I landed this from a dealer with a lot of old-timey cardboard and a lot of unusual newer stuff, too. For the price, this one caught my attention as it's unused and as clean as it gets. What is it? The ID badge for a member of the media who would have been working at any game of the 1993 NLCS between the Braves and the Phillies at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Philly won that one and went on to lose the World Series in dramatic fashion ... and this no-frills simple item could have been in play leading up to some of that action but somehow it survived along with other unused passes. (The backs do have 1993-specific info so these were not prepped and then saved for later years' games.) There's a lot of stuff people collect out there -- credentials, tickets, programs and so on -- that are are of modest value and some are mundane when it comes the visuals. Some others are more interesting. I'm not exactly sure where this one checks in there, but for $2 I didn't have to think that hard. This is No. 587 and other lower numbers at the eBay link are visible ... so these probably aren't super rare yet you still don't see them everyday.
Find Cards At: MLB boxes at BlowoutCards.com

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THE PROGRAM
The Item: 1971-72 Cleveland Arena Sports Magazine (venue program for two teams)
What It Cost Me: $24
What's It Worth: Would vary depending on condition and who's on covers, but what I paid seems about right or a smidge low for vintage NBA stuff. (Also not quite as plentiful as MLB or NFL in my eyes.)
The Buzz: I'm not exactly sure how I found this one, but it's a program that's been out there all this time featuring an oldschool player I collect as much as I can due to some school ties. The top half of that cover is Cavaliers standout John Johnson and it's existed all these years and the bottom half is for the Cleveland Barons AHL hockey team. Since he's on the cover, I grabbed it -- not sure I'd grab any and other copies where he'd only be inside as these are definitely from the era and not all that flashy. If you collect players or teams, then stuff like this could easily be on your radar -- though it will be a lot easier to find more-recent stuff (if it exists) vs. older pieces.
Find Cards At: NBA boxes at BlowoutCards.com

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Click for a closer look.

ON THE BALLOT
The Item: 2020 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame official (unused) ballot booklet (with envelopes)
What It Cost Me: $9.99
What's It Worth: Who knows ... but eBay asking prices are here
The Buzz: This popped up from a seller of a little bit of everything out there in the collectibles and pop culture world and it's not the only piece I picked off out of simple curiosity. (A related different kind of item will up up here in future months.) This is simple -- a printed booklet for Rock Hall voters to review and then with their last page being a perforated pull-off ballot to be mailed back in an enclosed envelope. This voter didn't return their ballot and it ended up in a stack of music items in dealers' hands. Acts who made the Hall off of this year's vote were The Notorious B.I.G., The Doobie Brothers, Nine Inch Nails, T. Rex and Depeche Mode. An eBay seller has an asking price of $34.99 for one of this exact one (unclear if that one is complete), while a 2022 ballot has an asking price of $499 (again, asking) with Dolly Parton a headlining name there. The value is in the eye of the beholder here but I think interest might tie to the names involved and the potential buyers their biggest fans who might think this is interesting like I did.
Find Cards At: Non-sports boxes at BlowoutCards.com

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ORIGINAL PHOTOS
The Item: Bruno Sammartino mid-1970s 3.5-by-5 Type I photo made/sold by Joe Lagudi Photos
What It Cost Me: Just under $2 as part of some lot buys
What's It Worth: Good question ... here's one just like it that sold for $35
The Buzz: At a glance of its front, this snapshot of former World Wide Wrestling Federation icon and dominating champion Bruno Sammartino is just that, a snapshot. But the hand-written notation on the front and then stamping on the back make it clear that this is something a little different. What's the story? Based on some public forum/group posts, Lagudi was a young fan into photography and he was able to eventually get insider access to take photos and then sold some images from time to time to the ol' Apter mags -- a situation similar to that of WWE Hall of Famer Paul Heyman who did the same and turned it into a career. Lagudi, for a time, actually sold these little snapshots as a side business (so they are not one-of-a-kind images though they are Type Is) and these were among an album's worth of images that a dealer had and sold. I picked off a few small lots -- and could have gotten even more -- but I didn't jump on them like I should have. My small batch of photos I did grab had a number of notables I'll pop up here from time to time. These really grabbed my attention and they were easy grabs -- hopefully I can figure out specific dates on some of them over time.
Find Cards At: WWE boxes at BlowoutCards.com

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OLD MUSIC MAGS
The Item: Jack White -- Guitar World, August 2007
What It Cost Me: $1 and change as part of a small lot
What's It Worth: More than what I paid ... but less than I expected
The Buzz: I picked up this magazine as part of a small lot of cheap music books recently because this label-free copy did seem quite clean ... on the screen. Ultimately it is -- but not clean enough for my taste when it comes to magazines and potential grading as that spine has too much going on. (The rest is clean.) My slabbing of mags cooled off last year but I did finally get a new batch back and I'll likely do more at some point this year. Why? It's more concrete for the cost than dabbling with blaster boxes with a lot more upside, too, if you land a quality magazine that ultimately grades well. (This isn't one of those times, but I still don't mind it.)
Find Cards At: Non-sports boxes at BlowoutCards.com

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PUBLICITY PRINTS
The Items: Chasing Amy (1997) & Mallrats (1995) 8-by-10 press photos featuring Joey Lauren Adams, Jason Lee, Shannen Doherty and Kevin Smith among others
What It Cost Me: Pocket change apiece as part of a big lot
What's It Worth: Will vary -- eBay asking prices for these and similar photos can be as high as $25 ... per image
The Buzz: This trio of pics from Silent Bob's second film and one from his later release are all relatively clean save for some corner bumps -- I landed a huge lot of images like this recently and they got a nice tussling around the country via a two-week post office vacation/adventure. The box took more hits than is should have based on how it looked, but ultimately consistent small corner issues are the only light bummers. (Could have been way, way worse.) Does that hurt value here? Perhaps to some -- I know I like them crisp and clean -- but these were a nice surprise among a few hundred images I found cheap enough I'm still all good with them taking a licking. People definitely do collect and even grade/authenticate stuff like this -- and they are often not as tough to find as you might think ... and yet aren't seen everyday. For many films without extensive merchandise, stuff like this is among only a few options for collectors.
Find Cards At: Non-sports boxes at BlowoutCards.com

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STRAIGHT FROM THE PUBLISHER
The Item: Pro Wrestling Illustrated "Women's Wrestling Bundle" featuring recent-years' cover appearances from Ronda Rousey, Nikki Bella, Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, Britt Baker, Thunder Rosa, Jade Cargill, Becky Lynch, Bianca Belair, Starlight Kid, Mercedes Moné and others
What It Cost Me: $33
What's It Worth: Depending on conditions, the market price on this lot would probably be a decent chunk higher than what I paid -- though most can be found with some looking
The Buzz: This long-running magazine doesn't have these lots left any more -- though they do have a number of these single issues still available via their back stock -- but I grabbed this lot for the variety factor and to help fill up a box of back issues I picked off along with these around this time last year. Why? A lot of their newer covers are cleaner one-subject creations and a number of them were also first cover appearances -- both things that can get my grading juices going and because I collect with more of a focus on the women's side of things. I already have one of these graded long ago and have pondered one other from this lot but still haven't. Others might get a shot at a slab here -- I just liked the price and volume for the most part.
Find Cards At: WWE/AEW boxes at BlowoutCards.com

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