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

MY LONE AUTO ...
The Card: Aaron Judge 2015 Bowman Inception Prospect Autographs Gold (/50)
The Reason Graded: Back when I could open a lot of boxes, I'd actually also do some group breaks as well -- as long as they were sure things where an affordable spot would guarantee a hit or had a volume of actual hits inside (auto or mem cards) the case that was high enough to make the odds close to that. This is my lone Aaron Judge auto left from back in those days. I landed it in a spot somewhere around just $60 -- and I actually got two other Yankees autos in the break to make my cost for this particular card even lower. I only ever pulled one other Judge auto and I think I let it go in a trade long, long ago so this last one standing for me was always a candidate for grading -- and it finally made the cut with his monster year.
The Grade: CGC 8.5 (10 auto)

Reality Check: The thick stock here made this one feel like a safe pick and it is -- the front is perfect -- but the back corners also count and some light fuzzing there is likely what dropped this one down. Otherwise, it definitely presents as a crisp card and a perfect card on the front. I was aiming for a nine, so this mark was a slight bummer -- but it's still a big card. Mine is the only Gold graded by CGC and among the 12 graded in all colors nothing checks in higher than a nine.

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

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

NINES ARE FINE
The Card: Aaron Judge 2017 Topps Archives -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: The unique 1960 Topps design always stands out to me. Why? Because one of my first clean vintage cards as a kid was a Gus Bell form the set, which I got since I knew he was a big-leaguer's dad. (Yay, trivia!) So that's perhaps one reason I held this Judge RC instead of letting it go. (Plus, I didn't rip as much of this brand ... so it was the only copy I pulled.) Judge's dominating 2025 season should make you stop and wonder about slabbing any RCs or early/rare stuff you have now ... just because. He and Shohei Ohtani are all-timers playing right in front of our faces now and are as safe as it gets when it comes to grab and slab or buy and hold -- even with plenty of their cards being graded.
The Grade: CGC 9

Reality Check: I knew this wouldn't be a 10 contender with the finicky stock here and the centering being a smidge off by my typical standards for a slab, but, like I said, it was my only copy. Most check in at this grade, so the nine makes sense, too, and the volume below it also shows this card isn't the easiest to grade.

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

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2024 Topps Heritage High Number baseball cards (blaster)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery for what was found in this one.

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2024 Topps Heritage High Number baseball cards (blaster)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery for what was found in this one.

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2024 Topps Heritage High Number baseball cards (blaster)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery for what was found in this one.

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What: 2024 Topps Heritage High Number baseball cards
Arrives: March 26, 2025
Box basics: One autograph or Relic per hobby box (12 boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here
Odds: Click here
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Topps will turn back the clock to 1975 one last time with this one -- an end-cap to the throwback series that arrived last year with plenty of colorful duality on every card.

Keep reading for more as well as a full gallery of images.

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2024 Topps Heritage baseball cards (giant)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)
First Buzz preview, odds & checklist: Click here

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery for what was found in this one.

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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.

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What's Buzzing: Heritage High Number chatter, new pulls, Travis Hunter's wants, all about that pencil bat and more.

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1 -- Heritage High Number has 'em talking today

2 -- New MLB pulls are here

3 -- It's a goal, but ... 

4 -- All about that pencil bat

5  -- Inside a box of Spectra NFL

6 -- Still talking 2025 Topps

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Have you spotted a hot thread? Tell us about it in a comment or on Twitter.

Follow BlowoutBuzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz.

From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2024 Topps Heritage baseball cards (giant)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)
First Buzz preview, odds & checklist: Click here

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery for what was found in this one.

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2024 Topps Heritage baseball cards (blaster)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for a few formats when available)
First Buzz preview, odds & checklist: Click here

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery for what was found in this one.

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Buzz buys and busts a lot of boxes right here for Buzz Breaks, but one of my goals is to rip a little less and talk more about cardboard that I -- and you -- might like. One way to do that? Simple show and tell -- present a few pick-ups and say why they captured my attention.

So, with all that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ... 

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A HISTORY LESSON
The Cards: Huck Betts, Joe Oeschger & Whitey Glazner 2019 Historic Autographs Triple Play Cut Signatures Triple Play Booklet ... plus 1961 Topps Leon Cadore & Joe Oeschger (Brooklyn-Boston Play 26-Inning Tie) from the Baseball Thrills subset
The Price: $21 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I'm not exactly sure what sparked my going down the rabbit hole to end up finding this one -- whether it was some trivia about the game or just a search of cut autographs I'm not sure as I found this earlier this year -- but for something different without breaking the bank this cardboard duo was worth a lead-off spot this time. As the Topps card details, on May 1, 1920, the Brooklyn Robins and Boston Braves played 26 innings to a 1-1 tie that ended due to darkness and that's still an MLB record. Cadore and Oeschger both pitched all 26 innings -- think about that a minute -- and that's their only Topps card appearance. As for the cut, Oeschger gets the center spot with an inscription for that game, while Betts was a rookie in 1920 for the Phillies and Glazner was a rookie for the Pirates later that year. Why are all three on this cut auto book? I'm not totally sure ... but all three did pitch for the Phillies at some point so it could be that beyond 1920 highlights. The center auto here is the key to me ... that's some good trivia.

Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... BlowoutCards.com for MLB

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2024 Topps Heritage baseball cards (hanger)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery for what was found in this one.

Continue reading →

From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2024 Topps Heritage baseball cards (hanger)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery for what was found in this one.

Continue reading →

What: 2024 Topps Heritage baseball cards
Arrives: April 10
Box basics: One autograph or Relic per 24-pack hobby box (12 boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here
Odds: Click here
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: It's time to turn back the clock a few years with Topps Heritage taking on 1975 ... and it's penciled in to arrive next month.

Keep reading for more as well as a full gallery of images.

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Sure, today and this week is about the newest of the new in 2023 Topps, but Wheatland Auction Services has some of the biggest of the big cards up for grabs in an auction ending on Sunday.

Everything from iconic Hall of Famer tobacco cards like Ty Cobb above -- a card presently at $7,500 -- to slabbed Rookie Cards of the Super Bowl QBs, Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts are all presently on the auction block beginning at just $5 with the sale ending this Sunday evening (7 p.m. Eastern).

Keep reading for a look at some of the pieces and details on even more that's up for grabs -- cards, lots, memorabilia and more -- via the Lancaster, Pa.-based company.

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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 ...

A COLLEGE CLASSIC
The Card: The Four Horsemen 1955 Topps All-American #68 SP -- Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: College football is back for another season, so I'll lead things off with a vintage classic. This card featuring Notre Dame quarterback Harry Stuhldreher, halfbacks Jim Crowley and Don Miller as well as fullback Elmer Layden is one that's been on my want list -- albeit very casually -- for a long time. I recently found one at a price that wasn't uncomfortable so here we are. I don't need a high-grade copy of this one -- just one that looks pretty good so I can say I have it. Besides their place in college football history, The Four Horsemen have a place in sportswriting history, too, as Grantland Rice gave them this name early on in what was a perfect 1924 season that ended with a national title. His New York Herald Tribune story started like this: "Outlined against a blue-gray October sky, the Four Horsemen rode again. In dramatic lore they are known as Famine, Pestilence, Destruction and Death. These are only aliases. Their real names are: Stuhldreher, Miller, Crowley and Layden. They formed the crest of the South Bend cyclone before which another fighting Army team was swept over the precipice at the Polo Grounds this afternoon as 55,000 spectators peered down upon the bewildering panorama spread out upon the green plain below." It's one of those pieces that's often cited when talking college football or sportswriting history and it's often emulated and it later sparked a marketing scenario -- the players would go on to pose on horses in uniform. In a lot of ways, that marketing is still replicated every Heisman season and beyond. This set is a landmark release, especially for college collectors, and this is one of a few big cards.
The Grade: BVG 2.5

Reality Check: Mine checks in low, but it's not the lowest -- there are 18 copies worse than mine and 14 others with this grade. It's very interesting to compare that total and then consider how few cards there are above a seven here.

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

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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 ...

PLAYING KETCHUP ... ERR, CATCH-UP
The Card: Patrick Mahomes 2017 Panini #104 -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: I've had all of my rookie-year Mahomes cards sitting in a "perhaps-grade" stack for some time and this is the first of them from my stash to head down to Florida for a slab from the new company on the block for sports cards. I think most of my bigger Mahomes RCs were slabbed long ago (see one here), but I'm playing catch-up on the other ones now. This is a relatively clean card from a lower-end retail-only brand that is definitely worth the slab -- raw cards are around a couple-hundred but Gem Mint cards can push or even top the $1,000 mark on eBay. I'll take the equivalent from what is looking like a strict grader.
The Grade: CSG 9.5

Reality Check: The pop report is still to come* from CSG -- they say it's in the works -- but I knew this one looked good enough to slab now and I was right. The paper stock here from this basic brand is definitely chippy (more on the backs) and those corners could easily get a lift or nick in packaging but this one checked out as a 9.5 ... not bad for what was probably from a bargain-bin blaster. CSG grades pretty tough from what I have seen so far, so a 9.5 felt good.

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

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Buzz buys and busts a lot of boxes right here for Buzz Breaks, but one of my goals is to rip a little less and talk more about cardboard that I -- and you -- might like. One way to do that? Simple show and tell -- present a few pick-ups and say why they captured my attention.

So, with all that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ...

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FINALLY LANDED HIM
The Card: Roger Maris autographed 1975 Topps MVPs card (PSA/DNA authenticated)
The Price: About $200 less than I figured it would cost me
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: For several years now, something on my want list for when I'd head to The National was to find a clean and slabbed Maris autograph of some sort. They're rare but not impossible as the former single-season home run champ who hit 61 homers in 1961 died in 1985 just as doing autograph shows was about to truly explode for past players. Had he died a decade later he'd probably be an easy autograph to find -- or at least an easier one -- but still in high demand. A typical signed and slabbed plain 3-by-5 card of him typically was around $500 when I was looking in the past and I've seen many of them but that was still a little too much to swing for me if I wanted to keep shopping while at a show. Signed and slabbed cards from his career are often a lot pricier depending on the condition of the card and the year ... some are quite impressive and many are not having been signed in ballpoint pen. Like pretty much everything, prices on his autos have jumped in the last few years but I still had been looking for something like this ... and then one day late last year I woke up and checked emails to see this one on the block with a buy price that made it an instant grab. It's not a perfect card, it's not a mangled card ... but it was an affordable one for me as it's a lesser card from just after his career ended (last cards as an active player were in 1968). As a bonus to me, he's seen alongside pretty much the other player I actively collect from the era ... but his auto is easy to find. I've crossed a big one off my want list.
Grab a box right here: No boxes of this one ... but MLB stuff is here

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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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 ... it's a mix of some new, some old and some football since that season is winding down fast.

NOW'S THE TIME TO BUY ...
The Card: Gleyber Torres 2018 Topps Heritage High Number #603 -- Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: I grabbed this one some time ago because it was on the cheaper side of things and a key Rookie Card in a key release. I own a bunch of these raw but landed this for literally less than it likely would have cost me to grade one (at least if I wanted to get it back in hand this year). The cost? Just $10. So, why do I have this one batting lead-off? A reminder that now is the time to be buying up younger baseball guys ... not when there's hype from spring training (even if that might be delayed).
The Grade: BGS 9

Reality Check: I'm fine with nines and I didn't check the pop report when grabbing this one, which checks in under the most-commonly landed grade. No biggie ... I'm sure the 9.5s that don't always look obviously better cost a lot more than what I paid. There are no sub-grades here, but it seems pretty obvious that the centering is slightly off on this copy but everything else looks pretty good.

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

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Buzz buys and busts a lot of boxes right here for Buzz Breaks, but one of my goals is to rip a little less and talk more about cardboard that I -- and you -- might like. One way to do that? Simple show and tell -- present a few pick-ups and say why they captured my attention.

So, with all that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ... and this time around there's some variety as well as some Father's Day nods.

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VOLATILE FISH
The Card: Mike Trout 2020 Topps Project 2020 -- Artist: Andrew Thiele (/13,199)
The Price: Factory cost from Topps
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This was just the second Trout card made in the set that's generating more attention than most releases this year, and Thiele's allegiance to the original 2011 Topps Update Rookie Card got me to bite here a lot faster than the first one, which is far more abstract. This isn't my favorite Trout of those released so far -- that nod still goes to Ben Baller's version -- but I do like it. I'm not buying Project 2020 cards to sell -- many of you out there are -- but now that the big wave of mainstream attention that has come and gone there should be more cards with print runs closer to this number (not for Trout as each of his cards to come has a shot at autographs). This one leads off here as a reminder that this is a set that needs to be watched closely. Only about 285 more cards to go!
Grab a box right here: No boxes of this one ... but MLB boxes are here

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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Have you seen the latest crazy items on eBay? If not, you just might see some of those here every week as we're launching a weekly version of our eBay Buzz pieces that pop up from time to time. We’ll spotlight some items that have a story or just wow us with how much interest it might have — and we’re not just talking baseball cards, either.

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HOTTEST INK IN THE HOBBY?
The Item: 2018 Cryptozoic Rick And Morty Season 1 Autograph #JR-R Justin Roiland as Rick Sanchez (/50)
The Price: $947.64 Buy-It-Now
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Just like the cartoon series, you can't really explain it -- you just have to see it. A number of the autographs in this recently released product are scorchers and they're not even the main thrust of the set -- you'll find one and sometimes two full-color sketch cards per box (and sometimes an auto atop that). Roiland is the co-creator of this cult classic series and he signed a few different cards for characters in this release -- and that hasn't brought down prices for those that have sold or are on the block. Even the binders for this one are selling very well.
Similar Pieces: Check out other cards in this set
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for boxes and binders for Rick and Morty

Keep reading for four more interesting items in this week's roundup ...

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On this day in 1934 in Mobile, Ala., Henry Louis Aaron was born -- and 20 years later he made his big-league debut for the Milwaukee Braves.

Twenty-two years after that? Hammerin' Hank's career ended -- in the uniform of the Milwaukee Brewers -- with him atop the all-time home run list. All of this is a simple but impressive stat-sheet reality that you can revisit here but should know.

What some younger collectors may not realize, though, is that one of his baseball cards arrived noting his new record before it actually happened and before it was on the back of his card, instead of the year after as it really should have been. (It's actually among my favorite Aaron cards, too, making the birthday the reason you're reading this.)

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