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1989 Classic Travel

1989 Classic Travel

Making the Grade (March): A few new Juniors, Muhammad Ali, Aubrey Plaza, vintage gems, Jack Tripper, Rookie Cards & more
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 ...
BIG-TIME PULL
The Card: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 2019 Topps Chrome Orange Refractors #201 (/25) Rookie Card parallel
The Reason Graded: This one came out of one of the best Topps Chrome boxes I've ever seen -- in fact, it might have been one of the best non-high-end boxes I've ever seen for any brand -- and I knew instantly that the two big cards from it would end up slabbed. This one is up first and I actually had it graded awhile back but held it a little closer to baseball season -- and we're here. This guy could be set for a big season after a rookie campaign that was closely watched but perhaps not as lofty as was expected. With so few copies of this one made, I figured it was a no-brainer no matter how he fares this season.
The Grade: BGS 9.5

Grade 5.5 6 6.5 7 7.5 8 8.5 9 9.5 10 B10 Total
Population 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 3
Reality Check: I was glad to see this grade, and it turns out that two of the three that were slabbed were graded on the same day -- I just missed out on "first-graded" status. The Series 2 short-print (which looks just like this) is probably going to be the long-term iconic card for Guerrero, but rare Chromes like this one figure to be very strong, too, even if in a lesser grade. Interestingly only four copies have been graded by PSA -- three 10s and one PSA 9.
Keep reading for more of this month's pick-ups and new slabs for Buzz.
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This entry was posted in Baseball, Basketball, Football, Movies, Non-sports, Boxing, Making the Grade, TV, Vintage and tagged Ken Griffey Jr., MLB, NBA, Pete Rose, Topps, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1978 Topps, 1985 Donruss, 1988 Topps, 1992 Pro Line Portraits, 2016 Topps Update, Aubrey Plaza, Bart Giamatti, Donruss, Muhammad Ali, Rickey Henderson, Three's Company, Tom Glavine, Willie Stargell, 2007 Upper Deck Goudey, Classic, Dave Stewart, Ronald Acuña Jr., 2019 Topps Heritage, 2019 Topps Chrome, John Johnson, 1979-80 Topps, 1990 Topps Tiffany, 1990 Donruss, 1978 Topps Three's Company Stickers, 1989 Classic Travel on March 1, 2020 by BlowoutBuzz.

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Baseball (all dates subject to change)
Oct. 1 - 2025 Panini Three & Two
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Basketball
Oct. 16 - 2025 Donruss WNBA
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Football
Oct. 1 - 2025 Leaf Vivid
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Hockey
Oct. 8 - 2024-25 Ultimate Collection
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Oct. TBD - 2024-25 Engrained Icons

Other/Multi-sports
Oct. 1 - 2025 Topps Triumphant Tennis
Oct. 3 - 2025 Leaf Metal Halloween
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Non-sports
Oct. 1 - Topps Chrome Spongebob
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Oct. 15 - Historic Autos 15th
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Oct. 15 - Topps Disney Wonder
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Oct. 30 - Decision Color Cut SE
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Gaming
Oct. 10 - Pokemon ME Build & Battle
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Oct. 24 - Pokemon Trainer's Tool Kit
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Oct. TBD - Pokemon S&V Pri. Ev. PFC

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