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 ... 

GOOD AS GOLD ...
The Card: "Stone Cold" Steve Austin 2022 Panini Select WWE Gold Flash (/10)
The Reason Graded: If you recognize this card, well, there's a reason. Just a few weeks ago, I pulled it from a blaster box and thanks to CSG's quick, budget-minded services I turned this around fast and, well, this rarity pays for itself. This retail-only card is rare -- only nine others like it exist -- and it came back with a top mark since even the horizontal centering was clean. (That's not the norm from what I have seen with this release.) This is a pricey card right now so that was my main reason for slabbing, and now it's that much better.
The Grade: CSG 10

Reality Check: It's the only one that has been slabbed so far. How many might still be sitting in packs? Generally speaking, Select is a strong release worth your look in any format -- and I have other stuff here I intend to get graded.

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

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It's looking like it will be another historic record-breaking month over at Goldin Auctions with action on the auction block already relatively intense.

How do we know that? Well, for starters, two iconic modern cards have already topped the million-dollar mark -- with more than nine days remaining -- and a huge third card from the past appears poised to get there with bids soon (it's at a mere $900,000). We'll get to two of those after looking at the hobby heavyweight you see above -- that's a sealed three-box case of 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection NBA cards.

That one is the home to LeBron James' biggest Rookie Card and parallels and it's the home of the same for Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh as well as monster cards from Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and other legends. "This singular release inspired a new and fervent, high-end market," the auction simply states -- and one really does have to wonder how many of these might still be in existence as every box has one patch auto, one rookie patch auto and more inside. It's a grail of its own unopened yet the highest of high-rollers just might get rewarded ... if they dared to open it. The current bidding? A cool $485,000 after 11 bids with nine days to go.

Keep reading for a deeper look at a few more items presently up for grabs.

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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 PIECE OF THE GAME
The Card: Dri Archer 2014 Panini National Treasures Rookie NFL Football & Lace (/4)
The Price: $25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I've always thought these cards with big and bold pieces of event-used footballs from the NFLPA Rookie Premiere are cool regardless of who they are made for. (Archer last played in 2015 so not much interest in that way.) This was the second time I've grabbed one of these -- the last being years ago at this point -- as I haven't really seen them pop up as much in recent years. (Can't say I'm constantly looking but they aren't super-plentiful, either.) This is literally half of the laces on an NFL ball embedded into a card and three-dimensional cards like this aren't done as often as they should be if you ask me, especially for premium brands. Sure, they cost more to make as those big swatches could have gone to several cards but all of them combined don't have as much oomph as cards like this do.
Grab a box right here: National Treasures boxes (all years)

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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 BIG BLASTER PULL
The Card: Shohei Ohtani 2018 Topps #700B hand on helmet SSP photo variation
The Reason Graded: Not that long ago, I pulled this card from a Series 2 blaster box and decided that it needed a slab since these SSPs appear to be relatively rare -- and I was even more surprised to see how they didn't grade all that well on the pop report. Meanwhile, mine looked very clean ... so I had to do it.
The Grade: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: Only one card graded better than mine and four others have equaled it while eight cards have checked in at a BGS 9 or lower -- that seems pretty low for a modern card, though the skinny stock here clearly could have issues after these cards hit packaging. I'll admit that this was a pull while Ronald Acuña Jr. hunting in Series 2, but this feels like a win on top of a win with it grading so well after being pulled from a discounted box. Here's hoping his third season is as strong or better than his first two, which are remarkably similar from the batting side.

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 just might be to rip fewer blasters this year 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. Would they capture yours? I'd be interested to know -- sometimes they might, sometimes they won't and that's fine. It's a buyer's market out there with plenty of options and bargains as well as high-end gems to chase.

So, with all that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ... and this time around there's a little bit of everything.

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BUZZ IS FINE WITH NINES
The Card: Nick Chubb 2018 Donruss Optic Blue Prizm (/149) Rookie Card parallel (BGS 9)
The Price: $14
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This guy was the top RB in the NFL in Week 4 with a monster game (and this one was purchased before that) but I'm thinking that he's among the better buys for last year's rookies right now because of where he's playing and the potential. If the Browns win big or at least improve impressively and have some moments, the 2018 RCs of Baker Mayfield and Chubb will arguably be the cards looked at first -- and Mayfield is already expensive so this guy might have more potential of the two. The basic versions of his cards are pretty easy finds, even when graded, so parallels are the way to go first in my mind. I grabbed this one since it was a tad cheaper than other versions but perhaps lower than it might be if it had been graded subgrades. (I'm fine with this type of BGS card as long as there's no obvious flaw showing to make you wonder.)
Grab a box right here: 2018 Donruss Optic NFL (a few formats)

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