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 ...

KEY CARD, KEY PLAYER
The Card: Lucas Sims & Ozzie Albies 2018 Topps Heritage 100th Anniversary -- RC parallel (announced /25)
The Reason Bought: This parallel card isn't numbered, but they are very rare and if you consider the healthy print run and various pack formats for this popular brand, it's a bit of a needle-in-a-haystack type of card to pull in general let alone for a notable or specific player. I grabbed this since I've met both of them and Albies is a key Braves player ... and this brand is one that I generally buy a lot of (and did a ton in 2018). It's funky but I like 1969 Topps, too.
The Grade: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: Why did I bite? The combo of scarcity and high grade and a price that wasn't that bad (about $80) made this one appealing to me. Also, the fact that the only other one was on eBay for $199.99 and isn't as good on subs as this one. (That price? Too high.) There are three copies of this card in PSA slabs (two 10s, one 9), too. How many might still be sitting in packs? Probably a few ... and that's also another reason I grabbed this to stash it.

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

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A copy of the hobby's biggest cards set a new seven-figure auction record this weekend via Goldin Auctions, but it was far from the only notable sale in its two-session October Legends event that included some remarkable modern card sales that fetched six-figures and a collection from Cal Ripken Jr. that topped the million-dollar mark on its own.

AN EXQUISITE PIECE
The Item: Michael Jordan & Scottie Pippen 2005-06 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Logoman Autographed Patches #DLA-JP (1/1)
The Price: Sold for $295,200 after 11 bids
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: It's not perfect, but it's a one-of-a-kind card -- and it's one of those kinds of cards that's as big as it gets as a dual-logoman auto from the brand that helped usher in the super-premium products that generate huge cash for high-rolling collectors today. It's slabbed as authentic likely due to the top left corner and how it's signed off the edges of the card but, again, it's alone as the only copy made making it a name-your-price piece. And, believe it or not, compared to many of the Exquisite card sales of the last few years this one still feels a tad under-priced.

Keep reading for a deeper look at four more big items in the sale that should command attention.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: NSCC chatter, best and worst card decisions, showing off NBA cards, William Shatner vs. autograph hounds and more in today's edition.

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His career stat sheet is a lengthy one, but he flashed some power Wednesday at Yankee Stadium that could lead to some fireworks on cardboard with the most-diehard of New York Yankees fans.

His name? Kyle Higashioka and the only hits the rookie has in MLB right now are home runs. Through the fourth inning of today's game, he's got three longballs in 17 at-bats this season.

The catcher also has more homers in his six games than he does Rookie Cards.

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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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SUPERFRACTOR MANIA ... CATCH IT!
The Item: Bryce Harper's 2011 Bowman Chrome Prospects Superfractor autograph (BGS 9.5/10)
The Price: $499,999.99 Buy-It-Now (or best offer)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Superfractors are the top draw for prospectors and they're the cards that get dollars flowing with their golden swirls. This one is among Bryce Harper's rarities before his Rookie Cards arrived and it's got the museum-style price attached to it. Will it sell for that? Probably not, but that best offer button has probably been hit more than a few times in the past.
Similar Pieces: Check out all of the Superfractors on eBay right here
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for Bowman boxes from several years

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

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A new season's new emerging names are doing just that.

Your MLB home run leader right now is Eric Thames of the Milwaukee Brewers, who has smacked seven longballs so far. The latest came as part of a 3-for-4 day Monday against the Cubs in Wrigley Field.

The 30-year-old entered this season with 21 homers in his previous three big-league seasons -- his last being in 2012 with the Mariners. He hit 12 of those homers as a rookie with the Blue Jays in 2011 but struggled with a career average that's up to .259 with his .405 start this year. How far off the radar was he? Thames spent the last three years playing in Korea's KBO League -- where he hit 124 homers in 390 games.

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If you hadn't noticed, there are a number of boxes with discounted prices now over on the mothership as BlowoutCards.com's Black November Wave 3 hits today.

Many of the discounts were dramatic enough that Buzz had to sit down and ponder the possibilities in many of the boxes and cases -- and here are five boxes that caught this collector’s eye.

2009 Topps Mayo football hobby box 
Buying older football boxes can be tough at times as players can come and go quite quickly, but, then again, so did this brand -- but there aren't many sets like it. It's retro-styled football in the realm of Allen & Ginter with some downright unusual inclusions. Example? It's the home of a Tim Kaine "Rookie Card" -- perhaps notable to some collectors out there since we're so close to Election Day. Mayo was only around two seasons, and it includes non-traditional autographs and Relics along with a decent mix of big football names. (The big names remain big but the rookies may not be.) For the price this one's got potential and it's bound to be very, very different than other NFL brands out there -- no matter who you pull.

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Either Bryce Harper or Mike Trout who will come to mind first if it's a debate of who's the best in the game, but sometimes it's fun just to look at the outrageous asking prices for these types of players' key cards on eBay.

The 2011 Bowman Chrome Prospect Autographs Refractor you see above leads the league among current auctions for Harper, checking in with an asking price of $24,999.99 Buy it Now. (No, seriously, go look.)

As goofy as that one might be, consider that the top Trout price -- one reportedly paid -- is even higher. That one's for a BGS 10 first Bowman Chrome Refractor auto with a serial number matching Trout's No. 27 on the field.

[polldaddy poll=9321364]

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Follow Buzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz or send email to BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com. 

>> Click here to buy baseball cards on BlowoutCards.com

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High-grade 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle draws attention

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You won’t believe the price on this perfect Bobby Orr Rookie Card