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 ...

WILD THING!
The Card: Ricky Vaughn (Charlie Sheen) 2014 Topps Archives Major League 
The Reason Graded: As you can tell by the green label, this one is an older submission of mine ... but since spring training will be upon us soon I figured I'd lead off with an oddball classic and a card that has been pretty pricey in recent years despite being from a set where they showed up one per blaster box (if I remember correctly). The challenge here? Now even finding blasters is not easy ... they got ripped. Why? There weren't just basic inserts for some of the stars of Major League who got carded ... they signed, too. (Roughly one auto per hobby case.)
The Grade: CSG 9.5 (now 10)

Reality Check: This one was clean so I knew I wanted to slab it -- the backs here have black borders that can be an issue -- and as it turns out this is the only 10 of a small bunch graded. That's a win for me.

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

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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: Scorching slabs, Project 2020, Sports Illustrated on cardboard, MLB & NBA breaks in today's edition.

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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 super-sized edition this time around that's heavy on MLB and NBA but with a few surprises.

The Cards: 1991-92 SkyBox #544-546 Team USA puzzle
The Reason Graded: I picked up a box of this one for roughly $16 late last year (a bargain price) and pulled two sets of these puzzles, which was good. Why? Because grading these and the other notables from the iconic Hall of Famer-loaded Dream Team is pretty heavy and this one has been on my to-do list. I landed most of the notables more than once but just one Jordan that was noticeably off-centered. These glossed cards on the puzzle could have issues that the standard cards don't have simply because of their surfaces, but mine were clean. I will revisit my second set to see if anything stands out. I may go the PSA route on the other set for variety's sake if I see anything that would make me wonder about potential grades.
The Grades: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: This one was a stressful one as I had hoped for matching grades. Thankfully, that's what I got and that's where most cards land for all three pieces of the puzzle. This is a textbook example of the kind of cardboard that can make you some money with grading, too, as they're no more than $10 total raw, while BGS 9.5s together should top $100 in some cases and asking prices for the middle (Jordan) card alone can be steep. It's memorable cardboard from the past with nothing but iconic players involved, so there's still good demand -- and that's another reason why I slabbed. Wax boxes aren't all that plentiful, either, compared to other boxes around that time.

Keep reading for the rest of this month's new grades and additions.

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Between everyday Buzz Breaks and the near-monthly Buzz 12 in 12 marathons, Buzz busted a lot of packs in 2018.

How many? Well, Buzz is almost afraid to count -- though it was seemingly news to me that the 12 in 12 marathons actually started early last year. (That's even more proof there's been a lot of wax to get these hands ... it's all a blur.)

It was a year of memorable pulls for me at times with some icons' autographs found in my packs. It also was fun one ripping into really old packs, too, with some cheap thrills there.

Breaks are among the most-popular items seen here nearly every day and Buzz knows that. So look for plenty of breaks in 2019 -- but, before that time comes, keep reading for links to not one, not 18, but 25 memorable breaks from 2018.

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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 ...

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Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today's your day then as we launch 12 in 12 -- a series of a dozen breaks of wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We'll post one every hour all day long ... this is our finale for today.

The box:2012 Topps Heritage baseball cards (24-pack retail)
Where to buy: Click here -- for Value Boxes with Heritage hobby packs

What's inside this one? Keep reading ...

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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: 2012 Topps Heritage baseball cards (24-pack retail)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for Value Boxes with two Heritage hobby packs)

Packs per box: 24
Cards per pack: 9
Cards in this box: 215
Base set completion: 
194 of 425 (46 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Mike Trout, Mark Trumbo, Yadier Molina, Justin Verlander, Aroldis Chapman, Felix Hernandez, Stephen Strasburg, Jason Heyward, Dustin Pedroia, Johnny Damon, David Ortiz, Joe Mauer, Ryan Howard, Johan Santana, Todd Frazier, Max Scherzer, Clayton Kershaw, Joe Maddon, Adrian Beltre, Matt Kemp, Tim Lincecum, Albert Pujols, Joey Votto

Rookie Cards (25) – Adron Chambers (SP), Brett Lawrie, Jesus Montero, Matt Moore, Devin Mesoraco, Austin Romine, Wilin Rosario, Addison Reed, Jared Hughes, Chris Schwinden, Tim Federowicz, Nick Hagadone, Tom Milone and a dozen multi-player cards with notables there including Dellin Betances and Devin Mesoraco.

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and break down 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 boxes: 2012 Topps baseball value boxes
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 8 (Two Topps Heritage hobby, five Topps retail, one Refractor/Golden Giveaway pack)
Cards per pack: 8 per Topps, 9 per Heritage, 1 in Refractor
Cards per box: 59

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Have you seen the latest cool or interesting 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.

NOT A ROOKIE CARD ... BUT, WHOA, IS IT SELLING LIKE ONE
The Item: 2012 Topps Heritage #207 Mike Trout 
The Price: They're all pretty impressive -- both past and present
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Mike Trout doesn't have a Heritage Rookie Card but this one arrived a year later and it's selling like one both raw and graded. PSA 10 copies of this card have topped $300 while four-card raw lots have sold for as much as $250 recently. It's not short-printed but this collector never pulled one back then -- oddly -- when I pulled a few copies of pretty much everything else. You know what else is rare these days? Affordable 2012 Heritage hobby boxes and even retail boxes despite the rookie crop not being a strong one at all. (See the link below for a Hot Tip shot at some hobby packs to get in on this chase.) This card will be one to watch -- it's all over the place right now but selling way better than it should be -- as Heritage is the basic set for many of us retro-minded collectors to chase on an annual basis. The high-grade copies of this one aren't that easy -- centering and chipping can be an issue with this set -- so that's definitely driving some of the demand for this one but he's also a top player in MLB and this card does have a ton of natural appeal. Supply and demand has taken over here -- with a dash of crazy sauce, too -- but it tastes pretty good if you own a few of these. 
Similar Pieces: Other Mike Trout stuff on eBay
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for 2012 Topps Value boxes with two H packs in each one

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

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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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Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today's your day then as we launch 12 in 12 -- a series of a dozen breaks of past wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We'll post one every hour on the hour all day long today ... this is Hour 7.

The box: 2012 Topps MLB Value Box
The cost: Click here

What's inside this one? Keep reading ...

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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 5 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.

2014 Panini Elite Extra Edition baseball hobby box
There are plenty of autographs to be found in boxes of this one -- and there are Hot Boxes that up the ante, too -- but right now there's one autograph that arguably stands out from the rest.

It's Kyle Schwarber. The Chicago Cubs' slugger makes his debut here and has a solid amount of available ink inside the wrappers thanks to the standard autos and parallels atop that.

Other signers here include a heavy-selling Trea Turner, Kris Bryant, Byron Buxton, Michael Conforto, Luis Severino and plenty more (though some of those big names are as insert autos). Also in play here is an under-rated Cuban National Team memorabilia card of Jose Abreu with a piece of his national team jersey -- that's quite unique in the hobby aside from World Baseball Classic releases.

At its reduced price, this one's worth the shot -- and it's not alone.

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Jimmy Grant
Also known as: Jim2Cat5 on Blowout
Email: jmgrant025@gmail.com
Location: Tennessee
Work away from cards: Systems Engineer
Collecting since: 1995

Main focuses: Topps Heritage master sets and Topps Heritage Chrome sets

Favorite players/teams: Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Kris Bryant, Carlos Correa

Current collecting projects: 1 -- Completing 2016 Topps Heritage master set -- only errors and color swaps remain.
2 -- Finding errors and variations from 2008-2011 Topps Heritage. 3 -- Grading my collection.

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