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 ...

KING OF THE RING?
The Card: Elvis Presley in Kid Galahad -- 2022 Topps Elvis Presley: The King of Rock and Roll Pink parallel (/45)
The Reason Graded: I think I only bought one card from what was a Topps Now-style weekly look back at the career of The King from just a couple years ago -- and it was because of the boxing twist you see on this card. Couldn't tell you a thing about the movie and actually don't own a single Elvis CD -- much more Beatles here -- but the visual was unique to me so I grabbed, I believe, a five-pack of this card (likely in a past Buzz Buys) and landed this parallel as a bonus. It had been in my maybe-grade pile for a long time and as part of a variety-packed submission it finally made the cut. Why? How many other Elvis boxing cards do you know of? (I know of one ... this card's photo knocks it out cold.)
The Grade: CGC 10 (pristine)

Reality Check: There's only one other card in this parallel set graded to go with this solo slab -- a regular 10 -- but that doesn't surprise me that much. I don't think this would be that popular with collectors who might grade, but Presley is popular enough to have a ton of card appearances in his prime years and a number of posthumous releases as a giant and an icon of music ... and merchandise licensing, too. I figured I'd mix things up here this month and lead off with something different vs. some new football slabs as we enter that season or the obvious hot MLB names. (There's more NFL to come for both this time and in the coming months for sure.)

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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A HOME RUN OF A SURPRISE
The Card: Hank Aaron 2021 Topps x Sports Illustrated five-pack ... Red (/5) parallel and standard cards (/2,057)
The Price: Direct from Topps ($29.99)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This was my first grab from this year's SI set since this cover was one I was hoping to see in the release and I decided to take a shot at a five-pack for grading purposes. I was rewarded with one of the rarest parallels to find in one's order. Only the 1/1 is rarer and there are three other colors. (Just 111 parallel cards between all of them.) I've collected a number of cards that have commemorated Aaron's record-breaking home run back in 1974 but never graded any for condition reasons ... I might have two to slab now.
Grab a box right here: None for this one but MLB boxes are here

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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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: Talking bubbles, showing off "1% collections," big breaks and some hot Barstool Sports cardboard.

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Have you seen the latest cool cards from a new release? With so many options for collectors of all kinds arriving every week it's possible you haven't. That's where Buzz comes in -- well at least on one brand you'll see here from time to time in what we're calling Buzz's Pick Six. Simply put, here are six cards from a new arrival that seemed interesting to this collector and we think they might interest you, too.

This week's release: 2019 Topps Archives baseball cards
First Buzz preview & checklist/gallery: Click here

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CAREER-SAVER FOR MANY
The Card: Dr. James Andrews 2019 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Autographs
The Price: Moderate demand -- these might surprise you at first (first eBay listing here)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: It's been five years since this famed orthopedic surgeon appeared on his first baseball cards in Allen & Ginter but this brand is a natural spot for the oddities directly tied to baseball, too. The list of athletes he's worked on is meaty -- it's a big part of his Wikipedia bio and that's far from all of them -- and he's a team doctor for a number of organizations, too. Among the notables? Bo Jackson, Troy Aikman, Drew Brees, Terrell Owens, Roger Clemens, John Smoltz, Jim Thome, Bryce Harper, Yu Darvish, Charles Barkley, Allen Iverson, Jack Nicklaus, Triple H, John Cena and Shawn Michaels among others. (They all might want his autograph, you know.)

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

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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 ...

The Card: 2014 Topps Chrome Update #MB46 Mookie Betts RC
The Reason Graded: I didn't buy a ton of Mega Boxes when these arrived five years ago, but I did land this card, which is a Rookie Debut version for then Red Sox rookie and now-reigning American League MVP Mookie Betts. This card is an ironic classic in that he's captured taking the field at Yankee Stadium. That aspect of the photo isn't as easily seen in Chrome form, but I opted to get this pricier version of the card graded. I'll probably grade some more of my others in the future. For now, though, this one leads the way.
The Grade: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: I wasn't that confident in this one as I just have bad luck at times with Chrome cards, but this one turns out to be one of the highest-graded copies. I'll take it, especially considering what I've got up next.

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

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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 some of all of those.

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