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 ... a lot of my usual suspects and some early spring cleaning as I've always got plenty of stuff lined up to appear here.

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AS YOU KNOW ... I BUY BO
The Card: Bo Bichette 2023 Topps Tribute Stamp of Approval Relics (/196)
The Price: $13
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: If you're a regular reader, then you know Bichette is in heavy rotation here and I sprung a little more than I might usually for a memorabilia card to grab one of these premium-brand Relics that has a little extra attached ... just to talk about it here. As you can see at right (click for a closer look if you need it) this piece comes from a jersey worn on May 21, 2021, that was then cut up and authenticated a second time -- for this exact piece -- that got its sticker on Sept. 1, 2022 ... all for you to know which specific game, event and season it came from. (Spoiler: Other game-used Relic items were stickered, too, they're just not noted on every card as some releases will inevitably have more than one item used, creating a logistics nightmare between cards printed and pieces available.) I don't mind these, but at the same time it's not necessary on every card as the time and organization that it requires isn't worth it for the cost for the company to do it all the time, it could cause even more errors, and it doesn't add much value -- you can find these with some interestingly low prices through the years.
Grab a box right here: MLB boxes at BlowoutCards.com

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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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 ... and it might be the biggest edition ever.

BIG SEASON AHEAD?
The Card: Josh Allen 2018 Donruss Optic #154 -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: I pulled a pair of these from a number of rips -- probably deep in the archives here if you poke around -- but I never slabbed any of them back then, instead grading guys like Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield and maybe a Nick Chubb. Meanwhile, it turns out this guy might be The One over the long term from this rookie class. After this past season's successes and close finish at the end, I figured it was time to grade a pair of these and I'm still working through some of my past pulls to see if I need to grade more for this franchise QB.
The Grade: CSG 10

Reality Check: I was happy with this one (and I'll drop my other one here at some point later this season) as Optic stock can be hit and miss, particularly on the backs. Sometimes it's dents and wrinkles or minor dents but this one was clean. It looks like these do grade pretty well with nearly half of them getting this mark. An interesting comparison to make here? PSA has graded more than 2,500 of these with more than half being 10s, while BGS has graded only 160 and SGC has slabbed 320.

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

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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 packs: 2014 Panini Prizm NFL, 2017-18 Donruss Optic NBA, 2016 Donruss Optic NFL
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (in a few formats)

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery of what was in this one.

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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: A new MLB drop from Topps, Aaron Rodgers, Luka Doncic, big pulls and "direction of the hobby" for NBA collectors?

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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: Big pulls, breaking down a Walking Dead case and more in this Saturday edition.

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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: Big pulls, clearance bin for the win, 2020 Bowman, Panini Mosaic and more.

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If you hadn't noticed, our third wave of Black Friday boxes with discounted prices have dropped right now right here as BlowoutCards.com is bringing a wave approach to today's sales.

There are two more waves of discounted boxes to come later in today's big sale ... so keep watching.

Here are five boxes/cases that caught this collector’s eye in this third wave.

2017 Panini Donruss Optic NFL Mega Box lot (20 boxes)
These boxes can run streaky between their heavy dose of Rated Rookies and their Red & Yellow parallels -- and with rookies like Patrick Mahomes and Christian McCaffrey in there (among others) that means you have the potential for some monster boxes. These case-size lots aren't the cheapest out there but they have some big potential for sure on the rookie front but also offer some safety with a hit and inserts, too. Check out this past Buzz Break, for example. At the time I ripped it, some of those guys weren't as big as they are now. Whether you're ripping or opting to pick up some boxes or cases to hold, this might be a safe one either way.

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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: 2017 Donruss Rookie Gridiron Kings #2 Patrick Mahomes II
The Reason Graded: His break-out campaign started off so strong I had to revisit my past pulls from Donruss last year -- I busted a ton -- and I submitted a trio of his cards. You saw one last month, you see this one here and you'll see another in March. (Call that a spoiler.) This insert isn't the most-striking of cards but it looked very clean in my pre-examining of cards so it made the cut.
The Grade: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: None have graded higher but this one is not alone on the pop report. That surprises me a bit as grading seems to be all about standard RCs, rare numbered parallels and the ol' big mojo hits, but it seems that a season like the one he had could be prompting anything from his first year on cardboard to get another look. (Ironically you can still grab boxes of this one and others relatively cheap, too. To me that all spells fun ... and wax will dry up over time.)

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

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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: 2016 Donruss Optic football cards (collector's box)
Where to buy: Click here

Packs per box: 10
Cards per pack: 4
Cards in this box: 40
Base set completion: 
19 of 100 (19 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Base cards – Julio Jones, Dez Bryant, Julian Edelman, A.J. Green, Larry Fitzgerald, Adrian Peterson, Allen Robinson, Jonathan Stewart, Matt Forte, Keenan Allen, Mike Evans, Jeremy Maclin, Melvin Gordon, Amari Cooper, DeAndre Hopkins, Matt Stafford, Kirk Cousins, Ryan Tannehill, Thomas Rawls

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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: 2016 Donruss Optic football cards (collector's box)
Where to buy: Click here

Packs per box: 10
Cards per pack: 4
Cards in this box: 40
Base set completion: 
19 of 100 (19 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Base cards – Drew Brees, David Johnson, Todd Gurley II, Le'Veon Bell, Jordan Reed, DeVante Parker, Randall Cobb, Greg Olsen, DeMarco Murray, Eric Decker, Demaryius Thomas, LeSean McCoy, Carlos Hyde, Ameer Abdullah, Frank Gore, Doug Baldwin, Chris Ivory, Joe Flacco, Stefon Diggs

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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: 2016 Donruss Optic NFL (blaster box)
Where to buy: Click here

Packs per box: 6
Cards per pack: 4
Cards in this box: 24
Base set completion: 
18 of 200 (9 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Veteran base cards – Amari Cooper, J.J. Watt, Jeremy Maclin, Matt Jones, Jarvis Landry, Matthew Stafford

Rookie Cards (12) – Pharoh Cooper, Leonte Carroo, Jeff Driskel, Hunter Henry, Ricardo Louis, Keenan Reynolds, Eric Murray, Mackensie Alexander, KeiVarae Russell, Jihad Ward, Darron Lee, Bronson Kaufusi

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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: 2016 Donruss Optic NFL (blaster box)
Where to buy: Click here

Packs per box: 6
Cards per pack: 4
Cards in this box: 24
Base set completion: 
18 of 200 (9 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Veteran base cards – Larry Fitzgerald, Adrian Peterson, Melvin Gordon, DeAndre Hopkins, Tavon Austin, Sammy Watkins

Rookie Cards (12) – Dak Prescott, Jared Goff, Jordan Howard, Moritz Böhringer, Kevin Hogan, Michael Thomas, Eli Apple, Kenny Clark, Robero Aguaya, Su'a Cravens, Vernon Hargreaves III, Kamalei Correa

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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 all day long ... this is Hour 5.

The box: 2016 Donruss Optic football cards
The cost: Click here

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: 2016 Donruss Optic football cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: Click here

Packs per box: 6 (all cards from box in gallery below)
Cards per pack: 4
Cards in this box: 24
Base set completion: 
18 of 200 (9 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Veteran base cards – Todd Gurley, DeMarco Murray, Frank Gore, Randall Cobb, Demaryius Thomas, Carlos Hyde

Rookie Cards (12) – Tyreek Hill, Maliek Collins, DeForest Buckner, Carl Nassib, Jonathan Bullard, Kendall Fuller, Myles Jack, Wendell Smallwood, C.J. Prosise, Cody Kessler, Tajae Sharpe, Rashard Higgins

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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: 2016 Donruss Optic football cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: Click here

Packs per box: 6 (all cards from box in gallery below)
Cards per pack: 4
Cards in this box: 24
Base set completion: 
18 of 200 (9 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Veteran base cards – J.J.Watt, Eli Manning, Tony Romo, Matt Jones, Tyrod Taylor, Alston Jeffery

Rookie Cards (12) – Hunter Henry, Keenan Reynolds, Jeff Driskel, DeMarcus Robinson, Cody Kessler, C.J. Prosise, Vernon Butler, William Jackson III, Artie Burns, Kelvin Taylor, Robert Nkemdiche, Maliek Collins

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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 4.

The box: 2016 Donruss Optic NFL (blaster)
The cost: Click here

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

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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: Jim Bunning, Jim Kelly Ezekiel Elliott, Derek Carr, Gene Hackman and The Undertaker are the names of the day.

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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 1.

The box: 2016 Donruss Optic football cards
The cost: Click here

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

Continue reading →

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

What's Buzzing Today: Huge Houston Astros & New York Yankees pulls, 2017 Allen & Ginter, tracking Optic rarities & more.

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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 five threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Busting Bowman Draft, waiting on Topps Heritage, NFL Quarterback Challenge cards, rare Derek Jeter finds & much more.

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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 five threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Big Star Wars pulls, NFL Draft re-do, a Tom Brady question ... and questionable Tom Brady cards?

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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 five threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Big cards from the past, bit pulls, big surprises & more.

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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 five threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Some big pulls from retail boxes, strong Star Trek packs, new vintage, Rob Dibble rainbows, great comic book reads and more.

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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 five threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Star Wars breaks, NBA, MLB & NFL pulls, top shortstops & more.

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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 five threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Yordano Ventura, big breaks, 1990 Bowman variations & favorite Panini America cardboard.

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