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 pretty deep mix with some pricey pieces (at least for Buzz) this time.

BIG BOOK LEADS OFF
The Book: The Amazing Spider-Man #361 -- first full appearance of Carnage
The Reason Graded: One of my goals this year -- something already under way -- is to grade a number of the notable comic books I have had stashed from back in the day (the early/mid 1990s) when I dabbled somewhat regularly with comics. Back then they were re-emerging in pop culture with a revolution of big-name artists taking on iconic characters and then branching out to make their own brands -- and they were also a lot cheaper to collect with cover prices like you see here. Also born in those years of polybags, gimmicked covers and many publishers? Big-name characters like the one making his full debut here, Carnage, who is one of Spider-Man's big villains like Venom and others before them. I picked up a couple copies of this one back then since I liked the cover art and it was a start of a run for the new character. Over time, he has become a favorite and that has made this a pricey book.
The Grade: CGC 9.6 (Universal)

Reality Check: My main reason for grading a lot of my books from this time is that many of them are rarer newsstand copies (UPC bar code) which are harder to find in top condition and can carry a premium vs. direct copies. I wasn't (and still am not) a big comic reader so my copies are as razor fresh as they were then. I liked the art and I was very picky about what I would and wouldn't buy when it came to condition. I didn't check the pop report here when subbing -- and I have sent a second one into be slabbed since getting this one back -- and it's (shocker!) a heavily graded book. A 9.8 isn't easy here and a newsstand copy recently sold on eBay for almost $1,700. This grade? Well, it's a $600 sale among completeds but asking prices for UPC copies are as high as $1,450 with several above $900. Over the long-term, I think newsstand copies are going to remain rare in top grade, though for some reason CGC doesn't break them out on its pop report. (I wish they did ... it would have to be a shocking divide.)

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

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Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today's your day then as we launch 8 in 8 -- a series of a eight breaks of wax boxes and wax packs in as many hours today. We'll post one every hour ... this is Hour 3.

The pack: 2017 Panini Prestige football cards (hobby pack)
The cost: Click here (for boxes)

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 right now right here as BlowoutCards.com is in the midst its Black November sales just two days into the new month.

Wave 2 is here and 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/cases that caught this collector’s eye.

2007 Donruss Elite Extra Edition baseball hobby box
Sure, this one's listed as a baseball set with that World Series-dominating guy, David Price, on the box from back when he was fresh off the Vanderbilt field, but this one has a lot of other surprises that makes it one to definitely consider as it celebrates the college game with a number of other inclusions that were helping shape a different card landscape back then that we see a little more familiarly today in a number of directions. Notable ink found here includes Price, Madison Bumgarner, Josh Donaldson, Corey Kluber, Jake Arrieta, Dellin Betances, Jerry Tarkanian, Don Haskins, Rick Majerus, Rollie Massimino, Ara Parseghian, Dale Brown, Dean Smith, Gene Keady, Jim Boeheim, Steve Spurrier, Tom Osborne, Vince Dooley, Jennie Finch, Rebecca Lobo, Brandi Chastain, Bill Walton, Dominique Wilkins, Summer Sanders and a number of other college stars and coaches in a few sports who don't have a lot of cardboard. You get four hits per box here and there are a number of other inserts that can also pack some punch if you land the right names. It's worth a look at its reduced price.

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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 Hour 11.

The box: 2017 Panini Prestige NFL cards (blaster box)
The cost: BlowoutCards.com

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: 2017 Panini Prestige NFL cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Packs per box: 8
Cards per pack: 8
Cards in this box: 64
Base set completion: 
54 of 300 (18 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards: Ezekiel Elliott, Tony Romo, Dak Prescott, Todd Gurley, J.J. Watt, Adrian Peterson, David Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, Jared Goff, Jameis Winston, Carson Wentz, Drew Brees, Von Miller

Rookie Cards (8) – Marlon Humphrey, Cam Robinson, Tre'Davious White, Jordan Willis, Bucky Hodges, Donnel Pumphrey, Teez Tabor, Artavis Scott

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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: 2017 Panini Prestige NFL cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Packs per box: 8
Cards per pack: 8
Cards in this box: 64
Base set completion: 
55 of 300 (18 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards: Andrew Luck, Tony Romo, Ben Roethlisberger, Todd Gurley, Aaron Rodgers, Khalil Mack, Drew Brees, Von Miller, David Johnson, J.J. Watt, DeAndre Watkins, Jared Goff

Rookie Cards (8) – Deshaun Watson, Mitchell Trubisky, O.J. Howard, Reuben Foster, Alvin Kamara, Nathan Peterman, Chris Godwin, Dawuane Smoot

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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: 2017 Panini Prestige NFL cards (hobby box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 4
Cards per pack: 40
Cards in this box: 161
Base set completion: 
128 of 300 (18 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards: Derrick Henry, Marcus Mariota, Matthew Stafford, Dez Bryant, Antonio Brown, Le'Veon Bell, Amari Cooper, Julio Jones, Russell Wilson, Eli Manning, Matt Ryan, Derek Carr, Richard Sherman, Rob Gronkowski

Rookie Cards (41) – Notables include Christian McCaffrey, DeShone Kizer, D'onta Foreman, Patrick Mahomes II, Davis Webb, Joe Mixon, Chad Kelly, Curtis Samuel, Jake Butt, Leonard Fournette, Myles Garrett

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If you pulled a Draft Day Signatures card from a pack of 2017 Panini Prestige football cards, you could have a card that's rarer than you might think.

How rare? Panini America detailed the tiers for these autos on Wednesday.

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What: 2017 Panini Prestige football cards
Arrives: June 7
Box basics: Four autographed cards per four-pack box (12 boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here to view

What's buzz-worthy: Prestige is back with an autograph in every pack, new looks at new rookies with their new teams noted and plenty of energy as we await a new NFL season on the field this fall but get a new season on cardboard.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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