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 ...

BETTER THAN LAST TIME ...
The Card: Ja Morant 2019-20 Panini Chronicles Luminance #165 -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: Somewhere in a past item in this series there's a Pink parallel of this cool card buried in a post as it was one of only a few bummers I've had with a low mark -- one that was too low for my taste as I had apparently missed a rough edge. This time? Well, this was the one I didn't send in back then and that's because I thought it had an edge spot that I thought might nix a top grade ... but I was wrong again. With this card having an iconic photo -- one that makes it easily his best RC to me (I'm merely a casual NBA ripper) -- I threw it in a bulk sub to see how I'd do. It's an absolutely epic photo ... even though it was a missed dunk.
The Grade: CSG 10

Reality Check: This is a card with a pretty big volume graded -- and a good chunk of those checking in lower than mine. All in all, it's a win that takes away the sting from last time.

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

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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 ...

GRADING MORE GOATs
The Card: Patrick Mahomes 2017 Panini The Rooks #RO-PM
The Reason Graded: Just like I've mentioned in past months, I've made it a focus to get most -- if not all -- of my Mahomes rookie-year cards slabbed up since I actually had amassed a few from that year. (That was mostly because I was hitting the retail clearance bins pretty hard.) This one is an insert from the stone cold -- at least back then -- Panini NFL set that was a relatively simple release and had a hit in every box yet really sat everywhere for a long time. (Why? The border designs felt pretty heavy to me but for others it may have just been too low-end.) Not that long ago, I slabbed his basic RC from this so I figured I needed to get this one into a case, too.
The Grade: CSG 9.5

Reality Check: It was pretty clean just like last time as it earned one of the tougher grades from CSG. I figure once a pop report comes (sometime soon*) this should look like a pretty solid card. I don't see there being a large number of 10s coming with this paper stock and I figure a lot of these cards were probably graded in BGS or PSA slabs long before I got around to doing mine.

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 box: 2018 Championship Collection Shohei Ohtani baseball repack (MJ Holding)
Where to buy: Walmart ($19.99)

Packs per box: 15 (five packs are bonus items) plus one Leaf Shohei Ohtani card
Cards per pack: Varies by brand
Cards in this box: 125
Base set completion: N/A

Notables on base cards – See gallery for key pulls

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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: Fairfield Baseball 20-pack retail repack (mock image above)
Where to buy: Target ($19.99)

Packs per box: 20 -- plus bonus toy pack and bonus hit
Cards per pack: Varies by brand
Cards in this box: 262
Base set completion: N/A

Notables on base cards – See gallery for better pulls

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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: Fairfield Baseball 10-pack retail repack
Where to buy: Target ($11.99)

Packs per box: 10
Cards per pack: Varies by brand
Cards in this box: 81
Base set completion: N/A

Notables on base cards – See gallery for key pulls

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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: Nothing but big pulls and the NSCC in today's edition.

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Ok, it's not the weekend, but this further proves that Buzz's fantasy baseball draft just took waayyyy too long yesterday. (Hear that, commish?) Here are several stories worth a look if you missed out. Check 'em out & subscribe at right if you want email updates.

This Week's Big Hit?
We're less than a week away from WrestleMania 33 in Orlando and Topps dropped the biggest mic of them all ("pipebomb" in WWE-Punk parlance) for collectors with the arrival of autographs from Undertaker for the first time in Topps packs -- and just the third time in hobby history. Get all of the details on which brands get his legendary ink here.

Keep reading for 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: The World Baseball Classic, legendary pulls in clearance boxes, Madison Bumgarner's signing habits and more.

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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 Topps Opening Day baseball cards (hobby box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 36
Cards per pack: 7
Cards in this box: 252
Base set completion: 
200 of 200 (100 percent)
Duplicates: 9

Notables on base cards – Bryce Harper, David Price, Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera, Giancarlo Stanton, Manny Machado, Carlos Correa, Willson Contreras, Kyle Schwarber, Kris Bryant, Trevor Story, Ichiro Suzuki, David Ortiz ... and everybody else.

Rookie Cards (28) – Dansby Swanson, Yoan Moncada (2), Andrew Benintendi (2), Joe Musgrove, Jake Thompson, Reynaldo Lopez, JaCoby Jones, Luke Weaver, Alex Bregman, Yulieski Gurriel, Josh Bell, Jose DeLeon, Braden Shipley, Matt Strahm, Tyler Glasnow, Carson Fulmer, Jake Thompson, David Dahl, Orlando Arcia, Jeff Hoffman, Robert Gsellman, Aaron Judge, Ryon Healy, Alex Reyes, Teoscar Hernandez, Seung-Hwan Oh

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It was a busy one on The Buzz this past week. Here are 10 stories worth a look if you missed out. Check 'em out & hit the subscribe button at right if you want email updates.

Big-ink Potential 
Upcoming release from Topps puts emphasis -- and ink -- on key cards of today's stars. Get the details >> First Buzz: 2017 Topps Archives Signature Series Active Player Edition

Keep reading for 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: Nothing but breaks from baseball, football and basketball.

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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 Topps Opening Day baseball cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 11
Cards per pack: 7
Cards in this box: 77
Base set completion: 
64 of 200 (32 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Bryce Harper, David Price, Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera, Giancarlo Stanton, Manny Machado, Carlos Correa, Willson Contreras, Kyle Schwarber

Rookie Cards (7) – Dansby Swanson, Yoan Moncada, Andrew Benintendi, Joe Musgrove, Jake Thompson, Reynaldo Lopez, JaCoby Jones

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Tomorrow's the day that 2017 Topps Opening Day officially arrives -- depending on your weather, of course -- but the meteorological news is far from the big buzz of today.

The game-changer in this one? A set of mascot-worn Relic cards.

Yep, those fuzzballs of the diamond can be found in some new ways and beside the cards of the hot dogs at the concessions stand when you tear into packs of this low-end brand.

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A number of ballpark foods will get their own Rookie Cards in an upcoming Topps baseball card set.

Among them? The Pittsburgh Pirates' Cracker Jack & Mac Dog, above, which will be found in packs of 2017 Topps Opening Day alongside other staples when it arrives next week.

One that shockingly didn't make the cut, though? The Dodger Dog. (No, seriously!) Keep reading to see what creations made the 18-card Incredible Eats insert set in the product.

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What: 2017 Topps Opening Day baseball cards
Arrives: March 15
Box basics: No hits guaranteed per 36-pack box (20 boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here to view.

What's buzz-worthy: Opening Day returns for another season with an insert card in every pack, all the things collectors have come to expect and a few new surprises -- among them will be cards for notable bobblehead giveaways and Incredible Eats at the ballpark.

(So, in other words, the Dodger Dog should get a Rookie Card.)

Keep reading for more as well as a full gallery of images.

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