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 ... and this time around it's a super-sized edition with buys from last year as well as some from recent weeks.

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THE RAMS & PRIME TIME
The Card: Joe Namath & Sam Bradford 2011 Panini Certified Fabric of the Game Combos Prime (/25)
The Price: $27.75
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is one of only a few Joe Namath memorabilia cards from his career-capping 1977 season with the Los Angeles Rams -- and it's on the rarer side of things as a prime patch card along with another notable past QB for the team who people had tapped for Super Bowl stardom. I figured I'd have this one lead off this time as the Rams are in the Super Bowl on Sunday and, to me, this is a Super Bowl-caliber card on the cheaper side of things. It's a part of my school ties part of my stash ... Namath Rams jersey cards are always worth the look in my book.
Grab a box right here: 2011 Panini Certified NFL

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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 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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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 ... and this time around there's some new stuff and some throwbacks as I await some new arrivals.

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IN THE HOUSE (BUT NOT IN THE STRIKE ZONE)
The Card: Dr. Anthony Fauci 2020 Topps Now (/51,512)
The Price: $6 (direct from Topps)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This card was a fun surprise after his awful first pitch to start the season on Opening Day last month and it set an all-time record for Topps Now with more than 51,000 copies sold. That's more than double the previous record for Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s MLB debut last year. Why? The novelty of it and the market has been strong for this card as many non-collectors apparently want one. That price has made me glad I did a handful. I may or may not slab one as I had planned as these didn't come in as razor-sharp/perfectly clean as other Topps Now cards I've done. (And also because grading prices are getting steeper.) The real question for people out there ... did anybody get a parallel? Those are new for Now this year.
Grab a box right here: None for this ... get 2020 MLB boxes here.

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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: An early look at Project 2020 stuff upcoming, new breaks from MLB and the NFL and more in today's 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: Anthony Fauci baseball card sets all-time Topps Now sales record, big pulls, an old tip that paid off and inside an old Immaculate Collection NBA case.

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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: New MLB season, new MLB players, new WWE release chatter, new breaks and more in today's edition.

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Update: This card set a new Topps Now record with 51,512 copies sold -- more than doubling the previous high.

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It wasn't a strike, but you wouldn't know it from his baseball card.

Dr. Anthony Fauci's ceremonial first pitch before the Washington Nationals-New York Yankees game on Thursday night now appears on a baseball card that will only initially be available for 24 hours on Topps.com.

It's part of the Topps Now series of baseball cards, which are real-time cards made to order once their one-day sales window closes. It's a set will cover the entire season and postseason in real time for the fifth year in a row.

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