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: 2021 Panini Chronicles Draft Picks football cards (blaster)
First Buzz preview: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for a few formats)

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

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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 ...

GRADE LIKE A BUTTERFLY ...
The Card: Muhammad Ali 2021 Topps Muhammad Ali The People's Champ Collection Black parallel (/56)
The Reason Graded: When I spotted this card (ungraded) at about the price of a blaster, I bit as that was a good number for a parallel from this set that was released week by week for a year on Topps' site. Since it was both a rarer parallel and, if you ask me, one of the better-looking cards in this retro-styled set with that exposure photo, I also opted to slab it. Why? Well that stock and color is a grading challenge -- but it was one I was willing to take as this one looked strong.
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: I was right and it graded actually better than I had hoped (I figured a 9.5)  making this a win atop of a win.

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 ...

IMPORTED PERFECTION
The Card: Ichiro Suzuki 2000 Upper Deck Ovation Japanese (Nippon Professional Baseball)
The Reason Graded: This set is a favorite of mine among oddball/international releases and while it might look familiar it's not one you found at, say, a Toys R Us store back in the day. This is from a set made for the stars of Nippon Professional Baseball and was sold in Japan and it uses the familiar Ovation MLB design that really does stand out as a unique one from the past with its embossed baseball seams framing the photo. The core of this set isn't huge -- you'll get that part in a typical box -- but there are short-prints in th set that are serial-numbered as well as a number of inserts to chase as well as some MLB player cameos ... but this one is the biggie. It's not super-expensive and it's not a NPB Rookie Card or anything as that's 1993 for this lock of a future Hall of Famer, but this one is from the year before his MLB Rookie Cards arrived. I own two or three of these after opening a couple boxes long ago and one more recently and this one made its way into a bulk lot as my first one or two I graded came up a little short on what I wanted.
The Grade: CSG 10

Reality Check: This time? That's the kind of grade I was hoping for and that alone is a reason this one is batting lead-off this time ... it's not my biggest card in this lineup but it's a nice copy of an oddball card with a historic name attached. This grade has the highest pop but two thirds of slabs check in lower than this one ... it's not a super-easy 10 if you ask me with the soft stock and the embossing perhaps being problematic along with a foilboard (front) and glossed (back) surface.

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 it's a little bit of everything.

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ALREADY A STAR ... 
The Item: Jahmyr Gibbs autographed 16-by-20 photo (Fanatics Authentic)
The Price: Under $40
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This guy has a number of autographed cards already thanks to NIL deals, but to me they're often on the wrong team as he transferred to the Alabama Crimson Tide just this season after two years at Georgia Tech. Atop that, his autograph isn't the flashiest thing out there so that's one reason sticker autos might not appeal ... but when I saw this signed photo for the size and price? Well, I bit -- and it's a really good photo for college merch. He's rushed for 850 yards and seven TDs so far this year and added 42 catches for 378 yards and three more TDs on a team where, well, at times he's been the beast on the ground this year. His next stop? Likely the NFL -- he's popped up as a late first-round or early second-round guy in some quick searches -- though I'm not buying to scout. I just wanted his ink in my stash and this one will go alongside a few other larger-format college photos I've stacked up in the last few years. Depending on where he goes, autographed Rookie Cards should easily top this price. It also helped that I had some sales discount rewards in play, so I paid less than the $40 it had been going for. For me, this one was a win ... and, again, I really like this photo.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... but football boxes are here

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 ... 

GOOD AS GOLD ...
The Card: "Stone Cold" Steve Austin 2022 Panini Select WWE Gold Flash (/10)
The Reason Graded: If you recognize this card, well, there's a reason. Just a few weeks ago, I pulled it from a blaster box and thanks to CSG's quick, budget-minded services I turned this around fast and, well, this rarity pays for itself. This retail-only card is rare -- only nine others like it exist -- and it came back with a top mark since even the horizontal centering was clean. (That's not the norm from what I have seen with this release.) This is a pricey card right now so that was my main reason for slabbing, and now it's that much better.
The Grade: CSG 10

Reality Check: It's the only one that has been slabbed so far. How many might still be sitting in packs? Generally speaking, Select is a strong release worth your look in any format -- and I have other stuff here I intend to get graded.

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 ... and it's one of the biggest months ever.

A MONSTER MONTH ...
The Card: Bo Bichette 2020 Topps Archives Snapshots Archives Autographs
The Reason Graded: I've been buying up Bo Bichette cards relatively heavily by my standards -- second perhaps only to some top favorites and people with school ties -- but of all my pick-ups only one was an autograph. These were, I believe, via a redemption and that's how I landed mine -- at least in a sealed Topps top-loader -- and I opted to slab it in a recent submission. (Even though I generally don't grade a lot of autos as I don't want to get a dreaded grade on a card I like.)
The Grade: CSG 9

Reality Check: I'm fine with nines, but this one seemed like a slight bummer as I didn't see anything dramatically wrong with it -- so there must have been a couple of minor issues that dropped it down in tandem. The design here is one that doesn't have a lot of perfectly center-able features ... so maybe part of that was just a judgment call, too.

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: 2021 Panini Chronicles Draft Picks football cards (blaster)
First Buzz preview: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for a few formats)

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

Continue reading →

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: 2021 Panini Chronicles Draft Picks basketball cards (blaster)
First Buzz preview: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby and FOTL right now)

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

Continue reading →

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: 2021 Panini Chronicles Draft Picks football cards (blaster)
First Buzz preview: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for a few formats)

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

Continue reading →

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: 2021 Panini Chronicles Draft Picks football cards (blaster)
First Buzz preview: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for a few formats)

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

Continue reading →

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: 2021 Panini Chronicles Draft Picks football cards (fat pack box)
First Buzz preview: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (a few formats)

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

Continue reading →

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: 2021 Panini Chronicles Draft Picks football cards (blaster)
First Buzz preview: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for a few formats)

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

Continue reading →

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: 2021 Panini Chronicles Draft Picks football cards (blaster)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

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

Continue reading →

What: 2021 Panini Chronicles Draft Picks basketball cards
Arrives: Sept. 1
Box basics: Two autographs and two memorabilia cards per two-pack box (16 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Panini's multi-brand release hits the college hardwood for the first time with a pair of hits in every pack and plenty of variety for those to chase promising draft prospects all in one spot.

Keep reading for more info and a gallery of images.

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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: The National, a collecting question, Project70, soccer breaks and big MLB pulls in today's edition.

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This one is a new department here on The Buzz ... Fast Five -- a quick list under a simple topic that might offer a basic starting point for a themed collection. It's a basic list of five items that could be fun for a starting collector or a new way to add to a stash that might already seemingly include everything when it comes to cardboard. For some of you, it's probably common sense. For others of you out there, it's perhaps something to ponder.

This time? Five players who interest me on draft night

WHERE WILL AARON RODGERS GO?
The No. 1 pick in the draft sounds like it's a no-surprises no-brainer this year ... Trevor Lawrence at No. 1 ... but what about the rest? The experts and amateur analysts say it's a good crop of QBs (I'm just a collector) and it seems that collecting/flipping/whatever you want to call it for football cards right is pretty much all about QBs, QBs, QBs and maybe an RB or WR or two. The Aaron Rodgers stories that are coming out literally right now make it seem like the biggest trade returns for the future Hall of Famer would be before the draft ... but will that affect QBs? I dunno ... but it could. So, is Rodgers one of my five players here? Not really -- he's established and expensive -- the question is who's the next Green Bay Packers QB. If it's Jordan Love, OK ... there's potential with his cards that's there now that wasn't perhaps a few hours ago. But ... what if the Packers get a QB in return? There might be less interest or need for Jordan cards than a few hours ago. And a trade of a guy like this could basically flip over the table for a lot of teams draft-wise if they are in there early and needing an arm ... you might even have a Jeopardy! joke in there somewhere.

Keep reading for four more making up the list this time.

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What: 2021 Panini Chronicles Draft Picks football cards
Arrives: June 4
Box basics:  Three autographs and one memorabilia card per six-pack box (16 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Panini's all-in-one brand focuses on the college game for a second season with the same volume of hits but a large array of familiar possibilities.

Keep reading for more info and a full gallery of images released so far.

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