Here's this month's roundup of items that have recently caught my eye as a buyer ...

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RETRO RECORD-HOLDER
The Card: Roger Maris 2014 Panini Classics Home Run Heroes Jerseys (/25)
The Price: $30
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I ponied up a little bit for this one vs. my typical range for Maris mem cards since it's a rarer card, has a material (jersey/pants) swatch vs. a bat and is from a brand that packed a lot of potential for big names back in the day. Yet, at the same time, that price was a bargain. Yes, its centering is just slightly off, but otherwise it's clean -- that errant spot on the right side is part of the printed design on all cards here. It was an easy addition for a player I collect and pick off stuff for a few times a year. Those top corners are really clean on this one, which might not always be the case with those bold colors.
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Here's this month's roundup of items that have recently caught my eye as a buyer ... 

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TIFFY TIMES TWO
The Cards: Tiffany Stratton 2024 Panini Three Count WWE Prime Memorabilia Autographs Purple parallel (/25) & standard version (/99)
The Price: About half of a Three Count box these days
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This card was immediately on my radar back when it first was revealed among the mock-ups for this high-end WWE brand and, I've said it before, if this set hadn't used sticker autos it would be perfect. The end of the Panini WWE run combined with a logjam of releases and then the collector (and definitely flipper) focus perhaps shining more on Chrome actually made secondary market prices on a lot of stuff here a bit softer than I had expected, allowing me to pony up on two of these at prices I could handle. (I had initially figured I wouldn't land one of these, let alone one and a parallel.) I was picky with these and wanted to make sure I landed one with a clean auto -- full name, not the abbreviated and half-empty-sticker "Tiff" that shows up sometimes. Both of these hit the spot on both auto quality and price ... and if they ever dip more, I'll do more. Why? It's a Tiffy Time world and we're just collecting in it.
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Here's this month's roundup of items that have recently caught my eye as a buyer ...

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IT'S ALWAYS TIFFY TIME
The Card: Tiffany Stratton 2023 Panini Immaculate Collection WWE Ruby Memorabilia Autographs (/25)
The Price: A meaty amount (for me)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Much like Rhea Ripley rookie autos in 2020, I've focused on trying to find one card from each of the lineups for Stratton's first year of ink in 2023 (RCs in 2022) with cleaner/full sigs on them and this brand was one of my targets for a while. I finally found one that looked good for a price I could pull off. Why chase? Stratton has delivered and figures to do so for some time with her latest big landmark moment being a bruiser of a win over Charlotte Flair at Wrestlemania. "Buff Barbie" is an informal nickname here so far -- they're avoiding trademark claims -- but they're also playing into that more and more with her Wrestlemania debut entrance having a Barbie Dreamhouse/packaging feel before a brawl that left her, in her own words, "looking like a broke down Barbie." That spectacle of an entrance and the match were both proof that the meteoric arrival and win over an all-time great at the biggest event of the year is just the start and the WWE is still fueling that rocket. I've been buying (this was a pre-Mania pick-up) and will keep looking for more somewhat selectively -- since stuff is at times pricey.
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Here's this month's roundup of items that have recently caught my eye as a buyer ...

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'TIS THE SEASON
The Card: Rhea Ripley 2020 Topps Chrome WWE Refractor autographed Rookie Card parallel (BGS 9, 10 auto -- BAS & Fanatics Witnessed)
The Price: Less than a 2025 Topps Chrome WWE retail mega box these days
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: She's one of WWE's top stars and this was a key card at a somewhat-modest price considering it's a RC parallel with ink attached -- and it's fully graded, too. Sure, that's not the "Mami" mode/look of Ripley in the here and now -- her hair and look changed a lot while in NXT and early on -- but that different does reinforce "rookie" in a visual way along with that gear. I'm sure I have a copy of this card in my stash unsigned somewhere -- and I know I have a couple colors of her certified auto here -- but this was still an easy addition and an easy choice to lead things off this month. Why? Since it's Wrestlemania season (the big one is on April 19-20). Oh, and there might be (intentionally) a little more wrestling this time vs. my norm, too. Ripley has a lot of cardboard but is among the safest bets there is to grab bargains and stash them away. Why? She's only 28 and has been in the game more than a decade and there figures to be plenty more to come for her in WWE. Interestingly, this one is also graded and in the BGS pop report, so it could have led off Making The Grade this month. It's a pop-three card with one lower and one higher, a 9.5, with five total copies graded.
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Here's this month's roundup of items that have recently caught my eye as a buyer ...

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LEGENDARY INK
The Card: Ichiro Suzuki autographed 2001 Topps Rookie Card (BAS 10 auto)
The Price: Not as much as you might think ... but also not that cheap.
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Clean copies of this iconic Topps flagship Rookie Card are not easy finds in general with the boxes and sets likely bricked now if they remain unopened -- that means the gloss will be snowy if you're lucky to peel the cards apart at all -- and then the dark green border and high-gloss on soft stock here is always going to be problematic. When I spotted this card among many where Suzuki has signed for literally years (Mill Creek Sports) without a premium price, I bit on this just before his Hall of Fame results hit. (We all knew he was going in ... but I didn't know if his prices were going to rise.) This copy is super clean vs. many cards out there with some very light roughness on maybe one edge and a light touch on the bottom-left corner ... but some of what's seen in my photo is just how the light is reflecting. I generally don't do a ton of bigger buys for my collection, but this one's cost wasn't that much more than some of the hot and plentiful new release hobby boxes. I went with a safe and iconic bet for my (for me) premium spend and went with the sure thing on an iconic card for a living legend. I pulled his ink once from an unlicensed release -- and it was in one of my earliest Making The Grade posts here -- but a signed RC means I'll likely never need to sweat his stuff again. (Might window shop, though, or bite if price is right for a nice certified.) One more fun part of my card? If that label had a simple added line of Beckett/Fanatics witnessed instead of signed for Mill Creek and then slabbed, the price likely would be double what I paid. I wouldn't pay that -- and this one is a win in my book.
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What's Buzzing: NFL Week 14 is on their minds, Juan Soto, new pulls, collector thoughts and more in this Saturday edition.

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What: 2024 Panini Three Count WWE wrestling cards
Arrives: Nov. 29
Box basics: Two autographed cards per three-card box (10 boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: The One approach comes to the wrestling ring with two signed cards in every box and more showcasing past and present stars.

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