Aaron Lea

Buzz Buys (March): Going high-end with Ichiro, Bear Bryant, Barrymore & chasing down oddballs with fun slab potential
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.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but MLB cards are here.
Keep reading for more interesting items ...
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This entry was posted in Baseball, Football, Movies, Non-sports, Toys, Gaming, TV, Vintage, Buzz Buys and tagged Alabama Crimson Tide, autographs, Barry Larkin, Baseball Hall of Fame, Chevy Chase, College football, Disney, game-used memorabilia, Halle Berry, Historic Autographs, Hulk Hogan, Ichiro Suzuki, Leaf Trading Cards, MLB, Nick Swisher, Paige, Pulp Fiction, Roman Reigns, The Rock, Topps, USA Baseball, WWE, 2001 Topps, Captain Britain, Comic Images, Dazed & Confused, Drew Barrymore, food issues, game-used bats, Garbage Pail Kids, Goldberg, Hank Aaron, Harley Quinn, John Travolta, Julia Roberts, Justice League, Louisville Slugger, Marvel Studios, Maryse, Mill Creek Sports, Paul "Bear" Bryant, Poison Ivy, pop art, promo cards, Quentin Tarantino, Randy Savage, Ringside Collectibles, Shadowcat, Sharon Stone, Simon Pegg, Spider-Man, Stellar Collectibles, Suicide Squad, The Flintstones, The Joker, The Three Amigos, Tia Carrere, Uma Thurman, Vincent Vega, Whoopi Goldberg, WNBA, Wonder Woman, Mia Wallace, BAS, Joseph Pulitzer, Esquire, Magic: The Gathering, Dallas Page, TCMA, AEW, Tom Selleck, Xia Li, 2020 Topps Chrome WWE, Alan Davis, Shotzi Blackheart, Rhea Ripley, Shaun of The Dead, Jerry Springer, The Jerry Springer Show, Thunder Rosa, Keifer Sutherland, Indi Hartwell, Magic, Gigi Dolin, Wrestling Universe, Grayson Waller, Tiffany Stratton, Excalibur, 2022 Panini Select WWE, Roxanne Perez, Harry & The Hendersons, Britney Spears, Dolly Parton, Jacy Jayne, Xia Brookside, 2022 Panini Impeccable WWE, 2022 Panini Immaculate Collection WWE, 2022 Historic Autographs Gilded Age, Rory Cochrane, Charlie Dempsey, 2023 Panini Select WWE, Cameron Diaz, 1998 Comic Images Jerry Springer Show Promos, Celebrity Photo Agency, Paul Bryant, 2022 Topps Garbage Pail Kids Oh the Horrible, Thea Hail, Kitty Pryde, 2024 Leaf Metal Pop Century, Arianna Grace, Candice Bergen, 2024 Panini Prizm WWE, Anthony Perkins, 1964 Ediciones Raker Estrellas del Cine y de la TV, Oba Femi, 2024 Panini Three Count WWE, 2024 Panini Select WWE, Margo Dydek, Timeless Toni Storm, YouTooz, Psycho, Ron Slater, Mizuki, Never Been Kissed, Ronald McDonald, Mickey Rooney, Magnum P.I., Tom Select, Lionel Richie, Sarah McLaughlan, Aaron Lea, Hero Complex Gallery, Bruce Davidson, John Hillerman, Sarah MacLauchlan, 2004 Stellar Playboy 50th Anniversary, Whirling Candy, Tim Speedle, 2004 Strictly Ink CSI: Miami, CSI: Miami, Strictly Ink, 23 Kayou DC Glory of the Universe Collection, 2023 Fleer Throwbacks '89 Marvel Edition, 2023 Upper Deck Marvel Platinum, 2024 Leaf Electrum, 2025 Topps Now WWE, Esquire magazine, 1994 Topps The Flintstones, Tuff Stuff's Collect!, 2007 Rittenhouse WNBA, 1992 Topps Dairy Queen Team USA, Dairy Queen, Mondo, Rob Zombie, SSPC, 1975 SSPC Samples on March 5, 2025 by BlowoutBuzz.

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