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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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 ...

WADDLE, WADDLE, WADDLE ... 
The Piece: Jaylen Waddle autographed 16-by-20 Waddle celebration photo (Fanatics Authentic)
The Price: $75 (on sale)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I picked up this oversized auto on the cheap last week and before his big game with QB Tua Tagovailoa on Sunday as I liked the signature moment seen here and he's a school ties guy in my collection. (Last time here, I had this Tua piece lead off but I didn't even buy them at the same time.) His autograph isn't big -- and it's not that big on this oversized photo, either -- but I figured demand could be on the rise this year and, like I said, it was on sale (normally about $100 before they sold out). An inscribed "Fins Up" option also was/is available but I didn't need that as an Alabama fan. On cards, he has plenty to choose from -- more than 2,300 different autographed cards since just last year as part of the 2021 RC crop -- and a lot of them will cost more than this while many will not. I have an early Score auto with a strong college pic and added this in case they make a run, driving up prices to the point where I can't responsibly look.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but NFL boxes are here.

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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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: AEW surprises the wrestling world with Saraya, pondering Aaron Judge and 62 homers, Braves clinch, NFL chatter, new pulls and Joey Meneses outta nowhere.

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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 ... 

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I'M A BELIEVER ... IN BARGAINS
The Item: Tua Tagovailoa autographed and framed 10-by-18 photo (Fanatics Authentic)
The Price: Under $150 (on sale and with a rewards discount)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I started to scour autographed cards for this QB who I think might have a strong year and, well, I was a little surprised at how his stuff can still be pretty pricey despite plenty of available options and despite the negative chatter that oddly still comes with him having a record-breaking receiver last year and then an elite speed guy added into the mix for this year. Sure, it's still the Dolphins, but since I'm an Alabama guy I'm good here either way ... though I would have preferred a quality photo like this in Crimson. But ... the price was right for an oversized and already-framed piece and the photo and crop here was unusual and a little dramatic, too, vs. a lot of other options. I wanted something different that wouldn't break the bank to start a new season and this one hit the spot. (Regular price is around $180 plus shipping, tax, etc. on top of that.)
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... but 2020 NFL boxes are here

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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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 NFL season is here, MLB & wrestling chatter, Bo Bichette's big week and "when do prices of scrubs get normal?"

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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: Aaron Judge, the CM Punk AEW mess, the Mets' mess, new pulls, soccer cases and 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 a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing: Chet Holmgren is done, new pulls, a big voided sale, last ones left pay off and more.

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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 heavier on football as that season is here.

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AEW ORIGINALS ... AS IN ORIGINAL ARTWORK 
The Cards: Gummy Arts original T206-style drawings (1/1s) for Thunder Rosa, Orange Cassidy, MJF, Powerhouse Hobbs & Sting
The Price: Less than an AEW hobby box
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: If you don't know the work of artist Mike Noren -- aka Gummy Arts -- he's been drawing athletes or memorable pop culture characters in penciled cartoon-style reproductions of past cards or on new creations for years now. You can find constantly updating feeds of his work in timely posts over on Instagram or Twitter and then sometimes those get reproduced and sold as cards in packs. In other instances, he's let the original artwork go, too. Those vanish fast and can be pricey -- actually, his packs can vanish fast, too -- and for years now I've eyed the section of his site for original art (typically $50-80 depending on subject) that made it into cards. I had never found one that was must-have for me -- or at least found a must-have one in stock -- but one day after seeing a tweet of his I did my regular ritual and checked the site to find this set of five T206/Honus Wagner homages in one slightly pricier lot but had to grab them. I had remembered seeing the Rosa online but didn't remember any of these being made into actual cards. It turns out they weren't, so the only thing that exists f0r now (at least when I recently grabbed them) are these originals. Four are top AEW stars while one is an all-time great who has worked for every company ... really a no-brainer for me and I might have paid the typical full price for one or two of these. The Rosa card in a Tijuana jersey and others in their own Wagner-style threads made me laugh, while that Cassidy is not far from spot-on even in Noren's style. Poke around here on The Buzz and you'll see more of these ... just not in 1/1 original art form.
Grab a box right here: AEW cards 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 ...

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.

Continue reading →

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: A big stolen/lost card, talking Panini PhotoGenic, The National, MLB pulls, pro wrestling chatter and who in the NFL matters in 2032?

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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 ... 

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HISTORIC INK 
The Card: Rachel Balkovec 2022 Topps Now MiLB Autographs (/99)
The Price: Around $10 (since I had discount rewards piled up) via Topps.com
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This autographed card was a first for Topps Now this year -- some minor-league cardboard -- since as you can see she was a bit of a history-maker in MiLB and baseball in general. Topps Now cards have had delays at times this year with stock shortages and this one was actually initially scheduled to arrive much later this year but it looks like the signing came together faster than expected. I believe this is my first Topps Now auto in my stash. Why? Cost is always a factor -- most are too much for me to bother looking -- but in this case it was about as low as it gets and then I snuck in toward the end of the line and added this on the cheap with rewards points from buys.
Grab a box right here: No boxes for this one ... but MiLB boxes are here.

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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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: Yep, it's Wander Franco ... yep, it's Raymond. (No, it's not a Rookie Card.) Plus plenty 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 a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing: New MLB & NFL breaks, one for women's soccer collectors, The National, Blowout MegaMix and more.

Continue reading →

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 ...

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MY LAST FROM THE PROJECT ... 
The Card: Mickey Mantle 2021 Topps Project70 by Alex Pardee (/12,112)
The Price: $19.99 via Topps
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This artist captured most of the big-print-run attention in the second Project and this card that mashed his monster vibes with Mantle's 1952 Topps card and then 1981 Topps was the last one to get my attention and a buy last year. (Or was it this year?) Anyway, this one recently arrived in my mailbox and since this year's Project100 has arrived with a totally different approach and a number of changes -- not all good ones in my view -- I figured I'd drop this here. The print run of this won't be touched this year -- they're capped at less than half of that for 2022 -- but I suspect I'll be keeping an eye on the offerings. You should keep an eye on the past cards now if you passed before ... and keep an eye open on the new ones, too. You never know where the collecting winds and tastes might spark interest. Some monsters could be waiting.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... click here for MLB boxes

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

Continue reading →

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 ...

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SOMETHING SIMPLE ... 
The Card: Shaun Alexander 2000 EX NFL Debut Postmarks
The Price: $7.75
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is a throwback leading off because I have a simple question to present with it ... have we seen anything like this recently? As you can see, this card has a stamp affixed to a card with a postmark applied on the day of his NFL debut, which was in Miami. It's a simple kind of non-traditional card -- I don't think I'd call it a hit -- but something like this could mix things up a bit. Sure, there's a little extra work involved here but ... something different in packs that can be done for pocket change wouldn't hurt, right?
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... but NFL boxes are here 

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

Continue reading →

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: New breaks, NBA Playoffs, 2022 Bowman, MLB chatter and the origin of "Boom!"

Continue reading →

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 deep -- but also one of the pricier overall roundups I've done. 

BATTING LEAD-OFF ...
The Card: Roger Maris 2005 Playoff Absolute Memorabilia Tools of the Trade Reverse Blue Single Materials (/50)
The Price: $30
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Most of my pick-ups for this series are more personal collection buys meaning a lot of them might not have a ton of mainstream appeal to all of you but I'll let a legend bat lead-off here once again with a simple piece of cardboard. This brand was one that had a ton of highlights in it for game-used memorabilia fans when it arrived at the end of the Donruss/Playoff years and it delivered a ton for roughly $40 a pack back then if I remember correctly. This one was the home of legendary memorabilia cards from Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and many more and I have pulled or picked up many of them though the years. One player I pick up regularly if the price is right is Maris and this one fits that bill. It's not a perfectly designed card (His legs ... what's up there?) but the brand has so many variations and so many cards.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... but newer MLB boxes are here.

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and break down 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 boxes: 2022 Impact! Wrestling Series 1 trading cards (three)
Where to buy: Initially only via ShopImpact.com (still available) ... find other wrestling at Blowoutcards.com

Keep reading to see a full breakdown and gallery of highlights from this one.

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The biggest weekend in pro wrestling is here with WrestleMania 38 set for Saturday and Sunday from Dallas. We'll make today a big day for wrestling collectors right here on The Buzz with #BuzzMania5, a series of WWE wax box/pack breaks.

This is our finale for today ... a case of a Buzz favorite that delivered beyond well this time -- a main-event finish. 

The case: 2020 Topps WWE NXT wrestling cards (eight hobby boxes)
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (when available)

What's inside this one? Keep reading ...

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 The biggest weekend in pro wrestling is here with WrestleMania 38 set for Saturday and Sunday from Dallas. We'll make today a big day for wrestling collectors right here on The Buzz with #BuzzMania5, a series of WWE wax box/pack breaks.

This is an international option out there that won't break the bank and includes a few stars you might know from WWE and other American wrestling promotions right now. 

The packs: 2016 and 2017 Panini Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide wrestling stickers (50 packs each -- two box-sixed lots)
First Buzz preview & checklist: None for this since imports.
Where to buy: Will take some looking ... click here for WWE stuff.

What's inside this one? Keep reading ...

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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 it's once again the biggest Buzz Buys ever. (A collection of pick-ups from recent times as well as in the past year or so.)

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A RECORD-SETTER, BUT ... 
The Cards: Wander Franco 2022 Topps Living Set (/68,228)
The Price: Direct from Topps (10-pack price)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This one re-wrote the new Living Set record book with its sales volume and I did a 10-pack to hopefully land a copy without centering issues and to maybe grade one or two. It turns out 10 wasn't enough as the front card is closest to centered but it has a cardboard blotch that should nix some top marks and any immediate grading from me. I still might but not right now. With so many made, there likely will be plenty graded in the coming months ... so without an obvious gem I'll wait. This might have been my first Living Set lot direct from Topps since Vladimir Guerrero Jr., so it will probably send me back to hibernation on that brand. We'll see.
Grab a box right here: No boxes for this one ... but MLB boxes are here.

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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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: Freddie Freeman, a missing Superfractor, MLB pulls, a fix and more in today's edition.

Continue reading →

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 the biggest Buzz Buys ever. (A collection of pick-ups from recent times as well as in the past year or so.)

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BUZZ FELT RICH AGAIN ... 
The Card: Derek Jeter 2012 Panini National Treasures Prime Button (/6)
The Price: More than I'll admit.
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This was a premium-priced pick-up for me but I only landed it after getting rid of a lot of smaller cards slowly but surely -- and that's something I should do more often. Sure, it's centering is off -- that's the one obvious issue -- but I always liked the simplicity and lineup of options for this first year of Panini National Treasures. I typically stick to the old guys but a button card of a new Hall of Famer wasn't a bad add and at the price it's a good long-term hold. I got this at a fraction of many Jeter game-used button cards out there. That's all I'll say for now -- I'm keeping these a little shorter than normal as this is the biggest roundup of pick-ups I've ever done.
Grab a box right here: Panini National Treasures boxes (all years)

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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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: New breaks, non-sports and vintage chatter, AEW, something new on the way and a Michael Jordan slabbing story.

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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: "Positional investment rankings," USFL chatter, NFTs, bots, AEW chatter and horizontal slabs? (No, not yet.)

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