This year's National Sports Collectors Convention is nearly here -- it's set for July 31-Aug. 4 in Chicago with a strong roster of autograph guests ready to sign for collectors who get a ticket and get in line for their moment beyond the ballpark.

Some signers are free if you attend the VIP reception on opening day of the show or buy a VIP ticket package -- a bonus for taking the time to hit every day of the show -- but other signers will take some planning to land the ones you want.

It's tough to see everything at The National -- it's that big -- and the time it takes to work through autograph lines is valuable in that it impedes your shot at seeing it all. With that said, here are my picks -- one per day plus a bonus pick this year -- to grab off the autograph list. (Keep reading for the full signers list in a gallery ... and, remember, times are always subject to change.)

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Basketball collectors now have another reason to hit the hobby shop daily.

The annual Panini NBA Player of the Day promo is back and it gives basketball collectors a little extra to check in on when they rip into packs of Panini America cards at participating shops through April 14.

Among the prizes? The chance to spend the say with an NBA player as well as autographed cards and other bonuses.

“The Player of the Day promotion helps hobby shops sell more trading cards while rewarding collectors who purchase Panini America products,” said Jason Howarth, Panini VP of Marketing. “We are thrilled to support hobby shops selling our NBA trading cards by expanding this proven promotion to even more hobby shops. We look forward to creating more memorable experiences for collectors this year.”

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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: 2018-19 Panini Prizm NBA cards (mega box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (all formats)

Packs per box: 11 (10 standard, one 10-card Pink Ice Prizms pack)
Cards per pack: 4
Cards in this box: 50
Base set completion: 
24 of 200 (12 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Wilt Chamberlain, Stephen Curry, Brandon Ingram, Patrick Ewing, Reggie Miller, Drazen Petrovic, Yao Ming, Aaron Gordon

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Update: It's here -- and here's your direct link.

Who wants to wait until Friday? Blowout Cards simply isn't as we're doing the ol' Black Friday thing all week long -- and Black Friday Week begins in less than 12 hours from now.

It all starts on Monday at 7 a.m. Eastern with the biggest deals in the business on tap beginning at that time and lasting as long as they can. But you shouldn't shop and run early as each day will have new deals -- and reloads -- all day long and Buzz will have Buzz Box giveaways -- boxes of free stuff -- each day, too. (Look for details on those tomorrow morning about an hour after the sale madness begins.)

While you've seen Doorbuster deals with each wave of Black November right here all month long, there's even more to come.

Like what? Keep reading for a sneak peek at some of the new deals on the way ...

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What: 2018-19 Panini Revolution basketball cards
Arrives: Dec. 5
Box basics: Six on-card autographs per case (16 boxes per case via two inners)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Panini's colorful pattern-filled brand hits the hardwood for another season with plenty of energy and interesting inclusions on tap.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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Have you seen the latest cool or interesting items on eBay? If not, you just might see some of those here every week as we're launching a weekly version of our eBay Buzz pieces that pop up from time to time. We’ll spotlight some items that have a story or just wow us with how much interest it might have — and we’re not just talking baseball cards, either.

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A HIGH-GRADE RARITY
The Item: 1959 Fleer Ted Williams #68 Ted Signs for 1959 SP (PSA 9)
The Price: $2,500 Buy-It-Now 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Today would have been Ted Williams' 100th birthday and this card is by far the rarest one from a unique and collectable set that examines his life away from the game as well as highlights up to that time. He signed a $5,000 per year deal to only appear on Fleer cards but this one was pulled for some type of contractural reason. Meanwhile, ironically, if you check the PSA pop report this card is the most-graded of any card in the set. (Likely since it's the most-valuable and others are all readily available.) Just 43 copies of this card have graded a PSA 9 -- and fakes exist, meaning you should buy one graded --  and none have graded higher.
Similar Pieces: Other Ted Williams cards on eBay 
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for MLB boxes

Keep reading for four more interesting items in this week's roundup ...

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What: 2017-18 Panini Impeccable basketball cards
Arrives: Sept. 19
Box basics: Five autographs per nine-card box (three boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: This high-end brand returns to the court with "a wide array of signatures and surprises" with new inclusions that include cards printed on metal and metal inlay cards.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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We're less than a month away from this year's National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, and we've got the details on two more promo card sets that will be going out to VIP ticket package holders.

Topps revealed its lineup -- a 1983-inspired Cleveland Indians lineup -- while Leaf Trading Cards is going the multi-sport route.

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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: Impressive vintage and Hall of Famer stashes, NSCC chatter, snow inside an epic NBA pack (no, not Eric), big pulls & more.

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One of the biggest annual events in the hobby is coming soon -- and Blowout Cards is getting ready ... are you?

The plans for the Panini VIP Party coinciding with this year's National Sports Collectors Convention will be here soon, but we're already fielding questions and taking down info for those who are interested in getting in on the event.

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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: Warriors chatter, big pulls, remembering a card shop owner, NSCC chatter & more.

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What: 2017-18 Panini Noir basketball cards
Arrives: July 25
Box basics: Seven autographs or memorabilia cards per 10-card box (four boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Noir returns to the court with nothing but on-card autographs, plenty of memorabilia cards and other slick creations in this high-end release.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today's your day then as we launch 12 in 12 -- a series of a dozen breaks of wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We'll post one every hour all day long ... this is Hour 1.

The box: 1996 Score Board Autographed Collection
The cost: $43 (Expect to pay more ... if you can even find one.)

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

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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: 2016-17 Panini Excalibur NBA (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Packs per box: 8
Cards per pack: 11
Cards in this box: 88
Base set completion: 64 of 200 (32 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notable players on base cards – Shaquille O'Neal, Allen Iverson, Scottie Pippen, Patrick Ewing, Anthony Davis, Dominique Wilkins, Grant Hill, Karl Malone,Paul George, Jimmy Butler, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Dwyane Wade

Rookie Cards (11) – Marquese Chriss, Buddy Hield, Malcolm Brogdon, Jaylen Brown, Georges Niang, Yogi Ferrell, Alex Abrines, Georgios Papagiannis, Domantas Sabonis, Henry Ellenson, Paul Zipser

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Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today's your day then as we launch 12 in 12 -- a series of a dozen breaks of past wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We'll post one every hour on the hour all day long today ... this is our finale for today.

The box: 2017-18 Donruss NBA blaster
The cost: BlowoutCards.com (for this one in a few formats)

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

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What: 2017 Leaf Q sports cards
Arrives: Late October/early November
Box basics: Five autograph or memorabilia cards per box (four boxes per case)

What's buzz-worthy: Leaf Q returns with what it says "may be the single greatest effort in the history of multi-sport trading card releases" in the form of "the industry's most-comprehensive high-end multi-sport product."

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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What: 2017 Historic Autographs Autographed Jersey National Edition
Arrives: July 26
Box basics: One autographed jersey per tin

What's buzz-worthy: Historic Autographs readies this one for the National Sports Collectors Convention and the company will be offering incentives for those who pop a tin to trade in or trade up while at the show.

Keep reading for more information.

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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 five threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Star Wars Rogue One and WWE Divas Revolution breaks along with a Super case of 2016 Bowman Draft, an impressive A.I. collection and what about "Ravishing" Rick Rude's best card?

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If you hadn't noticed, there are a number of boxes with discounted prices now over on the mothership as BlowoutCards.com's Black November Wave 2 hits today.

Many of the discounts were dramatic enough that Buzz had to sit down and ponder the possibilities in many of the boxes and cases -- and here are five boxes that caught this collector’s eye.

2015 Topps baseball Mega Box case
This is the only place to find cards from the 50-card 2015 Topps Chrome Update set and buying by the case is probably the best way for a shot at key rookie parallels and autographs/Relics. Among the notables here? Kris Bryant, Carlos Correa and Francisco Lindor. Statistically there should be at least one Relic per case but the real chase are those key players and their parallels. You get five packs of standard Topps Update and only two packs of Chrome Update but it's worth it if you buy by the case here -- though there is a limit.

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Now that the National Sports Collectors Convention is completed for today, the spotlight selectively turns to this year's Panini VIP Party, which will include some big-name guests, big-name signers and some big-name cardboard.

Black boxes, Gold packs, autographs and more are the mementos of the event, but the memories are made with the interactions between the collectors and the stars.

We'll help take you behind the rope virtually right here with a gallery of images from tonight's event.

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Who's the newest Panini VIP Party guest? Looks like we have an answer.

Panini America revealed that new Basketball Hall of Famer and former Philadelphia 76ers great Allen Iverson will be in attendance at tonight's event in Atlantic City, N.J. He's the sixth star announced for the event.

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Leaf Trading Cards' latest sports card release arrived in hobby shops on Friday and it includes one of the widest arrays of possible finds -- everything from competitive eaters to Super Bowl kings and even stars from sports movies.

Each box of 2016 Leaf Sports Heroes includes three certified autographs with some of the possible surprises inside also being a 27-autograph card of the 1972 Miami Dolphins and a parallel rainbow that includes five types and printing plates for all cards.

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The latest Leaf sports card brand arrived on Friday in the form of the high-end 2015 Leaf Q, which packs a few sports-related surprises inside along with some of the biggest names in all of sports history.

Among the surprises? Chevy Chase's first certified autographs -- the first of a few to come, actually -- with this one remembering his time as an NBA player in Fletch.

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What: 2016 Leaf Sports Heroes trading cards
Arrives: May
Box basics: Three autographs per box (12 boxes per case)

What's buzz-worthy: Leaf puts some of the biggest names from the sports world all in the same box -- a brand that even includes a 27-signature book for the 1972 Miami Dolphins and a triple-auto for The Hanson Brothers from Slap Shot for a few surprises.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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