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 ...

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?
The Card: Derrick Henry 2023 Panini Luminance Red (/25)
The Reason Graded: This card was an instant need for me in some form the second I saw that photo and I managed to find this rarer parallel on the cheap and in clean shape to make it a double win. It was so clean, it was one of a couple cards from this that made it into my recent submission and, well, it's another win for the school ties part of my collection.
The Grade: CGC 10 (Pristine)

Reality Check: That one checks in as a good as it gets and this release grades really, really well from what I have seen -- not a lot as it's a premium-priced brand -- but enough that it will get further looks from me. (Maybe more since football season will be upon us very soon.)

Keep reading for more of this month's pick-ups and new slabs for Buzz.

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What: 2024 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Autographed Footballs Season Edition
Arrives: Sept. 20
Box basics: One autographed football per box (four boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: TRISTAR's Hidden Treasures line of autographed footballs hits the field during the season once again with its familiar format and mix of pro and college balls in play.

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What: 2024 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Autographed Full-size Helmets
Arrives: Sept. 13
Box basics: One autographed full-size authentic helmet per box (three boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: This staple of TRISTAR's Hidden Treasures brand of autographed memorabilia lineup arrives for a new season with a new batch of full-size signed authentic-model helmets that are inked by some of the game's greatest players of today as well as top newcomers.

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What: 2023 Topps Composite football cards
Arrives: Aug. 16
Box basics: Three autos per 12-pack box (12 boxes per case) or three autos per 10-card breaker's delight box (12 boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here
Odds: Click here 
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Topps takes the field in the unlicensed realm for many past and a few present NFL players with a new brand that takes an all-in-one approach chronicling those stars via several brands all in one spot.

Keep reading for more info and a gallery of images.

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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: 2024 SportKings Volume 5 sports cards (blaster)
First Buzz preview: Click here
Where to buy: Click here

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

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What: 2024 Leaf Electrum Multi-sport trading cards
Arrives: Aug. 30
Box basics: Three autographed cards per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Leaf introduces a new line that meshes the world of sport with notables from pop culture all in one spot that's solely about autographs.

Keep reading for more info and a full gallery.

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What: 2024 Pro Set Metal football cards
Arrives: July 31
Box basics: Seven autos per 11-card box  (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Pro Set's Metal once again returns with "the top young college and pro talent on the gridiron" as well as "some of the greatest legends and superstars in the game" with a new twist -- one lenticular-stock autographed card per box.

Keep reading for more details.

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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: 2024 SportKings Volume 5 sports cards (blaster)
First Buzz preview: Click here
Where to buy: Click here

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

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If you hadn't noticed, there are a number of boxes with discounted prices right now right here as the newly launched Blowout Cards NFL Draft Supersale is here.

A few of them caught Buzz's attention with their potential ... here are some picks from that group in the sale that just dropped ahead of the NFL Draft next week.

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BOWMAN'S BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
2022 Bowman's Best University hobby box & eight-box case
The newest box in the big sale is one with a lot of potential between guys who are set to be drafted soon -- or perhaps later -- as well as cards and autos from guys who are already in the NFL. How is this possible? NIL deals that let players show up on cards well before draft time -- and that makes it one with a longer shelf life in terms of potential. Who's in here? Among the already-pro names are C.J. Stroud, Jahmyr Gibbs, Bryce Young, Anthony Richardson, Jordan Addison, Bijan Robinson, Will Anderson and Jaxon Smith-Njigba for starters. Among the 2024 draft hopefuls and potential future picks? Caleb Williams, Bo Nix, J.J. McCarthy, Blake Corum, Jordan Travis, D.J. Uiagalelei, Dallas Turner, J.C. Latham, Kool-Aid McKinstry and Taulia Tagovailoa to name a few. There are autos for a lot -- it not all -- of them in both insert sets and standard ink as well as a small lineup of rarer dual- and triple-auto cards, too. (There's heat here -- especially when slabbed.) The best part here beyond all of the parallel and potentially Super finds in play are two autographs in every single box. Cases should also be considered here, too.

Keep reading for a few more boxes you should consider (and are likely to end up in Buzz's cart).

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What: 2024 Leaf Signature Series sports cards
Arrives: June 28
Box basics:  Two 1/1 autographed cards per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Leaf Signature Series is back "newly revamped and reinvigorated" with new themes and "tons more multi-signed cards, inscriptions and some exciting new designs."

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

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What: 2024 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Autographed Mini Helmets Platinum Edition
Arrives: June 19
Box basics: One autographed mini helmet per box (eight boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: A new batch of Hidden Treasures autographed minis arrives soon from TRISTAR with every box including either a Hall of Famer or an active player -- and this time there are also more guarantees in every case as well as some legendary chase items.

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What: 2024 Leaf Vivid football cards
Arrives: May 31
Box basics: Five autos per seven-card hobby box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: A second year of Vivid football adds base cards into the mix with an array of colorful takes on past, present and potential future pro football stars with plenty of ink flowing in every box.

Keep reading for more.

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What: SportKings Volume 5 sports cards
Arrives: April 26
Box basics: Two autographs, one memorabilia card and possibly one other hit per seven-card hobby box (12 boxes per case)
Pre-order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: SportKings takes the field for a fifth time from SAGE with the familiar look and format for past editions and with some legendary autos among the possibilities this time.

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

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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 ...

THERE WERE NO GUARANTEES ... BUT I'LL TAKE IT
The Card: Joe Namath 1973 Topps
The Reason Graded: It's almost Super Bowl time and while I don't really collect any of the names who are going to be in this year's big game, I do collect names who helped make the big game in the past ... and this freshly graded card is a big one in my eyes. It's Namath's final card made by Topps during his career and I found it raw on COMC with is razor-sharp everything -- especially compared to other copies out there -- and decided it was not only grab-worthy, it was also slab-worthy with centering and only one corner with lightness and color immensely minor spotting on the front being the only issues. This one looked very strong for a vintage card so I submitted it for immediate grading directly via COMC, too.
The Grade: CGC 7

Reality Check: I had visions of a higher grade, but the card backs here have dark ink and corners on the backs can be spotty ... and I think that's a reason this one graded lower than I had hoped. But, at the same time, it's a pop-six card with only five CGC 8s grading higher -- and nothing above that. That actually puts this card among the elite for graded copies of this one ... and that's not a bad thing with my total cost here under $30. (The slight spot on the bottom left corner of the card bugged me ... until I realized it's some funk on the surface of the plastic slab, not the card or inside the slab. That's something I hadn't run into with CGC's generally crystal clear and clean slabs.)

Keep reading for more of this month's pick-ups and new slabs for Buzz.

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What: 2024 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Autographed Mini Helmets
Arrives: March 29
Box basics: One autographed mini helmet per box (eight boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: TRISTAR's Hidden Treasures line drops for a new year with a new assortment of NFL and college helmets in the mix and some of the biggest names in the history of the game among them.

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What: 2023 Pro Set Pure football cards
Arrives: April 26, 2024
Box basics: Three autos per hobby box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: The Pure brand takes on a football focus with this release that will have every card autographed and showcase acetate stock on every card as well.

Keep reading for more details.

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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 pack: 2022 Panini Prestige NFL cards (jumbo)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (in a few formats)

Keep reading for a full breakdown of what was in this one along with a gallery of images.

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What: 2023 Leaf Art of Sport Solo Edition trading cards
Arrives: January
Box basics: One "premium hit" per box (20 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Leaf brings its set loaded with artistic flair to collectors once again -- this time with a solo approach that means one card per box -- as it "expands on that artistic endeavor with new and exciting athletes, artwork and designs" in a release that "is truly a work of art."

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

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What: 2023 Panini Impeccable football cards
Arrives: Jan. 24
Box basics: Five or six autographs per eight-card box (three boxes per case)
Pre-order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Impeccable is back with a little more color, some familiar inclusions and plenty of star power from the NFL's past and present.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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What: 2023 Pro Set Metal football cards
Arrives: January 2024
Box basics: Six autos and four base/parallel cards per hobby box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Pro Set's Metal run returns with "the top young college and pro talent on the gridiron" as well as "some of the greatest legends and superstars in the game" in a release that's still heavy on ink but also includes base cards this time around and a buyback auto in every box.

Keep reading for more details.

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What: 2024 SAGE Football Low Series football cards
Arrives: Jan. 10
Box basics: 16 autographs per 16-pack hobby box (16 boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: SAGE's first wave of NFL Draft hopefuls on cardboard for 2024 arrives with an autograph in every pack and a lineup that includes some established stars, current NIL guys and more while keeping with some of the formula of recent years.

Keep reading for more info.

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What: 2023 Leaf Eclectic Football cards
Arrives: January
Box basics: Four autographed cards per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Eclectic takes the football field with a few brands together all in one spot with stars of the past, present and future all in play as part of an autograph-only release with plenty of energy and with nearly everything limited to no more than 10 copies per card.

Keep reading for more info and a full gallery.

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What: 2023 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Autographed Mini Helmets Platinum Edition Series 2
Arrives: Dec. 15
Box basics: One autographed mini helmet per box (eight boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: A new batch of Hidden Treasures autographed minis arrives soon from TRISTAR as their final release of the year with every box including either a Hall of Famer or an active player.

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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 lot: 1994 Action Packed football cards (three packs)
Where to buy: Check junk bins ... hit BlowoutCards.com for newer football cards

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

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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 pack: 2022 Panini Prestige NFL cards (jumbo)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (in a few formats)

Keep reading for a full breakdown of what was in this one along with a gallery of images.

Continue reading →