Buzz buys a lot of stuff these days and for a few reasons, really. Sometimes it's just bargain-hunting, sometimes it's just something that strikes me. And other times it's a lot -- a group of things -- and that has happened enough lately I figured I'd try something different as a regularly appearing item. Sometimes my lots will be wins, sometimes they won't be ... but I'll let you decide. 

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A PC THROWBACK
The Lot: 225-plus cards of former MLB player Nick Swisher (mostly cards from 2004-2010)
The Price: Not much more than a Chrome blaster box in the retail wild (with tax) -- check out Retro Rips here

Keep reading for more on this one ...

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Sometimes, you just have to check the calendar.

This month's entry in the Collecting Game-used series is tied to a big name's first week in The Show -- you already know that seeing that headline -- but you may not know how easily this game-used baseball was landed. All this collector had to do was look at the schedule and then check the Chicago White Sox MLB Auctions store and pre-order a ball from that day. They're long gone now, but this ball is from just the fourth career game for Kansas City Royals rookie slugger Jac Caglianone and his first against an American League opponent after he opened his career in St. Louis three days earlier. Now, I knew the odds were likely low -- 0r, realistically, slim to none -- for landing a pitch to him or play involving him, but the price was still pretty modest at $45 ($15 of that is shipping) to take a shot. This one? It turned out to be a pretty interesting ball for a full, but not completed, plate appearance with a different player's MLB debut coming on this day, too.

Keep reading to see the details this time ... and the ball in action.

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What's Buzzing: Awaiting the NFL season, new pulls, White Sox misery, Chrome basketball and more.

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What's Buzzing: Card photography, one not for White Sox fans, NFL chatter, Olympic basketball, 2024 Topps Chrome pulls and more.

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A career first ... that's simply hard to pass up no matter who it is.

My latest ball in this Collecting Game-used series is one I found on the cheap -- well, at least cheaper than some retail mega boxes out there and not much more than some game-used mystery boxes -- and it was used for three pitches in The Show ... one from a routine out and then two to a rookie playing in just his second game as a big-leaguer.

Keep reading to see the details this time ... and the ball in action.

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It's been a busy day on The Buzz for headlines in the here and now of today -- you know, modern cardboard and sports business -stuff -- so I'll work from left field on this quick and simple vintage item with a story.

Call it a Buzz Buys (it is), call it afternoon/evening filler (yeah, it is), call it whatever you want depending on your collecting tastes ... I like to call this one interesting.

I recently found this old, semi-mangled print from the archives of The Sporting News from a dealer of other non-card materials and the simplicity of that clean pose got me to stop and look. Why? Well, a lot of photos just don't look like that from back then -- where, for example, you can see plenty of details on the fabric of Bill Connelly's Philadelphia Athletics jersey. (Yes, Philadelphia ... that's the Oakland A's two cities ago where they made plenty of MLB history from 1901 to 1954, winning five World Series and nine American League pennants.) This one just felt really different, though. That just felt like a superstar kind of pose, or at least somebody of note who needed a portrait taken by a major publication, and yet ... I didn't know his name.

Who's in the background? I dunno. When's it from? Based on what's scribbled on the back of this one -- a patchwork of handwriting from a few uses over the years -- I'm not that sure. So that's when I headed over to Baseball Reference to learn more and that's where this one got interesting to me. I learned plenty more.

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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 ...

LEGENDARY INK
The Card: Undertaker 2022 Panini Revolution WWE Sunburst Autographs (/99)
The Reason Graded: This cost me less than what two boxes would have when I bought it raw -- and then I submitted it to grade after seeing that some typical problem spots for cards from this brand weren't really issues. (In my view, the back corners and edges can be funky for both years.) Why grab this? Undertaker was not a regular signer for a long time and even when has signed cards in recent years he's been more limited since his signing fees are always high -- seemingly far higher than others -- based on public signing prices. I have his ink on a few items sold direct from WWE in the past, but I hadn't rally bothered with anything for cards and figured this could make for a nice slab -- even with sticker ink -- as the photo is as iconic as it gets for a legendary character in WWE history. This would be a perfect kind of auto card if it had an on-card sig ... and it's still not far off as it is with that photo. It's also a perhaps-overlooked brand in the Panini WWE portfolio.
The Grade: CGC 9

Reality Check: A nine I'm fine with -- so no worries here -- but anything less than that I would have been kind of mad at myself for trying it. Why? Generally, I don't like pricey surprises with grading, so I don't slab as much ink as I should as I own plenty of them raw. I need to do more slabs like this, but a miss on cheaper, oddball cards that are interesting aren't as risky in my book.

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

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Second verse, same as the first -- well this time with a little less Lava.

It's apparently National Hat Day today, so I figured I'd get this Collecting Game-used series back on track (I missed doing one last month) with another game-used cap from down on the farm and this time it's from a specialty game and a player who actually did play in a pair of big-league games last year after spending the summer for the Columbus Clippers. If you don't recognize the logo, this one's from a game where they were the Veleros de Columbus during MiLB's Copa de la Diversión games.

As I noted last time, sometimes, unraveling the mystery is part of the fun with gamers ... and that mystery part doesn't happen as often with MLB stuff where it's as if everything that's used can get an MLB Authentication sticker and have a place in a database forever before it hits a collection or gets chopped up to live inside a baseball card. But down on the farm? It can be a different story. Sure, stuff gets documented and sold with a team letter or certificate often -- especially at the end of a season when the players are gone (and might not come back) -- but not everything.

Most of my items in this series are MLB or other things that are ironclad in their documentation or I have been able to photo-match the item exactly to a photo, video or event. This time? Not so much (though I admittedly ran out of time to really dig), but it did have some features and some mystery that worked out for a bargain price and it turned out to be another player who got a taste of the major leagues this past season and has played in The Show for a few years.

Keep reading to see the details this time.

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With these Ticket Stud or Ticket Dud stories I'm turning just a tiny bit of that energy just a few degrees away from cards (we'll still have plenty of them here) for a different kind of cardboard. What am I doing? Simple ... this is an occasional dip into some random ticket lots -- a show and tell showing something small with a story.

This time? A Hall of Famer on the ticket -- and a pair of MLB debuts in the box score.

Keep reading to see the details this time ... and tell me if you think it's a Ticket Stud or a Ticket Dud.

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Fast Five is a quick list under a simple topic that might offer a basic starting point for a themed collection. It's a basic list of five items that could be fun for a starting collector or a new way to add to a stash that might already seemingly include everything when it comes to cardboard. For some of you, it's probably common sense. For others of you out there, it's perhaps something to ponder.

This time? Five MLB rookies I'd be watching this year ... at least based on the results so far.

RED ALERT
Jonathan India -- 3B, Cincinnati Reds (click here for autographed cards on eBay)
This one is about the numbers for me -- 10-for-21 (.476) with a double, triple and 10 RBI in his first six games of his big-league career. He's a known commodity for prospectors since he was the fifth-overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft and was a top-100 prospect at times since. However, in two MiLB seasons he hit just .254 with 17 homers and 67 RBI in 165 games (154 Ks) so there might not have been as much attention heading into this debut. He did hit .313 with three homers and seven RBI in 22 games this spring. Because he's been a high-profile player, he's already got a ton of cards -- more than 800 -- and nearly half of those are certified autos. His earliest ink is in 2014 Leaf Perfect Game releases and then his first MLB autos are in 2018 Bowman Draft. He's got ink from Panini America, too, in prospect releases and I'd be looking for bargain-priced ink here vs. the slabbed stuff with big prices attached. The 2014 autos are also somewhat appealing being so much earlier than the rest. Him having volume should give you more choices and more chances to find bargains compared to other guys on this list -- guys with scorching starts but fewer cards.

Keep reading for four more making up the list this time.

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MLB has lost a legend ... a Terrific one.

Hall of Famer Tom Seaver, who won 300 games in his 20-year career and a World Series ring in just his third summer as a big-leaguer, died on Monday at his home in California. He was 75.

“We are heartbroken to share that our beloved husband and father has passed away,” said his wife, Nancy Seaver, and daughters Sarah and Anne in an announcement released by the Hall of Fame. “We send our love out to his fans, as we mourn his loss with you.”

The former Mets, Reds, White Sox and Red Sox ace known as "Tom Terrific" was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia last year. According to the Hall, his death was in part also due to COVID-19.

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Group breaks have been a game-changer for the card industry for several years now and from time to time Buzz will jump into a BlowoutTV break of some type and break down the results of what he landed by picking up a team. There are near-daily breaks right here with Matt on Blowout TV during weekday working hours and even more from Houdini and others over on the forum in the evening.

Now, it's time for this post's break breakdown -- a spot in an MLB mixer that included everything you see above.

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Group breaks have been a game-changer for the card industry for several years now and from time to time Buzz will jump into a BlowoutTV break of some type and break down the results of what he landed by picking up a team. There are near-daily breaks right here with Matt on Blowout TV during weekday working hours and even more from Houdini and others over on the forum in the evening.

Now, it's time for this post's break breakdown -- a spot in a 2019 Topps Chrome Sapphire break.

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With the COVID-19 pandemic erasing pretty much everything in the sports world right now, ESPN's decision to launch The Last Dance early is a jolt of nostalgia that's fueling plenty of extra demand for some already legendary basketball cards from the past.

The eagerly awaited 10-part documentary arrives Sunday night at 9 p.m. Eastern and it tells the story of the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls and their final championship run -- their third title in three years and sixth of that decade. It obviously keys upon the NBA's greatest player of all time and its biggest name on cardboard, Michael Jordan. But he's far from alone as the series will present original and new footage from that season as well as interviews from the players -- both on the court and beyond -- back then. We'll also hear from others from around the league who were on the court or covering the team as it commanded attention, won it all and then was forced to go their separate ways.

For Jordan, that meant a second retirement and return with the Washington Wizards three years later -- we probably won't hear a word about that (call it a hunch) -- but we'll be hearing plenty from many involved every Sunday night (two installments per evening) from here until May 17. If you're a new collector wanting to jump on the Jordan bandwagon it's not going to be easy -- you're about 35 years and 13,000 cards too late -- and the asking prices for many a Jordan gem are though the roof more now than ever. However, if you're a fan who missed some of the historic action back then there are still plenty of ways to dabble in cardboard from The Last Dance as it's ultimately a tale that's not just about Jordan.

Keep reading for 12 ways to explore the cardboard for The Last Dance ... both for Jordan and others who we'll see often every Sunday night.

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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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DEFINITELY DIRTY DEFINITIVE
The Item: Mike Trout 2019 Topps Definitive Collection autographed game-used patch booklet (/5)
The Price: $5,000 Buy-It-Now (or best offer)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Look close at that patch and you'll see some game-used dirt that only makes this impressive piece from a high-end brand even cooler. What's coolest about this? It's a gem that's not a 1/1 card -- there are four more like it out there in boxes of Definitive, which is a good thing. (Even better? Today is a 13 percent eBay Bucks day if you use the app ... get on it!)
Similar Pieces: More 2019 Topps Definitive Collection autos on eBay
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for Definitive Collection boxes and cases 

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

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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 ... a super-sized edition this time around that's heavy on MLB and NBA but with a few surprises.

The Cards: 1991-92 SkyBox #544-546 Team USA puzzle
The Reason Graded: I picked up a box of this one for roughly $16 late last year (a bargain price) and pulled two sets of these puzzles, which was good. Why? Because grading these and the other notables from the iconic Hall of Famer-loaded Dream Team is pretty heavy and this one has been on my to-do list. I landed most of the notables more than once but just one Jordan that was noticeably off-centered. These glossed cards on the puzzle could have issues that the standard cards don't have simply because of their surfaces, but mine were clean. I will revisit my second set to see if anything stands out. I may go the PSA route on the other set for variety's sake if I see anything that would make me wonder about potential grades.
The Grades: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: This one was a stressful one as I had hoped for matching grades. Thankfully, that's what I got and that's where most cards land for all three pieces of the puzzle. This is a textbook example of the kind of cardboard that can make you some money with grading, too, as they're no more than $10 total raw, while BGS 9.5s together should top $100 in some cases and asking prices for the middle (Jordan) card alone can be steep. It's memorable cardboard from the past with nothing but iconic players involved, so there's still good demand -- and that's another reason why I slabbed. Wax boxes aren't all that plentiful, either, compared to other boxes around that time.

Keep reading for the rest of this month's new grades and additions.

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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 packs: 2019 Topps Now Future World Series baseball packs (two packs)
Where to buy: Click here (previously only offered via Topps.com)
Cards per pack: 3

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Here's a look at the top five players on this week's Baseball America Top MLB Prospects Hot Sheet and their seasons so far. It's a little something to help those who might want to dabble with prospecting -- some basics on their baseball cards alongside a highlight line from those more scouting-minded. We may not do this every week, but we'll check in on BA's top crop from time to time for the remainder of the season.

1. Luis Robert, OF, White Sox — High-A Winston Salem Dash
Baseball America’s highlight line: “Robert is one of the most tooled-up athletes not only in his organization, but in all of the minor leagues. He wowed evaluators in the Arizona Fall League, and now is doing the same again in his return to high Class A."
CARDBOARD BASICS
Approximate card total (so far): 500
First Chrome auto: 2018 Bowman 
One auto to consider: 2017 Elite Extra Edition
Buzz’s card take: You should know his name after his Bowman arrival last year as he's a top-100 prospect by most accounts and a top-50 on some lists. He fared pretty well in limited spring training time this year, hitting .385 with a homer and eight RBI in six games as a 21-year-old. The Cuban prospect has five homers and 13 RBI while hitting .475 this season.

Keep reading for the rest of the top five ...

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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 ...

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Here's a look at the top five players on this week's Baseball America Top MLB Prospects Hot Sheet and their seasons so far. It's a little something to help those who might want to dabble with prospecting -- some basics on their baseball cards alongside a highlight line from those more scouting-minded. We may not do this every week, but we'll check in on BA's top crop from time to time for the remainder of the season.

1. Trevor Rogers, SP, Marlins — Low-A Greensboro Grasshoppers
Season so far: 1-4 with 5.13 ERA, 65 strikeouts and 20 walks in 54.1 innings (12 starts)
Baseball America’s highlight line: “Rogers has worked six or more innings in his last three starts, culminating with Sunday’s gem, where he struck out a career-best 12 batters and carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning."
CARDBOARD BASICS
Approximate card total (so far): 300
First Chrome auto: 2017 Bowman Draft
One auto to consider: 2016 Leaf Metal Perfect Game
Buzz’s card take: His season numbers look a little LaLooshian but he was the 13th overall pick in last year's draft and he's on the Marlins so they'll take it -- and the potential. The recent games look relatively solid, so if you're sold on the potential of a Marlins pitcher then you might want to bite.

Keep reading for the rest of the top five ...

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Here's a look at the top five players on this week's Baseball America Top MLB Prospects Hot Sheet and their seasons so far. It's a little something to help those who might want to dabble with prospecting -- some basics on their baseball cards alongside a highlight line from those more scouting-minded. We may not do this every week, but we'll check in on BA's top crop from time to time for the remainder of the season.

1. Eloy Jimenez, OF, White Sox — Triple-A Charlotte Knights
Season so far: Hitting .326 with 20 doubles, 15 homers, 52 RBI and 0 SBs in 73 games
Baseball America’s highlight line: "After an extended stint on the disabled list, the White Sox’s No. 1 prospect returned on July 15 and quickly kicked off the cobwebs. ... He’s already socked half as many home runs (five) in 20 games with Charlotte as he did in 52 with Double-A Birmingham."
CARDBOARD BASICS
Approximate card total (so far): 730
First Chrome auto: 2017 Bowman
One auto to consider: 2013 Leaf Metal Draft
Buzz’s card take: If you don't know his name, it's too late to get in on the cheap as he was ranked as the No. 4 prospect entering this season by Baseball America and MLB.com. He was a key in the Jose Quintana trade and that means his present cards will show him in White Sox colors instead of Cubbie Blue as his first Chrome auto does. As long as all goes well health-wise, you should see him in the majors soon. In five MiLB seasons he's hit .306 with 58 homers and 258 RBI in 373 games.

Keep reading for the rest of the top five ...

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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.

NOT A ROOKIE CARD ... BUT, WHOA, IS IT SELLING LIKE ONE
The Item: 2012 Topps Heritage #207 Mike Trout 
The Price: They're all pretty impressive -- both past and present
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Mike Trout doesn't have a Heritage Rookie Card but this one arrived a year later and it's selling like one both raw and graded. PSA 10 copies of this card have topped $300 while four-card raw lots have sold for as much as $250 recently. It's not short-printed but this collector never pulled one back then -- oddly -- when I pulled a few copies of pretty much everything else. You know what else is rare these days? Affordable 2012 Heritage hobby boxes and even retail boxes despite the rookie crop not being a strong one at all. (See the link below for a Hot Tip shot at some hobby packs to get in on this chase.) This card will be one to watch -- it's all over the place right now but selling way better than it should be -- as Heritage is the basic set for many of us retro-minded collectors to chase on an annual basis. The high-grade copies of this one aren't that easy -- centering and chipping can be an issue with this set -- so that's definitely driving some of the demand for this one but he's also a top player in MLB and this card does have a ton of natural appeal. Supply and demand has taken over here -- with a dash of crazy sauce, too -- but it tastes pretty good if you own a few of these. 
Similar Pieces: Other Mike Trout stuff on eBay
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for 2012 Topps Value boxes with two H packs in each one

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

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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 ...

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We're about a month into the MLB season and all you have to do to find the surprises for this year is look at the home run leaders list.

Through last night's action, three players have hit 10 home runs and four more are right behind them at nine. One name among those top seven sluggers is a given -- Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout -- but some of the other names might surprise. The leaders? New York Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorious, Seattle Mariners outfielder Mitch Haniger and Trout. Just after them? Atlanta Braves shortstop Ozzie Albies, Chicago White Sox DH Matt Davidson and a pair of past All-Stars, Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon and Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado.

Let's take a look at a few of these lesser-known players' cards.

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Giancarlo who?

That might be the question for some baseball fans -- particularly if they are Chicago White Sox-minded -- after Opening Day as Matt Davidson and his Sox made a little history on Thursday, despite the two-homer debut of that other guy on some team somewhere.

Davidson became just the fourth player in MLB history to hit three home runs on Opening Day and his team tied the MLB record with six longballs on the day as part of a 14-7 win over the Kansas City Royals.

Davidson joins George Bell (1988), Karl "Tuffy" Rhodes (1994) and Dmitri Young (2005) in the Opening Day club, while the only other team to go yard that often was the 1988 New York Mets. The good news here for collectors? Unlike that guy in pinstripes, Davidson's certified autographs are relatively plentiful and available -- and he's been appearing on cards just as long.

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