Dan McGwire
Buzz Buys: Kumar Rocker, Shotzi, USA Baseball, college cards, Max Weinberg, wrestling ink & even Buford T. Justice's kid
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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THE NEWEST NEW YORK MET
The Card: Kumar Rocker 2018 Panini USA Baseball Stars & Stripes Jumbo Nameplate (/5)
The Price: Under $40
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This Vandy star was a dominator and was perhaps going to be a top pick in this year's MLB Draft but instead he fell right into a prime spot when slid a bit and went 10th overall. Why do I say that? When it comes to cardboard, being a member of the New York Mets organization is better than being a Texas Ranger, which is where teammate Jack Leiter went at No. 2. He's the son of former NFL player Tracy Rocker and he's got a lot of cardboard thanks to USA Baseball appearances, including some cool cards like this. I don't think I ever pulled his auto -- but I tried a number of times -- but I couldn't pass up this rarity that appears to include the top halves of the "RO" from the back of his jersey. The bottom half of that duo is on eBay with a price four times what I paid. If his college dominance is any kind of a sign, we should see him in the majors quickly.
Grab a box right here: USA Baseball boxes (all years)Keep reading for more interesting items ...
Buzz Buys: Roger Maris ink, one huge Fernando Tatis Jr. card, Rhea Ripley, Shotzi Blackheart, Joe Namath, The Doors & more
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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FINALLY LANDED HIM
The Card: Roger Maris autographed 1975 Topps MVPs card (PSA/DNA authenticated)
The Price: About $200 less than I figured it would cost me
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: For several years now, something on my want list for when I'd head to The National was to find a clean and slabbed Maris autograph of some sort. They're rare but not impossible as the former single-season home run champ who hit 61 homers in 1961 died in 1985 just as doing autograph shows was about to truly explode for past players. Had he died a decade later he'd probably be an easy autograph to find -- or at least an easier one -- but still in high demand. A typical signed and slabbed plain 3-by-5 card of him typically was around $500 when I was looking in the past and I've seen many of them but that was still a little too much to swing for me if I wanted to keep shopping while at a show. Signed and slabbed cards from his career are often a lot pricier depending on the condition of the card and the year ... some are quite impressive and many are not having been signed in ballpoint pen. Like pretty much everything, prices on his autos have jumped in the last few years but I still had been looking for something like this ... and then one day late last year I woke up and checked emails to see this one on the block with a buy price that made it an instant grab. It's not a perfect card, it's not a mangled card ... but it was an affordable one for me as it's a lesser card from just after his career ended (last cards as an active player were in 1968). As a bonus to me, he's seen alongside pretty much the other player I actively collect from the era ... but his auto is easy to find. I've crossed a big one off my want list.
Grab a box right here: No boxes of this one ... but MLB stuff is hereKeep reading for more interesting items ...
Buzz 12 in 12: Busting a 1992 Action Packed Rookie Update box (Hour 6)
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 ... and this is Hour 6.
The pack: 1992 Action Packed Rookie Update football cards
The cost now: $12
The cost then: $2.49/pack, $59.76/box
What's inside this box? Keep reading ...
3 Item(s)