Jim Abbott
First Buzz: 2024 Leaf A Bronx Legacy Series 2 baseball cards
What: 2024 Leaf A Bronx Legacy Series 2 baseball cards
Arrives: Nov. 15
Box basics: Four "premium hits" -- at least two autographs -- per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click hereWhat's buzz-worthy: Leaf follows up on last year's look at New York's biggest baseball team with a second series packed with the biggest legends in the history of the game and plenty more.
Keep reading for more info and a full montage of cards released so far.
Buzz Break: 1989 Topps baseball cards (two wax packs)
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: 1989 Topps baseball cards (two packs)
Where to buy: Check junk bins ... hit BlowoutCards.com for newer MLB cardsKeep reading for a breakdown and gallery for what was in this one.
Buzz Break: 2021 Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary (mega)
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: 2021 Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary Edition baseball cards (mega)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby/LITE)
First Buzz preview with checklist: Click hereKeep reading for a full breakdown and gallery of what was in this one.
Buzz Break: 1990 Topps Big Baseball Series 3 cards
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: 1990 Topps Big Baseball Series 3 baseball cards
Where to buy: Will take some hunting ... but check out other Retro Rips boxes here
Keep reading for a full breakdown and a gallery of what was in this one.
Buzz 8 in 8: Busting 2002 Topps American Pie Spirit of America Baseball Edition (Hour 5)
Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today's your day then as we launch 8 in 8 -- a series of a eight breaks of wax boxes and wax packs in as many hours today. We'll post one every hour ... this is Hour 5.
The box: 2002 Topps American Pie Spirit of America Baseball Edition cards
The cost: About original price ... see newer MLB boxes here
What's inside this one? Keep reading ...
Making the Grade (Dec.): Ozzie Albies, Jim Abbott, Bo Bichette, Bryce Harper, vintage stars, WWE ink & The Snow Plow Game
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 ...
KEY CARD, KEY PLAYER
The Card: Lucas Sims & Ozzie Albies 2018 Topps Heritage 100th Anniversary -- RC parallel (announced /25)
The Reason Bought: This parallel card isn't numbered, but they are very rare and if you consider the healthy print run and various pack formats for this popular brand, it's a bit of a needle-in-a-haystack type of card to pull in general let alone for a notable or specific player. I grabbed this since I've met both of them and Albies is a key Braves player ... and this brand is one that I generally buy a lot of (and did a ton in 2018). It's funky but I like 1969 Topps, too.
The Grade: BGS 9.5Grade 5.5 6 6.5 7 7.5 8 8.5 9 9.5 10 B10 Total Population 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 Reality Check: Why did I bite? The combo of scarcity and high grade and a price that wasn't that bad (about $80) made this one appealing to me. Also, the fact that the only other one was on eBay for $199.99 and isn't as good on subs as this one. (That price? Too high.) There are three copies of this card in PSA slabs (two 10s, one 9), too. How many might still be sitting in packs? Probably a few ... and that's also another reason I grabbed this to stash it.
Keep reading for more of this month's pick-ups and new slabs for Buzz.
Buzz Break: 2020 Topps Allen & Ginter X baseball cards
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: 2020 Topps Allen & Ginter X baseball cards
Checklist: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com
Keep reading for a full breakdown of what was in this one as well as a gallery of highlights.
Buzz Break: 2020 Topps Allen & Ginter baseball cards (blaster)
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: 2020 Topps Allen & Ginter baseball cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)
Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery from what was in this one.
Buzz Break: 2013 Panini USA Baseball Champions (hobby box)
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: 2013 Panini USA Baseball Champions (hobby box)
Where to buy: Click hereKeep reading for a full breakdown of what was in this one ...
Making the Grade (April): A Fernando Tatis Jr. classic, Sasha Banks' ink, Toni Storm's first, vintage legends, Steve Austin & Jay Leno Rookie Cards and ... an unthinkable Pro Set grade?
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 ...
BIG BAT LEADING OFF ...
The Card: Fernando Tatis Jr. 2019 Topps Chrome Gold Refractors #203 (/50) -- RC parallel
The Reason Graded: Buzz found this rarity of a top RC in the absolute same box as the card that batted lead-off here last month -- and when that one graded really well I knew that this one would end up in a slab, too. Easily one of the best boxes I've seen for any non-premium product in years of collecting. I figured they needed to be slabbed together and matching grades would be cool, too.
The Grade: BGS 9.5Grade 5.5 6 6.5 7 7.5 8 8.5 9 9.5 10 B10 Total Population 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 1 0 6 Reality Check: A matching pair is what we ended up with here -- and this also reinforces the fact that this was one of the best boxes I've ever seen. I was a little surprised to see only six copies of this card graded, but they're all at least a 9.5 with only one topping this mark. Meanwhile, 14 of them have been graded by PSA -- five 10s -- so perhaps some of Tatis' big-spending fans are also PSA fans, too. (Looking at you, Phil Hughes.)
Keep reading for more of this month's pick-ups and new slabs for Buzz.
A few autographs I'd want to see in 2019 Topps Allen & Ginter
When it comes to baseball card brands, Topps' Allen & Ginter is one of the most-unique ones in the hobby today -- even though it's modeled after cards from the 1880s.Why? Those original tobacco cards featured all kinds of people and all kinds of things -- not just baseball players -- among many releases but it's the "World's Champions" that drive the idea of what we've gotten today since Topps re-introduced the brand back in 2006.
Kate Upton, Takeru Kobayashi, George W. Bush, Serena Williams, Axl Rose, Michelle Beadle, Anthony Bourdain, Nick Saban, Cat Osterman, Kevin Costner, Sylvester Stallone, Roger Federer, Michael Phelps, Tony Hawk, Maria Sharapova, John Wooden, Laila Ali, Snoop Dogg, Pele, Henry Rollins and so many other surprising subjects have been found in packs of baseball cards beside typical MLB inclusions such as Mike Trout, Hank Aaron, Bryce Harper, Derek Jeter, Justin Verlander, Sandy Koufax, Clayton Kershaw and Ichiro Suzuki through the years. Those surprises can be pricey later, too. Upton wasn't a super-rare autograph but you wouldn't know it based on these prices.
Planning stages for the 2019 release are clearly already beginning for the brand as Topps took to Twitter on Thursday to ask collectors who they'd want to see in Ginter for non-baseball inclusions.
That got Buzz thinking ... and here are a few signers I'd want to see in 2019 Topps Allen & Ginter -- and more than a few of them have small ties to the baseball world.
Buzz 12 in 12: Busting a 2013 Panini USA Baseball Champions hobby box (Hour 4)
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 4.
The box: 2013 Panini USA Baseball Champions (hobby)
The cost: Click here
What's inside this one? Keep reading ...
Buzz 12 in 12: Busting a 1993 Upper Deck Series 2 MLB jumbo (Hour 9)
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 Hour 9.
The box: 1993 Upper Deck Series 2 baseball cards (jumbo box)
The cost now: $19.99
The cost then: $55.80 ($2.79 per pack ... printed on every pack)
What was found inside this one? Keep reading ...
Gallery: 2016 Topps Archives Signature Series baseball cards
It's a simple idea -- one autographed buyback per box -- with a showcase of nostalgia and on-card ink with plenty of variety.
It's 2016 Topps Archives Signature Series, and it arrived today.
Past big-leaguers who persevered get insert set in 2015 Topps Update
Pete Gray is one of Major League Baseball's more unusual finds in the record books and now he can be found in packs of 2015 Topps Update as a player in its Pride & Perseverance insert set.
It's a 12-card set showcasing past and present players who have had obstacles in life that didn't stop them from appearing in a big-league game.
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