Like many collectors, Buzz is a fan of grading ... so here's this month's grading diary.

TOUGH ONE?
The Card: Bo Bichette 2022 Topps Heritage image variation (found in Heritage High Number packs)
The Reason Graded: Some of you might wonder why this card is in the lead slot this month since it's a simple image variation -- but a great one -- from a brand that's not quite as pricey as it used to be. (At least for singles ... you can find this for about $2 or less.) But, finding one of these that will get a high (real) grade? Not so much. The centering can always be a bear here but that's not the constant problem spot. It's the backs of these that use full-bleed black ink where cards that may look flawless on the fronts are often demolished when it comes to those those back edges.
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: This one? It still has a some minor spotting -- that's why it's not a perfect 10 -- but it's way better than every other one I've seen and that's why I subbed this after I found it raw. Why? That front is pretty much a perfectly crafted design and I definitely don't mind retro-styled sets like this one -- I call it the old-guy flagship set as it is for me vs. basic Topps. The stuff feels more sturdy with its stock and printing -- I'm not sure I trust foilboard to age that well, either -- but the trade-off is that Heritage is harder to grade and land those higher marks. In all ways, this one is a win for me, a Bichette collector, and that's why he's batting lead-off. (It also doesn't hurt he's starting to warm up on the field this season.)

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

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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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RECENT RETRO
The Lots: Two 40-card mini lots from 2013 Panini Golden Age sports card set
The Price: Under what a box or two would typically cost

Keep reading for more on this one ...

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What makes Buzz's Fantastic Four each time? Simple, they're cards or collectable items for names in the headlines -- or from new releases -- that came to mind for this veteran collector. Maybe they're good fits for your collection, too? Let's find out together ... 

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THE SAFE ADDITION ... 
The Card: Patrick Mahomes 2017 Donruss Rookie Card
The Price: A variety of eBay asking prices between base and parallels
Why It’s Buzzworthy: Today's modern card collectors have tons of choices -- it's not like the old days where a player had one, maybe two Rookie Cards in a year. But, if you had to choose which of Mahomes' RCs is the most iconic the simple one, Donruss, might get that nod from many collectors. Today's top QB appeared on roughly 2,000 different cards back in 2017 and that's thanks to plenty of inserts and parallel cards in plenty of releases. Of those, almost 40 qualify as a RC by the standard definition and Donruss -- or maybe its higher-end brother, Optic (at right) -- are arguably the iconic cards where many can afford to chase. If you don't have one, it can be as easy as grabbing a Donruss factory set that guarantees you can land Mahomes -- and everybody else.
The BlowoutCards.com Chase: 2017 Donruss NFL
The BlowoutForums.com Chatter: Mahomes threads

Keep reading for three more items in this roundup ...

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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: 2024 Gummy Arts trading cards
Where to buy: Right here (when available)

What's this? Keep reading to see what was found in this one ...

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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 ...

THE AIR UP THERE ...
The Card: Michael Jordan 2009 Goodwin Champions
The Reason Graded: This is one I pulled from a pack of this Ginter-style rival throwback brand back when it arrived, and it's got an obviously appropriate background for Air Jordan. It's that simple touch (and it being a dunk shot) that makes this card -- in all its versions -- in some demand. This one had been in my "maybe grade" pile for literally years and I finally worked it into a bulk sub since the NBA season is here.
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: It checked in higher than I had expected, though I tend to punt cards where the centering is just slightly off ... but those can still land a 10 like this one did. Ultimately I was good with any mark as, for me, this is more of a novelty slab -- about the only Jordan collecting I do is his baseball stuff. Interestingly, most copies of this card have checked in here -- that's surprising to me -- but with that overall volume still low that could change easily with time.

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

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What: Decision 2021 Cut Signature Edition trading cards
Arrives: Nov. 26
Box basics: One cut autograph card per box (15 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Collectors wanting new political cardboard can get it here with a cut autograph in every box and certain luminaries guaranteed in every case.

Keep reading for more.

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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: 2021 Gummy Arts trading cards (two packs)
Where to buy: Right here (when available)

What's this? Keep reading to see what was found in two packs of this one ...

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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: 2013 Panini Golden Age sports cards (hobby box)
The cost: BlowoutCards.com

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

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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 4.

The box: 2018 Super Break Pieces of The Past Hybrid Edition trading cards
The cost: Click here

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

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What: A Word From ... The President of the United States trading cards
Arrives: Jan. 20
Box basics: One encased "A Word from the President" card or encased auto & one Presidential Archive Relic per mini-box (10 per display)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Fans of political memorabilia can chase autographs from all 46 U.S. Presidents all in one spot beginning on inauguration day with a box that includes a handwriting sample every single time and possibly an autograph.

Keep reading for more as well as 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: 2013 Panini Golden Age (hobby box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Keep reading for a breakdown and gallery of 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 box: 2013 Panini Golden Age (hobby box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Keep reading for a breakdown and gallery of 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 box: 2013 Panini Golden Age (hobby box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Keep reading for a breakdown and gallery of 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 box: 2013 Panini Golden Age (hobby box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (when available) -- new MLB here

Keep reading for a breakdown and gallery of 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 box: 2019-20 Panini Prizm NBA cards (Target Mega Box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 6
Cards per pack: 10
Cards in this box: 60
Base set completion: 
29 of 200 (15 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Luka Doncic, Wilt Chamberlain, Paul George, Vince Carter, Kristaps Porzingis, Allen Iverson, Ray Allen, Kyle Lowry, Draymond Green, Josh Jackson, C.J. McCollum, Jrue Holiday, Lou Williams, Mike Conley

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What: 2019 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Greats of The Game autographed baseballs
Arrives: July 31
Box basics: One autographed baseball per box (six boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: TRISTAR's autographed baseball chase goes high-end with a scope that goes beyond baseball players' autos in a very-limited release timed to arrive just in time for this year's National Sports Collectors Convention.

Keep reading for that and a gallery of what's in this one.

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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 Hour 11.

The box: 2013 Panini Golden Age
The cost: Click here (when available)

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: 2012 Panini Americana Heroes & Legends (24-pack retail)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (this and other options)

Packs per box: 24
Cards per pack: 8
Cards in this box: 194
Base set completion: 
125 of 125 (100 percent)
Duplicates: 55

Notables on base cards – George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Abby Wambach, Alex Morgan, Barbara Bush, Kerri Strug, Carly Patterson, Lisa Fernandez, Cat Osterman, Bruce Jenner, Dan Gable, Hope Solo, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Sally Ride, Scott Carpenter and many more

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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: 2017 Super Break The Bar Pieces of the Past Vol. 2
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 1
Cards per pack: 30
Base set completion: 
20 of 200 (10 percent)
Vol. 2 set completion: 7 of 90 (8 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Abraham Lincoln, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Barack Obama, Geronimo, George C. Marshall, William Penn, Samuel Morse, Henry Kissinger, William Faulkner

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and break down 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: 2009 Topps American Heritage American Heroes Edition (25 blister retail pack lot)
Where to buy: Click here

Packs per lot: 25
Cards per pack: 8
Cards per lot: 200
Base set completion: 
84 of 125 (67 percent)
Duplicates: 47
Triplicates: 17
Quadruplicates: 8
Quintuplicates: 3

Notables on base cards: Abraham Lincoln, Barack Obama, Ronald Reagan, Thomas Jefferson, Jimmy Carter, Jimmy Stewart, George Washington, Norman Schwarzkopf, Ulysses S. Grant, James Madison, Frank Robinson, Wyatt Earp, Frank Serpico, Theodore Roosevelt, Navajo Code Talkers, Jonas Salk, Clara Barton, Kelen Keller, Herbert Hoover, Jane Addams, Elenor Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, Woodrow Wilson, John Quincy Adams, Nellie Bly, John Steinbeck, Boston Tea Party, Paul Revere's Midnight Ride, The Underground Railroad, Lewis & Clark Expedition, Battle of Gettysburg, Doolittle Raid, Battle of Midway, D-Day, Battle of Iwo Jima, First American Spaceflight, March to Montgomery

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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: 2013 Panini Golden Age (hobby box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 24 (plus one box-topper pack)
Cards per pack: 6
Cards in this box: 148
Base set completion: 104 of 150 (69 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards: Tatum O'Neal, Bo Derek, Jackie Earle Haley, Grace Kelly, Bowie Kuhn, Seabiscuit, Abraham Lincoln, Knute Rockne, Lana Turner, Branch Rickey, Mario Andretti, Curly Neal, Pete Rose, Jim Rice, Elizabeth Montgomery, Joe Frazier, Henry Winkler, Donna Douglas, Stan Lee, Red Grange, Grantland Rice, Bigfoot, John Belushi, Darrell Waltrip, Evel Knievel, Mike Schmidt, Brooks Robinson, The Three Stooges, Yogi Berra, Jimmy Carter, Hack Wilson, Johnny Carson, Rocky Marciano, Sparky Anderson, Bob Denver, Bobby Hull, Mel Ott, Stan Musial, George Brett, Fred Biletnikoff, Tris Speaker, Dale Murphy

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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: 2012 Panini Americana Heroes & Legends trading cards (blaster)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (this and other options)

Cards per pack: 8
Cards in this lot: 8
Cards in this box: 65
Base set completion: 
60 of 125 (48 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – George Washington, Frankin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, Carli Lloyd, Eileen Collins, Dick Gordon, Tommie Smith, Lisa Fernandez, Carly Patterson, Kerri Strug, Bob Beamon, Dick Fosbury, Dan Gable, Katie Hoff, Bruce Jenner

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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: 2012 Panini Americana Heroes & Legends trading cards (100-pack lot)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (this lot and other options)

Cards per pack: 8
Cards in this lot: 800
Base set completion: 
125 of 125 (100 percent)
Duplicates: Yes -- between one and 11 extra copies per card (only one set in this particular lot)

Notables on base cards – George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Abby Wambach, Alex Morgan, Barbara Bush, Kerri Strug, Carly Patterson, Lisa Fernandez, Cat Osterman, Bruce Jenner, Dan Gable, Hope Solo, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Sally Ride, Scott Carpenter and many more

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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: 2013 Panini Golden Age (hobby box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 24 (plus one box-topper pack)
Cards per pack: 6
Cards in this box: 148
Base set completion: 104 of 150 (69 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards: Tatum O'Neal, Bo Derek, Jackie Earle Haley, Sparky Anderson, Jerry Lewis, Jane Russell, Henry Fonda, Eva Gabor, Branch Rickey, Earl Campbell, Grace Kelly, Jim Thorpe, Jimmy Carter, Seabiscuit, Henry Ford, Johnny Carson, Red Grange, William "Buckwheat" Thomas, Curley Neal, Yogi Berra, Bob Hope, Mel Ott, Penny Marshall, Sugar Ray Leonard, Mario Andretti, Evel Knievel, Abraham Lincoln, Knute Rockne, The Three Stooges, Walter Cronkite, Henry Winkler, Harry Houdini

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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: 2013 Panini Golden Age (hobby box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 24 (plus one box-topper pack)
Cards per pack: 6
Cards in this box: 148
Base set completion: 104 of 150 (69 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards: Tatum O'Neal, Bo Derek, Jackie Earle Haley, Sparky Anderson, Jerry Lewis, Jane Russell, Henry Fonda, Eva Gabor, Branch Rickey, Earl Campbell, Grace Kelly, Jim Thorpe, Jimmy Carter, Seabiscuit, Henry Ford, Johnny Carson, Red Grange, William "Buckwheat" Thomas, Curley Neal, Yogi Berra, Bob Hope, Mel Ott, Penny Marshall, Sugar Ray Leonard, Mario Andretti, Evel Knievel, Abraham Lincoln, Knute Rockne, The Three Stooges, Walter Cronkite, Henry Winkler, Harry Houdini

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