Jimmy Kimmel
Making the Grade (April): Shohei Ohtani, Will Ferrell, Dogpool, Hank Aaron, Halle Berry, WWE stars ... and a Superfractor?
Like many collectors, Buzz is a fan of grading ... so here's this month's grading diary.
STARTING ON A SERIOUS NOTE ...
The Card: Will Ferrell 2015 Topps Archives Will Ferrell Inserts
The Reason Graded: Back in 2015 this comedy legend took to the field for 10 MLB teams and played 10 positions in a single day of real spring training action -- you can see his stats here -- as part of a project with a charity component called Ferrell Takes The Field. Collectors ended up chasing his autographs on 10 different cards in Archives that year -- roughly one per hobby case if I remember correctly -- but, alas, I went 0-for-1 there before those boxes got too pricy and/or vanished ... but I did hit the blasters. There, the regular Ferrell inserts were found one per box -- at least until all of those boxes disappeared, too. It's been a decade since this publicity stunt took place (March 12, 2015), so I figured we could start this new MLB season here on a serious note. These aren't his only cards -- he popped up a few times that year -- but this was the first set and this was the first card -- and one for my team.
The Grade: CGC 10Grade 5.5 6 6.5 7 7.5 8 8.5 9 9.5 10 P10 Total Population 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 3 0 7 Reality Check: There's a small volume of stuff slabbed for this card -- roughly all cards here have no more than 10 slabbed copies across the entire set -- and this is among the top marks. This card has full-bleed back edges in bright blue just like in 1965 Topps and when I saw how clean this card was, well, it was a no-brainer. I previously slabbed one elsewhere years ago and this copy will go well with that and a slab of the same photo used on a magazine cover that ended up on a show promo card. A lot of those who likely weren't collecting back then seem to be interested here as asking prices can be steep -- raw or graded -- for Ferrell stuff.
Keep reading for more of this month's pick-ups and new slabs for Buzz.
Buzz Buys: Unique cards, Prizm WWE, old magazines, foul ink, John Candy, autographs, Crimson Tide legends & plenty 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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SOMETHING SIMPLE ...
The Card: Shaun Alexander 2000 EX NFL Debut Postmarks
The Price: $7.75
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is a throwback leading off because I have a simple question to present with it ... have we seen anything like this recently? As you can see, this card has a stamp affixed to a card with a postmark applied on the day of his NFL debut, which was in Miami. It's a simple kind of non-traditional card -- I don't think I'd call it a hit -- but something like this could mix things up a bit. Sure, there's a little extra work involved here but ... something different in packs that can be done for pocket change wouldn't hurt, right?
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... but NFL boxes are hereKeep reading for more interesting items ...
Buzz Buys: Roger Maris, Allen Iverson, WWE stars, Sonequa Martin-Green, Rubin Carter, Mr. Baseball & other legends
Buzz buys and busts a lot of boxes right here for Buzz Breaks, but one of my goals just might be to rip fewer blasters this year 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. Would they capture yours? I'd be interested to know -- sometimes they might, sometimes they won't and that's fine. It's a buyer's market out there with plenty of options and bargains as well as high-end gems to chase.
So, with all that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ... and this time around it's a baker's dozen (that doesn't include Mayfield ... this time).
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A MARIS WITH A TWIST?
The Card: Roger Maris 2018 Panini National Treasures Game Gear Duals (/49)
The Price: $30
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I sprung for this card at a slightly higher price than I might normally do for a Maris memorabilia card because of the small sliver of a red patch that caught my eye but remained a mystery. The New York Yankees weren't known for a lot of patches on their uniforms, let alone any red ones, but perhaps this one came from a sleeve? After buying and then doing some homework, I think the pinstripes led me astray. After receiving the card, I remembered an errant comment I heard years ago -- a rumor about Panini looking at a Cleveland Indians jersey at auction -- and I simply Googled "Roger Maris game-used jersey auction" and found a visual that perhaps answered my pinstripe mystery. Then a couple of cross-searches led me here.The Indians wore pinstripes for a time and it was a time when Maris was there. The colors match and the fabric consistency looks to be right, too. Could this be a sliver of a sleeve patch? We don't get a good view there, but it could be. It could also be something from the Kansas City A's though I couldn't find any info on them wearing pinstripes while Maris was there. It's not definitive -- and it still could be a sleeve patch from a Yankees jersey -- but I think I'm comfortable with my newest Maris patch (barely) card.
Grab a box right here: National Treasures boxes (all sports)Keep reading for a few more interesting items ...
You never know where you'll see baseball cards pop up
You never know where you'll see baseball cards and late-night TV is one place where some good ol' American cardboard surfaced.
Actor Viggo Mortensen was on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and brought some gifts for the host.
They Tweeted It ... Jimmy Kimmel
Being on a baseball card might be the most exciting thing that has ever happened to me @ToppsCards @Mets pic.twitter.com/JQGJ136l2s
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) June 16, 2016
A few of the celebs found on Topps' First Pitch cards have started to react to their cards via Twitter. Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel wasn't the only one, but here you go.
You might expect it to make the air tonight, which probably would entice a few of his non-collecting regular fans to go find one. If you haven't seen them all, click here for a full gallery and checklist.
Follow Buzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz or send email to BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.
First Pitch celebs in 2016 Topps Series 2 include Jimmy Kimmel, Lea Thompson, Tim McGraw & more
A new series of baseball cards arrives soon in 2016 Topps Series 2 and that means a new crop of celebrity First Pitch insert cards.There are 20 stars slated to appear in this one with late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, country star Tim McGraw throwing out a first pitch for his father's former team, and Hollywood star Lea Thompson among them.
>>> Related: Check out a gallery of 2016 Topps Series 2 baseball cards here.
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