What: 2018 Leaf Autographed Football Helmets
Arrives: Late October
Box basics: One autographed mini-helmet per box (three boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Leaf brings a new batch of autographed helmets to the masses with a mix of past and present stars as well as multi-signed helmets and at least one name you might not expect ... Ben Affleck.

Keep reading for more.

Continue reading →

What: 2018 Panini Absolute Football cards
Arrives: Sept. 5
Box basics: Three autographs and two memorabilia cards per three-pack box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Absolute is back with a new wave of NFL rookies' autographs and memorabilia along with big memorabilia cards and more in its newest edition arriving this fall.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

Continue reading →

One of the biggest annual events in the hobby is coming soon -- and Blowout Cards is getting ready ... are you?

The plans for the Panini VIP Party coinciding with this year's National Sports Collectors Convention will be here soon, but we're already fielding questions and taking down info for those who are interested in getting in on the event.

Continue reading →

Barring some unforeseen need for shelving in the next few days, I made one last trek to a Toys R Us on Saturday afternoon -- Store No. 8919, according to my receipt -- in advance of its closing forever.

By this time next week, the long-running toy chain will be no more as bankruptcy will be the final chapter of this story that began back in the 1940s. It will end a run that clearly had its share of successes -- and mistakes -- but one that has left an indelible mark on pop culture and kids everywhere -- and probably their parents' pocketbooks, too.

I don't wanna grow up ...

Jogging my memory a bit, I've been to Toys R Us stores in probably five states -- that's not a lot as I didn't really grow up as a true Toys R Us Kid, meaning we had to drive a couple hours to find the closest one when I was younger and most in my toy prime. But this particular store? It just might be -- actually, I can pretty much guarantee this -- it is the first Toys R Us I ever visited. When? I'm not sure when the first time happened but those same doors I walked through today were the doors I walked through long ago looking for 1988 Donruss baseball cards and other "bargain packs" all those years ago. It's definitely where I first bought a Jose Canseco Baseball Card Kit and it's where I first discovered The Conlon Collection in baseball card form. (The price was right and the history there is still priceless today.) It's where I'm sure I bought a few NASCAR diecasts in the more recent past, too, as we would visit relatives on vacation and I'd hit all the different stores in town looking for cards and whatever other interesting toy or collectable piqued my interest at the time.

Continue reading →

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 (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: 92 of 125 (74 percent)
Duplicates: 57
Triplicates: 20
Quadruplicates: 6
Quintuplicates: 2
Sextuplicates: 1

Notables on base cards: Mark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, Henry David Thoreau, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Amelia Earhart, Davy Crockett, George Marshall, Douglas MacArthur, Chester Nimitz, Alexander Hamilton, Paul Revere, John Hancock, Samuel Adams, Thomas Edison, Samuel Morse, Eli Whitney, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Barbara Rose Johns, Cesar Chavez, Gutzon Borglum, Frederic Remington, Norman Rockwell, Winslow Homer, Thurgood Marshall, Robert F. Kennedy, P.T. Barnum, Joe Namath, George & Ira Gershwin, Harry Houdini, Buster Keaton, Duke Ellington, Clara Bow, John D. Rockefeller, John Paul Getty, J.P. Morgan, William Randolph Hearst, John Deere, Frank Woolworth, Andrew Carnegie, Plymouth Rock, Constitution, George Washington, Louisiana Purchase, Emancipation Proclamation, Neil Armstrong

Continue reading →

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: 2018 Panini Contenders Draft Picks football cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Packs per box: 7
Cards per pack: 6
Cards in this box: 42
Base set completion: 
35 of 100 (35 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables found on base cards – Nick Saban, Joe Namath, Mack Brown, Antonio Brown, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Jerry Rice, Roger Staubach, Deshaun Watson, Brian Bosworth, Michael Irvin, Eric Dickerson, LaDainian Tomlinson, Aaron Rodgers, J.J. Watt, Andrew Luck

Continue reading →

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: 2018 Panini Classics football cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Packs per box: 8
Cards per pack: 8
Cards in this box: 64
Base set completion: 
56 of 300 (19 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards: Brett Favre, Joe Namath, Jim Kelly, Troy Aikman, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Theismann, Roger Staubach, Hines Ward, Tony Dorsett, Ozzie Newsome, Jerome Bettis, Kellen Winslow, Patrick Mahomes II, Eli Manning, Odell Beckham Jr., Marcus Mariota, Derrick Henry

Continue reading →

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 9.

The box: 2017 Donruss football cards (jersey hanger)
The cost: BlowoutCards.com (for a few formats)

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

Continue reading →

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 8.

The box: 2001 Topps Archives NFL retail box
The cost: $55 (will vary if you can find it) 

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

Continue reading →

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: 2018 Panini Contenders Draft Picks football cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Packs per box: 7
Cards per pack: 6
Cards in this box: 42
Base set completion: 
34 of 100 (34 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables found on base cards – Nick Saban, Joe Namath, Clay Helton, Deion Sanders, Russell Wilson, Antonio Brown, Jameis Winston, Adrian Peterson, Marcus Allen, Dak Prescott, Randy Moss, Leonard Fournette, Odell Beckham Jr., Earl Campbell, Tony Dorsett, Christian McCaffrey, Ezekiel Elliott, Tom Brady, Larry Fitzgerald, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, John Elway, Carson Wentz, Terry Bradshaw, Jerry Rice

Continue reading →

What: 2018 Leaf Autographed Football Jersey Edition
Arrives: June-July
Box basics: One autographed custom jersey per box (eight boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Leaf once again brings the fabric of the game to the blind-wrapped football memorabilia market with "an incredible mix of Hall of Famers, fan favorites, the biggest stars in the game today plus the hottest young players in the game."

Keep reading for more.

Continue reading →

What: 2017 Panini Flawless football cards
Arrives: March 21 April 4
Box basics: Two gems, six autographs and two memorabilia cards per 10-card box (two boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Flawless returns for another ultra-high-end season with some new touches and some new signers from NFL's recent past.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

Continue reading →

What: 2017 Panini National Treasures football cards
Arrives: March 7
Box basics: Three autographs and three memorabilia cards per eight-card box (four boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here to view
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Panini America's highly collected high-end brand returns with an array of big hits from the NFL's past as well as the biggest names of the NFL at present. (Click on the card up top for a closer view.)

Keep reading for more info as well as a gallery of early images.

Continue reading →

It was today back in 1969 that New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath delivered on his guaranteed upset of the Baltimore Colts -- and next month an elite specimen of his best football card will hit the auction block.

It's a PSA 9 copy of his 1965 Topps Rookie Card, and it's one of just five cards to get that grade -- and none have ever graded higher.

Continue reading →

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 Donruss football cards (Mega Box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Packs per box: 10 (three hobby, seven retail)
Cards per pack: 10 per hobby, eight per retail
Cards in this box: 86
Base set completion: 
57 of 300 (19 percent)
Duplicates: 1

Notables on base cards – Johnny Unitas, Joe Namath, Matt Ryan, Matthew Stafford, Julio Jones, Drew Brees, Tony Romo, Mark Ingram, Michael Thomas, Phil Simms, Franco Harris, Derek Carr, Randy Moss

Continue reading →

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 6.

The box: 2016 Donruss football Mega Box
The cost: $14.99 BlowoutCards.com for hobby

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

Continue reading →

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: 2016 Donruss football Mega Box
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Packs per box: 9 (seven 2016 Donruss, two 2015 Gridiron Kings)
Cards per pack: 8
Cards in this box: 72
Donruss Base set completion: 
41 of 300 (14 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Joe Montana, Joe Namath, Andrew Luck, Adrian Peterson, Tony Romo, Le'Veon Bell, Rob Gronkowski

Continue reading →

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: 2016 Donruss football Mega Box
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Packs per box: 9 (seven 2016 Donruss, two 2015 Gridiron Kings)
Cards per pack: 8
Cards in this box: 72
Donruss Base set completion: 
40 of 300 (13 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Barry Sanders, Mark Ingram, Todd Gurley, Derek Carr, Steve Largent, John Elway, Earl Campbell, Matt Ryan

Continue reading →

What: 2017 Panini Rookies & Stars football cards
Arrives: Nov. 27
Box basics: Two autographs and two memorabilia cards per six-pack box (14 boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here to view

What's buzz-worthy: Rookies & Stars arrives on Cyber Monday, giving NFL fans their first new product to rip after the big Black Friday blowout.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

Continue reading →

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: Fanatics Authentic Alabama Crimson Tide football block (50 cards)
Price: $14.95 (via JCPenney.com)

What's inside one of these? Keep reading for a rundown and gallery.

Continue reading →

This is a new twist on a Buzz Break -- one where Buzz breaks two boxes and you get to vote on which one you would have wanted.

The box: 2017 Donruss football cards (Mega Box)
Where to buy: $19.99 at retail (hit BlowoutCards.com for hobby)

Keep reading to see the boxes and cast your vote ...

Continue reading →

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 8.

The box: 2016 Donruss Elite NFL (hanger)
The cost: $15 (click here for hobby)

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

Continue reading →

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 Donruss NFL cards (jersey hanger box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Packs per box: 1
Cards per pack: 50
Base set completion: 
30 of 300 (10 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Joe Namath, Johnny Unitas, J.J. Watt, Marcus Mariota, Cam Newton, Matt Ryan, Sam Bradford

Continue reading →

What: 2017 Panini Impeccable football cards
Arrives: Sept. 27
Box basics: Five autographs per eight-card box (three boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here to view

What's buzz-worthy: This high-end NFL brand arrives for a sophomore season with at least one rookie patch auto per box and a healthy mix of stars from the past and present.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

Continue reading →

A funny thing happened recently when I ripped into a box of 2016-17 Panini Studio basketball cards.

I pulled cards of Joe Namath and Bo Derek.

No, really. My Derek was an autograph and my Namath was a patch card from a Los Angeles Rams jersey -- cards that I'd always eyed here and there but didn't expect to be able to land from a box of NBA cards.

How'd it happen? I pulled them via Panini Rewards points.

Continue reading →