If you're a regular reader, then you know that Ballers has had a place in this Collecting Game-used series with other event-used items shown off here a few times -- more than a few times -- and this is not the first instance where I have typed something like that. (Probably won't be the last, either.)

I still realize that "the game" isn't reality there, but the items used in production are reality in the here and now -- and above is a piece with screen time in one scene that I managed to match. Meanwhile, it probably was there for other episodes beyond the season I watched and it could have potentially popped up elsewhere during the multi-year life of the show as there were plenty of scenes over several seasons for the franchise. This could be some store-bought creation as it has no unique markings whatsoever -- or it could be one of a few from the show. After all, there were plenty of trophies just like there were plenty of three-piece tailored suits and tons of sports equipment used -- but there's no doubt this trophy model is the one seen on screen.

Now, why did I have to do research? Well, because nobody's perfect. The trophy I landed above is a meaty 13-inch specimen made of wood and what seems like some solid bronze-ish material that's impressively dense and truly heavy. But, it's actually not the trophy that I had set my eyes on first and photo-matched to the show before buying.

The other trophy that I wanted actually had suffered damage from its after-screen life in storage -- it was a faux copper on ceramic with a wire undercarriage -- and then it arrived with its base obliterated during shipping making it undisplayable and left laying in pieces like that one guy Spencer Strasmore (aka Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) took out on the Buffalo Bills. (Actually, many more pieces than that guy -- there was no post-career fame for my trophy.) The auction house offered some credit and then this piece to make up for it -- and since it wasn't an expensive buy (it was less than a retail mega box of cards these days) I called it a deal.

It arrived many months ago and it sat nearby until some recent curiosity finally got me to go back to the tape. Keep reading to see the details.

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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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THIS SET IS A CLASSIC
The Card: Tua Tagovailoa 2023 Panini Luminance Gold (/250)
The Price: About $5.50
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This set was among many recent NFL releases on the high-end spectrum when it comes to box price, so, well, I'm not ripping it ... but when this one popped up in an online search I did some scrolling and I quickly realized that this set just might be one of the best photo-editing jobs done in all of modern football card history (view a lot of them here). I scouted listings and opted for this clean parallel of a top guy in the NFL this season and this one arrived so clean that there's a very good shot this will end up slabbed and in a future Making The Grade ... that's how much I like this card. The base set is full of strong images. Strong, strong images.
Grab a box right here: Grab a box by clicking here

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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