For years now, autographed books coming direct from the publishers -- or direct from the authors themselves -- have been an affordable way to collect ink from notable names in all realms of pop culture.

It's not a perfect system with stamped autos, fakes and autopens sometimes in the mix -- a problem for publishers to catch as they are not authenticators -- but thanks to dedicated collectors on the Blowout Cards Forum and elsewhere, those problems often get caught and fixed ... or at least become well-known enough to avoid if it's an issue that goes uncorrected.

Getting ink in-person is always best -- book tours still happen, of course -- but landing autographed editions from publishers, online sellers or celebs themselves via their websites or other appearances are common.

Our latest subject and autograph in this ongoing series? Dominating Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky.

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What: 2025 Leaf Signature Series sports cards
Arrives: May 28
Box basics:  Four 1/1 autographed cards or three 1/1 autos and one inscription auto per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Leaf Signature Series is back with a wide array of colorful rarities for top sports stars in all directions all in one spot -- and sometimes they meet on the same cards.

Keep reading for more info and a full gallery of images released so far.

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What: 2025 Leaf Metal Sports Heroes cards
Arrives: Dec. 6, 2024
Box basics: Three Metal or acetate autos per box (15 boxes per case) or one Metal or acetate auto per Solo Edition box (25 per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Sports Heroes starts off 2025 a little early with an array of stars from around the sports world all in one spot and with a number of autos possible on some cards to amp up the star power even more.

Keep reading for more.

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What: 2024 Topps Allen & Ginter baseball cards
Arrives: Oct. 30
Box basics: Three hits in every 24-pack hobby box (12 boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here
Odds: Click here
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Allen & Ginter arrives once again -- this time after the season -- with all the eccentricities, plenty of baseball players and a new retro design based on some of the 1880s tobacco card designs that helped bring some of the first baseball cards to the masses long, long ago.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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What: 2024 TruMystery Going For Gold Buyback Edition
Arrives: Sept. 25
Box basics: One slabbed buyback card per box and one memorabilia redemption per case (eight boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: TruCreator's blind-box line keeps the Olympic spirit going next month with a buyback release that puts a slabbed card in every box and a little more once per case.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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What: 2024 Topps Chrome U.S. Olympic & Paralympic & Hopefuls cards
Arrives: July 26
Box basics: Two autographs and one Relic per 12-pack box (12 boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: The Olympians return to cardboard -- and this time it's on Chrome with some other chase elements beyond the plastic.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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Today is Sports Illustrated's birthday -- the first issue arrived today back in 1954 with baseball Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews on the cover -- but since we're in the here and now there's still a relatively collectable news nugget today.

Katie Ledecky, Michael Phelps and Simone Biles share the latest cover along wth their medal haul as of a few days ago, giving Olympic collectors something new to chase.

In case you missed it here on The Buzz, we've recapped how Ledecky has little cardboard, how Phelps has plenty of certified autographs and how Biles and her "Final Five" teammates have been heating up on cardboard.

The SI cover will be one of note for autograph collectors wanting something beyond a card or photo and it's an affordable option for a simple piece of Olympic memorabilia highlighting three of the nation's biggest stars so far in the Rio Olympics. It's Phelps' 13th SI cover appearance.

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Katie Ledecky has five Olympic medals in the Rio Games and four of them are gold -- it's a pretty good haul for a 19-year-old.

The one thing she doesn't have, though? A bonafide pack-inserted trading card.

Instead, collectors have a trio of Sports Illustrated for Kids cards -- a staple for the non-traditional sports or young stars not yet professionals found in the pages of the kids magazine as a perforated-sheet bonus. It's a place where LeBron James, Jordan Spieth and Tiger Woods have made their marks in the past along with many others before traditional card appearances.

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