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 that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ...

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PROJECT 2020 GOT ME
The Card: Ken Griffey Jr. 2020 Topps Project 2020 -- Artist: King Saladeen (/2,504 made)
The Price: $19.99
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This was my first card I picked up in the recently launched Project 2020 series from Topps, which is a higher-end premium-stock card set that takes a look back at 20 memorable players' memorable cards through the eyes of 20 different artists. They start at $19.99 with combo and volume discounts available, but I'm going to be on the boat for selected cards here and there as I don't heavily collect any of the players and all artists' styles aren't for me. That said, this card is a memorable take of a memorable Rookie Card for one of the biggest players of the last 40 years so I grabbed it. There are 400 cards in the set with each having Artist Proofs (/20) that vanish instantaneously as well as a Gold 1/1 that's randomly inserted into direct orders from Topps. You'll see more of these cards here throughout the year and you can see the ongoing gallery that updates every weekday right here on The Buzz. I have more of these incoming but this is the only one I presently have in-hand.
Grab a box right here: No boxes for this set ... see MLB boxes here

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Repack pulls, photo-matched mem cards, NFL QBs, NBA slabs with some heat and more in today's edition.

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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 ...

BIG BAT LEADING OFF ...
The Card: Fernando Tatis Jr. 2019 Topps Chrome Gold Refractors #203 (/50) -- RC parallel
The Reason Graded: Buzz found this rarity of a top RC in the absolute same box as the card that batted lead-off here last month -- and when that one graded really well I knew that this one would end up in a slab, too. Easily one of the best boxes I've seen for any non-premium product in years of collecting. I figured they needed to be slabbed together and matching grades would be cool, too.
The Grade: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: A matching pair is what we ended up with here -- and this also reinforces the fact that this was one of the best boxes I've ever seen. I was a little surprised to see only six copies of this card graded, but they're all at least a 9.5 with only one topping this mark. Meanwhile, 14 of them have been graded by PSA -- five 10s -- so perhaps some of Tatis' big-spending fans are also PSA fans, too. (Looking at you, Phil Hughes.)

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

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What: 2020 Topps Total baseball cards
Arrives: The first of nine 100-card waves os available now via Topps.com
Box basics: 10 cards per pack

What's buzz-worthy: Topps Total is back on the baseball field once again as an online-only release.

Keep reading for more info.

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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 3.

The box: 2020 Topps Series 1 baseball cards 
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com
First Buzz preview with checklist/SPs/more: Click here

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

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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 ...

BIG-TIME PULL
The Card: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 2019 Topps Chrome Orange Refractors #201 (/25) Rookie Card parallel
The Reason Graded: This one came out of one of the best Topps Chrome boxes I've ever seen -- in fact, it might have been one of the best non-high-end boxes I've ever seen for any brand -- and I knew instantly that the two big cards from it would end up slabbed. This one is up first and I actually had it graded awhile back but held it a little closer to baseball season -- and we're here. This guy could be set for a big season after a rookie campaign that was closely watched but perhaps not as lofty as was expected. With so few copies of this one made, I figured it was a no-brainer no matter how he fares this season.
The Grade: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: I was glad to see this grade, and it turns out that two of the three that were slabbed were graded on the same day -- I just missed out on "first-graded" status. The Series 2 short-print (which looks just like this) is probably going to be the long-term iconic card for Guerrero, but rare Chromes like this one figure to be very strong, too, even if in a lesser grade. Interestingly only four copies have been graded by PSA -- three 10s and one PSA 9.

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

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The newest Topps On Demand set of the year is here and it's one that carries with it a dramatic and nearly colorless look at Major League Baseball.

It's the 2020 Topps MLB Black & White and it includes a 75-card base set and more

Packs of this one are $60 and include a one-in-two chance at an autograph with 25 base cards and five parallels/inserts also inside when bought directly via Topps.com. The format is the same as it was for this one last year.

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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 Card: Kobe Bryant 1996-97 Upper Deck #58 Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: I actually bought this card more than a year ago and thought I had it waiting in my stash of cards to present here at some point but, after doing some searching, realized that I never took a photo of this iconic 1990s card and it had been waiting for its time to appear. Unfortunately, we know why this NBA legend has been on the minds of many sports fans out there this week so here we are. I picked up this Rookie Card back then since it was a decent grade for a decent price -- just $9 -- and I didn't ever pull one way back when. It doesn't have any obvious flaws on the front, so it looks much better than its grade, too. (Sub-grades on the back of this slab are all 9 or higher except for an 8.5 on corners and one corner shows why.) The shocking news of this week has created a frenzy of interest for Bryant's RCs and autographs -- and a card in this same grade (not an elite grade, really) sold for $200. Mine will remain in my stash.
The Grade: BGS 9

Reality Check: The pop report on this card is a lot stiffer than I had expected with this being the most-common grade and fewer than 600 checking in higher. I had expected there to be more but I suspect the pop reports on this card could change a lot in the coming months -- and it will be interesting to see if any ever reach BGS Black status. Bryant has a number of RCs -- more than 20 -- and this one is unique in that it doesn't show him in his Lakers uniform. The debate as to whether Bryant's cards will hold values in comparison to what people are paying right now is an interesting one over on the Blowout Forums where there are a number of discussions. I think this is a scenario that may defy common collecting logic -- I'd think that anything is possible in this case and there are a lot of buyers right now who will pick up cards and stash them away forever, leaving a smaller volume of stuff available for everyday collectors to grab on eBay and other market hot spots. Finding unopened boxes won't be an option for a lot of his Rookie Cards that people want to track down, either.

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

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What: 2020 President's Choice Solitaire sports cards
Arrives: Jan 15
Box basics: Three 1/1 cards per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: President's Choice returns with a high-end multi-sport release where it's nothing but one-of-a-kind cards showing legends from around the sports world -- a mix of autographs and memorabilia cards with multiple pieces and multiple subjects all in one spot.

Keep reading for more information.

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What: 2020 Panini Diamond Kings baseball cards
Arrives: April 29 June 10
Box basics: One autograph and one memorabilia card per 12-pack box (24 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Diamond Kings will take to the field once again with an insert in every pack and plenty of notable names from the past and present inside, too.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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What: 2018-19 Leaf Pearl sports cards
Arrives: January
Box basics: 11 premium cards including one cut auto per box (two boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What’s buzz-worthy: Leaf Pearl will take on a multi-sport approach in in the coming year with a range of athletes and sports stars from the past and present with autographs from O.J. Simpson, Lionel Messi and plenty more in the mix along with some legendary pieces of memorabilia, too.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: One Topps Mini pack with not one, not two, not three but four 1/1 parallels, the future for prospects and other big pulls in today's edition.

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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 Topps Update baseball cards
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby/jumbo)

Packs per box: 8 (seven standard, one commemorative patch pack)
Cards per pack: 14
Cards in this box: 99
Base set completion: 
88 of 300 (29 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Base cards of note – Mookie Betts, Cody Bellinger, Albert Pujols, Alex Bregman, Nolan Arenado, Justin Verlander

Rookie Cards (28) – Pete Alonso (3), Austin Riley, Will Smith, Cavan Biggio, Eloy Jimenez, Braden Bishop, Lane Thomas, Skye Bolt, Pedro Avila, Cole Irvin, J.D. Hammer, Austin Allen, Merrill Kelly, Adam Haseley, Nicky Lopez, Matt Festa, Kevin Cron, Taylor Clarke, Dylan Moore, Oscar Mercado, Elvis Luciano, Griffin Canning (2), Thomas Pannone, Kyle Dowdy, Richard Lovelady

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What: 2020 Leaf Lumber Kings baseball cards
Arrives: January
Box basics: Four premium hits per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Leaf takes to the diamond with a new release for the new year that's high-end and hits-driven with stars of the distant and recent past all in one place.

Keep reading for more and a full 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: 2019 Topps Gallery baseball cards (blaster box)
Checklist: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (when available)

Packs per box: 8 (seven standard and one Artist Proof pack)
Cards per pack: 4
Cards in this box: 32
Base set completion: 23 of 150 (15 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Shohei Ohtani, Willson Contreras, Rafael Devers, Miguel Andujar, Joey Votto

Rookie Cards (11) – Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Brendan Rodgers, Mitch Keller, Bryse Wilson, Rowdy Tellez, Elvis Luciano, Kevin Newman, Dennis Santana, David Fletcher, Bryan Reynolds, J.D. Hammer

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If you hadn't noticed, our first wave of Black Friday boxes with discounted prices have dropped right now right here as BlowoutCards.com is bringing a wave approach to today's sales.

There are four more waves of discounted boxes to come later in today's big sale ... so keep watching.

Here are five boxes/cases that caught this collector’s eye in this first wave.

2015 Bowman's Best MLB eight-box hobby case
Best returned after several years on the bench, bringing a new wave of prospects and rookies with a total of four autos per box via a mini-box format. While a number of prospect releases from this timeframe have blown up, this one is still more on the affordable side while also including some solid names among the parallel rainbow as well as on the autograph front. Among autographs possible here? Andrew Benintendi, Anthony Rizzo, Bryce Harper, Buster Posey, Blake Snell, Carlos Correa, Dansby Swanson, Francisco Lindor, Jose Altuve, Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber, Max Scherzer, Mike Trout, Rafael Devers, Trea Turner, Walker Buehler, David Ortiz, and more. It's a good mix of prospects and more with 32 autos per case and plenty of color and inserts, too.

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The latest Topps x card set arrived this week with the most-hyped rookie of the year at its start taking the cardboard field for this one.

The 2019 Topps x Vlad Jr. set is here with two versions -- a standard set for $24.99 and a Collector's Edition set that includes a guaranteed hit for $75. They are available via Topps.com for 20 days or while supplies last in the case of the CE version.

Keep reading for more on this one and a checklist -- and of course there are Vladimir Guerrero Jr. autos in there with plenty 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: 2019 Topps Chrome Update baseball cards (mega box)
Checklist: Click here
Where to buy: Click here

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What: 2020 Onyx Baseball Icons Collection
Arrives: Dec. 13
Box basics: One autographed baseball per box (three boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Only 100 sealed cases will be made for this one and there will be Hall of Famers and other baseball legends from the past and present all to be found here.

Keep reading for more info on this one, including the checklist.

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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 Topps 582 Montgomery Club Set No. 5
Where to buy: Only part of membership

Base set completion: 
20 of 20 (100 percent)

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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 Topps Allen & Ginter baseball cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Packs per box: 8
Cards per pack: 6
Cards in this box: 47
Base set completion: 
27 of 300 (9 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Hank Aaron, Shohei Ohtani, Travis Pastrana, Juan Marichal, Gleyber Torres, Bob Feller, Vladimir Guerrero, Brooks Robinson

Rookie Cards (1) – Patrick Wisdom

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What: 2019 Leaf Best of Baseball cards
Arrives: Nov. 29
Box basics: One buyback card or surprise redemption and one Best of Baseball per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Leaf's buyback brand returns to "celebrate everything amazing about baseball cards" with a mix of buybacks and new cardboard.

Keep reading for more info.

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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: 2018 Donruss Optic baseball cards (Target mega box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 12 (10 standard, 2 Shock)
Cards per pack: 4 per standard, 10 per shock
Cards per box: 60
Set completion: 
16 of 100 (16 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Ken Griffey Jr., Corey Seager, Buster Posey, Adrian Beltre, Kirby Puckett, Reggie Jackson, Justin Verlander

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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 Topps Allen & Ginter baseball cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Packs per box: 8
Cards per pack: 6
Cards in this box: 47
Base set completion: 
27 of 300 (9 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Roberto Clemente, Ichiro Suzuki, Cincinnati Red Stockings, Tony Gwynn, Carlton Fisk, Paul Molitor, Andrew Benintendi, Jim Hunter, Dan Rather, Hilary Knight, Sister Mary Jo Sobieck, Brian Fallon

Rookie Cards (3) – Ramon Laureano, Brad Keller, Sean Reid-Foley

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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 Bowman Platinum Topps National Baseball Card Day hanger box
Where to buy: Initially only at Walmart; Click here (when available)

Packs per box: 3 (two 12-card Platinum jumbo packs, one four-card Topps Gallery NBCD preview pack)
Cards per pack: 28
Cards in this box: 28
Base set completion: 
10 of 100 (10 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Base cards – Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi, Nolan Arenado, Chris Sale, Andrew McCutchen, Charlie Blackmon, Khris Davis, Eric Hosmer

Rookie Cards (3) – Pete Alonso (SP), Ryan Borucki, Austin Dean

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