What: 2026 Leaf St. Patrick's Day sports cards
Arrives: March 6
Box basics: Three autographed cards per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: The Metal holiday release approach once again put the focus on a single day and this one offers up a look at all kinds of stars with some international appeal in there, too. This one also will have an overall print run at half of its previous-year counterpart, according to the company.

Keep reading for more details and a teaser gallery for this one.

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Many people collect autographs -- but not in the same ways -- and not all autographs are made alike. Some are mass-produced, some are in packs. Some are personalized, some are not. Some have all kinds of documentation and many, many more have none at all ... here's a look at a few that have entered my collection in recent months as part of what will now be an ongoing series here. 

CERTIFIED INK
The Item: John Cena autographed The Last Time Is Now retirement tour 11-by-14 -- created and only initially sold by WWE
What It Cost Me: $24 via an autograph mystery buy
What's It Worth: He signed a lot of similar prints last year, typically selling for $75-100 and up over on eBay
The Buzz: The year-long retirement tour of WWE's top active star meant plenty of city-specific merch at many of his stops and then other general stuff like this signed print that was sold at other events. This one isn't tied to any one city -- many are and with some having announced editions of 1,000 copies -- and this one didn't have a specific volume signed that I have seen anywhere but I was more than pleased when I landed this one in a mystery box recently at a sliver of its typical eBay pricing. These photos were not sold unsigned and were released by WWE, making this a certified auto via them. Some eBay sellers have gotten these third-party authenticated (and that brings safety in the eyes of some buyers willing to pay more) while this is just like most of those that were signed. Cena's autographs are in high demand -- and perhaps higher demand now with life away from the ring to amp up more with him perhaps signing less WWE stuff -- but he's also been a signing machine for a long time. Watch this video from years ago. I have had his auto a few times on cards and other items from back in the day, so the stuff like this would not have been on my radar or in my collection if it wasn't for a mystery buy. I'll take it.
Find Ink: WWE boxes at BlowoutCards.com

Keep reading for a look at more autographs of different types.

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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 packs: 2025 Leaf Metal Pop Century 1/1 Pre-Production Proofs (two)
Where to buy: Click here (these are box-toppers in Pop Century boxes)

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery for what was in this one.

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What's Buzzing: NFL thoughts, collector reactions, a question for player collectors and 2026 Topps chatter.

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1 -- NFL: Looking forward to Sunday

2 -- A question for player collectors

3 -- They have their thoughts

4 -- Even more NFL chatter

5 -- Drake Maye

6 -- Talking 2026 Topps

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Have you spotted a hot thread? Tell us about it in a comment or on Twitter.

Follow BlowoutBuzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz.

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 packs: 2025 Leaf Metal Pop Century 1/1 Pre-Production Proofs (two)
Where to buy: Click here (these are box-toppers in Pop Century boxes)

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery for what was in this one.

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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 pack: 2025 Leaf Metal Pop Century 1/1 Pre-Production Proofs 
Where to buy: Click here (these are box-toppers in Pop Century boxes)

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery for what was in this one.

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Here's this month's roundup of items that have recently caught my eye as a buyer ...

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BROADWAY JOE
The Item: Joe Namath autographed 16-by-20 Sports Illustrated "Broadway Joe" cover photo (BAS witnessed)
The Price: $249
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I don't normally include the actual price when I make a bigger buy, but in this case a sale price was too strong for a piece so nice ... so I am. Why? A typical price for an item like this is substantially higher than what I paid (around $400-600) and peak asking prices are sometimes even nuttier than the normal range. This was my big Black Friday buy and I landed it via Mill Creek Sports (this is their scan as I struggled to photograph mine thanks to size/glare on my top-loader) and one reason why I grabbed it (beyond the price) was that I liked this horizontal version of the photo and its autograph placement infinitely more than the vertical version. Atop that, it's also a piece where I had a chance to land one for just $150 long ago at The National but I didn't as I didn't have a way to safely get it home. This is the iconic photo that led to the nickname for the eventual Super Bowl winner and icon who helped change the game forever. He turns 83 this year, too, and I don't think demand will lessen over time.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but NFL cards are here.

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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What: 2026 Leaf Glory of the Game basketball cards
Arrives: Late-February
Box basics: Four "premium" hits per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Leaf focuses purely on basketball stars of the past and present in this one -- and even some from the reel world -- which includes a variety of sets and nothing but hits.

Keep reading for more details and a teaser gallery for this one.

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What: 2026 Leaf Metal Presidents' Day
Arrives: February 2026
Box basics: Three autographed cards and one The Presidents card per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: The Metal holiday release approach once again put the focus on a single day and this one offers up some political history, some patriotic salutes and plenty of star power from around the sports world -- and beyond -- all under one lid.

Keep reading for more details and a teaser gallery for this one.

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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 pack: 2025 Leaf Metal Pop Century 1/1 Pre-Production Proofs 
Where to buy: Click here (these are box-toppers in Pop Century boxes)

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery for what was in this one.

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What: 2026 Leaf Sports Heroes trading cards
Arrives: Jan. 28
Box basics: Three autographed cards per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Sports Heroes is back in the Leaf lineup for a new year with all autographed cards limited to no more than nine copies apiece -- and with several multi-signed cards in every case.

Keep reading for 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 pack: 2025 Leaf Metal Pop Century 1/1 Pre-Production Proofs 
Where to buy: Click here (these are box-toppers in Pop Century boxes)

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery for what was in this one.

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What: 2025 Leaf In The Game Used Sports cards
Arrives: Jan. 30, 2026
Box basics: Five "premium" hits per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Leaf's multi-sport premium brand once again takes on the entire sports world with a mix of notable possibilities from the legends of the past to recent superstars all in one spot.

Keep reading for more as well as a full gallery of images released so far.

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What: 2025 Leaf Optichrome baseball cards
Arrives: February 2026
Box basics: Six autos and two base cards per hobby box (12 boxes per case) or 12 autos and three base per jumbo (eight per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Leaf Optichrome hits the baseball diamond for the first time with "a full spectrum of baseball talent from the past, present and future."

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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What's Buzzing: Pete Alonso is heading to Baltimore, new pulls, NFL chatter and more in this midweek edition.

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1 -- Pete Alonso heads to Baltimore 

2 -- Even more MLB chatter is here

3 -- Awaiting NFL Week 15

4 -- WWE chatter leading up to a big weekend 

5 -- A look at a unique release

6 -- New MLB pulls

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Have you spotted a hot thread? Tell us about it in a comment or on Twitter.

Follow BlowoutBuzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz.

Here's this month's roundup of items that have recently caught my eye as a buyer ...

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TWO OF BLACKHEARTS
The Card: Shotzi Blackheart 2025 Panini Instant MLW Autographs Water parallel (/10)
The Price: $39.99 each via Panini
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This former WWE star is taking over a prominent spot in indy wrestling with appearances downright everywhere these days but with only a handful of card appearances to show for it (at least for now). Panini's newer foray into cardboard for Major League Wrestling has so far spawned a trio of base cards with parallels and some with autographed versions. I've been lucky enough to be plugged in and online to land ink for a couple of those drop days and in this case landed a pair of these autos where only eight others exist. Generally speaking, I'm not that big of a fan of the elemental parallels used in Instant these days, but they are an upgrade over the previous year's parallels that merely colored in one of the stripes in a design similar to this instead of the border as it is here. Either way, this one I'm a fan of as she's arguably my top collecting target these days as WWE stuff has gotten too pricey to comfortably dabble/rip boxes and have fun with the typical returns. In this case, the only angst is battling bots -- cards like these vanish in seconds and end up on eBay with prices three (or more) times higher. At least when I plunk down the money for these I know what I'm getting. (For those curious, the auto stickers here are older when she was signing in higher volumes for WWE releases -- her auto is back to an every-letter sig now.)
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but wrestling cards are here.

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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What: 2025 Leaf Paydirt football cards
Arrives: January 2026
Box basics: Four autographs per 15-card hobby box (15 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Leaf offers up a new line for football fans with a mix of past and present stars in what it calls an "extremely affordable product."

Keep reading for more info and a full gallery.

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What: 2025 Leaf Red Carpet Collection
Arrives: January 2026
Box basics: 15 signed cards and three cut autos or autographed memorabilia redemptions per box
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Leaf takes its Hollywood releases ultra high-end "invitation-only release" with a limited-run, big-box approach that meshes autographed cards in some volume along with memorabilia all in one spot.

Keep reading for more details and a teaser gallery for this one.

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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 packs: 2024 Leaf Metal Collective Football 1/1 Pre-Production Proofs (three)
Where to buy: Click here

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery for what was in this one.

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What: 2025 Leaf Metal Authentics Vol. 2 autograph cards
Arrives: December
Box basics: One on-card autograph per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: This Metal line is back for a second time this year with nothing but autographs and colorful, rarer parallels in play with a mix of sports and non-sports all in one -- and with multi-signed cards and inscriptions also mixed in.

Keep reading for more details and a teaser gallery for this one.

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 packs: 2024 Leaf Metal Collective Football 1/1 Pre-Production Proofs (two)
Where to buy: Click here

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery for what was in this one.

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What: 2025 Leaf Electrum Multi-sport trading cards
Arrives: Jan. 30, 2026
Box basics: Three auto cards per hobby box (10 per case) or five autos and one 1/1 Vibrance or Flash auto per super mega box (eight per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: One of Leaf's newer lines gets a sophomore release with a new packaging option in play and with stars from the field and beyond both found inside -- sometimes on the same card.

Keep reading for more info and a full gallery.

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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 pack: 2025 Leaf Metal Pop Century 1/1 Pre-Production Proofs 
Where to buy: Click here (these are box-toppers in Pop Century boxes)

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery for what was in this one.

Continue reading →

Here's this month's roundup of items that have recently caught my eye as a buyer ...

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BOOK IT, BARRYMORE!
The Card: Drew Barrymore 2024 Leaf History Book Pop Culture Edition Chapter 1 A-List Magazine Purple Autographs (/10)
The Price: A lot less than some others have paid for her booklets
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I'm not a big fan of how her abbreviated autograph looks on a sticker -- but since she has a long name I understand why she signs that way -- but I do casually collect some of her stuff, mostly 1990s-on (like in this photo), when it presents itself. Why? Just for something different ... so that's why we're here. Until Leaf's recent signing sessions with her, she's never had a certified autograph despite a lifetime on film and on cardboard since the early 1980s starting with Topps' E.T. set. Rather than obsess about her ink, I waited out a good price on this booklet and crossed it off the list. It's an unusual design -- not the typical kind of book -- but prices on her signed stuff have been steep with a lot of them being lower-volume cards. Many of her autos -- even solo ones -- can sell for $100 and up and combo booklets can be even steeper. I found this for less than that ... so it was a win for me.
Grab a box right here: Non-sports cards are here.

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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Like many collectors, Buzz is a fan of grading ... so here's this month's grading diary.

MY LONE AUTO ...
The Card: Aaron Judge 2015 Bowman Inception Prospect Autographs Gold (/50)
The Reason Graded: Back when I could open a lot of boxes, I'd actually also do some group breaks as well -- as long as they were sure things where an affordable spot would guarantee a hit or had a volume of actual hits inside (auto or mem cards) the case that was high enough to make the odds close to that. This is my lone Aaron Judge auto left from back in those days. I landed it in a spot somewhere around just $60 -- and I actually got two other Yankees autos in the break to make my cost for this particular card even lower. I only ever pulled one other Judge auto and I think I let it go in a trade long, long ago so this last one standing for me was always a candidate for grading -- and it finally made the cut with his monster year.
The Grade: CGC 8.5 (10 auto)

Reality Check: The thick stock here made this one feel like a safe pick and it is -- the front is perfect -- but the back corners also count and some light fuzzing there is likely what dropped this one down. Otherwise, it definitely presents as a crisp card and a perfect card on the front. I was aiming for a nine, so this mark was a slight bummer -- but it's still a big card. Mine is the only Gold graded by CGC and among the 12 graded in all colors nothing checks in higher than a nine.

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

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