Fast Five is a quick list under a simple topic that might offer a basic starting point for a themed collection. It's a basic list of items that could be fun for a starting collector or a new way to add to a stash that might already seemingly include everything when it comes to cardboard. For some of you, it's probably common sense. For others of you out there, it's perhaps something to ponder.

This time? Five autographs I'd be chasing right now ...

LEGENDARY INK
Basketball Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar -- click here to see his autos on eBay
This NBA legend is on my daily saved eBay search because, well, I've taken too long to find one of his autos and they have really, really taken off. Why I hadn't landed one yet is because I'm just too picky -- I want an on-card auto with a clean sig and a relatively good photo for the former Lakers and Bucks star who has six championship rings, 19 All-Star nods, six MVP awards and still ranks first in career scoring, third in blocks and fourth in rebounds despite having retired more than 30 years ago. (What makes his 38,387 points even more remarkable? Zero three-pointers for his career.) He also was part of the legendary UCLA program with John Wooden -- he won NCAA titles all three years he was eligible and the Bruins lost just two games in his three seasons as a player -- and he is seemingly always a wise voice on social issues today (and that's not a new development). Another plus. His autographs have really taken off in price in recent years when I could have found a quality one for around just $100 not that long ago. He's been a steady lower-volume signer for years with more than 1,200 different options out there for fans ... and there are many apparently seeking them out. He can be found in many NBA releases in recent years with his highest volume of autos in high-end brands like Flawless, National Treasures and Eminence.

Keep reading for four more making up the list this time.

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What: 2021 Leaf Valiant football cards
Arrives: June
Box basics: Three autos and one graded auto card per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Leaf Valiant arrives with nothing but autographs of aspiring 2021 NFL Draft picks all in one spot in a colorful release with plenty to chase.

Keep reading for more and a montage of teaser images.

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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: Planning for the upcoming year of cardboard, big pulls from new boxes, old boxes and more in today's edition.

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What: 2021 Leaf Flash football cards
Arrives: May
Box basics: Five autographs per box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: The fourth edition of Leaf Flash football arrives soon with the familiar volume of autographs but a new crop of signers, including the Heisman Trophy winner as well as the likely No. 1 overall pick all signing on here.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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What: 2020 Leaf Trinity baseball cards
Arrives: May 28
Box basics: Six autographed cards per box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Trinity hits the field once again with a 2020 release packed with young stars and promising prospects all in play ... and it's nothing but hits.

Keep reading for more info.

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Update (March 1): The first card sold 57,111 copies and 1,000 of the cards in that total will be reversed-negative variations. They will be randomly placed into orders, according to Leaf.

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Pro Set football cards are back in the collecting landscape for the first time in nearly 30 years -- but you can't yet open packs to get them.

They're back as print-to-order program from Leaf Trading Cards that kicks off today with likely No. 1 draft pick Trevor Lawrence as the first card in the 2021 Pro Set series.

Keep reading for more details and updates on new cards in the release.

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What: 2021 Leaf Ultimate Sports
Arrives: May
Box basics: Three hits per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: This one arrives with "one of the strongest and most-comprehensive signature checklists in hobby history" as part of a high-end product that hits nearly all -- if not all -- areas of the sports world.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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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 ... and this time around I play catch-up on some old names and school ties guys along with some new grabs.

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THE DEMOLISHER 
The Card: Rhea Ripley 2020 Topps Chrome WWE Gold Refractor Autograph (/50)
The Price: About the price of a box
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This young WWE star from Australia is a strong seller in last year's releases and this is one auto I had to grab as Gold Chrome is a favorite color of mine -- at least in combination of appeal and price. They are rarer but not too rare to be way too expensive and this one was a bit underpriced compared to other copies. I sprung a bit more than I might have for this one -- but that's what happens when there's just not as much wax out there for me to buy. The cool part was that I landed a sweet surprise bonus with this one ... I'll show it off next time. Ripley appears to have arrived on the main roster during the last WWE pay-per-view and lasted about halfway through the Royal Rumble match ... finishing second. That indicates she should be primed for an interesting debut run and she has a persona that makes her feel like a six-foot-tall demolisher, though her look was still evolving at the time this card was made. Unlike some young stars, she actually has a number of autographed cards in 2020 releases and I'm pretty close to having locked down at least one from each of them ... and that's pretty strong for me as I just don't have the budget or patience to chase full rainbows. In other words, I'm sold.
Grab a box right here: 2020 Topps Chrome WWE wrestling cards

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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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 7.

The box: 2017 Leaf Perfect Game National Showcase baseball cards
The cost: Here when available ... see all Perfect Game boxes here

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

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What: 2021 Leaf Ultimate Draft Football cards
Arrives: Feb. 28
Box basics: Five autographs per box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Leaf's 2021 football lineup kicks off with this all-autograph release that's got a bigger case size and that means more shots at the guys you will see on draft day.

Keep reading for more info and a gallery of images.

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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 box: 2012 Leaf Metal Poker trading cards
Where to buy: Click here for poker cards (if/when available)

Keep reading to see a full breakdown and gallery of what was in this one.

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What: 2021 Leaf Metal Draft football cards
Arrives: March
Box basics: Five autos per hobby box (15 boxes per case) or nine autos and one slabbed 1/1 auto proof per jumbo box (eight per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Leaf Metal Draft returns to the gridiron with two box options once again and with some of the biggest names in this year's NFL Draft already signed up and ready to go in this all-autograph release.

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: 2017 Leaf Perfect Game National Showcase baseball cards
Where to buy: Here when available ... see all Perfect Game boxes here

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

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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: Collectors react to the Hank Aaron news, show off his cards and more in today's edition.

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What: 2021 Leaf Draft football cards
Arrives: March
Box basics: Three autographs per premium hobby blaster (20 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Leaf takes to the gridiron with a new crop of NFL Draft hopefuls on both base cards and autographs in this one.

Keep reading for more 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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TAKE A SEAT ...
The Card: Babe Ruth 2017 Leaf Babe Ruth Immortal Collection Yankee Stadium Seat Red Spectrum (/20)
The Price: About $14
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Yes, I know this is not a bat card -- that's a piece of a Yankee Stadium seat embedded into it -- but I picked this one up since it's on the rarer side of things and also on the affordable side. Beyond that, this also showcases one of a few Ruth photos that always get me to stop and look at a card when I come across it. It's as simple as that, though I do also like oddball memorabilia cards. Chasing Ruth bats will cost more, though Leaf's estate-authorized sets have made them a little more affordable in recent years thanks to a good number of low-volume cards made among a few products.
Grab a box right here: Other Babe Ruth releases

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: Big pulls, football chatter and COVID cardboard lead the way 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: 2020 Leaf Draft Baseball (retail blaster)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

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

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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 more Buzz Buys this month ... a super-sized mostly low-budget edition of items I've picked up throughout the year but hadn't found a place for just yet.

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A PIECE OF THE GREATEST
The Card: Muhammad Ali 2011 Leaf Metal Ali Materials Event-worn Blue Prismatic (/25)
The Price: $24.25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: There's one truly iconic globally-known athlete out there who has a relatively limited number of low-volume memorabilia cards -- and despite that they are still relatively affordable in many instances. It's Muhammad Ali and Leaf released a handful of Ali products about a decade ago and there were training-worn, event-worn and fight-worn memorabilia cards made with each of them noting the scenario behind the swatch. Cheaper cards are around this price and even sometimes lower -- all seemingly too low for an athlete who was perhaps more influential away from his workplace while being a legend within. His full memorabilia items can't be anywhere as easily found as legends from baseball, football or basketball and I'd expect that when they do hit the auction block they are getting pricier and pricier through the years. That should make, along with licensing costs, future releases financially unlikely to include such types of cards unless his estate or family somehow (not likely) has a bunch of memorabilia held in reserve. I've picked off a few cards like this in recent months and will always check them to see if they drop to certain prices. They should be an easy buy if you ask me and a card like this one, in my mind, should be at least double this price considering his place as an all-time great.
Grab a box right here: No boxes of this ... but boxing boxes will be here when available.

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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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: 2016 Leaf Metal U.S. Army All-American Bowl football cards (hobby box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (if available ... all years here)

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

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What: 2020 Leaf Valiant baseball cards
Arrives: February/March 2021
Box basics: Five autographs -- four standard, one graded -- per box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Leaf Valiant's draft picks and prospects release arrives with "the best selection of elite 2020 Baseball Draft Picks plus an awesome selection of top prospects in the game."

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: 2020 Leaf Metal Pop Century 1/1 Pre-Production Proofs
Where to buy: Click here

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

Continue reading →

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: Big pulls, breaking down cases and an eternal base card question in this holiday edition.

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What: 2021 Leaf Slab-Mania sports cards
Arrives: Jan. 29
Box basics: Seven slabbed cards per box
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: A new buyback brand focuses solely on graded cards with multiple cards per box and some legendary names among the possibilities.

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: 2020 Leaf Metal Pop Century 1/1 Pre-Production Proofs
Where to buy: Click here

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

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