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

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GOING FOR THE GOLD
The Card: Shotzi Blackheart 2022 Panini Select WWE Gold Wave Prizm (/10)
The Price: Around the price of a blaster box at arrival
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This brand is my favorite of the Panini years for WWE, and in the case of this star who I collect I have seemed to found her rarities on the affordable side at times with this release. This is a perfect example of that with it being one of the rarest parallels in there but it cost me not much more than the price of a retail box. It was arguably underpriced, so I grabbed it quickly when I spotted it. Will I grade it? It's a possibility, though this release's centering issues can create some surprises (that aren't totally surprises) as I found out with a different parallel of this card. Poke around in Making The Grade last month for an example.
Grab a box right here: WWE cards are here.

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What: 2025 Historic Autographs World War II trading cards
Arrives: Oct. 15
Box basics: Two relics/inserts per 13-pack hobby box (24 boxes per case); one cut auto and one dirt relic per 115-card vending box
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Historic Autographs once again looks back at World War II with a release packed with cards that examine the "villains, heroes, battles and events that still shape our world today."

Keep reading for more information.

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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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FROM 61* TO CARDBOARD ... 
The Card: Roger Maris & Barry Pepper 2021 Leaf Ultimate Sports The Ultimate Duo (/12)
The Price: $25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This one flew under my radar for sure until I recently spotted it and had to grab it instantly. For those who don't know, actor Berry Pepper played Roger Maris in 61* -- trailer here -- a 2001 Billy Crystal movie made for HBO. It's easily among the best baseball movies out there for accuracy as Crystal is an obsessive Yankees fan who notes it all in behind-the-scenes segments you can see on the DVD. This one pairs a piece of what is likely a Maris bat with a piece of what looks like a leather jacket for Pepper -- not the most-ideal combo of items, but it is what it is. This is the only card pairing the two and it's the easiest version to find -- the rest of the parallels and printing plates have lower numbering here -- all /6 and below ... no wonder this one was off my radar for three years. I simply hadn't seen any of them.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one but Leaf baseball boxes are here

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What: 2024 Leaf Marilyn Monroe Icons Collection trading cards
Arrives: Nov. 22
Box basics: One hit and one pearl or diamond card per 17-card box (four boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: One of Hollywood's biggest icons of the past gets a new look on cardboard with a full array of autographs and memorabilia cards as well as a base set all in one spot.

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

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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 ...

LEGENDARY INK
The Card: Undertaker 2022 Panini Revolution WWE Sunburst Autographs (/99)
The Reason Graded: This cost me less than what two boxes would have when I bought it raw -- and then I submitted it to grade after seeing that some typical problem spots for cards from this brand weren't really issues. (In my view, the back corners and edges can be funky for both years.) Why grab this? Undertaker was not a regular signer for a long time and even when has signed cards in recent years he's been more limited since his signing fees are always high -- seemingly far higher than others -- based on public signing prices. I have his ink on a few items sold direct from WWE in the past, but I hadn't rally bothered with anything for cards and figured this could make for a nice slab -- even with sticker ink -- as the photo is as iconic as it gets for a legendary character in WWE history. This would be a perfect kind of auto card if it had an on-card sig ... and it's still not far off as it is with that photo. It's also a perhaps-overlooked brand in the Panini WWE portfolio.
The Grade: CGC 9

Reality Check: A nine I'm fine with -- so no worries here -- but anything less than that I would have been kind of mad at myself for trying it. Why? Generally, I don't like pricey surprises with grading, so I don't slab as much ink as I should as I own plenty of them raw. I need to do more slabs like this, but a miss on cheaper, oddball cards that are interesting aren't as risky in my book.

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

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What: 2022 Pieces of the Past Historical Jumbo Edition
Arrives: July 18
Box basics: Four hits per 12-back box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Pieces of the Past takes on a big approach with more than 100 subjects, plenty of hits and even hot boxes appearing one per case.

Keep reading for more info and a selection of images.

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What: 2022 Historic Autographs Prime
Arrives: July 27
Box basics: Three DNA Hair Cards or two DNA Hair Cards and one Prime autograph per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Historic Autographs dips into something unusual but long-collected in the past -- hair (yes, hair) -- for a new card release while also working in some notable autographs from the past.

Keep reading for more information.

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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 ...

A CAREER YEAR
The Card: Dansby Swanson 2017 Topps Heritage #76B action variation SP -- Rookie Card parallel
The Reason Bought: I'm a sucker for Heritage RCs and multi-player cards from the past, but I've never really chased the SPs that have been immensely popular since around this year where a few key names went solo from their card counterparts and have cards of their own -- both signed and unsigned. I had Swanson stashed on my fantasy league all season (mostly on the bench behind a favorite of mine you see here often) and saw the career year as it was happening. I had been eyeing this card for years now -- I own plenty of the regular ones as well as a couple of the Chrome types (I might slab those) -- and grabbed this awhile back. With the Braves' World Series showing, I figured I'd have him batting lead-off here ... and he won't be alone from the ATL here this month.
The Grade: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: I wasn't really worried about the pop report but I also didn't realize there were so few cards above this one. I will stash this one away with my Ozzie Albies and Ronald Acuña Jr. slabs I've picked up or slabbed on my own the last couple years like I suspect many have and will be doing. I probably need to slab some of their pitchers and you might see a Freddie Freeman Heritage card or two here in the future. (I lean toward the new guys more but have had some good Heritage pulls.)

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

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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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What: 2019 The Bar Pieces of The Past Series 1 trading cards
Arrives: Feb. 4
Box basics: Two 1/1 relics and three other relics per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Super Break once again takes a look at history with "more value per case than ever before" as it guarantees more one-of-a-kind cardboard creations in this line.

Keep reading for a gallery and more info.

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What: 2018 Leaf Pop Treasury memorabilia boxes
Arrives: December
Box basics: Three memorabilia pieces per box (three boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Leaf Trading Cards turns its attention to pop culture for its latest memorabilia product with just 66 cases of this one being made.

Keep reading for more.

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Today's highly anticipated release of the JFK files -- the previously classified documents regarding the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 -- are sure to be a holiday of sorts for conspiracy theorists and are sure to pique the curiosity of history buffs and presidential-minded people.

But the life of the 35th president has prompted plenty of cardboard appearances over the years, too, far beyond just the tragedy of that November day in Dallas, Texas.

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What: 2017 Historic Autographs Celebrity Quads trading cards
Arrives: Late July
Box basics: One quad autograph  per box (eight boxes per case)

What's buzz-worthy: Historic Autographs takes to Hollywood history with a release that will be limited to just 90 cases and feature some of the biggest names in entertainment history.

Keep reading for more information.

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Update (Nov. 18): The dress sold for $4.81 million.

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Is it entertainment memorabilia? Yes. Is it political memorabilia? Maybe.

It's Marilyn Monroe's "Happy Birthday Mr. President" dress, and it's up for auction via Julien’s Auctions.

On May 19, 1962, she sang to John F. Kennedy and forever etched herself into pop culture even more just three months before her untimely death.

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Marty McFly's Hoverboard. The Beatles' controversial butcher album cover. Superman's cape. Bettie Page's pumps. Steve McQueen's racing jacket. Wolverine's claws. The Death Star.

The latest Profiles in History Hollywood Auction begins on Wednesday with more than 1,700 lots of everything you'd expect to see -- and plenty more.

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