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: 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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This new department will be an occasional series that will take a quick look at a game or gaming release with card elements -- essentially a breakdown of what's in a box, but not the typical kind of a Buzz Break. (Buzz isn't a gamer so this will just be what's in a box vs. gameplay analysis.) Maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

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The Game: 2022 Historic Autographs Trivia Game World Series Signature Edition
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (when available) -- or for traditional MLB cards

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery from 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: 1996 Topps Series 2 baseball cards -- magazine (retail) pack
Where to buy: Will take some looking ... BlowoutCards.com for other Retro Rips

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

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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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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: 1989 Bowman baseball cards (two)
Where to buy: Will take some looking ... BlowoutCards.com for other Retro Rips

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

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Sometimes, you just have to know where to look.

A long-time Detroit-area collector's treasures -- a mix of in-person autographs and pick-ups from the 1980s and early 1990s that were part of a private "sports museum" -- are all up for grabs right now in the Block Auction House "Autographed Sports Memorabilia Auction: Icons of Baseball, Football, Basketball & More."

The selection of 450 lots from the Ferndale, Mich.-based company is live for the next six days. It includes a number of autographs from the Score Board days and many other signing sessions in the years before Upper Deck Authenticated and other companies arrived with stickered/databased sigs. Some top items do have BAS Signature Review and some have UDA stickering, though the collection as a whole might make for some bargain shopping/flipping if buyers later get pieces full third-party authentication. (A number of these lots are simply Score Board pieces where the certificate is no longer a companion to the item.)

Keep reading for a gallery of a few pieces that are live now.

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What: 2025 Leaf Spectacular baseball cards
Arrives: Nov. 28
Box basics: Five "premium hits" and one base card per box (three boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: A new line in the Leaf Trading Cards lineup promises to pack out some of the biggest names in baseball history with legendary booklets, plenty of ink and a lot of memorabilia showcasing past and present stars.

Keep reading for more.

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

TOP-GRADE VARIATION
The Card: C.J. Stroud 2021-22 Bowman University Chrome Prospects -- image variation
The Reason Graded: If you poke around in the archives for the Buzz Breaks of this release, you'll likely find a break where I missed this one and just simply called it a Refractor despite it being an image variation (all are Refractors on these). It should have been obvious based on the practice photo vs. game action, but I only spotted it well after the fact -- months, if not years, later -- when going through my old boxes. When I stopped to look, this card looked absolutely flawless and since it's somewhat rarer than the others it's also still a bit pricier for a standard card. (It's no monster but it's definitely better than a few types of Refractors.) Since it was so clean and the NFL season is upon us, I put this one into a bulk submission.
The Grade: CGC 10 (Pristine)

Reality Check: This card checked in at exactly where I thought it would. Fun find and a win -- and it wasn't even tucked away in a box penny sleeved. The divide between mine and the other copies graded is also an interesting one -- perhaps there's a common flaw on copies due to position on the sheet or from machinery? No idea ...

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

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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: 2006 Topps Update baseball cards (two hobby)
Where to buy: Will take some looking ... BlowoutCards.com for other Retro Rips

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

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Update: The card sold for $12,932,000 -- an all-time record for any sports card -- at 1:45 a.m. Sunday morning.

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It's already topped the $7-million mark with time to go before the auction ends tomorrow night, but there's no telling the heights this card might reach.

There's a realistic chance that the Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Dual Logoman Autographs card will become the priciest sports card of all time -- not just priciest basketball card ever -- when the dust settles at ends Heritage Auctions on Saturday and it's really only got two rivals.

Right now, with its buyer's premium attached, this card sits at $7,015,000 after 46 bids (click to view) and that already gives it the title of the biggest basketball card of all time. The previous NBA high was for a similar modern card, a 2009-10 Panini National Treasures Steph Curry Logoman auto, that sold privately for $5.9 million to an investment fund July 2021.

And there aren't too many past auctions that top that.

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What's Buzzing: Bubba Chandler arrives, eTopps' finale isn't going well, fake cards, learning the ropes and more.

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1 -- eTopps' finale is not going well 

2 -- Learning the MLB Authentication ropes ...

3 -- Bubba Chandler arrives 

4 -- A money statement

5 -- Buyer beware ... an eBay account full of counterfeit cards

6 -- Checking in on the Roman Anthony thread

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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 box: 2025 Topps Heritage baseball cards (blaster)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com
First Buzz preview, odds & checklist: Click here

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

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What: 2025 Topps Tier One baseball cards
Arrives: Sept. 17
Box basics: Two autos and one Relic per four-card box (12 boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here
Odds: Click here
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: A new year of Tier One arrives soon with "no fluff, just hits" -- and with one base card in there each time, too, as it delivers "serious weight" as part of what Topps says is "a high-end dive into the heart of the hobby."

Keep reading for more as well as a gallery of images.

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What: 2025 Super Break Supercharged Series 2
Arrives: Oct. 15
Box basics: At least three items per box (three boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Super Break offers up a second helping of its new memorabilia blind-box product this year with a mix of some of the biggest names in the game from the sports realm and even more from pop culture possible among the finds.

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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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PARALLEL POWER?
The Card: National League Wins Leaders (Spencer Strider, Zac Gallen, Justin Steele) 2024 Topps True Photo variant & Gold Foil parallel
The Price: About $11 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The concept of this one is simple and it's striking -- knock off the border of a base card completely, using just its photo -- and I think it works. But there's also one thing here that's striking -- and not in the best way. These are arguably too rare to make that big of an impact with me and I think perhaps other collectors who might not bother to grab their players or even think about a team set or full set. How rare? They are one in 677 hobby packs and I'm confident they'd be more popular if people could reasonably collect a team run or set. Why? Because they're something dramatically different and you can compare the regular card and this version side by side. I also grabbed a Gold Foil parallel for this one this time after I bit on the variant ... just to say I had one. Even paying $10 for this was a stretch for me ... and those odds and that price might say that these aren't as popular as they could/should be. These are one in basically every third hobby case.
Grab a box right here: MLB cards are here.

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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Auction Buzz is a monthly look at some of the variety found out there on the auction block ... check 'em out.

It's going to be a busy second half of the year for Dallas-based Heritage Auctions with a number of regularly scheduled events as well as some showcase auctions with high-profile stuff all on the calendar. This time, we look at a few things from a few active sales this month.

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AS BIG AS IT GETS
The Item: Michael Jordan & Kobe Bryant 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Dual Logoman Autographs (1/1) -- PSA 6
The Price: $4,150,000 after 32 bids (ends Aug. 23)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This one has plenty of time remaining but as you can tell it's already one of the biggest monsters to ever hit the auction block -- and that's with the grade that, well, would be a bummer on any other card from the modern era. But, with game-used NBA logos from two of the game's all-time greats and their ink? Well, it's all about the card, not that dinged corner. "Do you hear that rumbling? It's the sound of the standing world record price for a basketball card getting ready to fall," Heritage said in its listing. "For five years, the 2009-10 National Treasures Steph Curry logoman autograph card has enjoyed the view from the top of the heap, the $5.9 million private sale to an investment fund in July 2021 demonstrating the virtually unlimited elasticity of the market's upper edge. ... We're proud and privileged here at Heritage for the opportunity to take the title back for the auction world," Heritage continued, "providing the manner of competition and high drama that private transactions lack, and which serves as a far more fitting tribute to the iconic subjects this remarkable trading card celebrates." ... This one is estimated by Heritage to top the $6-million mark when it's sold.

Keep reading for more interesting pieces up for grabs right now.

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What: 2025 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Grand Slam baseball memorabilia
Arrives: Oct. 1
Box basics: One autographed baseball jersey, one autographed baseball, one autographed bat and one encapsulated autographed item per case
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: TRISTAR's autographed baseball chase lineup goes high-end with this one that guarantees a variety of items and plenty of possibilities from the past and present.

What's the biggest of them all this year? Keep reading for details on those and a gallery of what's in this one.

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What: 2025 Leaf History Book Sports Edition Chapter 2 sports cards
Arrives: Sept. 29
Box basics: Two "premium" booklet cards per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Leaf offers up a second chapter for one of its newest high-end multi-sport brands -- a mix of multi-player autograph and memorabilia groupings from around the sports world all in one spot -- and it's once again nothing but booklet cards.

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

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Minor league baseball cards from the past can include some weird stuff ... sometimes stuff you wouldn't imagine to be found on a baseball card. Here are some some new fun cards and oddities in this latest edition of MiLB Madness. 

IT'S NOT A '52, BUT ...
The Item: Ryan Mantle 2008 Grandstand Salem-Keizer Volcanoes Update
The Buzz On This: The last line of this card's "Ballpark Banter" gives away the show here -- he's the third cousin of Mickey Mantle -- and there have been a few Mantles to appear on cards beyond The Mick over the years. This one played two seasons of minor-league ball for three teams in that stretch and then 10 final games during his third season -- that one in the Frontier League. The final MiLB stats? Three homers and 38 RBI in 81 games while batting .269. Per Baseball Reference, he's among six relatives of the Hall of Famer to play pro baseball.

Keep reading for more examples of some weird or fun baseball cards you can find in MiLB.

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What: 2025 Onyx Preferred Players Baseball Collection autographed baseballs
Arrives: June 13
Box basics: One signed baseball per box (three boxes per case; 12 boxes per master case)
Final player checklist: TBD
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: This MLBPA-approved product hits the diamond once again with some big surprises in store and a roster of young names who are in demand as well as legends of the game.

Keep reading for more info and a checklist.

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What: 2025 Leaf Bronx Legacy baseball cards
Arrives: Sept. 2025
Box basics: Four "premium hits" per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Leaf's brand documenting New York's premier baseball franchise arrives for a third time with the biggest legends in the history of the game and so much more to be found.

Keep reading for more info and a full montage of cards released so far.

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What: 2025 Historic Autographs Big League Photos 2
Arrives: June 11
Box basics: 12 autographed 8-by-10 photos per box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Historic Autographs turns back the clock to a rookie release from five years ago and revisits the brand that focuses all its attention on signed baseball photos with nothing but ink in every box.

Keep reading for more information.

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What: 2025 Leaf Pearl Multi-sport cards
Arrives: August
Box basics: 11 premium cards per box (two boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Leaf's high-end celebration of sport in seemingly every direction arrives for a new edition with some monster 16-auto booklets, a rare cut auto in every box and some of the biggest names in all the games found together right here.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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What: 2025 Leaf Lumber baseball cards
Arrives: August
Box basics: Four premium hits (at least one autograph) per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Leaf's bats-focused brand arrives with some of the biggest and most-outrageous booklet cards in baseball card history with members of the 3,000 Hit Club, 500 Home Run Club and more inside some of them -- and not just their bat pieces, either.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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