For years now, autographed books coming direct from the publishers -- or direct from the authors themselves -- have been an affordable way to collect ink from notable names in all realms of pop culture.

It's not a perfect system with stamps, fakes and autopens sometimes in the mix -- a problem for publishers to catch as they are not authenticators -- but thanks to dedicated collectors on the Blowout Cards Forum and elsewhere, those problems often get caught and fixed ... or at least become well-known enough to avoid if it's an issue that goes uncorrected.

Getting ink in-person is always best -- book tours still happen, of course -- but landing autographed editions from publishers, online sellers or celebs themselves via their websites or other appearances are common. So, with that said, here's the first of what just might become a monthly department here on The Buzz for this new year

Our first subject and autograph to start this series? Basketball Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

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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: The National nears, normalcy returning to retail (maybe), The Bucks, Cleveland Guardians and ... Kris Bryant to the Phillies?

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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: Giannis Antetokounmpo gets his ring, the future of his cards, NBA breaks, a 1/1 auto in a Bowman Draft box and "if you had $1M to invest now."

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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: 2019-20 Panini Chronicles basketball cards (blaster)
First Buzz preview: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

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

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Have you seen the latest cool cards from a new release? With so many options for collectors of all kinds arriving every week it's possible you haven't. That's where Buzz comes in -- well at least on one brand you'll see here from time to time in what we're calling Buzz's Pick Six. Simply put, here are six cards from a new arrival that seemed interesting to this collector and we think they might interest you, too.

This week's six-pack: Iconic autographs to own ... I'll make my signer choices and show six examples from recent releases. (This is by no means a catch-all or top-of-them-all list ... just six on Buzz's mind.)

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PAST MEETS PRESENT 
The Card: Ronald Acuña Jr. & Hank Aaron 2019 Topps Tribute Tandem Autograph Booklets Red (/10)
The Price: $1,999.99 Buy-It-Now (or best offer)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: OK, maybe this is a Pick Seven this week, but this card is a perfect example of get it while you can when it comes to autographs. This card is super-rare and from a high-end brand and it includes autographs of one guy who you should have these days and one guy you need to have in your collection if you do baseball. Acuña is the autograph you should have as he's an emerging MVP-caliber talent -- a guy who came up just short of being the youngest member of the super-elite 40-40 Club at age 21 ... while mostly batting leadoff. The other is an MLB legend you need to own in some fashion, the former home run king who hit more home runs than anyone in history* (save for That One Guy*). This is the elite past meeting the elite future. Aaron is 85 and his handwriting has gotten rougher over time, while Acuña will have plenty of reasons to potentially not sign new autograph deals if he becomes more and more successful on the field. Aaron was the auto that came to mind first for me, but Acuña is perhaps the autograph to own for this season. Thankfully, I've pulled both of these guys' autos out of packs in the past, so I haven't had to chase them -- but they should both be in an MLB collection.

Keep reading for five more items in this week's roundup ...

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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 ...

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Have you seen the latest crazy items on eBay? If not, you just might see some of those here every week as we're launching a weekly version of our eBay Buzz pieces that pop up from time to time. We’ll spotlight some items that have a story or just wow us with how much interest it might have — and we’re not just talking baseball cards, either.

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HOW ABOUT THIS OHTANI?
The Item: 2018 Topps Inception Jumbo Patch Autograph Shohei Ohtani 1/1
The Price: $50,000 Buy-It-Now (or best offer)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Inception is a fun memorabilia-laced creation and this card is among the biggest in the product that arrived just yesterday. Ohtani appears on just 10 cards in the product -- three un-numbered versions and the rest rarer than 25 copies -- and this is one of two 1/1s in the release for this super-hot international star. Will that asking price be met? I doubt it, but it's a nice card.
Similar Pieces: Other 2018 Topps Inception singles on eBay
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for 2018 Topps Inception boxes

Keep reading for four more interesting items in this week's roundup ...

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"Giannis Antetokounmpo: The night the legend was born"

"This is just the beginning"

"'He really could be anything' -- Giannis Antetokounmpo is about to take over the NBA"

Those were just some of the headlines about, if you haven't figured it out, Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks forward who has lit up the NBA in the first week of a new season with 38.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. Breaking down the first week of the season, SI.com noted that "The Freak" is not like others on its list of 12 biggest surprises so far.

"Some of the trends on this list will soon disappear," reads Rob Mahoney's piece. "This is real — a fledgling MVP candidacy behind one of basketball’s transcendent talents."

Keep reading for the basics on this potential MVP's cardboard after his career-high 44-point game this weekend.

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