With these Ticket Stud or Ticket Dud stories I'm turning just a tiny bit of that energy just a few degrees away from cards (we'll still have plenty of them here) for a different kind of cardboard. What am I doing? Simple ... this is an occasional dip into some random ticket lots -- a show and tell showing something small with a story.

This time? A dominating day in college football action.

Keep reading to see the details this time ... and tell me if you think it's a Ticket Stud or a Ticket Dud.

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What: 2024 Fyre Signed Jersey Multi-Sport Edition
Arrives: Nov. 1
Box basics: One autographed replica jersey per box (16 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Fyre turns its attention to the autographed jersey realm with a blind-box release that includes top stars from around the Big Four sports all in one spot.

Keep reading for more information.

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What: 2024 Leaf Metal Blue Mountain State football cards
Arrives: Nov. 8
Box basics: One autographed card per five-card box (10 per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Blue Mountain State's rumored comeback will include football cards for the Mountain Goats with plenty of reel world stars in play as well as a few from real-world football, too, in a jam-packed collection celebrating the cult classic.

Keep reading for more.

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What: 2024 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Autographed Mini Helmets
Arrives: March 29
Box basics: One autographed mini helmet per box (eight boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: TRISTAR's Hidden Treasures line drops for a new year with a new assortment of NFL and college helmets in the mix and some of the biggest names in the history of the game among them.

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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: Design for 2024 Topps is revealed, Bill Belichick is out, Nick Saban retires, LeBron James is changing teams and more 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: 2023 Bowman University Alabama Football cards
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (when available)
First Buzz preview with checklist/odds: Click here

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery of 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 box: 2023 Bowman University Alabama Football cards
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (when available)
First Buzz preview with checklist/odds: Click here

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery of 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 box: 2023 Bowman University Alabama Football cards
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (when available)
First Buzz preview with checklist/odds: Click here

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery of 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 box: 2023 Bowman University Alabama Football cards
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com
First Buzz preview with checklist/odds: Click here

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

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What: 2023 Leaf History Book Sports Edition Chapter 1 sports cards
Arrives: December
Box basics: Two booklet cards per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

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

Keep reading for more info 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: 2023 Bowman University Alabama Football cards
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com
First Buzz preview with checklist/odds: Click here

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 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 ...

FROM THE BARGAIN BIN TO ...
The Card: Ken Griffey Jr. 1989 Topps Traded -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: I picked up this at the last minute -- literally at closing time -- at a past National Sports Collectors Convention after some digging through a bargain bin where cards were literally bouncing around inside cases in a plastic tub. For just $5 this card (as a raw copy) was mine after one thing jumped out at me -- its back with all that black ink was perfectly cut and its front was super-close to centered. It's not that I needed this card, really, as I picked up about three or four sets from the 1989 JCPenney Christmas catalog -- just $12.99 apiece -- back in the day, but I found the rough back edges to be an issue when revisiting all my copies with the the stars that survived past purges. This one made it into one of my bulk grading subs earlier this year as it was past time to grade one. Yes, it's got a very slight rough spot on the front left -- some extra fuzz as it's some light cardboard -- but everything else here (especially the back) was too clean to not send it in.
The Grade: CSG 10

Reality Check: That's definitely the kind of grade I was going for here, though a lot of them seem to check in at that mark -- about 17 percent of the current population -- which seems high for the era, but, at the same time, these were released as boxed sets and not in packs so they perhaps didn't get handled as much during packaging. Plus, inner cards in the boxes got protected pretty well. I'll take it. This one has always been one of my favorite RCs for this icon ... because I could afford this one and not the other big one that many love. I have them all now, of course (I think), but I'm pretty sure few or even none of my copies from back then would grade like this one did. Not bad for a $5 find and then $10 more to grade it.

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

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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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IT'S FOOTBALL SEASON ... 
The Item: Paul "Bear" Bryant cut autograph (BAS authenticated)
The Price: Less than a lot of new hobby boxes.
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This pricier (for me) pick-up actually came in the last week of last year but I decided to hold onto posting it here until it's the right time -- and since football season is upon us, well, that means now's the time. In the fall of 2019, I bought a starter auto of this legendary Alabama Crimson Tide coach who before Nick Saban was easily the greatest in school history (right now, it's perhaps a toss-up) -- that one was an inscribed nickname-only auto -- for a lot less as it was a cut from a paperback book. This one? It's signed on thick, red paper (almost a light cardboard stock) and I know exactly where it came from -- a 1975 copy of his autobiography, Bear: The Hard Life and Good Times of Alabama's Coach Bryant. I have a clean-but-ratty copy of that book somewhere in my stash from an antiques store find 20-some years ago, but when this popped up from a West Coast mega-dealer of vintage (and selected modern-player) autographed stuff and plenty more I bit. I actually prefer the cut auto feel here in its case vs. the full book as it can be viewed when you find it vs. tucked behind a cover. A lot of Bryant autographs are found these days -- 40 years after his death -- are on signed copies of this book or on a style of autographed photo or two that is nearly always found inscribed and dated to fans or boosters from back in the day. While a photo (preferably slabbed) would be nice, this is a better, simpler item. Authenticated photos can cost less but look iffier depending on condition. I like this one -- and it's card-like feel -- and, heck, I might even do more. They are out there and findable.
Grab a box right here: College football boxes

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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What: 2023 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Autographed Full-size Helmets Series 2
Arrives: Sept. 27
Box basics: One autographed full-size authentic helmet per box (three boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: This part of TRISTAR's Hidden Treasures brand of autographed memorabilia line arrives for a second time this year with a new batch of full-size signed authentic-model helmets that are inked by some of the game's greatest players of today as well as top newcomers.

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What: 2022 Leaf Exotic sports cards
Arrives: Nov. 30
Box basics: One autographed card per box (20 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Leaf gets a little wild with an ink-only product that it says has a beast of a checklist.

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

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What: 2022 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Game Day Greats Football Jerseys Season Edition
Arrives: Nov. 16
Box basics: One autographed football jersey per box (five boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: TRISTAR's Hidden Treasures line hits the field during the season with its familiar format and mix of pro and college stars.

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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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A FIRST FOR ME ...
The Card: Bo Bichette 2020 Topps Archives Snapshots Autographs
The Price: More than I like to admit ... but less than a lot of his autos out there
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This guy has almost become my default go-to player recently for MLB, but since he's popular, on a rising team and been on cardboard for some time I haven't really gotten in stuff on on the lower side of things. That's OK -- I don't need a third "personal collection" guy in my cardboard lifetime to do the chase-heavy approach. I'll just dabble. What is this? It's my first autograph for Bo Bichette in a small-but-growing stash that has plenty of typical raw pulls but also plenty of slabs (including a fun one of his brother) to go along with a game-used ball (a past post here) and then even a signed game-model bat for his dad somewhere in my stash. It'll be a while before I add a Bo Bichette game-used bat based on the price, but I could see it happening sometime down the line. (I dabble in a lot of directions.)
Grab a box right here: 2020 Topps Archives Snapshots

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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What: 2020 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Game Day Greats Football Jersey Edition
Arrives: April 1
Box basics: One autographed football jersey per box (five boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: TRISTAR's Hidden Treasures line tries on jerseys once again with Hall of Famers, new rookies and plenty of other notables all possible in this one just like previous editions.

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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: 2018 Panini Contenders Draft Picks football cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Packs per box: 7
Cards per pack: 6
Cards in this box: 42
Base set completion: 
34 of 100 (34 percent)
Duplicates: 1

Notables found on base cards – Tom Brady, Nick Saban, Joe Namath, Roger Staubach, Deshaun Watson, Andrew Luck, John Elway, Cam Newton, Jerry Rice, Terry Bradshaw, J.J. Watt, Antonio Brown, LaDainian Tomlinson, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Eric Dickerson, Michael Irvin, Brian Bosworth

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Have you seen the latest cool or interesting 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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THE POWER OF GRADING
The Item: 1980 Topps Rickey Henderson Rookie Card (PSA 10)
The Price: $17,300 after 33 bids with more than three days remaining
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is a card that's been slabbed by PSA more than 18,000 times but just 22 have gotten a PSA 10. Even PSA 9s are relatively rare compared to other grades (just 1,842 exist) while PSA 8s are the most-common grade with more than 8,500 cards in that grade. This is an iconic Rookie Card that has topped the $30,000 mark seven times since 2015, according to PSA, with a high of $38,400 via Heritage Auctions early last year. Many times cards like these get posted with hefty Buy-It-Now prices so it should be interesting to see where this piece of cardboard perfection ends.
Similar Pieces: Other 1980 Topps cards on eBay
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for MLB boxes

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

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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: 2018 Panini Contenders Draft Picks football cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Packs per box: 7
Cards per pack: 6
Cards in this box: 42
Base set completion: 
35 of 100 (35 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables found on base cards – Nick Saban, Joe Namath, Mack Brown, Antonio Brown, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Jerry Rice, Roger Staubach, Deshaun Watson, Brian Bosworth, Michael Irvin, Eric Dickerson, LaDainian Tomlinson, Aaron Rodgers, J.J. Watt, Andrew Luck

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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: 2018 Panini Contenders Draft Picks football cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Packs per box: 7
Cards per pack: 6
Cards in this box: 42
Base set completion: 
34 of 100 (34 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables found on base cards – Nick Saban, Joe Namath, Clay Helton, Deion Sanders, Russell Wilson, Antonio Brown, Jameis Winston, Adrian Peterson, Marcus Allen, Dak Prescott, Randy Moss, Leonard Fournette, Odell Beckham Jr., Earl Campbell, Tony Dorsett, Christian McCaffrey, Ezekiel Elliott, Tom Brady, Larry Fitzgerald, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, John Elway, Carson Wentz, Terry Bradshaw, Jerry Rice

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With a victory tonight, University of Alabama Head Football Coach Nick Saban would equal a giant not only in the history of college football but a giant in his school's history.

His Crimson Tide plays in Bryant-Denny Stadium on Paul W. Bryant Drive down the road from the Paul W. Bryant Museum and the Bryant Conference Center -- all reminders of Bear Bryant and his NCAA-record six national championships and 323 career victories. (Saban is at 285.)

Tonight's College Football Playoff National Championship is Saban's sixth title-game appearance in the last nine years and with a win he'll have his sixth season title for his career. Saban had his chance at tying Bryant last season when his undefeated team lost in the final seconds on the final play of the game against Clemson, which Alabama knocked off in a rematch this year to advance to tonight's game against the Georgia Bulldogs. Both of Alabama's postseason foes this year are coached by former Tide assistants, Dabo Swinney at Clemson and Kirby Smart at Georgia, but neither has autographs and football card appearances as easily found as the legend of today, Saban.

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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: 2012 Upper Deck University of Alabama Crimson Tide football cards (hobby box)
Where to buy: Check online.

Packs per box: 24
Cards per pack: 8
Cards in this box: 192
Base set completion: 
100 of 100 (100 percent)
Duplicates: 20

Notables on base cards – Nick Saban, Paul "Bear" Bryant, Julio Jones, Mark Ingram, Bart Starr, Joe Namath, Lee Roy Jordan, Ken Stabler, John Hannah, Ozzie Newsome, Cornelius Bennett, Derrick Thomas, Shaun Alexander

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What: 2016 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Football Mini Helmets
Arrives: March 15
Box basics: One autographed mini helmet per box.

What's buzz-worthy: After more than a year on the sidelines, TRISTAR's Hidden Treasures football brand returns to the field with some extra potential twists for collectors.

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