Panini America
USA Baseball & Panini America extend card-licensing deal
USA Baseball is still on Panini America's team.
Both parties revealed on Thursday that a third extension of their licensing deal that launched in 2012 has been signed, giving Panini the exclusive rights to create baseball cards for its stable of teams. That includes the Collegiate, 18U, 15U and 12U National Teams as well as its National Team Development Programs. It will also usher in the first cards for the USA Baseball Women’s National Team.
“For 14 years, Panini America and USA Baseball have collaborated to provide unparalleled early access to cards of the game’s next generation of stars,” said USA Baseball COO David Perkins in a prepared statement. “With today’s announcement, we are pleased to continue our partnership, and now also capture and deliver USA Baseball’s national team players, gold medals and other defining moments for the organization to Panini Instant.”
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on Blowout Forums (June 12)
What's Buzzing: NBA Finals action, 2025 Topps Series 2, Frank Gore Jr.'s ink, The National and more.
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1 -- NBA Finals chatter
2 -- A lot of patience
3 -- New & on their minds: 2025 Topps Series 2
4 -- So, about Frank Gore Jr.'s autos ...
5 -- Highlights from a Series 2 rip
6 -- The National section is open--
Have you spotted a hot thread? Tell us about it in a comment or on Twitter.
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First Buzz: 2025 Score football cards (updated)
What: 2025 Score football cards
Arrives: July 3, 2025
Box basics: Four autographs per 10-pack box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click hereWhat's buzz-worthy: Score once again kicks off Panini's 2025 NFL lineup soon with new rookies, plenty of stars, all those familiar inserts and more for football collectors.
Keep reading for more info and a gallery of images released so far.
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on Blowout Forums (June 11)
What's Buzzing: 2025 Topps Series 2 is here, new MLB pulls, Hidden Gems, Frank Gore Jr.'s ink, NBA Finals and The National.
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1 -- New today: 2025 Topps Series 2 is here
2 -- MLB pulls are here
3 -- Hidden Gems no more
4 -- So, about Frank Gore Jr.'s Topps autos ...
5 -- NBA Finals chatter ... and even more NBA
6 -- The National section is open--
Have you spotted a hot thread? Tell us about it in a comment or on Twitter.
Follow BlowoutBuzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz.
Sometimes your moves as a collector may not make sense ... and they really don't need to if, you know, you're a collector
For years now, I've said that every card has a story ... but, every once in a while, a celebrity's meandering tale has chapters you might not even know about and, in a few really rare instances, there might even be some cardboard to go with it.
That's the case for me with this card this time -- I'm a grizzled veteran collector who's seen plenty, forgotten even more and collected all kinds of directions as players come and go in the traditional sports realm. TV shows and movies come and go on other cardboard, too, and times just sometimes change for collectibles ... just like my sometimes-meandering tastes. But this one? It was something that's right in my wheelhouse as a Shotzi Blackheart collector and it's totally new to me so here we are. She's a pro wrestler and a unique, self-made character if you don't know -- find her in WWE boxes here.
Not that long ago, I spotted a set that had me doing a spit-take, then a double-take -- and all of that was followed up by picking up my jaw off the floor, a click to buy and then hoping that the stuff would actually arrive. In short, it was something I'd never, ever seen before -- or even seen in a photo anywhere at any time. It's a card set for Creepy KOFY Movie Time, a watch-along late-night TV series that ran several years on KOFY Channel 20 in San Francisco that celebrated the retro horror movie genre with a surf music-serving house band called The Deadlies, as well as regular characters for bits, guests for other segments and then a regular go-go dancer ensemble on stage at all times called the Cave Girls, which marked Blackheart's TV debut. The series came to an end just as her indy wrestling career was taking off and eventually took her around the world with WWE.
The card set is from 2013 -- the year before Blackheart's pro wrestling debut in the indies with Oakland-based edgy and irreverent promotion Hoodslam where she was aligned with the Stoner Brothers (a parody of a famous team) under a Missy Hyatt-inspired moniker for a debut match on ... April 20. (Get it?) This name, though, which she has used otherwise for the rest of her wrestling career and to this day post-WWE, originated before that -- "Shotzi" comes from a nickname based off a character in a musical called Starmites (and her role in a high-school production) and "Blackheart" was an ode to Joan Jett and her band, The Blackhearts.
That's here captured in this set with some eccentric characters that you'd expect to find with the genre. It was a show broadcast from a "cave" under the TV studio with a demon (Balrok) and a zombie (No Name) as its hosts. This card set came two years before her attempt at WWE fame as part of its Tough Enough reality show -- she made it but then didn't when they found she had a health issue -- and then seven years before her eventual arrival on WWE cards (2020) as an NXT star. In between was a busy indy wrestling run where "The Ballsy Badass" left her red hair behind in favor of her trademark neon green and crafted her horned-helmet, tank-driving ways that she rode right into WWE unchanged.
Now, what's my convoluted headline and that Tom Cruise cameo all about?
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on Blowout Forums (June 10)
What's Buzzing: Denzel Clarke, Jac Caglianone, NBA Finals, Frank Gore Jr.'s autograph, The National and an impressive Mets autograph booklet.
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1 -- Denzel Clarke's catch has 'em talking
2 -- NBA Finals chatter ... and even more NBA
3 -- So, about Frank Gore Jr.'s Topps autos ...
5 -- Check out the Mets booklet here
6 -- The National section is open--
Have you spotted a hot thread? Tell us about it in a comment or on Twitter.
Follow BlowoutBuzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz.
First Buzz: 2025 Panini Select NASCAR cards
What: 2025 Panini Select NASCAR cards
Arrives: Aug. 8
Box basics: Two autographs and one memorabilia cards per 12-pack box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click hereWhat's buzz-worthy: Select once again hits the NASCAR circuit with an array of potential collecting finds with a tiered set, plenty of parallels and a hit in every fourth pack.
Keep reading for more info and a full gallery of images released so far.
First Buzz: 2025 Donruss WNBA cards (updated)
What: 2025 Donruss WNBA basketball cards
Arrives: Oct. 2
Box basics: Three autographs or memorabilia cards per 12-pack box (16 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)What's buzz-worthy: Donruss WNBA returns to the court with a variety-packed mix of inclusions that will take collectors Downtown (of course) as well as on and off the court.
Keep reading for more info and a gallery of what's to come. Continue reading
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on Blowout Forums (June 9)
What's Buzzing: NBA Finals chatter, The National, hot takes, WWE, MLB and more in this Monday edition.
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1 -- Talkin' baseball
3 -- WWE chatter after a busy weekend
4 -- Some NBA Finals Game 2 reactions ... and even more NBA
5 -- So, about Frank Gore Jr.'s Topps autos ...
6 -- The National section is open--
Have you spotted a hot thread? Tell us about it in a comment or on Twitter.
Follow BlowoutBuzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz.
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on Blowout Forums (June 8)
What's Buzzing: Awaiting the next NBA Finals game, MLB chatter, scouting upcoming MLB sets, The National, Frank Gore Jr. and who's next in the NBA?
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1 -- Scouting future MLB release potential
2 -- All your MLB chatter is here
4 -- Awaiting the next NBA Finals game
5 -- So, about Frank Gore Jr.'s Topps autos ...
6 -- The National section is open--
Have you spotted a hot thread? Tell us about it in a comment or on Twitter.
Follow BlowoutBuzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz.
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on Blowout Forums (June 7)
What's Buzzing: NBA Finals chatter, Jac Caglianone's sluggish start, new pulls, pondering 1/1 prices and more.
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1 -- NBA Finals chatter is here
2 -- Talking Jac with his sluggish start
5 -- So, about Frank Gore Jr.'s Topps autos ...
6 -- The National section is open--
Have you spotted a hot thread? Tell us about it in a comment or on Twitter.
Follow BlowoutBuzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz.
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on Blowout Forums (June 6)
What's Buzzing: NBA Finals open with a classic, the Braves blow it, Frank Gore Jr.'s ink, The National and more.
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1 -- NBA Finals open with a classic
2 -- Reactions to the Braves' ninth-inning meltdown
4 -- One to see?
5 -- So, about Frank Gore Jr.'s Topps autos ...
6 -- The National section is open--
Have you spotted a hot thread? Tell us about it in a comment or on Twitter.
Follow BlowoutBuzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz.
Collecting Tank-used V: Forever captured on WWE cardboard
It's not match-used -- but it's been seen a whole lot more than that.
That sums up the item in this fifth chapter of a memorabilia series with a tweaked name -- a tank-driven tangent in my Collecting Game-used series. It's once again a piece from Shotzi Blackheart, who I collect rather seriously in the traditional realms involving Panini America and Topps cardboard, but this time it's something seen on cards as well as the small screen.
And that's just a part of what makes it a cool item.
This final memorabilia piece for this run -- at least for now (there will be more at some point) -- comes from her brief time with a distinctly different look, her spikes era. It's from 10 days before the memorabilia seen here last month but this time it's on Smackdown and not Raw. In WWE chronology, it's still from after she was attacked by Bayley who cut off chunks of Blackheart's trademark long green hair before she finished the job herself, she began to unravel and she joined forces with Charlotte Flair to take on Bayley's group, Damage CTRL, at Survivor Series.
Keep reading to see the item and all the details.
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on Blowout Forums (June 5)
What's Buzzing: Frank Gore Jr.'s autographs, MLB All-Stars, an NFL card question and more in this not-yet-Friday edition.
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1 -- So, about Frank Gore Jr.'s Topps autos ...
2 -- Who gets your MLB All-Star vote?
3 -- An NFL card question
4 -- All your NBA chatter (and more) is here
5 -- Talking MLB
6 -- The National section is open--
Have you spotted a hot thread? Tell us about it in a comment or on Twitter.
Follow BlowoutBuzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz.
First Buzz: 2025 Panini Certified football cards
What: 2025 Panini Certified football cards
Arrives: July 25
Box basics: Two autographs and two memorabilia cards per 10-pack box (16 boxes per case)
Order: Click hereWhat's buzz-worthy: Certified returns with all of its familiar foilboard for a new NFL season as well as a mix of past and present that covers the entire field.
Keep reading for more info.
First Buzz: 2024-25 Panini Obsidian soccer cards
What: 2024-25 Panini Obsidian soccer cards
Arrives: July 23
Box basics: Four autograph or memorabilia cards per seven-card box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click hereWhat's buzz-worthy: Obsidian hits the pitch for a sixth time with cards that are both dark and yet colorful as they showcase soccer's greats of today.
Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on Blowout Forums (June 4)
What's Buzzing: Jac Caglianone debuts, Mariah May and R-Truth reactions, NBA Finals, new pulls, The National and more.
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1 -- Jac Caglianone debuts (0-for-5)
2 -- The National chatter is here
3 -- WWE roster changes have 'em talking
4 -- Talking MLB
5 -- NBA Finals thoughts ... and more here
6 -- All their new pulls are found here--
Have you spotted a hot thread? Tell us about it in a comment or on Twitter.
Follow BlowoutBuzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz.
Buzz Buys (June): Some surprise cards, a few affordable hits, WWE autos, movie throwbacks & more of my usual suspects
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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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TIFFY TIMES TWO
The Cards: Tiffany Stratton 2024 Panini Three Count WWE Prime Memorabilia Autographs Purple parallel (/25) & standard version (/99)
The Price: About half of a Three Count box these days
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This card was immediately on my radar back when it first was revealed among the mock-ups for this high-end WWE brand and, I've said it before, if this set hadn't used sticker autos it would be perfect. The end of the Panini WWE run combined with a logjam of releases and then the collector (and definitely flipper) focus perhaps shining more on Chrome actually made secondary market prices on a lot of stuff here a bit softer than I had expected, allowing me to pony up on two of these at prices I could handle. (I had initially figured I wouldn't land one of these, let alone one and a parallel.) I was picky with these and wanted to make sure I landed one with a clean auto -- full name, not the abbreviated and half-empty-sticker "Tiff" that shows up sometimes. Both of these hit the spot on both auto quality and price ... and if they ever dip more, I'll do more. Why? It's a Tiffy Time world and we're just collecting in it.
Grab a box right here: WWE cards are here.Keep reading for more interesting items ...
First Buzz: 2024 Panini National Treasures football cards
What: 2024 Panini National Treasures football cards
Arrives: July 23, 2005
Box basics: Eight autographs or memorabilia cards per box (four boxes per case)
Order: Click hereWhat's buzz-worthy: National Treasures arrives to cover the gridiron for another season with big booklet cards, old favorites and notable newcomers all found in one high-end spot.
Keep reading for more as well as a full gallery of images.
First Buzz: 2025 Donruss Elite football cards
What: 2025 Donruss Elite football cards
Arrives: July 16
Box basics: Two autographs and one memorabilia card per 20-pack box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)What's buzz-worthy: Elite arrives for a new NFL season with its familiar foilboard approach, plenty of parallels and some new looks and inclusions.
Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on Blowout Forums (June 3)
What's Buzzing: Jac Caglianone debuts tonight, more MLB chatter, new pulls, inside an Indiana Pacers fan cave and more in this Tuesday edition.
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2 -- All your MLB chatter is here
3 -- Inside an Indiana Pacers fan cave
4 -- NBA Finals thoughts ... and more here
5 -- A lot of grading "takes" here ... that might be wrong
6 -- Jac Caglianone debuts tonight--
Have you spotted a hot thread? Tell us about it in a comment or on Twitter.
Follow BlowoutBuzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz.
First Buzz: 2025 Panini Impeccable baseball cards
What: 2025 Panini Impeccable baseball cards
Arrives: Aug. 29
Box basics: Five autographs per nine-card box (three boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)What's buzz-worthy: Impeccable hits the diamond for the a sophomore season with a mix of Hall of Famers, promising prospects and recently arriving MLB stars all in play as part of the higher-end line.
Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.
First Buzz: 2024-25 Panini PhotoGenic basketball cards
What: 2024-25 Panini PhotoGenic basketball cards
Arrives: TBD (initially via Panini's site)
Box basics: One autograph per 10-pack box (14 boxes per case)
Order: Click hereWhat's buzz-worthy: Panini's photo-driven NBA line arrives for the fourth time with some new looks and approaches within the online-first release that includes stars from the past and present.
Keep reading for more info and a full gallery of images released so far.
First Buzz: 2024-25 Panini Mosaic basketball cards
What: 2024-25 Panini Mosaic basketball cards
Arrives: July 9, 2025
Box basics: Two autographs per three-pack hobby box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)What's buzz-worthy: Mosaic arrives with a different packaging format -- three 15-card packs per hobby box -- but with double the ink and all the flash collectors have come to expect with this brand.
Keep reading for more info and a full gallery of images.
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on Blowout Forums (June 2)
What's Buzzing: Jac Caglianone joins the Royals, talking baseball, NBA Finals chatter, new pulls and more.
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1 -- Jac Caglianone gets the call
2 -- Even more MLB chatter is here
3 -- Predicting the NBA Finals
4 -- Football is on their minds
5 -- Some new NFL pulls
6 -- New MLB pulls--
Have you spotted a hot thread? Tell us about it in a comment or on Twitter.
Follow BlowoutBuzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz.