Rocky Bleier
Making the Grade (Sept.): Some football, plenty of oddball, even more Shotzi, old comic books, perfect slabs & plenty more
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)Grade 5.5 6 6.5 7 7.5 8 8.5 9 9.5 10 P10 Total Population 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 1 4 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.
Black November Wave 4 ... here are five deals I'd grab now
If you hadn't noticed, there are a number of boxes with discounted prices right now right here as the new wave of Blowout Cards' Black November sales is here
Many of the discounts were dramatic enough that Buzz once again had to ponder the possibilities in many of the boxes and cases -- and here are five that caught this collector’s eye ... and there's far more that just might suit your tastes in the big sale.
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BLACK IN NOVEMBER
2021 Topps Allen & Ginter X Baseball Box
Most boxes in this wave of picks are ones I have personally opened in the past, but this one is the lone exception for Allen & Ginter X as in it's the only one that I missed landing since 2018. Why? I actually don't remember -- it was likely timing of arrival -- but Ginter X is a pretty safe buy as there's an autograph in every box with the ink here typically trending rarer than the standard stuff. Almost everything here is in the trademark black take on the Ginter designs and among the autos this time are Aaron Judge, Chipper Jones, Corey Seager, Johnny Bench, Fernando Tatis Jr., Juan Soto, Mike Trout, Pete Alonso, Ronald Acuña Jr., Ryne Sandberg, Vladdy Sr. and Vladdy Jr. and more from the MLB realm. From beyond baseball, there's Bobby Moynihan, Jose Andrés, Rocky Bleier, Randall Cunnignham, Sara Spain and Trevor Lawrence to start. Again, regular Ginter doesn't include ink every time and these boxes do ... and some years of X could statistically deliver two.Keep reading for a few more boxes you should consider (and are likely to end up in Buzz's cart).
Buzz Break: 2021 Topps Allen & Ginter MLB cards (hobby)
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: 2021 Topps Allen & Ginter baseball cards (hobby box)
First Buzz preview & Checklist: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com
Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery of what was in this one.
Buzz Break: 2021 Topps Allen & Ginter MLB cards (blaster)
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: 2021 Topps Allen & Ginter baseball cards (hobby box)
First Buzz preview & Checklist: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com
Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery of what was in this one.
Buzz 8 in 8: Busting 2017 Donruss Classics NFL (Hour 3)
Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today's your day then as we launch 8 in 8 -- a series of a eight breaks of wax boxes and wax packs in as many hours today. We'll post one every hour ... this is Hour 3.
The box: 2017 Panini Classics football cards (blaster box)
The cost: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)
What's inside this one? Keep reading ...
Buzz Break: 2017 Donruss football cards (jersey hanger box)
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: 2017 Donruss NFL cards (jersey hanger box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)
Packs per box: 1
Cards per pack: 50
Base set completion: 30 of 300 (10 percent)
Duplicates: 0Notables on base cards – Carson Wentz, Andrew Luck, Troy Aikman, Joe Theismann, Mark Ingram, Jameis Winston, Christian Okoye, Von Miller
Topps' Honor Roll Ribbons among coolest cards featuring military ties
There have been countless sports card sets made in recent years with nods to the military and the NFL's Salute to Service campaign reflected in packs. There have been camo cards, ribbon cards and so much more found by collectors, and it's trickled over into other sports, too, with camo parallels and special military-tied inserts in packs along with memorabilia cards from military-themed jerseys.
But none of them can touch a simple set from packs of 2008 Topps football cards called 2008 Topps Honor Roll Ribbons. It's a set that shows past NFL players who were members of the military along with mini replicas of the medals that they were awarded.
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