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 ...

The Card: Joe Namath 2015 Topps 60th Anniversary Rookie Reprint Autographs #T60RAJN
The Reason Graded: Buzz first met this NFL legend almost 20 years ago and landed the ink for free thanks to some luck while autograph hounding but when it comes to certified autographs of this icon I didn't have any until recent years. Why? He's always been a pricey auto but that has come down a bit as he's been a steady signer and doesn't have quite as much hobby heat as the guy at the end of this month's list. This release was how Topps burned off its Hall of Famer autographs via packs on its website once its NFL deal was done, so the influx of big-name autos helped make the supply even stronger at the time perhaps without added demand. I scouted them all where I buy and this one looked near-perfect to me in both its centering and that ink. Seriously, look at that signature ... that's a perfect Namath auto.
The Grade: BGS 9.5/10

Reality Check: I absolutely thought I had a BGS 10 contender with this one, though I submitted it before I picked up my better loupe and I probably didn't check the back as closely as I should have. Either way, it's still a very solid card in my stash. I don't grade autographs all that often -- I fear results I won't like on those -- but this one I had to. Most of them landed this grade with only one higher so I don't feel bad about not landing a 10.

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

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What: 2019 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Game Day Greats Full-size Football Helmets
Arrives: Sept. 25
Box basics: One autographed full-size football helmet per box (three boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: TRISTAR's Hidden Treasures hits the gridiron with full-size helmets for the first time with a number of past and present stars to be found.

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What: 2019 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Game Day Greats Football Jersey Edition Series 2
Arrives: Sept. 11
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 takes on jerseys for a second time this year with Hall of Famers, new rookies and plenty of other notables all possible in this one.

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What: 2019 Leaf Autographed Football Mini-Helmets
Arrives: Oct. 30
Box basics: One autographed mini-helmet per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Leaf brings a new batch of autographed mini-helmets to the masses with a mix of past and present stars as well as new draft picks -- and some surprise helmets in there, too.

Keep reading for more info.

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What: 2019 Super Break One-time Football
Arrives: Aug. 26
Box basics: One buyback football card per box (four boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Super Break looks to the modern years of the gridiron for a new buyback collection that will include key names on key cards in a limited-run release.

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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 release: 2019 Donruss Elite NFL football cards

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DON'T CALL HIM A SLEEPER, BUT ... 
The Card: Josh Jacobs 2019 Donruss Elite NFL Pen Pals (or any ink)
The Price: $118.51 for this one (/25) 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This guy shouldn't be seen as a sleeper but he might be compared to some of the first-rounders' autos out there -- and he's my pick for a player with potential this season. Why? A few reasons. First, the OakVegas Raiders were a trainwreck last year so somebody has to matter when it comes to cardboard this year -- and it can't be the coach. There are star players there but they've had injuries, baggage and there's no guarantee they won't be traded off somewhere for a box of rocks (OK, OK, draft picks) at any time. A look at Jacobs' college stats probably won't tell the story, either, as he ultimately only had a breakout year last season despite playing three for Nick Saban at Alabama. He had 120 carries for 640 yard last season but scored 11 TDs. He also added 20 catches for 247 and three TDs. His other two seasons top those for yardage but not much else. He was the first RB taken in this year's NFL Draft at 24th overall so there could be one reason for attention for his cards. One more that's still to come? The Raiders are the team for this year's Hard Knocks series in HBO that kicks off on Aug. 6. That has helped guys' cards in the past -- well at least ones who don't have a ton of card appearances. (He's not that guy this time -- already over 400 different.) His cards are worth a look when they're on the cheap side.

Keep reading for five 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: 2019 Donruss Elite NFL cards
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Packs per box: 4
Cards per pack: 5
Cards in this box: 20
Base set completion: 
12 of 100 (12 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Base cards – Nick Chubb, Christian McCaffrey, Jared Goff, Sam Darnold, Philip Rivers, George Kittle, David Johnson, Jalen Ramsey, Davante Adams, Xavien Howard, Travis Kelce, Adam Thielen

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What: 2019 Leaf Autographed Football Jersey Edition
Arrives: Sept. 25
Box basics: One autographed custom jersey per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Leaf brings the fabric of the game to collectors once again via the blind-wrapped football memorabilia market with "the hottest players in the game, an incredible selection of Hall of Famers, the hottest rookies and some of the game's most-popular fan favorites."

Keep reading for more.

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What: 2019 Panini Elements football cards
Arrives: July 17
Box basics: Two autographs and one memorabilia card per four-card box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: This one takes to the field for a sophomore season with more metal, more colorful looks and more on-card autographs than in its rookie season.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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What: 2019 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Autographed Football Mini Helmets
Arrives: July 3
Box basics: One autographed mini helmet per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: TRISTAR's Hidden Treasures is back on the gridiron once again with new NFL names, new styles of helmets and some of the biggest names from the past all inside.

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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 Panini Contenders Draft Picks football cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for a few formats)

Packs per box: 6
Cards per pack: 7
Cards in this box: 42
Base set completion: 
35 of 100 (35 percent)
Duplicates: 8

Notables on base cards – Joe Namath, Derrick Henry, Amari Cooper, Nick Mullens, Mitchell Trubisky, Leonard Fournette, Terry Bradshaw, Saquon Barkley, Dan Marino, Jerry Rice, Earl Campbell, Barry Sanders, Cam Newton, Deshaun Watson, Russell Wilson, Patrick Mahomes II, Michael Thomas, Marcus Allen, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Adrian Peterson

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and break down 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 Donruss Optic NFL cards (Mega Box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby and FOTL)

Packs per box: 10
Cards per pack: 4
Cards in this box: 40
Base set completion: 15 of 100 (15 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Base cards: Deshaun Watson, Christian McCaffrey, Michael Thomas, Landon Collins, Dak Prescott, Tyreek Hill, Joe Flacco, Sammy Watkins, Jerick McKinnon, Emmanuel Sanders, Charles Clay, Keenan Allen, Dion Lewis, Jamison Crowder, Ben Roethlisberger

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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 Score football cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Packs per box: 12
Cards per pack: 11
Cards in this box: 132
Base set completion: 
103 of 440 (23 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards: Cam Newton, Carson Wentz, Sam Darnold, Lamar Jackson, J.J. Watt, Christian McCaffrey, Nick Mullens, Alvin Kamara, George Kittle, Todd Gurley, Michael Thomas, Sony Michel, Philip Rivers

Rookie Cards (33) – Notables include Dwayne Haskins, Daniel Jones, Riley Ridley, Deionte Thompson, Damien Harris, Rashan Gary, Darrell Henderson, Terry McLaurin, A.J. Brown, Nasir Adderley, Dexter Lawrence, Alexander Mattison, Bryce Love, Noah Fant, D.K. Metcalf

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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 releases: 2019 Panini Contenders Draft Picks and 2019 Panini Prizm Draft Picks -- a combo since I truly couldn't decide which way to go during this NFL Draft weekend.

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THE TOP GUY ... 
The Card: Kyler Murray 2019 Panini Prizm Contenders Optic Mojo College Ticket autograph (/15)
The Price: $1,250 opening bid (six days remaining)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This card is perhaps a tad confusing ... it's a Contenders Optic card from Prizm and there's one in Prizm packs, too, but that one is not serial-numbered to 15 according to the checklists. Either way, this is a big pull and it's got on-card ink of the guy who went first in the 2019 NFL Draft last night and also the Heisman winner who is the only player ever taken in the first round of both the MLB and NFL drafts in the same year. There's a lot of attention and storyline here -- especially with the added Josh Rosen drama -- but he might be the biggest name of the bunch drafted so far when it comes to cardboard. (At least until everybody suits up.) This is an actual auction instead of a Buy-It-Now with new-car pricing attached, so we'll see how much demand there is here in a few days.

Keep reading for five 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: 2019 Panini Contenders Draft Picks football cards (FOTL hobby box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Packs per box: 6
Cards per pack: 18
Cards in this box: 108
Base set completion: 
64 of 100 (64 percent)
Duplicates: 8

Notables on base cards – Joe Namath, Derrick Henry, Amari Cooper, Phillip Lindsay, Nick Mullens, Brett Favre, Mitchell Trubisky, Drew Brees, Leonard Fournette, Odell Beckham Jr., Terry Bradshaw, Saquon Barkley, Dan Marino, Marcus Mariota, Jerry Rice, Carson Wentz, Earl Campbell, Red Grange, Alvin Kamara, Peyton Manning, Barry Sanders, Cam Newton, Emmitt Smith, Tim Tebow, Deshaun Watson, Nick Chubb, J.J. Watt, Russell Wilson, Patrick Mahomes II, Derek Carr, Michael Thomas, Sam Darnold, Marcus Allen, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Andrew Luck, Christian McCaffrey, Adrian Peterson, Antonio Brown, Dak Prescott

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What: 2019 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Game Day Greats Football Jersey Edition
Arrives: April 24
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 takes on jerseys for another season with Hall of Famers, new rookies and plenty of other notables all possible in this one.

Continue reading →

From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and break down 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 Donruss Optic NFL cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Packs per box: 6
Cards per pack: 4
Cards in this box: 24
Base set completion: 13 of 100 (13 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Base cards: Deshaun Watson, Sammy Watkins, Michael Thomas, Matt Ryan, Drew Brees, Myles Garrett, Ben Roethlisberger, Robby Anderson, Charles Clay, Blake Bortles, Dion Lewis, Marquise Goodwin, Von Miller

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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 Today: Nothing but breaks and related chatter in today's edition.

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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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NEW "ROWDY" CARDBOARD 
The Item: Ronda Rousey 2019 Topps WWE Road to WrestleMania Blue auto (/50)
The Price: $499.99 Buy-It-Now (or best offer)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This one might be a little over-priced since it's a rarer parallel but you never know who might be looking and clicking so that's one reason why you see this one here. Other reasons? It's a pricey potential find -- one of many -- from a box that guarantees ink every time and presently runs less than $55. It's also interestingly the first card I've seen using her nickname as part of her name. She appears to have ink from several parallels in this one so she should be in the mix from here on out as long as she keeps signing -- that's a good thing here and should be a good sign for releases to come.
Similar Pieces: Other Road to WrestleMania autos on eBay
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for 2019 Topps Road to WrestleMania boxes

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

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and break down 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 football cards (mega box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (hobby and more)

Packs per box: 14
Cards per pack: 8
Cards in this box: 113
Base set completion: 
96 of 100 (96 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards: Larry Fitzgerald, Julio Jones, Matt Ryan, Cam Newton, Christian McCaffrey, Mitchell Trubisky, Ezekiel Elliott, Dak Prescott, Matthew Stafford, Aaron Rodgers, J.J. Watt, Deshaun Watson, Andrew Luck, Leonard Fournette, Patrick Mahomes II, Todd Gurley II, Jared Goff, Kenyan Drake, Tom Brady, Alvin Kamara, Drew Brees, Eli Manning, Amari Cooper, Khalil Mack, Derek Carr, Carson Wentz, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Antonio Brown, Jimmy Garoppolo, Russell Wilson, Derrick Henry

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Seven catches for 210 yards and a score ... at halftime.

That was the latest stat line for San Francisco 49ers TE George Kittle, whose Rookie Cards and first autos can be found in a few releases last year. This year, he's been a scorcher and that stat line -- it unfortunately didn't change after halftime -- was nearly the best day in NFL history for a tight end. (He needed five to pass Shannon Sharpe.)

He's got nearly 60 different autos but only seven Rookie Cards among his more than 150 made since his cardboard debut. He can be found in Absolute, Elite, Limited, Contenders, National Treasures and Phoenix. For the season, he's got 69 catches for 1,103 yards and four touchdowns -- all career-highs for the former fifth-round pick out of Iowa. >> Check out his auto cards on eBay here

>> Click here to shop for football boxes on BlowoutCards.com.

Keep reading for more guys who generated some buzz on the field this week.

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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 Prizm football cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for a few formats)

Packs per box: 6
Cards per pack: 4
Cards in this box: 24
Base set completion: 
16 of 200 (8 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Amari Cooper, Jalen Ramsey, Von Miller, Josh Norman, Andrew Luck

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He had a day ... but his team still lost.

Carolina Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey dominated in two ways on Sunday with 17 carries for 125 yards and a touchdown and a nearly league-leading 11 catches for 112 and another touchdown but the only wins went out to fantasy league owners who started him as the Seahawks won it 30-27.

He's probably not the top hobby guy on the team, but here might still be bargains out there for McCaffrey, whose Rookie Cards and debut autos can be found in 2017 boxes. That may not last with more games like this one. >> Check out his autos on eBay

>> Click here to shop for football boxes on BlowoutCards.com.

Keep reading for more guys who generated some buzz on the field this week.

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What:

What's buzz-worthy: Plates & Patches returns to the gridiron with a nearly hits-only approach with big names from the past and present as well as plenty of cardboard for the new rookie class.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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What's buzz-worthy: This new brand takes an all-in-one approach -- a one-card pack -- while highlighting new players and big names from around the NFL as well as notables from the past.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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