Saturday Night Live
Buzz Break: 2025 Leaf Metal Pop Century 1/1 Proofs
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 pack: 2025 Leaf Metal Pop Century 1/1 Pre-Production Proofs
Where to buy: Click here (these are box-toppers in Pop Century boxes)
Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery for what was in this one.
Buzz Buys ... A LOT: Digging some Panini Golden Age minis
Buzz buys a lot of stuff these days and for a few reasons, really. Sometimes it's just bargain-hunting, sometimes it's just something that strikes me. And other times it's a lot -- a group of things -- and that has happened enough lately I figured I'd try something different as a regularly appearing item. Sometimes my lots will be wins, sometimes they won't be ... but I'll let you decide.
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RECENT RETRO
The Lots: Two 40-card mini lots from 2013 Panini Golden Age sports card set
The Price: Under what a box or two would typically costKeep reading for more on this one ...
First Buzz: 2025 Leaf Metal Pop Century trading cards
What: 2025 Leaf Metal Pop Century trading cards
Arrives: May 2025
Box basics: Four autographed cards and two 1/1 proofs or printing plates per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)What's buzz-worthy: Leaf's annual celebrity release returns once again with some big names in store and a little more to be found in every box.
Keep reading for more info and a full gallery of images.
Making the Grade (Oct.): Ohtani, Judge, KISS, Clerks, WWE, vintage books, Black Panther, Shotzi, Machete, Maris & more
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 ...
A MONSTER YEAR ...
The Card: Shohei Ohtani 2018 Topps Heritage High Number -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: Ohtani had a monster season without even pitching -- first 50-50 Club member for starters and just short of the National League Triple Crown -- and his big-time potential had me submitting some of my RCs for him earlier this year. Did people expect this kind of showing, though? Probably not -- I know I didn't -- but I know Heritage RCs are my preference, so this one made the cut. The bottom corners seem to be the most-common issue with these cards, but this one was clean and so it made my sub -- and I will have two more on the way to grading, too, so you'll see more of this card during the off-season or by next spring.
The Grade: CGC 10Grade 5.5 6 6.5 7 7.5 8 8.5 9 9.5 10 P10 Total Population 1 0 0 1 0 1 32 149 68 181 3 436 Reality Check: The graded volume is high here but perhaps still modest vs. PSA volumes -- I'm good with that -- and this one has only been topped three times. I dig that. This mark isn't that rare but it is one that would be in demand with the two slots below also where many will look.
Keep reading for more of this month's pick-ups and new slabs for Buzz.
Buzz Buys: Dogpool's debut, Kobe's dad, young WWE stars, vintage finds, Jack White's comic, movie memorabilia + more
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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DOGPOOL'S DEBUT
The Book: Prelude To Deadpool Corps No. 3 -- first Dogpool appearance
The Price: Under $8
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This was an impulse/curiosity buy once I saw Dogpool -- a character that I'm admittedly not that familiar with -- on this cover of Empire in advance of the Deadpool & Wolverine movie to come as well as in a preview trailer. Why? Well, one reason I grabbed this was that the lone graded copy of this book on eBay at that time had an asking price of $400-plus. While I know that's high, you never know what people might grab if the that pup steals the show or at least picks up some headlines alongside Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds when this one hits. (Weird thing have happened with Baby Yoda and Star Wars' Porgs in recent years.) This comic cover isn't exactly the same as what we're getting on the big screen dog-wise, but with the movie figuring to generate a lot of buzz and perhaps include a lot of cameos I've been looking at stuff here and there ... and I really need to go find that magazine, too. It's actually got higher asking prices on eBay than this book and has sold for more than $20. (It's a UK mag ... so it's perhaps not as easily found just yet.) The comic has had CGC 9.8 sales of $85 and $299 in recent months, too, so there's definitely some speculating ... and there should be. This movie will be huge.
Grab a box right here: BlowoutCards.com for non-sports cardsKeep reading for more interesting items ...
Book It, Buzz: Some late-night ink with a very daytime price
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.
Our fourth subject and autograph in this ongoing series? Tonight Show host and long-time actor/comedian Jimmy Fallon.
Buzz Buys: Original art, rare toys, old mags, new ink & more for many past and present stars around the sports world
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 ... and this time around it's a little heavier on football as that season is here.
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AEW ORIGINALS ... AS IN ORIGINAL ARTWORK
The Cards: Gummy Arts original T206-style drawings (1/1s) for Thunder Rosa, Orange Cassidy, MJF, Powerhouse Hobbs & Sting
The Price: Less than an AEW hobby box
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: If you don't know the work of artist Mike Noren -- aka Gummy Arts -- he's been drawing athletes or memorable pop culture characters in penciled cartoon-style reproductions of past cards or on new creations for years now. You can find constantly updating feeds of his work in timely posts over on Instagram or Twitter and then sometimes those get reproduced and sold as cards in packs. In other instances, he's let the original artwork go, too. Those vanish fast and can be pricey -- actually, his packs can vanish fast, too -- and for years now I've eyed the section of his site for original art (typically $50-80 depending on subject) that made it into cards. I had never found one that was must-have for me -- or at least found a must-have one in stock -- but one day after seeing a tweet of his I did my regular ritual and checked the site to find this set of five T206/Honus Wagner homages in one slightly pricier lot but had to grab them. I had remembered seeing the Rosa online but didn't remember any of these being made into actual cards. It turns out they weren't, so the only thing that exists f0r now (at least when I recently grabbed them) are these originals. Four are top AEW stars while one is an all-time great who has worked for every company ... really a no-brainer for me and I might have paid the typical full price for one or two of these. The Rosa card in a Tijuana jersey and others in their own Wagner-style threads made me laugh, while that Cassidy is not far from spot-on even in Noren's style. Poke around here on The Buzz and you'll see more of these ... just not in 1/1 original art form.
Grab a box right here: AEW cards are hereKeep reading for more interesting items ...
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on Blowout Forums (March 23)
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: Saturday Night Live autos, Tyreek Hill has a new QB, patch cards, Baker Mayfield and more.
Buzz Break: 1992 Star Pics Saturday Night Live wax 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: 1992 Star Pics Saturday Night Live
Where to buy: Hunt around ... BlowoutCards.com for newer (better) non-sports
Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery of what was in this one ...
Buzz Buys: Unique gridiron memorabilia cards, John Belushi, San Diego materials, David Justice's ink & more
Buzz buys and busts a lot of boxes right here for Buzz Breaks, but one of my goals just might be to rip fewer blasters this year 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. Would they capture yours? I'd be interested to know -- sometimes they might, sometimes they won't and that's fine. It's a buyer's market out there with plenty of options and bargains as well as high-end gems to chase.
So, with all that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ...
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DAK & THE DETAILS
The Card: Dak Prescott 2018 Panini National Convention Sparkle Relics (/15)
The Price: $4.95
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This card has a few things going for it and it was found in a show promo pack instead of some super-pricey box, which is a plus for me and my bargain-minded buys. (I like good pulls from cheaper places. They just seem more interesting ... or at least more of a challenge.) I picked this one off primarily because it's got a "prime" type swatch from a game-used football on this parallel and these inexpensive cards are gimmes for me since there simply aren't as many game-used football cards out there vs. other pieces of equipment. I did a double-take when I saw the serial-number, though -- his jersey number -- and that made it a done deal. To me that adds to the appeal of this card and I'm still a big fan of memorabilia cards. Is this a money card? Probably not, but I'm a collector not a flipper and it just seemed like a no-brainer for the price and scarcity.
Grab a pack/lot: Check out the promo packs sectionKeep reading for six more interesting items ...
Did you know ... Chevy Chase has never signed for a card company? But that's about to change (updated)
Update (Nov. 10): Leaf Trading Cards' Brian Gray said he recently completed a signing with Chase and his first autograph cards will be found in packs of 2016 Leaf Pop Century.
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He's a comedy icon with memorable roles as Clark Griswold in the National Lampoon Vacation films, Ty Webb in Caddyshack, Irwin Fletcher in Fletch, Dusty Bottoms in Three Amigos and so much more.
But there's one place you haven't seen Chevy Chase and that's on a certified (non-cut) autograph card.
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