Here's this month's roundup of items that have recently caught my eye as a buyer ...

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BROADWAY JOE
The Item: Joe Namath autographed 16-by-20 Sports Illustrated "Broadway Joe" cover photo (BAS witnessed)
The Price: $249
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I don't normally include the actual price when I make a bigger buy, but in this case a sale price was too strong for a piece so nice ... so I am. Why? A typical price for an item like this is substantially higher than what I paid (around $400-600) and peak asking prices are sometimes even nuttier than the normal range. This was my big Black Friday buy and I landed it via Mill Creek Sports (this is their scan as I struggled to photograph mine thanks to size/glare on my top-loader) and one reason why I grabbed it (beyond the price) was that I liked this horizontal version of the photo and its autograph placement infinitely more than the vertical version. Atop that, it's also a piece where I had a chance to land one for just $150 long ago at The National but I didn't as I didn't have a way to safely get it home. This is the iconic photo that led to the nickname for the eventual Super Bowl winner and icon who helped change the game forever. He turns 83 this year, too, and I don't think demand will lessen over time.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but NFL cards are here.

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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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: 2025 Panini Prizm The Rolling Stones trading cards (blue blaster)
Preview: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby mega boxes)

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

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Auction Buzz is a monthly look at some of the variety found out there on the auction block ... check 'em out.

It's going to be a busy second half of the year for Dallas-based Heritage Auctions with a number of regularly scheduled events as well as some showcase auctions with high-profile stuff all on the calendar. This time, we look at a few things from a few active sales this month.

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DARK KNIGHT IN DEMAND
The Item: Batman tin robot with original English box (Nomura Toys, 1966)
The Price: $5,250 after 29 bids (ends July 11)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This vintage Japanese toy is a foot-tall prime piece of pop culture with an obvious 1960s feel yet with some aspirations of something more for the future -- it's a battery operated tin toy and it's complete with its Adam West-styled box and fabric cape. This one is "an iconic fusion of superhero flair and vintage tin toy charm" per Heritage and it's one of two known styles -- this one has the serious face and one with the switch button in red. Heritage calls this "a standout from the golden age of Batman collectibles, blending Japanese craftsmanship with Gotham nostalgia."

Keep reading for more interesting pieces up for grabs right now.

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Like many collectors, Buzz is a fan of grading ... so here's this month's grading diary.

TOUGH ONE?
The Card: Bo Bichette 2022 Topps Heritage image variation (found in Heritage High Number packs)
The Reason Graded: Some of you might wonder why this card is in the lead slot this month since it's a simple image variation -- but a great one -- from a brand that's not quite as pricey as it used to be. (At least for singles ... you can find this for about $2 or less.) But, finding one of these that will get a high (real) grade? Not so much. The centering can always be a bear here but that's not the constant problem spot. It's the backs of these that use full-bleed black ink where cards that may look flawless on the fronts are often demolished when it comes to those those back edges.
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: This one? It still has a some minor spotting -- that's why it's not a perfect 10 -- but it's way better than every other one I've seen and that's why I subbed this after I found it raw. Why? That front is pretty much a perfectly crafted design and I definitely don't mind retro-styled sets like this one -- I call it the old-guy flagship set as it is for me vs. basic Topps. The stuff feels more sturdy with its stock and printing -- I'm not sure I trust foilboard to age that well, either -- but the trade-off is that Heritage is harder to grade and land those higher marks. In all ways, this one is a win for me, a Bichette collector, and that's why he's batting lead-off. (It also doesn't hurt he's starting to warm up on the field this season.)

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

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Updated with details of what's to come at the end.

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You can't always get what you want ... but if you need new Rolling Stones trading cards Panini America is on it.

Prizm is going platinum and the reveal on Monday beyond the details of the new deal was the name of the first release, Prizm The Rolling Stones. It "will celebrate more than 60 years of the Stones as a band and chronicle their music and record-setting tours. The Prizm brand will provide a broad canvas to celebrate the Stones’ inimitable style and iconic artwork."

"The Rolling Stones are an iconic brand, are integral to the history of music, and have millions of dedicated fans across the globe," said Panini CEO Mark Warsop. "We are proud to be partnering with them and to share our products celebrating their legacy and so many of their memorable moments. We think that fans will be very excited."

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What: 2022 Historic Autographs Prime
Arrives: July 27
Box basics: Three DNA Hair Cards or two DNA Hair Cards and one Prime autograph per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Historic Autographs dips into something unusual but long-collected in the past -- hair (yes, hair) -- for a new card release while also working in some notable autographs from the past.

Keep reading for more information.

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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: 2014 Topps Heritage baseball cards (gravity feed retail box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Keep reading for a full breakdown and a gallery for this throwback break.

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The music world lost another of its memorable stars on Sunday as George Michael died at age 53.

He sold more than 100 million albums during his career as a solo artist and as half of the band Wham!, which arrived with the first of its three Platinum albums in 1983. His debut solo album, Faith, has sold more than 25 million copies since 1987.

But when it comes to cardboard? Well, collectors really only have two places to look.

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It sounded like a fun, cheap rip of some oldschool wax -- a late-night buy just because it was a good deal -- but it turned into another lesson about old cardboard.

This time, the product was a long-forgotten (and maybe unknown to some) release from Pro Set back in 1991 -- the company's UK edition of SuperStars MusiCards.

To those of you who were around for Pro Set, you probably fondly remember the football card chases created by the Dallas, Texas-based company in 1989 and 1990 and the overproduction that was happening but we never saw because everybody (and their mother) was buying. By 1991, many of its products -- and there were many in the non-football realm -- arrived with a thud. Not because they were bad but because they were trying new things and new things didn't always work. (And because the presses kept on rolling.) By 1993, the company was back down to football and by 1994 the company was gone completely.

And if you weren't around then? Well, you missed out on some of the best simple cardboard of all times ... and one example of that is this 1991 SuperStars MusiCards UK Editon.

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