TNA Wrestling
Buzz Buys (Aug.): Boys of Summer, old stuff, Shotzi & some TLC
Here's this month's roundup of items that have recently caught my eye as a buyer ...
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PARALLEL POWER?
The Card: National League Wins Leaders (Spencer Strider, Zac Gallen, Justin Steele) 2024 Topps True Photo variant & Gold Foil parallel
The Price: About $11 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The concept of this one is simple and it's striking -- knock off the border of a base card completely, using just its photo -- and I think it works. But there's also one thing here that's striking -- and not in the best way. These are arguably too rare to make that big of an impact with me and I think perhaps other collectors who might not bother to grab their players or even think about a team set or full set. How rare? They are one in 677 hobby packs and I'm confident they'd be more popular if people could reasonably collect a team run or set. Why? Because they're something dramatically different and you can compare the regular card and this version side by side. I also grabbed a Gold Foil parallel for this one this time after I bit on the variant ... just to say I had one. Even paying $10 for this was a stretch for me ... and those odds and that price might say that these aren't as popular as they could/should be. These are one in basically every third hobby case.
Grab a box right here: MLB cards are here.Keep reading for more interesting items ...
Buzz Break: 2024 Fantasy Super Cosplay Wrestling Series 4
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 seeFa busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.
The pack: 2024 Fantasy Super Costplay Wrestling Series 4 trading cards
Where to buy: Will take some looking ... BlowoutCards.com for WWE/AEWKeep reading for a full breakdown and gallery of what was in this one.
BuzzMania 7: A Hit In Every Pack Smackdown (Hour 2)
The biggest weekend in pro wrestling is here with WrestleMania 40 set for this Saturday and Sunday from Philadelphia. We'll make today a big one for wrestling collectors right here on The Buzz with #BuzzMania7, a marathon of WWE wax box/pack breaks all day long.
This one is packed with, as Gorilla Monsoon would say, "pandemonium" ... every pack or box here guarantees at least one hit -- that's an autograph or a memorabilia card in this realm -- and a few of them pack even more. Some here are also past favorites that Buzz used to rip in volume ... back when they were more easily found.
The Brands: 2017 Topps WWE Women's Division (two boxes), 2017 Topps NXT (one hobby pack), 2020 Topps WWE Women's Division (one box), 2021 AEW Spectrum (one box), 2020 Topps NXT (one box), 2023 Leaf Heroes of Wrestling (one box)
Where to buy: Some will take some work to find ... BlowoutCards.com for all WWE/AEW cards
What's inside these? Keep reading ...
Buzz Buys: Topanga Now, Bear Bryant, Bo Bichette, LeBron, Shotzi, some oldschool finds, Snoop, Axl Rose & plenty 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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MORE LIKE TOPANGA NOW
The Cards: Danielle Fishel 2023 Topps Now 10-pack (/4,993)
The Price: Bundle price from Topps
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is among the newer pick-ups for me from Topps this year -- there have not been that many, really -- but the novelty of this one got me to bite on some Topps Now hoping for maybe landing a parallel and something that might draw an elite grade. I got nothing on the parallel front and, well, maybe one of this 10 might be slab-worthy at some point ... but this one was not cleanly made (at least in my batch) with some corner issues and surface spots (lower left side most often). That made this not as fun as I had hoped but I did it anyway as I missed on the auto packs that were reasonably priced -- I would have bought one had I not missed the drop -- and those who have landed unsigned parallels are asking prices that are even higher than what ink cost ... so this one's novelty appeal is strong -- for now. Hopefully, more unusual cards will show up among Topps Now offerings in the coming weeks and months. Novelty Now will get my attention as stuff that's different and unique will have more appeal in the long-term than some might think. I still think a single auto (or maybe a low-volume auto parallel) mixed into regular Topps Now orders could draw more buys, too.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one but MLB boxes are here.Keep reading for more interesting items ...
Buzz Buys: Kumar Rocker, Shotzi, USA Baseball, college cards, Max Weinberg, wrestling ink & even Buford T. Justice's kid
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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THE NEWEST NEW YORK MET
The Card: Kumar Rocker 2018 Panini USA Baseball Stars & Stripes Jumbo Nameplate (/5)
The Price: Under $40
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This Vandy star was a dominator and was perhaps going to be a top pick in this year's MLB Draft but instead he fell right into a prime spot when slid a bit and went 10th overall. Why do I say that? When it comes to cardboard, being a member of the New York Mets organization is better than being a Texas Ranger, which is where teammate Jack Leiter went at No. 2. He's the son of former NFL player Tracy Rocker and he's got a lot of cardboard thanks to USA Baseball appearances, including some cool cards like this. I don't think I ever pulled his auto -- but I tried a number of times -- but I couldn't pass up this rarity that appears to include the top halves of the "RO" from the back of his jersey. The bottom half of that duo is on eBay with a price four times what I paid. If his college dominance is any kind of a sign, we should see him in the majors quickly.
Grab a box right here: USA Baseball boxes (all years)Keep reading for more interesting items ...
Buzz Break: 2008 BenchWarmer Signature Series cards
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: 2008 BenchWarmer Signature Series
Where to buy: Newer BenchWarmer boxes are here
Packs per box: 10
Cards per pack: 8
Cards in this box: 80
Base set completion: 50 of 60 (83 percent)
Duplicates: 17Notables on base cards: Cindy Margolis, Sara Underwood, Christy Hemme, Gail Kim, Traci Brooks, Candice Michelle, Brande Roderick, Jaime Bergman, Mia St. John, Michelle Baena, Colleen Shannon
Black November Wave 2 is here ... and here are five deals to consider
If you hadn't noticed, there are a number of boxes with discounted prices right now over on the mothership as BlowoutCards.com is in the midst its Black November sales now.
Wave 2 is here and many of the discounts were dramatic enough that Buzz had to sit down and ponder the possibilities in many of the boxes and cases -- and here are five boxes/cases that caught this collector’s eye.
2017 Topps Update Jumbo boxes and cases
This relatively new release is simply a fun one that's stacked with Rookie Cards and moments from the All-Star Game and Home Run Derby. This collector has ripped hanger boxes, blaster boxes and standard Hobby boxes and many of them have delivered good volume on those guys named Bellinger, Judge and even on the variations. (They don't have to be rare to be fun.) I haven't studied the jumbo breaks closely, but one auto and two other hits at this price makes for a fun rip -- and if you get lucky you could do pretty well. While this might be a brand that seems somewhat plentiful now, once wax dries up there will be enough key players here to make it of interest later -- and basic Topps flagship RCs seem to be growing in popularity, too.Buzz Break: 2009 TRISTAR TNA Impact wrestling (blaster 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: 2009 TRISTAR TNA Impact wrestling (blaster box)
Where to buy: Check eBay (hobby on BlowoutCards.com)
Packs per box: 1
Cards per pack: 24
Cards in this box: 24
Base set completion: 23 of 99 (23 percent)
Duplicates: 0Notables on base cards – A.J. Styles, Brother Devon, Traci Brooks, Beer Money Inc., Sting, Mick Foley
TNA Debut cards – Brutus Magnus, Sarita
Former WWE star Joanie Laurer, aka Chyna, dies at 46, leaving a very limited cardboard resume
She was a bodybuilder, a bodyguard, a pioneering women's wrestler dubbed "the ninth wonder of the world" who won men's championships, a Playboy model and, ultimately, someone who battled demons for years after leaving the wrestling world.
She was Joanie Laurer, aka Chyna, and the former WWE star died Wednesday at age 46.
"I just heard the tragic news that @ChynaJoanLaurer has passed," wrote WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon on Twitter. "She was truly a pioneer in our industry, and she will be missed. #RIPChyna."
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