A record-setting MLB All-Star Home Run Derby means a monster day for baseball cards.

The Topps Now lineup for today includes more than 50 cards between standard cardboard, autographs and Relics from last night's big event won by New York Mets rookie Pete Alonso but with nods to the fireworks generated by Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Joc Pederson and others in the event in advance of tonight's All-Star Game.

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There were almost as many runs scored in Saturday's London Series game as there are Topps Now baseball cards today.

They're not all from the game that the New York Yankees won 17-13 over the Boston Red Sox but a number of them are, including Relics from two English icons who got VIP access at the game and gifts from both teams, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. 

It's not the first time that public figures have been in the mix -- a Chicago Cubs White House visit in 2016 comes to mind -- but it just might be the first where a Relic is involved. A 29-card day also just might be a record for the real-time cardboard program.

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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 6.

The packs: 2019 Topps Now Future World Series baseball cards (two packs)
The cost: Click here

What's inside these? Keep reading ...

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Here's a look at the top five players on this week's Baseball America Top MLB Prospects Hot Sheet and their seasons so far. It's a little something to help those who might want to dabble with prospecting -- some basics on their baseball cards alongside a highlight line from those more scouting-minded. We may not do this every week, but we'll check in on BA's top crop from time to time for the remainder of the season.

1. Mario Feliciano, C, Brewers — High-A Carolina Mudcats
Baseball America’s highlight line: “Feliciano entered the year with a ton of upside, and it’s beginning to show up loudly and often. He’s loose and athletic both at the plate and behind it, and he has built on a strong May with a blistering June. In nine games this month, Feliciano has swatted five home runs (as many as he did all of last month) and is 14-for-32 overall."
CARDBOARD BASICS
Approximate card total (so far): 100
First Chrome auto: None yet
Autos to consider: Leaf's 2015 Perfect Game All-American releases
Buzz’s card take: His ink is basically limited to Perfect Game All-American releases from 2015 and a limited number of autos in 2016 Elite Extra Edition and that's it -- nothing since. Despite this, more than half of his cards are autographs, though he does have unsigned MLB cardboard. He can be found in 2016 Bowman Draft -- his only cards from Topps. In four MiLB seasons, the 20-year-old has hit .253 with 21 homers and 113 RBI in 237 games. Nothing super-flashy on the card front but he's a catcher so the number aren't necessarily a given necessity there for him to arrive. The lack of cardboard  may help drive up auction prices for those who opt to chase here.

Keep reading for the rest of the top five ...

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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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SELL NOW OR BUY FOR LATER?
The Item: Mike Trout 2019 Topps Now Future World Series (/10 Chrome set prize)
The Price: $84.95 Buy-It-Now (or best offer)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: It's a long baseball season so the recently released Topps Now Future packs (three cards) and single cards have some time to rise and fall based on pennant potential. This card is of a top name in the game and if his Los Angeles Angels somehow win the World Series it's good for a team set of Chrome parallels limited to only 10 copies. Logically, with three players per team on the standard checklist, that would mean that about three of these exist, right? Or, maybe all 10 of the eligible cards for that prize are of Trout? Either way, the rarer prize cards in this release should be rarer, too. The  three-card packs are limited in nature (just under 11,000 total) and every card inside can yield something -- team sets or team sets with an autograph. Sales of singles for some of these have been strong -- they are all worth a look. However, part of me thinks action for playoff contenders could really pick up late in the season. Do you buy or sell now? Or buy and sell later?
Similar Pieces: 2019 Topps Now Future cards on eBay
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for 2019 Topps Now Future packs

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

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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: Topps Now Future Packs, MLB breaks, NFL pulls, Pop Century signers and more in today's edition.

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Albert Pujols' place in MLB history grows with every at-bat and his place on the career RBI list is now firmly placed on cardboard, too.

Thanks to Topps Now, today's lineup updates collectors on Pujols' move into the 2,000-RBI Club on Thursday when he joined just Hank Aaron (2,297) and Alex Rodriguez (2,086) on the list.

He has both standard cards and autographed base Relics from the game up for grabs for no more than 24 hours.

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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 packs: 2019 Topps Now Future World Series baseball packs (two packs)
Where to buy: Click here (previously only offered via Topps.com)
Cards per pack: 3

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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: 2018 Donruss Optic Red & Yellow #153 Baker Mayfield (RC parallel)
The Reason Graded: I found this one in a Mega Box and it was by far the best highlight of the bunch there so that's why you see it here. Mayfield has shown himself to be a spark plug among a good rookie crop since back when I pulled it, so that's another reason. A third? This brand is one that I like more than others. The color scheme of this card, a retail-exclusive, also looked good, so I figured I'd slab it up and see how it looked when it came back. These were very pricey when they first started arriving on eBay but I'm sure they have settled down by now -- still an impressive card to me either way and I'll be tucking this one away in my stash alongside my Bowman Chrome Tom Brady RC for the simple long-term appreciation. (Mine, not financial.)
The Grade: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: At the point I submitted this one, there was at most one graded and I'm still surprised that there are so few slabbed. I also was surprised with the grade figuring I'd check in at a likely BGS 9 but I'll take it. I think high-grade copies of retail-only parallels found in certain formats could be tougher future finds than people might think.

Keep reading for the rest of this month's new grades and additions.

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Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s first big-league hit came in the bottom of the ninth inning Friday night and now we have the cardboard to prove it.

It's his first Rookie Card -- and it's available via Topps Now for just 24 hours.

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Topps Now is now in pack form -- with a predictive fantasy twist.

Topps revealed on Tuesday the Topps Now Future program, which will include packs with cards where World Series winners at season's end will mean prizes.

"This is an exciting way to follow your team all the way to the World Series," said David Leiner, Topps Global GM of Sports & Entertainment. "These exclusive cards can’t be found anywhere but on Topps.com. Topps Now continues to push the envelope with its innovations year-after-year."

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Bryce Harper donned his No. 3 Philadelphia Phillies jersey for the first time ever yesterday and today's the day for the first baseball cards reflecting that new reality.

It's thanks to Topps Now, the real-time baseball card platform from Topps, and that's where his cards will be printed to order after a 24-hour window closes over at Topps.com. The cards are $9.99 with quantity discounts available.

Harper agreed to a record-setting 13-year, $330-million contract with the Phillies on Thursday -- a deal that will lock him in place until he's 38 years old and in his 20th MLB season.

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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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HERITAGE IS HERE
The Item: Bud Selig 2019 Topps Heritage Inaugural Brew Crew Autograph
The Price: $25 after one bid (two-plus days remaining)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The first copy of this card to hit eBay comes a day before hobby boxes arrive and it's a card that sparked a number of different reactions when I mentioned it in a Pick Six for this release. This former MLB Commissioner was a key to the Seattle Pilots being moved to Milwaukee literally just days before the team took the field for the first game. This set isn't going to be the easiest to piece together and this card is arguably the most important of the bunch. It will be one to watch. I could see it push $200 but it could surprise as anything is possible early on.
Similar Pieces: Other 2019 Topps Heritage autos on eBay
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for 2019 Topps Heritage boxes

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

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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: 2019 Topps Heritage chatter, big pulls, hobby-funding strategies and more in today's edition.

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Manny Machado's first San Diego Padres baseball cards are ready already and you can get a little closer to the game via a first for the Topps Now real-time cardboard line.

That's via a piece of the news conference table cloth from his signing earlier today -- a first for Now and likely baseball card history, too -- that can be had on Relics as part of this wave of cards for Machado after he signed his 10-year, $300-million deal.

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The Alliance of American Football kicked things off for its inaugural season with a pair of games on Saturday night and two more on Sunday -- but it didn't take long for there to be a moment that lit up Twitter.

It was Shaan Washington's fumble-causing, helmet-ejecting demolition of San Diego QB Mike Bercovici.

The San Diego defender gets that exact moment on his Rookie Card as one of the first seven 2019 Topps Now AAF cards that are available now.

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Update: The gallery at the bottom will continue throughout the year.

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A new year for Topps Now WWE cardboard is here with the winners from this weekend's pay-per-views getting the first round of cardboard honors.

A lineup of 10 cards gets things going for 2019 Topps Now WWE with six cards from the Royal Rumble Sunday night and four winners from the NXT Takeover: Phoenix event from Saturday night.

Standard cards are $9.99 with discounts available for bulk purchases (as low as $79.99 for 20) or via bundles ($29.99 for the four NXT cards; $39.99 for the Rumble set). These cards are made to order once the 24-hour sales window is closed. So if 200 copies are ordered, only 200 will be made.

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Topps is taking its cardboard to the football field once again.

The Alliance of American Football will have Topps football cards ready in time for its opening weekend -- early next month -- and it will be initially via the Topps Now platform and then in packs in March.

“We’re excited to collaborate with The Alliance of American Football,” said David Leiner, Topps' GM of Global Sports and Entertainment. “Topps is a storied company that takes pride in its heritage and innovation. The Alliance is melding high quality football and innovation, making them a perfect partner for Topps.”

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Consider this the famous yellow-lettered Star Wars opening crawl ... but with cardboard.

Topps revealed the Topps Star Wars Galactic Moments set on Thursday, announcing that it will be a year-long card march to Star Wars: Episode IX arriving on Dec. 20, 2019. (The film doesn't even have a formal title yet -- and a teaser trailer is coming any time now ... right?)

Each week, there will be three new cards showcasing key moments in the history of the franchise and they'll be found on Topps.com. They'll be printed to order and will only be available for seven days.

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The Topps All-Star Rookie Cup cards are coming sooner than in the past -- they're coming Now.

Well, actually this week via Topps Now as the crop of 12 top newcomers on the 2018 Topps All-Star Rookie Team was revealed minutes ago on MLB Network.

Each of the honored players also will appear on cards with their trophies in 2019 Topps Series 1, which is set to arrive on Jan. 30.

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Baseball cards are big business and it's been that way for a long, long time -- but CNBC and its Squawk Box morning show recently took a look at Topps leading into the World Series.

David Leiner, Topps' VP/GM for Global Sports & Entertainment, was in their studio for a chat that revealed how baseball cards have evolved to a new level of interest and excitement and offered at least one statistic that might be of interest to the most-dedicated collecting-minded people.

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The Boston Red Sox are your World Series champions -- and the second wave baseball cards to prove it is here less than 24 hours after the first

Both are thanks to Topps Now, the real-time card platform of Topps, which offered the first three sets of commemorative cards early this morning as the Sox took down the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5.

Autographs from Game 5 starter David Price and closer Chris Sale lead things off -- together -- along with another appearance from MVP Steve Pearce and then game-used base Relics.

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The Boston Red Sox are your World Series champions -- and the baseball cards to prove it are already available.

That's thanks to Topps Now, the real-time card platform of Topps, and there are three versions of this first set for Boston fans to get their hands on.

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Topps Now fans will have to buy big to complete the latest set.

It's the MLB Players Weekend Relics set and there are 26 different players whose jerseys made the cut in an offering good for just 20 days or until they sell out.

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Boxing fans have a new place to look for new cardboard -- Topps Now.

Topps launched its first five cards for its 2018 Showtime Championship Boxing Topps Now set on Friday afternoon and they'll be active for just 24 hours in advance of a fight between Danny "Swift" Garcia and "Showtime" Shawn Porter set for Saturday.

Each of them will share a base card and appear on a pair of Relics.

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