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: Super pulls, Bowman University and lawsuit reactions, a Topps Vault question and are UFC cards heading back to Fanatics sooner than later?

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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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END OF AN ERA
The Item: Sasha Banks autographed 11-by-14 photo (BAS Witnessed)
The Price: $60
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: She's back in the ring but not in WWE -- and she's known as Mercedes Moné now -- and those are reasons why it looks like an industry mega-dealer that did a witnessed signing is moving these at a bit lower than they might normally be over on WWE Shop. (Since she's not with WWE, they can't be sold there now.) I have her auto on a number of cards and she's typically a pricier sig, but I couldn't pass on this striking kind of photo with its size and big, bold sig. I suspect she'll be back at some point and she'll still be high-profile elsewhere, though, and all that starts later this month with her first match in New Japan Pro Wrestling. If her other past ink dips more, I'll be looking.
Grab a box right here: Click here for WWE boxes

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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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A STRATUSFACTORY ADDITION 
The Card: Trish Stratus 2014 Topps WWE Road to WrestleMania Trish Stratus Pants Relic
The Price: Less than a typical low-end hobby box
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This WWE Hall of Famer got her own tribute set in this Topps release and part of the project also included a small batch of jumbo memorabilia cards that, unlike most Topps WWE stuff, wasn't loaded with pieces of shirts or mat pieces. Instead, these jumbos were massive swatches of some match-worn pants from the multi-time champ and they're also seen on the cards themselves in at least one instance. (This one.) These weren't impossible pulls back then -- I just never found one and they were pricey for Relics -- but I latched onto one when it surfaced to have it in my stash almost a decade later. With so many new boxes being pricey or less enticing at times because of that in all sports, I've found myself being more selective and playing the waiting game on some ... and buying up selected singles perhaps for more than I typically do. Though at the same time, the markets are starting to feel a little more normal here and there. This is an example of that.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... find WWE boxes here.

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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 ... a mix of recent grabs and some older stuff, too.

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A SURPRISING SEASON
The Cards: Spencer Strider 2022 Topps Living Set (five-pack)
The Price: Bundle price via Topps.com
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The defending World Series champs didn't have the finish they'd hoped for this year, but one big highlight this season was the arrival of this rookie seemingly out of nowhere. Strider flashed record-setting potential for strikeouts when on the mound as he went 11-5 this season with a 2.69 ERA and 202 strikeouts in 172 innings He reached 200 Ks in 130 innings -- an MLB record held by Hall of Famer Randy Johnson -- and he had 16 Ks in a single game to break the team record. The year also got him a new contract that will keep him in Atlanta along with a number of other young stars for several years. Strider had RCs in this year's stuff since early on but should have more to come in the later releases that have been delayed. I grabbed this pack with an eye on grading with mixed results -- one had big, nasty surface issues, two having unusual and not-good surface problems and then two that are yes/maybe for slabbing. One is in CSG's hands as I type this.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... but MLB boxes are here.

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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 Buzz goes a little high-end (for him).

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BUZZ FELT RICH ... 
The Card: Mercedes Varnado (aka Sasha Banks) 2021 Topps Star Wars Stellar Signatures autograph (/40)
The Price: Less than anybody else (so far)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is one of those rarer (but not non-existent) times where Buzz paid up for a single card from a new release. Why? It's so premium-priced that single cards are the only way I'll see it -- and this time I'm not alone. It comes from the loaded Stellar Signatures release where only 100 boxes were made with all of them including ink from everybody who's signing for Topps every time. This is Varnado's first Star Wars autograph card and it comes from her role in The Mandalorian, so I figured I'd go there if they dipped enough ... and they did ... at least around the time I grabbed this. They do seem to be drying up, though, even in the weeks since I found mine with the cheapest as I write this being a $499 ask on eBay (for a parallel) with other copies of this base card even higher. This auto (vs. her Banks auto, which I have many copies of) is a lot simpler and the one private signing she did for Star Wars before these -- where they are at least $150 per photo depending on sizes -- showed her sig quality being all over the place. So, with that in mind, I went the card route as a sure thing. This one is clean -- though some cards in this release aren't as crisp -- so I was fine going there. Varnado has had just two other Star Wars autos arrive in the newest Signature Series release but those are stickers ... so I'll wait and see how prices shake out on more. I may not do a ton of them as it's a simple sig, but I knew I needed at least one in my stash and started with the best brand in the land.
Grab a box right here: 2021 Topps Star Wars Stellar Signatures

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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: New NBA and NFL pulls, Topps Vault, Project70 and more in today's edition.

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This one is a quick idea for a new department here on The Buzz ... Fast Five -- a quick list under a simple topic that might offer a basic starting point for a themed collection. It's a basic list of five items that could be fun for a starting collector or a new way to add to a stash that might already seemingly include everything when it comes to cardboard. For some of you, it's probably common sense. For others of you out there, it's something to think about.

This time? Five MLB items fans should own ... or beginners could use.

SOMETHING DIRTY...
Game-used and fully authenticated MLB dirt is seemingly everywhere and it's often not expensive at all -- yet I'd bet a lot of collectors who consider their stashes to be on the "serious" side don't have anything dirty in them at all. Dirt Relics have been in play in a few brands in the past with one of them being 2019 Topps Opening Day as you can see here. You can find sealed miniature bottles of MLB authenticated dirt from team sites on MLB.com, framed displays that include small capsules embedded into them and, yes, some baseball cards. Heck, I've even seen dirt loaded into writing pens tied to teams. Most of these items aren't aren't that expensive and you can pretty much collect authenticated dirt from all stadiums or even key events like World Series or All-Star Games if you hunt online. (MLB is big on dirt and using it.) You easily can start a small mystery box for your team's fan with something like this and add to it ... keep reading.

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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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ZION HITS PACKS ... AT THE NATIONAL
The Item: Zion Williamson 2019 Panini National Rainbow Spokes parallel (/50) BGS 9.5
The Price: $1,499.99 Buy-It-Now (or best offer)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The NBA's No. 1 draft pick has officially hit packs via the promos that Panini America made for the just-ended National Sports Collectors Convention and its Panini VIP Party on Saturday night. While we haven't seen any ink in wrappers just yet, these promo packs will be the only place to find him until the first 2019-20 draft picks and NBA sets arrive later this year. This is one of a few cards that was graded at the show -- and it won't be the last Williamson cardboard to end up slabbed. There will be many to come ... it's just a matter of when and where, especially when it comes to autographs.
Similar Pieces: Zion Williamson Panini cards on eBay
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for the promo packs section 

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

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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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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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ONE SUPER PULL
The Item: Ronald Acuña Jr. 2018 Topps Chrome Superfractor autograph
The Price: $3,050 after 19 bids (more than five days remaining)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is one of the biggest cards possible in this year's Rookie Card parallel lineup without the name Ohtani attached -- and even with that this should be one of the bigs -- and this one is on the auction block as an auction via an eBay seller with a heavy buyer list and a huge presence. How big will this card go? We'll find out in a few days -- and it was big enough my plans to not have an eBay Buzz this week hit the bench in favor of this Friday-night edition.
Similar Pieces: Other Ronald Acuña Jr. autos on eBay
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for 2018 MLB boxes

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

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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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BIG DEMAND FOR UNSIGNED EARLY RARITIES?
The Item: Drew Brees 2000 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity parallel XRC (/30) BGS 8.5
The Price: $4,960 Buy-It-Now (or best offer)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The NFL's new all-time passing yards leader is here and his key first autos have some insane asking prices (see link below) but there are a few other cards that can be surprising out there, too. Why? They're low-volume and the wax is nowhere to be found now -- and there's that Tom Brady guy not helping in 2000 -- but this one is even more complicated. It's a card that was issued via redemption and this one is an interesting card as it's from the year before Brees' Rookie Cards -- and it's a foilboard parallel (hence that scan) limited to only 30 copies. That asking price seems lofty but only four of the 30 have been slabbed by BGS and only one has graded higher (a BGS 9). You won't find one graded higher and you may not find one at all otherwise ... so, is it worth the big price tag? Maybe if you're a diehard Brees fan who hasn't found one yet or if you think there's big potential in other rarities from this era that could appreciate big in the future. (Remember, there's no back stock of volume boxes walking through that door for new cars to be found unlike the being-revisited boxes of the 1980s and 1990s that can still be found easily. And, again, this one is a redemption.) Buzz actually owns one of the three other cards so seeing this one out there at that price was a shocker -- I'm definitely going to keep my eyes on this one.
Similar Pieces: Other Drew Brees autos on eBay
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for NFL boxes

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One of the challenges of collecting once you reach a certain level (either in years or cards) is how to keep yourself engaged in a hobby that can be full of obstacles.

Cost can be an obstacle. A limited number of releases including your player or team -- or scarcity of cards within those releases that are made -- can be an obstacle. A player retiring can be an obstacle. These aren't the only ones, either.

Once you have a certain number of cards for a player or a team, though, maybe it's time to consider adding to your collection in a few simple ways that are already around you. They can be just as challenging as cards, too.

Here are a few options ...

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Ken Griffey Jr. is one of baseball's all-time greats and an icon -- the Mickey Mantle of the late-thirty somethings who grew up with the new wave of baseball cards that began with his arrival in 1989.

He's got 630 homers -- sixth on the all-time list -- and more accolades than than most fans will ever know. But there's one thing that a lot of fans may not know.

Just like his dad, his first game is George.

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Nolan Ryan is baseball's strikeout king and one of the safest and most-collectable players in the hobby today.

But back when Topps was putting together its 1968 baseball card set, he was just a rookie pitcher for the New York Mets -- a guy who was famously forced to share his Rookie Card with a teammate, Jerry Koosman.

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