What: 2023 Wild Card Draft Alumination football cards
Arrives: May 26
Box basics: Six encased autos per six-pack box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Wild Card revamps this line into an autograph-only release where the packs inside the box indicate scarcity and only an elite group of players appears on rarer insert autographs worked into the mix.

Keep reading for more info and a gallery of images.

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What: 2023 Wild Card Auto Mania Baseball Rookie & Prospect Edition
Arrives: April 21
Box basics: Eight encased autographed cards per serial-numbered box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Wild Card turns its Auto Mania attention to baseball for this one with every card encased and every card autographed.

Keep reading for more info and a gallery of images.

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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 ...

BAD IN BLACK!
The Card: Julio Rodriguez 2022 Topps Allen & Ginter X
The Reason Graded: I ripped a pair of these boxes and haven't even sniffed at the regular stuff -- a first for me in its run since 2006 when I used to clear everything I saw on every shelf -- but instead I opted to grade a couple of key pulls from this and other postseason releases with notable newcomers in play. Why this one? It just looked perfect even vs. others I pulled -- and since I only pulled one and have really no plans at this moment to even dabble with regular Ginter I put it into my bulk sub.
The Grade: CSG 10

Reality Check: CSG may have a flub in its system as this didn't even show in the pop report (perhaps it was tagged as a regular card) but I'll present it here* with what I know ... and that's that I know at least this one exists. He's the face of 2023 Topps, so he's on the minds of a few fans right now -- and that's why he's batting lead-off despite this pop report anomaly.

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

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What: 2023 Wild Card Five Card Draw baseball cards
Arrives: March 10
Box basics: Five encased autographed cards per box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Wild Card applies its Five Card approach to baseball prospects with another numbers-based presentation for autographs with a 1/1 in every single box and every card in the release limited to no more than five copies.

Keep reading for more info and a gallery of images.

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What: 2022 Wild Card Auto Mania Pro-Look Football Edition
Arrives: Feb. 8, 2023
Box basics: Four encased autographed cards per box (24 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Wild Card's Auto Mania brand gets a Pro-Look Edition that still pack an autograph in every pack and a deep checklist in a smaller box that was intended for retail but will be sold via hobby channels.

Keep reading for more info and a gallery of images.

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On Draft Day he was "Mr. Irrelevant" -- the last guy that mattered and a bit of a punchline -- but today he's perhaps the NFL's new star on cardboard.

He's San Francisco 49ers rookie quarterback Brock Purdy and after his first career playoff game -- a 41-23 rout of the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday -- he's on the collecting radar even more. He's the lowest-drafted rookie QB to start a playoff game, win one -- something only three rookie non-first-rounders have done -- and that unlikely win is propelling interest in his already popular and relatively scarce overall volume of cards.

Why do we say that? While first-round quarterback Kenny Pickett appears on more than 3,600 different football cards so far, Purdy is at around 400 unique cards from Panini America, Wild Card, Leaf Trading Cards and others in 2022 packed out releases and online-exclusive singles releases. The good news? Almost 300 of those cards are the type that matter most to collectors -- autographs.

It's this overall scarcity that could propel his best cards into the stratosphere if the 49ers make a run this year but also help their values in the future if they come up short -- there's simply far less for collectors to grab vs. other high-profile rookies in 2022 releases. On Friday, the 2022 Panini Certified Mirror Gold Black autograph you see above sold as a PSA 10 on eBay for $22,500 -- and it's not alone being an in-demand card with potential.

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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 finds and some from throughout last year.

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LEADING OFF WITH A BARGAIN ... 
The Item: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. autographed 2019 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby 8-by-1o photo (Topps Authentics)
The Price: Around $80 (regularly $130)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This autograph is one I've never bothered with on cardboard mostly for how it typically looks (it's not the greatest sig) but also because the stock-pilers have stayed busy grabbing them up as he's one of MLB's better young hitters today and he's not cheap. I landed this with a sale combined with some discount certificates on one of the sites that Fanatics populates and went here since that price was strong and the image isn't bad -- it's from his dominating Derby showing where he didn't win but wowed many. This was cheaper than most if not all autos from where I typically buy most often ... and those were sticker autos. I'll probably go this route for ink of notables (or singles in some instances) vs. ripping to chase 'em with pack prices these days. Pro tip: Just because a box is old doesn't mean the autographs just vanish ... hunt him from 2016 prospect stuff forward and Rookie Cards/ink in 2019 forward.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one but MLB cards are here.

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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What: 2022 Wild Card Auto Mania Football Edition football cards
Arrives: Dec. 30
Box basics: Eight encased autographed cards per serial-numbered box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Wild Card's final release of 2022 is one that continues with its autograph in every pack approach and with plenty of color and flash, too.

Keep reading for more info and a gallery of images.

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The luck of the draw still comes into play with the new Wild Card release -- but every box has a sure shot at rare stuff.

In fact, every pack of the newly released 2022 Wild Card Five Card Draw football cards has a rarer autograph inside and every box includes a pack with a 1/1 auto in it, giving you a surer shot at rarities for guys who are already competing on the biggest stage.

Thanks to an early batch of promo boxes sold to collectors in advance of this new arrival (live today at link above), there are also some strong sales of cards to see already. The leader in the eBay Completed Sales Clubhouse -- so far -- is the Breece Hall 1/1 auto above that sold for $415 after 37 bids. It's not alone, either, with a dozen early sales over $100 and another 16 over $50 ... from boxes that include five hits and are opening with modest prices.

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What: 2022 Wild Card Five Card Draw football cards
Arrives: Oct. 21
Box basics: Five encased autographed cards per box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Wild Card's next release takes on a very numbers-based presentation for football stars' autographs with five serial-numbered cards inside numbered packs that add some certainty to the chase. Every case and every box is numbered, too.

Keep reading for more info and a gallery of images.

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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 pack: 2022 Wild Card MATTE SP Exclusive (multi-sport)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for other MATTE releases)

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

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What: 2022 Wild Card Matte basketball cards
Arrives: Aug. 19
Box basics: Four numbered autographs per six-pack box (24 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Wild Card returns for another season on the court with its Matte release that includes plenty of parallels for nearly 30 first-round draft picks and again has two colors of boxes that include unique chases.

Keep reading for more info and a gallery of images.

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The NBA Draft is over and thanks to new NCAA NIL rules collectors already have cards that they can chase in packs.

You can find cards for more than a dozen new picks -- including eight first-rounders -- in the 2021-22 Wild Card Alumination set that has its retail presence out now and its hobby boxes to come very soon.

Auburn's Jabari Smith, who went to Houston with the third pick, is in there. Joining him is Wisconsin's Johnny Davis who is headed to the Wizards after they took him 10th and Duke's A.J. Griffin who went to the Hawks with the 16th pick.

And they're not alone.

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What: 2022 Wild Card Matte football cards
Arrives: June 30
Box basics: Four autographs per six-pack hobby mega box (24 boxes per case -- 12 Gold, 12 Silver)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Wild Card returns for another season with its Matte release that splits the color options right down the middle with different chase inclusions in each.

Keep reading for more info and a gallery of images.

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What: 2022 Wild Card Alumination Basketball Edition
Arrives: July 29
Box basics: Four autos per four-pack box (12 boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Wild Card hits the hardwood with 80 prospects on its checklist with possible No. 1 draft pick Jabari Smith II among them as well as players who are in here under the new NCAA NIL rules.

Keep reading for more info and a gallery of images.

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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: 2021 Wild Card Alumination football cards (retail hanger)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Keep reading to see a full breakdown and gallery of everything that was in this one.

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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: 2021 Wild Card Alumination football cards (retail hanger)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Keep reading to see a full breakdown and gallery of everything that was in this one.

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What: 2021 Wild Card Alumination Collegiate Edition football cards
Arrives: Jan. 19
Box basics: Eight autos per four-pack box (12 boxes per case)
Checklist (and more details): Click here
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Wild Card turns its attention to the college ranks with an ink-loaded, limited-release product that's loaded with color as well as notable stars who are eligible for cardboard now under the NCAA's new NIL rules.

Keep reading for more info and a gallery of images.

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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: Heisman chatter, NFL talk, showing off Tiger Woods cards, talking vintage, changing tastes and more.

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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: 2021 Wild Card Matte White football cards (retail hanger)
First Buzz preview: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for a few formats)

Keep reading to see a full breakdown and gallery of everything that was in this one.

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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: 2021 Wild Card Matte Black football cards (retail hanger)
First Buzz preview: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for a few formats)

Keep reading to see a full breakdown and gallery of everything that was in this one.

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The comeback includes a throwback at The National this year.

Wild Card revealed its wrapper redemption plans on Wednesday for this year's National Sports Collectors Convention that starts one week from now in Chicago.

It includes its newest release and a nod back to the set that started it all in 1991 -- and only 500 30th Anniversary Retro Boxes will be available at the show.

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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: Big pulls, new breaks, a grading rant, MLB chatter, The National and more.

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We're just 40 days away from the start of the 41st National Sports Collectors Convention and there are some new details to show that the event will be a little different when things kick off at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill., on July 28.

The map for the corporate pavilion was revealed on Friday with some new additions to the row to know. Wild Card will be there as an exhibitor with new cardboard, for example, while Hybrid Grading Approach and Pro-Mold will add a new presence in the grading and supplies realms. Noticeably absent from the area? Upper Deck will not have a booth there -- a move that should impact the lineup of wrapper redemption programs for collectors to partake in while at the show.

Blowout Cards will be at the center of it all, though, nestled between Panini America, Leaf Trading Cards and Fanatics at the show -- Booth No. 854 as seen above -- with releases eligible for all wrapper redemptions available for the duration of the event.

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What: 2021 Wild Card Matte football cards (mega box)
Arrives: Sept. 22
Box basics: Eight six-pack cards per box (24 boxes per case via two inners -- half black, half white)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Wild Card's Matte release gets what looks like a more-affordable hits-free version that's loaded with exclusives and continues the dual-box (black or white) approach. There's still a ton of rare cards to chase, though, via Chase Packs mixed into this release.

Keep reading for more info and a gallery of images.

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