Willie Mays
Auction Buzz: Autographs and more up for grabs via Block
Sometimes, you just have to know where to look.
A long-time Detroit-area collector's treasures -- a mix of in-person autographs and pick-ups from the 1980s and early 1990s that were part of a private "sports museum" -- are all up for grabs right now in the Block Auction House "Autographed Sports Memorabilia Auction: Icons of Baseball, Football, Basketball & More."
The selection of 450 lots from the Ferndale, Mich.-based company is live for the next six days. It includes a number of autographs from the Score Board days and many other signing sessions in the years before Upper Deck Authenticated and other companies arrived with stickered/databased sigs. Some top items do have BAS Signature Review and some have UDA stickering, though the collection as a whole might make for some bargain shopping/flipping if buyers later get pieces full third-party authentication. (A number of these lots are simply Score Board pieces where the certificate is no longer a companion to the item.)
Keep reading for a gallery of a few pieces that are live now.
First Buzz: 2025 Leaf Spectacular baseball cards
What: 2025 Leaf Spectacular baseball cards
Arrives: Nov. 28
Box basics: Five "premium hits" and one base card per box (three boxes per case)
Order: Click hereWhat's buzz-worthy: A new line in the Leaf Trading Cards lineup promises to pack out some of the biggest names in baseball history with legendary booklets, plenty of ink and a lot of memorabilia showcasing past and present stars.
Keep reading for more.
First Buzz: 2025 Topps Tier One baseball cards
What: 2025 Topps Tier One baseball cards
Arrives: Sept. 17
Box basics: Two autos and one Relic per four-card box (12 boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here
Odds: Click here
Order: Click here (live soon)What's buzz-worthy: A new year of Tier One arrives soon with "no fluff, just hits" -- and with one base card in there each time, too, as it delivers "serious weight" as part of what Topps says is "a high-end dive into the heart of the hobby."
Keep reading for more as well as a gallery of images.
Buzz Break: 2025 Topps Series 2 baseball cards (hanger)
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 Topps Series 2 baseball cards (hanger)
First Buzz preview & checklist/odds: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (a few formats)
Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery of what was in this one.
Baseball America commemorates Ichiro Suzuki's historic career
Simply put, this one is all about the best of the best.
Baseball's global icon and living legend Ichiro Suzuki takes his spot in the National Baseball Hall of Fame later this month in Cooperstown, N.Y., and just one piece of all that's to come with his history-making day is Baseball America's special issue that's precision-crafted with a little bit of everything inside when it comes to Japan's greatest player and an icon among the elite in MLB history.
The Ichiro Baseball America Hall of Fame Commemorative is 50 pages of full-bleed retrospective splendor that showcases all of the memorable moments, rarely seen photographs, historic analysis, other memories and stories from yesteryear, thoughts from opposing pitchers and, of course, it's even got some baseball cards inside.
First Buzz: 2025 Leaf History Book Sports Edition Chapter 2
What: 2025 Leaf History Book Sports Edition Chapter 2 sports cards
Arrives: Sept. 29
Box basics: Two "premium" booklet cards per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click hereWhat's buzz-worthy: Leaf offers up a second chapter for one of its newest high-end multi-sport brands -- a mix of multi-player autograph and memorabilia groupings from around the sports world all in one spot -- and it's once again nothing but booklet cards.
Keep reading for more info and a full gallery of images.
First Buzz: 2025 Onyx Preferred Players Baseball Collection
What: 2025 Onyx Preferred Players Baseball Collection autographed baseballs
Arrives: June 13
Box basics: One signed baseball per box (three boxes per case; 12 boxes per master case)
Final player checklist: TBD
Order: Click hereWhat's buzz-worthy: This MLBPA-approved product hits the diamond once again with some big surprises in store and a roster of young names who are in demand as well as legends of the game.
Keep reading for more info and a checklist.
First Buzz: 2025 Leaf Pearl Multi-sport cards
What: 2025 Leaf Pearl Multi-sport cards
Arrives: August
Box basics: 11 premium cards per box (two boxes per case)
Order: Click hereWhat's buzz-worthy: Leaf's high-end celebration of sport in seemingly every direction arrives for a new edition with some monster 16-auto booklets, a rare cut auto in every box and some of the biggest names in all the games found together right here.
Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.
First Buzz: 2025 Leaf Lumber baseball cards
What: 2025 Leaf Lumber baseball cards
Arrives: August
Box basics: Four premium hits (at least one autograph) per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click hereWhat's buzz-worthy: Leaf's bats-focused brand arrives with some of the biggest and most-outrageous booklet cards in baseball card history with members of the 3,000 Hit Club, 500 Home Run Club and more inside some of them -- and not just their bat pieces, either.
Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.
First Buzz: 2025 TRISTAR HT Autographed Baseball Photos
What: 2025 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Autographed Baseball Photos
Arrives: July 30
Box basics: One autographed photo per pack (15 packs per display)
Order: Click hereWhat's buzz-worthy: TRISTAR's autographed mystery memorabilia line offers up a round of signed baseball photos with some big chases in the mix, too, for this release timed to arrive at this year's National Sports Collectors Convention.
First Buzz: 2025 Historic Autographs Uniques Cut Signatures
What: 2025 Historic Autographs Uniques Cut Signature Edition trading cards
Arrives: April 24
Box basics: Two encased 1/1 cut autographs per box (16 boxes per case)
Order: Click hereWhat's buzz-worthy: Historic Autographs brings nothing but ink of the cut variety in this one every time ... and there will sometimes be more to find inside its cards, too.
Keep reading for more information.
First Buzz: 2024 Panini Flawless baseball cards
What: 2024 Panini Flawless baseball cards
Arrives: April 30, 2025
Box basics: Eight autograph or memorabilia cards and two gem cards per 10-card box (two boxes per case)
Order: Click hereWhat's buzz-worthy: Flawless once again hits the diamond with a new batch of high-end finds for superstars of the past as well as prospects and selected young stars of the present all in one spot.
Keep reading for more info and a full gallery of images released so far.
First Buzz: 2024 Panini Select baseball (updated)
What: 2024 Panini Select baseball cards
Arrives: March 21, 2025
Box basics: Two autographs and one memorabilia card per 12-pack hobby box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click hereWhat's buzz-worthy: Select hits the diamond once again with some legendary signers in the mix as well as plenty of star power from today in both selected veterans and promising prospects.
Keep reading for a gallery and more info.
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on Blowout Forums (Feb. 24)
What's Buzzing: New pulls, a 2025 Topps surprise, Topps Clear parallels, an old food issue set and more in this Monday edition.
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1 -- "Decent" pull ...
2 -- Talking Topps Clear parallels
3 -- A look at an old food issue baseball set
4 -- Still legit
5 -- A 2025 Topps seeding surprise in here
6 -- An interesting move--
Have you spotted a hot thread? Tell us about it in a comment or on Twitter.
Follow BlowoutBuzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz.
First Buzz: 2024 Panini Three & Two baseball cards
What: 2024 Panini Three & Two baseball cards
Arrives: Feb. 12, 2025
Box basics: One autographed card and one slabbed memorabilia card per five-card box (10 boxes per case) + same for FOTL with exclusive parallels there
Order: Click here (live soon)
What's buzz-worthy: The third release for this brand delivers young stars and all-time greats all in one premium spot.
Keep reading for more as well as a full gallery of images.
Buzz Buys (Jan.): Caitlin Clark, college stars, Mariah Carey, vintage greats, Shotzi, iconic boxers, J. Jonah Jameson & 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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ICONIC ARRIVAL
The Cards: Caitlin Clark 2024 Panini Instant WNBA (All-Rookie Team) -- Rookie Card (/26,980)
The Price: Whatever a 10-pack cost was from Panini
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: There's no doubt that Clark owned the WNBA in her rookie year and for most of this year her only pro cardboard came via Instant ... but I passed. Why? I figured I'd wait and see what popped up that I liked in packs -- and then when I opened one of her college career boxes I found interesting stuff but not cards all that slab-worthy with the details for cutting and printing. (Too messy for the risk to me.) As an easy slabbing decision, I grabbed a 10-pack of this card within hours of its arrival online. Why? It's clean and simple -- iconic -- and I knew that I'd want one or two of these in a slab with a high mark. How does that happen? Well, you have to have a few to pick from -- to eliminate obvious flaws like centering or corners -- and in this case three of my 10 might get sent in. The rest were too off-centered for my taste. There were plenty of these made so there's no rush, but it'll happen at some point in 2025.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but WNBA cards are here.Keep reading for more interesting items ...
Buzz Buys (Dec.): Dogpool, Tiffy Time, Crimson Tide icons, Gritty, match-used memorabilia, Santa, Tua, Shotzi & 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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IT'S POGPOOL!
The Books: Deadpool No. 5 (2024) -- Dogpool from Deadpool & Wolverine variant
The Price: About $13 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This pair of books came in and went right back out to CGC for slabbing within hours. I may or may not land 9.8s ... but I don't care. I simply needed that movie star in a gimmick slab and I opted to send both as they were clean but perhaps not perfect ... just like Dogpool. Well, they're closer to perfect than Dogpool, but ... I'll have more to say when I get the slabs back. There are a lot of Dogpool books from the past -- and I've noted two previous pick-ups in this series (including his debut) -- but this one is most-tied to the hit movie. If there are more movie covers like this coming -- or they already exist -- they'll get a look from me. In fact, I need to go look after I finish this.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but non-sports cards are here.Keep reading for more interesting items ...
First Buzz: 2024 Topps Luminaries baseball cards
What: 2024 Topps Luminaries baseball cards
Arrives: Jan. 3, 2025
Box basics: One encased autograph or autographed Relic card per box (six boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here
Odds: Click here
Order: Click here (live soon)What's buzz-worthy: This high-end line returns for an eighth time with every card a hit as it celebrates stars from the past and present via traditional autos/Relics and booklet cards.
Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.
First Buzz: 2024 Onyx Rips Baseball Collection baseball cards
What: 2024 Onyx Rips Baseball Collection baseball cards
Arrives: Nov. 29
Box basics: Five autos per 16-pack box (six boxes per case)
Checklist: See below
Order: Click hereWhat's buzz-worthy: Onyx ends the year with a new line that includes base cards, autographs of NIL standouts, current prospects as well as recent stars and Hall of Famers -- and also cut signatures for a number of legends from the past.
Keep reading for more info and a gallery of images.
Making the Grade (Nov.): Air Jordan, The Joker, Sadaharu Oh, Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Coach Prime, Shotzi & more
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 AIR UP THERE ...
The Card: Michael Jordan 2009 Goodwin Champions
The Reason Graded: This is one I pulled from a pack of this Ginter-style rival throwback brand back when it arrived, and it's got an obviously appropriate background for Air Jordan. It's that simple touch (and it being a dunk shot) that makes this card -- in all its versions -- in some demand. This one had been in my "maybe grade" pile for literally years and I finally worked it into a bulk sub since the NBA season is here.
The Grade: CGC 10Grade 5.5 6 6.5 7 7.5 8 8.5 9 9.5 10 P10 Total Population 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 5 2 8 0 18 Reality Check: It checked in higher than I had expected, though I tend to punt cards where the centering is just slightly off ... but those can still land a 10 like this one did. Ultimately I was good with any mark as, for me, this is more of a novelty slab -- about the only Jordan collecting I do is his baseball stuff. Interestingly, most copies of this card have checked in here -- that's surprising to me -- but with that overall volume still low that could change easily with time.
Keep reading for more of this month's pick-ups and new slabs for Buzz.
First Buzz: 2024 Leaf Ultimate Sports trading cards
What: 2024 Leaf Ultimate Sports
Arrives: Nov. 29
Box basics: Three hits per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click hereWhat's buzz-worthy: This one arrives with "one of the most-expansive multi-sport checklists in hobby history" that touched on many icons from around the globe.
Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.
First Buzz: 2024 Panini Impeccable baseball cards
What: 2024 Panini Impeccable baseball cards
Arrives: Oct. 25
Box basics: Five autographs per nine-card box (three boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)What's buzz-worthy: Impeccable hits the diamond for the first time with Hall of Famers, promising prospects and recently arriving MLB stars all in play as part of a higher-end package.
Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on Blowout Forums (June 21)
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 pulls, Willie Mays reactions continue, The National, Wemby shows out in Optic, new pulls and more.
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on Blowout Forums (June 19)
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: Collectors react to the Willie Mays news, new pulls, The National, rare cards and more.
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on Blowout Forums (June 18)
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: Celtics win it all, WWE takes a long-awaited alternate-reality twist, Fun Face, Paul Skenes, The National and more.