Mystery Box Buzz Break is a new series here on The Buzz -- it's essentially a Buzz Break but only for "mystery boxes" that seem to be everywhere these days -- and not just in the sports realm. Like this and want to see more? Is there a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The mystery box: High Spots Virtual Gimmick Table -- Autographed Funko Pop! mystery box
Where to buy: Via High Spots (on a weekly live stream) ... find new wrestling cards at BlowoutCards.com

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

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What's Buzzing: Joe Jackson hits the Living Set, NFL Week 10, new pulls, inside a case of Panini Combat Anthology, ripping high-end NASCAR and ... four autos in a single Bowman Chrome bonus pack?

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1 -- Shoeless Joe has 'em talking ... 

2 -- NFL Week 10 chatter

3 -- Four autos in one bonus pack ... 

4 -- Check out new football pulls

5 -- Inside a case of Panini Combat cardboard 

6 -- Ripping into some high-end NASCAR

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Have you spotted a hot thread? Tell us about it in a comment or on Twitter.

Follow BlowoutBuzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz.

This new department will be an occasional series that will take a quick look at a game or gaming release with card elements -- essentially a breakdown of what's in a box, but not the typical kind of a Buzz Break. (Buzz isn't a gamer so this will just be what's in a box vs. gameplay analysis.) Maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

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The Game: 2001 Cardinal WWF Attitude In Review Game (third edition) ... aka 2001 Cardinal WWF
Where to buy: Will take some looking ... BlowoutCards.com for other gaming -- or for traditional wrestling cards

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery from this one.

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Here's this month's roundup of items that have recently caught my eye as a buyer ...

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BOOK IT, BARRYMORE!
The Card: Drew Barrymore 2024 Leaf History Book Pop Culture Edition Chapter 1 A-List Magazine Purple Autographs (/10)
The Price: A lot less than some others have paid for her booklets
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I'm not a big fan of how her abbreviated autograph looks on a sticker -- but since she has a long name I understand why she signs that way -- but I do casually collect some of her stuff, mostly 1990s-on (like in this photo), when it presents itself. Why? Just for something different ... so that's why we're here. Until Leaf's recent signing sessions with her, she's never had a certified autograph despite a lifetime on film and on cardboard since the early 1980s starting with Topps' E.T. set. Rather than obsess about her ink, I waited out a good price on this booklet and crossed it off the list. It's an unusual design -- not the typical kind of book -- but prices on her signed stuff have been steep with a lot of them being lower-volume cards. Many of her autos -- even solo ones -- can sell for $100 and up and combo booklets can be even steeper. I found this for less than that ... so it was a win for me.
Grab a box right here: Non-sports cards are here.

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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What's Buzzing: Dodgers win the World Series, NFL chatter and more in this Sunday edition.

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1 -- Dodgers win the World Series

2 -- NFL Week 9 chatter

3 -- Talking NFL trade deadline

4 -- Looking at the World Series MVP

5 -- Reactions to a Saturday night of WWE

6 -- MLB lockout chatter

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Have you spotted a hot thread? Tell us about it in a comment or on Twitter.

Follow BlowoutBuzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz.

Like many collectors, Buzz is a fan of grading ... so here's this month's grading diary.

MY LONE AUTO ...
The Card: Aaron Judge 2015 Bowman Inception Prospect Autographs Gold (/50)
The Reason Graded: Back when I could open a lot of boxes, I'd actually also do some group breaks as well -- as long as they were sure things where an affordable spot would guarantee a hit or had a volume of actual hits inside (auto or mem cards) the case that was high enough to make the odds close to that. This is my lone Aaron Judge auto left from back in those days. I landed it in a spot somewhere around just $60 -- and I actually got two other Yankees autos in the break to make my cost for this particular card even lower. I only ever pulled one other Judge auto and I think I let it go in a trade long, long ago so this last one standing for me was always a candidate for grading -- and it finally made the cut with his monster year.
The Grade: CGC 8.5 (10 auto)

Reality Check: The thick stock here made this one feel like a safe pick and it is -- the front is perfect -- but the back corners also count and some light fuzzing there is likely what dropped this one down. Otherwise, it definitely presents as a crisp card and a perfect card on the front. I was aiming for a nine, so this mark was a slight bummer -- but it's still a big card. Mine is the only Gold graded by CGC and among the 12 graded in all colors nothing checks in higher than a nine.

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

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Mystery Box Buzz Break is a new series here on The Buzz -- it's essentially a Buzz Break but only for "mystery boxes" that seem to be everywhere these days -- and not just in the sports realm. Like this and want to see more? Is there a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The mystery box: High Spots Virtual Gimmick Table -- Numbers Box
Where to buy: Via High Spots (on a weekly live stream) ... find new wrestling cards at BlowoutCards.com

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

Continue reading →

Late one night back in August -- literally just as I was unplugging for the day -- Buzz got an email.

The subject? That part was totally familiar -- Creepy KOFY Movie Time -- but the sender's name was one I needed to check as I thought I recognized it ... but I needed to check a profile. I did just that and I saw the account was now following me. It was a message from a collector, of course, and he wasn't alone contacting me about this cardboard -- it happened quite a few times.

But this one? Well it was a little different.

This story from back in June was one that got a lot of attention -- only Black Friday topped it in terms of attention over the past year -- and that's because it's all about a small card set that was a surprise to me ... and also apparently a surprise to many others. After I picked up my jaw, the email got a quick reply from me 20 minutes later ... and then I waited.

For a few days, I was living in a mix of shock and awe -- like a tank had hit me (or something) -- and then I waited. Then, about a week later, business picked up.

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What's Buzzing: Eugenio Suarez has himself a night, Shohei Ohtani has an even bigger one, Big Dumper, WWE, new Bowman Chrome pulls, NFL Week 7 and Topps NBA.

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1 -- NLCS chatter ... ALCS chatter

2 -- Still talking about Big Dumper

3 -- WWE has 'em talking

4 -- Highlights from some new mega boxes

5 -- NFL Week 7 is here

6 -- Still talking Topps NBA

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Have you spotted a hot thread? Tell us about it in a comment or on Twitter.

Follow BlowoutBuzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz.

Mystery Box Buzz Break is a new series here on The Buzz -- it's essentially a Buzz Break but only for "mystery boxes" that seem to be everywhere these days -- and not just in the sports realm. Like this and want to see more? Is there a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The mystery box: Pro Wrestling Crate Autographed 8-by-10 Mystery Grab Bag
Where to buy: Via Pro Wrestling Tees (now sold out) ... find new wrestling cards at BlowoutCards.com

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

Continue reading →

What's Buzzing: MLB postseason chatter, NFL Week 6, eTopps, Ichiro Suzuki, 2025-26 Topps NBA reactions and more.

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1 -- All your MLB postseason threads

2 -- NFL Week 6 chatter

3 -- Checking in on the eTopps thread

4 -- A new Ichiro rookie-year pick-up

5 -- WWE chatter heading into a big-event weekend

6 -- Still talking Topps NBA ... and Topps Holiday

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Have you spotted a hot thread? Tell us about it in a comment or on Twitter.

Follow BlowoutBuzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz.

Here's this month's roundup of items that have recently caught my eye as a buyer ...

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MY BEAR NECESSITY
The Item: Paul "Bear" Bryant autographed & dated/inscribed (Oct. 18, 1976) 8-by-10 photo (BAS authenticated)
The Price: $219 ... high for me but it's the perfect item for me
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This was a jaw-dropper of a find for me during a random search of Mill Creek Sports' superstore for autographed stuff earlier this year and I've saved it for football season, specifically this month, to present it and tell its story. It's personalized and that makes it perfect for me this time ... and to top that, the signed date -- the legendary Alabama Crimson Tide football coach and football icon who won 323 games dated everything signed like this -- might as well be on Buzz's actual birthday. (It's close ... close enough.) The odds of this existing or one being signed on my actual birthday? Well, I'm sure there were a number of things to sign on this Monday and I'm also very sure he wasn't sitting down to sign requests on a gameday when I kicked things off in the world. So, this is perhaps as close as it can get. The quality and condition of the photo are perfect and the ink is perfectly legible, too. Now, is his autograph really rare? Not particularly, but he died in January 1983 well before sit-down and paid signing sessions were en vogue for sports legends and he's still in high, historic demand despite Nick Saban equaling him and/or re-writing the Alabama record book in more recent years. It's the perfect item at a perfect price and it will always be mine.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but football cards are here.

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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Like many collectors, Buzz is a fan of grading ... so here's this month's grading diary.

A HIGH-GRADE DOMINATOR
The Card: Paul Skenes 2025 Topps Heritage
The Reason Bought: I'll fully admit I'm a sucker for high-grade Heritage Rookie Cards and, while this isn't an RC, this one captured my attention just like one as I've ripped my fair share of Heritage this year and, well, not much of the cards that matter that I pulled could have checked in at a perfect grade. All that perfection, the clean photo and the color scheme here got me to bite.
The Grade: CGC 10 (Pristine)

Reality Check: I didn't check the pop report before grabbing it, so it was an extra bonus to see that it's the lone card in the top slot with a decent number of cards below it -- and that goes as low as a CGC 7. That reinforces that Heritage isn't the easiest grade. That makes this one even more of a win in my book.

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

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What's Buzzing: Shohei Ohtani powers Dodgers in postseason opener, signed books, Disney Chrome, 2025 Donruss NFL and more.

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1 -- The MLB postseason threads are here

2 -- NFL Week 5 is upon us

3 -- The 2025 Donruss NFL reactions 

4 -- An attempt at a WWE Hall of Fame Rookie Card checklist

5 -- Still talking Disney Chrome

6 -- Checking in on the signed books thread

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Have you spotted a hot thread? Tell us about it in a comment or on Twitter.

Follow BlowoutBuzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz.

This new department will be an occasional series that will take a quick look at a game or gaming release with card elements -- essentially a breakdown of what's in a box, but not the typical kind of a Buzz Break. (Buzz isn't a gamer so this will just be what's in a box vs. gameplay analysis.) Maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

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The Game: AEW - Vs. System Two-Player Card Game (starter set)
Where to buy: Will take some looking ... BlowoutCards.com for other gaming -- or for traditional wrestling cards

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery from this one.

Continue reading →

Buzz buys a lot of stuff these days and for a few reasons, really. Sometimes it's just bargain-hunting, sometimes it's just something that strikes me. And other times it's a lot -- a group of things -- and that has happened enough lately I figured I'd try something different as a regularly appearing item. Sometimes my lots will be wins, sometimes they won't be ... but I'll let you decide. 

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GET IN THE RING
The Lot: Nine Pink parallels from 2023 Panini Chronicles WWE
The Price: Less than $15

Keep reading for more on this one ...

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What's Buzzing: A big day of WWE and AEW, readying for a new NFL week, Big Dumper homers again, Topps Holiday and more.

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1 -- Readying for NFL Week 3

2 -- Wrestling chatter after a big Saturday for WWE & AEW

3 -- Big Dumper's homer passes Griffey for Seattle record

4 -- Nothing.

5 -- Reactions to Topps Holiday

6 -- Phillies Karen: The new offer stands

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Have you spotted a hot thread? Tell us about it in a comment or on Twitter.

Follow BlowoutBuzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz.

What's Buzzing: Juan Soto, Nick Kurtz, Phillies Karen, Clayton Kershaw, NFL Week 3 and a big day for AEW & WWE.

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1 -- Checking in on the Juan Soto chatter

2 -- Readying for NFL Week 3

3 -- Talking Nick Kurtz

4 -- Wrestling chatter for a big Saturday for WWE & AEW

5 -- Clayton Kershaw is retiring

6 -- Phillies Karen: The new offer stands

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Have you spotted a hot thread? Tell us about it in a comment or on Twitter.

Follow BlowoutBuzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz.

Here's this month's roundup of items that have recently caught my eye as a buyer ...

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GOING FOR THE GOLD
The Card: Shotzi Blackheart 2022 Panini Select WWE Gold Wave Prizm (/10)
The Price: Around the price of a blaster box at arrival
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This brand is my favorite of the Panini years for WWE, and in the case of this star who I collect I have seemed to found her rarities on the affordable side at times with this release. This is a perfect example of that with it being one of the rarest parallels in there but it cost me not much more than the price of a retail box. It was arguably underpriced, so I grabbed it quickly when I spotted it. Will I grade it? It's a possibility, though this release's centering issues can create some surprises (that aren't totally surprises) as I found out with a different parallel of this card. Poke around in Making The Grade last month for an example.
Grab a box right here: WWE cards are here.

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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What's Buzzing: Week 2 in the NFL is coming, our offer to Phillies Karen, Allen & Ginter signers, wrestling chatter and more in this Tuesday edition.

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1 -- Readying for NFL Week 2

2 -- Wrestling chatter is here

3 -- Some good hockey threads to see

4 -- Known 2025 Topps Allen & Ginter signers so far

5 -- Talking production calendars vs. season calendars (or something)

6 -- The offer still stands

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Have you spotted a hot thread? Tell us about it in a comment or on Twitter.

Follow BlowoutBuzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz.

What's Buzzing: A.J. Lee returns to WWE, NFL Week 1 chatter, Junior Caminero, Star Wars Chrome, Sapphire UFC and more.

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1 -- NFL Week 1 is here

2 -- A.J. Lee returns to WWE after a decade away

3 -- Checking in on the Junior Caminero thread 

4 -- Results from almost a half-case of Star Wars Chrome blasters 

5 -- Inside a Sapphire UFC box

6 -- All your MLB chatter

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Have you spotted a hot thread? Tell us about it in a comment or on Twitter.

Follow BlowoutBuzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz.

What: 2025 Topps Finest WWE wrestling cards
Arrives: Sept. 26
Box basics Two autographed cards per hobby box (eight boxes per case) ... hobby-only
Checklist: Click here
Odds: Click here
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Topps returns to the WWE ring for just the fourth time this year with its fourth Chrome-stock release. We've got teaser images but nothing else yet now -- this one will update at a later time.

Keep reading for more.

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What's Buzzing: The NFL season is here, non-sports chatter, new pulls and more in this Thursday edition.

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1 -- NFL Week 1 is here

2 -- Plenty of non-sports discussions

3 -- All your new pulls ...

4 -- Check out NFL finds here

5 -- Talking wrestling cards

6 -- More MLB chatter

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Have you spotted a hot thread? Tell us about it in a comment or on Twitter.

Follow BlowoutBuzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz.

Like many collectors, Buzz is a fan of grading ... so here's this month's grading diary.

TOP-GRADE VARIATION
The Card: C.J. Stroud 2021-22 Bowman University Chrome Prospects -- image variation
The Reason Graded: If you poke around in the archives for the Buzz Breaks of this release, you'll likely find a break where I missed this one and just simply called it a Refractor despite it being an image variation (all are Refractors on these). It should have been obvious based on the practice photo vs. game action, but I only spotted it well after the fact -- months, if not years, later -- when going through my old boxes. When I stopped to look, this card looked absolutely flawless and since it's somewhat rarer than the others it's also still a bit pricier for a standard card. (It's no monster but it's definitely better than a few types of Refractors.) Since it was so clean and the NFL season is upon us, I put this one into a bulk submission.
The Grade: CGC 10 (Pristine)

Reality Check: This card checked in at exactly where I thought it would. Fun find and a win -- and it wasn't even tucked away in a box penny sleeved. The divide between mine and the other copies graded is also an interesting one -- perhaps there's a common flaw on copies due to position on the sheet or from machinery? No idea ...

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

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What's Buzzing: Talking NFL favorites, Shohei Ohtani, NFL and WWE chatter, Big Dumper and more.

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1 -- Talking favorite NFL releases

2 -- Shohei Ohtani

3 -- Even more NFL chatter is here

4 -- Still talking Cactus Jack WWE

5 -- Talking The Living Set

6 -- Still talking Big Dumper

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Have you spotted a hot thread? Tell us about it in a comment or on Twitter.

Follow BlowoutBuzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz.