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 ...

A STRATUSFYING TEST?
The Tape: Trish Stratus 100% Stratusfaction Guaranteed (WWE, 2003)
The Reason Graded: There's a lot of talk about "alternative assets" in recent years and to a part of that audience trading cards are included. For those of us who work, live and breathe in the cardboard realm and have for a long time, it's perhaps more common sense and cards aren't necessarily an "alternative" or even an "asset." (It's a hobby for me.) But, grading of other items -- everyday stuff like magazines, video games, movies and toys -- that were used and in some ways shouldn't exist in their original form now might feel more that way. (They do to me.) I write about what I like, but this is a scenario where I dipped into a different realm of grading -- basically just to go through the process and see if I like it and then say that I did it once -- and I chose something that ties back into my collection as a whole. (That's wrestling.) Sealed VHS, video games and the like clearly have their audiences and demand is there for some things. There are some interesting sale prices out there for VHS -- everything from blockbusters from the late-1970s and early 1980s up to the oddball/culty stuff of the early 2000s before DVDs won the battle and stuff that you'd think wasn't even on VHS. Why is it a thing? Well, most stuff got used ... not saved, sealed and left untouched. (Sounds like baseball cards way back in the day, right?) With some steep discounts around the holidays here for grading fees, I grabbed this tape unopened and submitted it. VHS grading isn't cheap so doing them in serious bulk like cards ain't happening, which limits the volume available (for now) and the markets some, but this tape is one I felt comfortable with as a test. Why?The front cover is well-designed with a WWE icon and Hall of Famer front and center and having that visual appeal to start is one of the keys to demand if the grade doesn't work out.
The Grade: Beckett VHS 8.0 (Seal: A)

Reality Check: There's no posted pop report -- so this is a guess* -- and there's also not a posted grading scale yet, either, but I'll say this result bummed me out a bit. There were no substantial damage here other than a couple very minor things on one back edge of the box (where the ink was dark) so I had visions of a higher grade. But, it is what it is. My sub-grades came back 8.0 on corners, 7.5 on edges, 8.5 on flaps and 8.5 on gloss ... so the obvious flaw I knew about hurt the most. But, if we're talking about a 10-point scale, well, this piece, to me, doesn't feel closer to average or lesser. (I've seen some mangled VHS and DVD covers that were thrown around bargain bins where corners demolished surfaces ... those are lesser.) But, like I said, there's no posted scale to know what kinds of defects affect things here or there and no real cautions of what to look for. So, I did this as a test ... no regrets. Will I do it again? Probably not at present costs (I was in and out in a month, though) or without a scale to educate myself ... but, if I were to find a sealed clean and impressive copy of a couple of favorites from the past then maybe. Also, I'd be more inclined to do a different but related direction -- I think sealed DVDs and Blu-ray could actually be more popular as slabbed entities as it's way easier to find them sealed and they can have the same kind of appeal with modern packaging/designs. Plus they are smaller and lighter, too, making them easier to store and display. All in all, I like this piece and came up a bit short of what I thought it would grade at ... but it was still moderately Stratusfying.

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

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The biggest weekend in pro wrestling is here with WrestleMania 39 set for this Saturday and Sunday from Los Angeles. We'll make today a big one for wrestling collectors right here on The Buzz with #BuzzMania6, a marathon of WWE wax box/pack breaks all day long.

This final break of the day was one I have held back since grabbing it during one of the Black November/holiday sales, a case -- a whopping 40-boxer -- that can deliver very well and arguably coughs up the best overall results of anything that was ripped today ... especially for the price.

The Brand: 2021 Topps WWE Women's Division (40-box blaster box case)

Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

What's inside this one? Keep reading ...

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The biggest weekend in pro wrestling is here with WrestleMania 39 set for this Saturday and Sunday from Los Angeles. We'll make today a big one for wrestling collectors right here on The Buzz with #BuzzMania6, a marathon of WWE wax box/pack breaks all day long.

This 13th break of the day is easily one of this collector's favorite wrestling releases ever as it's simple, has some young stars' first/early cards and autographs in play and is a smaller format that lets it get ripped quickly. 

The Brand: 2020 Topps WWE NXT (two hobby boxes)

Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (when available)

What's inside this one? Keep reading ...

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The biggest weekend in pro wrestling is here with WrestleMania 39 set for this Saturday and Sunday from Los Angeles. We'll make today a big one for wrestling collectors right here on The Buzz with #BuzzMania6, a marathon of WWE wax box/pack breaks all day long.

This 12th break of the day was almost an accidental bargain find for me ... and it ended up being a reminder of why I ripped a lot of it not all that long ago when it delivered big. 

The Brand: 2019 Topps WWE NXT (hobby box)

Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (when available)

What's inside this one? Keep reading ...

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The biggest weekend in pro wrestling is here with WrestleMania 39 set for this Saturday and Sunday from Los Angeles. We'll make today a big one for wrestling collectors right here on The Buzz with #BuzzMania6, a marathon of WWE wax box/pack breaks all day long.

This 11th break of the day offers up one of the better breaks of 2022 that's not high-end ... though price-wise this one isn't bargain-basement right now. Ultimately, it's a collector's brand but some extra flash in these boxes make it a little more pricey than the retail basics, which you have already seen some of today. Will the big box deliver on the big stage? Let's find out ... 

The Brand: 2022 Panini Chronicles WWE (hobby box)

Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

What's inside this one? Keep reading ...

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The biggest weekend in pro wrestling is here with WrestleMania 39 set for this Saturday and Sunday from Los Angeles. We'll make today a big one for wrestling collectors right here on The Buzz with #BuzzMania6, a marathon of WWE wax box/pack breaks all day long.

This 10th break of the day takes us back to the brand that carried the Topps WWE revival in 2005, evolved some before a break and then popped back up with some of the best modern-retro meshed cardboard of the company's run. This one is smack dab in in the midst of that with a throwback to 1987 seen a few ways. 

The Brand: 2017 Topps Heritage WWE (hobby box)

Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (when available)

What's inside this one? Keep reading ...

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The biggest weekend in pro wrestling is here with WrestleMania 39 set for this Saturday and Sunday from Los Angeles. We'll make today a big one for wrestling collectors right here on The Buzz with #BuzzMania6, a marathon of WWE wax box/pack breaks all day long.

This is our ninth break for today ... a mix of older and recent indy and other promotions' cards -- an invasion of sorts with some international flair and a non-WWE slot in this year's BuzzMania lineup. Why? Keep reading ... 

Battle of The Brands: 2021 AEW Unrivaled/Unmatched Collection Jazwares (four packs) vs. 2008 TRISTAR TNA Impact (blaster) vs. 2017 Panini Lucha Libre AAA 25th Anniversary Stickers (five packs) vs. 2014 Independent Women's Internet Wrestling Series 1 (one pack) vs. 2022 GCW Deathmatch All-Stars Vol. 2 (two sets) vs. 2022 History of The Wrestling Revolver Vol. 1 (two sets) 

Where to buy: Will take some looking ... hit BlowoutCards.com for more standard stuff

What's inside this one? Keep reading ...

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The biggest weekend in pro wrestling is here with WrestleMania 39 set for this Saturday and Sunday from Los Angeles. We'll make today a big one for wrestling collectors right here on The Buzz with #BuzzMania6, a marathon of WWE wax box/pack breaks all day long.

This eighth break of the day is an affordable one that has some monster potential yet at the same time it's a small box where things can also run lean. Will this be the finest flashback or should it have been on the pre-show?

The Brand: 2021 Topps Finest WWE (hobby box)

Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (hobby boxes & cases)

What's inside this one? Keep reading ...

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The biggest weekend in pro wrestling is here with WrestleMania 39 set for this Saturday and Sunday from Los Angeles. We'll make today a big one for wrestling collectors right here on The Buzz with #BuzzMania6, a marathon of WWE wax box/pack breaks all day long.

This seventh break of the day is a half-case of a release that has the potential to deliver big ... but without breaking the bank. What will happen this time?

The Brand: A half-case of 2020 Topps WWE Women's Division wrestling cards (four hobby boxes)

Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

What's inside this one? Keep reading ...

Continue reading →

The biggest weekend in pro wrestling is here with WrestleMania 39 set for this Saturday and Sunday from Los Angeles. We'll make today a big one for wrestling collectors right here on The Buzz with #BuzzMania6, a marathon of WWE wax box/pack breaks all day long.

This is our sixth break for today ... a showdown between five releases from the past -- it's a lineup that includes an oddball, an import with some key inclusions and one an NWA throwback, though a lot of that history features stars that are firmly part of WWE lore now. 

Battle of The Brands: 1985 Topps Cyndi Lauper (six packs) vs. 1987 Topps WWF (three packs) vs. 1997 Panini WWF Superstars stickers (one pack) vs. 1989 Wonderama NWA (bonus pack) vs. 1990 Classic WWF Series II (blister pack)

Where to buy: Will take some looking ... hit BlowoutCards.com for newer (and better) WWE stuff

What's inside this one? Keep reading ...

Continue reading →

The biggest weekend in pro wrestling is here with WrestleMania 39 set for this Saturday and Sunday from Los Angeles. We'll make today a big one for wrestling collectors right here on The Buzz with #BuzzMania6, a marathon of WWE wax box/pack breaks all day long.

This is our fifth break for today ... a showdown between one I loved at retail and one I wanted to love -- but it had some issues with me. Will that continue today?

Battle of The Brands: 2022 Panini Select WWE vs. 2022 Panini Chronicles WWE (one Select blaster vs. two Chronicles boxes ... what?!?)

Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (when available)

What's inside this one? Keep reading ...

Continue reading →

The biggest weekend in pro wrestling is here with WrestleMania 39 set for this Saturday and Sunday from Los Angeles. We'll make today a big one for wrestling collectors right here on The Buzz with #BuzzMania6, a marathon of WWE wax box/pack breaks all day long.

This is our fourth break for today ... a competition between three retail releases from the past that can always deliver well ... but in differing ways.

Battle of The Brands: 2015 Topps WWE Road To WrestleMania vs. 2021 Topps Chrome WWE vs. 2021 Topps WWE Women's Division (one blaster box of each)

Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (when available)

What's inside this one? Keep reading ...

Continue reading →

The biggest weekend in pro wrestling is here with WrestleMania 39 set for this Saturday and Sunday from Los Angeles. We'll make today a big one for wrestling collectors right here on The Buzz with #BuzzMania6, a marathon of WWE wax box/pack breaks all day long.

This third break of the day is one that many collectors may not have seen as it's a release that was made for the European audience -- one that's got some moments but also is as simple as it gets. 

The Brand: 2022 Panini WWE International -- Panini Group (made in Italy) mega box

Where to buy: Will take some hunting ... BlowoutCards.com for other boxes & cases

What's inside this one? Keep reading ...

Continue reading →

The biggest weekend in pro wrestling is here with WrestleMania 39 set for this Saturday and Sunday from Los Angeles. We'll make today a big one for wrestling collectors right here on The Buzz with #BuzzMania6, a marathon of WWE wax box/pack breaks all day long.

This second break of the day is one that many might have overlooked this year but the kids of NXT are strong in this one and elsewhere in 2022. 

The Brand: 2022 Panini NXT (hobby box)

Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (hobby boxes & cases)

What's inside this one? Keep reading ...

Continue reading →

The biggest weekend in pro wrestling is here with WrestleMania 39 set for this Saturday and Sunday from Los Angeles. We'll make today a big one for wrestling collectors right here on The Buzz with #BuzzMania6, a marathon of WWE wax box/pack breaks all day long.

This is our first break for today ... a hobby pack battle between three rookie-year Panini America releases.

Battle of The Brands: 2022 Panini Chronicles WWE vs. 2022 Panini Prizm WWE vs. 2022 Panini Select WWE (one hobby pack of each)

Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for boxes & some other formats for all three of these releases)

What's inside this one? Keep reading ...

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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: Collectors chew on the Fanatics MLB Debut patch, the Jarren Duran question and more in this everything-MLB edition for Opening Day.

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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: 2022 Topps Chrome baseball cards (blaster)
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here
Where to buy: Click here (a few formats)

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

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What: 2023 Donruss NASCAR cards
Arrives: May 12
Box basics: One auto and two memorabilia cards per 24-pack box (20 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Donruss returns to the track with a familiar format but some higher-end inclusions and nods to NASCAR's 75th anniversary.

Keep reading for more info and a full gallery of images released so far.

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What: 2022 Topps Dynasty baseball cards
Arrives: April 14, 2023
Box basics: One encased autographed card per box (five boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Topps' high-end line is back with a simple lineup once again where everything is limited to no more than 10 copies and everything is inked.

Keep reading for more as well as a full 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: 2021 Bowman Heritage arrives, new pulls, some big questions and more in this mid-week edition.

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and break down 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: 2021 UD AEW All Elite Wrestling Jazwares cards (look closely)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for standard AEW hobby releases) 

Keep reading to see a full breakdown and gallery from this one.

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What: 2021 and 2022 Bowman Heritage baseball cards
Arrives: Today via Topps.com (two-box bundle)
Box basics: One autograph per 24-pack box
Checklist: Click here (2021) & Click here (2022) when released
Order: Click here (when available)

What's buzz-worthy: The previously shelved 2021 Bowman Heritage release revisiting 1993 arrives along with last year's edition revisiting in 1994 all in one double-whammy of an online release -- a hobby box bundle of each -- today via Topps.

Keep reading for more info once it's available.

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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: 2022 Leaf Pop Century Concert Ticket
Checklist: N/A
Where to buy: A retail release ... BlowoutCards.com for other Pop Century

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery of images.

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and break down 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: 2019 Topps WWE NXT wrestling cards (hobby)
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (when available) ... click here for all other wrestling boxes

Keep reading to see a full breakdown and gallery of highlights from this one.

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With these Ticket Stud or Ticket Dud stories I'm turning just a tiny bit of that energy just a few degrees away from cards (we'll still have plenty of them here) for a different kind of cardboard. What am I doing? Simple ... this is an occasional dip into some random ticket lots -- a show and tell showing something small with a story.

This time? An ideal look for an ideal day in spring training not that long ago.

Keep reading to see the details this time ... and tell me if you think it's a Ticket Stud or a Ticket Dud.

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