Monthly Archives: January 2025
First Buzz: 2024 Panini Three & Two baseball cards
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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.
First Buzz: 2024 Panini Spectra football cards
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What: 2024 Panini Spectra football cards
Arrives: Feb. 12, 2025
Box basics: Four autos and four memorabilia cards per four-pack box (eight boxes per case)
Order: Click hereWhat's buzz-worthy: Spectra hits once again packing all the star power of today's NFL as well as legends of the past all in its colorful lineup.
Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on Blowout Forums (Jan. 8)
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What's Buzzing: NFL chatter, a printing plate pulled years later, 2025 Topps and more in this one.
First Buzz: 2025 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Platinum Jerseys
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What: 2025 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Platinum Edition Autographed Football Jerseys
Arrives: Feb. 7
Box basics: One autographed jersey per box (four boxes per case)
Order: Click hereWhat's buzz-worthy: The newest arrival from the TRISTAR Hidden Treasures portfolio of autographed memorabilia releases drops just before the Super Bowl this year and it packs both Hall of Famers and current stars inside this time.
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on Blowout Forums (Jan. 7)
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What's Buzzing: A question from a collector, The Rock signs for a WWE set, NFL chatter and more.
First Buzz: 2025 Pulse Meridian Football cards
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What: 2025 Pulse Meridian Football cards
Arrives: March 10
Box basics: Four encased autographed cards per six-pack box (10 boxes per case)
Checklist: See early players list in gallery
Order: Click hereWhat's buzz-worthy: A new player in the prospect realm hits the gridiron for a second time in the new year with the stars of right now on cardboard as well as some greats from the past all in play.
Keep reading for more info and a gallery of images.
First Buzz: 2025 Leaf Metal Poker trading cards
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What: 2025 Leaf Metal Poker trading cards
Arrives: Jan. 31
Box basics: Six autos -- one multi-signed -- per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click hereWhat's buzz-worthy: Professional poker players get carded once again with this one after more than a decade since the last release in the realm from this company -- a mix of all-time greats and favorites from today's landscape.
Keep reading for more.
Make your Sunday picks to win cards at YourDozen.com
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Take a minute and make some predictions and picks -- and if you're at the top of the mountain when it's over then you get free cards.
It's always that simple.
YourDozen.com is back with more free cardboard up for grabs to one lucky winner -- this time it's for Sunday sports action as well as some Majority Rules questions. Those questions are simple -- whatever gets the most votes is the winning answer -- and we've sprinkled in those along with the traditional picks. The end result is still the same -- whomever has the most correct answers once the dust settles wins free cards.
You have until 1 p.m. on Sunday to get your picks and predictions in. (Do it now -- one of the tiebreakers is who entered first.) The prize is once again a mystery item.
Did you get in on last week's action? Check the leaderboard and contact fish@blowoutcards.com to claim your prize if you're the winner.
How does it work? It's short and simple. Register and you'll get a dozen questions where your answers will be compiled and compared to others. Whomever gets the most correct gets the prize -- or at least a shot at it if there's a tie.
The goal with YourDozen.com? Have a little fun and get free stuff into some of your hands.
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Follow Buzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz or send email to BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.
Buzz Break: 2020 Topps WWE NXT wrestling cards (hobby box)
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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: 2020 Topps WWE NXT wrestling cards (hobby)
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (when available)
Keep reading to see a full breakdown and gallery for this one.
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on Blowout Forums (Jan. 6)
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What's Buzzing: The first 2025 Topps teaser, new pulls, NFL chatter, players with something to prove, players who never got carded.
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on Blowout Forums (Jan. 5)
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What's Buzzing: Active discussions across the board this weekend -- new pulls, MLB, NBA, NFL, WWE and Topps Now in this Sunday edition.
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on Blowout Forums (Jan. 4)
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Your new WWE Women's Champion.
What's Buzzing: It's Tiffy Time, NFL Week 18 chatter, Victor Wembanyama, new pulls, Bobby Witt Jr. and more.
MiLB Madness: The Real Nuke's missing autograph, Mr. Celery, a baseball lifer's check, a big-leaguer's debut, mascots & more
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Minor league baseball cards from the past can include some weird stuff ... stuff you wouldn't imagine to be found on a baseball card. Here are some some new oddities in this latest edition of MiLB Madness.
THIS CARD GOT ... NUKED
The Card: Steve Dalkowski 2009 TRISTAR Obak Autographs (unsigned)
The Buzz On This: This one comes from a set that features a lot of minor-league names you know and others you don't -- and in this case, well, you probably know the type of player (check his real, yet unreal, stats) but not this particular card. The back notes the trivia that gets him here -- click here to learn more in The Buzz Archives -- but that's not why I had to have this. This is the card that was planned for Dalkowski as a certified autograph to go into packs but it was never released. Sheets of this released did get out with this and other cards on them, which were then cut down into singles and I had to have it. I had eyed the sheets for a long time but never bit -- storage is just not as easy with uncut sheets.Keep reading for more examples of some weird or fun baseball cards you can find in MiLB.
Book It, Buzz: Landing Gisele Bündchen ink without a big price
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For years now, autographed books coming direct from the publishers -- or direct from the authors themselves -- have been an affordable way to collect ink from notable names in all realms of pop culture.
It's not a perfect system with stamped autos, fakes and autopens sometimes in the mix -- a problem for publishers to catch as they are not authenticators -- but thanks to dedicated collectors on the Blowout Cards Forum and elsewhere, those problems often get caught and fixed ... or at least become well-known enough to avoid if it's an issue that goes uncorrected.
Getting ink in-person is always best -- book tours still happen, of course -- but landing autographed editions from publishers, online sellers or celebs themselves via their websites or other appearances are common.
Our latest subject and autograph in this ongoing series? Global icon Gisele Bündchen ... without the international premium price.
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on Blowout Forums (Jan. 3)
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What's Buzzing: Inside a new WWE case, NFL Week 18, a solid Triple Threads find and more in today's edition.
Buzz Break: 2023 Leaf Metal Pop Century 1/1 Proofs
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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: 2023 Leaf Metal Pop Century 1/1 Pre-Production Proofs (two)
Where to buy: Click here (when available)
Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery for what was in this one.
Buzz Buys (Jan.): Caitlin Clark, college stars, Mariah Carey, vintage greats, Shotzi, iconic boxers, J. Jonah Jameson & more
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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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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 ...
First Buzz: 2025 Leaf Metal Power Slap trading cards
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What: 2025 Leaf Power Slap trading cards
Arrives: Jan. 17
Box basics: Four autos and four other cards per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click hereWhat's buzz-worthy: The spectacle that is Power Slap gets its first trading card release and it arrives with plenty of of punch -- err, slap -- with a variety of approaches, colors and star power as part of an exclusive licensing deal.
Keep reading for more.
First Buzz: 2025 Topps Genesis Disney trading cards
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What: 2025 Topps Genesis Disney trading cards
Arrives: March 7
Box basics: Five serial-numbered cards per box (20 boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here
Order: Click hereWhat's buzz-worthy: A new line dropped for Topps in the non-sports realm on Jan. 1 and promptly sold out as it was a limited release highlighting solely iconic characters from the Disney-owned realm.
Keep reading for more.
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on Blowout Forums (Jan. 2)
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What's Buzzing: Fun Face isn't done yet, new MLB pulls, a nutty thread, Victor Wembanyama, Topps Heritage and NFL chatter as we work toward the weekend.
Buzz Break: 2016 Topps WWE Series 1 (three rack packs)
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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 lot: 2016 Topps WWE Series 1 cards (three rack packs)
Where to buy: Click here for all WWE boxes/packs/lots in stock
Keep reading for a breakdown and gallery of highlights from this one.
Making the Grade (Jan.): Stranger Things, newer stars, older mags, legendary ink and more star power as we hit a new year
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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 ...
THEY'RE BACK ... SOMETIME SOON
The Item: Stranger Things Season 1 Target-exclusive Blu-ray set (2016)
The Reason Bought: How many Netflix series these days get a physical DVD release of any kind? How many get chain store-exclusive variant versions? Not that much of anything TV gets a physical release, really, not at least anywhere near the volumes of the past and that thought, along with the fact that the final season of this franchise is finally dropping sometime this year, got me looking here. I really liked the feel of this DVD set that's made to look like an old 1980s VHS sleeve that's had plenty of wear and tear and I also liked the idea of a graded item with that feel -- one where its actual flaws can blend in well and not stand out as glaring reasons why an item didn't grade higher.
The Grade: CGC 9.4 (A+ seal)Grade 7.0 7.5 8.0 8.5 9.0 9.2 9.4 9.6 9.8 9.9 10.0 Total Population 0 0 0 0 0 0 1* 0 0 0 0 1* Reality Check: There are definitely other* copies of this one graded, but a pop report doesn't yet appear to be live for CGC Home Video (or it was down when I prepped this) and my number didn't come up on the verification search, either. That's OK for me as slabbed movies and games aren't as high on my radar in slabs as cards and magazines in terms of a "commodity" ... these are more the kind of shelf item with maybe some longer-term potential substance to them. To me they're more of a name-your-price novelty -- and, as an aside, I do like CGC's cases a lot more than others in this realm. This was a relatively cheap addition as well -- less than a lot of retail card boxes -- and over time affordable items can build a collection. One scary part? This is not far away from being 10 years old ... time flies.
Keep reading for more of this month's pick-ups and new slabs for Buzz.