What: 2024 Topps Finest Major League Soccer cards
Arrives: April 3, 2025
Box basics: Two autos per six-pack box (eight boxes per case)
Checklist: TBD
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Finest hits the pitch with plenty of color and flash for selected newcomers and plenty of retired stars all in one spot -- and it also includes some high-end inclusions that break away from the typical formula.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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What: 2024-25 Bowman University Chrome basketball cards
Arrives: April 3, 2025
Box basics: Two autographs per 24-pack box (12 boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here
Odds: Click here
Order: Click here (when live)

What's buzz-worthy: Topps' newest round of college basketball cards for active college players once again will showcase college stars from men's and women's basketball all in one spot with a rainbow of potential among everything found in colorful, shiny Chrome.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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What: 2025 Pieces of the Past One-time Edition Series 1
Arrives: April 16
Box basics: Two Relic cards per two-pack box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Pieces of the Past turns its the hit-per-box approach into a hit in every pack once again with document and memorabilia cuts as well as other unusual items inside cards as it celebrates its past releases all in one spot.

Keep reading for more info and a selection of images.

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What's Buzzing: Hall of Fame voting change, error cards, Gold Prizms, Cheers cards and more have them talking.

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1 -- Error cards and misprints are on their minds

2 -- Hall of Fame voting change might eliminate debate 

3 -- Gooooooooollllllllldd NBA Prizms and Refractors

4 -- Heritage High Number has 'em talking

5  -- Topps Now WWE chatter has some gems

6 -- Talking Cheers cards ... Get your box here!

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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.

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. 

WAIT, WHAT?
The Item: Kerry Wood 1998 Best Player Of The Year - Best Possibilities promo card
The Buzz On This: This card is one that I'd apparently never seen until just recently and it really threw me for a loop as Wood was a fireballer who only played for the Chicago Cubs back at this time as part of a 14-year MLB career. Why was it weird? Well, on 1998 cardboard, Wood was firmly a Chicago Cub and definitely not a Tampa Bay Devil Ray as they were known then and this logo is theirs for sure. But ... this card shows Wood as a member of the 1997 Orlando Rays and most MiLB cards of him from back then -- the ones I pulled -- used road unis, so the Rays name and the logo weren't as obviously seen like they were on MLB fields that year. The Orlando Rays were the Cubs' farm team until 1997, switched to the Mariners in 1998 when the Rays arrived in Tampa Bay that year, and then worked with Tampa Bay's prospects from 1999 until the team moved to Alabama to become the Montgomery Biscuits. Wood, of course, was a Cub from 1998-2008 (and a Cub on cards even longer than that) before he finished his career with stops in Cleveland and New York as a Yankee before a return to the Cubs. Somehow, I'd never noticed this card.

Keep reading for more examples of some weird or fun baseball cards you can find in MiLB.

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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 here

What'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.

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What: 2024-25 Panini Prizm NBA basketball cards
Arrives: Jan. 29
Box basics: Two autographs per 12-pack hobby box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: A new season of Prizm NBA drops with with some new looks and textures as well as a new crop of stars as it takes a colorful look at the league today as well as some stars from the past.

Keep reading for more info.

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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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LEGENDARY INK
The Card: Ichiro Suzuki autographed 2001 Topps Rookie Card (BAS 10 auto)
The Price: Not as much as you might think ... but also not that cheap.
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Clean copies of this iconic Topps flagship Rookie Card are not easy finds in general with the boxes and sets likely bricked now if they remain unopened -- that means the gloss will be snowy if you're lucky to peel the cards apart at all -- and then the dark green border and high-gloss on soft stock here is always going to be problematic. When I spotted this card among many where Suzuki has signed for literally years (Mill Creek Sports) without a premium price, I bit on this just before his Hall of Fame results hit. (We all knew he was going in ... but I didn't know if his prices were going to rise.) This copy is super clean vs. many cards out there with some very light roughness on maybe one edge and a light touch on the bottom-left corner ... but some of what's seen in my photo is just how the light is reflecting. I generally don't do a ton of bigger buys for my collection, but this one's cost wasn't that much more than some of the hot and plentiful new release hobby boxes. I went with a safe and iconic bet for my (for me) premium spend and went with the sure thing on an iconic card for a living legend. I pulled his ink once from an unlicensed release -- and it was in one of my earliest Making The Grade posts here -- but a signed RC means I'll likely never need to sweat his stuff again. (Might window shop, though, or bite if price is right for a nice certified.) One more fun part of my card? If that label had a simple added line of Beckett/Fanatics witnessed instead of signed for Mill Creek and then slabbed, the price likely would be double what I paid. I wouldn't pay that -- and this one is a win in my book.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but MLB cards are here.

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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What: 2024 Panini Select football cards
Arrives: April 23, 2025
Box basics: Two autographs and one memorabilia card per 12-pack box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Select hits the gridiron once again with a big set that's tiered still very much in play along with plenty of color and inserts showcasing NFL stars.

Keep reading for more info and a full gallery.

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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: 2024 Topps Heritage baseball cards (giant)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)
First Buzz preview, odds & checklist: Click here

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

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What's Buzzing: Roki Sasaki arrives throwing heat, NFL Draft chatter, fake cardboard alert, predicting future NBA "bigs," Cheers cards and more.

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1 -- NFL Draft thoughts ...

2 -- Talking Spring Training ...

3 -- Fake cardboard: A thread to know

4 -- Predicting future NBA "bigs"

5  -- Chrome WWE chatter

6 -- Talking Cheers cards ...

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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.

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? Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman.

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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: 2025 Topps Series 1 baseball cards (hanger)
First Buzz preview & checklist/odds: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for a few formats)

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

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What's Buzzing: WWE has 'em talking heading to Wrestlemania, Starting Lineup, basketball chatter, Cheers cards and more in this Tuesday edition.

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1 -- MLB: The Hall of Very Good

2 -- Some international non-sports ...

3 -- Talking Cheers cards ...

4 -- All your basketball chatter is here

5  -- I'm not

6 -- WWE still has 'em talking ... about a few things

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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 Panini USA Baseball Stars & Stripes baseball cards
Arrives: April 18
Box basics: Seven autographs or memorabilia cards per eight-card box (20 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: USA Baseball's cards drop for a new year with a one-pack box once again that's almost nothing but hits as it showcases a deep crop of aspiring stars and young standouts.

Keep reading for more as well as a full gallery of images.

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What: 2024 Wild Card Metallix baseball cards
Arrives: March 28, 2025
Basics: Six encased autograph cards per six-card box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Wild Card goes ink-only with its next baseball release that's heavy on its parallels to chase but also includes a few other notable potential finds like the dual-auto above.

Keep reading for more info and a gallery of images.

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What: 2025 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures New York Pinstripes Autographed Baseballs
Arrives: April 30
Box basics: One autographed baseball per box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: TRISTAR's Hidden Treasures brand hits the diamond for another year with its focus on one of MLB's most-historic franchises, the New York Yankees.

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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 all over then you get free cards.

It's 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 remains a mystery item.

>>> CLICK HERE TO ENTER <<< 

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.

What's Buzzing: New football breaks, a new thing to watch out for, Shedeur Sanders, John Cena, Pete Rose and more in this Monday edition.

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1 -- Must-read: A new kind of scheming

2 -- Did you know?

3 -- Collectors have their thoughts

4 -- Nope

5  -- New football breaks are piling up

6 -- Nope, it wasn't Cody Rhodes ... John Cena sold his soul

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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: John Cena sells his soul, new pulls, NFL & MLB chatter, Joel Embiid and more in this Sunday edition.

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1 -- Nope, it wasn't Cody Rhodes ... John Cena sold his soul

2 -- Plenty of MLB chatter is here

3 -- Still talking Luka and the Lakers

4 -- Reactions to Joel Embiid

5  -- Check out all of the new pulls here

6 -- Postseason NFL chatter is here

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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.

CLOSE TO PERFECT
The Card: Shohei Ohtani 2018 Topps -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: Ohtani's historic 2024 season had me assessing all of my cards from my 2018 stash -- mostly lower-end stuff that's heavily graded -- but not graded by me. Why? I don't grade the heavily submitted stuff because a lesser mark wouldn't be as worthy of going through the process and, really, in most instances a card can always be found already graded if it's needed. But, with his 50-50 season being so big, I opted to slab a few basics and this is one that made the cut. The stock used in 2018 is almost as thin as it gets and all that dark ink definitely showcases flaws, but I picked a pair of cards I thought were perfect from my stash and sent them in.
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: I don't know where I missed a perfect mark here but I'll still take a 10 ... less than half check in there and I think it's really harder than that -- people are examining their stuff harder before sending them in. The fact that these have checked in as low as a seven show how this one isn't easy sledding when it comes to slabbing. And as for my perfect aspirations? Well, it doesn't exist.

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

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