Auction Buzz: Knowing where to look is half the battle

Knowing where to look for new items in your collection can be a challenge at times -- if you shop where many others do, you might not find rare gems and you might find plenty of things from one genre of collecting that you might not want or need.

But sometimes you might be surprised by what you can find via auction houses, which used to be the home of mostly vintage treasures. Not any more.

The 15 items you see above (click for a closer look) are from a wide array of the collecting world and they're all up for grabs right now via Crazy Uncle Auctions, a Harrison, N.Y.-based auction house.

Keep reading for a deeper look at five of them.

BIG SIG FOR A FEW REASONS
The Item: Alexander Hamilton 2006 Topps United States Constitution Cut Signatures #AH 1/1 (PSA 10)
The Price: $500 after one bid (11 days remaining)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: He's not a former president, but he was one of the signers of the Constitution who made the cut -- literally -- in this 2006 Topps baseball card set that presented one-of-a-kind cut cards for as many key names as Topps could find. You might argue that thanks to the Broadway musical he might have a much-higher profile than a number of presidents in recent years -- something that could make this a pricier card if presented to a big audience -- but that's not why I picked this one. I was surprised to find that this is the only cut auto for him made by Topps and one of only two released by any card company in a major release. It's a pricey sig and one that can be all over the place in terms of values depending on the item signed, but you'd think there would have been more made with all of the releases out there relying on cut autos and making pricey cards.

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ICONIC NEW STUFF
The Item: Ja Morant 2019-20 Panini Prizm Red White & Blue Prizms RC parallel (PSA 10)
The Price: $68 after three bids (11 days remaining)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This card isn't a super-rare piece but it's one that figures to be in demand now -- and later. Ja Morant and Zion Williamson's Panini Prizm Rookie Cards figure to be iconic pieces for years no matter what their careers might hold as the demand for Prizm has been off the charts this year. This parallel has 202 PSA 10s out of 472 graded but it's still a solid, solid card to chase.

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ONE LEGEND TO ANOTHER
The Item: Cy Young handwritten and signed letter to Walter Johnson (JSA and PSA/DNA letters)
The Price: $5,000 opening bid (11 days remaining)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: On July 31st, 1927, Cy Young penned this letter to fellow future Hall of Famer Walter Johnson. It reads "Dear Friend Walter, Allow me to congratulate you on your big day the 2nd. May you continue the good work for many years to come. I was sorry about your injury last spring. Give my best wishes to Griff and all the boys on the team. Wishing your club the best luck ever, I remain yours very truly, Cy Young Peoli, Ohio." Young was long retired but Johnson was in the midst of his final season. Both were inducted into the Hall of Fame in the first two classes in 1936 and 1937 and both were on hand for its opening in 1939. It might be a simple item but it's a super-impressive one.

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PRICEY CHECK
The Item: Samuel Clemens -- aka Mark Twain -- signed personal check (PSA 7)
The Price: $500 opening bid (11 days remaining)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This check was for just $27.72 on a July day back in the 1870s -- he didn't fill that part out but he did on a different one also slabbed and up for sale here -- but it's likely 1875 based on the other one. Either way, these are autographs in big demand with the only eBay sales for slabs recently pushing $2,300 for "the father of American literature."

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KIND OF A BIG DEAL ... 
The Item: Batman No. 1 (CGC 1.5)
The Price: $5,500 after two bids (11 days remaining)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This debut issue from March 1940 isn't the first appearance of The Caped Crusader -- that came in Detective Comics No. 27 the previous May -- but this huge book in any condition is still the debut of The Joker and Catwoman. There are only 121 unrestored copies slabbed by CGC, and according to the auction house it "has a fair market value of $72,000 but regularly sells for significantly over-market prices."

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