Buzz 12 in 12: Busting 2017 Leaf Originals Artwork (Hour 4)

Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today's your day then as we launch 12 in 12 -- a series of a dozen breaks of wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We'll post one every hour all day long ... this is Hour 4.

The box: 2017 Leaf Originals Artwork
The cost: $79 (price will vary ... if you can find)

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

Packs per box: 1
Items per pack: 1
Base set completion: 
N/A

Autographs/Memorabilia: 1
Original artwork (1) – Verne Gagne (unpublished artwork by Steve Stanley for 2014 Leaf Originals wrestling)

What's Buzz-worthy: Inside every one of these boxes (a rigid photo mailer) is a top-loaded and labeled piece of original art used to create a past Leaf Trading Cards or pieces that were prepared but not used. Among the products teased for being in here? SportKings, Pop Century and Originals wrestling -- that's a serious mix of potential subjects -- and this one included a piece from that last set. Verne Gagne was the owner and promoter for the American Wrestling Association, or AWA, one of the bigger promotions of the early 1980s. He was a decorated college athlete in more than one sport for the University of Minnesota and was even drafted by the Chicago Bears in 1947. He's a member of the WWE Hall of Fame -- despite being one of its bigger rivals in the past -- after a decorated career both in the ring and beyond. Among those he helped train and create? Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, Curt Hennig, The Iron Sheik and Hulk Hogan. Gagne died in 2015 at age 89 after fighting Alzheimer's in his final years and didn't appear in the 2014 Leaf Originals set that this was art prepared for. This collector wasn't disappointed in finding this piece, though part of the appeal of these is to have the original for a published work and being able to compare it to the final card. Had this been a pricier box, it might have stung a bit. (Curious about the artist? Check out his work here on Twitter.) These packs are either 4-by-6 or 5-by-7 pieces and this one was one of the larger ones. Had it been a published piece, I'd think it might be one of the more sought-after works as he has very few cards despite decades in wrestling (none even after the WWE Hall of Fame deal) and zero certified autographs -- this would have been used his for his first cards had he signed. If I can find another of these boxes around the price I paid ($79) or less, I'd probably bust another. Prices on these boxes on eBay are $149 and up for the few that are available -- and I say that because there just weren't that many packs to go around to start with considering there's a one-of-a-king piece of art in every one of them.

Product Grade: A
Box Grade: A-
Fun Grade: B+

What's next? Be back in an hour ...

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