Buzz Buys ... A LOT: Throwback to an era (somehow?) long ago

Buzz buys a lot of stuff these days and for a few reasons, really. Sometimes it's just bargain-hunting, sometimes it's just something that strikes me. And other times it's a lot -- a group of things -- and that has happened enough lately I figured I'd try something different as a regularly appearing item. Sometimes my lots will be wins, sometimes they won't be ... but I'll let you decide. 

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A PC THROWBACK
The Lot: 225-plus cards of former MLB player Nick Swisher (mostly cards from 2004-2010)
The Price: Not much more than a Chrome blaster box in the retail wild (with tax) -- check out Retro Rips here

Keep reading for more on this one ...

What's The Deal? Get off my lawn! (Saying that now just in case you're thinking this is that when you're done reading. It isn't.) Do you remember the days when a hobby box of plastic-stock sports cards didn't cost $100 from the manufacturer? I do ... and I remember having a lot of options to ponder when I'd hit a shop to decide which ones from that tier to dabble with based on the hit volumes inside them -- yes, they had them -- and then knowing the possibilities -- good or bad -- on the checklist and then based on the odds. (Remember those?) This player lot I recently picked off was a mix of some decent/unique stuff from back in those days from not that long ago that now seem like long ago and since Swisher is long-retired both on the field (done there a decade ago) and on cardboard (done there in 2016) this is how I can dabble. After lathering myself up in some cardboard sorting goodness where everything here was something I liked, this lot was a reminder that times have changed dramatically in recent years. Some cards here are oddballs, some food- and team-issue cards, there's a pair of schedules and then some extra Refractory flash got me to bite ... despite the fact that I likely already owned 100 percent of what was in this one. Did I need more? No ... and yes. Do those things happen as much now? Maybe, maybe not. I'm not sure lots like this even happen as much anymore as they could or should ... it's harder for people to amass lots in volume to collect (or collect to sell) when prices on boxes start off as high as they often do. (Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Depends on your perspective ... if one is even thinking about that at all.)

What's The Steal? Nah, nothing here is. Well, maybe. It depends on whether you believe some of the asking prices people have posted online for selected singles from old stuff are actually hit in a world where the new stuff is hot, hot, hot ... until it's maybe not. At least when this "hot hobby" happened before and it has (see: late-1980s/early 1990s and to a lesser degree early 2010s) back then people were paying $50 a pop for their hot and in-demand 1990 wax boxes, not 10x that or more like today. It happens -- and what's inside is not the same, either, both in good ways and not. Also what caught my eye here was, although he's a lower-value player (probably a common at this point to most newer collectors) some of the stuff here in this lot (and I'm only showing the better and the premium stuff) doesn't pop up as much as others now. It's dried up to a degree ... and much of it -- even from just 10-15 years ago -- has to have a far lower overall production volume of some of the same brands in the here and now. What might that mean for now's stuff later if I had a player I was trying to chase? We'll see. Could be bad for some, could be fun for collectors who are glacially patient. (How many might not bother to be patient, though?) So many of the brands in the gallery below were hot in their day, despite plenty being made and ripped (see those Bowman Chrome and Topps Chrome piles) and the player here (and others) had moments, too. But now? Not as much demand for a lot of them ... but at least I wasn't paying three-figures for much of anything (yes, just three) save for the elite of the elite stuff (autographed 1/1 Logoman/bat barrel caliber cards). No worries as I'm intending to keep those -- no matter the value -- as a collector.

Anything Missing? Nah ... this is a lot, not a set or near-set situation.

The Lot Details ... The best stuff is in the gallery below

Base (yes) – Not sorting them specifically this time ... plus there's a lot more you don't see.

Insert cards (yes) – Not sorting them specifically this time ... plus there's a lot more you don't see.

Bottom Line: This one was just a lot good for this collector and the person who had taken the time to pull all of it together probably didn't get as much in return for it as much as the fun I had going through it as a collector. This one is a reminder that everybody needs a cheap collecting option ... whether it's boxes or singles or both. Fun -- or quality -- doesn't have to be tied to a price tag.

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Follow Buzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz or send email to BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com. 

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