Buzz Buys: Acuña, Big Papi, Shotzi, Project70, Bo & plenty mo'

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 ...

--

A PIECE OF THE GAME
The Card: Dri Archer 2014 Panini National Treasures Rookie NFL Football & Lace (/4)
The Price: $25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I've always thought these cards with big and bold pieces of event-used footballs from the NFLPA Rookie Premiere are cool regardless of who they are made for. (Archer last played in 2015 so not much interest in that way.) This was the second time I've grabbed one of these -- the last being years ago at this point -- as I haven't really seen them pop up as much in recent years. (Can't say I'm constantly looking but they aren't super-plentiful, either.) This is literally half of the laces on an NFL ball embedded into a card and three-dimensional cards like this aren't done as often as they should be if you ask me, especially for premium brands. Sure, they cost more to make as those big swatches could have gone to several cards but all of them combined don't have as much oomph as cards like this do.
Grab a box right here: National Treasures boxes (all years)

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

FIVE-PACK FOR THE WIN!
The Card Lot: David Ortiz 2021 Topps Now Turn Back The Clock (/933) five-card bundle ... with Cherry (/7) parallel
The Price: Direct price from Topps
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This was my first time grabbing any Turn Back The Clock card in the two years of the program that showcases past moments on new cards. I grabbed these since I have never landed the SP card for Ortiz showing this memorable moment from seven yeas ago. (Can't say I've been looking for that one too hard as it's pricey.) The parallel, which is one of 10 total cards for two colors randomly inserted into orders, is a pricey one based on the few that hit eBay around the time I got this one. Parallels are either Cherry (/7) or White Ash (/3) and I consider myself pretty lucky on this one as that production volume on this card is higher than a lot of cards from this year, meaning it should have been a little harder to land this time vs. others. 
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... grab MLB boxes here

--

THRILL OF VICTORY, AGONY OF DEFEAT
The Card: Tim Duncan 1997-98 Fleer Ultra -- Rookie Card
The Price: Too much for the surprise here
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This one seemed like a decent buy (less than a blaster) but it wasn't as (surprise!) it had missing gloss on the card front and that one made this a big bummer. It seems like this was in an acidic page or sleeve that pulled off the gloss once it was removed. It's arguably Duncan's best RC if you ask me (at least of those that are not crazy-priced) but it's always got chipping issues due to the stock and gloss used here. This one was very clean other than a couple marks on the bottom edge, which I would have lived with ... but the missing gloss made this one a pure dud.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... grab NBA boxes here

--

ALL ABOUT THE ART
The Card: Ronald Acuña Jr. 2021 Topps Project70 by Efdot (/5,099)
The Price: $19.99 from Topps
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This piece is far from photo-realistic and that's why I grabbed it -- it's got a combination of his bat-down SP Rookie Card image and some style that really makes me think "Picasso" with it having some abstract or cubism vibes to it. (Also ... I'm no expert on those terms and last had any art education long, long ago.) I liked how this is a 2002 design that has nods to 2018 that kind of mesh the two years. Unlike a lot of Photoshopped concoctions in this set this year, this one jumped out at me as a different card to grab and that print run is higher than a lot of them this year, too. 
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... grab MLB boxes here

--

TOUGH PARALLEL?
The Card: Shotzi Blackheart 2020 Topps Finest WWE Orange Refractor (/50) -- Rookie Card parallel
The Price: Around $40
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This WWE newcomer is popular, so that this price may seem high ... but it's not. Her Red (/5) sold for somewhere under its listed price of $500 on eBay while other copies of this color have sold for $90 and $75 in recent eBay auctions. A Black (/25) went for $65 and her Blues (/150) are often sales around $50. The best color, Green (/99), doesn't pop up often and it's been as high as a $55 card recently. That's the one I have been waiting for, but they seem to vanish quickly so I grabbed this when it popped up under some of those high prices but still on the rarer side of things. She's a colorful, high-energy daredevil performer with a punk look, a penchant for insane crash-and-burn moments and bright green hair whose style and name now are the same as they were when she was coming through the independents (not always the norm). I suspect a lot of those past fans are buying here along with the fact that she only appeared in a couple of WWE sets last year. I'm a collector here ... you'll be seeing her more often here and probably already have if you're a regular reader.
Grab a box right here: Grab 2020 Topps Finest WWE boxes here

--

CHECK IT OUT
The Item: Harry Caray autographed 1972 check (via his restaurant chain)
The Price: $50
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: These are back available on the restaurant's site (link above) after vanishing in the past after I wrote about them a few years ago. This Hall of Fame-honored legendary broadcaster died in 1998 before he would have probably appeared in autograph sets (cut autos have been made) and he's a pretty pricey sig here and there (double or triple this price) depending on the item as Cubs fans still have plenty of demand for their beloved icon. With all that said, I grabbed a couple of these not long ago as that price is a steal. At this time in 1972, Caray was calling White Sox games and this date is the same as the final game of a three-game set with the eventual World Series champion Oakland A's and the day before the opener of a series against the Angels. With Edgewater Hyatt House the subject here with "hotel" written, this location puts Caray firmly between calling appearances by Vida Blue and Rollie Fingers in Oakland and then a game won by a rookie you might know, Goose Gossage. (The first win of his Hall of Fame career.) It's not the Continental Hyatt House in Hollywood from Almost Famous, but it's around that same timeframe and they're not that far away from each other as this one was apparently in Long Beach, Calif. This $10.08 check probably doesn't have any cool story potential but this one kind of did.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... grab MLB boxes here

--

BIG BO!
The Item: Bo Bichette Topps Living Set Fine Art Print #304 (/100)
The Price: $24.99 via Topps
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: These Living Set prints -- a larger version of the art used on the weekly cards -- vanish fast and I grabbed this Bichette on the day of its arrival and disappearance. Had I been just a little faster ordering I might have landed his jersey number (11). I'm not rich enough to truly collect this popular young star but I pick off interesting and bargain cards here and there -- you have seen him in this series in the past if you're a regular -- and I was glad I grabbed this one as it looks really good at the larger size. It's just my second print from this series and the previous one didn't hold up as cleanly when it was blown up. This one is strong.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... grab MLB boxes here

--

IT'S THE SPORT OF KINGS, BETTER THAN DIAMOND RINGS ...
The Item: Wildcats movie press kit (1986)
The Price: $9.99
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The folder alone for this kit is pretty nice with a number of the stars from this Goldie Hawn comedy appearing on its artwork. This movie about a woman taking over as a high school football coach is one I haven't seen in years but its cast includes a ton of people you can find on cards and in roles elsewhere -- Hawn, Wesley Snipes, Woody Harrelson, Mykelti Williamson, Nipsey Russell, Swoosie Kurtz, Robyn Lively, Jan Hooks, Jsu Garcia, M. Emmet Walsh, Gloria Stuart, Bruce McGill, James Keach and even L.L. Cool J with a cameo and the films main theme song. If you don't know some of the names, you'll probably know their faces. The photos here were clean and flaw-free (an unused kit) with some of those photos easily potentially selling for more than I paid for all of it on their own.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... grab NFL boxes here

--

IT'S RED FORMAN!
The Card: Kurtwood Smith 2010 Rittenhouse The Quotable Star Trek Autographs
The Price: $34
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This autograph is one I'd actually prefer from That '70s Show but that's a card set that never happened. This is one of only three autograph cards for the veteran actor with the others being a second Trek card and then one in a Rick & Morty release showing the character he voiced. The 77-year-old has more than 150 credits on IMDb -- you might also remember him in RoboCop -- and he's still working today.
Grab a box right here: Grab Star Trek boxes here

--

O.G. WILDCARD ...
The Card: Keith McCants 1991 Wild Card 10 Stripe parallel 
The Price: Pocket change
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This pick-up is a nod to the new very different Wild Card release of today while showing how they are different -- this is a 10-stripe parallel where I could have sent this card in to receive 10 standard copies of the card. That's what the old Wild Card was known for, while today's is a high-end autograph-driven release. Variations came as high as 1,000-stripe versions ... tempting if you landed a big name back in the day but I don't think I would have traded in any larger denomination unless it was for some kind of Bipping scenario. McCants fits in my school ties part of my collection and I don't think I ever pulled anything from a pack above a five.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... grab the new Wild Card boxes here

--

PRE-ROOKIE CARDBOARD
The Card: Chase Elliott 2011 Wheels Element -- Rookie Card (pre-NASCAR arrival)
The Price: About $7
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I'm sure I grabbed this one after he won the NASCAR Cup last year since I never grabbed one back in the day -- or one of his pricey autographs from this set. These arrived five years before his Cup RCs when he was around 15 years old. Press Pass made early cards for him and others (see Darrell "Bubba" Wallace for starters) that aren't all that pricey but are interesting additions or starting points for a small NASCAR stash if you like cards with a little more possible chatter behind them.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... grab NASCAR boxes here

--

STAR-PACKED PROGRAM
The Item: Shimmer wrestling 2005-07 Roster Album
The Price: Part of a lot but around $20 when sold on its own (but with some eBay sellers asking way higher)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is an interesting item made to document who performed in the first three years of an independent wrestling company that has had a number of WWE women's stars work there. (I actually had no idea on a number of them until stumbling upon some items here on eBay.) This is a stiff cardboard booklet that has photos for Becky Lynch, Beth Phoenix, Natalya, Mercedes Martinez, Awesome Kong and Serena Deeb for starters. Are they cards? No, but it wouldn't shock me if people cut them up and called them that at some point. In later years, the promotion turned to making double-sided cardboard posters with a montage on the fronts and then the roster of potential stars for the events in mugshot form on the backs -- even more stars who are now in NXT or on the WWE or AEW rosters can be found on those.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... grab WWE boxes here

--

FACES IN THE CROWD
The Card: 50 Seasons in Reading Night 2017 Topps Pro Debut Promo Night Uniform Red Relics (/10)
The Price: $10
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This card is all about that swatch, which is a piece of one of the weird jerseys you can see worn by the player on the front. It's not his jersey but a sample one that shows one way that MiLB is different with theme nights that even include gimmick jerseys worn during the games. I always check Pro Debut's Relics for some weird stuff and this is a bargain price along with it being one of the weirder cards possible through the years.
Grab a box right here: Grab MiLB boxes here

--

LEGENDARY BARGAIN
The Card: Duke Snider 2004 Playoff Prime Cuts MLB Icons Prime Jerseys (/9)
The Price: $10
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This isn't all that impressive of a patch (there's a hint of blue flannel there) but only nine copies of this card were made ... and, well, I couldn't pass it up for that price. Snider's stuff isn't all that pricey -- it's just such a rare card from a pricey box where this was your big hit along with some other cards for north of $200 back in the day. I only did that once -- it wasn't that fun for me -- but grabbing a card like this for this price was.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... grab MLB boxes here

--

TURN BACK THE CLOCK
The Card: George Brett 2020 Topps Project 2020 by Ermsy (/7,757) 
The Price: $13.50
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This secondary-market pick-up is priced less than what it originally sold for ... but also less than what they are often going for now. That makes it a win as a number of the higher-volume cards from this iconic set aren't selling all that well right now while others are still going pretty strong. Project 2020 was easily one of the game-changers for sports cards last year and I always wanted to grab a number of the pieces from this artist but didn't. I'm not really a huge Brett fan at all but I liked this one enough to grab it ... and will do more if they present themselves on the bargain side of things.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... grab MLB boxes here

--

HITS THE SPOT
The Card: Nick Swisher 2007 Sweet Spot Signatures cards (a few styles)
The Price: $10-25 depending on style 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The Sweet Spot autos have been a favorite of mine through the years and this was a year where my main player I collect appeared on a mess of cards with different styles and parallels. How many? I think 19 were made here between ball, bat barrel and glove material versions which were then signed with various ink colors and with other colors of baseball seams and leather inserts. Do I have them all? Nope, but I'm also not all that worried about it. If they pop up on the cheaper side, I'll grab them -- I actually don't even know which ones I might need and that's reinforced by one style being seen here twice in this small batch of grabs from the last year or so.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... grab MLB boxes here

--

CHAIRMAN OF THE CARDBOARD
The Card: Kane 2002 Fleer WWF All Access Memorabilia (steel chair)
The Price: Around $10 (in a group buy) 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This card is a fun one that I grabbed long ago but I couldn't pass up another in a small group buy as it was cheap and pretty clean for a Fleer memorabilia card of this era. (Still not perfect but good enough for the price.) Unique memorabilia cards were perhaps best seen in this one where you had table swatches for the Dudleys, milk carton cards for Kurt Angle and this one housing the iconic steel chair which was used by everybody but tied to new Hall of Famer Kane here.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... grab WWE boxes here

--

A CARDBOARD CAMEO
The Card: Barack Obama (with Albert Pujols) 2009 Upper Deck SP insert
The Price: $6
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This card was one of a few flagship-style inserts with unusual subjects or approaches made back in the day as we had all kinds of surprises arriving in cards. I grabbed it since it seemed cheaper than it had been when stumbling upon them ... simple as that. I'm not sure how rare these might be but it was something different I hadn't gotten my hands on yet.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... grab MLB boxes here

--

BIG LUMBER?
The Card: Curt Schilling, Nomar Garciaparra, Brandon Webb & Richie Sexson 2004 Fleer Classic Clippings Bat Rack Quads (/75)
The Price: Under $5
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This style of card I've always liked so I grabbed this quad for the price. Nobody here is all that relevant or that popular today, but these are still cool cards with larger strips of game-used bats embedded into them. They could be found with three and four players and a few parallel colors.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... grab MLB boxes here

--

BEFORE THE WWE
The Card: John Layfield 1991 Pro Set World League of American Football -- Rookie Card
The Price: Landed four 150-card sets for less than $1 apiece (though shipping made it more)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: WWE fans know this guy as a big-mouthed, blowhard jackass named JBL (John "Bradshaw" Layfield) who would come to the ring in his later years in a limo with a set of Texas Longhorns attached to the hood. He's a new member of the WWE Hall of Fame and I had always liked this lone football card of his from the Pro Set boxed set for the league back in the day. This is the kind of oddball card I'd slab but the edges and corners of these cards fresh from 30-year-old sets wouldn't check in at a high mark. Oh well ... I still might slab one at some point, though, as seeing names on cards from sports where they aren't best-known have unique appeal. Prices on this particular card are all over the place on eBay, selling for a lot more than you might think ... even though they can be found in cheap sets.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... grab WWE boxes here

--

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

>> Click here to buy cards on BlowoutCards.com