Buzz Buys: Bo Bichette, Gwen Stefani, artistic ink, WWE stars, Ali, The Splendid Splinter & even The Crazy Babysitter Twins

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.

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A FIRST FOR ME ...
The Card: Bo Bichette 2020 Topps Archives Snapshots Autographs
The Price: More than I like to admit ... but less than a lot of his autos out there
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This guy has almost become my default go-to player recently for MLB, but since he's popular, on a rising team and been on cardboard for some time I haven't really gotten in stuff on on the lower side of things. That's OK -- I don't need a third "personal collection" guy in my cardboard lifetime to do the chase-heavy approach. I'll just dabble. What is this? It's my first autograph for Bo Bichette in a small-but-growing stash that has plenty of typical raw pulls but also plenty of slabs (including a fun one of his brother) to go along with a game-used ball (a past post here) and then even a signed game-model bat for his dad somewhere in my stash. It'll be a while before I add a Bo Bichette game-used bat based on the price, but I could see it happening sometime down the line. (I dabble in a lot of directions.)
Grab a box right here: 2020 Topps Archives Snapshots

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

HOW 'BOUT THAT?
The Cards: Rob Schamberger autographed 2020 Topps WWE Undisputed Schamberger Illustrations set
The Price: Free! (Keep reading for the details and a tip for finding cool stuff like this.)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Now is the time of year to be watching social channels and newsletters perhaps more than others as Black Friday/Black November deals and specials will be popping up here and there for limited times. This is an example of just that. This 10-card insert set from Topps' long-running WWE line was free to me from WWE artist Rob Schamberger's site as one of the first five buyers of his prints on a single day earlier this month. Atop a discount, the first five people to make a $50 purchase got a full set of this and then he offered one card from the set to 25 others who weren't among that first five. The cool part that was a surprise? Every one -- at least for my set -- arrived signed on the back, making a bonus item that much better. Note: These are not the artist autos inserted into packs -- those are limited to 10 numbered copies apiece and used a sticker auto on the fronts. (Relatively rare pulls.) This approach is, to me, cooler and you can see his "RS21" sig a little more clearly on these. He'll be changing that to "RS22" once the calendar flips, by the way.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... WWE boxes are here

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THE GREATEST BARGAIN?
The Card: Muhammad Ali 2011 Leaf Metal Ali Material Training-Worn Silver Prismatic (/10)
The Price: $25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This pick-up from earlier in the year is one that seems like a steal considering the way things look more recently, but, to me Ali, memorabilia cards are pretty safe even at higher prices as the memorabilia that help create cards like this are going to be very pricey and the came could be said for the licensing costs for this global icon. The two together might not make more stuff like this a reality. 
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... other sports boxes are here

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LEGENDARY BARGAIN
The Card: Pele, Jacques Plante, Frank Robinson & Muhammad Ali 2019 Leaf Ultimate Sports Ultimate Pioneers 4 Relics  Black Printing Plate (1/1)
The Price: $20
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Speaking of icons, I found this one in a search for Robinson who I collect a little more than the others but they are certainly big deals. With Ali and Pele here, the price seemed relatively low for a plate. Perhaps it's perceived as lesser demand since there aren't photos for Robinson and Ali, but this was a pretty solid group. Pele is always pricey but I think Ali is the biggest cardboard name here.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... other sports boxes are here

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JUST A GIRL'S AUTOGRAPH
The Card: Gwen Stefani PSA-slab autograph/photo display
The Price: Less than you might think 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I've been on a slight kick to find some autographs from 1990s and 2000s stars -- names that we're not likely to find on certified autos as their time is money and their money is bigger than it might be worth for card companies to include them. Stefani autos are a little all over the place with her solo years and then photos from recent and oldchool No Doubt -- some band-signed, some not. Either way, they are all typically pretty pricey despite quality being all over the place. I'm picky about the stuff I want to add to this niche, so a lot of the pieces out there just didn't have the right image or auto quality for me. I went with this matted display with an excellent earlier photo and a very legible auto that's legit. (I won't buy anything not third-party authenticated from the entertainment realm and there are a lot of minimalist autos where you wonder how they actually got approved.) My image here is a bit yellow -- a larger item tougher to photograph for me -- but it's a pretty nice piece in my book. 
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... non-sports boxes are here

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SMALL GRAB, BIG POSTSEASON
The Card: Max Fried 2020 Topps Heritage Mini (/100)
The Price: Less than $3
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This pick-up was from months ago (early season or spring) but by year's end Fried put things together with a Game 6 World Series showing that probably got a lot of people looking at his stuff. His Rookie Cards from 2018 are perhaps the best option here as his earlier prospect cards are not as a Brave -- and I have added some of those -- but I'm also a fan of Heritage Minis, which are perhaps too cheap for how rare they are considering they are spread across all of the various pack formats for Heritage.
Grab a box right here: 2020 Topps Heritage

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BIG CARD, BIG YEAR
The Card: Ian Anderson 2021 Topps wall art (/99) -- (Rookie Card parallel?)
The Price: About $14 via Topps (after discount)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The lines of this photo -- the arms -- always make me stop and look at this card and I've pondered chasing/grading parallel versions of this card in Series 1. It's not a pricey card -- I just like it -- so I grabbed one of these posters and it looks like I was the first one to do so. (They are printed to order so there's a good chance I may end up with one of only a few actually made.) Since the Braves won it all, the price on Topps' site actually went up ($24.99) but they still have a sale where if you buy three you get a pretty steep discount here. I think notable names and RCs in wall art form could be more popular in the future once people realize how much flagship stuff has been made in recent years.
Grab a box right here: 2021 Topps Series 1 (for the regular-size card)

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IT'S THE CRAZY BABYSITTER TWINS!
The Card: Elise Avellan & Electra Avellan 2011 Panini Americana Combo Cuts Cut Signatures (/25)
The Price: $32.25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Robert Rodriguez's twin nieces had minor but fun roles in Grindhouse (Planet Terror/Death Proof) as "The Crazy Babysitter Twins" and then later they were Machete's nurses in those two films. I pick off the Tarantino movie autos here and there in sets and they both signed for Americana back in the day. The cards there are pretty much their only autos and I picked up one of each back then -- but never chased any of the rarer cards like this one. When it popped up, I grabbed it as I thought it was cool with both movies inscribed here. And the trapped autos actually look good -- a challenge for those sets.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... non-sports boxes are here

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SIMPLE SKETCH
The Card: Jesus Marquez Ultron -- 2019 Upper Deck Marvel Cinematic Universe 10th Anniversary Sketch Cards (1/1)
The Price: $8.75
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I found this in a search of sketches on the cheap and thought this take on Ultron had some decent detail and ink work compared to a lot of others in the price range, so I grabbed it. Not a lot more to say beyond that -- but I do think collectors can find a lot of really good color sketch cards with prices not as high as one might expect for one-of-a-kind pieces. And the bigger-priced pieces can have quality one might not expect, too.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... non-sports boxes are here

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MORE HANKS
The Cards: Hank Aaron 2018 Topps Salute Gold (/50), 1991 Upper Deck holograms, 2016 Topps High Tek Pattern 1 Spiral Vortex/Maze Grid Gold Rainbow (/60), 2017 Topps National Convention Prism Refractor, 2021 1951 Topps by Blake Jamieson Red Back
The Price: Pocket change up to $5.75
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This small batch of Aaron cards is more toward the newer side of things with low-volume parallels, a show card, an online release and then an oldschool chase. I picked these up with ideas for grading perhaps on a couple of them but they may not have ultimately made the cut. (At least not yet.) The holograms are definitely not getting slabbed with surface issues and the Jamieson card has a spot I didn't notice ... but the numbered cards may still be game. I liked the photos used here, which is another variable I consider when slabbing cards on the cheap side of things.
Grab a box right here: MLB boxes are here

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FREE IN THE MAIL
The Card: Field of Dreams Game 2021 Topps Now Card Of The Month (August)
The Price: Free (Topps Now rewards points monthly subscription) 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This popped up in my mailbox not long after the memorable game and it was a nice surprise as I contemplated but passed on the Topps Now cards from the game that either had kind of typical action images or were far too pricey for hits. This is right down the middle with the cornstalk aspect of things getting some attention ... and I can't complain about that price.
Grab a box right here: MLB boxes are here

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ONE I WANT TO GRADE ...
The Cards: Terrell Owens 2008 Upper Deck
The Price: Under $1 each 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This fun moment is, if I'm not mistaken, is the only time that Owens' post-TD popcorn moment during Week 13 back in 2007 made it onto cardboard. For whatever reason, this video popped up recently so I grabbed a small lot of these with an eye for getting one into a slab ... just for the novelty. There was one card in the set that might make the cut but since it wasn't a "no-brainer" condition-wise, it didn't get put high on my next bulk "maybe" stack. We'll see.
Grab a box right here: NFL boxes are here

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THREE OF A KIND
The Cards: Bo Bichette 2020 Topps Holiday WalMart Mega Box Metallic Snowflake, rare SP variations (candy cane sleeves), SP Variations (Santa Hat)
The Prices: $8.50 to $13.25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This brand is one that I bought a boatload of in the past (especially 2018) but last year's version is one I only got to rip a handful of times -- the various SPs (some rare, some not) I liked in this one. I figured I'd pick off the three that matter most here to me for Bichette -- the parallel and the two variations. This memorable RC has so many versions out there and I'm picking off a lot of them ... many in slabs. I'll likely slab these up at some point, too.
Grab a box right here: 2020 Topps Holiday

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PROMOTIONAL CONSIDERATION
The Card: Emmitt Smith 1993 Playoff Contenders Promos (with Derrick Lassic)
The Price: Under $1
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This promo card was one I grabbed when I was on a promo kick, and I liked this since it shows somebody I've met and gotten ink from -- it's not Smith. (I do have both of their autos, though.) The one guy just doesn't have as much cardboard so this one stood out a little more to me and it fits my school ties part of my collection.
Grab a box right here: NFL boxes are here

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BEFORE THE TOXICITY
The Cards: Mandy Rose 2016 Topps Heritage WWE Silver (/50), 2015 Panini WWE Wrestling Action (Spanish), 2017 Topps WWE Slam Attax 10th Edition, Aquarius WWE Evolution Divas playing cards
The Price: $2 to $28
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This WWE veteran recently has been repackaged away from her "Golden Goddess" years that aren't even really truly seen here as these are earlier cards for the most part. I ponied up for the Silver card -- I like that brand and it looked clean -- while the Panini card is a pre-rookie import and then the others are from the gaming/playing card realm. Now that she's in some main-event level storylines in NXT I figured I'd pop these in here. People seem to be liking NXT's new looks right now as slabbed card prices for her are on the rise along with some autographs.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... WWE boxes are here

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A THROWBACK
The Magazine: Ted Williams March 17, 1969, Sports Illustrated
The Price: $9.99
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Every time I see this Hall of Famer in the "wrong" uniform I get stopped by the piece, whether it's card or something else. His time as manager of the Washington Senators is only seen on Topps cards from 1969-71 but he does have others from the years since. Finding this for a $9.99 Buy-It-Now was enough to get me to do it ... even though it's not perfect. It's pretty clean, though for the age and mags can be found in far worse shape with half of the age compared to this one. Magazine grading is something I will be doing next year but this one may not make that cut ... but I do have some Senators cardboard that you'll see in Making The Grade sometime soon.
Grab a box right here: MLB boxes are here

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EARLY BIG E
The Card: Big E 2015 Topps WWE Undisputed Black (/99)
The Price: $1.50
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This isn't a Rookie Card but it's an earlier card for this current champ and it's from the first Undisputed set which actually might be my favorite brand of the Topps years now that they are coming to an end. This design isn't a perfect one, but it's relatively clean while still having a lot going on. For the price, I grabbed it. He's a top-notch talent across the board in wrestling -- well before he got the belt -- and he's under-priced for sure. He's also easily a future Hall of Famer, too, as part of The New Day and if they give him a run of any length he should have a singles career that's Hall worthy, too, in the future.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... WWE boxes are here

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A ROLL TIDE IMPULSE BUY
The Card: Herbert Jones 2021-22 Panini Instant NBA Draft Night Versicolor parallel (/5)
The Price: $54 shipped
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This was a total NBA Draft impulse buy that started with its $39.99 price ... the rest is shipping and tax for a card that only arrived in a stickered top-loader. (¯\_(ツ)_/¯) The bottom two corners added to my lackluster reaction to this one when it arrived and for some reason I thought the stock might have been like Cracked Ice ... but it's not. The good news for me here is that Jones has had some decent showings in recent weeks ... so this school ties grab isn't bad right now. Instant does have other NBA cardboard options for new guys, but this one works for me after opening some Chronicles Draft and it nor really wowing me all that much. (It's fine ... I'm just not a heavy basketball collector beyond a small batch of names or niches.)
Grab a box right here: NBA boxes are here

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HIS FIRST INK
The Card: Cody Rhodes 2008 Topps Heritage WWE IV Autographs
The Price: About $20
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This first certified auto for the second-generation star is an aesthetic oddity and, well, ugly -- silver stickers on a slightly Ginter-esque design was the norm back then -- but it's the first. Rhodes actually didn't have another solo sig until two years later and only has about 40 certified auto cards in all. That's a number heavily bolstered by parallels in some Leaf releases. I'm more of a fan of first certified autos out there vs. first in-pack cards (Rookie Cards) for wrestling, so this hit the spot at a price a lot cheaper than people are paying for abundant RCs.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... WWE boxes are here

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SIMPLE APPEAL
The Card: Mickey Mantle 2021 Topps Project70 by Quiccs (/2,624)
The Price: $19.99 via Topps.com
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This 1952 Topps meets 1975 Topps mash-up with some anime touches got me to bite because it's simple and it obviously plays off an actual card design vs. some whatever look an artist retroactively attributed to a past year. That seems to be happening too often for my taste with this year-long release but I'm still being selective with what I grab ... a number of cards I'll just pick off at a later point.
Grab a box right here: MLB boxes are here

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ICONIC INK
The Card: Tanya Roberts 2015 Rittenhouse James Bond: Archives 2015 Edition Full-Bleed Autographs
The Price: $30
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This one was likely a little underpriced vs. others when I was looking at non-sports ink and, believe it or not, I am pretty sure grabbed this one before her death at age 65 in January. (Time flies.) This card comes from her role in the James Bond film A View To A Kill in 1985 but she was probably better known for a stint in Charlie's Angels or perhaps The Beastmaster and Sheena before that. I grabbed this since I have a soft spot for That '70s Show where she was Donna's mom, Midge Pinciotti. She has a decent amount of certified ink with Pop Century appearances and a few others but I went with the on-card auto here. I have a Donna auto and a Red Forman auto in my stash -- from other releases -- and I'll probably add more.
Grab a box right here: James Bond boxes are here (when available)

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ICONIC CARDBOARD
The Card: David Robinson 1990-91 Fleer Rookie Sensation
The Price: $2
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This was a huge card back in the day and I grabbed it since it was cheap and Robinson was pretty much the guy to chase back when I first dabbled with basketball cards more heavily. I never landed this one and it's not perfect -- that centering -- but I still liked it for the price.
Grab a box right here: NBA boxes are here

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A ROOKIE CARD OF SORTS
The Card: Nick Saban 2005 Bowman -- Rookie Card
The Price: $3.50
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Thanks to college football releases and appearances tied to his record successes leading the Alabama Crimson Tide, he's got a quite a bit of cardboard. But thanks to his short time in the NFL this is Saban's Rookie Card. This set is loaded with RCs but only five are coaches and there are eight other parallels to look for here for each one of them. With those black borders grading would be a challenge ... and that's one reason I actually grabbed one of these again. My original copy wasn't that great and, well, it turns out this one wasn't too hot, either. Parallels of this one can have some strong prices, too.
Grab a box right here: NFL boxes are here

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LEGENDARY INSCRIPTION
The Card: Lindsey Weaver 2018 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions Inscribed Autographs (/50)
The Price: $10
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This inscription is one people probably know when it comes to college football but they might not know that Weaver was a star golfer for Notre Dame before transferring to Arizona and then playing in the LPGA. She was an award-winner for both schools but I'm not really a golf devotee. I grabbed this one since it had a big inscription without a big price and I thought it was something a little more unique to add to my autographs.
Grab a box right here: 2018 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions

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