Buzz Buys: Broadway Joe, Alanis, Roger Maris, Bob Dylan, Rocky, Dr. J, old magazines, WWE stars and ... Gearl Hebner?

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 ... and this time around it's deep -- but also one of the pricier overall roundups I've done. 

BATTING LEAD-OFF ...
The Card: Roger Maris 2005 Playoff Absolute Memorabilia Tools of the Trade Reverse Blue Single Materials (/50)
The Price: $30
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Most of my pick-ups for this series are more personal collection buys meaning a lot of them might not have a ton of mainstream appeal to all of you but I'll let a legend bat lead-off here once again with a simple piece of cardboard. This brand was one that had a ton of highlights in it for game-used memorabilia fans when it arrived at the end of the Donruss/Playoff years and it delivered a ton for roughly $40 a pack back then if I remember correctly. This one was the home of legendary memorabilia cards from Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and many more and I have pulled or picked up many of them though the years. One player I pick up regularly if the price is right is Maris and this one fits that bill. It's not a perfectly designed card (His legs ... what's up there?) but the brand has so many variations and so many cards.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... but newer MLB boxes are here.

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

THE ROOKIE COVER ... THAT SPAWNED THE NICKNAME
The Mag: Joe Namath -- Sports Illustrated July 19, 1965
The Price: $30
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This "Broadway Joe" item is the origin of the "Broadway Joe" nickname -- read the story here -- and it's a mag that's from before the rookie season of his Hall of Fame career even began. This is an iconic all-timer for the long-running magazine that has many iconic time-defining covers and just 11 copies of it have been graded by CGC. (Meanwhile, his short-printed 1965 Topps Rookie Card has been slabbed more than 1,800 times.) In elite grade, this is the kind of mag that can command thousands, though I suspect lower-end copies like this might sell well, too, given how few are slabbed. The devotees of slabbed books live by the no-label, highest-grade perspective for the elite stuff -- those yield elite prices -- but I think the iconic stuff like this one can impress, too, in low grade. Sadly, some of the damage here was inflicted while being mailed to me -- not in its 50-plus previous years of existence so that was a personal bummer for me -- this one was (and still is) getting graded no matter what. I even have a second one with a partial tear in the middle that I will probably slab, too. Why? He's a megastar with school ties who I have met a couple times and I just want my copies slabbed no matter what. Fun fact: Namath once sued SI for use of his likeness advertising magazines and it's an important one. 
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... but newer NFL boxes are here.

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AS UNIQUE AS IT GETS
The Piece: 2019 Goodwin Champions Museum Collection Aviation Jumbo Relics -- 5-by-7 F4E-Phantom Martin Baker Ejection Seat Survival Pack
The Price: $68
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This oversized card is totally something I don't need but it's just so weird and interesting to me I had to have it along with one of my Space Shuttle memorabilia display pieces (can't really call them cards) from this same brand that you saw right here not that long ago. What exactly this is I have no clue other than it's from somewhere on an ejection seat that looks like this. My previous space-used piece is probably a little more important in the big scheme of things as it's tied to a specific Space Shuttle mission but this piece is just weird and that's why I like it. It's some kind of cord/strapping tucked into each pocket but I didn't try pulling on any of it in this shadowbox card figuring I might mess up something if I tinkered too much.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... but newer Goodwin boxes are here.

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ROOKIE INK
The Card: Ryne Sandberg 1983 Donruss autographed Rookie Card (BAS Authenticated)
The Price: $46
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This Hall of Famer's three Rookie Cards -- Topps, Donruss and Fleer -- were among a few iconic trios for a few guys that in a lot of ways define the simpler times of the 1980s baseball cards. I'm actually not sure if I ever landed this card via opening packs or picking up deals here and there over the years, but I liked the look of this signed, slabbed and authenticated auto as well as its price and I grabbed it. I definitely know I own all three of his RCs now ... not sure if I ever had his ink before (might have pulled one and it's in my stash somewhere) but now I can cross him off the list. 
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... but newer MLB boxes are here.

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A FIRST FOR ME
The Card: Elston Howard 2018 Panini National Treasures Relics Black Printing Plate (1/1)
The Price: $24.75
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: He was a social pioneer for the New York Yankees and I was lucky enough to happen upon an autograph of his decades ago that is a solid piece in my collection. But this? Well, I think this is a first for me ... my first memorabilia card printing plate. That's a piece of one of his bats embedded into the card, err, plate. Not much else to say about this one. It's oddly interesting to me.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... but newer MLB boxes are here.

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EARLIER INK
The Item: Alanis Morissette autographed 8-by-10 (Rolling Stone) photo (JSA Authenticated)
The Price: More than anything else you'll see today 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I've been on an autograph kick for some iconic 1990s/early 2000s names in recent months -- that also applies to magazines I have been chasing with the intent to grade -- and this is a pricier example. You can often find Morissette's autograph on CDs and vinyl from recent years with smaller, shorter assembly line autographs often direct from her site with re-sellers getting even more if they get them authenticated. Since music autos aren't always the easiest finds, the market can be very steep vs. sports stuff or ink from the typical convention-going celebs. This photo is a scan from a 1995 Rolling Stone spread and it has an older, fuller autograph that definitely took more time to sign. I was patient hunting here and it compared favorably to a few VIP items and other autos on promotional pieces from around 1998-99 that sold long ago (definitely signed by same person as this) so I bit. The seller had nothing but JSA pieces for sale and said it had been in their possession since 1999 so that also made sense to me. With celeb autos, I tend to research them a little more to see if I agree with what I see on the piece and exemplars. Note: This image is brightened a bit as it wasn't the easiest ink to read on the background but I am also picky with images -- the photo was a key here as it's a lot better than a lot of options. A signed disc or album might pop up here at some point if I find one that I like at a price I like. Why 1990s/2000s names? A lot of them don't have certified autos or even card appearances -- to me that makes both autos and graded mags more interesting items in my mind. There's tons of stuff in comparison for sports and non-sports entities from the 1950s-80s but not as much stuff for newer years.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... but non-sport boxes are here.

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MATH, SCIENCE, HISTORY ...
The Card: Leonard Hofstadter's Red Shirt -- 2012 Cryptozoic The Big Bang Theory Seasons 3-4 Authentic Wardrobe
The Price: $13
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: If you're a regular reader here, then you know I'll pick off a mem card or two or three from these sets from time to time. This is yet another ... and it's a piece of the shirt he's wearing on the card, too.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... but newer non-sports boxes are here.

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SPEAKING OF RED ...
The Cards: Bo Bichette 2020 Topps Fire Red Blaze & 2020 Topps Independence Day (/76) -- Rookie Card parallels 
The Price: $10 (for the rarer one) and under
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This guy is all over my stacks of stuff for this series as well as Making The Grade with this pairing sharing some colorful details. I bought the Fire parallel with intent to grade but the centering bugged me too much once I had it in hand. (It turns out a PSA 9 I already grabbed looked the same and it was in MTG earlier this month.) The other one was a bit of an under-priced grab vs. what other copies have sold for. If you remember his Living Set card, then you should recognize its photo.
Grab a box right here: MLB boxes are here.

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JUST KEEP LIV-IN'
The Card: Liv Morgan 2020 Topps Finest WWE Orange Refractor Autographs (/50)
The Price: $50
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The Prizm fans are paying big for just about everything in WWE right now if it's rarer -- and even without ink (allegedly) -- but it wasn't that long ago (a few months) that I found this one for this price ... a rare card with plenty of on-card ink and color. Comparable volumes from for Morgan (sticker) autos from Prizm are around $200 on the high side and rarer ones have topped $800. Once more are pulled from packs or flippers move on to a newer release? We'll see. Most WWE stars who have been around have signed quite a bit so you can find an auto for a name on the affordable side if you are patient and do some looking.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... but newer WWE boxes are here.

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ICON & ICONIC IMAGE ...
The Mag: Bob Dylan -- Hit Parader November 1969
The Price: $9.99
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This book isn't perfect and it's got that likely newsstand-indicator check mark on it that doesn't help but, man, I liked the look of this for the price and this is a nice visual piece that I intend to slab at some point. Why? It will just look good. These aren't impossible finds but in top shape they might be ... and they're not heavily graded by CGC. Why have I not sent it off yet? Well, I have a lot of stuff I want to slab and they're just as backed up as I am ... so it's on my tarmac but it's a long wait for grading unless one wants to pay up for fast service. (This one isn't that nice to justify that cost.) Check out the name-drops below the iconic photo here ... this one is from some prime years in music. I have seen other issues of this one with a lot more damage have asking prices higher than what I paid, too.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... but non-sports boxes are here.

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EARLIEST CARDBOARD?
The Card: Rob Van Dam 1996 BBM Pro Wrestling (Japan) -- Rookie Card?
The Price: $48
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This card from Japan's biggest card-maker shows this iconic ECW star and WWE Hall of Famer on cardboard that's from four years before his cards/stickers from ECW toys and six years before he had any WWE cards. Is there other non-packed obscure cardboard out there for him from before this? I'm not totally sure but I doubt it. This was one reason I paid up a little bit from my normal buying ranges to land one of these. I would have slabbed this but it has some corner issues where it doesn't sit flat.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... but newer WWE boxes are here.

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PANINI ... BEFORE PRIZM
The Cards: Assorted 2015/2016 Panini WWE Action cards (Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, Carmella, Asuka, Liv Morgan, Billie Kay, Peyton Royce)
The Price: Pocket change up to $6
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: These Spanish WWE cards are printed on clear plastic and carry more of a gaming feel but the timeframe is a strong one for the stars of NXT who have gone on to notable spots on the main WWE roster today. I've never seen them in pack form, but I made a point to pick up some notables or favorites in the past despite the fact that their acetate surfaces can make them not very grading-friendly. (I tend to buy singles with that potential in mind quite often.)
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... but newer WWE boxes are here.

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SON OF THE WIZARD
The Card: Nikko Smith 2005 Fleer American Idol Season 4 Reality Bits memorabilia cards 
The Price: $2
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This show has created its share of names in pop culture -- and most of them I don't know as it's just not my genre/taste in music -- but I'll dabble with cardboard and went there with this cheap one as it's a hit with some trivia. He's the son of Baseball Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith. He has a few cards and even autos from this release but I doubt I'll chase any others -- I like the trivia here.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... but non-sports boxes are here.

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ALL CAPS!
The Cap: El Paso Chihuahuas New Era fitted cap
The Price: $35 or so (on sale)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This team's caps have been on my want list for a while now and this recent pick-up is because I have finally been able to find it in big-dog sizes. (Mine go fast if they are made at all.) Back in the day, a lot of people would casually collect caps with strong designs from MiLB teams that change names and logos all the time. I doubt this merch machine of a name disappears any time soon, but I do wonder whether vintage game-model caps with proper tagging and styles or current short-run specialty caps (or, to take it further, unworn caps with stickers still attached) is a market that is untapped in today's flipper-heavy mindset. Now, I'm not saying this one is a good flip -- Im just saying I like this one and caps were on my mind after missing out on a recent card arrival ...  thanks to flippers.) Now, if I could find their even-better red cap ... one step at a time.
Grab a box right here: MiLB boxes are here.

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BIG FRANK
The Card: Frank Robinson 2011 Topps Gypsy Queen Framed Mini Relics
The Price: $8
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Like Maris, Robinson is a regular go-to for me when I want to poke around for vintage-player hits. This brand and framed minis in general are always on my radar -- but should be on my radar more. This one was a no-brainer at this price if you ask me. GQ is a brand that's still going but I prefer the very first release perhaps more than any other.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... but newer MLB boxes are here.

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THIS BITES
The Item: Reality Bites press kit and photos 
The Price: $9.99
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Movie photo kits are still pretty plentiful if you're casually looking but some genres (like sports movies) can be tougher and have higher asking prices with sports fans perhaps involved. These types of photos, to me, are very card-like in their approach and are bargain-priced for sure -- though a lot of dealers break them up and charge more per photo. This particular set and film isn't super-high on my radar but there are a number of 1990s movies with A-list names who you can find without breaking the bank -- things didn't go heavily digital (PDFs or CD/DVD press kits) until the mid-2000s.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... but non-sports boxes are here.

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THE DOCTOR IS IN MY COLLECTION
The Mag: Julius Erving -- Sports Illustrated May 17, 1976
The Price: About $10
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I simply love this photo and hadn't ever seen this issue until a recent late-night dig. It's pretty clean for the price with an unfortunate minor spot of missing paper and, of course, that label some loathe. This one is clean with an iconic star player looking good -- despite its flaws I'll probably slab it at some point. It's a nice book will present well in a slab and it's not a big deal to me to have that label there -- it's not obstructing anything important.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... but NBA boxes are here.

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RUBBED THE WRONG WAY
The Mag: Christina Aguilera -- GQ June 2006
The Price: $20 (in sealed bag)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This one was a bit of a bummer but I don't know how much its issue might affect a grade. But first the why buy. In my mind, the best pop culture magazine covers of the 1980s-90s-2000s were often Rolling Stone but the size of those magazines demolishes any grading visions -- they are too big to slab and that size also made them tougher to store. If CGC ever starts grading them? There could be some fun times and money made with some nice collectibles -- there are a ton of memorable issues out there and elite grades may be tough. So with those iconic covers with names from the 1990s and 2000s crossed off that list, that left me pondering the art direction from long-running or at least time-defining titles like Esquire, GQ, Maxim, Stuff and Blender for memorable covers with iconic names. This one was in its factory-sealed bag but there's an ink burn/rub line up basically most of the book right by the spine so that has to hurt the condition. It went from an easy grade if clean (and for most part it was, though not as good as I had hoped) ... but now? I'm not sure.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... but non-sports boxes are here.

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KEEPING IT SIMPLE
The Card: Jim "Catfish" Hunter 2004 Leaf Certified Materials Fabric of the Game AL/NL (/100)
The Price: $5
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This Hall of Famer memorabilia card is on the cheap and rare side of things and that's my wheelhouse. I have had this set pop up here a number of times before, too. Not much else to say here.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... but newer MLB boxes are here.

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LIKE THE CONCEPT
The Card: Joe Blanton 2007 Upper Deck Black Game-Day Lineup Card Autographs (/50)
The Price: $5
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This design and approach has always struck me as very odd yet interesting. The autograph on the side is very different -- I'd like to see it more often, actually -- but the rest of it is odd for sure. It just feels so random. I think I would like the approach more for historical games like a no-no or something legendary like a milestone home run.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... but newer MLB boxes are here.

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BUYING IN BULK
The Cards: Assorted WWE/Impact autographs, inserts, parallels mag cards and imports (Johnny Gargano, Tomasso Ciampa, ODB, Nia Jax, Alexander Wolfe, Mickie James, A.J. Lee, Maria, Lama, Rusev, Angelo Dawkins, Erick Rowan, Braun Strowman, Dasha Fuentes, Ember Moon, Heavy Machinery, Jordan Devlin, Drake Maverick, Pete Dunne, Golddust & Dakota Runnels, Colette Foley & Dude Love, Molly Holly, Beth Phoenix, Asuka, Ruby Riott, Natalya, Nikki Cross, Vickie Guerrero, Stacy Keibler, Torrie Wilson)
The Price: Pocket change up to maybe $14 (ink)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This lot is really a catch-all of really, really cheap cards or ones that struck out as perhaps cheaper than they should have been given what they are. In reality, only a couple of cards here cost me more than about $8. Some I grabbed since they were cheap hits, parallels that weren't priced like parallels, oddball cards or stuff I just hadn't seen before. There are also a number of names who are no longer with WWE, meaning there's a less likely reason for me to have them pop up here on their own. (They'll be more off the radar for many wrestling collectors, let alone those who dabble casually.) There are also a couple of oddball cards in there with non-wrestler cameos ... those made them a little more interesting, too.
Grab a box right here: WWE boxes are here.

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KHAAAANNNNN!
The Card: Ricardo Bontalban 2008 Donruss Americana Celebrity Cuts Movie Stars Combo Materials (/100)
The Price: Under $2
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I think I was on the hunt for some cheaper, off-radar mem cards from non-sports when I found this. It's nothing too unusual really, but a double-mem card of a big name in the older Star Trek world wasn't bad for the price. Really, I post this to say ... it's been some time since the last Panini Americana release. Maybe it's time to try one again? 
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... but non-sports boxes are here.

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THREE OF A KIND
The Items: Bo Bichette 2021 Topps Heritage posters -- base, throwback, In Action (/99)
The Price: $17.49 each after buy-three discount from Topps
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I'm a little bummed that the 2022 version of Heritage wall art hasn't shown up on Topps' site yet ... makes me wonder if it just won't this year. Last year's Heritage wasn't the best in my book but I have grabbed cards, err posters, for a number of younger stars and rookies in the past from flagship and Heritage releases. This is an example of that -- a full base lineup for this guy who I started casually collecting on the cheap in recent times. They're relatively rare and probably rarer than /99 as they are printed to order ... and they're not all that expensive vs. a lot of packs and boxes these days. 
Grab a box right here: MLB boxes are here.

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SURPRISINGLY CHEAP
The Mag: Sylvester Stallone -- People Weekly May 8, 1978
The Price: $10 or so
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This one jumped out at me as that's just a really old photo of the guy who brought Rocky to life and a really clean photo on a weekly mag from long ago. Is it perfect? Nah, that light blotch of darker ink in the yellow on the left isn't supposed to be there but this one did look really good otherwise compared to a lot of the magazines out there in the world. (Many with higher price tags, too.) It's not perfect but it's still clean enough I might slab it ... maybe.  Why? Who saved these? I understand other magazines being saved by sports fans or fans in artsy realms but a weekly news/culture mag meant for immediate consumption ... I just don't think they're as common as other long-running mags. Don't get me wrong ... they are out there but the volume doesn't seem to be as high as, say, Sports Illustrated. The only drawback here was a small spine split around the middle staple that I only saw after arrival. That might hurt its grade a lot more than the other things that you can see. (Had I seen that I might have grabbed something else.) Either way, this one still stands out as a book that would present well in a slab no matter its number.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... but non-sports boxes are here.

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I LIKE THIS CONCEPT
The Card: Cloak & Dagger 2019 Flair Marvel Pieces of Flair
The Price: Under $1
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is a simple manufactured relic set that I like. That's an embroidered issue number box from a past comic for the characters. It has the feel of a "cut" but without the need to chop old books with the fabric approach giving it a different feel. (Literally.) A lot of older books would mix in different images in those boxes from time to time making these little vital spots on a book (number and cost being a key) a little different from time to time. 
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... but non-sports boxes are here.

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TICKET STUFF
The Card: Shaun Alexander 2007 Topps TX Exclusive - Super Bowl Ticket Stubs
The Price: $2
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: They say tickets are trendy hot ... so what about the few ticket-focused card releases from the past that have actual ticket stubs embedded into them? Maybe, maybe not. (Probably not.) I picked up this one long ago but seeing it in my reserves here made me wonder whether we might see a comeback of sorts for tickets as Relics. They didn't really wow people from 2007 to 2011-ish when these trended themselves into packs. They're different enough I like 'em. Now? I think there might be some potential. 
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... but newer NFL boxes are here.

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NOT MUCH INK, BUT ...
The Card: Chris Boucher 2019-20 NBA Hoops Premium Stock Hoops Ink
The Price: $14
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: His auto is rough but I have school ties here ... so picking up some of his cards was inevitable. I'm slowly adding stuff when cheap or there's appeal. Not helping is the fact that he's a guy from Canada on a Canadian team and has played pretty well ... so they don't always get cheaper.
Grab a box right here: NBA boxes are here.

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ALL ABOUT THE GAME
The Card: Triple H 2001 Fleer WWF Raw is War War Booty Ring Mat Memorabilia
The Price: A couple bucks (in a lot deal)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This future WWE Hall of Famer has had to call it a career for health reasons and this is one of his earlier memorabilia cards, which I found it in a past bulk lot of mostly hits from WWE. Mat Relics are really the least-popular kind of wrestling hit out there -- they are easy and plentiful as those rings are huge -- but one with a good name attached with a strong pic never hurts. 
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... but newer WWE boxes are here.

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BUYING BUSTS
The Card: Johnny Manziel 2014 Panini Hot Rookies Gold Zone (/50) -- Rookie Card parallel 
The Price: 78 cents
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: How 'bout that price? Yeah, he's a bust -- I still couldn't pass at that price/volume made. There are a couple of his cards I still want to find in a slab -- one in action and one baseball -- but he's not a high priority at all. (For me or seemingly anybody else.)
Grab a box right here: NFL boxes are here.

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BEST INDY WRESTLING NAME EVER?
The Card: Aubrey Edwards autographed 8-by-1o AEW photo (via Wrestling Universe)
The Price: $9.99 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This AEW ref has a couple of other roles for the WWE's main competitor these days -- she has professional experience in the video game realm and is a co-host of the company's regularly running podcast, AEW Unrestricted, with a guy you can find on a lot of cardboard, Tony Schiavone. But she doesn't yet have any cards so I grabbed this because she has one of the best nicknames I've ever heard of in the wrestling world. It's not signed here but she's also known as "Gearl Hebner" when working indy shows. That's a nod to the legendary ref Earl Hebner -- and, yes, they have met and worked together. I need an auto with that name also added -- maybe on a card somewhere. This was an affordable and unusual (you don't see a lot of ref signings) find from a New York-based store that regularly has public signings. 
Grab a box right here: AEW/WWE boxes are here.

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