Buzz Buys: Early autographs, cheap Rookie Cards, oddball memorabilia, vintage, some of my favorite names & more

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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I CAN'T LAND THE CARD, BUT ... THIS IS EVEN BETTER
The Item: Paige autographed 2012 FCW Summer Slamarama 12-by-18 promotional poster
The Price: Pricey ... but probably less than your new WWE hobby box
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: So, what is this? It's a piece of 2000s WWE history that ultimately would only surface regionally (in Florida) and is one of few collectible options for the company's developmental ranks in the years before NXT was on TV every week. Florida Championship Wrestling was NXT's predecessor with it being broadcast on regional TV only (and sometimes weeks after events happened ... not live). Meanwhile, many of today's current stars got their starts there with different names than you might know -- and the only "stuff" that might be found now for this summer in particular are a single in-demand (and counterfeited) card set, potential programs/magazines, tickets and maybe a calendar ... but FCW wasn't like NXT is now in a lot of ways. It wasn't uncommon for the stars of now to be taking money for tickets or helping the crowd members find their seats before a modest small-venue show. This is a large poster that uses a version of Paige's card from that set of the same name -- a pricey one that's eluded me due to price and the fakes (I'd only buy graded) -- and this auto is an early, full-letter signature unlike her few card autos. It came from a Florida-based collector who went to an FCW show on June 8, 2012, in Punta Gorda, Fla., and landed it at a signing to kick off the regional Summer Slamarama Tour that year ... and that was the first event. Supposedly only 300 fans per stop (while they lasted) got card sets -- that also shows why those are pricey (if they survived). This stop had six FCW stars in the set signing these posters and Paige is the biggest of them by far -- and she had only signed with WWE as an 19-year-old and made her FCW debut that January. How many of these are still around now? I have no idea ... but I've never seen another.
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Keep reading for more interesting items ...

GO GO GO FOR BO GINTER
The Cards: Bo Bichette 2021-2023 Topps Allen & Ginter Mini Framed Relics
The Price: About $26 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This brand and its framed mini Relics and autos have been a favorite of mine for years since Topps revived the 1800s brand but with modern twists and inclusions. In recent years, I've pretty much stopped ripping Ginter boxes en masse and in some cases I've picked off hits or other key cards here and there. These presented themselves around the same time so I bit ... I just need to find the same from his rookie year to have 'em all so far. 
Grab a box right here: Land MLB stuff at BlowoutCards.com

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THE BRYCE PRICE IS RIGHT (NOW)
The Cards: Bryce Young assorted 2023 Topps & Panini draft picks cards (base/inserts/parallel)
The Price: About $8 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This No. 1 pick probably didn't have the kind of rookie season that the big-money buyers had hoped, for but that's not me ... even with stars for my team like this guy. I try to pick off an auto and a mem card of all Alabama notables and then dabble on the cheap with other cards that catch my attention or are too cheap to pass up. In this case, it's a handful of inserts or draft picks cards all in the perhaps lesser-demand college colors vs. NFL, which is probably what might be more in demand with the flippers, too.
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COSMIC APPEAL
The Card: Michael Harris II 2023 Topps Cosmic Chrome -- Rookie Card
The Price: $1.50
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This brand is one that I never ripped -- the box price vs. the odds for ink just didn't jive for me -- but I do think this one's look is nice with some also-interesting card backs there, too. This Rookie Of The Year has a lot of cardboard and there's a lot of volume out there these days for singles, so I grabbed this one on the cheap. An easy grab for sure and I'll dabble on this front more. 
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AN AFFORDABLE -- AND SLABBED -- 1/1
The Card: John Cusack 2021 Leaf Metal Pop Century Pre-Production Proof Red Crystals Unsigned (1/1)
The Price: $7
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This acting veteran is known for a boatload of roles big and small with Eight Men Out, Say Anything and High Fidelity among them and this was an easy grab at that price for a 1/1 card. There are a lot of parallels in this release and that means a lot of 1/1s for all names ... but that's fine in my book. They seem more interesting with this encased approach, too.
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BEFORE BRAY WYATT ...
The Item: Windham Rotunda in 2008 Troy University football media guide 
The Price: About $15 shipped
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The WWE star known as Bray Wyatt is no longer with us and a recent documentary on Peacock called Bray Wyatt: Becoming Immortal (click to watch trailer) explored his life and run in WWE. The story of this third-generation star mentioned how he was a former Troy player and I think I did know that but hadn't looked to see if anything existed from his time there. I took a shot that he was in this one since his time with the team was brief and he was. Given the timing of his football career, I think this might be his only appearance in a media guide -- he was in WWE the following February. He still kept some ties to the football team -- check out this  Troy University uniform reveal -- but I can't imagine there was a boatload of stuff featuring a backup center who transferred in. (And they spelled his name incorrectly here to boot.) This one isn't perfect condition-wise but that's fine by me. I just thought it was another interesting option to collect a notable in my collection already in a few ways -- and he's one of the industry's most-unique characters ever. Definitely a legend.
Grab a box right here: Land WWE stuff at BlowoutCards.com

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TWO JOES
The Cards: Joe Namath 2014 SP Authentic & 2009 Topps American Heritage Chrome (/1,776)
The Price: About $2.25 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This pair of Joes are one (left) featuring a photo that I have always liked -- a classic posed college shot -- and then a nice Chromed take on 1975 Topps in a recent non-sports release of the past that did touch on sport for a few notables, too.
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A MICK MEMENTO
The Item: Mickey Mantle (and family) -- Kodak advertisement page (10-by-14 inches) from LIFE magazine, May 25, 1959
The Price: $8
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This page pulled from an old magazine popped up among countless things from a dealer that specializes in pretty much anything on paper, and I thought this was pretty interesting for the price. Why? It's an ad where Mantle's entire family at that time is featured, offering up one example of the celebrity factor with The Mick and some early looks at names you will find on cards, too, if you do some digging. I thought it was cool to see Junior in Yankees gear, too.
Grab a box right here: Land MLB stuff at BlowoutCards.com

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DOCUMENTING A DEBUT? (ALMOST/KINDA)
The Item: Ted Danson & Woody Harrelson Cheers NBC press photo (March 21, 1986)
The Price: About $6.50
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This promo photo struck me as an interesting one, though it's an image promoting a rerun of an episode that first aired on Oct. 3, 1985. The episode this photo highlights was just Harrelson's second after joining the cast as a new bartender that season after the real-life death of the actor who played Coach -- kind of an introduction of a new name on a hit series. Harrelson appeared in 200 episodes for this show and has since appeared in a boatload of big films such as Natural Born Killers, The People vs. Larry Flynt, Zombieland, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Kingpin, White Men Can't Jump, The Hunger Games and Semi-Pro to name a few. Cheers was his launching point and it was a big enough deal that even re-runs got promoted to media like this. It seems like a cool item for that price -- though I initially thought the date of the photo coincided with the first airing.
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A FAVORITE KIND OF PLATE
The Card: Nick Swisher 2011 Topps Allen & Ginter Magenta Printing Plate (1/1)
The Price: More than I'd want to admit
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Like I mentioned for Bichette, I'm big on framed cards from this brand and that also applies to printing plates. When this one popped up for my player, I grabbed it as stuff showing him in his Yankees pinstripes can be pricier and locked up in collections. I think I have plates for a few of his Ginter cards but this is likely my first from his time with the Yanks. (I'd know for sure if I were more organized ... but nothing gets organized.)
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GOING FOR GOLD
The Cards: 2001 Fleer WWF The Ultimate Divas Collection Gold parallel set & extra singles of The Rock and Molly Holly
The Price: $80 for the set (left) and 80 cents a pop for the others
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: These pick-ups of the past came in the midst of a few too many WWE buys so they have simply sat in my stashed images to pop up here ... but it turns out the set buy was a strong one as some cards here have gotten pricier where a parallel set like this likely commands more now. (Or at least it could.) The other two were too cheap to pass up for a top name and a Hall of Famer. Why did I dabble here? Parallels of some of the RCs and the fact that the packs and boxes of this one (nowhere to be found now) are likely bricked with the high-gloss surfaces potentially going to be big problems now if opened. (They're not a lock to be stuck but a few years ago I opened some and most cards went straight into the garbage can -- it wasn't pretty.) I've already slabbed a few finds here from the set but Fleer stuff doesn't make for the easiest of elite grades ... but I will likely do more.
Grab a box right here: Land WWE stuff at BlowoutCards.com

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THE BULL DURHAM DUO
The Item: Susan Sarandon & Kevin Costner Bull Durham (1988) 8-by-10 press photo 
The Price: Under $6
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This baseball film's posters and promotional materials can be pricey at times with it being popular, but I've never bit on a press kit due to prices. This single image popped up where I do some hunting and the price and condition weren't bad. It's from the batting cage scene, which is a well-crafted one, based on the wardrobe. It's a scene that has dialog in between pitches for both of them and is packed with a lot of info for the story, too. While I'd prefer something in-uniform, this isn't bad.
Grab a box right here: Land baseball stuff at BlowoutCards.com

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BREAKING THE ELITE
The Cards: Rhea Ripley, Ivy Nile, Tiffany Stratton, Liv Morgan, Becky Lynch, Tatum Paxley, J.D. McDonagh, Rey Mysterio, Dominik Mysterio, Finn Balor & Damian Priest 2023 Donruss Elite WWE group break pulls
The Price: More than I should have ... but less than a box 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The box prices of this one are steep -- too steep for me -- and singles prices are also up there, too, as this one probably reminds some people of Fleer Metal or PMGs of the past and some are speculating on that. Prices are getting more and more reasonable on some stuff over time since it released, though, and figure to continue to do that ... but rather than wait too long I took my chances at some key names' autos via some group breaks where each spot got a few names. This is what I landed out of nine boxes for these names -- nothing major dollars-wise but the volume lined up well for my names for sure and I did land some rarer parallels for a couple names, one parallel found few times pr case and then some other color. I'll probably pick off some slabs at some point if people go there and maybe some ink for a few names but generally all that foilbaord that Elite is known for isn't really my favorite in the big scheme of things.
Grab a box right here: Land WWE stuff at BlowoutCards.com

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SOME INTIMIDATOR SLIDES
The Items: Lot of eight NASCAR media slides (circa 1987-1988) with appearances from Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty 
The Price: $12
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This small lot was interesting to me for the price with Earnhardt in his older Wrangler gear and the black No. 3 also in there, too, with one other slide showing Richard Petty's No. 43. I've picked off a boatload of slides like this in the past year -- something cheap and different that ultimately ends up in pages just like cards -- but most haven't been in the sports realm.
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THE BOSS -- ERR CEO -- IS BACK!
The Item: Sasha Banks autographed 8-by-10 WWE studio photo (BAS Witnessed) 
The Price: $40
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This witnessed sig was too cheap to pass up in my book and I grabbed it awhile back, not since her recent AEW debut ... but that helps here. An autograph of "Mercedes Moné" is still rarer than this one, but either way if the price is right and there's no question they're legit, I'll add them to my collection ... like a boss.
Grab a box right here: Land WWE stuff at BlowoutCards.com

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A UNIQUE RELIC
The Card: Baseball Brit 2020 Topps Allen & Ginter Full Size Relics A
The Price: $2.25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Per his Twitter bio, he's a "cheerful British chap on a mission to promote interest in baseball" and that got him a place in Allen & Ginter on autos and Relics not that long ago. You can read more from him here. I picked this one off among a few unique Ginter Relics and liked its swatch for the price.
Grab a box right here: Land MLB stuff at BlowoutCards.com

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AN ODDBALL RELIC?
The Card: Bayley 2016 Topps WWE 2K17 NXT Edition NXT Takeover: London Mat Relics (/499)
The Price: $9.99
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This might look like a relatively standard Relic -- and it is -- but it's one that was only found in a bonus card pack with a version of that year's WWE video game. How many got tossed by gamers who don't care about cards? I don't know ... but it was a thought. I really like the feel of this set in packs with horizontal images meshing with memorabilia pieces quite well. I own a few.
Grab a box right here: Land WWE stuff at BlowoutCards.com

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HUH-HUH, HUH-HUH ...
The Items: Beavis & Butt-Head Do America 8-by-10 press kit photos (eight)
The Price: $9.99
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This photo set to promote the movie starring these two magnificent morons was cheap -- too good to pass up since it's a set of clean and unused images -- so I grabbed it. Simple as that.
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SOME MORE SHOTZI ...
The Cards: Shotzi Blackheart assorted 2021-2023 Topps & Panini America cards/stickers/inserts/hits
The Price: Probably too much but at least I picked them off over time to keep prices a little lower. 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This colorful high-energy WWE star is one where I'm slowly picking stuff off well after release, letting the diehards pay big near release (and there are some deep-pocketed fans out there -- check this price) while I'll dabble as they're focusing on something else. This is mostly a run of inserts/parallels, a couple of international stickers and then some Select memorabilia cards. If you're a regular reader then you know I'm a regular buyer here.
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SOME MORE SWISH ...
The Cards: Nick Swisher assorted Chrome/Prizm parallels (and others)
The Price: Again, more than I probably should have in the cumulative ... but at least I was bargain-shopping. 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Just like the last name, I'll pick off this guy's stuff if the price is right and this is a run of Chromes, Prizms and some other shiny cards that all felt like they were worth another look. I don't worry about having extras as long as they are affordable -- and he's not had new cardboard in a long time now -- so I'll take what I can get.
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A PICK-UP FROM THE PAST
The Card: Roger Maris 1983 TCMA 50 Years of New York Yankees All-Stars (blue border around back)
The Price: $2
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Years ago (really, decades ago) I landed one of these slightly oversized sets (think standard size but a square) in a JCPenney card collector's pack that was just a mix of absolute whatever and with some oddball/TCMA stuff thrown in for some added retro star power. I bought a lot of those and similar packs back in the day for both the weird cards and the historic names on the cheap and the surprise factor. While I found a lot of cards more than once, I only ever landed one of these -- a set of the most-notable players to appear in pinstripes. The set was unique enough that a local dealer took it in trade -- I don't remember what I got for it but it was probably enticing -- and I let it go since they were tough to store with their weird size. On a recent dive of Maris stuff, I saw this one with a decent price so I grabbed one. I hadn't actually seen any of these in person since all those years ago.
Grab a box right here: Land MLB stuff at BlowoutCards.com

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INTERNATIONAL INK & MORE
The Cards: Assorted BBM Japanese wrestling cards -- Miho Wakizawa & Kayo Noumi 2001 Future Bee auto, Leon 2013 BBM True Heart auto (/98), Hailey Hatred 2012 BBM True Heart, Apple Miyuki, 2017 BBM True Heart auto (/95), Hibiscus Mi 2020 BBM True Heart auto (/100)
The Price: About $25 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This lot is one that I picked off just to add some different cards into the mix -- some pro wrestling cards from Japan -- but ultimately I didn't have a lot to say ... so here they are all at once. I liked the prices and a dual-auto on the cheap was an easy grab, while the bottom two cards I thought were interesting as she had changed her ring name but the autographs appear to be identical. The Hailey Hatred card I thought was interesting as she's an American who was working in Japan for an extended time before a potential attempt in MMA.
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FRAMES FROM THE FILM
The Item: Batman Returns film frame cuts (Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman)
The Price: Under $4.99 after discounts 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This simple kind of memorabilia is one I have written about before in past Buzz Buys -- dig around for more details like the eBay seller's name -- but I like the approach. Simply put, these are just a few frames cut from a memorable film print placed into a semi-rigid among with a bookmark-style sticker attached to give it a little more presentation. Pfeiffer's turn as Catwoman was a highlight among the past comic movies and on Stadium Club and standard Topps cards for this blockbuster back in the day. I grabbed this one along with some others. Why? Just for fun ... something to stash ... something different.
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LOOKED CLEANER THAN IT IS ...
The Card: Andy Pafko 1955 Bowman 
The Price: $9.99
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: A card so nice I bought it twice ... and I was reminded that like other wood-grain designs of the last these aren't always the best things to grade ... but I did. My copies of these were a lot cleaner than others I have seen from the set for any player with the vertical centering often a problem here as they are very narrow borders. This one was clean and I sent the best of my two in for grading ... it'll show up in a future Making The Grade.
Grab a box right here: Land MLB stuff at BlowoutCards.com

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A PIECE OF DRAFT DAY
The Card: Mark Ingram 2011 Panini Limited Draft Day Materials Limited Jerseys (/100)
The Price: Around $2.50
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This former Heisman winner used to be a heavy buying target for me and still can be if the price is right. This card is just that and I have a soft spot for mem cards using draft-night memorabilia, too. It was a no-brainer of a buy.
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SOME RAZOR-SHARP VINTAGE? ...
The Card: Frank Robinson 1974 Topps 
The Price: $9.99
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This isn't a money card but it's one that screamed "grade me" when I saw it, though I knew the centering and that print spot on his hand are liabilities. Everything else, though? Razor sharp and clean -- cleaner than vintage stuff I have pulled from packs I opened myself. Since I collect this Hall of Famer -- albeit casually -- I grabbed it and slabbed it. It, too, will show in a future Making The Grade.
Grab a box right here: Land MLB stuff at BlowoutCards.com

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SOME EARLY INK?
The Item: Eliza Dushku early headshot with resume
The Price: Less than $7
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The timing of this photo I'm not sure of, but the image in this headshot used to give to casting agents or give out at auditions is clearly from early in her career as she looks more like she did in True Lies (click for a clip) when she played Arnie's kid way back in 1994 (only her third credit per IMDb). However, the resume that came with this one was clearly not the correct one as it had newer films listed. A nice surprise on the photo here, though? It has her name hand-written on the back -- while it's not an autograph that prominent D sure looks like this could be her handwriting. (Here's an early certified auto to compare.) I landed this from a seller that amassed thousands of casting photo and autos from a lifetime of collecting so that also makes me think it could be legit.
Grab a box right here: Land non-sports stuff at BlowoutCards.com

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COLLECTING SOME BROADCASTERS
The Cards: Renee Young, Cathy Kelley & Kayla Braxton assorted Topps WWE early card parallels and autographs (almost all serial-numbered)
The Price: About $65 (most of that being the autos)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Buzz landed the ol' Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler and "Mean" Gene Okerlund autos long ago, but the more-recent years of Topps WWE sets included announcers and interviewers, too, on both cards and ink. In this case the Young (/25) is the rarity as it's a card that was only found in certain retail store blasters sold in Canada (hence that design) while the Braxton (/150) auto was her first (and she only had them two times total). The rest are either debut parallels or numbered parallels and I picked these off over a span of time with aims of perhaps slabbing some firsts just for added depth among my graded WWE stash. Another reason I grabbed that Young auto is that her sticker autos were earlier sigs with a complete name vs. her on-card stuff that's more of a quickly scrawled "R-line" sig. Here's why ... straight from her.
Grab a box right here: Land WWE stuff at BlowoutCards.com

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STRIKE A POSE
The Item: Dolph Lundgren (as Ivan Drago in Rocky IV) -- Film Comment, February 1986
The Price: $9.99
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This cover just jumped out at me on some deep dives and the more I looked the more I kept coming back to it. Why? How many Rocky magazine covers are out there? (There probably are some ... but I don't remember any.) Now how many Ivan Drago covers might there be? This one has some dark ink rub along the spine that kind of hurts it but ... this would look so good as a novelty slab. Will I? Maybe ... but I haven't yet. Either way, I dig it. Drago is an iconic movie villain of the 1980s if you ask me.
Grab a box right here: Land non-sports stuff at BlowoutCards.com

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WAIT, WHAT?
The Card: Milwaukee Brewers 1977 Topps team card
The Price: $2.25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This team card is one that you (like me) may have passed over easily through the years as stuff like this is pretty cheap and, well, kind of forgettable. But ... start on the left of the back row and count over five guys. That No. 44 is former home run king Hank Aaron on a card a year after he played his final games. He also didn't have a 1977 Topps card of his own ... kinda cool, right?
Grab a box right here: Land MLB stuff at BlowoutCards.com

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SOME THROWBACK NAMES
The Items: Jane Fonda (Plateia 1967), Willie Mays & Sheree North (Bold 1954), Cindy Crawford (Sport 1989), Gena Lee Nolin (Inside Sports 1996)
The Price: About $30 (total)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The first two here were cheaper vintage finds that just seemed too odd to pass up as the Fonda issue is a magazine from Portugal, while the early Mays magazine turned out to be a pocket-sized digest format (that's a trading card popping out of the side to show its size) that probably was bold for then but is ultimately full of stupid short stories like "Flying saucers have landed" making its cover the only compelling thing about it. (Mays remains amazing, of course.) Both struck me as potentially interesting for grading but they both had more damage than I expected and would be lower-priority slabs if I ever were to go there. The other two are more modern finds from the once-rivals to the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue but with celebs in play. These two were throw-ins with a lot where I was hunting something else -- that one already showed up here in a past Buzz Buys and has also been slabbed, too. The Crawford issue might actually make a strong slab with it being in solid shape, Sport being a little more off the slab radar and Crawford being an iconic name of the late-1980s/early 1990s.
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