Buzz Buys: Joe Namath, Mickie James, Mickey Mantle, new Bo cards, cheap promo items, small-lot surprises & plenty 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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EPIC AUTO, EPIC BARGAIN
The Card: Joe Namath 2014 Topps Five Star Autograph
The Price: Under $70
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This was one of my last eBay Bucks pick-ups last year -- I got it for substantially less than that bargain price -- and it's a perfect card with its auto, colors, thick stock that's not over-foiled and a retro photo that isn't perhaps perfect but works very well in conjunction with the ink. Did I need it? For this price I absolutely did ... though I have a few autos for the Hall of Famer. This is right up there as one of the nicest sigs I have and this should be an SP auto, too, though it's not numbered. I think Five Star ink is always worth a look, especially for NFL since we don't see it now. Meanwhile, Namath's place as a football icon is bigger than his place in the record book stats-wise these days, but he's a giant in pop culture of that time ... and is easily undervalued right now in a lot of instances.
Grab a box right here: Topps Five Star boxes (all sports and years)

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

LEGENDARY INK
The Card: Mickie James 2019 Topps WWE Transcendent Collection Black Autographs (/5)
The Price: Around $90
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I grabbed this one late last year before Transcendent ink started to take off -- a lot of standard sigs will cost more than this rarer parallel now, if they can even be found at all -- since she's easily a future Hall of Famer and has an autograph that doesn't always translate well onto cards (especially not onto stickers). Why do I say that? Because she often signs stuff big -- more like this photo most of the time. James was in the headlines recently after her departure from WWE and it should be interesting to see where a number of them who were cut might land. They could all make an immediate impact with other companies out there. Many will be watching and there's not a boatload of card options for those wanting James' autographs. (She's signed often but not in every single WWE release -- and most of her autos are actually from all of the parallels from TRISTAR'S TNA/Impact sets long ago.) 
Grab a box right here: Transcendent WWE boxes (all years)

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FIRST LOOK 
The Card: Bo Bichette 2020 Topps Game Within the Game (/2,865)
The Price: About $7
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This series with artwork by Paul Jennis is one available as printed-to-order cards and limited 10-by-13 lithos (/99) that vanish quickly when they are released each month on Topps' site. While I wanted a litho of this one, I missed out on that and grabbed one of the cards. I was pleasantly surprised to see how these feel with a flat finish that feels different than many cards. The larger format obviously translates better with details but I still like both formats here. Bichette is the only player that has really jumped out to me (I contemplated others) as part of this series that's continued into this year.
Grab a box right here: No boxes for this one ... shop MLB stuff here

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THE BECK DOES THE MICK
The Card: Mickey Mantle 2021 Topps Project70 -- Tyson Beck artwork (/6,656)
The Price: $19.99 (from Topps)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: To me, the story of Project70 so far has unfortunately been the over-abundance of Yankees and Dodgers through the first 150 or so cards. The overwhelming presence of just two teams (roughly a third of the set) didn't help it appeal to me, so I sat out a lot of cards where I might have grabbed them if it was a year ago. But this Yankee? It got me because he's a legendary one. (Beck also has grabbed my attention twice this year even though I've only bought five of the first 180 cards.) Mantle returned to Topps cardboard just recently and his 1952 Topps card was the starting point for this piece. More recent offerings have been a little less overwhelming for those teams, so perhaps I'll unthaw and grab more ... actually, I'm sure I will. It's just a matter of time.
Grab a box right here: No boxes for this one ... shop MLB stuff here

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CHASING McCARRON CARDS
The Card: A.J. McCarron Rookie Cards, rookie autos, rookie patch autos, booklets and more 
The Price: Pocket change up to $61 for a high-end lot with the booklets and even a 1/1
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This guy is the new back-up QB for the Atlanta Falcons and he's dirt cheap since ultimately his NFL career has been of the clip-board variety save for a stretch in Cincinnati one year when Andy Dalton got hurt. That's OK as I'm buying due to him fitting the school ties part of my collection, not for big potential. I did land a good number of the premium patch cards and books here all in one small collection late last fall while adding others I liked in the last year or so. I particularly liked the Raiders promo set auto here (might be his only ink for that team or close to it) and the laundry tag card with the Bills, which is on the rarer side of things. The books are nice -- Bengals patch cards are always energetic -- while the lot includes a 1/1 and other rarer cards, too. I've said it before ... everybody should have a cheaper player to collect -- he's one of mine, though not always on a regular basis.
Grab a box right here: Shop NFL stuff here

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DOWN ON THE FARM
The Card: Bo Bichette 2017 Choice Midwest League Top Prospects, 2017 Choice Midwest League All-Stars, 2018 Grandstand New Hampshire River Cats  
The Price: $6-10
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: It's not tough to find early Bowman cards or Rookie Cards for this MLB notable right now, but his MiLB cardboard issued in team sets (or All-Star team sets) can be a little more tougher to land and different than other stuff. I grabbed these while doing some MiLB shopping to present something different here and offer a reminder that not all fully licensed baseball cards are found in packs.
Grab a box right here: No boxes for this one ... shop MLB stuff here

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CUTTING PROMOS
The Lot: WWE DVD promo cards (and more)
The Price: About $40
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: My info on this one isn't complete and the cards are tucked away in a box somewhere all these months later, but sometime in the middle of last year I happened upon a lot of WWE cards that looked rough (if not downright junky) ... but I noticed some cards I didn't recognize and had to grab it. While a few cards in the lot (regular cards that were in rough shape) went straight to the trash can, it turns out that more than 40 cards in the lot were Topps promo cards found only in WWE DVDs. Some of those were originally packed in clear wrappers placed in the DVD cases while others were simply dropped into the CD boxes loose letting them bounce around like they're Ricochet in a steel cage match but without any pads on. For modern cards, that's a bummer -- most are Excellent condition at best and some worse -- but the lot is strong overall. Some of the biggest names like those you see here are razor sharp because they were released in wrappers. Long-term, cards like this could be strong in future years, though their conditions will always be problems. Typically they were one card per DVD ... so that was a lot of buying for somebody to put together the lot.
Grab a box right here: No boxes for this one ... shop WWE stuff here

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A STAR OF THE SEQUEL
The Card: Eric Bruskotter "Rube Baker" autographed and inscribed Major League II 8-by-10 photo (via Hollywood Show)
The Price: Under $20
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is the last of my Black Friday weekend discount buys from the show promotor's web site and store. Why? It's an auto that, well, I've never seen before compared to others from this classic baseball movie trilogy. (Need a Charlie Sheen, Corbin Bernsen, Dennis Haysbert, Tom Berenger or Chelcie Ross? They are out there between cards and private signings.) Rube Baker was a king of dumb one-liners in this one (and he also appears in the forgettable third movie) and I pretty much have most of the other notable sigs possible here. But Rube Baker I needed ... so I grabbed it.
Grab a box right here: No boxes for this one ... shop MLB stuff here

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REMEMBER ME?
The Card: Ken Griffey Jr. 2009 Upper Deck Specials
The Price: $1.25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I don't remember the exact details on this insert but it was one sent to hobby shops with a classic piece of artwork showing the future Hall of Famer returning to Seattle in a more amusing way. This one was a part of a wave of caricature/art cards released by the company at that time with others featuring celebs and politicians in various ways.
Grab a box right here: No boxes for this one ... shop MLB stuff here

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BUYING BY THE LOT
The Card: 2008 BenchWarmer Signature Series autograph lot (27) ... plus a few complete base sets from other releases
The Price: $30
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I didn't take photos of every card in this one -- the ink wasn't the greatest lot of names beyond Kitana Baker who you might know from Super Bowl commercials or a related WWE cameo -- but it was tough to pass up autos at less than $1 apiece along with three or four full sets and some inserts all in one swoop. Cheaper BenchWarmer boxes have dried up a lot compared to even a year ago, so small lots of autos (which still can be found) might be a decent way to go to build up a good amount of ink in a stash. Box prices are going up since they are getting tougher to find but most autos in here aren't substantially pricier than they were in the past.
Grab a box right here: Shop BenchWarmers stuff here

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HAMMERIN' HANKS
The Card: Hank Aaron 2020 Topps 52-Card Baseball game cards 
The Price: About $8 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This card game (more details and cards here) is simple -- perhaps too simple -- visually but I grabbed this pair of Hank Aaron cards since one's an insert I didn't land in that break and then the other is from a series I didn't open. I present this with a thought in mind ... if can't find packs or boxes of cards you want as a collector, you might check out board/card games that have card-like elements. They are out there and are off radars, though non-sports and other sports might have more offerings than MLB. If you're a break-and-sell type you might do well with stuff like this, too. (These were from a Topps.com online brand and one is still available.)
Grab a box right here: No boxes for this one ... shop MLB stuff here

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STORY TIME
The Cards: Oskar Lindblom 2018-19 Rookie Cards and memorabilia cards
The Prices: Pocket change to $3
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I don't do a lot of hockey cards -- really not much at all -- but Lindblom's story last year and return from a form of bone cancer got me looking out of curiosity and I grabbed this small selection of numbered Rookie Cards and a few orange jersey swatches since they were so affordable. You can learn a little more about his story here.
Grab a box right here: Shop NHL stuff here

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THE CHAMP IS HERE
The Card: Rhea Ripley 2021 Topps Now WWE
The Price: Factory cost from Topps (five-pack)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I've gone all-in on a number of this WWE newcomer's cards -- mostly with autos from each release from last year and some rarer parallels from sets I like that I will sprinkle in here over the coming months. (I like that better than all at once.) This is her newest card and it comes after the biggest moment of her career so far as she won the Raw championship at WrestleMania last month at age 24. Buying wrestling cards to sell them later can be very hit and miss for active stars as things change fast in the WWE, but in the here and now Ripley should be a fun one to watch. I'm buying (and not buying to sell).
Grab a box right here: No boxes for this one ... shop WWE stuff here

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THAT LITTLE EXTRA
The Card: Lance Cormier 2005 Donruss The Rookies Autographs (with inscription)
The Price: Under $2
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This former big-leaguer doesn't have a boatload of ink but that's not really why this is here. I grabbed this one as a reminder that some of the older Donruss cards can have extras attached to their autos and that sometimes those might have more demand than you might think if somebody is looking for them. (Seems obvious but, hey, sometimes I'm here to state the obvious.) That's the date of his MLB debut.
Grab a box right here: No boxes for this one ... shop MLB stuff here

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I PITY THE TOY ...
The Card: Mr. T WWE Funko Pop! toy
The Price: Under $10
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This one might have been a throw-in on an order from a big-box store to get myself some free shipping, but I still think it's fun enough to drop here. What's the deal? Mr. T was big in 1980s TV and then an even bigger deal in making the World Wrestling Federation more mainstream back then with appearances and events on MTV leading up to the very first WrestleMania. In the main event of that one alongside Hulk Hogan, he battled Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff. Then the next year he had a boxing match with Piper, who (gasp!) cheated. This was an unexpected find that sums up Funko Pop! toys well to me ... they make 'em for seemingly everything.
Grab a box right here: No boxes for this one ... shop WWE stuff here

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CHEWLIES & LASAGNA
The Card: Scott Schiaffo & Marilyn Ghigliotti 2017 Upper Deck Skybox Clerks Dual Autographs
The Price: $9
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The Chasing Amy sequel of sorts to this release has been on the books and delayed for a long time now, but I figured I'd throw this one out there as a reminder that both should exist at some point. Most of the auto cards in this release aren't expensive -- and ones that are have signers who aren't tough finds, they're just tougher cards to pull. (The Chasing Amy signers list should be much stronger.) The gems in this release are the multi-auto cards in this insert set and then in scene auto cards that have a full-bleed photo approach and even more signers possible. This one was a recent grab and was on the cheaper side of things -- prices on some of these cards are getting stronger as it seems the physical wax boxes are gone.
Grab a box right here: No boxes for this one ... shop non-sports stuff here

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UNIQUE INK
The Card: Linda 2019 BBM True Heart Autographs 
The Price: $4
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I'm told the inscription here is "Shinshu Girls," which is the promotion she works for in Japan and that's one of a few companies where their stars appear all in this one place, BBM's annual women's wrestling set. (Up until this year was known as the True Heart set and it had everybody except for Stardom notables.) I picked this one up last year while grabbing sample cards of various sets from all around the collecting world just to add some variety to the autograph stash. I don't know much about her character, but it looks like she's been active for more than a decade and works in media beyond wrestling. The auto with inscription was why I picked this up -- you can find a lot of creative and really interesting autographed cards from these sets.
Grab a box right here: No boxes for this one ... shop WWE stuff here

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HOLLYWOOD THROWBACK
The Card: Claudia Cardinale 1960 Famous Artistes cards 
The Price: About $7 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: If you saw last month's Making The Grade then you know the origin of this pick-up already.   I grabbed this pair of vintage cards at basically the same time as that slab. What's the deal here? These appear to be her first card appearances, though there are boatloads of international non-sports releases so I could easily be wrong. There's so much to explore in the non-sports area for older releases that you simply won't see often ... I say take a deep dive in that section over on COMC and see if anything jumps out at you.
Grab a box right here: No boxes for this one ... shop non-sports stuff here

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HOWARD THE DUCK!
The Card: Howard The Duck press kit photos
The Price: $9.99
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Another movie watched, another curiosity search ... only it didn't land cards or a comic book this time. Instead, this was a simple (cheap) pick-up from one of my go-to areas in recent months ... press kit photos. This 1986 movie based on a 1970s Marvel character was a memorable bomb from Lucasfilm and these are some of the photos sent to magazines and newspapers back then to promote it. This was still a decent deal at the price as dealers can regularly ask $10-20 for movie stills like this on their own. Meanwhile, full kits from this movie have a lot of photos -- between 10 and 17 from what I have seen -- and asking prices on those are around $100 or more. (I'm not that into this one.) What do I do with the kits I have found? I typically page them up in a binder like they are big cards. These can make for good autograph pieces, too, though they aren't as appealing since they are nearly always black-and-white images. You can find certified Topps autographed cards for Ed Gale who is in the duck suit, while other notables in this movie include Lea Thompson, Tim Robbins and Jeffrey Jones. They are all found on photos that were in kits.
Grab a box right here: No boxes for this one ... shop Marvel stuff here

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COLLECTING SELL SHEETS, BROTHER
The Card: 1987 Topps WWF and 1987 Topps NFL sell sheets
The Price: Under $10 (NFL one was free)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Just like press kit photos -- well, maybe not just like -- these are relics of the past that helped promote a release in a lot simpler form. These one-sheets are what Topps sent out to dealers to announce that card sets were on the way and that dealers should be ordering. This was for the second Topps WWF set and it uses photos that were in the release but it didn't reveal the design. I picked up the wrestling one cheap (I can't find my exact price at this point it was so long ago) and the seller threw in the NFL one as a freebie. Items like this aren't rare but I think they have to be on the tougher to find than the cards of that era. More valuable? Not likely.
Grab a box right here: No boxes for either one ... shop NFL stuff here

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