Buzz Buys: Joe Namath, Ricky Vaughn's Major Leaguers, Tua, Matthew McConaughey, Chelsea Green, Sasha Banks & 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 that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ... 

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A STEAL ON JOE WILLIE
The Card: Joe Namath 2015 Panini National Treasures Century Materials Holo Silver (/15)
The Price: $20
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This one is a steal for the volume made and considering that, unlike a number of Namath's recent memorabilia cards, it's got a game-used piece inside of it and not a player-worn swatch. I easily would have paid more for a card like this for this brand (one I've historically liked) with a prime piece and so few made. In fact, I'm sure I have paid more for cards with more copies made compared to this. Would I go this high for a player-worn card? Perhaps but it wouldn't have been as easy of a no-brainer to grab.
Grab a box right here: National Treasures football boxes (all years)

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

JOBU LISTENED TO ME ...
The Set: 1989 Super Bubble Major League --  Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Dennis Haysbert, Wesley Snipes, Corbin Bernsen, Chelcie Ross, James Gammon, Steve Yeager, Andy Romano
The Price: $125
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This set was made as a giveaway for fans who were in attendance as extras during filming in Milwaukee (not Cleveland) and it uses an early logo for the film and even shows how one character's name changed while the film was still being made. (It's a classic just like the movie.) I found one of these sealed sets years ago and still have them all but they aren't as razor sharp as this set, which I couldn't leave sealed after seeing the top card. (First photo is how it was packaged ... no protection.) How many might still exist all these later? Nobody knows but they simply don't pop up often out there in the world ... I pounced on this one when I saw it. Single cards can push the total I paid here for the biggest names if they do pop up, too. These are very clean -- I'd grade them today if I could -- but they're already deep in my stash tucked away for a long time.  
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... MLB boxes are here

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BIG-SIZE BARGAIN
The Card: Tua Tagovailoa autographed 16-by-20 Miami Dolphins photo (Fanatics Authentic)
The Price: Just under $100 (on sale)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I didn't bother chasing an autographed Rookie Card for this former Alabama star last year -- I'm playing the waiting game to find something that hits all my spots for the price I like -- but this large photo was cheap enough I bit with no questions about authenticity. Oddly, it was shipped in a top loader a size or two larger than the photo itself (which is already huge) and that didn't help my being able to get a decent photo of it ... but I tried. Tagovailoa's autograph quality is all over the place since his U.S. Army All-American days (I pulled one of those) and can vary a lot depending on when it was signed or what it was signed on last year. An oversized item with a  decent-sized sig for a modest price feels like a win to me.
Grab a box right here: 2020 NFL boxes are here

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NICE PIECE
The Card: T.J. Yeldon 2015 Topps Inception Autograph Patch Books (/5)
The Price: $22
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is a solid example of fun NFL cardboard that's rare, from a premium brand and includes a nice patch piece all in one package -- and the price wasn't bad, either. Yeldon is a former second-round pick but not a regular to any degree today but he fits my school ties part of my stash. There are countless examples from the last decade (and beyond) where the strong cards remain and can still be popular (and pricier than this) with collectors even if the player's best years are behind them. (That's football.) About the only drawback here is the uni numbers.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... NFL boxes are here

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THE BIRD'S WORST BRIGHTMARE
The Card: Randy Johnson 2021 Topps Project70 by Alex Pardee (/9,292)
The Price: Direct from Topps
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Pardee's Brightmares approach to baseball players on artwork in this year's Project took on one of the more memorable yet ghoulish moments in MLB history years ago when one of Johnson's pitches hit a bird during a game. This one takes a slightly different twist on that and I had to have it even though I'm not a big Big Unit fan ... but I do like 1965 Topps. This is a classic card.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... MLB boxes are here

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ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT ...
The Books: Matthew McConaughey autographed Greenlight (two copies)
The Price: $35 apiece shipped
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This direct-from-publisher edition was offered a year ago and when I pre-ordered some they just never appeared with my order canceled -- and no notice from the book chain. In that case, the company said they didn't receive enough copies from the publisher. Fast-forward nearly a year, and the chains suddenly had more copies up for grabs ... so I grabbed a couple figuring it was either an anomaly or I'd get canceled again ... but I got 'em. Tip: I always order two copies when it's a big-name A-lister doing a signing to make sure that they aren't identical copies or autopens. They weren't exact copies this time, so I felt pretty good -- perhaps alright, alright, alright -- about landing this Dazed & Confused legend's auto. He's not a cheap one out there when it comes to signed photos and other pieces and the last I looked (awhile back) these were selling for a premium even though they were still available.
Grab a box right here: Non-sport boxes are here

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A SIMPLE PIECE
The Card: Max Fried 2020 Topps Museum Collection Meaningful Materials Relics Gold (/25)
The Price: $7.75
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This pitcher has had some strong outings in the last three seasons -- winning 17 games in 2019, going 7-0 last year and 11-7 this year -- and he's also one of those guys who's good for a strikeout per inning. Despite all that, he's still affordable and if a nice card isn't super-pricey I'll pick off some. I liked the price and volume on this patch.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... MLB boxes are here

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ARE YOU GREEN WITH ENVY? (... THIS A COLLECTING TIP)
The Card: Chelsea Green 2019 Topps WWE NXT Autographs
The Price: $10
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This former WWE NXT star is now working all over the place out there in the wrestling world as one of the notables who was cut from the behemoth earlier this year. As part of that freedom, she's working for at least three of the other companies right now -- maybe more, at some point -- and has launched a podcast or two with her toy-collecting future husband (and new king of hardcore matches) Matt Cardona to talk about all of that and more. I picked this one up not long after it arrived and it's an on-card option while her only other autos from that year are stickers. (I think I have grabbed both.) Need a hot tip? If you pull a rarer card of her -- or him -- from anything be sure to get it out there on eBay ... he's a buyer.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... WWE boxes are here

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THREE OF A KIND
The Card: Sasha Banks 2016 Topps WWE NXT Takeover: Brooklyn Mat Relics -- Gold (/10), Bronze (/50) and standard (/199)
The Price: More than I'll admit ... but I wanted the rainbow 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: These NXT Relics found in basic Topps packs have some tougher odds for some reason but their horizontal photos can be very striking -- and as I noted this is the complete rainbow for any cards in the release. I landed the standard one quite a bit ago and then recently had the other two pop up where I grabbed them instantly. I have collected Banks somewhat heavily at times in the past but hadn't been able to do (or focused enough) to do one card's full rainbow. Since this one had only three versions and no 1/1s made, this rainbow was a lot more do-able. In years after this one, Topps added autographed versions into the mix -- only in retail -- making it even tougher to collect 'em all for any particular stars
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... WWE boxes are here

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A BARGAIN LOT
The Card: Tua Tagovailoa 2020 Panini Chronicles NFL 19-card Rookie Card lot
The Price: $20
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This release was one I haven't seen much of out there in the retail world -- I think I opened a single jumbo pack and one blaster or something -- but it's one that's a fun break and loaded with volume for players to the point where you can amass a lot like this easily. That doesn't necessarily help the values but I'm not buying these singles for the money part of things -- at about $1 per card and with a few of these being acetate cards or parallels I didn't mind the mix. I should have watched these lots more in the off-season as they will likely get a little more expensive if he has a solid second season.
Grab a box right here: 2020 Panini Chronicles NFL

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A FRIENDLY REMINDER
The Card: Johnny Manziel 2014 Bowman Sterling Rookie Dual Relics
The Price: $1.25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This card is from a high-end brand and features a definite A-list rookie from the past ... and yet that price was the price. It's a reminder why I don't do a ton of high-end ripping for NFL as players can come and go so quickly -- at least in terms of value. Sometimes infamous busts can hold value, though. (His autographs are more that ... memorabilia not so much.)
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... NFL boxes are here

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AN ODDITY I COULDN'T PASS UP
The Card: Clubhouse 1976-77 Digallo Venezuelan (1975 Topps design)
The Price: Under $3
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This isn't the first time one of these thin-paper cards has made the cut here -- the last time it was a card showing clubhouse washing machines -- but it was just a weird card I couldn't let go of since the price was low. (Would I pay more? Probably not.) These were blank-backed and I think there was an album for fans to glue them into (there's no adhesive) and a number of former MLB players can be found in releases like this, too. The hard part? Finding them, of course. The design here is a pretty distinct knock-off of 1975 Topps and there are a lot of past international releases like this -- and some years of Topps cards have legit international versions made by Topps that are very tough finds, too.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... MLB boxes are here

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A PIECE OF THE BUD LIGHT
The Card: Fabricio Werdum 2012 Topps UFC Finest Jumbo Fight Mat Relics
The Price: $4
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This four-color swatch is from the heart of the Octagon's mat for UFC 143 and that striping is part of the Bud Light logo that you can see here. I think one day I was curious about a lot of these cheaper jumbo Relics with several colors and matched a few. This one is definitely Bud Light and I think it's part of the curved striping but it could be from letters.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... UFC boxes are here

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THAT'S (NOT) BAD ...
The Card: Susie Throwbacks Store autographed authentic kiss card & Sü Yüng autographed and inscribed 8-by-10 photo 
The Price: Around $25 and $20 (when on sale via Etsy store)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This Impact Wrestling star had been doing her "bloody undead bride" character with kabuki-style make-up and blood-spitting actions for a number of years now on the independents and then in Impact. After the bride (at right) was "killed off" in a cinematic-style (no fans) match, the child-like Susie showed up in her place telling everybody what's good and bad and then discovering the world in various ways. That wasn't limited to in-ring action, either, and I literally discovered them with a Throwbacks Store autograph signing on Instagram. It was done in-character as Susie and I couldn't figure out what the heck I was watching ... or how they were the same person. (I wrote about all that here before.) These items I picked up back then and more recently as she's not had any promotion-issued trading cards just yet. They'll show up at some point. Sü Yüng is back so there should be more stuff to come. (C'mon, Impact Wrestling Series 3!)
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... WWE boxes are here

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POCKET CHANGE DOMINATOR
The Cards: Derrick Henry 2019 Panini Donruss Elite Dual Threats Green, 2018 Panini Phoenix Orange (/99), 2018 Panini Prizm Light Blue Prizm (/199)
The Price: Pocket change on all
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This guy has been a dominator and still might be under the radar on a lot of stuff that's not an auto or Rookie Card. These are all past pick-ups (perhaps before last season) that I had in my stash to show off. With the new NFL season here, I opted to toss all these in this time. I liked the shot of him throwing -- that's a fun insert -- and then Phoenix is an overlooked Optichome set while the Blue Prizms are nice and in this case match his team's colors. A thought: Henry could be even stronger this year with Julio Jones out there to help mix up the plays more. I don't really buy to sell but Henry bargains would be worth the stashing for later (though he's higher than this time in past years).
Grab a box right here: NFL boxes are here

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HE'S BACK ...
The Card: Brock Lesnar 2003 Fleer Wrestlemania XIX Title Shots Relics, with Kurt Angle 2004 Fleer WWE Wrestlemania XX Champions & Contenders Dual Relics and 2002 Fleer Absolute Divas 5-by-7 poster set (30 posters)
The Price: Only a couple bucks apiece in a lot deal for the cards and $12 for the set
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Lesnar's return at the finale of SummerSlam has a lot of fans out there amped up -- I'm not this time -- but his hits and early cards (in all of his sports) could be the target of buyers who want a piece of a big name back on a big stage. These hits arrived in a bulk lot deal I did awhile back while the set was a pick-up I really liked since the toploaders alone for that size would have cost me more than the set. (I'm pretty sure I had most if not all of them but the price was right.) That Lesnar poster in there is technically among his rookie-year stuff (2002) ... complete with typo ... so his alone could pay for a chunk of the set. All in all, I liked these buys as people can often have asking prices on old Fleer hits that will be in the $20-40 range because the stuff isn't as easy to find now.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... WWE boxes are here

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AN M.J. STEAL?
The Card: Michael Jordan 1993 Upper Deck World Cup '94 Preview Honorary Captain
The Price: $5
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: There are a few versions of this one (language changes on backs) but for the price from a dealer who doesn't really specialize in mainstream stuff I grabbed it. This has always been a pretty popular card -- wasn't my thing back then -- and that can mean it's pricey in general and even more so if slabbed in a top grade. I might do that at some point if I get organized enough to really boil down what I'll grade beyond some of my basic stuff.
Grab a box right here: No boxes for this one ... soccer boxes are here

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MiLB MADNESS ...
The Card: Sacramento RiverCats 2020 Choice RiverCats 20th Anniversary Legends set
The Price: $18
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This price was a little higher than I intended to go but I did ... for one card here. There are a number of MLB players (not all big names) who had a decent amount of time on an MLB roster in this one and it's a pretty solid little lineup with Josh Donaldson, Nick Swisher, Barry Zito, Carlos Gonzale, Rich Harden, Eric Byrnes, Dallas Braden and more all in one spot. MiLB team sets can be obscure finds -- people don't always know where to look -- and then player collectors might overpay here and there for their guys if these get broken up. Sets like this can sometimes be plentiful compared to other MiLB sets but since there's a boatload less of this made vs. typical MLB stuff it's pretty safe if the price is low enough. (I bought this one for my player but it might break up well, too.)
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... MiLB boxes are here

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FAMILY TIES
The Card: Brian Bonsall 2011 Rittenhouse The Complete Star Trek: The Next Generation Series 1 Autographs
The Price: $4
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Whether you know him as Andy Keaton or Alexander Rozhenko, this is one of just two certified autograph cards for this former child star who was pretty successful in Family Ties way back in the day and then a bit of a regular on this series. His other auto is in a set from 2000 so perhaps not as find-able as this one but since the price was so low here I bit. (I'm sure Alex P. Keaton would have wanted the dealer to charge more.)
Grab a box right here: See Star Trek boxes here

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THEY AIN'T MAKING THESE ANYMORE ...
The Items: 2001 Fleer WWF The Ultimate Divas Collection sellsheet as well as 2002 Fleer WWE Absolute Divas, 2005-07 Topps Heritage WWE and 2006-08 Topps Chrome Heritage WWE sellsheets 
The Prices: A few bucks ... but nothing over $10
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Sellsheets are basically exclusive to the digital realm now as emailed PDFs but back in the day (not all that long ago), these printed creations were where the first buzz started. As part of the lack of wax to rip last year I slowly picked off a number of the sellsheets for the earlier WWE sets (1985 and 1987 Topps WWF) as well as these as I really liked the early run of Topps Heritage in its return and Fleer's Divas sets. Are these must-haves? Probably not, but I suspect you might have a harder time finding them vs. some things these days -- despite these likely being a lot cheaper. I also like how some of the card mocks are not the same as what later was made.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... WWE boxes are here

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PICK-UPS OF THE BOSS
The Cards: Sasha Banks 2015-forward numbered Relics, Undisputed base and Bronze (/99), 2017 WWE DVD promo cards and a 2017 WWE UNO deck 
The Price: $2 up to $12
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: As I mentioned before, Banks has been a name I've picked off here and there in the past and two of the memorabilia cards here have two-color swatches (at bargain prices) so they were easy grabs. Meanwhile, the other non-hits are cards where I like the brand because it grades well or the photos are strong. If you're a regular reader, you know the DVD cards' story ... brutal shape due to the packaging ... and I've told that story here before. (These new tries? Still really bad.) The UNO deck was a cheap pick-up, too, as I noticed people trying to break them up and get a couple of bucks per card. Each name has a number of colors in every deck, too, so there is some good logic in selling them as singles or perhaps small lots. Those are much more of a longer-term thought but I'll also admit the design on the UNO cards is pretty strong.
Grab a box right here: WWE boxes are here

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THE MAN IS BACK, TOO ...
The Card: Becky Lynch 2018 Topps Now WWE (/710)
The Price: $5
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: She's back and you never know if we might see some kind of moment like this one in the future. She's already collected one of those belts in her first event back and we should learn more about where things go this week. I picked this up recently for a relatively cheap price and because there haven't really been a lot of cards with her winning both belts at a past WrestleMania. In the big picture, there were not a lot of these made -- though that number is substantially higher than many Topps Now WWE cards.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... WWE boxes are here

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BRANCHING OUT?
The Lobby Cards: Jessica Alba Fantastic Four, Sin City and Machete lobby cards (from various sets)
The Price: Less than $1 apiece as part of a lot deal
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Just like last time, these are from a pretty meaty lot of lobby cards I recently picked up since the subjects are popular and the price was right. Lobby cards are typically sold in sets for the films, but I found a collector who amassed them by star -- and that made them a little more interesting of a pick-up. (Logically, I'd think a lot of people won't break up sets but maybe I'm wrong.) Are these money-makers? Not likely, but I do think lobby cards -- also something not happening as often like sellsheets -- are overlooked and often inexpensive enough you can collect without breaking the bank.
Grab a box right here: Non-sport boxes are here

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