Buzz Buys: LeBron long ago, Moonlight Graham, Re-Pete's Rookie Card, Hailie Deegan's dad, Chipper's Braves debut, Krazy George and ... a washing machine gets a baseball card?

Buzz buys and busts a lot of boxes right here for Buzz Breaks, but one of my goals just might be to rip fewer blasters this year 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. Would they capture yours? I'd be interested to know -- sometimes they might, sometimes they won't and that's fine. It's a buyer's market out there with plenty of options and bargains as well as high-end gems to chase.

So, with all that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ... and this time around there are a dozen weird, cheap or interesting cards.

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BEFORE THE NBA CAREER ... 
The Card: LeBron James 2003 Sports Illustrated For Kids #264 (BGS 9)
The Price: $11
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: There was a time when this was a popular card in the hobby -- maybe not Tiger Woods SI For Kids big, but popular. What is it? It's a card pulled from a perforated sheet in an issue of the kids' magazine, something it has done since the 1980s, showcasing countless big-name athletes and many others who don't have much -- or any -- cardboard. Everybody knows how much hype there was for James back then -- and his first cardboard from SAGE was huge -- but this one was one of only a few options until his NBA cardboard arrival on Rookie Cards (and plenty more) on 2003-04 releases. Ultimately all those early cards don't command as much interest as NBA stuff, but I liked the look and price on this one for a slab -- especially when you consider higher-graded cards can push $50-100 and 10s can be quite big at auction even today ... at least for a card found in a magazine.
Grab a box right here: No boxes for this one ... click here for NBA boxes

Keep reading for five more interesting items ...

MOONLIGHT GRAHAM HIMSELF
The Card: Burt Lancaster 2008 Donruss Threads Baseball Americana Materials #BA-22 (/500)
The Price: $3
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This card is from one of the memorabilia parallels of a standard insert set where Donruss in its latter days without MLB licensing it did things like this -- a set that explored celebrities and their ties to baseball. Lancaster was Dr. Archibald "Moonlight" Graham in Field of Dreams, a player who appeared in one big-league game and that was it. There was a real Moonlight Graham the film character was based on and he made his only MLB appearance later this month back in 1905. These cards always get my attention when the price is right and it's a casual project of mine (you have seen past cards from this one here if a regular reader) so here this one is. Fun fact: Field of Dreams was Lancaster's final big-screen role from a career that had quite a few notable credits -- and a good amount of card appearances.
Grab a box right here: 2008 Donruss Threads (when available)

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KENNY POWERS WOULD BE PROUD
The Card: 1976-77 Digallo Venezuelan League #263 Tiburones de La Guaira Clubhouse
The Price: $7.68
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Ok, so the price I paid on this one is a tad embarrassing but as I told somebody when showing it off in private it's just too stupid to not buy -- and I'd probably never see another one again if I didn't. These are basically blank-backed paper cards meant to be stickers (I don't see any adhesive) slightly in the style of 1975 Topps from a set showcasing Venezuelan Professional Baseball League teams. The card-makers were apparently proud of the Tiburones de La Guaira clubhouse washer and dryer so it got a card. In fact, there were three made for the clubhouse -- the others being their lockers and a row of sinks. (For some reason the oddity of this piece of unusual cardboard made me think of Season 2 of Eastbound & Down when baseball icon Kenny Powers took his equally unusual talents south, but I digress.) In all seriousness, though, this collection includes more than 300 stickers that are all slightly smaller than actual card size, and there are some names MLB fans might know if they happen upon them. Those will be pricier than this one. A number of the cards in the set show distant snapshots where you can't really tell who it is and those are labeled merely as "jugada" (play) while puzzle and other types of cards are in the mix, too. Sets like these could be huge long-term projects to complete given their age and obscurity ... though check out this album auction on eBay.
Grab a box right here: No boxes for this one these days ... grab an MLB box here

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BEFORE HIS ROOKIE CARDS
The Card: Chipper Jones 1990 Classic Update Yellow Travel Edition #T92 (PSA 9)
The Price: $7.65
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Larry "Chipper" Jones was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1990 MLB Draft and it was Classic that was the first to get him into a Braves uniform on a card  -- this one that beat his Rookie Cards by a year. (And some of those showed him in his high school threads ... we're looking at you, Topps.) There was plenty of cardboard coming from seemingly every company back then and there were plenty of buyers, too, but this release was still a tad more off the radar and it might still be. Classic ushered in a new wave of draft picks cardboard in the years to follow this one and Jones' only other cards from 1990 were in that year's Classic Draft Picks release -- but no Braves uniform for the Hall of Famer on those. These cards were created as a main component in MLB-licensed board games and things evolved from there. Sealed sets can be a little pricey in their displays as they have some notable players involved and many were used, but all in all the 1980s and 1990 Classic sets can be good stuff. This set never presented itself to me in the past, but I liked the price on this one so I grabbed it. 
Grab a box right here: No boxes ...grab an MLB box here

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LOADED WITH IRONY
The Card: Pete Rose Jr. 1998 Topps Minted in Cooperstown #240 (RC parallel) 
The Price: $4.25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Before his gambling scandal and place on baseball's Ineligible List, the elder Pete Rose was one of the biggest guys to find in a pack of baseball cards -- and it was on some of those cards from a legendary playing career where his son, Pete Rose Jr., first appeared. The 1982 Fleer set included a "Pete and Re-Pete" card showing father and son on an officially licensed card for the first time and they can also both be seen on cards in a 1985 boxed set that took us though Rose's career after he set of the all-time hits record. Junior was a 12th-round pick of the Orioles in 1988 (and also can be found on some memorable cards as an Oriole from Classic in 1990) but he has fewer than 40 total baseball cards (mostly MiLB stuff). He has just a few RCs -- all from 1998. After eight years in the minors, he made it to The Show as a member of the Cincinnati Reds for just 11 games in 1997 -- two hits in 14 at-bats -- and that was enough to get him RCs in 1998 Topps, Topps Chrome and Opening Day. That's it. Buzz was busy in college during this time, so I didn't remember this one at all -- though I did rip some 1998 Topps -- and I chuckled when I saw the name of this parallel set ... Minted in Cooperstown. Rose Jr. played pro ball in other countries and Independent Leagues until just 10 years ago at age 39. I bought this card as a bit of a tongue-in-cheek find, but it turns out there's an interesting story there. He's also worked as a minor-league coach since his playing days ended. Asking prices on his graded Chrome Refractors might surprise you, too, though a lot of his stuff might sell for more than you expect.
Grab a box right here: Grab an MLB box here

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UNIQUE INK
The Card: Krazy George 2017 Topps Allen & Ginter Framed Mini Autographs #MA-KG 
The Price: $6
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Allen & Ginter has been the home of unusual cardboard since Topps revived the brand back in 2006 and this one is right there among some of the classic autograph inclusions that won't break the bank. Krazy George Henderson claims to be the inventor of The Wave and he's "the world's most-famous cheerleader" according to his own site. He was a staple at Oakland A's games for years but that's far from his only team he's been in the stands for working as a hired gun with drum in hand. Learn more about him here. All but one of his cards are in this year of Ginter (and Ginter X). If you want a big challenge, try to find his 1975 San Jose Earthquakes soccer card. That's an obscure one for sure.
Grab a box right here: 2017 Topps Allen & Ginter

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FIGHTING WITH MY FAMILY
The Card: Paige 2015 Topps WWE Road to Wrestlemania Swatch Relics #PA 
The Price: $15.25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This WWE star's in-ring career is over at age 26 after a serious neck injury, but she's still immensely popular when it comes to cardboard with rarer stuff commanding serious cash. Check out these hefty asking prices and then flip to completeds -- those are some of the strongest prices out there for any newer WWE stuff. Why? She hasn't had a ton of autographed cards during her brief career (one that is still continuing as an on-air personality) but some mainstream media attention might be helping there. A film was made about her life -- made by The Rock's production company -- called Fighting With My Family, and the comedy explored how she comes from a family of pro wrestlers in England. I picked this one up since it was on the more-affordable side for one of her Relics. I have pulled a few here and there, but I'll admit the movie got me checking a little more often, though I'm ultimately priced out on the big stuff by some deep-pocketed super collectors out there.
Grab a box right here: WWE boxes are here

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SPEAKING OF FAMILY ... IT'S THEO HUXTABLE!
The Card: Malcolm-Jamal Warner 2018 Leaf Pop Century Signatures #BA-MJW
The Price: $6.25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This member of The Cosby Show cast was there for nearly all of its episodes -- only three members were on screen for more -- and yet it took all these years for him to get some cardboard of his own. His 14 autos in this release are all he has and six of those are 1/1s. The only other cards for him that I know of would be his proof cards from this same release. He's gone on to plenty of other projects since he was part of the NBC staple and massive hit, but it was his time as Theo Huxtable that made me opt for this. It's the cheapest version of this card -- the silver reflective surface was tough to photograph this time (my bad) -- but I thought it was a fun addition for the price.
Grab a box right here: Pop Century boxes (all years when available)

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HAILIE DEEGAN'S DAD
The Card: Brian Deegan 2000 AXS Road Champs Freestyle #BRDE Rookie Card
The Price: $1.20
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I couldn't tell you much about this set -- it's 50 cards -- and this card shows us the dad of the top-selling NASCAR newcomer who wasn't even alive at the time, 17-year-old Hailie Deegan. You should know her name if you're a regular reader or a NASCAR ripper. Dad is a professional freestyle motocross rider, race-car driver and the most-successful freestyle motocross competitor in X Games history (10 medals). He has about that many card appearances and nothing of note in more than a decade. Perhaps we'll see more and a combo card with his daughter worked into a future NASCAR release? (Why? ... Why not?)
Grab a box right here: No boxes on this one ... grab NASCAR wax here

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HIGH-END HARPER BARGAIN?
The Card: Bryce Harper 2018 Panini National Treasures Relics #172 (/99)
The Price: $6.37
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The tight design and strong photo are what drew me in here and I'm sure the price did, too, as Harper memorabilia cards are out there but perhaps not on this affordable side -- especially out of high-end boxes. Sure, he's on the "wrong team" here in the here and now but I'm sure there's plenty more to come on that front. I'm not sure how many Harper memorabilia cards I own, but it's not that many -- and I like the look of this one.
Grab a box right here: National Treasures boxes (all sports, all years)

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CLASSIC ISSUE COINAGE
The Card: 2016 Upper Deck Captain America 75th Anniversary Coin Cards #CC-109 - Captain America No. 109
The Price: $7.68
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: What's the deal here? The 12 cents is the amount it would cost for a copy of the issue shown on the front of the card back in 1969 and it's a memorable cover where Cap is tearing through a newspaper front page that's styled in the same way as The New York Times and is dated Dec. 8, 1941. The coins? They're from 1969, too, a small touch that makes the card more interesting. This cover is one that always caught my eye when I used to hunt through longboxes more often, but I never grabbed one because it's on the pricier side since it's unique. This card? It was on the cheaper side of these coin cards, so that's why you see it here.
Grab a box right here: Marvel non-sports boxes

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BUZZ-WITNESSED ... SORT OF
The Card: Kennys Vargas 2015 Panini Prizm Red Power Prizm Autographs (/125)
The Price: $3.20
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The 2015 Panini Spring Training Road Trip had its share of big names in attendance at its different stops -- Aaron Judge, Josh Donaldson, Luis Severino, Mooke Betts, Byron Buxton among them -- but on one of the signings it was this jovial future Twins first baseman who was among the last signers to complete his mini mountain of cards that were headed into packs not long thereafter. Buzz was there for that one, remembering that it was Vargas' wife alongside him helping line up cards for him to quickly ink and chat about his favorites and where he wanted to play. Big Papi and Fenway Park were among his mentions as he finished things up. It's been a few years and he played 236 games for the Twins, batting .252 with 35 homers and 116 RBI before he was released. He was a member of the Chiba Lotte Marines this season in Nippon Professional Baseball, though his numbers indicate he might be done there after this year. I never did pick up one of these cards signed at that session -- perhaps right in front of me -- but I decided to grab it given the price.
Grab a box right here: Panini Prizm baseball boxes (all years)

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