Buzz Buys: Legendary ink, stockpiling WWE stars, Joe Namath, old oddball cards, memorable moments, new 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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ONLY 40 MORE OUT THERE ... 
The Cards: Rhea Ripley 2020 Topps Transcendent WWE (/50) -- Rookie Card
The Price: More than I'll admit
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Not all 10 of these are totally new pick-ups -- I showed off five of them awhile back right here in this series -- but with this run of super-premium RCs I wanted to show them off all together. It's not often that I have been able to track down 20 percent of a print run -- especially in a brand that carried such a massive price tag -- or, well, really even tried except for maybe my PC player. But, last year I made an effort to start amassing them and I'm not done yet. How many more might I grab? Depends on availability and price -- I can think of four I have missed on recently but things could slow here as I'm not going to overpay more than I did to get this far. If you don't know, Ripley is the new Smackdown women's champ after a classic win over Charlotte Flair at Mania and could be the title-holder on both shows at some point ... and since she's young she's got plenty of time to do even more in WWE barring any injuries. Her 2020 Rookie Cards and autographs should be worth a look ... raw or slabbed.
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MAKING HISTORY
The Card: Michelle Yeoh 2004 Rittenhouse James Bond: The Quotable James Bond Women of James Bond Autographs
The Price: Less than a lot of her ink is going for these days ... 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This acting veteran made a little history on Oscars night with her winning Best Actress for Everything Everywhere All at Once and it got me looking as her autos -- cards or photos had some steep asking prices around $200 and often times more. With James Bond and Star Trek roles on her resume, she has had a small number of certified auto cards (almost 10) and this one was the first. I also grabbed it since it's a full sig -- a lot of her other cards have a shorter autograph to save time. Will she sign more? Perhaps -- she's back on a Trek series as recently announced -- but demands for her time may pick up more after her big win.
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THE FINAL SHOWDOWN
The Card: Shohei Ohtani (vs. Mike Trout) 2022 Topps Now World Baseball Classic (/42,273)
The Price: Free (rewards points)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This moment was one I actually missed -- I was either asleep or tweeting away about something else (or writing here) -- but when I saw this unusual image of teammates facing off at a critical moment I figured I'd use some rewards points and land one on the cheap ... as in as cheap as it gets. 
Grab a box right here: BlowoutCards.com for MLB cards

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RETURN OF THE MAC?
The Card: Mac Jones 2021 Panini Chronicles Clear Vision Rookies -- Rookie Card
The Price: $1.25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This guy could either have a big season or be elsewhere at some point sooner or later. The Patriots recently hired his college offensive coordinator so that sounded like a good thing ... until even more recent trade chatter popped up this spring. Either way, I'm a fan -- from the college days so all that NFL drama doesn't matter as much. I'll buy them if I like them ... flippers or investor types might add some of his stuff before the season.
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PINSTRIPES OF ANOTHER COLOR
The Card: Anthony Volpe, Noelvi Marte, Marco Luciano 2022 Topps Heritage Minor League Blue parallel (/99)
The Price: $9.99
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is one of two Volpe cards in last year's Heritage MiLB set and when I pulled a razor sharp -- going to be graded it's that clean -- Blue parallel of his solo card I figured I'd add this triple-player card to go with it. This one's got some very minor spots so the other one is better but I may grade them together. When the big-name prospects arrive in MLB I tend to grab obscure stuff like this over the easy cards everybody has or can find.
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SIMPLE BO
The Card: Bo Bichette 2021 Panini Diamond Kings Elegance
The Price: Pocket change
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This card is as simple as it gets, though I'm not sure how "elegant" the paint splatter plays. The batting stance is one that always gets me to stop and look at his cards and with this one priced in pocket change it was an easy grab.
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ELUSIVE INK
The Card: Nick Swisher 2009 SP Authentic Signatures 
The Price: $9.99
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The price on this one was too good to pass up -- I own hundreds of his autos but only one or two of this one as it's likely an SP that may not have been announced and it also was one of his earlier Yankees autos that added demand. The bad news? I think this card was cut oddly -- either at the company or by somebody trying to trim up a corner issue.
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THE FUTURE IN WWE
The Photo: Tiffany Stratton autographed & inscribed 8-by-10 WWE NXT photo
The Price: Way less than the Prizm ink out there ... 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This NXT star is a future champ in WWE -- maybe very soon -- and she's only been in the game for a short time as a wrestler in any capacity. (She was a gymnast and fitness competitor before NXT -- and both play into her character's all-around package well.) Her first cards were in a few 2022 releases and her first certified autographs didn't arrive until the new 2023 Panini Prizm. This auto was signed during one of a few private signings she did with online sellers last year and while it's not authenticated it's definitely legit. Around that time, I asked somebody who would know -- her "momager" -- a few months ago when I landed this and she said over on Instagram that she'd done signings. Now that the certified autos are here, it's even more obvious it's good -- and the card actually uses an image almost identical to this. Go figure.
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HER TIME IS NOW ...
The Card: Indi Hartwell 2021 Topps WWE Fully Loaded Future Stars Autographs Onyx (/50)
The Price: Far less than the price of a box ... 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: While Stratton didn't win the NXT women's title during WrestleMania weekend, this NXT veteran did and it was a good surprise as she's been around for a while and figured to be due to be promoted at some point soon. Depending on how long she holds the title, that will probably still happen at some point as all other members of a past group she was a part of are now on the WWE's main roster. She's a super-cheap auto in comparison to others.
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THE CUTEST PIZZA CUTTER?
The Card: Maki Itoh 2023 Pro Wrestling Junkie autographed & base card combo 
The Price: $45 for the pair
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This pairing comes from a company that specializes in making premium cards of indy wrestling stars for both signings or for the wrestlers to sell as merch. These combos are sold directly by the company or can be had as singles. Itoh isn't that tough of an auto in the BBM Japanese wrestling sets, but the approach/design here and the presentation -- they sell their cards encased like this instead of making small box sets -- got me to bite. This one came on the heels of her doing some GCW hardcore matches and you can see that in the smaller photo on the unsigned card ... yes, that's a pizza cutter. I don't dabble with indy cards as intensely as others -- can't watch everything -- but my eye will be on their online feeds and store for more stuff like this if names I do know present themselves.
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BOUGHT THE LOT ...
The Mags: Joe Namath Sports Illustrated covers (1966, 1968, 1969)
The Price: About $40
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This grouping came up because the 1966 issue at left is definitely high-grade and I wanted it so I can slab it at some point (label be damned). It's clean and a good photo that feels correct (almost psychedelic) for its era. The other two issues also are clean but a post office attendant marked the label on one and then on the actual cover of the other for whatever reason (typically an address change or confirmation from what I remember as a kid in the times before they would slap on a second label). It's all about the one at left ... that's why I grabbed these. To me, that 1966 issue was worth that alone. If the CGC backlog on slabbing mags ever truly clears, that one is going in fast.
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INTERESTING MYSTERY
The Card: Zorri Bliss 2021 Topps Star Wars: Stellar Signatures Sketch Card Reproductions (/100)
The Price: $10
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Keri Russell's mysterious character in the latest Star Wars movie was one where the helmet didn't come off -- at least that I remember (I only watched that one once) -- and almost all of the trading cards for the character don't even have an image like this when she raised her visor. Initially, I thought it might have been a licensing/likeness thing with so many visor-down cards but then I remembered that's just the character. I picked up this one while browsing the replica sketch cards from the Star Wars version of Transcendent since they can often be quite affordable and nice presentation-wise as heavy framed cards.
Grab a box right here: BlowoutCards.com for Star Wars boxes

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PLAYING THE GAME
The Cards: D-Generation X Invades WCW 2020 Topps Triple H 25th Anniversary (/260) & 2016 Topps WWE Then Now Forever Royal Rumble Mat Relic Bronze (/50)
The Price: Less than $7 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I'm not the biggest Triple H fan so I didn't buy the anniversary set that the card at left came from, but it was a memorable moment for D-X (two other members can be seen on the card) and then the mat parallel was too cheap to pass up considering the volume made. Now that he's mostly running the show -- at least right now -- on TV, I think all of his stuff is worth the look. His place in the game is only growing if you ask me and he was already a Hall of Fame caliber player as it is.
Grab a box right here: BlowoutCards.com for WWE cards

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AN EPIC FLASHBACK ...
The Toy: Penny in "The Barbarian Sublimation" -- The Big Bang Theory Funko Pop! 
The Price: $14
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: In the third episode of Season 2, Penny becomes addicted to online computer games -- so much so she doesn't know what day it is and she finds a Cheeto in her hair in one scene. The Cheeto is there ... and that's what made this one a classic in my mind back when it arrived. I never spotted it or chased it back then, but this one recently popped up on the cheap on one retailer's site so I grabbed it. There are really too many Funko Pop! toys made now to consider chasing stuff regularly but when they present themselves years later without a high price it's worth the look in my book.
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LETTING THEM SLIDE
The Cards: Sandy Alomar Jr. & Gregg Jefferies 1989 Topps variations (slightly different photo crops or "Future Star" positioning)
The Price: Under $2 for all
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This one would be more interesting if I had the other versions of the cards to show side by side -- these variations are not all that recognized out there in the wild though there are differences. Basically on the Jefferies, the Future Star logo pushes down and both the photo border and the Topps logo do, too. On the Alomar, the other version has the logo almost touching his cap. I'm a sucker for some errors and variation pairings from the past and these two names were notables around that time. Errors were the chase cards back then, not hits and inserts. I like the idea of matching errors ad variations in high-grade slabs but just finding error cards in some instances can be hard ... forget elite conditions.
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A RETRO PHOTO ...
The Photo: Roger Maris & family 1968 United Press International photo
The Price: Around $11
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This press photo is pretty nice for its age and it has an original UPI stamp on the back (at right; click to see a closer look), too, to add to its "legit" status. I don't know all the various photo "type" categories, but this one if different than a lot of stuff I have recently grabbed and I just liked all of what's going on for the final game of his legendary career. Plus, Maris' kids were in St. Louis, too, when Maris' record was topped 30 years after this.
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A NEW TAKE ON AN OLD CLASSIC
The Card: Hank Aaron 2003 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites
The Price: About $2 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This pair of cards is here because this is one I'd really want to find graded and in a high mark. Why? I just like it -- it's a re-do of his 1974 Topps card but with a much-better photo than what was used back then and it's also printed on much better stock with much better, well, everything. But ... the few copies of this one I have all have minor flaws where I couldn't grade them myself -- these included -- and expect a top grade.
Grab a box right here: BlowoutCards.com for MLB cards

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THIS ONE GOES OUT ...
The Card: Brother Love 2020 Leaf Ultimate Wrestling Ultimate Stars 
The Price: About $12
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This annoying character was brought to life by a player who has been in and around WWE and its inner circle for a long, long time. Despite that, there wasn't a certified auto for him until this Leaf set arrived and I grabbed it as bit of a sampler -- to see if I liked the cards (I do) and then to check off having the auto. Given the timing of this product's arrival, the boxes came and went and got pricey along with key singles. This and one other auto -- AEW's Pénta El Zero M -- might be the only sigs I ever tracked down here.
Grab a box right here: BlowoutCards.com for WWE cards

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FEELING FROSTY
The Card: Lady Frost 2021 GCW Collective Remix Vol. 1 
The Price: $9.99
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This pick-up from indy land was from quite a while back -- she's been with Impact and not with Impact since -- but I think I have already told the story of this card (and her wrestling debut) in a past Making The Grade. I grabbed this one raw and then bought a slabbed one outright, too, because the ink colors, stock and cuts here are not all that grading friendly. She has a handful of cards but this is the only one I have ever found up for grabs other than her Impact releases, which I landed direct from the promotion when the sets were offered. Once her contract stuff gets figured out I think there's potential to see her on a big stage ... she's got a unique look and skillset as a "Gymnast Assassin" in the ring.
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THE ORIGINAL & THE UPDATE ...
The Toys: Sasha Banks 2017/2020 LootCrate Slam Stars figures
The Price: About $25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This pair of figures was a total impulse grab -- so much so I may have the 2017 one stashed away in a box somewhere but I wasn't 101-percent sure and I knew I wanted the 2020 (blue) one for sure ... so it didn't matter. These toys were included in LootCrate mystery boxes of the past -- a subscription box where fans got a few items (shirt, pins, toys, etc.) for one price. I knew I didn't have the newer one and bit on both. The sculpts are pretty dramatic in terms of their style and scale, but the toys are actually quite small and don't stand up all that easily -- the packaging is as cool as they are, though.
Grab a box right here: BlowoutCards.com for WWE cards

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FLASHBACK TO NOT THAT LONG AGO ...
The Card: Stephen Strasburg 2016 Topps Berger's Best Relics (/99)
The Price: $3
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This rarer pull from flagship got me to bite for the price, especially after the Nationals' World Series win and his part in helping it happen. His arrival on cads in 2010 was a big deal, too, and I thought this was interesting with a newer card and not a classic from decades long, long ago making the Best list.
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END OF THE LINE
The Card: Sareee 2013 & 2015 BBM True Heart Japanese wrestling cards 
The Price: $10 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This Japanese star's WWE run appears to have come and gone since I grabbed these earlier (but not first) cards from the main card-maker there, BBM. Known as "Sarray" in NXT, she finished up last month and will be returning to competition in Japan after four years here. I picked these up along the way figuring I'd pop them in here at some key point but ... that time never really came.
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STAR-STUDDED FLASHBACKS
The Sets: Sabotage Wrestling Series 6 (two of 'em)
The Price: $20 each
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This indy wrestling company has had some big names show up in its ring in the recent past and it has a few small card sets to show for them -- and one set is so loaded with names I'd want but it is rare enough I can't find it. This one is a newer set and it's not about the stars but instead reprints the posters for some past events and recaps their matches. Those big names are seen here again and among them are Taya Valkrie, Kairi Hojo, Thunder Rosa, Shotzi Blackheart, Sammy Guevara and Kylie Rae for starters. As a heavy collector of one of those names, this was a must-have for me as she appears on several cards.
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A CASE FOR ENCASED
The Card: Brodie Croyle 2006 Bowman Chrome Uncirculated Rookie (/519)
The Price: $1.75
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This encased box-topper was a no-brainer to me for the price as he's got school ties for me and was a big deal when I was there. He didn't pan out for the Chiefs but I'll pick off his cards here and there when cooler or cheap.
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TWO TEAMS IN COMMON
The Cards: Terry Jones 1984 Green Bay Packers Police & Scott Hunter 1972 Topps -- Rookie Card
The Price: About $5 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This duo is another with school ties for me -- and they don't have a lot of stuff -- about 30 cards between them -- with Jones' earliest stuff being sets like this one, not something that was put into packs. The RC looked slab-worthy but I'll admit I don't know much about him (I prefer the decades before and after this one for Alabama stars on cards) so it's not that high of a priority, while the other one I thought might be a first card but he had one the year before.
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UNIQUE APPEAL
The Card: Alex Rodriguez 2004 Donruss Studio Big League Challenge Die-Cut (/500)
The Price: $1
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: There isn't a boatload of cardboard for the few years of the MLBPA's Big League Home Run Challenge but a few companies got in the game and made stuff for the star-studded home run events. I'm a sucker for some of these as my main player I collected as a kid was a winner of one of them -- and I have his used bat in my stash, too -- but this is just a clean yet bold design from a set where, well, I bought stuff from this year but never landed any of these cards. For the price and the volume made, I figured he was a good name to have as a sample card.
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DOWN ON THE FARM
The Card: Steve Swisher 1983 TCMA Richmond Braves 
The Price: $1
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This card came at the end of his playing career that started in the mid-1970s with the Cubs and I had forgotten all about this until recently when I found a photo slide showing him in an Atlanta Braves jersey (spring training). He never actually played a regular-season game for the Braves -- where his son played his final big-league season -- instead part of his summer was spent in Triple-A Richmond. His cardboard didn't end here, though, as he was a MiLB manager and has the cards to prove it. I picked this up as I wasn't actually sure I had it ... I have a lot of his stuff, but not everything, to go along with my PC stash of Nick Swisher cards and items.
Grab a box right here: BlowoutCards.com for MiLB cards

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A TRIO OF ICONS
The Mags: Shakira (Blender, April 2002), Madonna (Entertainment Weekly, Nov. 1992), Demi Moore (People Weekly, June 1996)
The Price: $10 each
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This trio of magazines -- one of which might be a slabbing candidate while the other two are a bit iffier in condition (or would need pressed) -- came from some brainstorming of notable names from the past paired with some eBay searches. These days, a newsstand presence in many chain stores is near-dead -- and two of these magazines no longer even exist -- but back in the day all three of these were big subjects for a time with Moore rebooting her career, Madonna upping her freshest pop culture controversies and Shakira helping usher in a new wave of pop music in more recent years. As I've mentioned in the past, I think iconic slabs of big names -- or at least memorable ones -- in good or high-grade copies are winners if they don't have a lot of cardboard. Each here has some cards from the non-sports/gaming realms with Madonna having a lot more as she's been involved in a lot of projects in the past. The newest mag here is already more than 20 years old ... and now I feel old, too.
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