Buzz Buys: Lotsa Shotzi, some recent MLB throwbacks, new autographs, old mags, AEW's champ, movie surprises & 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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SIX-PACK OF SHOTZI
The Cards: Shotzi Blackheart 2022 Panini Impeccable WWE Indelible Ink autographs (/99)
The Price: Between $30-40 each (but mostly on the low side of that)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This card is easily among my favorites from the entirety of the Panini WWE run so far with an on-card auto, a unique photo and simple crop for a colorful high-energy star who's known to bark at the moon and come to the ring on a miniature tank wearing a horned Army helmet atop her long neon green hair. (Really.) I picked off these on the lower side of things over recent months and need to find more, but opening of boxes seems to have slowed some recently with more new releases popping up. I like this one with its thick stock, too. Ideally, I'd like to run up my total to maybe nine or 10 ... maybe more if I spot them with the right prices.
Grab a box right here: 2022 Panini Impeccable WWE

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

THE OTHER CANSECO
The Card: Ozzie Canseco autographed 1983 TCMA Greensboro Hornets card (BAS authenticated)
The Price: Almost $50 ... yep, because I wanted it. (Keep reading as to why.) 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: His twin is pushing a couple thousand certified autograph card appearances but this Canseco doesn't have any save for possibly some Leaf buyback cards. That explains why I'd never tracked down some Ozzie ink over the years while previously collecting Cansecos rather heavily long ago back before hits became the regular thing. (I have plenty but I'm not actively chasing them because Jose is still pricey at times.) When I spotted this one I knew I wanted it because this is Ozzie's absolute first card ever (his first in MiLB) and it shows him back when he was a pitcher -- a second-round draft pick of the New York Yankees in 1983. (Ironic colors for that team, eh?) Ironically, Jose was a 15th-round pick the year before -- and really ironic if you compare their MLB careers. I only ever found one copy of this card unsigned -- and it stung like a (Greensboro) Hornet when it was perfect save for when the team set bag got beat up in the mail, damaging one corner on every card big-time. I'm sure they're findable but they're not plentiful compared to a lot of his other baseball cards from his brief MLB career. Now I can pair this one with a Jose 1983 Fritsch Madison Muskies card ... his MiLB debut I got signed in person and then slabbed similar to this. 
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one but MiLB boxes are here

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THREE OF A KIND
The Cards: Nick Swisher 2006 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Endorsed Emblems Patch Auto (/25), 2006 Exquisite Collection Signature Patch (/30) & 2006 Ultimate Collection Ultimate Numbers Materials (/35)
The Price: About $30 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This pair of brands are wallet Kryptonite for me if there's a patch involved as their premium feel makes simple cards stand out here -- plus he didn't really have a lot of colorful patches for his Oakland years. These were all low-volume, low-price so they were no-brainers to grab. I did a number of these in the past (some probably even last year, maybe before) and there are others and I have either spread them out here or grouped them. I'm doing some spring cleaning this time so you'll see a few names in this item a few times.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one but MLB boxes are here

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THE RARER PARALLEL
The Card: Nick Swisher 2014 Topps Heritage Black & White Back variation 
The Price: $9.99
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: These parallels are nods to international (Venezuelan) sets made in the 1960s using Topps' looks that had simpler touches to them on the backs. Instead of having a blue back, this one is just black ink and all cards in this homage to 1965 has one of these parallels. With boxes drying up or way up in price, simpler stuff like this isn't as easily found and, while I do already have at least one, I was fine with this price as you just don't see them that often any more. 
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one but MLB boxes are here

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FRESH OUTTA HIGH SCHOOL (REALLY)
The Card: Billie Starkz autographed Pro Wrestling Junkie card (via her website)
The Price: About $30
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This 18-year-old AEW wrestler just graduated high school this month -- as her school's valedictorian -- and has been working as a pro in indy promotions since 2018. (Do the math. That's since she was 13.) That's almost 150 matches with more than 20 companies including action in Japan and now she'll likely be a regular with in-pack AEW cardboard to come at some point soon. She's got a few indy card appearances here and there and after she made her AEW TV debut against TBS champ Jade Cargill in April -- a pretty high-profile start (albeit a loss) -- I figured I should find something after I stalled on picking up other stuff when it was cheaper. Like a lot of indy workers, Starkz has done signings and sells her own merch, so I opted for this card straight from the source. PWJ released signed cards on its own but she also got copies of her card to sell and this is one of those. The pen isn't probably the ideal look here, but it's a starter item for me and I'll probably add more items when items catch my attention.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one but AEW boxes are here

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A THROWBACK ...
The Cards: Christy Mathewson 2021 Topps 206 Series 5 
The Price: Less than $1.50 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is a reprint of a pricey classic from the original T206 set and that one is easily among my favorite cards ever. My original is a PSA 1 -- a ratty one at that -- but it costs a lot more now than it did when I grabbed it and I'm not sure I'd even be able to do an upgrade these days. PSA 1s have 10X-ed since I landed mine back in the day. I like the price on these two ... and I will slab one (or maybe both) as a companion to my original. Why? His life and career are interesting ones and he's truly one of the greats whose stats won't ever be touched as the game has changed. A big part of why I like this one is the image -- he has two other T206s and they don't come close to interesting me like this one.
Grab a box right here: Topps 206 boxes are here

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THREE THROWBACK PROMOS
The Items: John Johnson 1970s Cleveland Cavaliers & Portland Trail Blazers media photos 
The Price: Around $10 apiece on average 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This past NBA All-Star and world champ with the Seattle Supersonics in 1979 has school ties for me, so I'll grab pretty much anything I don't have or anything that's obscure and affordable beyond cards -- and I have nearly all of those. In this case, these are simple media photos given out by the teams as they were needed by newspapers or magazines to go with stories or were used for other marketing uses. This trio was very clean and that's a big reason I bit, though the two Cavaliers photos are also from early in his career ... I'll always bite there vs late-career stuff. One is a definite, ironclad original as it's got the stamping from the studio that printed them for the team on the back. (Others are originals, too, but don't have that.)
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one but NBA boxes are here

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SIX MORE ... ALMOST
The Cards: Shotzi Blackheart 2021 Topps WWE Fully Loaded Future Stars autos -- Gold (/99), Black (/50), Blue (/25)
The Price: All between $21 and $31
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This release was one where I think a lot of the younger stars' sticker autographs ended up if they had signed in bulk for Topps before the company lost its WWE license. This newcomer had an un-numbered base auto and then nine parallels in this hit-per-box release and I have dabbled here with parallels that are cheap -- I wish they were still that cheap -- but it's not hard to find. (Asking prices are higher and a lot of sales prices are lower than what I paid. I'm fine as I'm a collector.) Her auto changed a lot after her first signing with Topps and you can see here how the stickers were done quickly for sure or over a couple sessions. Atop the simpler ink, I wasn't the biggest fan of this design when it arrived and this photo is odd (Right in the middle of taking off her jacket?) but I'll bite when they're affordable. I think she's overtaken Bo Bichette as my default go-to buy this year just for fun a a collector ... at least in the sports realm.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one but WWE boxes are here

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SEEING RED
The Card: Bo Bichette 2022 Topps Heritage Chrome Red Refractor (/573)
The Price: $4
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I've said it a few times that I'm not that big of a fan of the 1970s years that we're in the midst of for Topps Heritage right now, but that hasn't stopped me from picking off some singles here and there for this guy and this one really popped with its Red Chrome border. Simple as that.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one but AEW boxes are here

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BUYING BULK ... BUT FOR GRADING?
The Cards: Toni Storm 2022 Upper Deck AEW Match Dated Moments 
The Price: Pocket change on all of them 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I picked up these small lots of two inexpensive AEW cards as they are her earliest/only AEW cards with her in-pack debut in theory coming at some point soon. She's on her second run as the champ -- these were for her interim run last year -- and I've been a fan since her WWE days when her early stuff was far more pricey until more arrived. Why did I do lots? I wanted to do a couple of high-grade slabs here so I figured the volume would help me pick ... but the stock used here with all that black ink is a challenge. I have one or two that could be 10 contenders ... the corners here and surfaces were disappointing.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one but AEW boxes are here

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UNIQUE INK
The Card: Nick Swisher 2009 Upper Deck Inkredible autographs 
The Price: $5
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This simple auto is not one of his more-plentiful 'graphs for some reason, but I'll grab it when it presents itself this affordably more often than not. Why? I like the design and it's a White Sox auto -- he doesn't have a lot of those as he was only there one season. A high percentage of his autos are with Oakland or New York.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one but MLB boxes are here

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TO GOOD TO PASS UP
The Items: Toni Storm autographed 8-by-10 phot0 lot
The Price: About what one or two photos would normally cost 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Three of the four autos here I'm 100-percent confident in as they look just like signed images from wrestling dealers who have done sessions with the AEW champ over the years and the fourth (at right) is still closer but not spot-on to my eye. (Her auto has changed a lot -- and not been that consistent on cards or photos so that's also harder to gauge them all at times.) Why would I worry? Well, really, I don't ... but this lot was had from a seller clearing out a collection and it only cost me what one, maybe, two of these would had I bought them from one of the few mega-dealers online specializing in signed stuff and live signings. A win for me.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one but WWE& AEW boxes are here

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REPRINT WITH A LITTLE EXTRA
The Card: Frank Robinson 2014 Topps Framed Rookie Reprints Black (/199)
The Price: $11.50
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: A framed 1957 Topps RC reprint that was not among the easiest of finds back in the day in packs, this one was an easy buy for me as Robinson, in my mind, might be one of the most-overlooked Hall of Famers in the history of the game. Go check his stats ... then realize where he ranked when he was done back in 1976. He's still 10th on the all-time home run list despite all of the big, juicy numbers of the last few decades and he was way more than just a home run guy in big-league history, too. Now go consider prices on his vintage peers' cards.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one but MLB boxes are here

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AN UNDEAD EXTRA
The Card: Sü Yüng misted and signed Bound For Glory 2020 trading card (via ThrowbacksStore)
The Price: About $30
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This indy wrestling veteran -- and dare I say icon at this point -- has been in the game for some time now with an ongoing character that, to me, has nods in a lot of directions and a good amount of oldschool mystery, too. (Want to see/hear interviews? There aren't many ... I've looked ... and that adds to it. Poke around here on The Buzz for more ... I've mentioned it all a few times.) This card was created for/by a dealer who focuses on horror movie/TV-style memorabilia and does signings/conventions within that realm. In this case not only is it signed by "The Bloody Undead Bride" but it's also been poison-misted like one of her opponents in the ring or during her entrances. She doesn't have a ton of card appearances, so I have easily dabbled with cards like this as well as signed photos and items. Poke around here on The Buzz -- in this department -- and you'll find plenty more.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one but wrestling boxes are here

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SOME THROWBACK PARALLELS
The Cards: Serena Deeb 2010 Topps WWE Gold (/50), Blue (/2,010) and Straight Edge Society Blue (/2,010) -- Rookie Card parallels 
The Price: About $12 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This wrestling veteran has worked a little bit of everywhere and her arrival on the main WWE roster was a memorable one back in the day. She was pulled out of the crowd by C.M. Punk and recruited into his cult-like group pledging her devotion by having her head shaved right then and there in the middle of the ring. She's done plenty elsewhere for a few promotions but these cards are the start for her stuff. I picked these up last year (Blues) and then Gold more recently when I started specifically seeking out the earliest cards of some AEW, WWE and other stars. I may slab some here. I think the Gold was like $5, which seemed way underpriced for the volume made.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one but WWE boxes are here

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PLUCKED FROM A BULK LOT
The Cards: Bandidas lobby cards featuring Salma Hayek, Penelope Cruz & others
The Price: Pocket change each as part of a lot
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Buzz owns a boatload of DVDs from back in the day -- late-night post-work grocery runs always included something -- and this simple 2006 comedy Western is among them. It's not a big-time favorite but a simple, fun tale with Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz teaming up to make some change back in the day and finding these in a lot was a fun surprise and reminder I should dig through my DVDs more. This lot comes from a pair of lobby card sets -- I have no idea what is a full set here for this movie -- that I landed in a lot of about 100 lobby cards showcasing only a handful of stars ... it was a lot so large I've sprinkled them in here at times for months now. With so much stuff mass-produced these days I've definitely dabbled more in this and other areas of stuff that can be collected just to expand what I've got without spending too much. Pick a name and do a search out there ... you might be surprised what you can find -- and so many TV shows/films are out there without trading cards but with stuff like this. What's it worth? In the eye of the beholder ... and asking prices can be whatever if there are no others out there to compete with yours if you're a seller.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one but non-sports boxes are here

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REMEMBER RODEO CARDS?
The Card: Jess Lockwood 2021 Goodwin Champions Memorabilia
The Price: Pocket change
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This ain't my first rodeo card -- surprisingly there have been a few sets in the past -- but this is the most-recent find for me just to pick up some odd memorabilia-enhanced cardboard. Lockwood is a 25-year-old bull-rider who became the youngest PBR world champ back in 2017 coming off his Rookie of the Year showing the previous season. Read more about him here. Goodwin is the home of a lot of quirky or interesting cards and I always give them a look on the autograph and memorabilia front.
Grab a box right here: Goodwin boxes are here

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BIG FAN OF THIS SIMPLE DESIGN
The Card: Shotzi Blackheart 2022 Panini Chronicles WWE Flux Autographs 
The Price: $15
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Recognize her? You'd better if you got this far. This design in Chronicles is easily one of my favorites but since the set only arrives roughly a couple times per case these aren't yet as available on the cheap ... but this one was and I bit quickly. If these had on-card autos they'd be among the best WWE cards Panini has done -- the backs are just as cool but are really simple.
Grab a box right here: 2022 Panini Chronicles WWE boxes are here

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A CLIP IN A CARD
The Card: Drew Barrymore 2021 Historic Autographs Famous Americans Film Clips (/118)
The Price: Less than $3
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This set is the home to frames cut from film prints embedded into the cards -- a simple and affordable way to include some memorabilia from a pre-existing item without having to do a new licensing deal. These, I believe, pop up regularly in blasters for the release that examines pop culture and history of the past. I need to dabble with a few more boxes on the cheap at some point but this one was too cheap to pass up with a name I'm definitely dabbling with as a collector ... just for fun. (Like I mentioned on the lobby card item ... just pick a name and hit eBay. Barrymore has thousands of listings of all kinds of things -- 23,000-plus as I type this.)
Grab a box right here: Historic Autographs boxes are here

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AN ICON ... ON SUBSCRIPTION & ON NEWSSTAND
The Mags: Paul "Bear" Bryant -- TIME magazine Sept. 29, 1980
The Price: About $28 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This iconic magazine cover is one I want to slab but that red border makes for some tough sledding for condition all these years later. (The ink can rub off and showcase damage.) The no-label version cost me around $20 and it's super clean save for some small issues on the right border -- I'll grade it for sure despite those -- while the other one is a maybe despite having the label and more wear. Why? They're just iconic and would fit right in with my school ties part of my collection.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one but football boxes are here

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ALMOST THE SEASON ...
The Card: Sonya Thomas 2012 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions Authentic Memorabilia
The Price: Under $1
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This competitive eating champ is known as "The Black Widow" and she's one of the ... wait for it ... "Four Horsemen Of The Esophagus" with "Hungry" Charles Hardy, Ed "Cookie" Jarvis and Joey "Jaws" Chestnut. July 4 is when we get the most high-profile eating event, so I figured I'd pop this in here as a reminder that a ton of competitive eaters have cards -- autographs and memorabilia cards, too. Is this all serious? To me, no. To others? Well, they eat it up ... and there can be good money on some of the stars' cards.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one but Goodwin boxes are here

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SIMPLY UNIQUE MINI
The Card: Paige VanZant 2016 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions Canvas Minis
The Price: Under $1
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I'm sure some superfan out there will know the deal with the wings in this portrait for the former UFC star turned wrestler turned boxer turned model and whatever else she adds to the mix. I don't know, though. Her appearances in Goodwin took on a few forms with all of its various sets and parallels and there are a few cards with this unique image you won't see on her UFC cards at all with autographs and memorabilia in play, too. I picked up this mini since it was dirt cheap and I like minis ... heck I might even grade something like this at some point, though it's a super-simple (and cheap) card. I think this one's got something like a dozen parallels and then she has other cards with other images, too. Like I said earlier, Goodwin is the home of some odd cards ... this is a memorably odd one to me.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one but Goodwin boxes are here

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I DID NOT KNOW THAT ...
The Item: Satchel Paige The Wonderful Country wire photo (1959) with The Seattle Times Archives sticker
The Price: About $8
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This Hall of Famer and star of both the Negro Leagues and Major League Baseball played his last game as a regular player in 1953 before one game in 1965 and in between there he made just one appearance that got him an acting credit on the Internet Movie Database. I had no idea until I was scrolling through listings of press photos to see this and it was odd enough I bit, though I can't tell you a thing about the film. You can see all of its details and a trailer here, though, and Paige even gets an "introducing" credit in there. This one also has another story with that sticker -- that's a longer tale to tell but it's probably out there somewhere online -- but what I also thought was interesting was an 8-by-10 studio still with Sport magazine stamping (and a less-interesting image) has an eBay asking price of almost $200. (It's cooler than my vintage wire service print on only part of an 8-by-10 but I like this even more for the price.)
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one but MLB boxes are here

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DON'T FORGET SUPPLIES ...
The Item: Official Funko Pop! Protector case
The Price: A few bucks (add-on with an order via chain store)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Supplies are probably never truly on the top of a collector's want list but I throw this one out there as an obvious reminder that sometimes they are a need. I picked this up as an add-on with a Funko still to be mentioned here at some point for a price slightly cheaper than the norm since it was through a big-box retail chain.  One thing I didn't realize is that Funko is making these themselves based on the box. It's a box mock just like their boxes -- you simply pull this box out and put your boxed toy right inside. Very snug, though the lids may not always close perfectly -- that was slightly annoying for me.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one but other supplies are here

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TWO OF A KIND
The Cards: Simon Gotch 2016 Topps WWE Then Now Forever Autographs Bronze (/50) parallels 
The Price: About $4 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This former WWE star's gimmick was certainly a unique one with his tag team partner -- they were old-timey Vaudeville-era throwback fighters known as The Vaudevillains -- and they came and went with a decently high profile in NXT and WWE for about three or four years. I picked one of these up long ago just so I had some ink -- hard to pass on that rarer volume at that price -- and unknowingly picked up a second one. I had them both stashed in my photo files to appear here for a long time after watching a post-WWE interview with him ... I actually learned some little things that were interesting. Also, he doesn't have a boatload of certified autos.
Grab a box right here: WWE boxes are here

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A RARER PARALLEL
The Card: Aleister Black 2017 Topps WWE Then Now Forever Silver parallel (/25)
The Price: About $3
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Now a regular in AEW, this mysterious star grew on me once he arrived on TV regularly and once I got over the look of his minimalist "AB" initalgraph autographs. I grabbed this rarer debut card on the cheap and it was an easy addition with that price and volume. I also own ink but not as much as I would if he signed an actual name.
Grab a box right here: WWE boxes are here

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CHECK THOSE NUMBERS ...
The Card: Brodie Croyle 2006 Donruss Elite Status Red Die-Cut (/12) -- Rookie Card parallel 
The Price: $15.12
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: If you don't know, this former Alabama star's uniform number is 12 ... and that serial-number is why you see this card right here, right now. It's that simple. I'm not the biggest fan of foilboard or die-cuts, either, but the numbering alone got me to grab this.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one but NFL boxes are here

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A REPLACEMENT FOR A THEFT ...
The Card: Nadia Comaneci 1992 Classic World Class Athletes (BAS authenticated)
The Price: About $20
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This autograph isn't as good as the one I got from this Olympic icon when I was dabbling with TTM autos back in the mid-1990s. But that one is long gone -- stolen or destroyed in USPS hands -- as part of a small lot of autos I sent into BAS for a slab just like this ... only to have that box never arrive. It still burns as a 1/1 autograph and some personal collection personalized and high-grade, big-to-me cards were in there, too. This card is a memorable one from its era -- there wasn't really a lot of Olympic cardboard until around this time and this set was a nice one with both past and present stars included. I sent the card off to the first Olympian to record a perfect 10 and got back a streak-free auto signed across the bottom. This is not that but when it surfaced in a BAS slab I kept an eye on it and picked it up. I liked to dabble with non-traditional TTM requests back in the day as they typically had a higher percentage of returns vs. NBA, NFL and some MLB names ... though it was all much easier then vs. now. (Certified autographs and them getting paid to sign cards wasn't really yet that big of a thing and you could also find signing addresses and successes more easily, too.)
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one but "other sports" boxes are here

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A COMIC BOOK THROWBACK ...
The Item: Batman Forever 8-by-10 promo photo (Drew Barrymore, Tommy Lee Jones, Debi Mazar) 
The Price: About $8
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This movie is pretty forgettable -- not that it's that bad it's just annoyingly over the top (which doesn't help) -- but comic book movie memorabilia can still be popular and, at times (not all the time) harder to find. This isn't that but it was a clean press photo from a kit that I didn't hate and it was cheap. It fits my small collection of Barrymore memorabilia and other film photos like this nicely for the price. Jones also brings back a fun career moment to me ... I was on a new job and a veteran movie critic and interviewer was among a group of us new hires on orientation and during gab time as part of discussions and introductions. Jones was an unquestioned lowlight for that veteran writer ... one could say Jones was dubbed the Reggie Jackson of Hollywood stars. (If you know you know as a collector.)
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one but DC & Marvel boxes are here

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