Buzz Buys: Mercedes Varnado ink, promo cards, some old Kellogg's, Roger Maris, WWE icons, magazines & much 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 ... and this time around Buzz goes a little high-end (for him).

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BUZZ FELT RICH ... 
The Card: Mercedes Varnado (aka Sasha Banks) 2021 Topps Star Wars Stellar Signatures autograph (/40)
The Price: Less than anybody else (so far)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is one of those rarer (but not non-existent) times where Buzz paid up for a single card from a new release. Why? It's so premium-priced that single cards are the only way I'll see it -- and this time I'm not alone. It comes from the loaded Stellar Signatures release where only 100 boxes were made with all of them including ink from everybody who's signing for Topps every time. This is Varnado's first Star Wars autograph card and it comes from her role in The Mandalorian, so I figured I'd go there if they dipped enough ... and they did ... at least around the time I grabbed this. They do seem to be drying up, though, even in the weeks since I found mine with the cheapest as I write this being a $499 ask on eBay (for a parallel) with other copies of this base card even higher. This auto (vs. her Banks auto, which I have many copies of) is a lot simpler and the one private signing she did for Star Wars before these -- where they are at least $150 per photo depending on sizes -- showed her sig quality being all over the place. So, with that in mind, I went the card route as a sure thing. This one is clean -- though some cards in this release aren't as crisp -- so I was fine going there. Varnado has had just two other Star Wars autos arrive in the newest Signature Series release but those are stickers ... so I'll wait and see how prices shake out on more. I may not do a ton of them as it's a simple sig, but I knew I needed at least one in my stash and started with the best brand in the land.
Grab a box right here: 2021 Topps Star Wars Stellar Signatures

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

ANOTHER NEW MARIS ...
The Card: Roger Maris 2004 Leaf Certified Materials Fabric of the Game Award (/50)
The Price: $41
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: If you're a regular reader, then you'll know that former single-season home run champ Roger Maris -- he of 61 in '61 -- is often on my radar for affordable memorabilia cards. This is a slightly pricier example of that price-wise, but that's OK this time as it's a card on the rarer side of things. I always liked this design's use of the faded fabric as a backdrop and then simple color touches. There's a lot going on with the front of this card but it's all about balance and it works. 
Grab a box right here: See MLB boxes here

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NO SLAB MOJO HERE
The Mag: The White Stripes appearance on MOJO magazine January 2021 (subscriber copy) with calendar
The Price: $12
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This new mag has a bit of a throwback cover with Meg White and Jack White in what looks like their Elephant years (if not earlier) and that was a surprise for a year-old magazine. This one shows some rough edges in the pic but that's actually from a calendar that came with it. I grabbed it with an eye on slabbing but I failed. How? It's a mere eighth of an inch too tall to fit in a CGC slab. (UK magazines typically are larger but many have cut down their trim size in recent years to curb costs.) I'll be working in graded mags and comics with Making The Grade this year once some of my returns start coming back -- it's more untapped and actually more difficult than grading cards right now -- and good cards can end up with pop reports with commas. That's not always good.
Grab a box right here: See non-sports boxes here

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A MILITARY NOD
The Card: Whitey Ford 2001 Topps Heritage Time Capsule Relic 
The Price: $9.25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This one doesn't include a piece of the Hall of Famer's military uniform as some could think, but the image and the overall design of this small set in the very first Topps Heritage release from long ago is my favorite. I always wanted to grab one and this one presented itself on the cheap. Others in this set include Don Newcombe, Ted Williams, Willie Mays and a Williams-Mays dual. Corner problems can be common here but this one looked really clean -- another reason it was an instant grab for me. 
Grab a box right here: : See MLB boxes here

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COUNT THE COLORS
The Card: Kyle Busch 2012 Press Pass Showcase Showroom Gold Sheet Metal (/50)
The Price: $6
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This piece of sheet metal isn't big at all but you can see four colors and five areas from the colorful M&Ms car all in one spot. I'm a sucker for a simple memorabilia card with a good amount of detail -- in any sport -- and this one caught my attention from back in Press Pass' premium-brand years.
Grab a box right here: : See NASCAR boxes here

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BUSTING A PROMO PACK
The Pack: 1991 Brockum Rock Cards Promo Card Pack (20 cards)
The Price: $50
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: These are promo cards for a past music set that's loaded with names but perhaps not the biggest names for its time. The Axl Rose here? It is only found in the promo set as he didn't make it into the regular release and he's not alone. Others in this promo set include members of Warrant, Mötley Crüe, Aerosmith and Alice Cooper along with a Megadeth art card. Prices for the Rose are all over the place and I picked up this pack for a clean (in theory) shot at a gradeable copy but I may revisit some of the others in this pack for potential grading, too. The stock here combined with the color and some spot gloss make these cards tougher grades compared to today's stuff.
Grab a box right here: : See non-sports boxes here

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HI, I'M SUSIE ...
The Card: Susie autographed 8-by-10 Impact Wrestling photo 
The Price: Around $25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This Impact star is an alter ego (or something like that) of ring veteran Vannarah Riggs who is best known as Sü Yüng. The Undead Bride is nothing like what you see here and has had matches with seemingly everybody in the indie ranks and beyond and it's that contrast that is interesting to me. I'm late to the party here in general, but that's OK for memorabilia as she really doesn't have any cards beyond a few she has authorized and signs to sell via ThrowbacksStore here. I grabbed this along with some others you have seen in this series (cards and pics) in recent months since happening upon some clips of an autograph signing done in-character ... which was a trip. Perhaps she'll appear in the next set created by Impact? I've mentioned the mystery of Sü here before -- so much amuses me and there's so much I don't know. 
Grab a box right here: See wrestling boxes here

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TWO SHURI
The Card: Shuri 2018 Upper Deck Marvel Black Panther The King's Mantle Memorabilia
The Price: $3
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This multi-piece card was one I grabbed when there was chatter that Letitia Wright might be taking on the title role after the death of Chadwick Boseman. I don't think that happened -- or not yet -- but I'll also admit I haven't kept up with the newer wave of Marvel movies or chatter for what's coming, either. Cheap mem cards, though? Yep, I'll pay attention there.
Grab a box right here: See non-sports boxes here

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LATE-NIGHT LAUGHS
The Card: James Corden 2018 Topps Doctor Who Signature Series 
The Price: $16
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This late-night host had a small spot in the Doctor Who world -- aka the Whoniverse -- and that was enough to get him cardboard playing time in some Topps sets. With parallels he has roughly 20 different autos and all are pretty low-volume (nothing over /50) except for the ones that are not numbered -- and those might be SPs compared to others in the release. (He's definitely higher profile than many signers here.) The photo isn't the best but that's secondary to the auto in general if you ask me. In other words, I bought it for the ink since the price was right.
Grab a box right here: See non-sports boxes here

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AN ODDBALL GRAB
The Card: Joby Wright 1986 Bank One Indiana Hoosiers Greats 
The Price: $1
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Indiana fans probably know his name more than fans from elsewhere -- he played only 103 games over five seasons in the NBA and ABA -- but this is his only card that I know of. (There's a chance he has other oddball team issues but I've not seen any.) I picked it up on the cheap as he was a college coach in the past and  ... trivia time ... a speaker at my high school graduation. My grandpa ran him down after the event and got his autograph for me. Since it was his only card I had to grab it.
Grab a box right here: See basketball boxes here

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REMEMBER ME?
The Mag: Jason Lee appearance (as Earl from My Name Is Earl) on Emmy magazine November 2005
The Price: $12
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This seemed like an odd enough magazine with a memorable character from not that long ago -- My Name is Earl was a hit show from 2005 to 2009 -- and it's more-recent stuff like this that is on my radar for potential magazine grading. (My new kick right now.) At this kind of a glance, it looks good and it would likely still grade well as is -- but it actually has a pretty substantial corner drop (it probably happened in the mail) that put a good dent in the cardboard stock. That took it from a "probably grade" to deep on the waiting list as a cheap oddball mag like this is a funny thing to see slabbed ... but not if it's not a high grade. Interestingly, this appearance comes from at the start of the show's run not when it was a lit later ... so ... possible rookie cover?
Grab a box right here: See non-sports boxes here

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MiLB MEM
The Card: Daniel Johnson and Dustin May 2019 Topps Pro Debut Fragments of the Farm Relics
The Price: Under $5 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This pair of cheap Relics have some oddball pieces embedded into them -- a map may not be that odd but a piece of a dugout roof is definitely something I hadn't seen before. This set had been an annual inclusion in Pro Debut in the past but was shelved to perhaps save on production time in recent years. These aren't the weirdest or most-visual mem cards from the brand but I'll pick them off when they are different and cheap.
Grab a box right here: See MiLB boxes here

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VINTAGE PACKS ...
The Pack: Dennis Eckersley 1976 Kellogg's 3-D Super Stars unopened pack
The Price: $30
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is a rarity in my stash ... an ... unopened pack. (Gasp!) It's a rookie-year food issue (Rookie Card?) for Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley. (It looks like this.) They're not dramatically pricey, but are cleaner and more interesting than 1976 Topps if you ask me and I was on the hunt for either one slabbed or one that looked clean enough to grade ... but then I found this and that was that. The lenticular-style plastic can be chippy and can yellow but I do think these are fun cards that you can collect without breaking the bank.
Grab a box right here: See MLB boxes here

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OLDSCHOOL PICK-UPS
The Cards: Steve Swisher 1974 and 1978 Topps Vault photo negatives, 1983 Fleer photo negative, autographed 8-by-10 photo & autographed 1979 Bartosz Cardinals Postcard
The Prices: From $5 to $15
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This MLB player's kid was an MLB All-Star, too, and I collect them both. Pops was on cardboard as a player from 1975 to 1983 and then some after that as a MiLB manager or a coach. These are more oddball pick-ups that span that time -- the first negative is from his Rookie Card photo sessions and I have the one that went on his 1975 Topps card while the Fleer slide shows him with the Braves in 1983 ... something I didn't know about until I found it. He played for them in spring training and then in the minors before retiring. (Ironically, Nick Swisher played his last MLB games with the Braves, too.) Others here are a simple signed photo and then a signed copy of an oddball team issue postcard that I had never found ... so I figured "Why not?" with the extra ink.
Grab a box right here: See MLB boxes here

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OLDSCHOOL MLB
The Card: Eddie Robinson 1951 Bowman
The Price: Under $4
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is a second-year card of a first-baseman who played 13 seasons for seven teams but that's just the start of his story. Robinson spent his life in the game and was the oldest MLB player last year before he died at age 100 -- read his New York Times obituary here. A few writers did pieces on him when he hit 100, and that's when I went looking for his cards. I opted for this one, which might be my only card from this iconic set that's the home of Rookie Cards for Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays, as I thought his story was interesting. He was a four-time All-Star and a World Series winner for starters.
Grab a box right here: See MLB boxes here

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PRIME PICK-UP
The Card: Randall Cunningham 2011 Panini Totally Certified Heritage Collection Materials Prime (/49)
The Price: $9
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This was a must-grab card with the prime patch being a piece of the old vinyl uniform numbers the Eagles wore back in the day and the price being right for a card limited to only 49 copies. The etched-foil front here looked really clean, too.
Grab a box right here: See NFL boxes here

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IT'S NOT A TIARA ...
The Card: Mayim Bialik as Amy Farrah Fowler 2016 Cryptozoic The Big Bang Theory Seasons 6-7 Authentic Wardrobe
The Price: Under $9
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This TV veteran has done plenty -- Blossom and The Big Bang Theory for starters -- and is still going with Jeopardy! as host along with a number of other online and on TV projects in recent years. But if you want certified autos or memorabilia cards, her time as Amy Farrah Fowler has spawned your only options. I think I've picked off each of the main cast members on memorabilia cards but the ink won't happen -- they're all far too popular and pricey to take on that project.
Grab a box right here: See non-sports boxes here

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MAKE YOU HUMBLE
The Card: Iron Sheik 2005 Topps Heritage WWE Autographs 
The Price: Less than $5 (as part of a lot deal)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This Hall of Famer isn't a rare autograph but this card from the first set in Topps' longest run as a WWE card maker (2005-2021) was his only certified auto for cards for years. He didn't have anything else until Leaf cards in 2012 and then an Allen & Ginter spot in 2014. This set is a landmark one, the home of a number of key names from that time and then legends before that on a glossed remake of the 1955 Bowman baseball design. The "N" here shows one thing that can be an issue -- the autos on glossy cards can show surface scratches and wear quite easily -- even straight out of packs. I opened a ton of this one back then -- I pulled Hogan, Lita, Stacy Keibler and a Sheik or two among others -- but I got this one in a bulk lot of hits. Pro-rated, this one was a steal.
Grab a box right here: See WWE boxes here

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DOES A MEAN MADDEN
The Card: Frank Caliendo 2015 Topps Allen & Ginter Relics A
The Price: $1.25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This comedian known for his impressions has done a lot of TV work relating to the NFL and Ginter has been the home of comedic cardboard quite a bit in recent years of its run. In this case, I did know who he was (not always the case for me with those cards) so I grabbed this cheap two-color Relic that kind of looks like a Topps shirt or something. Here's his take on John Madden along with David Letterman back in the day.
Grab a box right here: See MLB boxes here

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SMALL CARD, BIG PLAYER
The Card: Ted Lindsay 2001-02 In the Game Parkhurst Pre-Parkie Autographs (/500)
The Price: Under $15
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Buzz doesn't do a lot of hockey but this Hall of Famer was one of 14 who are in this set and a lot of them can be found on the affordable side of things. I liked the retro flair here with the undersized design. He was a member of four title-winning Detroit Red Wings teams, an 11-time All-Star and went into the Hall of Fame back in 1966 -- check out even more about his life and career here.
Grab a box right here: See NHL boxes here

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LIVING DANGEROUSLY
The Card: Paul Heyman 2015 Topps WWE Undisputed Autographs
The Price: $35
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This card might be a bit of a sleeper out there -- one reason I ponied up for a copy -- as this wrestling lifer has only had autographs in two WWE releases -- 2013 Best of WWE and then this set. THat's just six total cards with four of them totaling just 86 copies. Could this card and the other without numbering be on the rarer side of things? I'd think it's possible. He's not signed anything since this set from seven years ago ... perhaps another sign he's just not into signing? (Maybe.) He's been a major player on-screen and behind the scenes for years and you probably wouldn't have had stars like "Stone Cold" Steve Austin as well as many ECW notables without him.
Grab a box right here: See WWE boxes here

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KEEP ON ROCKIN' ...
The Photo: Leif Cassidy (Al Snow) autographed reproduction 1996 WWF promo photo 
The Price: $5
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I found this from one of the dealers out there who regularly does public signings with stars from all eras and grabbed it since I hadn't ever seen a Leif Cassidy (aka Al Snow) autograph from his brief run as a Rocker. This was just before he went to ECW (to visit with Heyman) and find his trademark persona and sidekick, Head. For years I preferred to get autos official promo photos like these but that was before WWE stopped making them -- they have since gotten more pricey and harder to find. I figured this was a reproduction image (always check and see how shape the small type is) but for the price I couldn't pass. I'm not sure how often he signs stuff like this but I haven't seen a lot of them. 
Grab a box right here: See WWE boxes here

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