Buzz Buys: Pat Mahomes ink, giving Panini Instant a hand, Rookie Cards, Hammerin' Hank, Jennifer Connelly, Tom Green, Chappy Sinclair, Draft Day memorabilia & plenty 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 there's a mix of everything -- mostly on the affordable side.

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WHO I'D BE WATCHING
The Card: Bo Bichette 2019 Bowman Sterling (PSA 9)
The Price: Under $11
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: If baseball were happening right now, there are a few young players I'd be watching and Bichette is one of them. In just 46 games as a 21-year-old rookie last year, this second-generation MLB player hit .311 with 11 homers, 21 RBI and 18 doubles -- numbers that would have projected out to 39 homers, 74 RBI and 63 doubles over 162 games. While I wouldn't reasonably expect that this year, he was dominating at times in 2019 and he's one of several homegrown Blue Jays rookies from the last couple years (Bichette's RCs are this year) who could be around for a while and generate some success both on the field and on cardboard. When they're this cheap, I'm grabbing them -- most of the time, they are not. With its high-end format, Sterling makes me think this basic card might be less plentiful than a lot of the prospect brands from last year, too, but ultimately I picked it up since it's clean and has a solid photo.
Grab a box right here: 2019 Bowman Sterling

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

HAND IT TO HIM ON THIS ONE ...
The Card: Damien Harris 2019 Panini Instant Instant Impressions hand-print autograph (/5)
The Price: Around $40
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I grabbed this one last month when Panini had a half-price sale on Instant cards on its site and selected this former Alabama Crimson Tide guy since there were two things that caught my attention here. First, obviously, is the handprint -- the point of these massive cards that are at least 11-by-17 but likely bigger. (I admittedly forgot to measure it before I packed it away) But the second and biggest thing here? He actually signed a full signature on these and I don't think he signed a full sig on anything else for any card company all year long. I had wanted to add an auto card to my stash but a "DH" sig that appears on everything I've seen slowed that roll (Tide). At half price -- or the price of a couple blasters that might not deliver much -- I bit. It doesn't hurt that there are so few of these made, too. These are definitely something different -- and they do have full card backs as well ... so they are more than simple wall art. (Now, I'm off to ponder storage options ... )
Grab a box right here: No boxes of this ... you want NFL here

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MY MAHOMES INK ... 
The Card: Pat Mahomes 1996 Leaf Signature Series Signatures
The Price: Under $3
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Sure, his kid is a reigning Super Bowl champion QB and a recent league MVP at age 24 and his autographs command hundreds of dollars ... but for far less I went with his one -- an autograph with actual letters (likely due to lower demand). It's also a card that, if you ask me, should command a little (a little) more attention these days. Why? It's the only option out there if you want an autograph of this 11-year MLB veteran and now slightly-more-famous dad. It's also got a pretty good simple design, too -- can we get Immaculate to use this one to mix things up? Also wondering out loud here ... will we ever see an autograph card with him and his kid? That might generate some cardboard heat with the novelty and the league's new megastar attached.
Grab a box right here: No boxes of this ... you want the NFL Mahomes here

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HAMMERIN' HANK
The Card: Hank Aaron 1997 Fleer Sports Illustrated Cooperstown Collection
The Price: Under $2
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Yesterday back in 1974, this was the scene as Hank Aaron hit his record-setting 715th career home run and this was exactly how it looked on the cover of Sports Illustrated the following week. This is a near-perfect insert in my book (classic magazine covers reproduced) and the wax isn't the easiest find for some reason despite it being pretty cheap. The basic set here isn't the flashiest, but its selection of cover cards is nice. I picked this one up in the midst of a cheap Aaron kick thinking this could make for a solid cheap card in a slab ... but these cards are on thicker stock with high gloss, so that's not that easy in general. This one had some surface issues that nixed my plan. I might track one down at some point, though. 
Grab a box right here: No boxes of this ... you want MLB here

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CHAPPY!
The Card: Louis Gossett Jr. 2011 Leaf Ali: The Greatest -- Associates of Ali Bronze Autographs 
The Price: Under $9
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This Oscar winner (An Officer and a Gentleman) has a ton of past roles and he's got a number of projects still in the works despite the fact that he's 83 years old and started acting in the late-1950s. You might know him from Roots, Mod Squad, Jaws 3-D, The Punisher, Stargate SG-1, Watchmen or even a TV movie where he played Satchel Paige, but to me (and maybe a number of others of a certain age) he's Chappy Sinclair from the Iron Eagle franchise -- some of the (unintentionally) cheesiest 1980s movies out there. Gossett was nowhere near cheesy, though, from what I remember. He's got nearly 40 different autographed cards in a few sets, but this one was priced just right (though the ink is running off-sticker) enough to grab it.
Grab a box right here: No boxes of this ... you want other sports here

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NATIONAL RARITY
The Card: Minkah Fitzpatrick 2018 Panini National Convention NFL Draft Materials Rapture (/25)
The Price: $1.40
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This card was ridiculously cheap for its scarcity and the fact that this guy had a really solid year after he was traded last season. (I may or may not have picked it off before the trade and had it in my queue for this series ... I don't remember.) What's more interesting is how few mem cards Fitzpatrick appears on -- just 50 different, which is a ridiculously low number for a player with a decently high profile coming out of college, albeit on the defensive side. Another reason this is here? It's a reminder that we're probably not getting cards like this with draft-used memorabilia inside as there will not be a public presentation portion of the event that's due to, well, you know. (Will there be a National? I'm not betting on it ... but it's still on the schedule.)
Grab a box right here: See promo packs here

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MY BUM IS ON THE CARD
The Card: Tom Green 2007 Donruss Americana Private Signings Platinum (/200)
The Price: $10
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: There was a time when you couldn't miss this comedian who was seemingly everywhere -- and perhaps not to a palatable degree. His MTV show ran for seven years, he had spots in a number of forgettable films, was briefly married to Drew Barrymore (another big name of the 1990s) and even filled in for David Letterman on Late Show duty. He's continued to be working all this time -- though I can't remember the last time I saw him in anything -- but I did remember him fondly enough to grab this card when it presented itself. It's definitely a unique auto to have in the stash. He only appears on two (non-cut) certified autograph cards -- this one and another that adds a memorabilia piece -- and his only standard cards are in this release, too.
Grab a box right here: No boxes of this one ... but non-sports boxes are here

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VINTAGE CLASSIC
The Card: Birdie's Young Sluggers (Ed Bailey, Birdie Tebbets, Frank Robinson) 1958 Topps
The Price: $3
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is a second-year card of Hall of Famer Frank Robinson and it's just one of those combo cards that always gets me to look when I happen upon a copy. This specimen is pretty clean but with an obvious miscut -- and its previous owner clearly didn't really need it like I did considering that price. I own at least one of these slabbed and a few more raw -- it's just a simple early card of a slugger who I like to pick up when he's in certain uniforms.
Grab a box right here: No boxes of this ... you want MLB here

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SLABBED STRAWBERRY
The Card: Darryl Strawberry 1983 Topps Traded (PSA 8) Rookie Card
The Price: $19
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I ponied up a little bit on this 1980s classic in a slab after I reviewed my copies found as a younger collector (one from a set, one grabbed as a single) and wasn't all that impressed by my cuts. The super-skinny stock here can be an issue -- and the centering seemingly always is -- but I have to wonder whether there are always cutting issues as I've seen some funky corners on slabbed cards where you'd swear they might be altered. (One of mine looks like that, too, but I pulled it from a set that was factory taped ... at least I think it was.) This one was a lot cheaper and cleaner than others, so I figured "why not?" and grabbed it ... now I don't have to contemplate grading mine. Most cards check in at a PSA 9 here but I didn't want this as a money card -- and 10s should be money cards as they are pretty rare. At one time this was one of the biggest cards of the 1980s price-wise -- and it still is if you ignore the dollar signs.
Grab a box right here: No boxes of this ... you want MLB here

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NO BREAKFAST NEEDED
The Card: Mark McGwire 1987 Topps Tiffany (PSA 9)
The Price: $11.99
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The centering seems to always be an issue here -- it was when I found a set of these back in the day and opened it ... only to find basically every card off-center. This isn't -- repeat, isn't -- his Rookie Card, but it's his first in his MLB uniform and it's the premium far-rarer white-stock high-gloss version. Like the previous card, this one is also a 1980s classic. There are more than 1,500 of these in this grade but less than 500 better and less than 2,800 in all in a PSA slab. Those are stats that make this one feel like a decent pick-up for the price.
Grab a box right here: No boxes of this ... you want MLB here

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WAFFLE HOUSE HERO
The Card: James Shaw Jr. 2019 Goodwin Champions Genuine Heroes Signatures 
The Price: $1.10
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: You probably don't know his name, but you probably remember something about his story that led him to this cardboard appearance. Two years ago this month, he disarmed a gunman of his AR-15 during a shooting at a Waffle House restaurant in Nashville that killed four and injured Shaw as well as one other person. You can watch him tell his story here. There are a number of people with unique stories who have had autographs in this and other sets in Goodwin -- they are worth a look and could be an affordable project to collect if they interest you.
Grab a box right here: Goodwin Champions boxes (all years)

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JUST KEEP LIVING ...
The Card: Ichiro Suzuki 2018 Topps Living Set
The Price: $2
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This was a card I pondered picking up when Topps revealed it as part of the Living Set's weekly offerings but I never did. I pounced on this for $2, though, as I liked the art and figured I might not find a clean one cheaper. I like this set but I'm not dedicated enough to collect it in any deep, formal manner ... so I just pick off ones I like when they're cheap. This is one of those moments.
Grab a box right here: No boxes of this ... you want MLB here

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GRADING PLANS (HULK) SMASHED!
The Card: Jennifer Connelly 2003 Upper Deck Hulk Film Promos
The Price: Under $2
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I didn't remember this set arriving back in the day -- and the movie was pretty forgettable if you ask me -- but I liked the idea of this promo card meeting a slab since it's something a little different than the typical non-sport stuff out there. (A promo with a notable name attached.) That notion was (Hulk) smashed when I noticed a nick on one edge where there's some foil stamping. I may or may not have missed that when I bought it but I'm sure a grader wouldn't ... where are my jumbo foam Hulk hands? I need to pound something.
Grab a box right here: No boxes of this one ... but non-sports boxes are here

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REMINDER No. 2 ...
The Card: Mark Ingram 2011 Panini Limited Draft Day Materials Combos (/50)
The Price: Under $5
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I own so many versions of this one between its parallels and other similar cards because Ingram is firmly on my collecting radar and it's a cheap, fun card to grab with multiple swatches and pieces of Draft Day jersey and cap you see on the card. Why is it here this time? This is my second reminder of today that ... we're probably not getting anything like these cards this year. There won't be any grip-and-grins with gear and the commissioner.
Grab a box right here: No boxes of this ... you want NFL here

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FIVE TIME, FIVE TIME ...
The Card: Robert Horry 2017-18 Panini Donruss Optic The Champ is Here Fast Break Holo
The Price: Under $1
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Is this where I admit I can't (and have stopped trying to) keep up with all of the various textures and parallels that are involved with the various packaging formats and versions of Donruss Optic? That said, this one is a simple example where a small set with the right players and a focused idea can get my attention. It shows off players and their championship hardware at past points in history and Horry is a guy who's a seven-time champ with three teams (Rockets, Lakers, Spurs) and this was from when he picked up his fifth ring. The sequin-looking texture of this parallel has gotten my attention in a couple of brands since the depth of the rings is not all on one layer. Pretty cool if you ask me even though they are busy.
Grab a box right here: Optic NBA boxes (all years)

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DEBUT CARDBOARD
The Card: Lacey Evans 2017 Topps WWE Then Now Forever Blue (/99)
The Price: Under $4
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This parallel of this WWE star's first card is from my favorite shade of parallel in the flagship releases in the last few years. Oh and this character's schtick is classic and a bit of a favorite, too, even though she works as a heel, seemingly always in character on social channels. (It can make for epic laughs at times.) This card is the kind of cheaper yet key piece (RC parallel) that I'd slab though the top-right corner may have laid a smackdown on my notion here. We'll see -- I need to re-examine this one (as well as that Firefly Fun House match from Mania) a few times before grading-time resumes. Something tells me I'll have time.
Grab a box right here: No boxes of this ... you want WWE here

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