Buzz Buys: Rachel Balkovec, Bo, Joe Namath, old mags, Cooper Kupp's dad, 'cero miedo,' WWE stars, sweet patches & 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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HISTORIC INK 
The Card: Rachel Balkovec 2022 Topps Now MiLB Autographs (/99)
The Price: Around $10 (since I had discount rewards piled up) via Topps.com
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This autographed card was a first for Topps Now this year -- some minor-league cardboard -- since as you can see she was a bit of a history-maker in MiLB and baseball in general. Topps Now cards have had delays at times this year with stock shortages and this one was actually initially scheduled to arrive much later this year but it looks like the signing came together faster than expected. I believe this is my first Topps Now auto in my stash. Why? Cost is always a factor -- most are too much for me to bother looking -- but in this case it was about as low as it gets and then I snuck in toward the end of the line and added this on the cheap with rewards points from buys.
Grab a box right here: No boxes for this one ... but MiLB boxes are here.

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

TOTALLY GRADING THIS ONE ...
The Card: Bo Bichette 2020 Topps Update Series Boxloader Patches 
The Price: Not sure
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This pick-up was from so long ago, I can't find what I paid for it ... but I do know I'd want more and I need to scout this set again because I think they are funky ... but I think they work. These were box-toppers in Update -- I think jumbo boxes only -- and since I didn't rip that format I hadn't seen them in-person until I landed this. These are so well-done and so odd I will probably slab this ... just to see how a grading company will handle them. (With no cardboard backers, they'd be better in a slab, too.)
Grab a box right here: MLB boxes are here.

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SOME ALL-AMERICAN PATCHES & RARITY
The Cards: Michael Hollimon, Shea Langeliers, Max Sapp, Jarrod Saltalamacchia -- Past USA Baseball letter patch (/8), dirty game-used swatch (/299), number patch (/20) and short-printed game-used cap card
The Prices: $1.50 up to $7.50 (Yep, that's it.)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is the time of year where I typically trot out a higher-end, lower-price USA Baseball card or two right here but instead here are four -- the letter being perhaps the best of them. That's the second "O" in his name of his jersey's nameplate (hence the 7/8 since there are eight letters in his name), while the rest are a little more standard stuff, though still rare. Two of these players made the majors, while one still is in the game at the Triple-A level. The SP card here is not numbered but not an easy pull -- I opened tons of those sets and never found it until I grabbed this one.
Grab a box right here: USA Baseball boxes are here.

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A LITTLE JOE WILLIE NAMATH
The Card: Joe Namath 2010 Panini Crown Royale Living Legends Materials (/299)
The Price: Under $7
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This Hall of Famer and NFL icon is one who has had player-worn memorabilia cards in newer releases and that, for no reason, has softened his game-used cards (at times, maybe not always) when it really should have the other affect. I clearly found this one on sale at a steal of a price, though. The swatch is definitely tiny -- that could have hurt the price some -- and the design is one where they were clearly adding an autograph on some versions, but he's a guy I collect (when cheap) and I had to grab this.
Grab a box right here: NFL boxes are here.

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AND SOME SNAKE, TOO
The Card: Ken Stabler 2011 Topps Triple Threads Unity Relics Sepia (/27)
The Price: $8
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This Hall of Famer is one of a few I actually have met in the past and I'll occasionally search for affordable memorabilia cards and other stuff for him. He's not generally too expensive but he is popular as the first Raiders QB to win a Super Bowl. I also liked the low-volume print run here for the price.
Grab a box right here: NFL boxes are here.

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AN HOMAGE TO THE PAST
The Mag: Pamela Anderson -- Details magazine, October 1998
The Price: $15
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This pick-up is for some speculative grading as it features a 1990s icon, Anderson, in a pose that's a direct nod to another icon -- the 1970s Farrah Fawcett poster that sold millions of copies back in the day per some stories, making it a historic best-seller. (It and the swimsuit are now in the Smithsonian.) In cardboard parlance, 1998 isn't all that old but for magazines a near-mint mag like this is a much tougher find than you might think. (You can find copies, but they will often be substantially damaged or have mailing labels and the wear and tear from the better-handling days in the USPS ... I say that because even if you find one clean now it may not arrive in one piece on its way to you.) This is a newsstand copy with all those cover blurbs to help entice people to see what's inside, while the subscriber version of this has only the main blurb at the bottom and an adjusted crop that's still basically the same. I wanted to perhaps land both versions and slab them together but that's proved to be a challenge for price and condition. (There are some crazy asking prices on stuff like this out there.) Why slab? I think graded magazines are impressive pieces and I think iconic names in slabs will have more and more appeal over time -- especially if they don't have cards. (She does -- and so does Fawcett -- but I still thought this would be a good slab.)
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one, but ... Non-sports boxes are here.

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A FIRST, BROTHER
The Mag: Hulk Hogan -- Sports Illustrated magazine, April 29, 1985
The Price: Under $15
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: For years, this was the only cover of the iconic magazine to feature a pro wrestler -- the other is Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in 2016, though not for his WWE work -- and this one is a draw when slabbed, though people prefer them without the mailing label. This copy's label isn't in a too awful of a spot and it's pretty clean save for some wrinkles here and there (not big bends) from handling in the past. I'll probably grade it, too. Why? Hogan is an icon and it will be a nice piece in any condition as this was from right around the time of the first WrestleMania and before WWE truly blew up into a global phenomenon. It'll be a mid-range book but you can easily pay more than I did for other copies that might be best described as mangled junk.
Grab a box right here: WWE boxes are here.

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A NEW CLEMENS
The Card: Kacy Clemens 2013 Bowman Draft Perfect Game All-American Autographs (/199)
The Price: $1.75
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This isn't the new big-leaguer son of Roger Clemens -- that's Kody -- but this former Texas Longhorn did get his shot in MiLB ball as part of the Toronto Blue Jays organization and he's still working this season in independent ball at age 27. I picked this one up for the trivia factor and the low price.
Grab a box right here: MLB boxes are here.

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REMEMBER HIM?
The Card: Mark Hamilton 2007 Bowman Chrome Prospects Gold Refractor (/50)
The Price: $5.75
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This former big-leaguer and World Series winner ended up being a doctor after his baseball career ended -- and that started just as COVID was exploding -- and his story at the time prompted me to pick up a couple cards. Check out that link for more. I didn't see any newer stories but figured I'd pop this in here as it's been a while since I had seen anything on him.
Grab a box right here: MLB boxes are here.

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LIKED THE PATCH
The Card: Dawson Netz 2018 Leaf Metal Perfect Game All-American Classic Patch Auto Pink (/5)
The Price: $6.25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is a card I picked up since it was dirt-cheap with a really solid patch -- the Nike swoosh off one of his Perfect Game jerseys -- and since then he's shown himself to be a solid name in the college ranks. Now a sophomore for the Arizona Wildcats, Netz was a key pitcher down the stretch for a postseason run that did come up short of winning it all. I didn't buy this one with any player expectations ... I just thought it was a cool card.
Grab a box right here: MLB boxes are here.

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SCHOOL TIES & SOME VINTAGE ... FROM JAPAN
The Cards: Wade LeBlanc & Andy Phillips 2015 & 2013 BBM Japan baseball cards plus a 1960s Menko of Dick DeSa
The Price: $1.99 each
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This trio (along with a Sadaharu Oh card seen here ages ago) were part of a small lot I picked up for Japanese baseball. Why? Two of them are players with school ties for me (Alabama Crimson Tide) and then the vintage card just looked pretty cool for the price. (I missed that it had some small water staining to the right of his head.) Phillips made his MLB presence known with a big arrival with the Yankees time years ago, while LeBlanc was in MLB up to this year with some MiLB and NPB stops in there. DeSa pitched part of five seasons in Japan and actually was an American born in Hawaii.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one, but ... MLB boxes are here.

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SOME MISSES ...
The Cards: Luke Voit 2019 Topps Heritage Chrome (mega box) & assorted Rusney Castillo autographs
The Prices: $1.65 to $9 or so.
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Most of my cards here are items I like and I buy to keep but every once in a while I'll pick off some cheap copies of cards where I might see some potential ... and these are those and they are are misses. Voit's card is from the mega box that didn't get a wide distribution so those started off pretty strong and with it being a Chrome Yankees card of a guy with long-ball highlights I thought it might have some growth. He's a Padre now. Castillo was a long-time baseball enigma who finally got out of his Red Sox contract that had him in the minors for years before heading to Japan to play instead of getting an MLB deal. (I grabbed these once he was on the open market.) He got an MiLB shot with the Nationals this past winter but didn't make it out of spring training. He's back in an independent league now. Castillo nearly hit .300 for his MiLB career and is 34 but ... I think I whiffed.
Grab a box right here: MLB boxes are here.

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CLEAN & CHEAP VINTAGE
The Mag: Janis Joplin -- Hit Parader magazine, October 1971
The Price: $9.99
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This mag is in very good -- gradeable even -- shape other than surface finger bends that only up the price and time it would take for it to be graded. If it wasn't taking so long to press (think ironing) mags and then grade, this would be in CGC's hands now. Why? It's a simple piece that would have good appeal and more price potential in a slab ... even if not in a top grade. It's from a year after her death and has a relatively clean design for the genre and the era and those are all things that I think help this one carry a little more appeal.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one, but ... Non-sports boxes are here.

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STILL IN ITS MAILING BAG
The Mag: Michael J. Fox -- Us magazine, April 4, 1991
The Price: $9.99
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This mag isn't quite from the Back To The Future wheelhouse years that I'd like for a slabbed book, but it's from just after the trilogy happened (third film released in 1990) and it's simple and clean. Is it a no-brainer for a pop culture slab? Maybe not -- I suspect there are better covers out there for that film or perhaps more for others -- but I picked it up since it was cheap and still in its original mailing bag. It's not totally flawless but it's better than one that's been flipped through or handled heavily while reading. If and when it gets closer to send status on my "possible grade" stack, I'll un-bag this one.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one, but ... Non-sports boxes are here.

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CERO MIEDO
The Card: George Kittle 2019 Donruss photo variation Bronze Press Proof
The Price: $2 or so
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This NFL star is a big pro wrestling fan and this photo shows him doing the "cero miedo" ("no fear") hand gesture of international wrestling star Pentagon Jr. He does that in his opponents' faces to remind them he's fearless and perhaps add a dimension to his intimidating and colorful (or sometimes not-so-colorful) persona. Check out this simple explainer from Kittle as to why he does this after first downs. I don't think it's appeared on any other cards (it might ... I know it's on a sticker) but I grabbed this since it felt like a unique and interesting card. I went with this color since it felt closer to the team's colors and because the soft stock and bold colors here can make these a bit of a bummer for grading. (I might with the crossover novelty.) If I can find clean copies in other colors, I might bite ... but all I have seen have been rough.
Grab a box right here: NFL boxes are here.

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COOPER'S DAD ...
The Card: Jake Kupp 1970 Topps -- Rookie Card
The Price: $2.25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: When Cooper Kupp was making his league-leading receiving run to the Super Bowl and a ring this season with the Rams, I didn't go hunting cards that I already have the basic versions of from 2017 (his Rookie Card year). Instead I looked backward with some curiosity at what cards his NFL dad might have had and this one presented itself. His career started as a 1964 draft pick of the Dallas Cowboys before he played for Washington and ended up with the Saints where he played for nine seasons. He has various oddball team-issue photos and some food issues in all those years but only had three standard Topps cards -- 1970, 1972 and 1974. That makes this his Rookie Card.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one, but ... NFL boxes are here.

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A FAMILIAR PICK-UP
The Card: Sammy Sosa 2004 Leaf Certified Materials Fabric of the Game (position) (/100)
The Price: Under $3
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This set is one I pick off cards from quite often and this is just another example. The price and volume made here was strong enough for me to bite and add a card for a memorable yet problematic slugger from MLB's past. Do I have other mem cards for him? I'm not sure ... it's likely but this wasn't bad at all considering I like the set. I added my only autograph of him not long ago so really I'm done with Sosa now save for maybe a bargain-priced RC slab if it presents itself.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one, but ... MLB boxes are here.

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FREEBIES (WITH REWARDS) FROM LAST SUMMER
The Cards: 2021 Topps Now Card of The Month (May, June, July, November)
The Price: Free after rewards points on Topps.com
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: While my points for this year went to the card up top, a chunk of my points last year went to getting a free Card of The Month during the season. I think I previously popped my others from this one in this series here before (or they are off in some "maybe grade" stack), but here are the rest. The missing months are two Wander Franco cards and the Field of Dreams game. Not a bad run of names and moments last year ... for free. (May is the only one light on big-name stars or moments but one of the players fits the "school ties" part of my collection.)
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one, but ... MLB boxes are here.

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NOT THE NORM
The Card: Max Weinberg 2018 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions Goudey Memorabilia Premium drum-head relic (/75)
The Price: Under $8
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is the second time I have landed one of these and it's another one of these cards with a logo from the drum head embedded instead of just a plain white piece. That combined with a cheap price I had to grab it. For more of my thoughts on the card from last time, click that link.
Grab a box right here: Goodwin boxes are here.

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GOING YOUNG (AND UNLICENSED FOR ONCE)
The Set: 2022 Kevin Gust Rising Stars Of Wrestling set (with parallels) 
The Price: $15
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I don't often dabble with artist-creation card sets (licensing, legal and, most importantly, reprinting issues can always happen) but this Japanese menko-style release was really interesting to me for the price as it's loaded with a lot of young, key names in today's wrestling world for WWE's NXT 2.0 and for AEW. Each set also included a pair of parallels for early orders so I figured why not ... and when they arrived I found that the quality printing done for this one was quite strong. I landed two good names on the parallels, too, making this a fun buy. They're sold out but you should check 'em out on eBay if you like what you see. I suspect some of these cards might pop up on eBay with the names involved.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one, but ... WWE boxes are here.

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PEACHY-KEEN CARDBOARD
The Cards: Psylocke, Moonstar & Black Cat 2019 Flair Marvel Flairium
The Price: Less than $2 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: These singles are from a set that used tiers where rarer cards can get pricey fast ... but I grabbed these since they had some unique, um, flair to them for three memorable characters as done by popular comics artist Peach Momoko. The Japanese creator won the 2021 Eisner Award for Best Cover Artist and has done a ton of covers in general since these. These are from roughly a dozen cards she did in this one before she took on the full 2020 Upper Deck Marvel Anime set. I've had these sitting on my to-post batch for a while -- and Psylocke might be pricier now than when I bought -- but some of the others I don't have are rarer tiers and too pricey for my taste for standard cards. I'll probably pick off the cheaper ones from this artist, too, but the rarer ones are too rich for me. Dig 'em, though.
Grab a box right here: Marvel boxes are here.

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ONE OF A KIND
The Card: Julio Jones 2017 Panini Prestige Phenomenal Athletes Yellow Printing Plate (1/1)
The Price: $9
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This bargain buy was found in a box of Plates & Patches by a ripper out there before I landed it for less than price out in the retail wild these days. Yellow separations don't make for the best-looking printing plates, but this one fits my school ties part of my stash and I just couldn't pass on a 1/1 of a future Hall of Famer at the price.
Grab a box right here: NFL boxes are here.

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SIGNED, SEALED & DELIVERED
The Card: Scarlett Bordeaux autographed 2019 Starrcast II official set (HighSpots signing)
The Price: $45 shipped
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: When this card set arrived this former Impact star only had one previous indy card despite a pretty good amount of time in the game. She's got a good chunk of WWE cards from her time after this with NXT  and I have pulled her ink in at least one set, but when she did a recent signing with HighSpots I figured I'd bite to get a signed copy of this card. The fun part? HighSpots streams signings so you can see your exact pieces signed if you had sent something in or if you buy an item from the major online dealer. (Also ... free inscriptions if you want them unlike the major sports signings or shows. Long live the "Virtual Gimmick Table.")
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one, but ... WWE boxes are here.

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TWO 1970s ICONS
The Mag: Dustin Hoffman & Robert Redford (in All The President's Men) -- People Weekly magazine, May 3, 1976
The Price: $9.99
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This mag is older than I am but looks a lot better (than me) for its age -- and it's one that doesn't have a mailing label so that makes it even better. Would this grade with a perfect elite mark? Nah, I think it suffered some spine damage in the mail on its way to me (that was a bummer), but it still might be worthy of a slab. It's a piece of pop culture and also reflects some history. The movie is a memorable one as it's all about Watergate and how The Washington Post's reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein helped reveal the scandal that led to Richard Nixon's resignation less than a couple years before this issue. You can't presently slab newspapers with CGC ... and I like this a little more than something more in the political realm with Time or Newsweek but I am sure they are out there.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one, but ... Non-sports boxes are here.

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HIS FIRST SI COVER
The Mag: Rickey Henderson -- Sports Illustrated magazine, Sept. 6, 1982
The Price: Around $10
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This Hall of Famer's Rookie Card arrived in the 1980 Topps set but his "rookie cover" -- OK, "first cover" is better -- for Sports Illustrated is this one from after he passed Lou Brock to set the single-season stolen bases record. It's pretty clean for a subscriber copy -- and it's also among many books on my to-grade stack -- and that label is what it is. I'm fine with that as it's not covering anything too dramatic. I'm not chasing no-label issues -- they'll cost too much and I'm not patient enough to do the pressing game on too many these days -- but I mid/high-range first cover? I'll probably slab it if I like the look and the player.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one, but ... MLB boxes are here.

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ONE FROM THE OCTAGON
The Card: Red Dela Cruz 2019 Goodwin Champions Autographs
The Price: Around $7
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I bought this long, long ago -- perhaps around the time this Goodwin arrived -- but never had a reason to pop this up here as her sport is just a little off my typical radar. But with some housecleaning of older additions in my stash that have waited to be seen here, here we are. Cruz is a UFC Ring Girl and this set was the home of her first cards and autos -- and it doesn't look like she's had any since. I was a little surprised I paid this much -- I'm sure I picked it off along with several other Goodwin autos all at the same time -- but since this is one of just a couple autos it's actually got asking prices around $20 now. Her Goudey autos in this same set are even pricier.
Grab a box right here: UFC boxes are here.

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CHECKERED CHAMP
The Photo: Mickie James autographed 8-by-10 WWE photo (via Wrestling Universe)
The Price: $9.99
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This WWE (and beyond) star is one whose autograph is definitely best found on photos vs. cards as she has a big sig that takes over images with a lot of detail that you don't see among many (if not most) other signers. WWE autos aren't often that tough to find -- most regularly appearing stars regularly appear in WWE sets -- but they do dry up over time as the volume of autos isn't as deep as it is in other sports. (Bowman prospects will sign thousands of cards in a release, while Topps releases for WWE were often a few hundred if that.) This one was an easy pick-up for the price from an East Coast shop that regularly does public signings.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one, but ... WWE boxes are here.

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FEELING GREEN
The Card/Art: Shotzi Blackheart 2021 Topps Heritage WWE Blue parallel (/25) and a Rob Schamberger WWE print
The Price: About $20 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This WWE star is among my favorites of the new batch of young talent. The card is a recent pick-up while the print is one that I have had sitting as part of a lot buy mentioned in the past here for the bonus items that came with it. (Poke around in the archives and you'll find more info.) With younger stars who don't have a boatload of cards just yet, it's easier to dabble so I do.
Grab a box right here: WWE boxes are here.

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A YIMITLESS FINALE THIS TIME ... 
The Cards/Pics: Mia Yim assorted Topps autos, base and parallels (2019-2021) along with a Queens of Combat promo photo plus a Keith Lee 2020 Topps Finest WWE Green auto (/99)
The Price: Pocket change up to $35 (Undisputed Gold auto)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The promo photo was from a bulk lot of images I got on the cheap that was really, really unimpressive (only two could even make the cut as notables here ... the rest were either obscure names or iffy second-generation images for appearances that never got inked) while the 2019 cards were pick-up as this wrestling veteran has been around for some time but never had much for cardboard until arriving in WWE. The Undisputed autos are ones I gladly paid up for as the gear seen on the card is a piece I own and wrote about here. I'd like to try and complete that rainbow but it's a little late at this point to find the rarest ones. And why the Keith Lee auto thrown in? They got married in February and both have recently returned to the ring post-WWE competing in AEW for Lee and Impact for Yim.
Grab a box right here: WWE boxes are here.

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