Buzz Buys: Roger Maris, Allen Iverson, WWE stars, Sonequa Martin-Green, Rubin Carter, Mr. Baseball & other legends

Buzz buys and busts a lot of boxes right here for Buzz Breaks, but one of my goals just might be to rip fewer blasters this year 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. Would they capture yours? I'd be interested to know -- sometimes they might, sometimes they won't and that's fine. It's a buyer's market out there with plenty of options and bargains as well as high-end gems to chase.

So, with all that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ... and this time around it's a baker's dozen (that doesn't include Mayfield ... this time).

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A MARIS WITH A TWIST?
The Card: Roger Maris 2018 Panini National Treasures Game Gear Duals (/49)
The Price: $30
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I sprung for this card at a slightly higher price than I might normally do for a Maris memorabilia card because of the small sliver of a red patch that caught my eye but remained a mystery. The New York Yankees weren't known for a lot of patches on their uniforms, let alone any red ones, but perhaps this one came from a sleeve? After buying and then doing some homework, I think the pinstripes led me astray. After receiving the card, I remembered an errant comment I heard years ago -- a rumor about Panini looking at a Cleveland Indians jersey at auction -- and I simply Googled "Roger Maris game-used jersey auction" and found a visual that perhaps answered my pinstripe mystery. Then a couple of cross-searches led me here.The Indians wore pinstripes for a time and it was a time when Maris was there. The colors match and the fabric consistency looks to be right, too. Could this be a sliver of a sleeve patch? We don't get a good view there, but it could be. It could also be something from the Kansas City A's though I couldn't find any info on them wearing pinstripes while Maris was there. It's not definitive -- and it still could be a sleeve patch from a Yankees jersey -- but I think I'm comfortable with my newest Maris patch (barely) card.
Grab a box right here: National Treasures boxes (all sports)

Keep reading for a few more interesting items ...

SMALL-PRICED LEGEND
The Card: Allen Iverson 1996-97 Topps Finest RC (PSA 9)
The Price: $9
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I haven't heavily collected basketball beyond a couple of stretches in the past and this timeframe was one of them because of a strong rookie class. I pulled this RC and a Kobe Bryant from packs back in the day -- at Walmarts, no less -- but my Iverson never got slabbed because its centering was perhaps as rough (or maybe even rougher) than this one. I grabbed this one since the grade and the price were right -- yes, I know it's not perfect -- but the centering is easily the main reason this one is a 9. The rest is clean but ultimately I still like this one for the price.  
Grab a box right here: None of these but NBA boxes are here.

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LET ME STAND ... 
The Card: 2017 Topps Garbage Pail Kids Battle of the Bands Classic Rock Sticker Puke parallel Heating Hendrix
The Price: $1
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Pop culture nods -- ones specific to actors or musicians -- on Garbage Pail Kids grab my attention faster than any Adam Bomb homages (which are popular) out there, and this parallel card's Puke border just adds to the psychedelic feel that ruthlessly mocks an iconic moment in rock history. In June 1967, Jimi Hendrix lit his guitar on fire during a performance at the Monterey Pop Festival, conjuring whatever rock demons he could out of the sacrifice. Here he roasts marshmallows -- which I will admit might be just as rock n' roll. This is not the last you'll see of cards of this type from me -- or the last you'll see of this card or moment.
Grab a box right here: Garbage Pail Kids (all releases)

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DINGLED & DISCOUNTED?
The Card: Frank Robinson 2005 Donruss Diamond Kings HOF Heroes Red Framed Materials (/50)
The Price: $2.25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The price was clearly right on this one though I need to go back and find this card in my stash to see if that top left corner arrived as mangled as it appears here. I think it's possibly just the penny sleeve but am prepared for the worst with my dirt-cheap buy of this Hall of Famer who, like Maris, I do dabble with from time to time. Robinson's death earlier this year likely got people taking a new look at his cardboard but all you really needed to do was look at the stat sheet and the career home run list to get a good start on just how good he was. You should have his autograph in your collection. 
Grab a box right here: These are long gone but MLB boxes are here.

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ONE ABOUT THE DETAILS
The Card: Jack LaLanne 2011 Topps Allen & Ginter Framed Mini Relics
The Price: $2.50
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The new edition of Allen & Ginter is almost here and we always get surprises in the release whether among the autograph signers, the Relics or other inclusions among the inserts and base cards. This one is a Relic of an unusual type even for Ginter as this past fitness guru and TV host with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is captured on a piece of one of his fitness-training films. I have picked up several copies of this one through the years as they are cheap but very different and this one had an interesting twist with a closer look at the swatch -- the frames of the film at this moment essentially match the photo used on the card. It's a cheap but fun find that's nowhere near the biggest in this release, which can still be found in wax form unlike many other years of this popular brand.
Grab a box right here: 2011 Topps Allen & Ginter baseball cards

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ABOUT THAT INSCRIPTION ...
The Card: Sonequa Martin-Green 2016 Cryptozoic The Walking Dead Season 4 Part 2 Autographs 
The Price: $28
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Her autographs as the lead of Star Trek: Discovery can get quite pricey, but she also had more than a few autographs in TWD releases. (In fact, she's got almost 50 different autographs.) This one stood out to me for one unique addition -- an inscription of sorts with a small drawing of a machine gun that she added to a number of her cards. Why? I think she just likes to doodle while signing -- she's been known to add smiley faces on other Dead cards and her Trek ink here and there includes messages such as "Hey you!" and hearts along with "Burnham," her character's name. Why did I grab this one? The doodle for starters, but also because of some school ties as part of my autograph collection.
Grab a box right here: Get The Walking Dead here and Star Trek: Discovery here.

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IT'S NOT BOB DYLAN, BUT ...
The Card: Rubin "Hurricane" Carter 2011 Leaf Metal Ali - Ali Associates Autographs 
The Price: $15
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Here comes the story of the Hurricane ... The man the authorities came to blame. For somethin' that he never done ... Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been ... the champion of the world. Boxing doesn't have a lot of card sets for fans to dig into -- and it's been a while since this one arrived as a tribute to Muhammad Ali. It featured autographs from countless celebs and fighters who all signed on to the tribute to the boxing great. Carter, who died in 2014, was the subject of a Bob Dylan song in 1975 and a movie about him starring Denzel Washington in 1999. Carter appears in just a few boxing card sets from not long before he died and he's got a modest amount of autos -- about half of his cards are inked and almost all of them are low volume. This card seemed dramatically cheaper than others I saw at the time, so I grabbed it since his story is an interesting one with a place in pop culture beyond just boxing.
Grab a box right here: No boxes of this one ... but other sports boxes are here.

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IT'S A FOOTBALL CARD ... WAIT, WHAT?
The Card: Bryan Adams 2003 Jogo Canadian Football League 
The Price: $1.50
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: What is this? It's a football card -- no, really -- as he played the halftime of the 2003 Grey Cup game, which us the Super Bowl of the CFL. A "Canadian rock legend" as his title line reads on the back of the card, this is one that notes what he did that day, where he was from, some of his hits and one of his hobbies (photography). I picked it up because it's definitely unique and it's one that I thought would be funny to own in a slab. That may or may not happen, though, due to a slight corner issue and that centering ... but you never know. It's not a Rookie Card per se (he's in a number of music releases) but I think it's still his only football card.
Grab a box right here: None for this one but football boxes are here.

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REEL-WORLD ROOKIE CARD
The Card: Tom Selleck 1992 Upper Deck Mr. Baseball (with Frank Thomas) (BGS 9)
The Price: Around $12
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I picked up this classic baseball movie card awhile back -- so long ago I couldn't even find my exact cost -- but I figured the midst of baseball season was the ideal time to present it here. This card was a insert put into packs of 1992 Upper Deck and it's a card that's so highly glossed that you'll need some luck pulling it without damage these days. (Just like 1993 Upper Deck in some instances -- these will stick to other cards and lose color from its surfaces.) The last time I pulled one of these I actually pulled two in the same pack -- they were stuck together and will not come apart without destroying both. (They're off in a penny sleeve together in a box somewhere.) This is totally the kind of oddball card I'd get slabbed for fun, and I was surprised that somebody had already done the deed. In fact, this card has been graded by BGS 14 times with a lone 9.5 being a lone high. There are six other BGS 9s like this one. This movie, while well-crafted to tell the tale of a ballplayer taking his talents to Japan as a member of the Chunichi Dragons (a real team in NPB), isn't much of a classic. Before that Jack Elliot was a member of the New York Yankees and replaced by a rookie phenom you might recognize on the card. This card isn't rare -- it's just memorable from its time. What really is rare, though, is a prop card shown in one scene of the movie made using the 1991 Upper Deck design. (Need!)
Grab a box right here: No boxes of this one ...  but MLB boxes are here.

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SOCIAL MEDIA SUPERSTAR
The Card: Cathy Kelley 2017 Topps WWE NXT Autographs
The Price: $6.65
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I live on Twitter. Do you live on Twitter? Twitter is kind of a big deal for many companies and the WWE is one where real-time tweets and social media segments are (almost) as important as what's happening in the ring and what leads up to it. Kelley is one of the people you'll see often on WWE's social media presence on a few platforms (Instagram, Snapchat, etc.) and doing NXT interviews -- and that also gets her a spot on WWE cardboard. She's got a modest amount of cards in general (about 75) but only 20 or so are autos. This was her first signed card and about half of her autos are in this release, which included an autograph in every pack in past years. That changes this year -- and that might put a dent in any new ink for her. We'll see. (She hasn't had any autographs at all this year.)
Grab a box right here: WWE boxes (all years)

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FIRST PITCH FUN CONTINUES
The Card: Jimmy Kimmel 2016 Topps Chrome First Pitch
The Price: 55 cents
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The First Pitch cards may be something of the past when it comes to Topps baseball cards, but that doesn't mean I can't pick them off here and there. The Chrome presence didn't last long but there were parallels to hunt. These won't break the bank, so that makes them fun and that oddball status has had me grade a few of them in the past. This one may or not be slabbed for laughs at some point (not sure why I top-loaded it among all the cards here), but I can say that it won't be the the next one you'll see in a Making The Grade. That's for sure. I'm a sucker for First Pitch cards -- they were quite unique for the three years we got them.
Grab a box right here: 2016 Topps Chrome baseball cards

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ONE OF THE WWE'S SUITS
The Card: Paul Heyman 2013 Topps WWE Shirt Relics 
The Price: $3.25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This veteran on-screen, non-grappler talent and behind-the-scenes guru has helped create some of the biggest names in the game in the past. He recently took on a big role behind the camera for the show that you see noted on his card. He's still in and out of some segments as Brock Lesnar's "advocate," but you can see a different feel right away (so far) on the screen otherwise. Was this the reason I picked this one up? Nope, I bought it awhile back because I didn't have any hits for this future WWE Hall of Famer. I still need to grab one of his autos -- he has just six to choose from and none since 2015 -- and another reason I bought this one? Well, how many times have you seen a "suit Relic" in any sport?
Grab a box right here: WWE boxes (all years)

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A LEAGUE WITH THEIR OWN CARDBOARD
The Card: Lois Florreich 1995 Fritsch All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Series 1
The Price: $2
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I can't tell you too much about Lois "Flash" Florreich other than she was good. She was a three-time All-Star and a three-time championship-winner in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She set the record for the lowest ERA in a season (0.69 in 29 games in 1949 with the Rockford Peaches when she went 22-7 per the back of her card) and was a dominator in other years. A League of Their Own getting a couple of Funko Pop! toys sometime soon made me think of these cards and I grabbed this one as a sample to show off here. It's from the first of four sets made for this league in the 1990s by Fritsch Cards -- 421 cards in all. You can grab the sets for a decent price if you know where to look but otherwise singles will cost you a little more here and there when these oddball cards present themselves.
Grab a box right here: No boxes of this one ... but baseball boxes are here.

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