Buzz Buys: Stockpiling Rhea Ripley, eyeing Spencer Strider, past classics, grabbing unusual 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 ... 

MAMI'S HOME ...
The Card: Rhea Ripley 2020 Topps Transcendent WWE (/50) -- Rookie Card
The Price: Less than some of my others ... and less than a new hobby box.
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: My lucky No. 13th copy of this RC from a super-deluxe release puts me over the 25-percent mark for stockpiling this card's entire print run and while it was still a pricey pick-up it wasn't my highest one, either. How many more will I find? Not sure ... but I do have a price ceiling, even for this top WWE badass and this badass card. I picked up this one awhile back and it got lost in my shuffle of WWE stuff awaiting a slot here, but since she's back from injury and ready to do some mauling she leads things off this month.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... check out other WWE boxes.

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

SOME AUTOGRAPHED HERITAGE 
The Card: Spencer Strider 2024 Topps Archives Signature Series Active Player Edition 2023 Topps Heritage autograph (/19)
The Price: Less than a box
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I've always had a thing for Heritage RCs and those cards closer to them -- this is a second-year sample of that -- and seeing a signed and encapsulated Heritage card that came out of a buyback release, well, it got me to look. It's almost the same as his certified auto from H last year but this one is a low-volume numbered card and for its price -- surely with an injury discount -- it got me to bite. I still want to find some others -- a few Striders are on my radar -- but I'm riding out the injury window and into the offseason with more and more of his autos coming from packs. (He's been a regular signer.) Then I will dabble more or at least grab what I'd been targeting. Going this route to get exactly what I want instead of chasing via boxes is fine by me with him and some others. (Who truly "chases" when boxes get to a certain price, anyway?) I'm looking for some basics, not big-mojo, hit-flip stuff. I'm a collector.
Grab a box right here: Check out MLB boxes.

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A JOE TRIO
The Mags: Joe Namath Sports Illustrated cover appearances 1965 (first), 1969, 2004
The Price: About $30 for the lot
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This buy was one mostly for the first issue -- that's the one that matters most -- while the 1969 is fine but findable and the 2004 copy here is mangled but I still bagged it ... as a box-filler copy to protect the better stuff. The 1965 issue is one I have written about many times here and, well, I still see it as the iconic issue of the magazine's history -- though there are a lot of candidates -- I see it as the 1952 Topps Mantle of these mags. The condition here was quite nice for that price as I've been picking off both raw and graded copies over the last couple years.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... see NFL boxes.

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REWARDS POINTS
The Card: Gray Gaulding 2021 Donruss Optic Holo Prizm autographs (/99)
The Price: 150 rewards points ... with a tip
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: When a recent Panini Instant drop popped up and I found some must-haves, I threw this rewards points pick into my order that had topped the $50 mark to get free shipping on all of it. That's my tip for you today to save on shipping for what, to me, has seemed oddly high at times with the rewards cards. I'm fine with points, though the selection has run lean at times for the cheaper stuff. This one wasn't really on my radar that much but the novelty of the Panini driver on a Panini card was enough to burn off the points and clear out my balance.
Grab a box right here: See NASCAR boxes.

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DIRTY INK
The Card: Jim Bintliff 2023 Topps Allen & Ginter Framed Autographs 
The Price: About $7.50
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Poke around in the Buzz Buys section of the archives and you'll find this guy's story previously detailed for a Relic buy from this same release. Who is he? For decades, his family has been the exclusive provider of the rubbing mud created to prep MLB balls for their official game use. A light layer of mud is applied to every ball and it's rubbed down to help smooth the leather surface slightly to help with grip for pitchers and slightly dull the shine to help hitters. 
Grab a box right here: See MLB boxes.

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IT'S TIFFY TIME!
The Cards: Tiffany Stratton 2023 Panini Prizm WWE Silver, Red Wave & Cracked Ice Prizm parallels
The Price: About $8 total 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Stratton has arrived on the main WWE roster with a bang and could be a new champion as soon as next weekend at Summerslam in Cleveland (the weekend after The National). This isn't her Rookie Card -- those are all in 2022 releases -- but at times you wouldn't know it as Tiffy Time has some people buying big ... especially on premium-release cards and rarities. These aren't that, though, as they're just some basic grabs on the cheaper side of things in those meaty parallel lineups in Prizm. 
Grab a box right here: Check out WWE boxes.

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ON-CARD INK
The Card: A.J. McCarron 2014 Leaf Originals Yellow auto (/99) 
The Price: About $3
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This past Alabama's time has come and gone on the college and the NFL stage but there's a lot of cardboard still around as he was a high-profile player and a national title winner. In 2022 he was drafted by the XFL's St. Louis Battlehawks where he went on to have a dominating season -- he set an XFL record with 24 passing TDs -- before rejoining the Cincinnati Bengals (who drafted him in 2014) and seeing some time before asking for his release this past off-season. He was last seen back in the XFL last season. This on-card auto pickup was one for my school ties part of my stash, especially since it was so cheap. 
Grab a box right here: Check out football boxes.

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A DEBUT PROMO?
The Item: ALF 1986 NBC press photo (in advance of series premiere)
The Price: About $6.50
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: When it comes to single press photos for movies and TV, I either go for bigger, iconic characters or names or early stuff if I think it's interesting. This is one of the early examples as it's a May 1986 photo announcing the arrival of this series in the NBC lineup that September. It was a popular one -- with a big-mouthed, obnoxious alien puppet named Gordon Shumway (aka an Alien Life Form ... you know, ALF) as the lead character -- and it ran until 1990. Here's the first episode ... kids liked it but, man, has this not aged well at all like a lot of TV from back then. But ... ALF is ALF.
Grab a box right here: Check out non-sports boxes.

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A YEAR AGO ...
The Card: Spencer Strider 2023 Topps Now Stars Of The Postseason 
The Price: $1.25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: In my experience Now cards tend to grade pretty well, so when this popped up cheap with a simple but strong photo I bit with maybe a slab in mind since it looks like a 10 contender for sure. But, well, then, you know ... injuries. (Other things are now higher priorities.)
Grab a box right here: None for this ... check out MLB boxes.

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ANOTHER NAME TO KNOW
The Items: Sol Ruca 2023 Panini Prizm WWE RC, Under Card parallel, autographed 8-by-10 photo (JSA) via HighSpots.com
The Price: About $30 total ($5 for the cards)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The injury bug has bit here to derail interest to a degree, but this relative newcomer to WWE is back in the ring more recently and is back making waves with moves not really seen before among NXT's competitors. How? Well, she is a former gymnast and collegiate tumbler for the Oregon Ducks. Meanwhile, her real name might be more unique than her ring name which is a nod to her surfer gimmick/reality complete with a wave in her early autographs (click and zoom in on "Sol"). On her newer wave of certified auto cards from Panini there's a different approach ... probably a change instead of fighting to fit that auto onto stickers. She's among a small crop of stars with RCs in 2023 releases -- with no previous wrestling experience or cards before WWE -- and her autos can still be pricey, though more have arrived since I grabbed this one. The Prizm RC was her first. 
Grab a box right here: Check out WWE boxes.

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VINTAGE GRAPS
The Card: Argentina (Antonino) Rocca 1955-56 Parkhurst
The Price: About $8
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This past acrobatic and energetic wrestling star was once such a big deal that he took on Superman -- really ... see that here. I grabbed his 1951 Topps Ringside card (it's in a boxing set) in recent years after it was on my radar forever and this card, too. The comic? Wait for a future Making The Grade. This one looked decent for the price so I picked it off. It's from a couple of 1950s Canadian wrestling sets that are the home to some very notable names from the past -- both big and small.
Grab a box right here: None for this ... check out WWE boxes.

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ALL ABOUT THE TRIVIA
The Card: Shaver Hansen 2009 Donruss Elite Extra Edition Aspirations Signatures (/100)
The Price: $2.49
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This isn't wrestling but it is ... this former Baylor star who was a sixth-round pick of the Seattle Mariners in 2009 is a son of wrestling legend Stan Hansen, who competed around the world for years. Shaver Hansen hit .232 in three seasons before his playing days were over ... but he got cardboard. 
Grab a box right here: Check out MLB boxes.

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IT'S TIFFY TIME AGAIN ...
The Item: Tiffany Stratton autographed 16-by-20 photo (Fanatics Authentic)
The Price: $45
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This pick-up was easy for the price and size as this WWE newcomer finally started signing for Fanatics. I landed this one via a Fanatics-adjacent account on eBay with a sale/discount price making it an easy addition to the collection. (By that I mean my stack of toploaded photos in a box that's getting a bit unruly.)
Grab a box right here: None for this ... check out WWE boxes.

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BLACK PARALLELS
The Cards: Nick Swisher assorted Topps Black parallels (2006, 2010 and 2016 flagship) & 2006 Topps Turkey Red 
The Price: Under $10 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Black parallels are rarer finds in flagship given their volumes (/55, /59, /65) so when they pop up cheap enough for my player, they'll get a look and a grab. Simple as that.
Grab a box right here: Check out MLB boxes.

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ROUNDING UP THE HITS ...
The Cards: Assorted WWE hits -- Raquel Gonzalez, Eve Torres, Ivory, Drake Maverick, Christy Hemme & Jinny
The Price: About $75 total (almost half of that for the Torres as that set/parallel is a fav)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This six-pack is, ultimately, some stragglers I have picked up over the last year, maybe more, and here's why on each. For the Gonzalez I went with that one as it's a full-name auto for a name she no longer uses. A lot of her autos were a "Raquel G" and then are "Raquel R" for Rodriguez now after the change. The Torres is a parallel auto and that color makes that design even better from a landmark WWE set -- it arrived with a hit every time and with a price around $20 a pack -- that was unheard of a decade ago and is unheard of now for different reasons. The Hemme was an affordable and easy pick-up with an on-card auto, while Maverick is a first and only auto for a wrestling veteran and Jinny was a first-year auto. The Ivory Fleer memorabilia card was a cheap throw-in with some other stuff as I wasn't sure if I had any memorabilia cards for the only long-running WWE star to be part of the original real-life GLOW show.
Grab a box right here: None for this ... check out WWE boxes.

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MORE DREW
The Item: Drew Barrymore -- Mirabella May 1995
The Price: $15
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This copy isn't one that's clean enough for my taste to be graded (it had a mailing label removed) but it looked good enough to pick up as an example of a mag that I would slab if just a bit stronger. Why? A strong single image and an iconic subject/look. (At least if they're not expensive ... a graded copy of something visually strong could sell well.) Asking prices on magazines from the past can be wackier than you might think -- a lot of stuff just wasn't saved -- and as the clock ticks stuff doesn't get easier to find, either. (This turns 30 years old in 2025.) Grading of mags, which is getting faster and seemingly more popular, will probably amp that up some, too.
Grab a box right here: None for this ... check out non-sports boxes.

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GO WITH THE BO ...
The Cards: Bo Bichette 2021 Topps UK 1978-79 Redux & 2021 Topps Chrome 1952 Topps Redux
The Price: About $2.50 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This pair of throwbacks arrived in my stash with the UK card a "maybe" on the grading front (I'm a collector) and because I liked the 1952 re-do. Both presented themselves with issues where, well, grading didn't and won't happen. It happens.
Grab a box right here: Check out MLB boxes.

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IT'S TIFFY TIME ... IN THE TOY AISLE
The Item: Tiffany Stratton
The Price: $12 or so
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This debut figure was on and off my mental radar as I just wasn't feeling the online asking prices for it from re-sellers and dealers trying to get a premium. Then one day I checked an out-of-the-way Walmart for the first time in perhaps years, and Tiffy Time was shockingly waiting for me right there in the middle of the afternoon. There was no chance I wasn't grabbing that one. 
Grab a box right here: None for this ... check out WWE boxes.

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THREE EARLY HEADSHOTS
The items: Holly Marie Combs, Jordana Brewster & Jessica Biel 8-by-10 headshots and résumés
The Price: $18 total 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This trio of photos used during auditions with resumes from that time stapled onto them -- the staples being one reason why I think they're legit ... potential fakers of this stuff would keep condition in mind -- all came from a stash of a seller with deep, deep, deep inventory from within this realm. You can easily cross-check the info on the résumés to credits on IMDb and that makes these more interesting than their cost. While they're all known for various roles, these all appear to be from earlier than those breakouts -- Combs is from around 1997, Brewster 1995 and Biel also around 1995. That film on hers, for example, is her earliest credit on IMDb. Headshots change all the time so who knows how "rare" stuff might be -- at the time they were out auditioning they probably weren't -- but how many actually survived? Also an unknown ... but "less than were made" is an obvious answer.
Grab a box right here: None for this ... check out non-sports boxes.

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A HOLLYWOOD BARGAIN
The Card: John Cusack 2008 Donruss Americana II - Cinema Stars (/500)
The Price: Around $1
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The bottom left corner was the obvious reason this relatively rare card was cheap, but when I got it in hand a surface dent/scratch nixed any concepts of a bargain find. I still like the card, though, and simple stuff like this from earlier sets that might not be the easiest find now -- boxes are long gone -- could make for interesting slabs. That's a big reason I buy a lot of cheap, odd cards these days.
Grab a box right here: None for this ... check out non-sports boxes.

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NEAR-PERFECT RETRO
The Cards: Two 1945 Mutoscope Artist Pin-ups cards
The Price: $9.99 apiece
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: These two are the last of my pick-ups from this old, yet findable set from the past. Poke around in the archives and you'll see a few others (about five total) where I picked all of them off with an eye on grading ... only to later realize that the cost of oversized grading of stuff like this makes it a lot risker money-wise if you don't land a 9 or 10. I do think both of these would be high-grade contenders -- there are only with a spot or two on edges with these. At some point I will still probably grade a couple of them from my overall stash.
Grab a box right here: None for this ... check out non-sports boxes.

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NO ARBY'S ON THESE ...
The Photos: Four Fargo 8-by-10 press photos 
The Price: Pocket change apiece as part of a large lot of movie press photos
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This isn't a complete set of press kit photos for this classic but it's a start and I found them as part of a binder of enough images that we're taking low pocket change per image here. The Frances McDormand photo is, by far, the best but there are some memorable characters in the mix even for this small lot.
Grab a box right here: None for this ... check out non-sports boxes.

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MORE PARALLELS/ODDBALLS
The Cards: Assorted Nick Swisher parallels and one oddball release
The Price: All $3 or less (most of them being pocket change)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This group of mostly numbered parallels (one is not) an an oddball are just cheap examples of the stuff I will pick off when the price is right for past cards of my player ... no matter how many copies I might have.
Grab a box right here: Check out MLB boxes.

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ANOTHER BIG BOTCH
The Card: Roy Campanella 1979 TCMA Baseball History Series The 1950s (misprint)
The Price: $1.25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Like I mentioned in a past Buys, this kind of a botch is likely one that was rescued from the sheets destined to be in the garbage back in the day but were cut up anyway. In this case, it's a Hall of Famer whose card front and back are both pricier on what was to be the back (it's the rough side where the ink soaked in more than it should for the photo). This was too odd to not grab for a a buck and it's not alone in my collection of misprints.
Grab a box right here: None for this ... check out MLB boxes.

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SIMPLY LEGENDARY
The Mag: The Road Warriors (Hawk & Animal) with Paul Ellering -- Gold Belt Wrestling April 1989
The Price: $9.99
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The photo here is strong. The typography and the way the stuff is laid out is, well ... really, really really not ... but that's the 1980s publishing for you. Had that image been used with the headlines overlaid cleanly and clearly this one might be strong but that didn't happen. What is strong here is the condition -- all that red ink should be a showcase for flaws and it ultimately isn't. That made this mag an easy grab for the price, though I'll admit that a lot of Road Warriors covers from back in the day -- even on lesser titles that aren't PWI or something official from the WWE -- can grab my attention.
Grab a box right here: None for this ... check out WWE boxes.

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STILL CLEANING UP THE DESK ...
The Cards: Gorgeous George, Kevin Nash & The Nitro Girls, Tay Conti, Hikaru Shida, Thunder Rosa, Rockstar Spud, Braun Strowman, Paige and Andrade assorted cards (promos, inserts, parallels, RCs etc.) 
The Price: Almost $18 for the two WCW promos alone ... so probably too much for all of it
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is more of some late spring cleaning -- my waiting stash had a lot of buys like this sitting for too long and you can probably tell looking at this month's lineup here -- but this is a mix of debut cards, parallels and cheap stuff that caught my attention for various reasons. The WCW cards came to my attention after watching some documentaries about the past -- and since they were promos -- while others are names I buy often or were decent prices for early cards.
Grab a box right here: None for this ... check out WWE/AEW boxes.

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OUT OF THIS WORLD ...
The Item: Apollo 13 (1995) press kit with five 8-by-10 photos 
The Price: $5 in a lot
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This full press kit came from a Hanks lot I recently grabbed and it's got a good mix of scenes and portraits for a well-crafted drama documenting an iconic moment in NASA history. It's worth the look. The images here are kind of standard for a drama -- and not overly flashy -- but the price as part of the overall lot was an easy buy.
Grab a box right here: None for this ... check out non-sports boxes.

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BERRY IN ACTION
The Cards: Halle Berry on some international (slightly oversized) Die Another Day and Swordfish lobby cards (parts of four sets) with cameos from Hugh Jackman, John Travolta and Rick Yune
The Price: Pocket change in a huge lot (just a few Berry cards left after these)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: These come from a massive lot of lobby cards I picked up in the last with this and some others being the last of a lot of sets that were broken up for all of their Berry appearances. (That's an unusual way to collect lobby cards as they're typically sold as full film sets but I benefited from somebody else doing the work.) I like lobby cards as they're another way to collect names or films who might not have a lot of cardboard, if any. That said, some of these if not all of these images appeared on Bond trading cards that would likely cost me more if I was picking off singles.
Grab a box right here: None for this ... check out non-sports boxes.

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