Buzz Buys: Tony Gwynn's basketball jersey, Jack Nicholson's NBA card, a new Superfractor, Jungle Julia's band, Jim Brown's jersey, X-Men art, vintage, movie autographs & plenty more

Buzz buys and busts a lot of boxes right here for Buzz Breaks, but one of my ongoing 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 little more non-sports -- perhaps a reflection of some recent binge-watching of TV and movies that came to mind without live sports happening.

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NO BASEBALL, NO MARCH MADNESS ... 
The Card: Tony Gwynn 2016-17 Panini Immaculate Collection Collegiate Jersey Prime (/25)
The Price: $22.50
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Back in December, I presented a similar card to this one and had it leading off -- but with there being no March Madness, no baseball, nothing ... I figured I might lead off with this one again as a reminder of what's not going on right now. As mentioned last time, this Hall of Famer's estate auctioned off a number of game-used pieces in 2015, generating more than $217,000 and among them was his first San Diego Aztecs basketball uniform that sold for $11,858 via SCP Auctions to Panini America. The swatches didn't go into a ton of different cards -- just a couple brands over a couple years -- so there's a chance there could be some more at some point. If not, these will remain classics.
Grab a box right here: 2016-17 Panini Immaculate Collection Collegiate

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

A SUPERFRACTOR VIA A TEAMMATE
The Card: Nick Swisher 2016 Topps Chrome Sapphire Edition Superfractor (1/1)
The Price: What it took to land it! (Price of a typical not-basic hobby box.)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I mentioned this one in a recent Fast Five piece as a type of card to pick up right now with no regrets -- one you've always wanted -- and that's the case for me with this one. I've only ever pulled a single Superfractor and never owned one for a player I collect. To make the card's story even more interesting, I managed to get this one from former Yankees pitcher Phil Hughes, a teammate of Swisher on the Yankees' 2009 World Series-winning team, who pulled it during a high-priced break over on BlowoutTV with Houdini. Even cooler? I own the jersey he's wearing in the photo as it was MLB Authenticated and put out on the market.
Grab a box right here: 2016 Topps Chrome Sapphire Edition

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LEGENDARY MEMORABILIA 
The Card: Jim Brown 2010 Playoff National Treasures Emblems of the Hall Materials (/99)
The Price: $10
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This NFL legend isn't necessarily one I'd chase in general, but the price jumped out at me and I grabbed it as National Treasures mem cards of Hall of Famers have always been something that catch my eye -- for a few sports. These designs can be a little funky when they try to work in Hall of Fame busts, but I didn't have anything for him and probably wouldn't go a lot higher than this price anyway. It was a comfortable bargain buy.
Grab a box right here: National Treasures football (all years)

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DO YOU SEE IT?
The Card: Kobe Bryant & Tracy McGrady 2014-15 NBA Hoops Matchups
The Price: $1.25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Look closely at this card and you might spot a bit of an Easter Egg nestled between Bryant and McGrady. I got to looking at the background images of Hoops cards after spotting Drake on one recently and this one jumped out at me as that's The Joker ... Jack Torrance ... R.P. McMurphy ... President James Dale ... Lakers superfan Jack Nicholson. He's a staple in the front row just a couple seats down from the scorer's table at Lakers games, and I managed to find the photo used for this card -- you can see a closer, cleaner view at right. The card isn't the flashiest insert but I'm not sure Nicholson has been seen on any cards. (It's possible, though, as there have been plenty of Lakers cards made in all his years with those prime seats ... let me know if you know of any.) 
Grab a box right here: 2014-15 NBA Hoops

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STILL AVOIDING SPOILERS ...
The Card: Mace Windu 2018 Topps Star Wars Masterwork History of the Jedi
The Price: 49 cents
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Why did I grab this cheap card? I picked it up and a few others from the Star Wars galaxy to ponder getting some that I liked graded -- chasing 10s -- and this brand is one where the stock and printing have treated me very well in other grading scenarios. Samuel L. Jackson has had a decent amount of cards via a few franchises with his certified autos some rare and pricey cardboard so I thought it'd be a fun slab because I'm not going to be chasing ink. I figured I'd go low-end with this one and some others (numbered stuff). At some point I will submit them ... if they make the cut under closer inspection.
Grab a box right here: 2018 Topps Star Wars Masterwork

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DRAFT DAY MEMORABILIA
The Card: Quinnen Williams 2019 Panini National Convention NFL Draft Materials Rainbow Spokes (/25)
The Price: $2.50
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I'm a sucker for a good stage-used memorabilia card at the NFL Draft and this one is a double-whammy as it's a rare parallel -- its swatch is an air vent from his cap he wears on the card -- and dirt cheap. This year's draft will be a scaled-down studio production ... so that makes me wonder whether there even will be mem cards made from the event this year. We'll see. I also grabbed this one since this player fits my collecting niche and he isn't a guy with a lot of memorabilia cards -- ones from this and then a couple from Panini Limited are the only cards I'm aware of. Promo packs can have some surprises, too, so they are always worth a look in larger lots (see below).
Grab a box right here: 2019 Panini National Convention packs/lots

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FROM THE LONGBOX ...
The Card: Uncanny X-Men No. 213
The Price: $18
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: With my intention of picking up some non-card stuff here, I figured I'd drop a classic book that I revisited once again. This cover with Wolverine and Sabretooth always jumped out at me back when I collected comics more heavily -- 1990-1993ish -- when MLB got dull and at times too pricey in a small town ... and comics were only $1. This one wasn't cheap back then -- and I grabbed a really, really clean copy I've had tucked away -- but I grabbed this one, too, since it seemed clean and cheaper than some others when I searched out of curiosity. (Probably a weekend X-Men movie marathon.) The cover is by British artists Alan Davis and Paul Neary -- I collected a few series and their art was always clean and simple to me compared to some others. They only did a few X-Men issues at this time (before I started getting into comics) and it's one I'd still want to find in a slab. (This one is clean but perhaps not clean enough for that.)
Grab a box right here: Marvel non-sports boxes

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REMEMBER THAT OTHER CARD?
The Card: Jay Buhner 1998 Fleer Ultra Gold Medallion Edition
The Price: Under $1
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Last fall as part of this series, I noted one of my favorite dirt-cheap cards from the past because of its memorable image from photographer V.J. Lovero and I picked up this card at that time, too. Why? I just figured I'd get the other Chase Buhner pre-rookie card to go with it -- corner the market! (Kidding.) It looks like his other son, Gunnar, might be on his only card here, too. (He got a shot in MiLB, by the way.) Check out this fun item from Fox Sports about the photo from the other card, which is still one I want to get into a slab. This one is quite likely the only card appearance for his wife, Leah, and daughter, Brielle. It's simple, cheap and different.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... get new MLB boxes here

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REMEMBER ME?
The Card: Tamlyn Tomita 2011 Rittenhouse Eureka Seasons 1-2 Premium Packs Autographs
The Price: $5.25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Ever watch a movie that's "just on" when you're flipping channels during the weekend and then do a random search on IMDb to see what kind of trivial stuff is out there from the film ... and then later happen upon a name you recognize but can't remember where from and then hit IMDb one more time? (Just me?) That's the story behind this card being here. She's got a ton of credits there -- more than 120 -- but her very first one was back in 1986 when she played Kumiko in The Karate Kid Part II. She's in a ton of other TV and film projects and I'd bet she gets more cardboard at some point as she's presently playing Commodore Oh in Star Trek: Picard. I've never seen a second of Eureka ... I just thought it might be interesting to have this graph from a pretty big film franchise of the 1980s.
Grab a box right here: Find other non-sports boxes here

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PRIME SWATCH TIME
The Card: Joe Mixon 2019 Panini National Convention Game-Dated Memorabilia Escher Squares (/10)
The Price: Under $5
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Scroll up a couple cards ... this, too, comes from one of those promo packs and it's a solid card not because of its scarcity but because it's a card with memorabilia from an exact game -- Dec. 16, 2018 -- and it includes some of the official inspection markings found around the center of every ball used on the field. Refs write their numbers on the balls in silver sharpie when they approve them for use after inspections. If you look closely, there's a hint of an orange circle -- that's the circle around the team's logo that is on every ball used in the league these days. (Each team uses their own balls.)
Grab a box right here: 2019 Panini National Convention packs/lots

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MARVEL BINGE TIME?
The Card: Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum) 2017 Upper Deck Thor: Ragnarok Precious Metal Gems Purple Achievements
The Price: Under $1
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Goldblum has been in a ton of notable franchises with cardboard but he hasn't really had many cards of his own -- they are out there but mostly as characters. You can totally blame a weekend Marvel movie binge for this one, too. Meanwhile, a lot of PMGs are pricey from the past but some of the newer sets can be dirt cheap.
Grab a box right here: Marvel non-sports boxes

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A THROWBACK
The Card: Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2006 Press Pass Burnouts Race-Used Tire (/1,050)
The Price: $2
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is a simple design that I really like and it's from a timeframe where I really liked the design of Earnhardt's car and I collected NASCAR more. The price was the winning variable here, though, and it also showcases one issue with cards for him during the Budweiser years. Since cards were marketed toward a younger audience, his car's images were modified to add his team's logo instead of Bud. It's not as noticeable here but on some it can be very jarring.
Grab a box right here: Newer NASCAR boxes are here

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COLLECT 'EM ALL
The Card: The cast -- 2016 Cryptozoic The Big Bang Theory Seasons 6-7
The Price: Pocket change
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: When this series ended last year, it got my radar up a little bit looking for simple cards to pick up on the cheap and maybe grade just for fun. This card is the topper for the newest set and I liked the idea of it maybe going into a slab since it shows the full cast all in one place -- and actually how the series' absolute final scene went down, too. Weirdly (or perhaps not) they are all in the exact same spots for the final scene (see the smaller image at right). As for grading, I actually picked up something different and hopefully I'll have them back at some point -- but PSA is closed like much of the country right now. At some point ... you'll see them here. Maybe this one, too.
Grab a box right here: 2016 Cryptozoic The Big Bang Theory Seasons 6-7

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JUSTICE INK
The Card: Shannon Elizabeth 2015 Panini Americana Signatures 
The Price: $8
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Whether you know her as Justice in the Jay & Silent Bob movies or Nadia way back in American Pie stuff, she's actually got a pretty good number of card appearances out there and for the price this one got me to look. It's been five years since this last Americana release, so the boxes have really dried up after they were around heavily as they just seemed to not deliver enough volume for a premium price. Finding the biggest names may or may not be easy here now, but you can put me in the camp that believes this series might do better now with a smaller autograph-in-every-pack premium format that a lot of Panini stuff has moved toward.
Grab a box right here: Non-sports boxes

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OLDSCHOOL ACTION
The Card: 1977 Topps N.L. Championship -- Pete Rose (PSA 5)
The Price: $5
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This cheap vintage slab jumped out at me as it looks really good for the grade -- it looks like a 7-8 -- but some surface wrinkles and/or a small crease on the back (that isn't visible on the front) got it this mark. For the price, I don't mind vintage cards like this at all. It doesn't hurt that it's got Charlie Hustle doing what he do ... no, not gambling or signing autographs.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... get new MLB boxes here

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FROM A MOVIE REFERENCE
The Card: Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich -- 1969 Lyons Maid Pop Stars
The Price: About $3
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: If you know Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof, then you might remember the story of "Dave Dee Dozy, Beaky, Mich, Tich and Pete" coming from Jungle Julia -- the radio DJ and expert who told a story in the car of how Pete Townshend almost once joined this band as she requested their song be played. While she subtlely flubbed the names of this 1960s British band, their song played on the radio during a pretty ugly death scene in the movie. (Spoiler: Stuntman Mike runs his "death proof" car head on into their group's.) I really couldn't tell you a thing about this band and I'm sure I overpaid a tad for this vintage card, but it was too weird to pass up. They can't have too many card appearances, right?
Grab a box right here: Find other non-sports boxes here

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BIG OL' SWATCHES
The Card: A.J. McCarron 2014 Topps Strata Clear Cut Autograph Rookie Relics Ruby Patch (/25)
The Price: $12.75
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I own way too many cards for this guy who has played just 15 games since 2014 and has been a Bengal, Raider and Texan during that time. His Bengals stuff is plentiful but I'm a total sucker for the combo  of an autograph and the three-color patches that Bengals jerseys constantly yield. The scarcity, price and on-card (on-acetate) auto made this a no-brainer for my stash. He's also got a classic autograph if you ask me.
Grab a box right here: 2014 Topps Strata

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TUCKER & DALE TIME
The Card: Tyler Labine 2011 In the Game Canadiana Mega Memorabilia Silver
The Price: $1
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Tucker & Dale vs. Evil is a classic movie -- a horror spoof with some hilariously ugly moments -- and this guy was the second half of that memorable combo from 10 years ago. (A sequel has been talked about forever.) Tucker you should know -- Alan Tudyk is seemingly everywhere and he's got a lot of card appearances with Star Wars (albeit as a droid). Dale's only card appearances -- autos and mem -- are in this relatively obscure set. If you don't know the movie, check it out ... what else are you going to do these days?
Grab a box right here: Find other non-sports boxes here

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BUFFALO BILL
The Card: Ted Levine 1999 Skybox Wild Wild West Autographs
The Price: $2.15
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is one of those autos I've had sitting in my Buzz Buys stash for a while. Why did I pick it up? I knew his name from somewhere for some reason but had to hit up IMDb to figure it out -- he was Buffalo Bill in Silence of The Lambs. I'm not sure I ever watched it all but the character is one that's been parodied (Jay & Silent Bob again) and that film is a classic -- and I know I've not seen the bomb known as Wild Wild West. But this card set had some big autos possible while a lot of others are dirt cheap. Levine has been in a lot of other stuff, too. For the price, I figured I'd add it to the stash.
Grab a box right here: Find other non-sports boxes here

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PIECE OF THE (SPIDER-)MAN
The Card: Spider-Man 2017 Upper Deck Spider-Man Homecoming Webbed Threads (Stark suit torso)
The Price: $1.50
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The memorabilia cards in this one are super-affordable but they are a little bit of an afterthought as people rip that one to chase some big autos that are possible. I'm cool with some of the variety of mem cards that all come from various versions and areas of the Spider-Man suit -- so you can find red, blue and black swatches for this one.
Grab a box right here: Spider-Man Homecoming

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POPPED IT UP
The Card: Nick Lachey 2009 TRISTAR Obak T212 Minis
The Price: Pocket change
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I'll wrap this one up with one last oddball card ... an Obak mini for the former boy-band member who was an ownership partner in the Tacoma Rainiers, the Seattle Mariners' Triple-A team. He's got just 10 different cards in Obak with eight of those being numbered cards all limited to no more than 50 serial-numbered copies. This card and the standard version are the only easier finds -- and hobby boxes for this one are nowhere to be found unless you really want to pay up.
Grab a box right here: Click here for baseball boxes

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