Buzz's Pick Six: Autographs Buzz would chase now (not later)

Have you seen the latest cool cards from a new release? With so many options for collectors of all kinds arriving every week it's possible you haven't. That's where Buzz comes in -- well at least on one brand you'll see here from time to time in what we're calling Buzz's Pick Six. Simply put, here are six cards that seemed interesting to this collector and we think they might interest you, too.

This week's six-pack: Autographs on my mind right now ...

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GRAB THEM EARLY BIRDS ...
The Card: Lamar Jackson 2018 autos (any)
The Price: They're not cheap at all right now -- this slightly damaged one is $569.99 (or best offer)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This isn't the best time to shop for early autographs of this game-changer, but he's a perfect example of how a ton of newcomers (or returners) to collecting with deep pockets along with people buying to hold and then sell stuff out of high-end not-readily-available boxes are helping create some crazy cardboard markets out there for hot players. And yet I'd say that this card ... with some edge damage ... is still actually priced as a bit of a steal. Jackson has put on a show this season and I'd say that any of his 2018 autos should be given a hard look but with more attention given to rarer stuff with on-card ink preferred or at least cleanly signed specimens if you're considering stickers. Why? He's got big potential right now both in what's left for this season and in future campaigns -- and somebody has to compete for the big hobby dollars once people can't grab the elite Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes cards out there. Check out the 2018 NFL boxes here for your shot to pull his ink. If you don't want to pay as much, just shop for his 2019 stuff -- it's still stiffly priced but not as tough as rookie-year cardboard.

Keep reading for five more interesting items in this week's roundup ...

DOMINATING DEFENSE
The Card: J.J. Watt 2011 Panini Contenders Rookie Ticket Autographs 
The Price: Not super-pricey, a bit all over the place -- but also not as crazy as in the past
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Defensive stars still get a good presence on cards and in new releases, but it seems that few of them can truly command big money like the QBs, RBs and occasional big WRs out there. But, this guy is one of them. His prices seem softer than when I have looked in the past -- injuries have put a dent in playing time in recent seasons -- but he's going to go down as (and already is) one of the most-iconic players in Texans history. He appears on more than 4,500 different cards and more than 600 different autos -- but ... almost 200 of those are from his rookie season on cardboard. This year? He's only had roughly 50 different cards and all but two (not numbered) are limited to no more than 25 copies -- and most are far, far lower than that. While the first guy noted here is part of a big-money trend in collecting, I'd argue that overlooked NFL legends (especially vintage and then some stuff like key cards like this one for stars on defense) could be a next direction people look when buying.

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OVERLOOKED LEGENDS?
The Card: Recent Joe Namath autos
The Price: Cheaper than you might think
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Brands like National Treasures and Immaculate often include a solid amount of legends' autos in the mix to help out the times when you don't land a Patrick Mahomes or Lamar Jackson big-mojo hit. It seems at times, though, that the NFL legends can be easily overlooked price-wise and are far cheaper than they should be. Why? I'd argue too many people who have busted pricey boxes or done group breaks are just wanting to get a chunk of their money back and simply don't "like" some stuff like they should, which would prompt them to keep them. (They bought in for those Mahomeses and Jacksons.) You can find Namath ink under $100 quite often and this one, for example, had a price at $155 despite its low-volume print run and the visual appeal of it also being a memorabilia card. (It's player-worn vs. game-used as his cards have gone that direction of late but I'm not picking this one for the memorabilia.) The perfect sig here is part of a perfect balance on this card and the seller is even taking offers. The game has changed a ton statistically in the last 20 years so that brings a bit of revisionist history to it, too, but there was a time where Namath was considered the Mickey Mantle of football ... and, really, he still is even though the card markets have changed. (He's still pricey ... but there are more bargains than ever.)

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WAITING ON THAT HALL CALL
The Card: Derek Jeter
The Price: Not cheap ... but also can vary wildly
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Jeter's recent Topps autographs are probably where you can chase rarities with some choices -- but they won't come that cheap from the long-running popular brands like Topps Heritage where they aren't statistically easy pulls. (Even the one here isn't cheap with an eBay asking price of $499 (or best offer), which feels high ... but it looked good.) I'm expecting there to be a little more casual-buyer action this year with his first-ballot Hall of Famer status likely confirmed (he's a lock) in two weeks and his enshrinement this summer also a given. His Rookie Cards could see some continued movement, too, but Jeter ink will be where the spenders might dig in more heavily because they can't just gobble them up as easily as RCs. Jeter appears on literally thousands of different baseball cards generally speaking, but still hasn't topped 2,000 different autographs -- and most of the new stuff is low-volume. If you haven't pulled one or added one in the past, it should be a need. I'd shop for bargains now (though it should have been done last year) and not this summer. 

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BIG REBOUND BARGAINS?
The Card: Bryce Harper autographs (in general)
The Price: Cheaper than you may think -- this has a $157.99 BIN price despite from a super-premium brand
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: His first season not in a Washington Nationals uniform was far from a career-worst showing, but the way his former team finished may give him to quote a different East Coast guy a "pissed off for greatness" mentality this coming season and could translate into a career year. (I almost want to call it now but he is a former league MVP.) The prices of his previously scorching autos just aren't as hot as they once were and this might be the time to buy. He hit 35 homers last year -- his second-best season of his career -- while putting up a career-high 114 RBI and hitting .260 ... his second-best mark there of the last four summers. Heck, Harper wasn't even an All-Star last year. As for cards, he's probably suffering from "Wrong-hat Syndrome" on a lot of his autos -- people want the new one and not the old one -- but when he's done playing it won't matter which one you have. And if you haven't added any Transcendent cards to your collection, they are more impressive in-person than in scans -- that's one big thing that made me pick this one beyond the grade and slab. 

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REBOUND SEASON?
The Card: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 2019 Topps Heritage Mystery Autographs 
The Price: Not cheap ... but could be bargains if he truly dominates this season. 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The Blue Jays could have some serious hype train momentum this season both on cards and on cardboard with three second-generation MLB newcomers putting on shows this summer with RCs from last year and then on tap this year. Bo Bichette's Rookie Cards are 2020 headliners while Cavan Biggio and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. are 2019 guys. This card arrived in the wake of his late-April debut via a mystery redemption and its got a few things going for it compared to many of the other options for him (he signed a lot of stuff last year). It being a redemption could help your condition if you want it graded (you should) -- they didn't get packaged so that means fewer chances at damage. It's also a brand that's among the most-popular for MLB. It's a stronger photo than some out there (posed) and it's got an autograph that, at least on this one, has a little more going on and fewer quality concerns with the ink flow than others I've seen. (I'd argue that's in part from it being signed earlier in the year before his auto-quality degraded.) The first series of last year's Heritage isn't the greatest overall, but the wax and case prices reflect that and ripping by the case is the best way to chase all of the big ink not just this one. While this isn't the easiest pull, it could pay for a good chunk or a case. Vladdy 2.0 hit .272 with only 15 homers and 69 RBI in 123 games as a rookie, but his dominating MiLB numbers seem to indicate that he could (should) deliver a lot more than that. Now is the time to be stockpiling his stuff if it's on the cheap side ... not in March or April.

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Follow Buzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz or send email to BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com. 

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