Like many collectors, Buzz is a fan of grading ... so here's this month's grading diary here on The Buzz.

GETTING EVEN BETTER?
The Card: Victor Wembanyama 2023-24 Panini Haunted Hoops -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: I'm basically casually ripping at best when it comes to NBA these days -- just can't collect it all at today's prices (and might not want to with that) -- but the holiday-flavored version of Hoops got me to bite a few times since it's got a good volume of stuff in a box and a pair of Wemby RCs on the checklist. Is this a big card in the big scheme of things? Nah, but the printing and cutting here was so clean I knew I needed to grade it. Why?
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: Because this should be the result more often than not as long as the centering is there ... and the stats here show that to be the case roughly half the time. The phenom seems to be getting better with time and once the wax dries up for even stuff like this there could be interesting trends that buck the idea that stuff is overproduced these days -- it is ... but not when there's increased demand for a popular player. I need to scout singles more for this guy and cards I like ... I think there's more potential here over time than people might think based on soft prices for raw cards. (Even if boatloads of his cards are already graded.)

Keep reading for more of this month's pick-ups and new slabs for Buzz.

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What's Buzzing: Topps Chrome WWE arrives, Super Bowl chatter, 2025 Topps and more in this Friday edition.

1 -- All your 2025 Topps Chrome WWE chatter is here 

2 -- Chrome breaks will start popping soon

3 -- New MLB pulls are here

4 -- Basketball chatter and more 

5  -- Eagles vs. Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX

6 -- 2025 Topps is coming ... read more here

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What: 2025 Pro Athletes Direct Authentic Baseball Signature Edition
Arrives: April 7
Box basics: One encased autographed buyback card per box (12 boxes per case)
Checklist: TBD
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Pro Athletes Direct Authentic offers up its first batch of buyback autographed cards for young stars and promising prospects of MLB.

Keep reading for more info and a gallery of images.

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What's Buzzing: Super Bowl thoughts, 2025 Topps chatter, new pulls and more in this mid-week edition.

1 -- 2025 Topps is coming ... read more here

2 -- Pondering Topps NBA cards

3 -- Eagles vs. Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX

4 -- New MLB pulls

5  -- Throwing it back to 2001

6 -- Still talking about That Skenes Card

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What's Buzzing: The Super Bowl, 2025 Topps, new pulls, a question of values and ... are pitchers now "Hobby Good?"

1 -- "So, are Pitchers Hobby Good now or what?"

2 -- 2025 Topps is coming ... read more here

3 -- Eagles vs. Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX

4 -- A question of values

5  -- Results from some Prizm ripping

6 -- New MLB pulls

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This year's first installment of Topps baseball cards is almost here in the form of 2025 Topps Series 1 and with some sleuthing, we've made our picks for 12 standard cards that are stand out from the pack this time.

Sure, there will be more to chase -- and likely even more interesting photos among the planned variations -- but here are some notables from the base cards we've seen so far in advance of its Feb. 12 arrival -- get yours at the link above.

BACK TO SCHOOL 
Taylor Ward -- OF, Los Angeles Angels
This is a pretty standard photo maximizing the looseness of a horizontal frame and yet it's still properly cropped and clean. Why would a simple image make the list? His Players' Weekend Victus No. 2 pencil bat, of course -- see it in action here.

Keep reading for the rest of this dandy dozen from Series 1 ... and for a look at almost the entire base set after that.

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What's Buzzing: Eagles vs. Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX, Jalen Hurts, MVP cards, new pulls, 2025 Topps and more.

1 -- Eagles vs. Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX

2 -- New NFL rips are here

3 -- Talking a new MVP set ... 

4 -- Jalen Hurts ... overlooked?

5  -- New MLB pulls

6 -- 2025 Topps is coming ... read more here

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Have you spotted a hot thread? Tell us about it in a comment or on Twitter.

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What's Buzzing: All eyes on the NFL today, new pulls, wrestling chatter, That Skenes Card and 2025 Topps in this Sunday edition.

1 -- Postseason NFL talk is here

2 -- New NFL pulls pile up

3 -- New MLB rips

4 -- Wrestling chatter on a busy weekend ... inside a NT WWE case

5  -- That Skenes Card still has 'em talking ...

6 -- 2025 Topps is coming ... read more here

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Have you spotted a hot thread? Tell us about it in a comment or on Twitter.

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What's Buzzing: NFL chatter, 2025 Topps, That Skenes Card, NFL pulls and plenty more in this Saturday edition.

1 -- Pulls from some Leaf cases

2 -- The NFL adds its oldest head coach

3 -- New NFL pulls are here

4 --- Postseason NFL chatter continues

5  -- It still has 'em talking ...

6 -- 2025 Topps is coming ... read more here

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Have you spotted a hot thread? Tell us about it in a comment or on Twitter.

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What's Buzzing: New pulls, 2025 Topps, That Skenes Card, Olympic autos and postseason NFL chatter.

1 -- Going for the gold

2 -- The latest postseason NFL talk

3 -- It still has 'em talking ... 

4 -- From a new MLB case

5  -- New basketball pulls

6 -- 2025 Topps is coming ... plus read more here

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The pack: 2024 Leaf Metal Women of Sport 1/1 Pre-Production Proofs (two packs)
Where to buy: Click here for regular boxes (when available)

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery for what was in this one.

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and break down the results here. Like this and want to see more -- or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2012 Panini Cooperstown baseball cards (hobby)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (when available) -- see other baseball boxes here

Keep reading to see what can be found here and a gallery of highlights.

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What's Buzzing: Jayden Daniels, Will Howard, 2025 Topps, non-sports, new pulls and a car rip for the win.

1 -- Car rip for the win

2 -- Non-sports discussions are here

3 -- Checking in on the Jayden Daniels chatter

4 -- A Will Howard question

5  -- The latest postseason NFL chatter

6 -- 2025 Topps interest remains strong ... plus read more here

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Have you spotted a hot thread? Tell us about it in a comment or on Twitter.

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What: 2025 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Platinum autographed baseballs
Arrives: March 21
Box basics: One autographed baseball per box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: TRISTAR's autographed baseball chase brand hits the field for another year with some big chase baseballs and then a varied mix of stuff in every case.

The biggest chase of them all this year? Keep reading for that and a gallery of what's in this one.

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What's Buzzing: New Hall of Famers, NFL chatter, new pulls, a grading question, a big pull and 2025 Topps remains on collectors' minds.

1 -- Talking new Hall of Famers

2 -- The latest NFL chatter

3 -- Check out these new pulls

4 -- What would you do?

5  -- Whee!

6 -- 2025 Topps interest remains strong ... and read more here

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Have you spotted a hot thread? Tell us about it in a comment or on Twitter.

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A good rookie, a good at-bat, a good ball ... that was one pitch away from history.

This month's entry in the Collecting Game-used series is another that came to me via a blind grab bag where all I knew was the date of the game ... and yet this was another win. The player? Jackson Merrill, the runner-up in the National League Rookie Of The Year behind winner Paul Skenes, and a name I didn't expect to land for a price lower than many a retail mega box of cards.

And, to top it all off, this wasn't some meaningless ball in the dirt or a ball just watched -- well, it kind of was -- it was something more for a low price and that's perfect. It's kind of how I roll most of the time with these items.

Keep reading to see the details this time ... and the ball in action.

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What's Buzzing: Ichiro Suzuki awaits his Cooperstown call, NFL chatter, new pulls, Shohei Ohtani, Wemby and 2025 Topps in this one.

1 -- Awaiting this year's Hall of Fame results

2 -- Fresh NFL perspectives

3 -- Check out these new pulls

4 -- Talking Shohei Ohtani cards

5  -- Checking in on the Wemby thread

6 -- 2025 Topps interest remains strong ... and read more here

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What's Buzzing: NFL chatter, Jayden Daniels, Patrick Mahomes, Roki Sasaki, 2025 Topps and more in this one.

1 -- NFL postseason reactions so far

2 -- Sammy Sosa ... Hall of Famer

3 -- Plenty of Roki Sasaki thoughts here

4 -- Talking Jayden Daniels

5  -- Patrick Mahomes cardboard is on their minds

6 -- 2025 Topps interest remains strong ... and read more here

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Have you spotted a hot thread? Tell us about it in a comment or on Twitter.

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What's Buzzing: Talking Topps Chrome football, NFL postseason chatter, new pulls, Roki Sasaki and more in this one.

1 -- Talking Topps Chrome football cards

2 -- NFL postseason chatter

3 -- New basketball pulls

4 -- No surprise on where Roki Sasaki is headed 

5  -- Inside a couple cases of Decision cards

6 -- 2025 Topps interest remains strong ... and read more here

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Have you spotted a hot thread? Tell us about it in a comment or on Twitter.

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What's Buzzing: New pulls, Bob Uecker, NFL postseason, 2025 Topps and more in this Friday edition.

1 -- Inside a Topps Definitive Collection case

2 -- NFL postseason is on their minds

3 -- More NFL chatter

4 -- New MLB pulls are here

5  -- Collectors remember Bob Uecker

6 -- 2025 Topps interest is strong ... and more here

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Have you spotted a hot thread? Tell us about it in a comment or on Twitter.

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What: 2025 Topps Series 1 baseball cards
Arrives: Feb. 12
Box basics: One auto or Relic per hobby box (12 per case) or one auto and two Relics per jumbo box (six per case)
Odds: Click here
Checklist: Click here
Order: Click here

Celebration box checklist: Click here
Celebration box odds: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: The teases of the first Topps baseball card set of 2025 are here along with a prematurely posted card mock in advance of a full formal reveal to come soon before it arrives in collectors' hands next month.

Keep reading for more info when it's available.

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What: 2024 Panini Prospect Edition baseball cards
Arrives: Feb. 28, 2025
Box basics: Six autographed cards per six-pack box (20 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: A new line in the Panini America lineup echoes other releases with inclusions that should be familiar to veteran collectors as this one takes a look at baseball's newcomers.

Keep reading for a gallery and more info.

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What's Buzzing: NFL chatter and pulls, Roki Sasaki, 2025 Topps and more in this Tuesday edition.

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What makes Buzz's Fantastic Four each time? Simple, they're cards or collectable items for names in the headlines -- or from new releases -- that came to mind for this veteran collector. Maybe they're good fits for your collection, too? Let's find out together ... 

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THE SAFE ADDITION ... 
The Card: Patrick Mahomes 2017 Donruss Rookie Card
The Price: A variety of eBay asking prices between base and parallels
Why It’s Buzzworthy: Today's modern card collectors have tons of choices -- it's not like the old days where a player had one, maybe two Rookie Cards in a year. But, if you had to choose which of Mahomes' RCs is the most iconic the simple one, Donruss, might get that nod from many collectors. Today's top QB appeared on roughly 2,000 different cards back in 2017 and that's thanks to plenty of inserts and parallel cards in plenty of releases. Of those, almost 40 qualify as a RC by the standard definition and Donruss -- or maybe its higher-end brother, Optic (at right) -- are arguably the iconic cards where many can afford to chase. If you don't have one, it can be as easy as grabbing a Donruss factory set that guarantees you can land Mahomes -- and everybody else.
The BlowoutCards.com Chase: 2017 Donruss NFL
The BlowoutForums.com Chatter: Mahomes threads

Keep reading for three more items in this roundup ...

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What's Buzzing: Talking Topps Chrome WWE, 2025 Topps MLB, NFL playoffs, NBA and more in this Sunday edition.

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