The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing: Big pulls, 2023 Topps slabs, Anthony Rendon, past rookies and more in today's edition.

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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 box: 2023 Topps Series 1 baseball cards (retail Super Box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (other formats)
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here

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

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing: Big pulls, new breaks, WrestleMania chatter and plenty more in this Monday edition.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing: The first night of WrestleMania has 'em talking, a strong replacement box, new breaks in MLB-NFL-NASCAR and ... disc golf?

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Like many collectors, Buzz is a fan of grading and knows that there are many reasons that collectors choose to slab cards. Sometimes it's to enhance the appeal and protect them when selling. Other times it's to protect an investment for the long-term or to protect for sentimental reasons. Or, it might be just for fun or curiosity about a potential grade.

Here's this month's grading diary here on The Buzz ...

A STRATUSFYING TEST?
The Tape: Trish Stratus 100% Stratusfaction Guaranteed (WWE, 2003)
The Reason Graded: There's a lot of talk about "alternative assets" in recent years and to a part of that audience trading cards are included. For those of us who work, live and breathe in the cardboard realm and have for a long time, it's perhaps more common sense and cards aren't necessarily an "alternative" or even an "asset." (It's a hobby for me.) But, grading of other items -- everyday stuff like magazines, video games, movies and toys -- that were used and in some ways shouldn't exist in their original form now might feel more that way. (They do to me.) I write about what I like, but this is a scenario where I dipped into a different realm of grading -- basically just to go through the process and see if I like it and then say that I did it once -- and I chose something that ties back into my collection as a whole. (That's wrestling.) Sealed VHS, video games and the like clearly have their audiences and demand is there for some things. There are some interesting sale prices out there for VHS -- everything from blockbusters from the late-1970s and early 1980s up to the oddball/culty stuff of the early 2000s before DVDs won the battle and stuff that you'd think wasn't even on VHS. Why is it a thing? Well, most stuff got used ... not saved, sealed and left untouched. (Sounds like baseball cards way back in the day, right?) With some steep discounts around the holidays here for grading fees, I grabbed this tape unopened and submitted it. VHS grading isn't cheap so doing them in serious bulk like cards ain't happening, which limits the volume available (for now) and the markets some, but this tape is one I felt comfortable with as a test. Why?The front cover is well-designed with a WWE icon and Hall of Famer front and center and having that visual appeal to start is one of the keys to demand if the grade doesn't work out.
The Grade: Beckett VHS 8.0 (Seal: A)

Reality Check: There's no posted pop report -- so this is a guess* -- and there's also not a posted grading scale yet, either, but I'll say this result bummed me out a bit. There were no substantial damage here other than a couple very minor things on one back edge of the box (where the ink was dark) so I had visions of a higher grade. But, it is what it is. My sub-grades came back 8.0 on corners, 7.5 on edges, 8.5 on flaps and 8.5 on gloss ... so the obvious flaw I knew about hurt the most. But, if we're talking about a 10-point scale, well, this piece, to me, doesn't feel closer to average or lesser. (I've seen some mangled VHS and DVD covers that were thrown around bargain bins where corners demolished surfaces ... those are lesser.) But, like I said, there's no posted scale to know what kinds of defects affect things here or there and no real cautions of what to look for. So, I did this as a test ... no regrets. Will I do it again? Probably not at present costs (I was in and out in a month, though) or without a scale to educate myself ... but, if I were to find a sealed clean and impressive copy of a couple of favorites from the past then maybe. Also, I'd be more inclined to do a different but related direction -- I think sealed DVDs and Blu-ray could actually be more popular as slabbed entities as it's way easier to find them sealed and they can have the same kind of appeal with modern packaging/designs. Plus they are smaller and lighter, too, making them easier to store and display. All in all, I like this piece and came up a bit short of what I thought it would grade at ... but it was still moderately Stratusfying.

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

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing: Collectors chew on the Fanatics MLB Debut patch, the Jarren Duran question and more in this everything-MLB edition for Opening Day.

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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 box: 2022 Topps Chrome baseball cards (blaster)
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here
Where to buy: Click here (a few formats)

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

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What: 2022 Topps Dynasty baseball cards
Arrives: April 14, 2023
Box basics: One encased autographed card per box (five boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Topps' high-end line is back with a simple lineup once again where everything is limited to no more than 10 copies and everything is inked.

Keep reading for more as well as a full gallery of images.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing: 2021 Bowman Heritage arrives, new pulls, some big questions and more in this mid-week edition.

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What: 2021 and 2022 Bowman Heritage baseball cards
Arrives: Today via Topps.com (two-box bundle)
Box basics: One autograph per 24-pack box
Checklist: Click here (2021) & Click here (2022) when released
Order: Click here (when available)

What's buzz-worthy: The previously shelved 2021 Bowman Heritage release revisiting 1993 arrives along with last year's edition revisiting in 1994 all in one double-whammy of an online release -- a hobby box bundle of each -- today via Topps.

Keep reading for more info once it's available.

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With these Ticket Stud or Ticket Dud stories I'm turning just a tiny bit of that energy just a few degrees away from cards (we'll still have plenty of them here) for a different kind of cardboard. What am I doing? Simple ... this is an occasional dip into some random ticket lots -- a show and tell showing something small with a story.

This time? An ideal look for an ideal day in spring training not that long ago.

Keep reading to see the details this time ... and tell me if you think it's a Ticket Stud or a Ticket Dud.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing: Never-ending debates, questionable cards, new pulls, an Immaculate case delivers big, WWE and "are you happy with the hobby?"

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What: 2023 Wild Card Auto Mania Baseball Rookie & Prospect Edition
Arrives: April 21
Box basics: Eight encased autographed cards per serial-numbered box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Wild Card turns its Auto Mania attention to baseball for this one with every card encased and every card autographed.

Keep reading for more info and a gallery of images.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing: MLB chatter, Hidden Gems are hidden no more, Tom Brady ink, AEW and more in this Monday edition.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing: Spring training chatter, showing off Shohei Ohtani, new Transcendent, MLB breaks and more.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing: Trea Turner, 'Mania chatter, MLB breaks and talk, Rookie Cards and "are you happy with the hobby?"

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing: Cards that never happened, a monster pull, the Rookie Card definition, debating going to a show, Aaron Rodgers and a debate that doesn't matter ... but they'll do it anyway.

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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 box: 2022 Bowman Platinum baseball cards (blaster)
First Buzz preview/checklist: Click here
Where to buy: Initially at Walmart (here when/if available)

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

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing: Three autos in one Gold Label pack, new pulls, NBA chatter, a big find at an antique store and "is the market for wrestling cards completely dead?"

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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 ... and this time around it's perhaps a little heavy on wrestling (but then again so am I) and some pick-ups that have simply piled up waiting for a spot. (Call it some spring cleaning.)

--

A MONÉ MYSTERY ... 
The Card: Sasha Banks 2021 Topps Transcendent WWE Green Autograph (/15)
The Price: Way less than most new WWE boxes ...
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: When the final Transcendent set was teased, this card with its striking image (a real photo from one of her laser show entrances) was immediately on my radar from this ultra-pricey release. However, how I was going to actually land one wasn't something I had to worry about upon arrival ... her cards simply were not packed out in the boxes and she wasn't alone. Why? There's some chatter about that, but one WWE insider believed her boxes of cards may have mistakenly left at a venue. Then some popped up on the open market, forcing Topps to go track them down legally and then get the signing done. All that is stuff I don't really care about, but I'm 100-percent confident that this is a legit auto of The Legit Boss and the card is perfectly fine. A number of the other Banks autos from this one have some steep asking prices but I ponied up to land this one not that long ago, knowing it will be a few more years before we might even see Transcendent again. And who knows what the wrestling future for Mercedes Moné might hold -- Mercedes Varnado is no longer in WWE -- or if we'll even see Sasha Banks again.
Grab a box right here: None for this one but ... WWE boxes are here.

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing: A classic finish at the World Baseball Classic, picking MLB's breakout stars in 2023, inside new boxes, new cases and more.

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What: 2023 Historic Autographs Originals Back-to-back baseball cards
Arrives: May 3
Box basics: One encased Originals back-to-back card per box (20 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Historic Autographs pairs cut autographs with original cards all in one creation with this release that is stacked with all-time greats as well as obscure ink from past stars.

Keep reading for more information.

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What: 2022 Topps Transcendent Collection baseball cards
Arrives: March 31, 2023
Box basics: 55 autographs and more per box
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Transcendent returns with the familiar lineup of high-end inclusions that will set the stage for deluxe cardboard with a VIP event and more within its 99 boxes ... and this time there's even a new four-card Chrome pack only found here with Reds (above) and a Superfractor every time.

Keep reading for more as well as a full gallery of images.

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What: 2023 Donruss baseball cards
Arrives: May 10
Box basics: Three autographs or memorabilia cards per 24-pack hobby box (16 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Donruss arrives for a new baseball season with "The Mick" in play as well as a mix of past greats and future stars on a variety of looks.

Keep reading for a gallery and more info.

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With these Ticket Stud or Ticket Dud stories I'm turning just a tiny bit of that energy just a few degrees away from cards (we'll still have plenty of them here) for a different kind of cardboard. What am I doing? Simple ... this is an occasional dip into some random ticket lots -- a show and tell showing something small with a story.

This time? We turn back the clock to today in 2018 ...

Keep reading to see the details this time ... and tell me if you think it's a Ticket Stud or a Ticket Dud.

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