Basketball
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on Blowout Forums (March 15)
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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 Today: What-if scenarios, impressive MLB achievements, a big Kirby Puckett pull and plenty more in today's edition.
First Buzz: 2019-20 Panini Mosaic basketball cards
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What: 2019-20 Panini Mosaic basketball cards
Arrives: April 22
Hobby Box basics: One autographed card per 10-pack box (12 boxes per case)
Fast Break box basics: One autographed card per 18-pack box (20 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (when available)What's buzz-worthy: Mosaic hits the hardwood with plenty of parallels and inserts and all of those red-hot NBA rookies that collectors are clamoring for.
Keep reading for more info and a full gallery of images released so far.
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on Blowout Forums (March 13)
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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 Today: A supplies praise thread, inside 35 -- yes, 35! -- Walking Dead cases, NBA season on hold, new USA Baseball and WWE pulls and seeing red over a Black slab?
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on Blowout Forums (March 12)
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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 Today: NBA season comes to an end (for now), coronavirus worries and some break highlights to lighten the mood, too. (How about this pull?)
Buzz Buys: Legendary memorabilia, early football autographs, Tiger Mask, Kobe Bryant, Jerry Maguire, The Joker and more
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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 there's a little bit of everything.
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RARE STUFF
The Card: Addie Joss 2019 Panini Flawless Legendary Jumbo Materials Sapphire (/7)
The Price: Just under $80
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I don't pony up this big for single cards all that often, but something grabbed my attention here. Actually, it was a mix of a few things (beyond just the price) for a Hall of Famer who only has memorabilia cards in only a few releases (Diamond Kings, Flawlesss, National Treasures) from just the last two years. First, price. Second, this one has a huge swatch and based on the look of it, I'd bet big money that the material came from a $12,426 pair of game-used pants sold by Lelands in late 2017. Third, Joss played just nine years -- 1902 to 1910 -- won 160 games in that span and fell ill in spring training the following year and died at age 31 from tubercular meningitis so it's not some decades-later coach-worn piece. (Learn more about his career here -- and there's a ton more here that's also interesting.) For memorabilia and cardboard, there's just not much to go around for him and my gut feeling about this one's price felt even better when I checked eBay completed sales to see easier versions of this card pushing $200. With the price of those pants -- and the fact that there are no known jerseys out there beyond anything hanging out at the Hall of Fame per the auction house -- there could be fewer jumbo cards like one this made in the future and a finite volume of memorabilia cards in general for this notable name from the past. I'd grab 'em while you can if you have any interest.
Grab a box right here: Panini Flawless (all years)Keep reading for more interesting items ...
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on Blowout Forums (March 11)
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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 Today: A crazy box of Panini Select NBA, a strong 2020 Topps Heritage case, Opening Day, coronavirus, breaks and more in today's edition.
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on Blowout Forums (March 10)
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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 Today: Underrated Topps MLB parallels, big pulls, nothing but PSA 10s, new breaks, maildays and more in today's edition.
First Buzz: 2019-20 Panini Obsidian basketball cards
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What: 2019-20 Panini Obsidian basketball cards
Arrives: May 20
Box basics: Two autographed cards per seven-card box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (when available)What's buzz-worthy: Obsidian takes to the hardwood once again with the top NBA rookies and plenty more in tow as part of this colorful and textured release that has some new touches this year.
Keep reading for more info and a full gallery of images released so far.
Buzz 8 in 8: Busting 2019-20 Donruss Optic NBA (Hour 2)
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Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today's your day then as we launch 8 in 8 -- a series of a eight breaks of wax boxes and wax packs in as many hours today. We'll post one every hour ... this is Hour 2.
The box: 2019-20 Donruss Optic basketball cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for a few formats)What's inside this one? Keep reading ...
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on Blowout Forums (March 8)
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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 Today: Collecting back then vs. now, Bo Bichette, the XFL, chasing Zion Williamson, "getting my love for the hobby back," MLB breaks and "no, I don't want to see your Pog collection!"
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on Blowout Forums (March 7)
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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 Today: Hating on horizontal baseball cards, questions about bat cards, 2020 Donruss, reeling in a big fish, ESPN's 25 Under 25 in the NBA and favorite PSA 9 cards.
First Buzz: 2020 Break King Basketball Premium Edition
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What: 2020 Break King Basketball Premium Edition
Arrives: March 13
Box basics: Three buyback rookie-year cards per box (three boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)What's buzz-worthy: Fans of NBA stars' Rookie Cards (and other rookie-year releases) have a new buyback option in the works that will include a graded card in every box.
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on Blowout Forums (March 6)
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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 Today: Big pulls, 2020 Topps Heritage chatter, a bad XFL headline and more in today's edition.
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on Blowout Forums (March 5)
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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 Today: Scouting spring training prospects, 2020 Donruss and 2020 Topps Heritage breaks, new pulls, chasing Zion and more in today's edition.
eBay Buzz: Zion Williamson & Kobe Bryant autos, Matt Hardy, Rio Ruiz spring heat and ... Phil Hughes' final 2011 jersey
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Have you seen the latest cool or interesting items on eBay? If not, you just might see some of those here every week as we're launching a weekly version of our eBay Buzz pieces that pop up from time to time. We’ll spotlight some items that have a story or just wow us with how much interest it might have — and we’re not just talking baseball cards, either.
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ZION! ZION! ZION!
The Item: Kobe Bryant & Zion Williamson 2019-20 NBA Hoops Art Signatures dual-auto (BGS 9.5/10)
The Price: $99,999.99 Buy-It-Now (or best offer)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This card is an interesting one in that, unless there was some other seriously advanced-planning signing sessions last year, it will absolutely never happen again making it an even more amazing (and somber) creation. This is one of the rarest inclusions in hobby boxes of 2019-20 NBA Hoops with on-card autographs of the future Hall of Famer gone too soon and the rookie who has dominated the league so far this year. Williamson just recently posted a career-high scoring night -- and more are likely on the way as he is putting up a more-than-respectable scoring streak. Any and all Zion ink will be in demand more than ever -- and this one might hold up as one of the the biggest autos of them all no matter what one-of-a-kind high-end stuff might be coming. This came out of a super-affordable flagship-style Hoops pack and it's a classic. I don't see it getting that BIN price, but I could see some big, big offers. Right now it's the highest of just two copies graded ... and we have no idea how many more might even have been signed.
Similar Pieces: Zion Williamson autographs on eBay
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for 2019-20 NBA Hoops hobby boxesKeep reading for four more interesting items in this week's roundup ...
First Buzz: 2020 Super Break 23/24 Edition basketball cards
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What: 2020 Super Break 23/24 Edition basketball cards
Arrives: April 2
Box basics: One buyback card per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)What's buzz-worthy: Super Break takes to the court once again with some of the best players to wear a pair of magic numbers in NBA history getting the spotlight on a per-case basis.
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on Blowout Forums (March 4)
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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 Today: Caris LeVert drops 51 and nearly nobody notices on boards (Zion ain't done that!), hobby inflation, Spike Lee drama, 2020 Topps Heritage, super-rare basic Topps MLB ink and ... a 4-year-old mangles an Optic 1/1?
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on Blowout Forums (March 3)
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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 Today: Big pulls, 2020 Topps Heritage, Nick Solak and more in today's edition.
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on Blowout Forums (March 2)
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Via @PaniniAmerica
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 Today: Giannis, LeBron and Zion spark plenty of chatter, big breaks, scorcher brands, 2020 Topps Heritage and more in today's edition.
Making the Grade (March): A few new Juniors, Muhammad Ali, Aubrey Plaza, vintage gems, Jack Tripper, Rookie Cards & more
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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 ...
BIG-TIME PULL
The Card: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 2019 Topps Chrome Orange Refractors #201 (/25) Rookie Card parallel
The Reason Graded: This one came out of one of the best Topps Chrome boxes I've ever seen -- in fact, it might have been one of the best non-high-end boxes I've ever seen for any brand -- and I knew instantly that the two big cards from it would end up slabbed. This one is up first and I actually had it graded awhile back but held it a little closer to baseball season -- and we're here. This guy could be set for a big season after a rookie campaign that was closely watched but perhaps not as lofty as was expected. With so few copies of this one made, I figured it was a no-brainer no matter how he fares this season.
The Grade: BGS 9.5Grade 5.5 6 6.5 7 7.5 8 8.5 9 9.5 10 B10 Total Population 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 3 Reality Check: I was glad to see this grade, and it turns out that two of the three that were slabbed were graded on the same day -- I just missed out on "first-graded" status. The Series 2 short-print (which looks just like this) is probably going to be the long-term iconic card for Guerrero, but rare Chromes like this one figure to be very strong, too, even if in a lesser grade. Interestingly only four copies have been graded by PSA -- three 10s and one PSA 9.
Keep reading for more of this month's pick-ups and new slabs for Buzz.
First Buzz: 2019-20 Panini Spectra basketball cards
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What: 2019-20 Panini Spectra basketball cards
Arrives: May 6
Box basics: Four autographs per four-pack box (eight boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)What's buzz-worthy: Spectra takes to the court one more time with all of those big NBA rookies in tow and with an autograph, a parallel and more in every pack.
Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on Blowout Forums (Feb. 27)
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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 Today: Get all your 2020 Topps Heritage details here, a few Zion Williamson appearances and something that may be a huge development out at retail.
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on Blowout Forums (Feb. 25)
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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 Today: Plenty of hobby investment and related discussions, 2020 Topps Heritage, MiLB cards and more in today's edition.
Buzz Break: 2019-20 Donruss Optic NBA cards (blaster box)
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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: 2019-20 Donruss Optic basketball cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for a few formats)
Packs per box: 7
Cards per pack: 4
Cards in this box: 28
Base set completion: 18 of 150 (12 percent)
Duplicates: 0Base cards: Ben Simmons, Khris Middleton, James Harden, Tim Hardaway Jr., Mitchell Robinson, Lou Williams, J.J. Redick, Goran Dragic, D'Angelo Russell, Al Horford, Malik Monk, Andre Drummond, Jrue Holliday, Montreal Harrell, Bodgan Bogdanovic, Jae Crowder, Jonas Valanciunas, Markelle Fultz
Fast Five: Kobe Bryant basketball cards you should start with
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This one is a quick idea for a new department here on The Buzz ... Fast Five -- a quick list under a simple topic that might offer a basic starting point for a themed collection. It's a basic list of five items that could be fun for a starting collector or a new way to add to a stash that might already seemingly include everything when it comes to cardboard. For some of you, it's probably common sense. For others of you out there, it's something to think about.
This time? Five Kobe Bryant cardboard basics to own.
A ROOKIE CARD
It's clear that a lot of people who aren't seven-day-a-week collectors have been picking up Kobe Bryant basketball cards since his death in late-January, and the easy starting point for someone -- regardless of budget -- is a Rookie Card. His best Rookie Cards are from major manufacturers and most of them show him in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform or at least use Lakers logos. He has a ton of draft picks and early cards, too, but his 16 Rookie Cards all from the 1996-97 season are the ones to consider first. Here's a rundown of the brands -- Bowman's Best, Collector's Choice, E-X 2000, Fleer, Fleer Metal, Flair Showcase, Fleer Ultra, NBA Hoops, SP, Topps, Topps Chrome, Topps Finest, Upper Deck, UD3 and Z-Force. They're all in demand but they have always been relatively findable and vary in price. Topps Chrome, Topps Finest, Bowman's Best and SP are arguably the better ones, so they'll cost more, while Collector's Choice and Hoops will be on the cheaper side. There are parallel versions for the Chrome and Finest cards, too, and there are also fakes for some of the basic cards here to be weary of. I'd grab one that's been graded by BGS, PSA or SGC only. My Favorite? Probably Finest (above) as I was actually able to find one in a pack long, long ago ... I also once had a Chrome ... but traded it. (Story for another day.)Keep reading for four more basic cards to consider for Kobe Bryant.