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: Connor Bedard Rookie Card chasing, new pulls, Josh Donaldson, 2024 Topps and more in this Saturday 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: 2015 Topps Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens (hobby)
Where to buy: Will take some hunting ... BlowoutCards.com for newer boxes

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

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What: 2024 Historic Autographs Prime Vol. 2 trading cards
Arrives: April 17
Box basics: Two DNA Hair Cards plus one jumbo patch or cut auto per box (10 boxes per case) or one hit per premium pack (30 packs per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Historic Autographs once again dips into something unusual but long-collected in the past -- hair -- for a new card release while also working in some notable autographs (at least one per case) from the past.

Keep reading for more information.

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For years now, autographed books coming direct from the publishers -- or direct from the authors themselves -- have been an affordable way to collect ink from notable names in all realms of pop culture.

It's not a perfect system with stamps, fakes and autopens sometimes in the mix -- a problem for publishers to catch as they are not authenticators -- but thanks to dedicated collectors on the Blowout Cards Forum and elsewhere, those problems often get caught and fixed ... or at least become well-known enough to avoid if it's an issue that goes uncorrected.

Getting ink in-person is always best -- book tours still happen, of course -- but landing autographed editions from publishers, online sellers or celebs themselves via their websites or other appearances are common. So, with that said, here's the first of what just might become a monthly department here on The Buzz.

Our third subject and autograph in this ongoing series? Academy Award winner Geena Davis.

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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 ...

LEGENDARY INK
The Card: Undertaker 2022 Panini Revolution WWE Sunburst Autographs (/99)
The Reason Graded: This cost me less than what two boxes would have when I bought it raw -- and then I submitted it to grade after seeing that some typical problem spots for cards from this brand weren't really issues. (In my view, the back corners and edges can be funky for both years.) Why grab this? Undertaker was not a regular signer for a long time and even when has signed cards in recent years he's been more limited since his signing fees are always high -- seemingly far higher than others -- based on public signing prices. I have his ink on a few items sold direct from WWE in the past, but I hadn't rally bothered with anything for cards and figured this could make for a nice slab -- even with sticker ink -- as the photo is as iconic as it gets for a legendary character in WWE history. This would be a perfect kind of auto card if it had an on-card sig ... and it's still not far off as it is with that photo. It's also a perhaps-overlooked brand in the Panini WWE portfolio.
The Grade: CGC 9

Reality Check: A nine I'm fine with -- so no worries here -- but anything less than that I would have been kind of mad at myself for trying it. Why? Generally, I don't like pricey surprises with grading, so I don't slab as much ink as I should as I own plenty of them raw. I need to do more slabs like this, but a miss on cheaper, oddball cards that are interesting aren't as risky in my book.

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

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Buzz buys a lot of stuff these days and for a few reasons, really. Sometimes it's just bargain-hunting, sometimes it's just something that strikes me. And other times it's a lot -- a group of things -- and that has happened enough lately I figured I'd try something different as a regularly appearing item. Sometimes my lots will be wins, sometimes they won't be ... but I'll let you decide. 

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A MYSTERY MIX
The Lot: A mix of 46 assorted non-sport promo cards (and some inserts, too)
The Price: $9.99

Keep reading for more on 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: WWE Elite arrives as the stars hit Australia, a big mailday, an alleged stream scammer thread to watch, Comic Cuts and 2024 Topps in this Saturday edition.

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What: 2024 TruMystery Lucky Envelope Asia Edition
Arrives: April 23
Box basics: One autograph per box (eight boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: TruCreator  focuses its attention on Asian athletes and stars throughout pop culture in a release that's all about autographed items -- and premium items also will be in play here via redemptions.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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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 ... a lot of my usual suspects and some early spring cleaning as I've always got plenty of stuff lined up to appear here.

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AS YOU KNOW ... I BUY BO
The Card: Bo Bichette 2023 Topps Tribute Stamp of Approval Relics (/196)
The Price: $13
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: If you're a regular reader, then you know Bichette is in heavy rotation here and I sprung a little more than I might usually for a memorabilia card to grab one of these premium-brand Relics that has a little extra attached ... just to talk about it here. As you can see at right (click for a closer look if you need it) this piece comes from a jersey worn on May 21, 2021, that was then cut up and authenticated a second time -- for this exact piece -- that got its sticker on Sept. 1, 2022 ... all for you to know which specific game, event and season it came from. (Spoiler: Other game-used Relic items were stickered, too, they're just not noted on every card as some releases will inevitably have more than one item used, creating a logistics nightmare between cards printed and pieces available.) I don't mind these, but at the same time it's not necessary on every card as the time and organization that it requires isn't worth it for the cost for the company to do it all the time, it could cause even more errors, and it doesn't add much value -- you can find these with some interestingly low prices through the years.
Grab a box right here: MLB boxes at BlowoutCards.com

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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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 case: Funko Blockbuster Rewind The Big Lebowski (three figures)
Where to buy: Will take some looking in toy aisles ... BlowoutCards.com for non-sports cards

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery of highlights from this one.

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What: Decision 2024 Rainbow Edition trading cards
Arrives: April
Box basics: Three "premium cards" per box (eight boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: The Decision political cards will be making a comeback this year and this one offers up a first look of what's to come.

Keep reading for 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: 2024 Topps arrives and MLB breaks are popping, cards that perform, soccer cards, NBA and more.

Continue reading →

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 Garbage Pail Kids Intergoolactic Mayhem (collector's box)
First Buzz preview & checklist/odds: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (when available)

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

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What: 2024 Leaf Metal Pop Century trading cards
Arrives: May
Box basics: Four "premium cards" per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Leaf's annual celebrity release returns once again with some big booklets, big names and big surprises all in store -- and sometimes all on the same card.

Keep reading for more info and a full gallery of images.

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What: 2024 Historic Autographs Celebrity Signed Vintage Edition photographs
Arrives: March 6
Box basics: One autographed photo per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Historic Autographs marches back to yesteryear with a blind-box release that showcases nothing but celebrity autographs.

Keep reading for more information.

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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: Basketball movies, Super Bowl chatter, new pulls, 2024 Topps, retail Stadium Club heat and ... is Taylor Swift buying?

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What: The Umbrella Academy 2024 Autograph Expansion Series 2 packs
Arrives: March 6
Box basics: 13 autographed cards per pack (A and B packs made for this format)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Another batch of ink from this hit Netflix show based on a past Dark Horse Comics series arrives soon with a pair of packs that further expand its presence on cardboard.

Keep reading for more info and images.

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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 ...

THERE WERE NO GUARANTEES ... BUT I'LL TAKE IT
The Card: Joe Namath 1973 Topps
The Reason Graded: It's almost Super Bowl time and while I don't really collect any of the names who are going to be in this year's big game, I do collect names who helped make the big game in the past ... and this freshly graded card is a big one in my eyes. It's Namath's final card made by Topps during his career and I found it raw on COMC with is razor-sharp everything -- especially compared to other copies out there -- and decided it was not only grab-worthy, it was also slab-worthy with centering and only one corner with lightness and color immensely minor spotting on the front being the only issues. This one looked very strong for a vintage card so I submitted it for immediate grading directly via COMC, too.
The Grade: CGC 7

Reality Check: I had visions of a higher grade, but the card backs here have dark ink and corners on the backs can be spotty ... and I think that's a reason this one graded lower than I had hoped. But, at the same time, it's a pop-six card with only five CGC 8s grading higher -- and nothing above that. That actually puts this card among the elite for graded copies of this one ... and that's not a bad thing with my total cost here under $30. (The slight spot on the bottom left corner of the card bugged me ... until I realized it's some funk on the surface of the plastic slab, not the card or inside the slab. That's something I hadn't run into with CGC's generally crystal clear and clean slabs.)

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

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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: 2015 Panini Americana trading cards (retail box)
Where to buy: Will take some hunting BlowoutCards.com for newer non-sports

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

Continue reading →

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: "Why prospecting is impossible," 2024 Topps, Josh Allen, NFL postseason chatter and more.

Continue reading →

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 case: Funko Blockbuster Rewind The Big Lebowski (three figures)
Where to buy: Will take some looking in toy aisles ... BlowoutCards.com for non-sports cards

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery of highlights from this one.

Continue reading →

What: 2024 Historic Autographs YesterYear trading cards
Arrives: Feb. 21
Box basics: Four cut autos per 36-pack case
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Historic Autographs tries a pack format that offers up new glimpses of the past, an NBA buyback card in every pack and a cut autograph card in every ninth pack.

Keep reading for more information.

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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 UNO Disney 100 playing cards 
Where to buy: Retail for these ... BlowoutCards.com for other Disney 100 cards

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

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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 ... a mix of newer pick-ups and some retro/oddball finds.

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A SIMPLE VARIATION
The Card: Bryce Young 2023 Panini Prizm Draft Picks Variations Silver parallel
The Price: $9.99
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This one caught my attention out there in the world with it being the antithesis of a lot of draft cards these days -- a helmet-less studio portrait -- so I bit. It looked clean and potentially slab-worthy but after how his rookie season went I might wait and see if others go the slab route and I'll pick theirs off rather than sub this one. Or, over the long haul, maybe this will make its way into my submissions -- but it's not a priority at the moment. We'll see. Either way, I like this card and no matter what he does in the NFL he's always got a spot of some sort in the school ties part of my collection.
Grab a box right here: BlowoutCards.com

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: Talking sketch cards, Disney Chrome, MLB, NFL, Victor Wembanyama and 2024 Topps.

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