Making the Grade (April): Aaron Judge, Will Ferrell & Semi-Pro, vintage RCs, 1990s debuts, Tua & my first look at a CSG slab

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 ...

REMEMBER ME?
The Card: Aaron Judge & Tyler Austin 2017 Topps Heritage #214A -- Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: I liked the price on this slab (under $13) so I bit on it about this time last year. Why? Well, he was a pretty big deal back when this one arrived and I've always had a thing for multi-player RCs from the vintage years of Topps baseball (vintage flagship or Heritage). I own more than a few copies of this one raw, but I figured grabbing it for less than it would cost to slab one was a bargain ... plus they were going for more than that at the time I grabbed it. The richer (or more dedicated) slab grabbers out there will find his solo variation or the autographed card of his from this release, but for the price I'm good with this version.
The Grade: BGS 9

Reality Check: I didn't check the pop report to see the huge divide between the 9-9.5 difference but the price divide was just as dramatic ... and I'm still fine having a BGS 9. Centering here is off on mine but the rest looks fine with no obvious issues. Why is this one batting lead-off? Well, with prices increasing out there to slab -- if you can slab at all -- I think simpler RCs like this won't be as easy/cheap to find (well, at least newly graded ones) and this is the time of year to grab some guys. I think Judge is a easy stash if you find him on the cheaper side and he's healthy.

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

MY FIRST LOOK AT CSG ...
The Card: Tua Tagovailoa 2020 Panini Prestige #295 -- Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: There's a new player in the grading game now and, well, I've bit with a bulk order into CSG right now for a number of oddball cards to keep the variety of my picks coming here with freshly slabbed cards. This particular card was a first look for me to get one of these slabs in hand and, well, I'm sold as the clear, heavy plastic is cleaner than either PSA or BGS and the service is a lot faster in its slowest pay tiers ... at least so far. (In theory, I'll have my bulk order back in May vs. upwards of a year for its competitors at higher costs ... and that's just too long for my taste.) If they arrive on time, I'm totally sold even more than my first impression with this one.
The Grade: CSG 9

Reality Check: There's not yet a pop report for CSG stuff -- it's coming -- but there were a number of copies of this card out on the auction block and I grabbed one. The grade feels a bit right as one corner here has some minor flattening to it, so I could see that applying to both corners and surface grades. Everything else looked clean to me but I will be watching how the edges look in comparison to where the footers end on these slabs. There is a very minor spot on this one in one of those areas (only totally visible under a high-magnification loupe) but it was only on one side ... so it's very likely that was on the card when it was graded not caused by the case. The info on the backs of these slabs and the online info -- front and back scans for all cards -- are impressive and apparently will be done on every card as part of their process. I'm sold ... just need a pop report to make things complete here and it's on the way. Based on early stuff on eBay, I think 10s will be toughies here and even 9.5s aren't a given ... so I think it's a standard of scrutiny that's tough but not unrealistic. The corner I spotted as an issue here probably would have been graded lower by one of the two main graders ... but I see it as fine for a 9 but not higher ... so about right.

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EVERYBODY LOVE EVERYBODY (AGAIN!)
The Cards: 2008 Upper Deck Semi-Pro #1 Jackie Moon (Will Ferrell), #2 Ed Monix (Woody Harrelson), #3 Clarence Withers (Andre Benjamin)
The Reason Graded: Months ago (if not longer), I picked up a few of these sets and sent off my best three to BGS and my second-best trio to PSA ... all from both companies ultimately came back as nines. These high-gloss cards were released to help promote the comedy in a pack with a wrapped piece of gum between the cards, so damaged cards are easily found atop of centering, corner issues and errant ink around the border areas with all that white.
The Grade: PSA 9

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Reality Check: I was a little surprised to see so many graded -- I don't think many had been when I sent these off -- but they have been strong sellers at times raw, so any slabs are just bonus gravy. Nothing has graded a 10 here, which is probably not surprising. I like them in slab trios ... I wouldn't break up my team or grade one without the others, though Ferrell is probably the most-popular card here.

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TWO-SPORT THROWBACK
The Card: Ricky Williams 1999 SP Top Prospects #122
The Reason Bought: With the burnt orange of the Texas Longhorns here, you might mistake this for a football card at first, but the "Batavia Muckdogs" label up top should be a reminder that this former Heisman Trophy winner and College Football Hall of Famer also played some minor league baseball in the summer while putting up 1,000-yard seasons in the fall for Texas. Williams was drafted by the Phillies in 1995 out of high school and hit .211 in 170 games over four seasons ... nothing impressive but he was Rule Fived by the Expos and traded to the Rangers to keep his two-sport hopes alive until the NFL came calling. Williams' baseball cards are pretty much novelty items and not all that pricey -- not much of his stuff is, really, no matter the sport -- but I jumped on this one for $5. It'll go with some other two-sporters in my slab stash.
The Grade: BGS 9

Reality Check: It's an older-style slab with its sub-grades on the back but there's really not much to say here ... it's only been topped seven times and nothing for a 10. One thing I need to look at more closely here is the cut -- that top looks exaggeratedly crooked here but the bottom isn't perfectly straight, either, in my admittedly quickly taken and askew photo. But, I do think the card is a smidge off. (Again, for $5 not all that worried ... just thought it was a slightly unique card and it has some appeal.)

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AN ORIGINAL EXPO
The Card: 1969 Topps Jose "Coco" Laboy & Floyd Wicker #524 -- Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: I recently picked this up not because I have some secret Expos affinity or something but because this card just looked really good in both its original form and for its grade ... it actually looks better than that grade to me ... and it was just $12. Laboy is an original Expo -- he played in their first game back in 1969 -- and he was third on the team that year with 18 homers and a team-leading 83 RBI as he finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting. His rookie campaign was basically his only season of note in five summers for Montreal but as I noted up top for Heritage this double-player RC really grabbed my attention.
The Grade: BVG 8

Reality Check: As you probably noticed by the bronze flip, this is an older slab and it's the first copy of this card that was graded. It's so old it has sub-grades -- centering a 7.5 and the rest 8.5s or 9s -- and that reinforces how I think this card is stronger than that mark. This high-number card looks way better than a 7.5 on centering, though this may be one that generally grades pretty well. Only four are higher ... and I still feel like this one could rival a 9.

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SIMPLE DESIGN I'VE ALWAYS LIKED
The Card: Donovan McNabb 1999 Donruss #142 -- Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: As I've noted in a different recent piece where this design got a re-run in recent years, I've always liked this blocky design because it's pretty simple and is a "design" while still showcasing a photo. The Eagles are the closest thing I've had to an NFL team over the years and I generally ripped NFL packs around this time a little more heavily. Why? Hits were flowing pretty well from Donruss stuff back then. Ultimately, though, I jumped here since I liked it for just $7 ... I'm sure the premium prices get slapped on his higher-priced stuff. (Right?)
The Grade: BGS 9

Reality Check: This one checks in at the most-common grade and that feels a bit right as the paper stock here is definitely prone to showcasing nicks with all that color and with soft corners also possible. I ripped a decent amount of this one as it was affordable and the rookie crop was a fun one that year with McNabb, Williams, Tim Couch, Edgerrin James, Daunte Culpepper and Kurt Warner. I pretty much jettisoned a lot of that stuff over the years save for maybe a couple of those names but I can easily be sucked in by some cheap slabs from certain eras and sports.

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OLDSCHOOL PROOF
The Card: Miller Farr 1971 Topps #69 1989 Topps Auction blank-back proof
The Reason Bought: If you're a regular reader here, then you know this is one of a few oldschool proof cards I picked up on the super-cheap ... this was like $2. It's a blank-back card that was sold as one of many lots in the 1989 Topps auction where they sold off important stuff like the 1953 Topps MLB paintings and then a lot of lesser stuff like this.
The Grade: BVG 5

Reality Check: This one is the lowest of the three cards graded here -- it doesn't even check in on the table above -- but it was too cheap to pass on in my mind. Farr played almost a decade in the AFL/NFL for the Broncos, Chargers, Oilers and Cardinals before ending up in the World Football League with the Florida Blazers in 1974 ... all before Buzz's time. His brother is former Lions RB Mel Farr and he's a cousin of Hall of Famer Lem Barney.

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A MEMORABLE THROWBACK
The Card: Frank Thomas 1991 Topps Stadium Club #57
The Reason Bought: It wasn't long ago I wrote about how a dealer used dozens of unopened 1991 Stadium Club packs as filler to complete a box of whatever I had bought in bulk -- yes, packs as filler -- and that got me pondering some slabbing for memorable cards from that first release of The Club. Even pack-fresh cards had plenty of condition issues, though, so that idea seemed like longer-term, "maybe" idea at best. Then, one day this one popped up on the cheap so I just grabbed it instead of thinking about sending one of these in. The price? About $6.
The Grade: PSA 9

Reality Check: As you can see by the pop report, this card is a popular one -- it's not a Rookie Card so it really has no business being slabbed so many times -- but it was a pretty valuable card back in the day when Thomas was dominating early in his Hall of Fame career and Stadium Club was a dominating premium brand ... not filler.

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CURIOSITY GOT ME ...
The Card: Claudia Cardinale 1964 Dutch Gum Series A #95
The Reason Bought: Ever watch a movie or a TV show and then wonder "Does that person have cardboard?" Well, that explains this card being here -- back in the day Buzz used to buy a lot of DVDs when also hunting retail card reloads and groceries at night and Once Upon a Time in the West is a classic Spaghetti Western made by Sergio Leone. I knew the name and I grabbed it from a bargain bin long ago. It starred Cardinale along with Jason Robards, Charles Bronson and Henry Fonda back in 1968. It's no The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (and Clint Eastwood turned this film down), but it's among a few where I've dabbled. A recent re-visiting of it on the tube led to a search of her name for cardboard and here we are.
The Grade: PSA 8

Reality Check: It's not her first card but it's among only a few -- I grabbed her two first cards raw for Buzz Buys at some point -- and they're all mostly in European sets you probably won't stumble upon without some conscious searching. And then there won't be a ton to choose from when you do find them. There's a lot of out there that collectors simply never see even at big shows from the international non-sports realm. Curiosity about the cards got me checking pop reports and this is the only one slabbed with this label (a second is labeled different for the same card) so I grabbed it for around the price of a blaster. Why? Something different in the slab stash ... and I knew the other one probably wouldn't pop up if I passed here.

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REMEMBER ME?
The Card: Danny Ferry 1990-91 NBA Hoops #336 -- Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: You may not believe it based on the looks of this card, but it was kind of a big deal back in the day along with the Duke star's RCs from Fleer and Skybox. Why did I grab this card of the No. 2 pick who ultimately didn't make a huge mark in the league despite a 10-year (7.0 ppg) career? Like Pro Set, these Hoops cards are often atrociously cut with chipped edges and spots all over that silver ink. I was surprised to see this one look really good at that grade and it was only $6 ... slabbing anything for that price ain't happening these days. I also always liked this one better than his other RCs -- Fleer being a Duke action shot with "Duke" Photoshopped out and his Skybox card being a poorly cropped shoulders-up portrait in a suit with a huge Cavs logo behind him -- just an awkward visual. Did I need this? Of course not ... but here we are.
The Grade: PSA 9

Reality Check: One thing I didn't do was check the pop report ... I wouldn't expect many cards to be higher than this one considering the Hoops that I remember but, wow, mine is the worst of just nine copies slabbed.

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FINE FIVES ... GIMME THOSE ALL DAY LONG
The Card: Russ Snyder 1960 Topps #81 -- Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: At a glance, there's nothing wrong with this vintage RC of a guy who finished third in the American League Rookie of the Year race in 1959 and won a World Series ring with the Orioles in 1966 ... and there wasn't much for me to worry about with it being $4, either.
The Grade: PSA 5

Reality Check: It's hard to pass up a low-grade, clean-visuals vintage slab for under $5 if there's any player appeal at all. The 1960 Topps set is a bit funky but it's one I don't mind ... and this card really looks good other than the left-right centering that's not that bad. There's simply some small surface wrinkle here that knocks it down.

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