Making the Grade (April): Cards, comics, DVDs, mags & more

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 ...

SNIKT!
The Book: Wolverine No. 50 (newsstand edition)
The Reason Graded: Back in 1992, Little Buzz was probably nearing the end of his comic book days -- or maybe a little after this one arrived -- but with some connections to a local book store I was able to get comics before they hit those spinner racks that resulted in books getting broken spines like they were Batman up against Bane. (Or something.) And with that era being one of mass-produced stuff that was still very creative on both the art front as well as the printing/gimmick front, I and many others were buying ... in quantity. This issue is one exploring Wolverine's origins and it's got a cardboard cover with his claws the source of the big die-cut gashes here revealing the first page of what's in the file (issue). I bought maybe a half-dozen of them as it was cool -- a few at the local comics shop and a few more at the book store -- and that's the key here. These newsstand versions -- same except for the UPC in the corner and not a marvel direct logo (that started in 1981) filling the box -- figure to be much, much rarer in a high grade.
The Grade: CGC 9.8 (Universal)

Reality Check: This one was a win but I expected it as my copies here are razor sharp. How many of those graded might be newsstand copies? It's a mystery right now but asking prices on eBay as I prep this file are as high as $500 for a newsstand copy while a direct has a max asking of $299. Actual sales for 9.8s in recent weeks? About $320 for newsstand and $85 for direct. I'll take that ... I'm in for just $2.50 (though I may have gotten a discount) and my grading fees. Most "serious" collectors bought at comics shops in the boom years, seeing newsstand is inferior with those barcodes ... now those barcodes are gold as long as you're in an elite grade.

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

IT'S TIFFY TIME!
The Card: Tiffany Stratton 2022 Panini Prizm WWE Premium Box Set (/199) -- Rookie Card parallel
The Reason Graded: This one is fresh off the truck and a new addition to my stash just in time for WrestleMania and she's a big name new to the WWE roster who figures to have some big things happening soon ... and that's why I submitted a few cards I've had stacked up with an eye on grading. (I'd show more but this month's piece was basically complete when my new slabs arrived with some bangers like this one -- look for more next time and in the coming months.)
The Grade: CGC 10 Pristine

Reality Check: This is the top mark possible from CGC now, and I'll definitely take it as this one, while not super-rare (/199), might be a tough grade with all that texture being prime for pattern breaks, though those might not look as rough as, say, some old-time X-fractor lines. Of all Stratton's cards in Prizm, this one has been (so far) graded the most by CGC -- and it's also the only Pristine so far, too.

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AMONG MY FIRST ... BUT WON'T BE THE LAST
The Movie: Major League (1989) -- 2007 "Wild Thing Edition" with turf slipcover
The Reason Graded: You'll see more of Major League later on in this edition of MTG ... but this is a new addition for me so I added it right here right now. Why? It's baseball season and this is the movie that should start a year if you ask me. When I found out that CGC finally started grading home video -- VHS, DVDs and more -- I poked around and grabbed a handful of sealed DVDs with an eye on slabbing. This one? It cost me $10 and I grabbed it with no hesitation. Why? I prefer smaller and lighter DVD slabs and I'm way more of a DVD fan in general than VHS, despite being around for both -- VHS since the early 1980s (via video rental stores at first) and then a DVD devotee since about 2001. This film is a favorite -- and I've owned it in a few formats -- but this one is a classic with an epic packaging approach. This is an edition that was the first DVD with some extras and it was a first-day buy, a hunt-it-down no-brainer back then. (It took a few stores but it was a Best Buy find for sure.) Forget the alternative asset yada yada yada spiel of some -- with this packaging I knew I needed it in a slab. It's pure gimmck but I dig it and I wanted to preserve a copy.
The Grade: CGC 9.2 (A+ seal)

Reality Check: I don't think there's a CGC Home Video pop report just yet -- I didn't see it* -- but this was a cool return as I'm fine with nines and up. The cardboard and AstroTurf-style sleeve with shrink-wrap over it makes this one a little more fragile than some DVDs and that prickly surface likely makes for some problem spots for the plastic but this one looked clean but not 100-percent perfect to my nit-picking eye ... but I was slabbing it no matter what.

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BADASSERY IN BLUE
The Card: Rhea Ripley 2020 Topps Finest WWE Blue Refractor (/150) -- Rookie Card parallel
The Reason Bought: Forget The Rock, Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes, the biggest stars with cardboard upside in WWE right now due to dominant showings and plenty of time left in the ring are on the women's side of things if you ask me. This Australian star and women's world champ heading into WrestleMania is just 27 but has been in the game as a pro since 2014 (do the math) and with WWE since 2017. Her earliest cardboard (a gaming card) dropped in 2019 with her Rookie Cards (and everything else) arriving in 2020 and I've been buying off and on since ... though I should have been buying the whole time. Her look as evolved a lot since this time but she remains a destroyer of Divas (and everybody else) but I've tried to focus on RCs from a few brands, especially the best one if you're a regular Buzz Buys reader.
The Grade: PSA 9

Reality Check: This one presented itself perhaps cheaper than it should have been, so I bit with ease for less (far less) than what a box of this one would cost these days with no guarantees of her being in there, let alone a parallel. Her RCs all have slightly different looks for her gear -- and especially the hair -- so some I think work better than others in terms of appeal vs. the here and now. Because of that I really only made sure to grab her auto from nearly all releases that year and you'll see more of her here on that front this year. I guarantee that.

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A MiLB MOMENT
The Card: Michael Harris II 2021 Topps Heritage Minor League
The Reason Bought: Buzz is a big fan of MiLB cards in packs -- too bad card-makers aren't, but the reality is that they can't compete with MLB prospect releases -- and I especially like them when it's a top name with a uni that's perhaps a nod to the home team. This one? It's got most of that, though the Rome Braves' stuff definitely doesn't evoke Atlanta so that doesn't help some of the appeal. What did work for me? A bargain price ... less than it would have cost to grade this one from PSA with no guarantees of landing a 10 with this release being a bit funky on the stock/cutting part of it all.
The Grade: PSA 10

Reality Check: The funk apparently doesn't deter some bulk-submitters here with that overall number seemingly high for a MiLB card and most checking in at the top grade. Works for me.

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THE ROCK IS COOKING WOLFF ...
The Card: Frank Wolff (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) 2023 Kakawow Disney 100 Silver parallel
The Reason Bought: The Rock has cardboard in the football realm, non-sports realm and, of course, the wrestling ring, but this newer release is I believe his first time on officially licensed Disney cardboard and since this import was so popular I made sure to track down a parallel in slabbed form just to check it off the list. (I won't be busting any packs or boxes from the realm unless I happen upon some on the cheap ... just not as into animation as much as celebs in this set so that means there's a chance you could see more from this one at some point here. Nothing yet but it's possible.)
The Grade: PSA 9

Reality Check: The price on this was modest so I bit, but I did get a dose of the possible bummers here with PSA doing so much volume in its grading. This card has a pretty big fingernail indention line across the card back ... no way in my mind would that grade a nine but it is what it is. I can cross this one off.

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IT'S TIFFY TIME ... AND SHE'S DELIVERING
The Card: Tiffany Stratton 2023 Panini Select WWE Silver parallel
The Reason Bought: This newcomer has made her main-roster arrival with zero wrestling experience other than her time in NXT but you'd never know it from all of the variables -- her character, her look, her promos, her in-ring work is all there. "The Center Of The Universe" has arrived and literally could (should) be a champion this year. The 24-year-old former gymnast has been in about 75 WWE matches since 2021 but just four pay-per-view matches -- check out some of the highlights from that one. After that, check out this one. She's delivering and confident -- and this old promo is gold, too. As for her cardboard, she arrived in 2022 Panini releases for her RCs -- nothing before -- and her certified autos are in some 2023 releases. I've been buying since the start since there weren't too many sets that had her but this card from her second year has been on my radar.
The Grade: PSA 9

Reality Check: This is her only appearance in Select other than an autograph and it's in the rarer Mezzanine tier -- so parallels are even tougher here. I grabbed this one outright rather than sub a standard version as I don't think this brand's the easiest to grade, especially for this tier. Stratton could be a major player in WWE for years ... Tiffy Time is now.

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HIS BLEEPING SLAB
The Card: David Ortiz 2017 Topps Finest Careers Die-cut
The Reason Bought: I spotted this one for less than $20 during a search for Ortiz stuff with this exact moment in mind -- the Boston Strong flagship variant from 2013 is way, way too pricey for my casual collecting -- and I've only seen this photo used a couple other times. Given the grade, this was a no-brainer -- plus these were only found two per case.
The Grade: CGC 10 (Pristine)

Reality Check: This was my first in-hand look at the premium label for a Pristine 10 -- I think it's fine but I don't think it's necessary -- but when I went to check the pop report for the set this one oddly didn't come up. I'm sure it's fine just a glitch in the entries -- the card itself does show up with its confirmation scans.

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A CHEAP CLASSIC
The Card: Julio Rodriguez 2022 Topps Heritage High Number -- "Rookie Card"
The Reason Bought: While the 2021 Bowman checklist errors deny this one its RC status by definition, this is arguably my favorite of his 2022 cards with its oldschool pose and simplicity that makes the 1973 design look good. (That didn't always happen.) There are challenges here when it comes to grading -- mostly on the backs but the corners, centering and front surface can also need looks -- but I dig it. I subbed one of my first copies pulled and landed a 10 here but the price was right to add another ... and I will probably do more if they present themselves. Again, I dig this card.
The Grade: CSG 9

Reality Check: The spread of grades here looks like this one does have its challenges for an elite grade. I dig that, too.

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A VERY NICE SURPRISE
The Book: Spider-Man (1990) No. 1
The Reason Graded: I put my only copy of this into a recent sub and this was among my nicest of surprises. Why? I wasn't the first owner of this issue (though I've owned it forever) as this one dropped before I regularly started dabbling with comics. This cover from Todd McFarlane is among his most-iconic pieces of all time and his work here arguably helps define an era where the artists and their creativity spawned all kinds of change in the industry. I was in the game for when the 13th issue of this newer title arrived with this same look back then but with the black Spider-Man suit ... so at that time I went back and found this one either by trade or grabbed it at a shop. It's not a slab I did for newsstand version purposes -- I just like it.
The Grade: CGC 9.8 (Universal)

Reality Check: I like it even more in this grade -- it makes it about $150-ish on the high side of things -- but with the overall volume here lesser marks can get cheaper fast. (And it can be volatile anyway as a heavily graded 9.8.) What is interesting here is the volume of 9.9 and 10 copies for this book -- unless CGC recently changed its scale (I don't think they did) those kinds of numbers are absolutely insane. With this result, I need to dig out my second and third prints here (they're cool, too) as well as my No. 13s to have a slab for each.

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THE HUMAN RED BULL
The Card: Thea Hail 2023 Panini Prizm WWE Blue Wave -- Rookie Card parallel
The Reason Bought: There aren't as many legit Rookie Cards in 2023 WWE sets since the 2022s went so deep -- especially with no 2023 NXT set -- but this newcomer is a hilariously skilled one and worth the look. The character? A high-energy cheerleader -- think too much Red Bull then add another 12 pack and envision her being an Ultimate Warrior fan -- for a faction called Chase U. It's heavy schtick but she's only 20 and already has a lot of experience being in NXT since late 2021. Check out this match ... and this promo I noted earlier for Stratton.
The Grade: PSA 9

Reality Check: I landed this one for less than it would cost to grade here and that's fine by me -- I also like the low pop report. I am not heavily adding her cards but I should be looking more than I am. I don't think she's at a Stratton level but in some ways could easily have a successful future after graduation from Chase U, err, NXT.

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A VINTAGE FAVORITE
The Card: John Johnson 1979-80 Topps
The Reason Bought: I've written about it before here and there but this vintage card is pretty much perfection with that image for that era -- and with school ties for me it's also getting a look any time it pops up with a high grade and a modest price. Simple as that.
The Grade: PSA 9

Reality Check: I know I own at least one or two other copies of this one in a slab -- they've been seen here so they're in the archives -- but with only two 10s (and those will be pricey) I'll focus on this mark when they present themselves without a crazy price tag.

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FROM OLDSCHOOL FILM
The Card: Claudia Cardinale 1960 Leaf Sales Confectionery Film Stars
The Reason Bought: Another buy from the vintage realm, this is an international film star of the 1960s, who, to me, defines that time to a degree with just a couple roles here and there. (Pop around the archives and you'll see more on that, including this one as a raw Buzz Buys item.) I grabbed this on a recent kick -- you'll see this name more in 2024 -- among a few other items just for the heck of it.
The Grade: PSA 5

Reality Check: One reason I picked up this is that it presents way better than a PSA 5 (top corners probably got it the five) and this international kind of cardboard isn't one that you'll spot heavily at a local show or shop. Secondly, with only two graded that also meant if I passed on this I probably wouldn't see it again ... and the owner of that PSA 8 wants $130 on eBay -- that's too much for my casual buying. (I'll dabble in the vintage celeb card realm but I'm not all-in like that.)

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REMEMBER ME? I'M 35 ...
The Card: Billy Ripken 1989 Fleer Black Box (final correction)
The Reason Bought: This is the last of the several correction attempts at covering up what made this card infamous back in the day -- the bat knob had a bad word written on it -- and it remains a classic in all forms, though this one isn't a pricey one. It is popular, though, so that's why I grabbed it slabbed ... even though this grade is low. (The price was even lower.) I own a couple slabbed copies of the error that you can find here in the archives -- I pulled them from the same box -- but never bothered with any of the other versions for slabs. On the cheap it was an easy pick-up and I didn't need anything higher (grade or price) at the moment. Also ... this card turns 35 this year ... and it remains an enigmatic one with less than a handful of comparable cards out there with similar controversial issues.
The Grade: CSG 8.5

Reality Check: The pop report here is crazy -- that's a lot of copies graded for this version -- and the volume of higher grades is at about 10 percent of the total, which is low and not a surprise given this set's quirky and messy printing.

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YOU CAN'T SEE THIS DEBUT
The Mag: John Cena -- WWE Raw Magazine, April 2003 -- first WWE magazine cover
The Reason Graded: This recently subbed copy of mine checked in between the one I don't own and the one you have seen here previously. Why? Just like my label notes, this is his first cover for a WWE publication and back then the company pumped out a ton of magazines ... which are officially licensed memorabilia, too, just like his cards.
The Grade: CGC 9.0 (Universal)

Reality Check: These are tough-sledding for grading if you ask me with light and fibery paper that can bend easily, heavy gloss and then staples and inner inclusions such as posters or merchandise catalogs that were made to be torn out. These are findable for sure ... but in good shape? Very hit and miss. Cena is easily one of the WWE's biggest names ever -- and he's a player in entertainment -- so an item like this is key just a couple decades later.

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CHROME COOLNESS
The Card: Ozzie Albies 2018 Topps Chrome Update -- Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: Go look at the stat sheet and you might see numbers that surprise you for 27-year-old MLB veteran who will be in his eighth campaign this year. He's averaged 27 homers per 162 games for his career, is a three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger winner for a team stacked with talent ... and he's overlooked as his cards are cheap.
The Grade: CSG 9.5 (now 10)

Reality Check: I didn't open a boatload of Chrome Update -- enough to land a Ronald Acuña Jr. RC that's slabbed and tucked away in my stash -- but when I spotted this 10 (that would be a 10 now if re-submitted) just under $10 I grabbed it with no hesitation. I also like the look here as it's not the photo used on his other cards.

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A NOD TO THE PAST
The Mag: Pamela Anderson -- Details, October 1998 (newsstand edition)
The Reason Graded: I mentioned this raw pick-up in a Buzz Buy long ago -- so dig into the archives for all the details then -- and only recently worked this one into a recent mags grading sub. Why? It's a 1990s icon emulating a 1970s icon here -- the famous poster made Farrah Fawcett almost a half-million bucks back in the day from its sales -- with the original having a place in the Smithsonian. (Really.) While Anderson has a bunch of card appearances in the past as well as a ton of magazine covers the duality of this one helped it make the cut with me for slabbing. Interestingly the subscriber copy of this has a dramatically different look with almost all of those blurbs dumped -- at some point I'll probably track that one down to slab, too. (Collect 'em all!)
The Grade: CGC 9.2 (Universal)

Reality Check: Only two copies have been slabbed -- check out the eBay asking price on the other one. Not bad. Since finding high-grade magazines isn't easy and there aren't tons of slabs, the asking prices can be interesting.

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NEWSSTAND POWER
The Book: X-Force (1991) No. 7 (newsstand edition)
The Reason Graded: This was a good year for comics with the Jim Lee X-Men launch and the arrival of Rob Liefeld's X-Force among others, and the series was one where I did about the first 25 issues or so -- which was more than others. At those cover prices -- yes, that says $1.25 -- it was all easy sledding. This particular cover is one I always liked with Cable protecting two other key characters but the key here, once again, is that barcode. How many of the 107 slabs below are newsstand? No idea ... how about newsstand 9.8s? It can't be too many ... right? (The cool kids bought their books at comics shops ... and a lot of newsstand copies got Batman-Bane treatment like I mentioned earlier.)
The Grade: CGC 9.8 (Universal)

Reality Check: The one checked in exactly where I had hoped -- and expected, really -- but there aren't any recent eBay slab sales to go on here. Direct copies have sold for about $50 and have asking prices around $75 ... but none on either front for a newsstand copy.

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A GAMING NOD
The Card: Paige 2015 Topps Heritage WWE 2K16 insert card
The Reason Bought: This RC-year insert for a key name in wrestling since the NXT years was one that I'd pondered slabbing myself but it never was a high-priority card. When I spotted this one in the wild for less than it would cost to grade one, though, it was a no-brainer. (How can that happen? A submitter already came out ahead selling other cards in a sub so anything is gravy. Or that's at least one scenario.) I think I grabbed this and some other cards at the same, making it a convenient pick-up, too.
The Grade: CSG 9.5

Reality Check: I was a little surprised by the volume of cards graded here as she does have better stuff from 2014 and 2015 that would be worth a grading look in my mind. The spread of grades also show how this set's stuff can have issues ... and it's mostly the backs here as that stock is chippy and the color is bold to show flaws easily.

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NEWSSTAND POWER II
The Book: X-Men (1991) No. 5 (newsstand edition)
The Reason Graded: This series was super popular back then and the artist, Jim Lee, is distinct and legendary now ... but I just liked other characters and other series back then more. I only picked up one copy of this one and I only did about the first 15 issues of this series but some key characters popped up in there like Omega Red. Again, the key here? Newsstand issue. High eBay asking price for this one? A cool $499. Direct? Just $320. Both are high. Actual high sales? A cool $220 newsstand and about $140 direct. Since there was plenty made during this timeframe, there's a lot of volatility for slabs and a lot of potential for more to come ... but I'd only slab newsstands that look elite, though this one does seem to sell well for both versions.
The Grade: CGC 9.8 (Universal)

Reality Check: The numbers are pretty strong here, though not first-issue lofty. Maybe there's some power in that debut of Maverick here? (Admittedly, I don't remember much there.) Over the long run, I may try to grade the first 10 or so issues for this series ... it's one that defines those times for sure.

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BE KIND ... REWIND
The Movie: Major League (1989) -- 1990 slipcover VHS
The Reason Bought: I picked this one up recently when the asking price dropped, despite it checking in a little lower than I'd prefer (eights and up are great on VHS). Why grab it? Just so I could Rachel Phelps it and cross it off so I could stop thinking about adding it. Grading fees have dropped some since I first dabbled there -- no-subs grading is now cheaper -- but I figured I'd just grab this vs. try to find one and then do the spend for subbing and shipping both ways. Plus, to be honest, this grade still looks pretty strong ... it's just small things that dropped it down a little. With CGC recently making a home video grading push, I'll dabble with some other favorites there this year.
The Grade: BVHS 7.5 (grade-A seal) with subgrades -- Corners 9, Edges 7, Flaps 8.5, Gloss 7.5

Reality Check: I still don't think there's a pop report on this front -- I didn't see it -- and it's been a while since my one (only) sub here in a past MTG. These cases are clearer than they look ... it's just not that easy to photograph them with their size and all of that reflecting plastic.

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AWARD-WIENER
The Card: Oscar Wiener 2023 Topps Garbage Pail Kids Not-scars (announced /2,066)
The Reason Bought: Everything Everywhere All at Once cleaned up at the Oscars and some of the oddities from that one are seen here with the famed hot dog hands scene part of the name and visual here. The "b" version name is Everything Evelyn ... which also makes sense. As I mentioned in previous MTGs, I found a few of these on the cheap and that made them easy grabs just for fun pop culture filler slabs, though these being a little rarer as online-release cards vs. in-pack stuff. I've slabbed a bunch of non-sports so far this year so you'll see more fun and oddball slabs here in the coming months ... to me that stuff is becoming more and more of a look vs. heavily produced and slabbed stuff in the sports realm ... at least for the usual suspects.
The Grade: PSA 9

Reality Check: This one had better centering than others I found, so the grade is a bit higher. No worries for that front from me -- tt's a wiener, err winner.

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MINI POWER
The Card: Ronald Acuña Jr. 2020 Topps 206
The Reason Graded: I'm a sucker for minis and this one also jumped out at me with its simplicity ... but this, too, was obscenely cheap I had to rescue it ... under $5. Somebody was just giving stuff away ... so I bit.
The Grade: CSG 9

Reality Check: The split among the half-dozen makes sense with it being a traditional cardboard stock. Over time, stuff like this that was sold online and is likely to not have the volume of other cards made -- especially today -- could be tougher to find ... if collectors are still looking. We'll see.

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