Making the Grade (Dec.): Juan Soto, The Mask, Tua, Penny, LeBron, Shotzi, JFK, MJ, Mariah May, Machete & much 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 ...

STRONG SEASON ... WHAT'S NEXT?
The Card: Juan Soto 2018 Topps 582 Montgomery Club Set 1 -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: A big season that came up short of the goal ... but now it's time for a historic payday while still in his mid-20s. Soto's Rookie Cards (2018) aren't all that rare, really, but there's a lot of demand -- but they still might be good buys depending on where he goes next. (Mets? Watch out.) All those thoughts were in mind when I popped this one into a submission earlier this year along with other key names from this small set for Club members. It's not a traditional RC since it's from a small set, but it's still a good Soto to me ... so I slabbed it.
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: Top grade of a small volume works for me. I'm sure there will be more and I'm sure the pops are higher elsewhere, but the range of the grades here shows it might not be the easiest kind of card to grade thanks to that retro stock.

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

FLASHY THROWBACK
The Card: LeBron James 2014-15 Panini Prizm Red White & Blue Pulsar Prizms
The Reason Graded: The NBA season is here and, while I'm ultimately retired or, at best, rarely casual about ripping into new boxes, I do have a lot of past stuff to consider for slabbing. This is one of those cases, though the dollars attached to it can ebb and flow. I liked the simplicity and the proper crop here for a look that fills the card and is still a respectable image. Newer stuff would likely be a pulled-back full-body image and to me that just doesn't lend itself to stronger cards. All that goes into why this is here.
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: Pop one surprised me with this as it's a relatively valuable card as a parallel ... but 10 and a top pop is fine for me.

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MACHETE DON'T MISS
The Card: Danny Trejo as Machete ("Machete Takes Aim") 2013 Geekroom Machete (announced /300 sets)
The Reason Graded: This set is a cool one and it's pretty rare at just 300 announced sets made. Years ago, a reserve of these was on eBay and I loaded up on sets (maybe around 15-20) on the total cheap as I liked the simple, grungy, B-movie throwback appeal and the satire/commentary found within the Robert Rodriguez movie. The cast is loaded and I need to dig out my sets as some asking prices here can be impressive for standard cardboard. Because of that I graded a couple cards and this is the first to be seen here -- I'll have one more soon and likely even more later.
The Grade: CGC 10 (Pristine)

Reality Check: As good as it gets with a first sub on a strong visual card. Here's hoping I have similar success with my future subs.

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SERIAL APE-IST 2!
The Card: Kaley Cuoco as Penny ("Hairy Performance") 2016 Cryptozoic The Big Bang Theory Seasons 6-7
The Reason Bought: Penny's few roles are a bit of a running storyline (see it all here) though a few seasons in the life of this hit series. This nod to Serial Ape-ist 2: Monkey See, Monkey Kill in cardboard form always struck me as a potentially funny slab ... and there are many moments I wouldn't mind grading here in a few of the sets. Why? The novelty of the memorable moment and a good grade, but anything less might be a bummer for the price even on a bulk sub. It's not a rare card but putting together a half-dozen moments can be the start of a collection. You'll see more of this series here -- though not necessarily on base cards -- in the coming months. At least one of her co-stars is in grading hands right now.
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: Lone graded wasn't a surprise to this collector. The surprise would be if others start doing the same ... I'm weird like that with slabbing and collecting. (Don't worry ... one of my money slabs in the future will be from Big Bang.)

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BICENTENNIAL BUY
The Coin: 1976 John F. Kennedy U.S. half-dollar proof (1776-1976 S CLAD 50C)
The Reason Bought: It was this time last year (when I was waiting for some card submissions to come back) that I added some non-traditional slabs into my lineups here and this is one of a couple of recent grabs from the coin realm that I figured I'd add as a nod that, yes, they exist, but, no, I'm not actively going there. Why? The grading scale and all of the quirks vs. the realities of what you see in a slab are, well, a lot of different than cards ... but not a lot of obviously different to me. (I'm not even a coin newb.) When I was a kid, I always liked the look and feel of these 50-cent pieces and this one having the bicentennial noted (we're coming up on 250) always struck me as different.
The Grade: NGC PF 69 Cameo

Reality Check: My grade isn't the top mark but that apparently doesn't exist. This coin is from a proof set -- that may or may not make a difference I don't know but the PF notation does mean a different pop -- and the cameo notation is only for proofs and it notes that "the fields are deeply mirrored and the devices are frosted for moderate contrast on both sides of the coins." In other words, it looks good ... but not ultra good as that's a different notation. (This one is so crisp you can actually see the reflection of the lettering off the inside of the case back onto the coin in my photo.) There are also stars and pluses as part of grades and other terms, but I'm not all that sure how it may or may not affect values. I landed this for $19.99 shipped -- yes that's high for a 50-cent piece but not for a slabbed one in a higher grade. The volumes on this are pretty high -- or seem that way -- so ultimately, to me, this is all eye-of-beholder stuff. To me, more modern coins are all about appeal vs. price and then novelty ... so once I cross something off from a group or type, then I won't need others ... there's just not enough dramatically different reasons to chase a lot. But, I'll dabble. An added feature here? NGC also does slabs with images and facsimile signatures from time to time like this one for an extra quirk for people to collect.

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CONVENTION COMMEMORATIVE
The Card: Derrick Thomas 1992 Pro Line Profiles National Convention parallel
The Reason Graded: This was one of nine Profile cards for Thomas that helped tell his life story on and off the field in this unusual but still very unique set of the past. This one tells the story of his dad who was killed in the Vietnam War when he was young. I grabbed this as the stamping on the bottom corner notes that it's from a rarer parallel version of the set from a past National Sports Collectors Convention.
The Grade: CGC 9.5

Reality Check: The stock here is risky with surface scuffs and edge chipping on the backs but this card looked really, really strong on COMC ... so I grabbed and slabbed it there earlier this year. Ultimately that slight spot on the bottom left corner likely denied me a 10 but that's fine as this was more just a strong story slab for my collection -- and, of course, one for the school ties part of the stash.

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ICONIC FIRST
The Card: Michael Jordan 1990-91 Skybox
The Reason Bought: This is one of those cards from the past that can mean money if you defy the odds and land a top, top mark here as the stock, its colors and the centering can all be messy and prevent that easily and consistently. Don't believe me? Look at the numbers below -- it's heavily graded -- and only 5.6 percent of cards landed a 10. This copy is very clean but that pair of slightly spotted corners knocked this down to a nine ... and that might still be nice but corners can routinely look a lot worse here and that metallic ink can wear off, too.
The Grade: CSG 9

Reality Check: What was my reason for grabbing this? It was less than $10. I've had one I pondered submitting on my own that might be better in some ways (corners) but not necessarily others (centering) so I called it a day and just added this.

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THE CHAMP IS HERE
The Card: Mariah May 2022 UD AEW New Arrivals (online set started in 2022, this card in 2023)
The Reason Graded: There's a little bit of confusion with this slab -- the set started in 2022 and she debuted in late 2023 -- but that all took a back seat to the reality that this was her only AEW card appearance going deep into 2024. At the point when I grabbed this off COMC and then slabbed it, she had nothing else to collect and because of that and her dynamic first year filled with twists, turns, blood, controversy and championships that meant dollars. She does have a handful (a small number) of previous card-like options from some time with Stardom in Japan and then in the 2024 AEW flagship set that arrived not that long ago, but there will still be more to come.
The Grade: CGC 9

Reality Check: I'll admit I was bummed with a nine but not that surprised, either, as the standard stock on some of these online-released singles can have simple issues that can hinder grading. I'm fine as I didn't slab for cash but this card has one that's sold for as much as $60 recently on eBay (raw) ... so a top grade would be a big deal. Her other AEW stuff will get more of the "Rookie Card" attention, but this one was first.

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BIG GAME, BIG TICKET
The Ticket: Alabama vs. Clemson 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship ticket (Type 1 Saguaro Cacti)
The Reason Bought: With the Nick Saban era over, a checklist for his biggest games is now complete when it comes to tickets and slabs ... while I'm not going there as a completist or even a high-grade run, I have had my eye on a few but have been picky for price. While the one I want most (casually) hasn't presented itself on the cheap, this lower-grade copy of one national title win did surface on the cheap so I bit.
The Grade: PSA 7

Reality Check: Seven is a little ratty -- there are issues here on the bottom edge -- but since it's firmly in the case (a funky case I will admit) and does not move around that damage kind of blends in some with the rail it's against, so I'll survive. Honestly, the size of the case for this oversized ticket and the empty gap up top is more of as drawback for its appeal than that. At the same time, this was still an easy add for the price of a new Chrome blaster out in the retail wild.

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COMPLETE SIG
The Card: Shotzi Blackheart 2020 Topps NXT Roster Autographs Blue (/50)
The Reason Graded: I've graded almost every copy of her auto cards from this one that I own -- and there will be more to come -- but this parallel easily made it into a set because of its full and big autograph that shows every stroke of the pen for her sig very well. This had to have been early in the batch of stuff signed at what was probably her first bulk-signing session for WWE as her auto has changed a lot since this. That's a reason this auto card is a favorite of mine.
The Grade: CSG 9.5

Reality Check: The painted design here has a lot of quirks that can look like flaws but really the only issue here is a slightly bumped bottom right corner that looks worse than it really is thanks to all that blue ink. Everything else here is really clean but even with that bummer I was slabbing this one no matter what for the auto. This is the highest-graded copy here ... and I think the other one is mine sitting in one of my boxes somewhere. (Someday, I'll get organized.)

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EARLY CARDBOARD
The Card: Cameron Diaz as Tina Carlyle ("Tina!" is card's title) 1994 Cardz The Mask
The Reason Graded: This is my second card from her debut in this film and set ... so here's what I said last time. I'm not sure if you noticed it -- I hadn't -- but Diaz has ultimately been retired for the last decade with no acting credits on IMDb past 2014 ... but she'll be arriving back on the scene next year with at least one project and maybe more. The first, though? This movie working across from Jim Carrey back in 1994. This set is findable and affordable and it's simple with no gloss and no foil ... and it's just cards with full-bleed scenes from the classic based on a comic book. Rookie Cards? Likely, though I just like to call stuff "early" ... and she has several appearances in this set.
The Grade: CGC 9.5

Reality Check: I've slabbed more than one card here -- two cards with solo images (there are no main character cards) -- and intend to do more as it would be nice to land a 10 or a perfect 10 for a big 1990s-2000s name. At the same time, the simplicity of these cards might not make a top mark an easy thing. I'm 2-for-2 landing a 9.5, though.

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FLASHY UNCERTAINTY
The Card: Tua Tagovailoa 2020 Panini Select -- Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: He's back on the field as I prep this, so that's good, but I was grabbing affordable slabs here for my school ties part of my collection and this Alabana guy is easily among the top younger go-to names for me as long as they're affordable. This was, so it's here, and I liked it since it was an Optichrome-stock RC. That said, I think I like parallels more when it comes to how they look.
The Grade: CSG 9

Reality Check: Check out that volume ... that's crazy, but it shows how these can be hit (10) or miss (nine) often with some deep surprises, too. Those stats tell me to not dabble with raw singles as things could get sloppy in sets like this in recent years and that others may have slabbed a lot ... on popular names it's best to be patient and shop among the already-slabbed cards.

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HIGH-END DIP
The Card: Bo Bichette 2023 Topps Definitive Collection Definitive Jumbo Relic Collection (/40)
The Reason Bought: I landed this one already graded for about $10 -- a no-brainer -- as it is from a premium brand that I won't be ripping into and it's featuring a player I collect relatively often. This is an example where I'd dip under a nine -- those reasons mentioned -- plus the fact that memorabilia cards are just a different animal when it comes to grading. A nine is an elite grade with mem cards if you ask me.
The Grade: BGS 8.5

Reality Check: Lone copy graded ... top pop. I'm not sure that many others from the 39 remaining might get slabbed, either.

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CLASSIC COLOR
The Card: Marsha Attacks! 2023 Topps Garbage Pail Kids Intergoolactic Mayhem Booger Green parallel
The Reason Graded: This nod to Mars Attacks, a Topps property that became a film and a franchise on its own beyond cards, was an easy grab for a novelty slab in my book. It's one of many self-parody cards on this front and a nicely crafted Kids creation that's a nod to this scene (part one ... part two) Only this time it's a GPK or two and not an alien -- and the parallel color was perfect. 
The Grade: CGC 9

Reality Check: I'm fine with nines but, of course, higher marks are better on what are novelty slabs. This one's not pricey, I just appreciate the nod to something else in pop culture. Good name, too.

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A VINTAGE FAVORITE
The Card: Birdie's Young Sluggers (Ed Bailey, Birdie Tebbets, Frank Robinson) 1958 Topps
The Reason Bought: I landed my first copy of this one as a kid back in probably 1989 or so, and I know I have at least a couple more slabbed and a few raw copies that I'd ponder slabbing. Why? It's just a classic combo card showing a Hall of Famer in his second season ... I dig it on the cheap.
The Grade: PSA 5

Reality Check: Why did I go here? This mid-grade card looks really, really good for a five and it cost me only about $25 shipped to land it, which is around half of what asking prices are for stuff around this mark.

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DOWN ON THE FARM
The Card: Julio Rodriguez 2019 Topps Heritage Minor League
The Reason Bought: J-Rod's Heritage debut is this 1970 reboot while down on the farm, and I think I'm going to be doing a small run of him on all cards from this brand since he's available, affordable and should be around for a while with that contract in Seattle.
The Grade: PSA 9

Reality Check: Most PSA copies here check in at 10 -- should they? -- but the spread shows how there can be surprises with this stock and this ink color. I'm fine with nines and this one's price made it an easy grab, too, as it was $9.99.

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HIGH-GRADE DEBUT
The Card: Nick Swisher 2002 Upper Deck Prospect Premieres (jersey card)
The Reason Bought: This is this former first-round pick's only card in this set -- it was a tiered set with some players having memorabilia cards and some having autographs -- and it was an easy, easy pick-up at less than $5. I'd take all of them at that price as this set, while easily found back in the day, has dried up a lot if you ask me now vs. other releases from that year. Why? Well, with an auto and a mem card in all boxes there's a relative cap to how much was made, though nothing was serial-numbered. There are about 25 jersey cards and a dozen autos here
The Grade: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: I suspect many of these cards were probably graded around the time of arrival as his Bowman stuff also arrived in 2002 and both were well before his MLB debut in late 2004. By then there would have been plenty of other options to slab and grading of memorabilia cards isn't going to yield top marks as much as other card types. This was a big win for me as he's my player and this is a grade probably not beatable. (Marks are on the front of the case not the card.)

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GETTING A PUSH
The Card: Anna Jay 2022 UD Allure AEW Black Rainbow parallel
The Reason Graded: She's back in the fold in AEW after some time working in Japan and since she's a homegrown AEW talent there's not a boatload of cards for her other than the basic releases. Her 2021 stuff has much, much more of a rookie look with her gear and look, while the newer stuff shows her with more time in the ring and a little more presence vs. the rookie stuff. This set's simplicity and tiers atop of a bunch of parallels has had me picking off cards here and there. This one was among a few parallels that made the cut for grading.
The Grade: CGC 9.5

Reality Check: It's not a rarer find or a pricey card ... just one I like from her Dark Order days. No surprise it's a lone grade -- and it might stay that way as it's not a RC, either. That stuff would probably get graded first as she emerges more and more as a key player for AEW.

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FORGOTTEN ROOKIE ITEM
The Card: Randall Cunningham & Ralf Mojsiejenko 1987 Topps Stickers -- RC-year sticker for Cunningham
The Reason Bought: Cunningham was who I collected heavily back when I first got into football cards and this was a card (sticker) that I never saw back then. (Where I lived, we only got MLB stickers if at all.) Since I didn't have any to ponder grading on my own -- and stickers can be, well, sticky situations when it comes to grading issues -- I just grabbed this already-graded lower-rent copy because it was super cheap.
The Grade: PSA 7

Reality Check: It's a filler slab for me -- though I'm not sweating finding a top-grade copy -- and look at that range of grades. That's nutty ... and several check in lower than mine.

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RETRO FLASH
The Card: Bo Bichette 2021 Topps Heritage Chrome Refractors (/572)
The Reason Bought: I know I likely already have this one raw, but it was too cheap to pass up -- just $7.50 -- so I bit with little hesitation. Why? Nines are fine ... though that bottom left corner looks a little dirty. That's easily what made it a nine but overall this card still looks very nice, especially for that price.
The Grade: PSA 9

Reality Check: This volume is surprising. I truly expected 10 times as much to be graded here. Makes the price even better.

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TANK GIRL ... WITH TEXTURE
The Card: Shotzi Blackheart 2022 Panini Prizm WWE Premium Box Set Prizm parallel (/199)
The Reason Bought: I'm not that big of a fan of a lot of the horizontal photos in this debut set at all -- many are cropped too distantly -- but this one is better and a top collecting target of mine. Most of my subs for cards here (not that many) have been for Rookie Cards as there are a ton of notables on the checklist but I grabbed this for the traditional price of a blaster box instead of chasing and slabbing on my own.
The Grade: PSA 9

Reality Check: Nines are fine -- and that seven serves as a reminder that top grades in Prizm aren't always a given.

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A CLEAN THROWBACK
The Card: John David Crow 1960 Mayrose Franks
The Reason Graded: Eleven members of the NFL's St. Louis Cardinals made it into this set, which is plastic coated -- they almost look laminated -- as part of a food release as these came as a bonus with hot dogs and bacon. Three years before this, Crow was a Heisman Trophy winner for Texas A&M coach Paul "Bear" Bryant before he headed to coaching legend status at Alabama. Crow joined them there after his NFL career (11 seasons after being taken second in the 1958 draft) as an assistant ... so that was a reason I graded here beyond this being an odd card. Atop that, this looked like it could be 10-worthy and I thought that would be more interesting in a collection than some mid-range NFL card that's easily found and not all that expensive.
The Grade: CGC 6.5

Reality Check: I have no idea what might have knocked this down unless there was a surface spot I missed. The centering is a smidge off and there's some slight errant ink on the back but not anything that looked truly awful. If all vintage 6.5 cards looked like this one, they would be all that I collect.

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LITTLE CARDBOARD
The Card: Bo Bichette 2020 Topps RIP Mini Inners photo variation (/50) -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: Bichette's 2020 stuff is on my radar in every direction -- well, except the super-pricey stuff -- but this wasn't that bad of a grab for cost and I slabbed it via COMC knowing that the back edges are probably the problem spot. Why? The type of stock used here seems chippy/fibery and they were handled to be put into rip cards.
The Grade: CGC 8.5

Reality Check: I like the look of the card here so, ultimately, the grade didn't matter -- I just wanted it as a slab in my collection vs. bouncing around raw in a top-loader. It did check in lower than I had hoped ... but I'll survive.

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STICKY BUT CLEAN
The Card: Joe Montana 1985 Topps Stickers
The Reason Bought: Montana's 1980s stuff was on my radar lately for whatever reason and this sticker's strong image got me to bite on a slightly lower grade than I'd normally chase. Simple as that ... I just liked it.
The Grade: CSG 8

Reality Check: The price was low, too, less than $9 ... that and a pop-report high of only 8.5 got me to bite --- only three checking in just one notch higher. Boxes of 1980s stickers aren't tough finds but the adhesives used and the fact that they're paper wrapped in paper along with the retro printing standards ... those are all recipes that prevent elite grades. (Though people probably won't grade stickers as heavily.)

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THE SQUAD IS IN
The Card: The Suicide Squad ("Fitting name") 2019 Cryptozoic DC CZX Super Heroes & Super-Villains
The Reason Graded: This photo is jam-packed with the full team and I dig that as some big names are here and not on later cardboard -- plus the lineup changed for the sequel and other related projects. I recently graded a few favorites from this high-end set -- I picked off a base set or two on the cheap a few years ago before interest in comic movie card and comic cards in general picked up -- so I figured I'd grade a few favorites.
The Grade: CGC 9

Reality Check: I was bummed with nines here, but since the stock is thicker, not always the smoothest and heavily glossed it's not surprising that a higher mark was elusive.

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A GAMING DEBUT
The Card: Paige 2013 Topps (UK) WWE Slam Attax Superstars
The Reason Bought: There are a few names from the past who actually made their Topps WWE debuts in this gaming line vs. American-made flagship card sets. Paige, a British star, is one of them and I finally picked off a slabbed copy of this pre-RC card (it's gaming so it's not a Rookie Card) in a condition and price combo that I liked.
The Grade: CSG 9

Reality Check: It wasn't a bargain grab -- about the price of a Prizm blaster -- but that might have been a little high considering the stats here. I'm betting somebody stockpiled these as those numbers are pretty high for a single WWE card via CGC (at least for non-Prizm) and I don't think there were a lot of them out there to choose from when I grabbed this.

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FOOD ISSUE "ROOKIE CARD"
The Card: Dennis Eckersley 1976 Kellogg's 3-D Superstars -- RC-year food issue
The Reason Graded: I really liked the look of this one raw on COMC, so I grabbed it as this is from the same year as his Topps Rookie Card. I know the 1970s Kellogg's cards are not often grading friendly -- the plastic layer loves to chip/crack -- but this one looked super clean front and back, so I opted to grab and slab without ever having it in hand.
The Grade: CGC 6

Reality Check: Behold! The worst copy graded ... and I really don't see why. I need to dig this one back out and give it a hard look ... it's likely a scuff on a surface or something subtle. Again, if all old stuff looked this good as a six I'd own a boatload of them.

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A TIMELESS AMERICAN ROOKIE CARD
The Card: Toni Storm 2019 Topps WWE Women's Division -- Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: I picked this off at a fraction of a 10 price and that's also less than a PSA 10 price for a Rookie Card (I'm going with that as it's her first WWE card though she has Stardom Japan cards a few years before this). I subbed and slabbed one with a strong return grade long ago, so I really hadn't looked for others here or at one more of my volume of raw copies (I ripped boatloads of packs for this release) but this was so cheap I grabbed it. anyway. In fact I might have grabbed more than one so don't be surprised if you see it pop up here again.
The Grade: CSG 9.5 (now 10)

Reality Check: Nothing has topped this and most are the top mark. Given how skinny the stock is here, I don't think 10s are a given at all ... in my eyes that makes these an even easier no-brainer purchase.

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