Making the Grade (Dec.): Ozzie Albies, Jim Abbott, Bo Bichette, Bryce Harper, vintage stars, WWE ink & The Snow Plow Game

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 ...

KEY CARD, KEY PLAYER
The Card: Lucas Sims & Ozzie Albies 2018 Topps Heritage 100th Anniversary -- RC parallel (announced /25)
The Reason Bought: This parallel card isn't numbered, but they are very rare and if you consider the healthy print run and various pack formats for this popular brand, it's a bit of a needle-in-a-haystack type of card to pull in general let alone for a notable or specific player. I grabbed this since I've met both of them and Albies is a key Braves player ... and this brand is one that I generally buy a lot of (and did a ton in 2018). It's funky but I like 1969 Topps, too.
The Grade: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: Why did I bite? The combo of scarcity and high grade and a price that wasn't that bad (about $80) made this one appealing to me. Also, the fact that the only other one was on eBay for $199.99 and isn't as good on subs as this one. (That price? Too high.) There are three copies of this card in PSA slabs (two 10s, one 9), too. How many might still be sitting in packs? Probably a few ... and that's also another reason I grabbed this to stash it.

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

ONE MORE BGS BO
The Card: Bo Bichette 2018 Bowman Draft Chrome Refractor #BDC32
The Reason Bought: Last month I paired two of these here in a lower grade and this one is the better of my trio -- still a bargain at about $12. This was a preseason pick-up and like I said last time he's pretty cheap (like many guys) when it's the prospect cards that arrived between his Bowman Chrome debut and his Rookie Cards ... you know, the 'tweeners. I'm not saying I'd stockpile and slab them in all instances, but they are often readily available raw for so many guys who are key names. Some guys, if they deliver over time, will be very worth it ... and if not you can add some volume to your slab collection without breaking the bank.
The Grade: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: I was a bit surprise to see that this grade checks in far more often than any other but Chrome stuff gets cleaner and cleaner every year printing-wise and those who submit them in bulk tend to eliminate the stuff that won't het a top mark. Should there be a premium on cards like this? Logic says no, but people and their asking prices don't agree.

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POST-EXIT PICK-UP
The Card: Kairi Sane 2018 Topps WWE NXT Autographs
The Reason Bought: This Japanese star has plenty of cardboard from before her time in WWE, but her decision to step away from in-ring action in America got me looking at autos and slabs even though I have a couple. This one comes from her first year of WWE cards and ink, so it's a "rookie auto" for American cardboard and the price was right (not much more than a blaster).
The Grade: BGS 9-10

Reality Check: Those small specks on the top corners are what got it the 8.5 sub and it actually doesn't look as obvious when you're holding the card and not lit from above. Stuff like that is to be expected with thinner stock and black borders with on-card autos. I have cards showing less corner spotting than this that I probably put in the "don't grade" pile but probably would (I'm fine with nines) when revisiting things in the future. This is the only copy graded, so it's not like I would have found an alternative if I had passed.

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AFFORDABLE FIND
The Card: Nick Swisher 2003 Midland Rock Hounds Grandstand
The Reason Bought: For years, this was a MiLB card I couldn't find for whatever reason in any form. In earlier years I had simply passed on the team set due to price and then they dried up. H0wever, this one presented itself on the cheap recently from a MiLB specialist ... and I think I might actually have both 9.5s of this one. (I know I have one other slabbed copy that I never showed here before.)
The Grade: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: For the price and the grade, I was happy with this and the pop report is one that reflects some of the scarcity here. I'm not saying it's a rare card -- I'm sure at least a few hundred copies were made -- but I think the market for slabs of solid MLB names in their MiLB years could be untapped -- at least for cards issued in team sets.

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THE OL' VINTAGE BUY
The Card: Steve Spurrier 1973 Topps
The Reason Bought: I picked this up because, one, it looks very sharp for a set that's known for really bad centering on a lot of key cards (well, really everything was an issue back then) and it's a second-year card for an iconic college football coach and former Heisman Trophy winner. For about $12 I landed this and that won't be the case for his Rookie Card, which is pricey even when raw. Another reason I grabbed it? It's also a bit different as it is from the time where BVG cards had sub-grades and a bronze label.
The Grade: BVG 7.5

Reality Check: Only 11 copies of this card check in with a higher grade and there's nothing a BVG 9 or higher in BGS history, which is interesting but not that impossible as vintage grading just isn't easy. The subs here seem rougher on this card than it looks, especially on the corners, but with the white dots on the surface I do agree with that one. All in all, this just felt like a decent cheap slab and I'm pretty sure I don't have any of his in-career cards. It also seems like a card that could sell for more than what I paid.

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FILLING A SPOT
The Card: Jerry Pate 1981 Donruss Golf Stars -- Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: You're probably asking "Why?" here. Well, I'd be more curious as to why somebody would have slabbed it with that centering to start with ... don't blame me. I picked it up last year (yes, it's been sitting in reserve) dirt cheap -- about $4 -- because it's a RC and it fits my school ties part of my stash. He was the best golfer in my school's history until That Justin Thomas Guy came around. (You probably know that name.)
The Grade: BGS

Reality Check: The quality control on this oldschool landmark set is a lot like what you see here and this is the worst copy graded -- but for the price I wasn't worried about it. It's just a pick-up to say I have one and ultimately this grade is all about the centering that is still probably pretty generous at its sub. Would I pull and slab raw? Nah, not worth the cost.

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LOOK AT THE LABEL
The Card: Glen Condren 1971 Topps Blank Back 1989 Topps Archive Auction
The Reason Bought: Topps sold off a ton of its past stuff back in 1989 -- like the original paintings for the 1953 Topps set and then countless smaller items like blank-backed proof sheets and cards -- as part of a historic auction that has only grown more legendary. (When those paintings pop back up on the market.) I picked up this card for just $5 (and others for much less) since they're different and the slab notes that origin. Couldn't tell you a thing about Condren or others I bought save for maybe where they went to college (they are all pretty much common players) but I'll probably drop a few more here in the coming months.
The Grade: BVG 8

Reality Check: Oddly, this one was placed in the pop report for the standard card and is the highest-graded copy. This one is super-clean but others aren't -- and a few of them look like they were clearly cut small perhaps by Topps or others later yet are still slabbed and graded. I didn't yet check others I have to see if how they are listed in the pop report but will as they arrive here.

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JUST ANOTHER PERFECTLY CLEAN WIN ...
The Card: The Snow Plow Game -- 2008 Upper Deck Masterpieces
The Reason Graded: Back on Dec. 12, 1982, this scene took place -- a snow-sweeper responsible for clearing the yard lines during a snowstorm took an extra turn and cleared a spot for the New England Patriots to kick what turned out to be a game-winning field goal ... a 3-0 win. The driver, Mark Henderson, was actually just doing as he was ordered -- and it's a classic story in NFL history. This card is perhaps the only look at this moment (only one that I'm aware of) and has 10 parallels, but the main version was good enough for me for slabbing.
The Grade: PSA 10

Reality Check: Just three of the 11 versions of this card have been graded -- mine and a pair of parallels -- by PSA and I've got the only 10. (The others are PSA 9s.) This one was a win for me as I'm a big fan of simple novelty cards in high grades ... worth every dollar to me.

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BIG RED MACHINE MAINSTAY
The Card: Joe Morgan 1977 Topps
The Reason Bought: I picked this one up for about $5 well before his death in late October because it's a really nice-looking vintage card from an era where you can open packs and not land anything that will grade higher than this. Stuff was just brutal back then from errant ink, rough cuts, diamond cuts, corner and edge issues, centering ... you name it.
The Grade: PSA 7

Reality Check: It turns out this particular card generally grades pretty well and my mark isn't the most-common at all -- that many PSA 9s is crazy -- but I'm still good with my card for the price. It would likely grade even better save for that color dot on his name, which some people might not even notice at a quick first glance.

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SURPISINGLY TOUGH TO PULL & SLAB
The Card: Jim Abbott 1989 Upper Deck -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: It's not a Rookie Card in my mind (his 1988 Topps Traded USA Baseball card is to me) but this RC was a biggie back in the day. I found a large lot of the high-number sets for just a couple bucks apiece and opened all of them and sleeved the key cards (all admittedly not pricey now) with an eye for grading my best copies. Man, was that a challenge between corners, edges, the holograms and centering. It's not so much the fronts but the backs that can be rougher than you'd expect having not been handled in three decades.
The Grade: PSA 10

Reality Check: The pop report doesn't make it look like these are rough but trust me they have to be ... or mine is actually an 11 or something. Most of my other copies of this card had issues. I sent a couple cards from the set to PSA and set aside my best ones for potential BGS examination. Will I grade more from this set? Perhaps if things get closer to normal and affordable ... though some memorable cheap cards from the past can be found in slabs for decently prices considering how unrealistic elite grades are from simply ripping into a pack or two. Buying sets or wax in bulk helps you cherry pick and that helped me here.

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JUST KEEP LIVING
The Card: Rickey Henderson 2018 Topps Living Set
The Reason Bought: I haven't grabbed a lot of Topps Living Set cards in general but for about $9 this one hit the spot with a player I dabble with and a grade that's not one that commands big premiums. It's also not the lowest grade, either. Not much else to say here other than I liked it and the price.
The Grade: PSA 9

Reality Check: With most copies checking in at a 10, I don't see how this one would command a lot higher prices.

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MLB CHROME DEBUT
The Card: Bryce Harper 2011 Bowman Chrome Prospects
The Reason Bought: This card doesn't note it being his First Bowman -- that honor went to his USA Baseball card from 2010 -- but this $8 pick-up is his first Chrome card in his MLB uniform. (It's a Photoshopped Arizona Fall League helmet ... you can see the original photo here.) Harper's earlier stuff has softened since his move to the Phillies, including slabs, but I couldn't pass on this one for the price.
The Grade: PSA 9

Reality Check: It's the most-commonly graded copy, though PSA 10s are not that much rarer. I have a number of his Chrome and Bowman cards stashed away from back in the day but never graded any ... and doing so would have cost more than this card.

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