Making the Grade (July): Iconic Rookie Cards, Mr. America, Jay-Z, Mr. 3,000, old comics, indy wrestling, WWE Prizm, Conor McGregor, Hammerin' Hank & more in this super-sized edition

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 ...

BETTER THAN LAST TIME ...
The Card: Ja Morant 2019-20 Panini Chronicles Luminance #165 -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: Somewhere in a past item in this series there's a Pink parallel of this cool card buried in a post as it was one of only a few bummers I've had with a low mark -- one that was too low for my taste as I had apparently missed a rough edge. This time? Well, this was the one I didn't send in back then and that's because I thought it had an edge spot that I thought might nix a top grade ... but I was wrong again. With this card having an iconic photo -- one that makes it easily his best RC to me (I'm merely a casual NBA ripper) -- I threw it in a bulk sub to see how I'd do. It's an absolutely epic photo ... even though it was a missed dunk.
The Grade: CSG 10

Reality Check: This is a card with a pretty big volume graded -- and a good chunk of those checking in lower than mine. All in all, it's a win that takes away the sting from last time.

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

JULY'S SUPERSTAR, BROTHER ...
The Card: Mr. America (Hulk Hogan) 2021 Topps WWE Living Set #45
The Reason Graded: Lemme tell you something, brother ... this is purely a gimmick card of a short-lived masked persona for Hulk Hogan and I bought a bundle since I'm 99.9 percent sure it's the first card for the character. This one arrived around the July 4 weekend a year ago and it's not an accident you see it here for the July MTG. What was the story here? Read this.
The Grade: CSG 10

Reality Check: The top-bottom centering here is correct -- Topps left more space at the bottom than the top on all Living Set cards -- and everything else here looked good on not only my copy but all others that have been graded, too.

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TAKING NOTE ...
The Card: Jay-Z 2005-06 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects Gold #151 -- "Rookie Card" parallel
The Reason Graded: The odd handful of celebs Topps chose to put into a number of its NBA sets as "Rookie Cards" around this time are still holding up as oddities and in the case of this mogul's cards can mean good money in some cases. I merely busted some blasters and occasional deluxe packs like Luxury Box when they hit the retail aisle back in these years (can't collect everything) and this thick-stock parallel survived my jettisoning of pretty much everything else from around it in the packs over the years simply because it was an oddity. Other celebs in sets included Christie Brinkley, Carmen Electra, Jenny McCarthy and Shannon Elizabeth. They're all getting attention here and there because they stand out now and stuff like this has had interesting re-sale value at times for just standard cards. I found this flipping through a box of old top-loaded cards and thought it was clean enough for a slab.
The Grade: CSG 9

Reality Check: The back edges and some corners are worth watching on cards in this set -- this one looks better than a 9 in-person -- but there are always issues on thicker-stock cards and the back edges.

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MR. 3,000
The Card: Miguel Cabrera 2000 Topps Traded #T40 -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: I've had this one stashed away in a top-loader since 2000 -- I pulled out the keys and the autograph -- and the bonus ink was the only real why I bothered buying one. I never chased the Chrome version despite Cabrera's status in the game -- and these are his only RCs -- but with the 3,000-hit plateau finally reached I threw this card into a recent bulk sub.
The Grade: CSG 9.5

Reality Check: It looked very solid to my eye and it checks in at the grade in between the most-plentiful and the highest ... so that's not bad. He's done plenty and is a Hall of Fame lock, but I've never really been a big fan -- and I'm not sure that he has a huge card following ... but the prices on his RCs have been strong since 3,000.

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THE FIRST FOR THE TEAM
The Book: Excalibur Special Edition (1987)
The Reason Graded: This was a standalone premium-style squarebound issue back in the day that introduced a new X-Men team, and I latched into them due to the first wave of Marvel Universe cards in 1990. I was just getting into comics a few years after this (late-1990, early 1991) and began grabbing books in the main series as well as the various standalone issues. For years I only had one copy -- but sometime around 2006-07 I found some prices on the Mile High Comics site to be oddly cheap and bought a handful of these and more than a dozen copies of the first issue ... just to stash them. This was my cleanest copy of this, so I sent it in for grading. It was a book that clearly never got opened and the only potential issues were some light marks on the back cover which is full-bleed black ink.
The Grade: CGC 9.8 (Universal)

Reality Check: It checked in with the best realistic mark and one that is the most-plentiful grade, too. All good. I'm sure I paid $5 or less for this one and now as a 9.8 these have sold for more than $200 in some instances. (Sales prices are a little all over the place with the volume of slabbed 9.8s.) I bought it just to stash it as a slab ... and it's not alone. You'll see more of Excalibur in future months.

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THE BIG VILLAIN
The Book: Superman: The Man of Steel #19 (Jan. 1993)
The Reason Graded: I'm not a big DC fan for comics but I have noted here in the past how the Death of Superman storyline and the build-up to that meant even I ended up with copies of those in my stash. All of mine are rarer newsstand copies and they all looked very clean so I sent in a few (not all) 0f the 12-13 issues in the storyline. Why? My gut says my newsstand copies might hold up with higher demand over time as more get graded -- they were more likely to get mangled out in the wild.
The Grade: CGC 9.8 (Universal)

Reality Check: This one -- but not all I sent -- checked in at the top mark. (The other higher grades essentially never happen.) Mission accomplished.

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YOU'LL BE SEEING MORE ...
The Card: Sugar (Drew Barrymore) 1995 Batman Forever Fleer Ultra Holograms #7
The Reason Bought: The card sets made for this odd but ultimately forgettable Batman movie either never surfaced where I lived back then or were from a cheaper no-frills kind of release that really just had nothing to chase inside compared to sports stuff at that time. I recently found this hologram and grabbed it for a price that wasn't bad vs. the cost of grading a raw one that I had tracked down. Both of my copies have slight edge issues and skinny stock that make any grading sub risky -- it's not the kind of card you want coming back with a lower mark. (It's not expensive in general ... but a high-grade copy could sell well. Low-grade copies won't.) Barrymore has a life-long place in pop culture history and I've either grabbed a few items here and there to slab or grabbed slabs outright as I think she's a good name among 1980s/1990s icons.
The Grade: BGS 9

Reality Check: Just two copies of this have graded and this is the highest. I think that's reflective of both the challenge -- a 9.5 or 10 won't be easy if it's possible at all given printing and cutting back then -- and there not being a ton of demand. But I like it ... and a 9.5 or 10 would get my attention.

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REMEMBER ME?
The Card: Hank Aaron 2021 Topps X Sports Illustrated Red parallel #15 (/5)
The Reason Graded: I pulled this rarity out of a bundle from Topps last year and I had it in my to-grade stack since then as it's a rare card and one of the best no-frills SI covers ever. Only four other copies of this parallel exist and generally they do grade well and I didn't see any obvious flaws. I didn't want a bad surprise back on a nice card so that's why I didn't grade it sooner.
The Grade: CSG 9.5 (now a 10 as noted in pop report)

Reality Check: Gem Mint means a 10 on the new CSG scale so I did well here.

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THE REAL NUKE ...
The Card: Steve Dalkowski (and others) 1963 Topps #496 -- Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: I've mentioned the story of Dalkowski right here in past months and I think I even had a BVG slabbed copy of this same card in this series long, long ago ... but I had to grab this one when I spotted it awhile back. If you don't know, Dalkowski was one of the real-life inspirations for Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh in Bull Durham. Dalkowski never made it to the majors and his stats are something to be seen ... check out those walks-per-nine and strikeouts-per-nine. Amazing.
The Grade: PSA 5

Reality Check: That's a really nice-looking card for the grade and realistically it's only a couple marks away from the best copies out there. You can expect big bucks for anything a PSA 7 or up for this card. (Check out this price.) I bought this one for the trivia, of course, and that sane reason is why this card will always be popular.

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PRIZM POWER
The Card: Tiffany Stratton 2022 Panini Prizm WWE Silver #104 -- Rookie Card parallel
The Reason Graded: This NXT 2.0 newcomer had no other cardboard before this arrived -- and hasn't had any cards since as the Revolution checklist was much smaller than Prizm. I bought his card outright raw -- it was in a past Buzz Buys here -- and since CSG is doing well with grading turnaround times I already have it back in a slab. I have mentioned here and on Twitter how I think Prizm WWE's deep RC crop will make it a standout in the future and nothing has changed on that front even though boxes have gotten cheaper and cheaper since release. Stratton is a favorite of mine from all of the newcomers but isn't alone on that checklist -- it's impressive.
The Grade: CSG 9.5

Reality Check: I felt like a 9.5 was a win here as centering is always a big issue from what I have in this one along with rough edges from other plastic issues or some kind of dull blades during cutting. (Something ... the side edges are often rough.) This checked in where I had hoped.

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IT'S THE UNDEAD BRIDE!
The Card: Sü Yüng 2022 The History of Wrestling Revolver Vol. 1 #7 
The Reason Graded: I haven't been aware of her lengthy career in the ring until recent years, but that's on me as she's been going since 2007 in indy promotions around the world. (You name 'em, she's probably had a match with them.) She arrived in Impact in 2018 and despite all that time in the business she only had one wrestling card -- one from an indy card set limited to 80 copies. (I hadn't even seen a photo of that card until recently.) This is her newest card and it's from a new set and just her second one other than stuff made as standalones for signings or gaming/promo photos. What really makes her "Bloody Undead Bride" character interesting to me? It's been conceptualized over time on her own and across various promotions after working as perhaps the definition of "babyface." That and her also having two other personas in the ring seems like smart business -- it all should mean more merch sold. (No cards for Susan or Susie, either ... yet.)  
The Grade: CSG 9.5

Reality Check: At the time I got this back, mine checked in as the best copy ... but it looks like I've since been topped on the pop report. I bought four of these sets outright only to have two of them have her card carry ink blotches across the fronts. (No other cards did.) Then I picked up a few more copies raw to have a decent number to pick through for grading. I may grade others at some point just for fun. Indy cards have been picking up steam -- they're just not easy to find once initial set sales dry up -- and, like I said, she doesn't have much else. Hopefully somebody -- Sü, Susan or Susie -- gets slated for an upcoming wave of Impact cards.

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MY OTHER TIGER RC
The Card: Tiger Woods 2001 Upper Deck #1 -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: I recently had a pair of Tiger RCs graded and this is my second to check in with this mark, which would translate into a 10 with the new slabs and scale. There's no need to say a lot more but I know that these just don't grade super-easily -- the wrappers left way too much wiggle room for corner and edge issues.
The Grade: CSG 9.5 (Gem Mint now a 10 in pop report)

Reality Check: I have more than a dozen raw copies of this card sitting so if I get bored I may slab more. I think the two I sent were my best, though.

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THE LOWEST-GRADED DOCTOR ...
The Card: Britt Baker 2018 All In #28
The Reason Graded: I only had one copy of this one to consider and, behold, it's one of the worst copies out there! It happens with this standard stock and all that black ink on the fronts and backs. I knew I wouldn't get a top mark with my set's centering being rough but I still sent this debut card for Dr. Britt Baker (D.M.D.) to be slabbed. It's from a landmark set and it's a release I should revisit for more grading ... even though my set isn't going to yield any Gem Mint 10s.
The Grade: CSG 8.5

Reality Check: I shouldn't bag on my card that much -- the best copies are only nines here, which is interesting but not surprising once one looks at the full pop report. Out of 239 cards from this release graded at the time I wrote this, not one card has checked in at a 9.5 or higher ... none.

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A REFRACTOR RC
The Card: Pete Rose Jr. 1998 Topps Chrome Refractor #240 -- Rookie Card parallel 
The Reason Bought: I found this parallel of his only RC and grabbed it simply for the novelty of it all -- and even though it's a RC that comes long after a lot of other cardboard. The Hit King's son appears in the 1982 Fleer set as a kid alongside his dad -- the memorable "Pete and Re-Pete" card -- as well as one in a 1985 Pete Rose tribute set. He was drafted by the Orioles in 1988 and was on a number of minor league and Classic cards, too. (I like his 1990 Classic card ... I'll find that slabbed someday or submit one.) This one-and-done card is a bit of an oddity as he only played 11 games that year, batting .143 -- two hits and nine strikeouts among his only MLB numbers. He played more than a decade after that -- mostly in indy ball and until age 39 -- but never got another shot.  
The Grade: BGS 9

Reality Check: This is his best copy of this card and one of only 23 total BGS slabs for any card of his made. Not surprisingly, 18 of those are the 1982 Fleer card ... so everything else other than this Refractor is a single-copy slab.

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THIS YEAR'S ICON?
The Card: Wander Franco 2022 Topps Living Set #495
The Reason Graded: I generally have only bit for Living Set buys direct from Topps for a few newcomers -- a small lot so I can pick out a clean copy to grade -- and this is one of those times. As you can see by the centering, I didn't have a lot to choose from this time -- and that is the kind of bummer that actually has me buying direct less often. (Call me crazy but five or 10 copies all being off-center direct from the card-maker seems odd ... but that has happened a few times between all of the direct offerings.) I liked the style for this line's newer artist here, Jared Kelley, so that was another reason I bit. 
The Grade: CSG 9.5

Reality Check: Thankfully all of the other variables were clean on my copy here so I landed a second-highest grade where most are checking in. Interestingly, this volume is pretty high -- that's a good sign that re-sellers are choosing CSG and its new slabs for flipping of new, popular stars and their cards. The return time and prices are un-touchable if you ask me ... they are my go-to grader for my long-term holding and will likely be my only grader once they start doing non-sports. Some chatter indicates it may be coming soon.

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AN ORIGIN STORY
The Book: Marvel Comics Presents #72 (1991) -- Part 1 of Weapon X Wolverine origin story
The Reason Graded: This series is, these days, a landmark kind of deal since we have seen a lot of Weapon X in the movies the last 20 years. Why did I latch onto this all those years ago? I'm not really sure other than the cover price and I was able to find them all, unlike some of the hot stuff today from that same year. This run did have a deluxe feel with its wraparound cover art but the title itself wasn't one that got much of a premium approach with its paper and cutting/printing in my experience (my copies are all not as "tight and right" as I would have liked). But, with some decent money being thrown around for high-grade copies of this book, I threw this one into a recent grading order.
The Grade: CGC 9.0 (Universal)

Reality Check: This one was a bummer of a return grade but at the same time I wasn't super-shocked. When I looked at it in its slab, I did notice some issues here and there on the back -- and I admittedly didn't check that as closely -- but at a glance of the front this looks really nice for the grade. Will I grade more? There are a couple of them I like ... but I thought this one was my best of them. (So I might not.)

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DEADPOOL & MORE
The Card: X-Force #2 (1991)
The Reason Graded: It was 31 years ago when this series launched as a new X-Men title with some familiar names from The New Mutants and a first issue that meshed cards and comics as part of what some people now call The Polybag Era. That first issue sold something like 5 million copies and I have a stack to prove I helped, while this second issue is one that I also stockpiled to the tune of a dozen copies ... why? Price of comics vs. cards was a good deal then and I just liked the design of this book. It turns out the issue is an early (second) appearance for Deadpool as well as other characters that are still emerging and coming into focus as part of overall Marvel movie universe despite many films and books in the years since. (Deadpool will be showing up in other Marvel movies here soon ... hopefully others follow.) Why grade? Well, all (or close to it) of my copies of this are from the newsstand, which are, in theory, perhaps tougher finds than the ones without UPC codes. In some cases people pay more for these barcoded copies in top condition.
The Grade: CGC 9.8 (Universal)

Reality Check: Mine checked in right where should be wanted, though there's no way to know how low of a percentage of that 2,150 might be retail copies. I need to revisit my stash and consider if they, too, might be contenders.

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THE LONE OPTION ... WHEN I BOUGHT IT
The Card: John Johnson 1971-72 Topps #4 -- Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: There's no deep story here other than this RC is of a vintage guy with school ties for me and he's one of a handful of NBA players I've interviewed in the past. I pick them off raw when I can and have managed to find a few graded copies without breaking the bank, too. (Would I like to find some elite-level copies without spending too much? Yep.)
The Grade: CSG 7.5

Reality Check: When I spotted this it was the only copy of the card on the pop report -- that's definitely why I grabbed it -- but it looks like it's since been topped by a pretty solid copy. At the same time, my card looks really good for a 7.5 ...

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AN EARLY INSERT
The Card: Conor McGregor 2014 Topps UFC Bloodlines New Guard #NB-CM
The Reason Graded: This is an earlier card in the career of this controversial UFC star. I think I landed it in a group break/pack draft long ago -- back when UFC stuff was cheaper -- and I've had it stashed away for a while. I re-discovered it flipping through some boxes (of wrestling stuff) and it looked really clean. That combined with some unusually meaty prices paid (at times, not always) for his earlier stuff, I figured I'd throw it into a bulk order ... admittedly 10-chasing here more than anything here.  
The Grade: CSG 9.5

Reality Check: I didn't land a 10 but it is their highest-graded copy of the card ... so that's not bad. It's also a card that, with its studio portrait, looks a lot better than his base card in this release.

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REMEMBER ME? (PART II)
The Card: David Ortiz 2021 Topps Now Turn Back The Clock Cherry parallel #20 (/7)
The Reason Graded: I instantly bit when this iconic moment in Boston sports history hit cardboard in this throwback brand and I was even more surprised to see this rare parallel included in my order along with my bundle of five copies. Like the Aaron card I mentioned before, this has been in my to-grade pile for some time ... I was just waiting for a spot to send it in. Since baseball season was upon us, it went in a recent submission. 
The Grade: CSG 9.5 (now Gem Mint 10 on pop report)

Reality Check: Only six others exist so this isn't the boldest statement to make but ... this is the best-graded copy out there.

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TO THE MAX
The Card: Chipper Jones 1997 Topps Gallery Peter Max #PM4 
The Reason Graded: I think I landed this in a discounted hobby box from a K-Mart in the years after this brand first arrived. It was somewhat premium in its time, which is probably why it came and went from a small card shop quickly and I never opened any until later. I'm not a big Chipper fan -- or a big fan of pop artist Peter Max, who autographed randomly inserted cards in this release -- but this card had been rocking around in a top-loader all this time. When I did a recent flip through a box, I stopped and took a closer look here and, man, it looked clean. 
The Grade: CSG 9.5 (now Gem Mint 10)

Reality Check: It was ... a card that checks in with the highest grade right now (as a Gem Mint 10 in a new case) with nothing topping it. My today's standards there's not a lot going on here, but this was an example of a card company trying something really different back then. It doesn't hurt it's a card of an iconic Hall of Famer, either.

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ICONIC YANKEE
The Card: Roger Maris 2011 Topps Gypsy Queen #48
The Reason Bought: I picked this up since it's from a set I really like and its Gem Mint grade cost me the same as it would to slab one on my own. What makes this card appealing to me beyond the perfect re-do of an 1880s design? The photo is from Maris hitting his 61st homer in 1961 -- that passed Babe Ruth and set the new MLB record that stood until Mark McGwire topped it in 1998. 
The Grade: CSG 9.5 (now Gem Mint 10)

Reality Check: You can't top that with it being a 10 on the new scale ... I mean, somebody might have a Perfect 10 out there but it's not likely.

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STICKERS NEED SLABS, TOO
The Card: Taya Valkyrie 2016 Panini AAA Lucha Libre Stickers #153
The Reason Graded: The 2019 Panini Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide card set is a cool one with a number of names you might know from around the wrestling world today, but for others there are a few years of Panini Mexico creations that showcase those same stars (and plenty more) on stickers ... which are a popular and long-running way to collect around the world. If you're a regular reader, you probably remember me busting a lot of sticker packs for this year's BuzzMania breaks marathon and this was one of my finds in those ... an early sticker for Taya Valkyrie who has been seen pretty much almost everywhere over the years. On a whim I threw this sticker -- the best-centered of all I found with stronger photos -- in a bulk submission to see how it might stack up in the ring vs. a CSG grader. 
The Grade: CSG 10

Reality Check: This one was as strong as it looked -- a 10 but one where a Perfect 10 scenario seems unlikely in my mind. These are paper stickers and the way they are packed doesn't leave a ton of protection for even the smallest of details. I think the corners, with the sticker stock itself being a soft paper, are likely the spots where absolutely perfect specimens just ain't happening.

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BIG PROSPECT ARRIVES
The Card: Adley Rutschman 2019 Bowman Draft Picks Sapphire Edition #BDC-1
The Reason Graded: I landed this one in a Cheap Fun Breaks team mixer break -- you can find it in The Buzz Archives -- and I know that because I've never actually opened a pack of anything Chrome Sapphire baseball cards. Heck, I'm not sure I have opened a pack of anything Chrome Sapphire. With this top name finally getting the big-league call, I popped him into my most-recent grading submission. 
The Grade: CSG 9

Reality Check: I knew this one wasn't going to be a 10 contender -- there's a minor spot on the surface around the 1st Bowman logo and his chest -- but I figured the card was high-profile enough to give it a try. I was initially bummed by a nine but it turns out nearly all copies have checked in there with several even checking in lower. Perhaps that minor mark on mine is something related to a roller or piece of mechanical equipment that left a minor mark on the glossy plastic surface of a lot of these cards?

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THE BREWERS' OTHER HANK
The Card: Hank The Ballpark Pup 2017 Topps Opening Day Mascots #M-21
The Reason Graded: Remember this guy? If you don't, here's a quick recap. It was 2014 when this Bichon Frise mix was found wandering around the parking lot of the Brewers spring training facility -- the team couldn't find his owner and he was a little roughed up but they took him in as an unofficial mascot, named him Hank and took him to Milwaukee. There was merch such as shirts and bobbleheads -- and there were game-used memorabilia displays with pieces of a game-used jersey like that (uni No. K9) sold on MLB.com -- with some of the proceeds going to the Humane Society. Hank was a part of team events in 2014 and 2015 and ended up on a 2016 Topps Opening Day Mascots card (the Polish sausage gets most of the photo on that one) and then once again for this card where he's the sole focus. This card did have 5-by-7 and 10-by-14 wall art parallels but that's it (and the larger ones were made to order ... so there's a chance very few may even exist). 
The Grade: CSG 9

Reality Check: I'm generally fine with nines but a higher mark would have been better in this case ... but it stands alone as the lone slab and it might be for some time unless this piece inspires some oddball slabbing. (This was among my very first bulk submissions with CSG ... a dirt-cheap fun one.)

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AN ADMITTED FILLER FINISH
The Card: Kareem Jackson 2010 SP Authentic #144 (/599) -- Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: I picked this up for just $5 quite a long time ago. Why? I was not sure if I had this Crimson Tide star's autograph or not ... but I figured the price was right and an 0n-card sig was a good way to go if I didn't. He fits my school ties part of my stash and he's still in the league after all these years, too. 
The Grade: BGS 9

Reality Check: I was fine no matter what at the price but I was surprised to see five graded. Seems high.

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