Making the Grade (June): Patrick Mahomes, Ronda Rousey, WWE ink, Tiger Woods, NFL, vintage and a baby-faced assassin

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 ...

A BIG WIN
The Card: Patrick Mahomes 2017 Donruss Optic #177 Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: I came real close to letting this one go raw, but late in the season I pulled it out of my "to-go box" and put it in the "slab-it stack" figuring I might get a little more out of it if I did let it go ... then they won it all. Needless to say now, that would definitely be the case for this key RC of the Super Bowl champ and new hobby go-to for many.
The Grade: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: I didn't expect a 9.5 and that's a mark that's getting this card up close to $500 on eBay right now -- a surprise to me as I just don't watch NFL card values as much as I probably should. I only have this one but I ripped plenty back then since 2017 NFL stuff was so plentiful (back then) I'd buy and rip some boxes heavily almost by default. Those boxes are scorchers now thanks to all of the possibilities for this guy and other key rookies that year. Most copies of this card check in at this mark ... but that's clearly not scaring people off here.

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

A BIG-TIME GRADE
The Card: Ember Moon 2018 Topps WWE Then Now Forever Autographs Gold #127 (/10)
The Reason Graded: I picked this card up raw because I did a double-take when I saw it -- it looked razor-sharp and as clean as it gets. It also didn't hurt that it was a rookie auto for a high-flying and colorful WWE star whose cards are still super-cheap (she's injured right now). I took the shot here since there are so few to go around ... I figured it would be a solid slab.
The Grade: BGS 10/10

Reality Check: Just a half-sub away from a BGS Black slab is a pretty solid, and it's the only copy of this one graded from a set that's loaded with solid cards and young stars -- a lot of good photos, too.

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MY LONE COPY
The Card: Tiger Woods 2001 SP Authentic Preview #21
The Reason Graded: Long, long ago -- around 2005 -- Walmart sold blaster box repacks with nothing inside them but SP Authentic Preview packs from Upper Deck (one per rack pack). It was an obscene number of packs (20-30?) for roughly $9.99 as somebody out there was ripping the standard packs and the other packs piled up. (Or something.) The boxes were way, way, way to cheap to pass up. I bought a ton -- a ton -- of them by default to have upwards of 20 copies of some key cards ... but I only ever landed one of this card, which is the best in the set. There are serial-numbered cards in the packs -- some easier, some rare -- and even hits if I remember correctly. The soft stock here makes it a riskier slab, and it's not a rare card, but I figured I'd send it in.
The Grade: BGS 9

Reality Check: Most copies check in higher than mine -- not that surprising -- but what is interesting is the volume of the BGS 10s here ... they barely exist.

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SUPER-CHEAP PICK-UP
The Card: Ronald Acuña Jr. 2018 Panini Chronicles Select #2 Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: I picked this one up relatively cheap late last season and had it waiting for an appearance here in the spring ... until there really wasn't much of a spring. Acuña has a number of RCs in this fun release, so I figured I'd grab a slab on this one since I hadn't pulled one.
The Grade: PSA 9

Reality Check: Most copies of this one check in higher than mine -- no big deal since I think I'm in on this one for like $7.50. I couldn't slab one that cheaply if I had one to grade. Acuña is on my pick-up list when slabbed, anyway, but this price made it a no-brainer.

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A GRADING MYSTERY?
The Card: Bryce Harper 2012 Topps #661 (leg up) Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: I generally don't drop below a PSA 9 when buying singles that aren't from the vintage years or just tougher cards that I want, but I made an exception for this RC because of the price ($6!) and I was admittedly curious as to what was wrong with it. This card is the standard factory set version of his card (the in-pack version is a short-print) and there are other versions, too.
The Grade: PSA 8

Reality Check: I didn't see any obvious flaw here except for maybe that bottom left corner that might have a little bit of a lift ... and even that I'm not sure about. Harper rookie stuff has had its moments when slabbed in recent years so I grabbed it, knowing it will be a while until a card in this grade has any kind of meaty demand. (Based on the volumes above it ... it might be a long, long time.)

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OLDSCHOOL TIES
The Card: Robert Horry 1992-93 NBA Hoops #392 Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: Here's an oldschool pick-up for this edition of MTG -- but not the oldest one here at all. It's just a simple RC for a guy with some school ties and it was only $5. It's definitely not one of his best RCs but the price was right for me.
The Grade: PSA 9

Reality Check: The pop report seems about right except I'd expect 10s to be rarer ... but that's not always the case on cheaper cards. Boxes from this era also seem to be a little more pricey at times, too, so picking off cards already slabbed is a no-brainer when cheap enough.

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CHASING THE GRADE
The Card: John Johnson 1981-82 Topps #W98
The Reason Bought: Ever have one of those vintage commons you'd want to grab as a PSA 10 but know it's a lot easier thought than done? It might just be me, I dunno, but this is a scenario where I picked up one of the PSA 9s and then a 10 popped up ... and then another PSA 9 did, too, at a cheap price and I wasn't sure whether I had bought an 8, a 9 or whatever ... so I bought it again. It's not the flashiest card for this former NBA All-Star -- it's his last Topps card made during his career -- but it's a part of an original card run I've wanted to complete in slabs. (I'm 99 percent sure I have 'em all now. Maybe.)
The Grade: PSA 9 (twice), PSA 10

Reality Check: I ponied up some blaster box bucks to land the PSA 10 since it's a bit rarer, while the other two totaled about that much. I guess I have things covered here ... though I wish they were in the current-style slabs.

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ODDBALL FIND
The Card: Ken Stabler 1981 Topps NFL stickers #68
The Reason Bought: Oddball releases you can't easily find might be a niche that could make some people some money out there as the typical stuff from all years dries up. This might not qualify as one of those cards (stickers) specifically ... but it's a thought.
The Grade: PSA 8

Reality Check: The fact that 16 copies of this Hall of Famer's sticker from later in his career have been graded is a little surprising to me, but for $4 I wasn't chasing anything big here.

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THE BABY-FACED ASSASSIN!
The Card: Ted Irvine 1970-71 Topps #65
The Reason Bought: This isn't the famous card where his real nickname ("The Baby-faced Assassin!") is noted on the back -- that's in a past MTG somewhere on here -- but affordable slabs of wrestling star Chris Jericho's NHL-star dad always get my attention. Why? Why not? (My best answer is that it's perhaps the easiest way for me to work in some hockey here ... unless you're big on 1990-91 stuff.)
The Grade: PSA 6.5

Reality Check: I don't list the half-grade parts of the PSA pop reports for simplicity with the tables here, but this card is an example of how I should. (This third-year card has six copies with half-grades and one as a qualifier.) This card checks in on the lower part of the scale but it cost me less than $8 -- I don't need elite-grade slabs here ... just working toward something for each year.

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PARALLEL POWER
The Card: Ronda Rousey 2018 Topps WWE Then Now Forever Bronze #101 Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: Want a grading challenge? Pull one of her RCs from a pack and try to get a grade at this mark or higher ... the standard card's background is all black and the corners and top edges are often issues there. (I own many ... at most two might be slab-worthy.) I managed to pull a couple of this color, though, and figured I'd slab it up as it looked clean, very clean.
The Grade: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: It's not really a highly-slabbed card -- a year away from WWE after a one-year run doesn't help -- but I dig it in this condition. Simple as that. These skinny-paper cards can often arrive with corner or edge issues right out of fresh packs.

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ON-CARD THROWBACK
The Card: Eddie Lacy 2013 Topps 1986 Rookie Autographs (/140)
The Reason Bought: I don't have a lot of 0n-card autos for this former NFL player with some school ties to me, so when this slab presented itself for less than it would cost for me to submit one I figured why not. It also doesn't hurt that it's a redo of arguably the most-unique Topps NFL design of the 1980s ... if not ever.
The Grade: BGS 9.5/10

Reality Check: I was a little surprised to see so many of this one slabbed but I'm on the higher side than the lower side of the four graded.

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BIG BACK IN THE DAY?
The Card: Sam Bradford 2010 Topps Chrome #C150
The Reason Bought: The cost here? A mere $1.75 ... that was enough for me to bite, knowing that this card was probably at one point one of the biggest RCs in the hobby for a short time. It was a mercy pick-up or something ... but I do have a few slabs for NFL guys who were hyped and didn't really deliver all that well. Maybe that makes it a good fit for a spot in one of my slab boxes after all.
The Grade: BGS 9

Reality Check: These don't really grade all that well considering the volume of BGS 10s, but this one also doesn't check in as the worst mark ... I kind of figured it would for the price but nope. Steal? Probably not ... probably just an example of how what's hot in the NFL right now might not be later.

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