Making the Grade (June): Woodstock, Stone Cold, Roger Maris, young MLB & WWE stars, X-23, Miley's Mad magazine & 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 ...

TICKET TO HISTORY ...
The Ticket: Woodstock (Aug.15-17, 1969) -- three-day ticket ($24)
The Reason Bought: There are more than a dozen different styles of tickets for this historic event in music and pop culture history and none of them are all that rare -- and that makes for an interesting grading market. High-grade tickets can be priced like they're non-existent yet about 60 percent of the full tickets that are slabbed check in at a PSA 9 or 10 and raw tickets (assuming they are real ... but there's a chance they might not be) can be found on the cheap under $100. I knew quite awhile back that I wanted one in a slab and I was patient with my window shopping until I spotted this one. I wanted a three-day style but there are single-day tickets that are very traditional-looking and I finally spotted this one at a good price (just under $100) vs. the same thing with asking prices for 9s and 10s that are as high as $1,000. Actual sales for higher grades are typically anywhere from $200 to $700 on eBay with a lot of irregularity -- and BINs just under the $200 mark quite often. In short, they're findable.
The Grade: PSA 8

Reality Check: More than 3,750 different full tickets have been slabbed for Woodstock and this version -- one of three types in the PSA pop report for a three-day ticket -- is the easiest and the only one with more than 1,000 copies slabbed. In fact, the number of 10s for this style is higher than all but two of the entire slab totals for other styles. I didn't sweat the grade as the flaws on this one seem minor -- I'm imagining some minor black ink "snow" on there perhaps dropped it a grade but generally everything here is clean to the eye with no obvious flaws. That's good enough for me as beginner or one-time dabbler. Modern tickets for big artists can be quite pricey when slabbed as availability is often an issue, but I'm assuming a bulk "find" of these happened at some point back in the day given the high-profile event and all that went into it.

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

STONE COLD! STONE COLD!
The Card: "Stone Cold" Steve Austin 2022 Panini Select WWE Elephant parallel
The Reason Graded: I opened a modest amount of blasters for this Panini release, which I think was among their best of 2022, and for my non-autograph finds I think this one is easily among my best ... and I pulled this card as a rarity twice. The last one was a retail-only Gold Flash (/10) and this one, while not numbered, is also a retail-only rarer parallel. After I pulled and graded the last one (see it here), I knew this one needed a slab, too.
The Grade: CSG 10

Reality Check: I knew this one would grade well when I saw its centering closely locked in but not quite as perfect as last time -- centering is an issue more often than not across the board in this product -- but even if it wasn't the idea of having a pair of rarities for a big name from a set I really like from blasters sounded good. They look good, too.

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VLADDY IS A BADDY
The Card: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 2019 Topps Chrome -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: Vladdy's RCs from this set and its base counterpart are simple favorites of mine and I have graded pretty much all versions I have -- I think ... I'm not super-organized -- and this is from a submission last year. Why has it sat waiting to show? Well, it seems he's perhaps fallen off the collecting radar despite continuing to put up solid numbers. They may not be numbers yet on-par with his MVP-caliber season but he's no bum ... now's the time to be hunting and stockpiling bargains. Why? He's been solid and unless he signs some new deal is a free agent in 2026. I think there's a lot of potential here if he stays put -- on a team that's loaded with some homegrown collectable talent but has admittedly underperformed as a team -- or if he goes elsewhere. He's also likely one of the more-graded guys of recent years so that's also a good thing if you're looking for a player to dabble with.
The Grade: CSG 9.5

Reality Check: The volume here is strong and most are checking in at 10 so that feeds the beast -- but I wouldn't overpay with it being so top-heavy. At the same time, I bet that the PSA volume on this and others is much higher and that means prices could be soft ... also good if you're a collector, not a stockpiler. For me, 2019 was probably my last year of heavier ripping across the board for MLB so I have a decent amount of his stuff ... but other guys from previous years like Shohei Ohtani and Ronald Acuña Jr. probably get my slabbing attention first among my submissions.

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MAKING THE GRADE HERE ...
The Card: Julio Rodriguez 2022 Topps Heritage High Number
The Reason Graded: I'm a big fan of the basics like Heritage debuts and this one is that for him, save for the Heritage MiLB stuff. If you rip a hobby box, you'll come close to a full set every time and you might even land a couple copies of some guys. This one's centering got me to pay attention right off the bat -- and it looked clean otherwise -- so it was a no-brainer to slab. Oddly, a few of the times I found him in blaster packs he was the top card on the pack so corners were an issue on those ... so this might be the only one I grade, though I want to slab his stuff and Spencer Strider's Rookie Card in this every time I flip through my stash.
The Grade: CSG 10

Reality Check: I was pleased with a 10 here for sure but the volumes aren't that high on anything here yet to know how well these will consistently grade. I do know a lot of mine wouldn't be grade like this straight out of their packs.

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IT'S TIFFY TIME!
The Card: Tiffany Stratton 2022 Panini Chronicles WWE Rookies & Stars Red (/199) -- Rookie Card parallel
The Reason Bought: The new NXT women's champ doesn't have a lot of cardboard -- just in a few of the 2022 Panini WWE releases -- and she doesn't have a shred of cardboard from before that. Why? She's not wrestled all that long -- her first NXT matches are in mid-November 2021 and she's been on a fast track of sorts because she's got an all-around package and has a gymnastics background that helps her bring even more to the table quickly. (Poke around here on The Buzz in Buzz Buys and you'll see more here. This was a late addition to this piece after her win.)
The Grade: PSA 9

Reality Check:  I picked this up already graded because I knew it was one of her better basic RCs (albeit a parallel) and this one was the only copy graded. It's pretty much perfect except for an errant piece of foil up top above her wrist. It bugs me, so I'll probably chase others to go with this instead of just having one and looking for other slabs. She will be around WWE for some time as long as she chooses to be ... she can do stuff others simply can't with only a year or so in the game.

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TOUGH ONE TO TEN ...
The Card: Fred McGriff 1986 Donruss -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: I knew this was not an easy grade, but I got out my 30ish copies of this card -- I did a factory set case long ago and even more sets behind that back when they were cheap while chasing somebody else -- and took them under a loupe to make this one my lone submission not long after his Hall of Fame status was revealed. The factory set cuts for this set can have some minor irregularities on edges -- that nixed most of my copies in my eyes -- but this one looked good and I hoped it might be a contender. Why? This and his Leaf version are his only RCs. Topps and Fleer only got him into their update sets the year after this one arrived.
The Grade: CSG 9.5

Reality Check: I was bummed but not surprised to not get a 10 here -- I knew it was tough -- but what surprised me is how hard even a 9.5 is here ... only three others exist right now out of 70 graded. Most check in between eight and nine ... which is probably about right for a lot of the cards out of wax packs. From a grading perspective, I don't like this set at all ... but this card and the Jose Canseco are keys for varying reasons.

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ALWAYS LIKED THIS ONE ...
The Book: X-23 (2005) No. 3
The Reason Bought: I can't keep up with the new stuff at all in the comics realm, but there are some characters I like on artwork here and there and occasionally I will bite when it comes to a slab. X-23, or the new Wolverine (or the daughter of Wolverine) is one where the earlier stuff from this artist and others are just interesting to me. Beyond the basic pose, the background with various other characters was something that struck me as cool. A lot of the earlier issues for this character's series seem to have even simpler covers with the character atop white backgrounds ... making this stand out more to me. (Keep in mind I'm merely a dabbler here ... I don't know a ton of ins and outs for the history -- I just like well-crafted covers in slabs.)
The Grade: CGC 9.8 (Universal)

Reality Check: As with most modern comics, it's 9.8 or bust on both grading as well as values, so over time even the 9.8s will soften. I found this one at a decent price -- not the highest, not the lowest -- and that was fine as I simply liked it. This is, I believe, the third issue in the first standalone series for the character with her debut being a pricey slab that's too high for me with a cover that's just not that interesting style-wise for me and my budget. The No. 1 here I might do ... it's clean and simple. (Another reason I can't keep up with all the new stuff? Series don't seem to last long any more so newbs like me can't figure out what's what ... or maybe it's just me.)

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TOUGH GRADING HERE, TOO
The Card: Cora Jade 2021 Topps WWE Women's Division Orange Autographs (/75) -- pre-rookie ink
The Reason Graded: I spent a decent amount on this card when I spotted it because it was razor sharp and very, very, very clean vs. others. What's the deal? On-card autos on super-skinny stock with a lot of dark ink or full-bleed color as part of the design ... I have pulled so many autos that are probably grading eights on a good day from graders when it comes to this one. Atop that, the other reason I bought here is that this is technically her first WWE card atop being her first certified auto and she didn't make the cut for the roster insert set in the release -- her only cards were these and then 25 1/1 Transcendent party VIP promo cards ... everything else is 2022 Panini for her RCs and those are pricey at times if autographs. (Often times a good chunk higher than what I paid her with sticker autos more often than not.) Either way, despite the risks, this one looked so good it needed to be slabbed.
The Grade: CSG 9

Reality Check: I was both bummed and elated with a nine here -- I don't think nines are going to be easy at all across the board for any ink in this product. More than a dozen autographed cards are in the pop report as I type this with two 9.5s and then the rest are nine or lower with three 8.5s. I suspect that kind of ratio will hold or even grow from the bottom the more people dare to slab.

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THE BIG LEBOWSKI?
The Card: Relaxed Fit Jonesy 2021 Panini Fortnite Holofoil parallel
The Reason Bought: I was deep-diving for slabs again when I spotted this one and, well, I overpaid (by my standards) but had to have it despite a lower mark and my not knowing much of anything that's going on here other than this Fortnite character's special suit is totally a nod to The Big Lebowski. It has to be ... right, Dude? I know nothing about Fortnite to be honest, but I'll take a Lebowski cameo card into the collection without hesitation.
The Grade: PSA 8

Reality Check: There are a few parallels in play in these releases and this one is a holofoil stock version where few copies have been slabbed and mine is the worst. (Don't even care!) I think a surface spot dropped this one down more than anything ... but this is still a classic gimmick card to me -- it'll go with my Lebowski Garbage Pail Kids slabs if I ever get everything organized.

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AFFORDABLE ROOKIE CARDS
The Card: Jonathan Taylor 2020 Panini Chronicles Panini Pink -- Rookie Card parallel
The Reason Bought: I landed this for around $5 and that was an easy grab as slabbing anything costs more than that and with a card like this (real cardboard stock that can be soft with a textured surface added) a nine is fine and may not always happen if subbing raw copies. Atop that, it's a Pink parallel that lets that foil really pop out from the dark area ... and then there's Taylor's showing on the field. He's been strong ... and I think he's a no-brainer buy when cheap.
The Grade: CSG 9

Reality Check: Three 10s, three nines ... all good. Doesn't even matter at my price. I'm also betting the PSA pop reports on his stuff are higher and maybe quite volatile between 10s and nines. I like a small pop report like this.

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MAD MAX ...
The Card: Max Verstappen 2020 Topps Chrome Formula 1
The Reason Graded: I dabbled on a super-small scale here with a big basic Lewis Hamilton card eluding me with some Chrome ripping ... but this one popped out of a pack and I saw it as slab-worthy. I waited a long time to sub but that's OK -- I don't slab to sell -- this is still a respectable card from a popular release and brand.
The Grade: CSG 9.5

Reality Check: There was a minor surface spot that I knew could hurt here, but I actually figured it might grade lower so I was fine with this one this time.

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... MAD MILEY
The Mag: Miley Cyrus & Robin Thicke, Mad magazine -- No. 525 (February 2014)
The Reason Graded: I picked this up in a small repackage deal of recent Mad magazines at a retail closeout store -- much like the comic book repacks I have done in Buzz Buys -- literally years ago and when I was brainstorming pop culture names worth the look for potential slabbing Cyrus came to mind. It's not my genre, really, and she has a ton of cards with Hannah Montana and other merch like that but the irreverence here and the exaggerated reality of the illustration I put it into a grading sub of mags last year. It took more than a year to come back and this graded well, though I see a couple spots on it that explain the 9.6 and not a 9.8 grade. If I were a little more dedicated to mags -- I have softened some since sending these off last year but still have a ton I want to slab -- I'd dabble with recent-year Mad copies as there are a lot of good covers between the subjects and the illustrations. Plus, Mad has a long-running history (1952-forward though I think newer issues are  actually old re-published items) that could mean more potential collectors of everything.
The Grade: CGC 9.6 (Universal)

Reality Check: The white speck on her leg was there when I sent it -- I just missed it -- and that alone might have been enough to drop this down but seeing how it's the only one graded I like where I stand for now. I have better stuff I wanted to send but this was in a batch of issues where I knew some had issues and I wanted to see how the results would look on returns before doing others I like more. (I wanted to see how things might come back without pressing, which adds a lot of time and some cost to the process ... too much time at that point but perhaps not any more.)

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ANOTHER OF THE FAVORITE ...
The Card: Shotzi Blackheart 2020 Topps WWE NXT Roster -- rookie-year insert
The Reason Graded: This star is simply a favorite of mine and this card is, too, from a release that I have opened countless boxes of and even a few cases. I have lost track of how many of these I have actually slabbed -- I know this one isn't alone -- but am not sure how many I have that checked in at the other marks. Doesn't matter ... I like it and I'll likely throw in more copies in future bulk lots if I struggle narrowing down batches.
The Grade: CSG 9.5

Reality Check: What I do know is that this one is the lone 9.5 based on the info above ... works for me. I also know any green-slab 9.5s I have here -- I think I do -- won't be getting changed to the new style. Green works here.

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THE REAL DEAL ... I WISH
The Card: Honus Wagner 2020 Topps 206
The Reason Graded: Every time I see this landmark card pop up somewhere else in packs -- and when I pull one -- it's always one to give a close look to and ponder a slab. Why? Maybe some gag potential -- "Hey, look at this!" -- but also for some simple tobacco-style slabs of substance without breaking the bank. (Plus this one is infinitely cheaper than even the most-disgustingly mangled copy of the real thing ... or even a scrap of one.)
The Grade: CSG 10

Reality Check: This checked in exactly where I had hoped -- and almost every copy that's been graded has, too. I was a little surprised to see that -- and even 10 copies in a slab -- but all good.

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A BLISSFUL GRADE
The Card: Alexa Bliss 2015 Topps Chrome WWE Atomic Refractor -- Rookie Card parallel
The Reason Graded: I waited to slab this copy of this WWE veteran's RC parallel for a while, but finally got around to it along with one other. Why did I wait? None could compare my copy here. To be honest, though, she's been off the mental radar a lot with her being away from the ring or even WWE TV for long stretches between injuries and storylines that didn't need her. Her next match is becoming a mom so there won't be any new storylines for a while, though she said she does not plan to retire.
The Grade: CSG 9.5

Reality Check: Mine checks in at the highest of a pair ... works for me. The centering seems to often be a culprit here and this one was very close to perfect ... but not. (By the way, her card in this one is a full-on Rookie Card as the NXT cards were part of the basic checklist for this release, not inserts like they were in the basic Topps set.)

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REPRINTED ROOKIE ... WITH A CHROME TWIST
The Card: Roger Maris 2001 Topps Archives Reserve -- 1958 Topps Rookie Card reprint
The Reason Graded: I own his RC once or twice from buying back in the day -- well before Making The Grade was a thing -- and when I was working through some older boxes of buys from long ago I found my stash of the Refractor-style finished Rookie Card reprints of notables that was this set. The base cards here are really nice and the general volume here is capped a bit by how they were released. They came in a box that also guaranteed an autographed baseball as well as an autographed card and two Relics as well. That was a lot and it was a somewhat premium-priced box in its time, though it wouldn't be now -- heck, flagship boxes cost more than this one did. (Times have really changed.) I ripped one or two of these boxes once they hit closeouts and arrived in shops even cheaper than their original price.
The Grade: CSG 9

Reality Check: I'll admit I was bummed with the nine here but the overall printing on these wasn't as crisp and clean as they might've been if they'd been made in the years since that time. The colors and etching really shine, though. My centering here is a smidge off top-to-bottom but I didn't see any massive issues. Either way, I still like this one.

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ANOTHER FAVORITE ...
The Card: John Johnson 1979-80 Topps
The Reason Bought: This photo is absolutely not the norm for its era and that's one reason why this card is an absolute piece of cardboard perfection to me. I own countless raw copies all grabbed in bulk hoping to find one to slab at a high mark but that's not easy between cutting, border and ink funk and then snowstorms that aren't all that uncommon with all the dark ink of the arena background. This was somebody's miss -- it looks better than an eight to me -- and I had to buy it.
The Grade: CSG 8

Reality Check: It's the highest-graded copy -- by far -- of two in the pop report and that also made it a no-brainer, though Johnson has school ties for me and I'm a buyer on this card often. I briefly owned a high-grade signed copy that was destroyed or stolen in the mail as it was headed to BAS for slabbing ... and that still burns. Hard. Someday, I'll find one of those ...

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DYNAMIC DUO
The Card: Sarita & Rosita 2013 TRISTAR TNA Impact Wrestling Live Dual Autographs Green (/50)
The Reason Graded: As I mentioned on the newest Buzz Buys, Rosita -- aka WWE's Zelina Vega now -- had arguably her biggest moment of her career with a championship match against Rhea Ripley in Puerto Rico where members of her family are from. This card was one of the past pick-ups I've made with her stuff from back in the TNA days. Her Rookie Cards and only autos for a long time were only found in a couple of these releases and after I picked up a few I opted to grade a couple of my autos. Why? Only because my RCs were not likely higher-grade contenders and my ink looked really good ... or was rare.
The Grade: CSG 9.5

Reality Check: I was good with this grade, though I thought this one had 10 potential compared to my other card. (From what I remember the most-common issues could be found with the fibers on the backs of the cards.)

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JUST KEEP LIVING ...
The Card: Roger Maris 2022 Topps Living Set
The Reason Graded: This one was an instant buy for me -- a lot even -- via Topps when it was revealed and I sent off my best copy from a small batch to slab. It's centering is just a tiny bit off top to bottom but even that wasn't enough to deny this one a solid grade.
The Grade: CSG 10

Reality Check: Normally it's the centering or the color corner that can knock these out of high-grade potential but most of those graded so far most are checking in just like mine did.

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ICONIC NON-SPORTS ...
The Card: Barack Obama 2009 Topps Heritage American Heroes
The Reason Graded: There was a big wave of cardboard in the wake of his historic election -- American Heritage sets from Topps as well as his own set for starters -- and this was one of a couple cards that put him on a card in the 1952 Topps design. This one is merely a base card from the 2009 set while another one -- with arguably a lesser photo -- was an insert. When I saw that CSG was slabbing cards from this set -- since it has some sports-adjacent figures it perhaps qualifies as multi-sport -- I did a quick look at what I had and this one presented itself.
The Grade: CSG 9.5

Reality Check: While I thought it was a definite contender for a 10, it's not -- but it is among the two best copies so far. I guess that's good enough for me. A number of the presidential inserts from these sets are in pretty good demand -- and boxes have definitely dried up or out-kicked their typical contents with high prices -- so stuff from not that long ago might make for some smart slabs.

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AN AFFORDABLE FAVORITE ...
The Card: Angela Fong 2015 Bench Warmer Eclectic Collection Autographs
The Reason Graded: As I noted last time, this one-time FCW/WWE wrestler/announcer has very little WWE cardboard despite working with so many names you would know. But, she does have a ton of affordable BenchWarmer cards -- and a lot of autos -- where I have dabbled and casually collect just for fun since there's plenty to choose from and it's all affordable for the most part. In this case, Eclectic was a release that really got me interested in dabbling with BW cards -- it was a re-pack of a boatload of packs and then a packet of new stuff (this set) with autos, memorabilia and a ton of good names in play. The boxes' original packs could yield a ton of ink (often around a dozen) and then these autos, too, and that made the boxes a good fun, value break. The boxes are long gone now but my stash is a one I like. Like the previous card, once I saw CSG was grading more stuff I checked a box of hits and this one jumped out at me as quite clean so I figured "Why not?"
The Grade: CSG 10

Reality Check: It checked in at the grade I'd like and I'll likely grade more once I get going with more subs later this year.

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A FAVORITE FROM A SOLID SET ...
The Card: Captain Britain 1992 Impel Marvel X-Men Series 1
The Reason Bought: This character is a favorite of mine, though this set isn't the natural look to me for this character. Why? This set of X-Men characters from all groups at the time was drawn by X-Men artist Jim Lee, while my group was drawn by Alan Davis, who has a lesser-detailed but still open and smooth style. I like this set but other cards for my characters more ... but when I happened upon this one I decided to grab it and got it for next to nothing ... less than $1 and then about $5 to ship.
The Grade: PSA 9

Reality Check: The volume graded isn't as strong as the debut Marvel Universe set -- almost 300 copies of that one for this character -- and I'll find one of those eventually. (That set pretty much got me into comics for my short time back in the day.) This one was too good to pass up for the price.

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SEEING GREEN
The Card: Tua Tagovailoa 2020 Panini Chronicles NFL Luminance Green -- Rookie Card parallel
The Reason Bought: I found a small lot of slabs for this former Alabama star from this release not that long ago and at about $8 a card it was a no-brainer, especially considering everything was in this grade, which is now a 10.
The Grade: CSG 9.5 (now 10)

Reality Check: Most of the copies graded here check in at this mark, which is kind of surprising with the textured surface sometimes leading to issues when the cards are cut. (In my mind the texture, applied by a roller taken to the surface, softens the stock more than if they were smooth but don't hold me to that.) Either way, I'm good here as I like the simplicity of the design of this brand within the catch-all brand.

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AN INTERNATIONAL ICON
The Card: Tiger Mask 1983 Wrestling All-Stars Series A
The Reason Graded: My stash of cards from the 1982 and 1983 Wrestling All-Stars sets is small -- the full set the first year and then some key singles from 1983 -- and this one was among the cards I knew I'd want to grade beyond my previous sub of the biggest names from 1982. This Japanese star held both a WWF and NWA championship while working in America around this time and the character was initially one based in manga before coming to the real world and the wrestling ring. Several wrestlers have donned the persona but this was the first.
The Grade: CSG 7

Reality Check: This set is picking up steam with CSG slabs and mine isn't alone -- it's only topped by two cards, which helps the burn of a seven a little bit. I didn't have super-high expectations with this sub as the oversized cards can always have a number of issues, though.

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PRECISION SIGNING ...
The Card: Rosemary 2022 Impact Wrestling Autographs (/100)
The Reason Graded: This find in a recent Impact set -- one of three bonus auto cards (one per set) -- was a no-brainer for a slab for me as that photo is perfect for the photo and design and that auto is one where you can see every precise pen stroke that only makes it look even better. The stock here isn't all that friendly -- mostly issues on the back edges but sometimes on the front corners with all that dark ink -- but this one was an easy slab to me as I believe it's her first and only certified autograph card. It's also one of only a small number of cards from a long career.
The Grade: CSG 9

Reality Check: Mine's the only one graded, so that's good ... I'm fine with a nine as this looks very good.

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HE'S BACK ...
The Card: Fernando Tatis Jr. 2018 Topps Heritage Minor League Blue parallel (/99)
The Reason Graded: I'm a sucker for Heritage MiLB cards when there's a strong MLB name attached -- I wish I would have opened more in the first decade of the line as I like the designs more than recent times -- and I wouldn't mind doing some slab runs of some names to have them all alongside Heritage MLB cards, too. But ... not as easily done now as boxes are gone or too pricey for a number of those years. In this case, I slabbed a few early Tatis cards (hence my green label) but let them sit until better days with all his issues. This is also one of the few times I found a good name among my MiLB parallels.
The Grade: CSG 9.5 (now 10)

Reality Check: Mine's the best-graded copy, which is cool, but I am not all that sure how much general interest there is in a lot of his stuff now. I also like how this is a San Antonio Missions card as that's the only MiLB stadium I have been to.

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AN OVERLOOKED CARD?
The Card: Natalya 2008 Topps Heritage WWE Ringside Rookies -- rookie-year insert card
The Reason Graded: These days she's dubbed as the "BOAT" in the WWE women's ranks -- Best Of All Time -- and that may not be far off in all ways save for title reigns. She's definitely a veteran who has plenty of matches, pay-per-view appearances and so on in a career that's been reliably lengthy and she's helped make stars in NXT who are more than notable today, too. For in-pack, non-gaming cards, she doesn't have a lot early on -- a Heritage RC, an auto from that release and then this insert, which was only found in packs of certain Heritage blasters made for and only found at Walmart. The stock isn't all that friendly but when I saw how clean this one was I knew I had to slab it. Like a lot of Heritage cards from that time, the regular cards are always found with an iffy corner ... not this one.
The Grade: CSG 9.5 (now 10)

Reality Check: Top of two graded and the other one isn't close. That's a win for me. These cards were in one pack per blaster and only one rookie per special pack so it took a few boxes to find them all ... and sometimes the packaging could cause issues with the condition.

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A DOUBLE ERROR?
The Card: Byron Buxton 2015 Topps Heritage High Number Gum Stain -- Rookie Card parallel (botched label and maybe botched grade)
The Reason Graded: This was sent very early on -- maybe in my first bulk sub back in the day -- and I think it was a double botch ... and that's why it sat. This is a gum stain variation card -- that's why the back has a halo of light ink showing on the back as it's to replicate the residue left from the gum if you were opening packs back in 1966. In this case, that's not noted on the slab ... and I really, really, really don't see any issues that would drop this card down to an 8.
The Grade: CSG 8 (* -- grades are for the regular card ... no stain cards in pop report)

Reality Check: I feel like this one is a botch on the label as well as the grade ... but I'm not going to dwell on it beyond it being right here, right now. The pop report shows the rest of the standard cards graded checked in at 9-10 ... making this one seem like even more of the anomaly.

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ILLUSTRATED APPEAL
The Card: Justin Fields 2021 Panini Instant Illustration Series -- Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: I picked up this card because this set is a unique one to me with newly drafted players in their NFL uniforms for the first time. A few of them are graded rather heavily -- clearly a bulk buyer and a bulk slabber went into business due to some strong names here -- but the soft stock with rich color can mean trouble at times.
The Grade: CSG 9

Reality Check: This one looks really nice on those front corners, making a bargain price here feel pretty solid. Others haven't dipped in price as much as this one in slab form but I'll get others eventually. This one was my first from this set.

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