Making the Grade (May): A perfect Victor Wembanyama Prizm, old comics & mags, new MLB stars, Stacy's Mom + plenty 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 ...

MY FIRST WEM-BAM!-YAMA ...
The Card: Victor Wembanyama 2023-24 Panini Prizm Green Prizms -- Rookie Card parallel
The Reason Graded: My first -- and actually only -- batch of Prizm NBA blasters included this gem and I knew instantly that it would be in a slab once I saw its centering and then no issues among the sometimes-pesky edges for Prizm and similar stock of the last few years. (Sometimes clean ... sometimes not.) In this case, I had this one in a box headed for grading even before I had its Buzz Break box broken down and posted here ... and it's a solid keeper for me vs. my Hoops finds that all had things that me scared off of slabbing them.
The Grade: CGC 10 (Pristine)

Reality Check: That's pretty much the perfect scenario isn't it? Top grade for a retail blaster -- at suggested retail price even -- pull ... even if there's a curtain that seemed to lather up some people out there. This won't be the last you see of this generational talent in this series ... but this is it for this month's slabs.

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

LET IT RIP!
The Card: Rhea Ripley 2020 Topps Chrome WWE Autographs (/199)
The Reason Graded: Speaking of generational talents, Ripley is it if you ask me among the WWE women's ranks and she just finished up a year-long reign on top -- and that was only halted due to a fluke injury. Before she went on the shelf and before her Wrestlemania win over a future Hall of Famer, she went into one of my grading submissions a few times. Like I've mentioned before, I tried to pick off ink from each of her RC year releases and this is one example of that. I have a ton of her stuff I have stockpiled since arrival that I need to slab, but I figured I couldn't get away with a Mami-only month of Making The Grade.
The Grade: CGC 9.5

Reality Check: There's so much texture going on with the design here that I feared some flukey low mark on what's now a slightly pricier card (they weren't as steep when I was buying) but this one checked in short of a 10 ... but still as the top spot. Works for me.

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SEEING GREEN
The Card: Michael Harris II 2023 Topps Inception Green -- Rookie Card parallel
The Reason Graded: The Rookie Of The Year has a lot of affordable RCs and I liked the look of this one with its action-packed swirls and color, though these aren't really Braves colors. Since these are on thicker stock and it looked clean, I subbed this affordable card (total cost of card and grading less than the price of a basic blaster) ... though now that I think about it green is a pretty good shade for "Money Mike."
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: That's what I'm looking for -- I dig that no matter what it is or isn't worth. As more and more boxes are pricier these days and I'm not ripping -- I don't rip to flip --  I actually don't care what kind of deluxe inclusions that are in play in some brands like this. I'm liking clean basics like this more.

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COVETED CAMEO ...
The Book: Lea Thompson -- Howard The Duck No. 9 variant cover
The Reason Graded: Dig deep in The Buzz Archives and you'll find a Buzz Buys mention of this one, a rarer variant cover from 2016 that puts Lea Thompson on the cover -- as herself -- and into the Marvel print universe -- as herself -- years after she was in the movie of the same name. (She's got the Topps cards to prove it, too.) When I landed this raw I was a bit bummed as it had a minor issue up top and I stashed it away deep in some comics box somewhere and I hadn't really thought about it since. Back then I wasn't grading stuff in this realm at all, but when I recently did some digging I pulled this out as a candidate ... and it was instantly in the sub once I saw raw asking prices for more than $150 here.
The Grade: CGC 9.8 (Universal)

Reality Check: I had this one pressed and that did the magic on the minor bend on this one (it didn't affect color, which is when that hurts the grade) and now it's among the top copies of only a few slabbed. Actual sales here on eBay? Somebody paid $299 for one in this same mark. Two others are on eBay for that price and higher ... and the fourth 9.8 is mine. I got mine for just $20 raw ... winning.

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EARLY HERITAGE
The Card: Juan Soto 2017 Topps Heritage Minor League
The Reason Bought: Soto's Heritage Rookie Card comes the year after this, so that's probably why the flippers aren't that focused here -- I suspect most these days will be after his Yankees cards more, anyway, generally speaking -- but this was priced lower than a bargain-bin blaster so I had to grab at that price. Why? MiLB stuff for top names speaks to me as the volume made simply can't be as high as MLB stuff and the looks here can often be decent -- or at least unique -- unlike a lot of cardboard at the top level. This one has Nationals colors but definitely isn't from Washington ... that's one reason I dig it.
The Grade: PSA 9

Reality Check: The pop report here is pretty thick and it's very top-heavy ... so I'll let them overpay for those 10s all day long. (When everything's a 10 there shouldn't be a premium ... this isn't that but it's not far off.) I don't mind this one for less than $13.

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ALWAYS A FAVORITE
The Card: Allen Iverson 1996-97 Fleer Ultra -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: There are a few years in the past where Buzz ripped more basketball packs than normal -- the arrival of NBA Hoops and its sophomore release, the original Dream Team cards, this Iverson-Bryant year and the year after, LeBron's arrival and then the Morant-Williamson year. This set was a favorite of mine with that simple typography and I pulled this from a retail pack all those years ago unlike other key names in that one. This design is a super-simple one and the stock is glossed and soft so there are challenges here for slabbing. Not that long ago, I happened upon my one NBA album left from those years and pulled out some of the highlights, sadly seeing that a lot of what I liked and pulled back then (mostly retail ripping) wasn't that special ... but this was clean. 
The Grade: CGC 9.5

Reality Check: This was a nice surprise when I got it back -- I knew it was clean but I wasn't expecting an elite mark as, well, I'm a realist with older stuff where a lot can go wrong. But ... this one is the highest-graded copy among a pretty good volume of copies graded. Big fan of this one.

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WHAMMY!
The Card: Champ Kind (aka David Koechner) 2011 Dreamworks Anchorman
The Reason Graded: This comes from a nicely crafted card set that was found in a card-style pack in a DVD release of this classic movie in more recent years -- not its original version -- and it's one that I don't think actually was prominently mentioned on the front of the packaging, either. You just had to look for the certain version of the movie and look for the details on the back. It's actually a DVD I bought more than once -- once at first release, once in a slasher sale -- just for the cards. Why? The centering on these is often quite brutal -- ignore the brown logo box and look at the blue borders. This one is clean but a lot of them are centered off to one side where the brown box may not be as close. I want to grade more here for sure but I want to land better marks as, well, it's not that rare or pricey ... so it has to be a good grade for it to matter. I saw this one's centering and subbed it instantly.
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: Only three cards from this set have been slabbed by CGC and mine's the highest. Why? It's got to be th centering. A Ron Burgundy checked in at a seven while a third card from the set landed a nine. I've seen unopened packs slabbed by PSA but that's no fun ... but I do like this one more as single-card slabs. It's a set that covers all the bases and if I could just slab a whole set and not sweat the results/cost, I probably would ... but I'll keep watching and hunting.

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WENT FOR A HAIL MARY ... AND MISSED
The Card: Randall Cunningham 1990 Pro Set Collect-A-Books
The Reason Graded: The concept here was simple ... a card-sized book. The execution? Funky to put it mildly ... but that's not to say they weren't memorable during their short run. These remain very unique among all the weird stuff tried though the years. My first experience with these was finding a trio of MLB decks from CMC (they were sold in three small boxes with several books inside each one each time ... like a card deck of books) at some Midwest chain store while traveling in 1990. Meanwhile, I never actually saw these Pro Set branded NFL books at all -- or their NBA Hoops cousins. The covers and pages here are all made of cardboard and the folding/glue stage made for a lot of oddly scrunched cards with bumps and scuffs on the spines and corners in the MLB releases ... so much so they didn't last in my collection long other than stashing my player and a few key names. I recently did a curiosity dive and stumbled upon this book of my favorite NFL player back then and that spine looked super clean -- or at least way, way, way better than others -- on a flat scan ... so I bit for a try at a novelty slab.
The Grade: CGC 4.5

Reality Check: This was a miss so big that its grade doesn't even make the table above ... soooo it was not as clean as I had thought. It's got the spine issues that are common -- just not easily seen on a flat scan. With very little color loss on its front, I thought maybe this one hadn't been packed out like others so it might not have the kind of damage that's super-common here ... nope.

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DUELING DEBUTS?
The Mag: Thunder Rosa & Jade Cargill -- Pro Wrestling Illustrated, October 2022 -- first cover appearances for both
The Reason Graded: I digged the look of this one a lot back when it arrived -- so much so I picked up several copies on the cheap with an eye on grading. This is the first PWI cover for Cargill, who is now in WWE and it's the first cover appearance of any serious real estate for Rosa, too. (She had one small image as part of a big montage previously ... but I really don't like counting small cameos as "firsts.") I picked my best copy and worked it into a submission knowing these have some challenges.
The Grade: CGC 9.2 (Universal)

Reality Check: I'm good with 9.0 and up, though this one surprised me a little bit as nothing here was substantially damaged -- just small stuff with high gloss, skinny paper and a lot of texture in the design that might seem like flaws. I didn't have this pressed -- I probably should have but I didn't want to pay more and wait longer ... but I might consider it once I revisit other copies I have. Both are unique performers with different experiences and approaches but this one is a winner in my book. Plus, I'd bet once stuff vanishes a lot of newer mags won't be as easily found as the late-1980s and 1990s years where magazines printed a lot more.

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CALIFORNIA LOVE
The Card: Tupac Shakur 2012 Platinum League Hip Hop
The Reason Graded: In the earlier years of Buzz Breaks and other rips, I opened boxes of these then-cheap and really obscure boxes a couple times. I landed ink for some name I don't remember, and I think a numbered parallel that didn't look like a parallel, and then they all got put into boxes somewhere in my mountains of cardboard after some sorting. The biggest couple names I knew got sleeved and ended up separately from the basics and I recently fumbled upon those while digging ... and opted to slab this one.
The Grade: CGC 9.5

Reality Check: I thought I had a 10 on my hands but I think the problem spots here are the back corners -- soft stock with dark colors -- and this one might have had a little too much white showing. Maybe. Either way, it's still a win as the good names here do sell pretty well and I landed these boxes so cheap ... they were really just slow-day filler breaks for me as they were something very different and obscure.

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IT'S A WHITEOUT ...
The Book: Fantastic Four No. 371 (1992) -- newsstand edition
The Reason Graded: This retail version of an embossed gimmick cover is one that I remember wanting as it was different back then but I didn't want to pony up the $2, which was a higher price than normal. I also wasn't a big Four buyer, but ... I did it anyway. This was from closer to the end of my run of buying issues, accelerated with higher cover prices even higher than this for the different and creative issues that seemed to pop up all the time. (Too often.) What was the story here? I dunno. Didn't care. The second printing of this one was all red -- another gimmick to go with the embossing -- but what makes this one perhaps different than other slabs is probably that barcode. It's not ideal with this design for sure -- and most people bought comics at shops, not newsstand ... so my clean newsstand copies might stand out vs. other slabs.
The Grade: CGC 9.6 (Universal)

Reality Check: I missed on the top mark but there were no notes as to why -- that's fine but it's not as strong as the high mark where most check in. How many of these are newsstand copies? No idea. A CGC 9.8 non-barcode can be had on eBay right now for $40, while the cheapest newsstand copy (another 9.6) is $88 BIN. I like that comparison. The cheapest 9.8 is $244. No actual sales popped up. An extra variable here? CGC can't press embossed cardboard covers like this.

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AN AFFORDABLE HOMAGE
The Card: Mickey Mantle (1952 Topps) -- 2021 Topps X Mantle
The Reason Graded: I won't ever own an original -- no aspiration to, really, or the cashflow -- but I pulled this one from a pack and threw it into a submission as a nice chance at a novelty slab, though it's a simple card that's not really a novelty. This set was interesting -- a mix of reprints and then some new creations for The Mick -- and this was the best one I pulled. There are others I might grade if I had them but it's not a big priority overall.
The Grade: CGC 9.5

Reality Check: I was a little surprised to see the volume here, but the split with the marks was interesting. I knew mine wouldn't be a 10 with the centering a smidge off, of course, but the stock is skinny and that could lead to challenges.

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JUST SCREAMS EARLY '90S
The Mag: Paula Abdul -- Us, June 27, 1991
The Reason Bought: This was an addition that, mostly, was because it was a solid grade and it being dirt cheap -- most mag slabbers try to unrealistically max out sales with asking prices that might pay for an entire grading batch or two -- but I also grabbed this as it simply screams early 1990s. Abdul, a former Laker Girl cheerleader who turned into their choreographer, then music video choreographer and then pop star (really), obviously has done plenty since this, too. On this cover, she's joined by Gerardo (¡Riccccoooo Suaveee!, a one-hit wonder for sure), Terminator 2 and Backdraft among those blurbs ... that's just an absolute time capsule right there. Throw in the colors and typography -- clearly the 1980s still wanted a word -- and a quirky photo and it just works as a relic of 1991.
The Grade: CGC 9.6 (Universal)

Reality Check: The grade was strong for the price but when I saw this was the only one graded -- not that surprising -- I bit. Who knows if it might be an easy one to top -- I have no idea if clean copies of what's now known as Us Weekly still today are easily found -- but I suspect if I did find something I'd probably pay more on the item and shipping and then shipping/grading/possible pressing with no guarantees of topping this mark if I tried myself.

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PURPLE TANK
The Card: Shotzi Blackheart 2023 Panini Select WWE Ringside Action Purple autographs (/35)
The Reason Bought: WWE's colorful and high-energy star is on the shelf with a serious knee injury that happened in a truly fluke fashion but that hasn't stopped me from looking for bargains among stuff as, well, hobby box prices aren't all that friendly for my taste these days. (I'm at the point where I'd rather just buy what I want vs. take the risk of a pricey disappointment.) This one presented itself and I grabbed it, though I'll admit I prefer CGC over PSA for a number of reasons. The price was right for a top mark, though.
The Grade: PSA 10

Reality Check: I suspect most will check in at top marks with that seven a fluke/bummer for somebody out there for sure.

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COMEDIC TIME CAPSULE?
The Disc: "Stacy's Mom" Fountains of Wayne promotional video compact disc (2003) featuring Rachel Hunter
The Reason Graded: Here's something way different and a first for me -- as well as a first for CGC, which started grading DVDs, VHS, DVDs and other similar items not that long ago. More often than not, Buzz puts on MTV Classic for background noise while working and this quirky hit (some origin/background on the song/video here) literally still has daily rotation (if not heavy rotation) on that channel. That led me to wonder what "stuff" of any kind might exist on eBay for this near one-hit wonder and I found this sealed promotional video compact disc as part of a small lot. While the other CDs from the band were used and abused, this was super clean and never opened ... so this $2 buy struck me as a unique item to try as part of my first CGC Home Video grading sub. What makes this interesting? Supermodel Rachel Hunter, who was the star of the video which has nods to movies as well as odes to a favorite band of the band, does not appear on the CD releases here (CD single or album). So ... this promo disc appears to possibly be it for the cheeky video's merch showing her. (I can't say 100-percent as it's not my main collecting realm but it looks like that's the case.)
The Grade: CGC 9.4 (Universal) -- with "First VCD Graded" notation

Reality Check: I don't think they have a pop report just yet* but this was a solid result considering it's shrink-wrapped cardboard with the disc inside ... so much could have gone wrong in the 21 years since this was made. That "first" notation is an interesting one, too, as I think it might be noting the first VCD of any kind, not just this one, but I didn't see any formal info on how these notations are issued. Now, is it some big-money item? That's probably in the eye of the beholder ... but it sure seems like a cool item for a cheap price and the cost of grading. Another variable here is how easy (or not easy) these might be along with condition. Either way, mine was first even if it's not the last.

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A TEK TEN ... WORKS FOR ME
The Card: Princess Leia Organa 2017 Topps Star Wars High Tek Form 1 Gold Rainbow (/50)
The Reason Graded: I think if you dig deep in a Buzz Buys from long ago you'll find this one -- a find from back before everything rarer or their premium-brand boxes blew up in price -- and I paid less than $5. For a key character and a premium set, this flashy acetate card felt like a steal and it had been sitting in my "maybe grade" stash for some time now ... but I finally put it in there once CGC started grading non-sports cards.
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: I figured it could be close to a 10 but with acetate stock you never know -- but this was a win to me. What might it be worth? Dunno as I'm not a seller but I'd like to think The Force could be strong with this one.

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SNIKT! SNIKT!
The Book: Wolverine No. 50 (Jan. 1992) -- newsstand edition
The Reason Graded: Remember last month when I mentioned this bad boy? Well, I graded two -- both newsstand copies. Here's part of my spiel from then with some updated stats. ... Back in 1992, Little Buzz was probably nearing the end of his comic book days -- or maybe a little after this one arrived -- but with some connections to a local book store I was able to get comics before they hit those spinner racks that resulted in books getting broken spines like they were Batman up against Bane. (Or something.) And with that era being one of mass-produced stuff that was still very creative on both the art front as well as the printing/gimmick front, I and many others were buying ... in quantity. This issue is one exploring Wolverine's origins and it's got a cardboard cover with his claws the source of the big die-cut gashes here revealing the first page of what's in the file (issue). I bought maybe a half-dozen of them as it was cool -- a few at the local comics shop and a few more at the book store -- and that's the key here. These newsstand versions -- same except for the UPC in the corner filling the box -- figure to be much, much rarer in a high grade.
The Grade: CGC 9.8 (Universal)

Reality Check: This one was another win but I expected it as my copies here are razor sharp. How many of those graded might be newsstand copies? It's a mystery right now but asking prices on eBay as I prepped this file last time were strong.

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BUZZ WORTHY ...
The Card: Blowout Buzz 2023 Wrestling Card Price Guide Collector Series Series 2 (announced /150)
The Reason Graded: Yep, that's Buzz with some nods to the Bray Wyatt legacy, the sports realm, magazine realm and, of course, WWE card realm with some stuff you've probably seen right here if you're a Making The Grade veteran. What is this? It's a card in a second release focusing on collectors of wresting cards out there in the world. There are basic cards and then one metal card per set that's listed to just three copies per person. My copy I landed of my metal card has a slight diamond cut or off-centered cut that scared me off of slabbing, so I picked my best of a few I have and subbed this one.
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: I suspect it will remain the only copy graded as well as the first ... that works for me. If I land all three of my metals, I'd probably slab the whole run, not fearing a low mark on the one I do have. I'm not sure I'd chase a perfect Pristine 10 here as the skinny stock and its standard attributes might not allow that to happen. (It would be easier to be perfect on plastic stock.)

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SEEING GREEN
The Book: The Incredible Hulk No. 393 (May 1992) -- newsstand edition
The Reason Graded: Like the previous book, this one also is a newsstand copy, which, in theory, should be rarer in a high grade vs. a comics shop version. This is a foiled-out modern re-do of the first issue's cover and it arrived for its 30th anniversary that was back in 1962. And we're now at 32 years after this one was released ... I had it stashed all that time and popped it into a grading sub with some other favorites. I thought it was clean and figured a top mark might be more impressive than some others I have ent in. Why? While I think Hulk is a first ballot Hall of Famer character I'm not as sure if that book was as popular as others back then.
The Grade: CGC 9.6 (Universal)

Reality Check: The pop report volume definitely shows it's not as heavily graded as others -- compare these numbers to that Wolverine issue. I came up short of the top mark but that wasn't as surprising here as this was a cardboard cover and one that I had to do some hunting to find. I may only have a couple copies at most and sent this one in to slab instead of the direct one.

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BARGAIN BUYS
The Card: Mac Jones 2021 Score -- Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: Barring some drama, a trade or an injury to Trevor Lawrence, Jones might be done and all those people who paid big for his Rookie Cards during 'demic days will be feeling the sting. I'm not one of them but I did add him here and there in slabbed form on the cheap on draft picks cards in the uni that matters more to me for my school ties stash. This card? It's nothing special but I do like this design for Score -- not too clunky (a lot of Score designs can be) with a nicely framed clean, up-close action photo.
The Grade: CSG 10

Reality Check: The volume here is pretty high overall but top marks are a definite minority probably thanks to the soft stock used here and the bold colors on those paper-stock corners. This one isn't razor sharp but it's clean -- I should have cleaned my dust off this one too -- but not perfect enough for a top mark. (I agree.) But ... for less than $5 it was an easy addition to my Crimson Tide stash.

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WORKING ON THE RUN
The Card: Bo Bichette 2019 Topps Heritage Minor League
The Reason Bought: I've picked off many a Bichette slab in recent years as I collect him perhaps more regularly than any other player at this point. I have a soft spot for Heritage MiLB cards for sure and added this one to get one step closer to a slab run of all of his MiLB stuff and I'll perhaps continue that into his MLB Heritage cards, too. Why? Just for fun. You know, collecting.
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: This one seems like a card where it shouldn't be top-heavy on  the pop report but it is. Really the corners and centering are the main things to watch here. Why might most check in higher? It's probably one of those cards where few people are subbing so they give them more scrutiny vs., say, more flipper people subbing every copy they own.

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RAZOR-SHARP VINTAGE
The Card: Frank Robinson 1974 Topps
The Reason Graded: As I noted when this one appeared in the last Buzz Buys, this isn't a money card but it's one that screamed "grade me" when I saw it ... though I knew the centering and that print spot on his hand are liabilities. Everything else, though? Razor sharp and clean -- cleaner than vintage stuff I have pulled from packs. Since I collect this Hall of Famer -- albeit casually -- I grabbed it and slabbed it.
The Grade: CGC 7

Reality Check: The centering and spot probably held it back but I was hopeful at maybe an 8 ... it's so clean. A lot can go wrong on vintage, though, and card backs count, too, no matter how clean a front might be. This mark is where most check in but not that many are graded in high marks. If this one was cleanly centered, it might push for a nine.

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DUDE ... I WENT THERE
The Card: The Dude in The Big Lebowski 2023 Funko Blockbuster Rewind
The Reason Graded: Yep, I went there with one of these ... if you're a regular reader then you saw the Buzz Break of two cases of these figures that come with a card. What is it? It's a character ID card that comes with the vinyl figure in the newish Funko Blockbuster Rewind series that put a small, simplified toy into a miniature VHS clamshell along with the card. There's a rarer variation figure in the mix as a chase, too, but I struck out on finding the other version. I like the card aspect here so much -- it's like a Blockbuster membership card for the character -- that I graded one as I promised.
The Grade: CGC 9

Reality Check: These are printed on hard credit card-style plastic so surface scratches are inevitable -- even moreso as the cards are placed under the figure's tray in the package so they can rub together -- but centering appeared to be a challenge on all six that I opened, too. They're not badly centered -- just none were perfect. Would I do more? Maybe ... this is a gimmick slab for sure, but I like it. The natural next one to slab to go with this would be a variation card but I have not landed that yet.

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BOOGITY, BOOGITY, BOOGITY!
The Card: Darrell Waltrip 1988 Maxx -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: This landmark release was the first mainstream NASCAR set in pack form, so it's the home of many a Rookie Card even though the drivers here may have been around the track a few times before. Waltrip, a three-time champ and 84-race winner at the highest level before he turned to the broadcast booth for 19 years, started his racing career in the early 1970s. He retired tied for third place for Cup wins among all drivers and still sits fourth -- topped by only Richard Petty, David Pearson and Jeff Gordon. I landed a factory set of this one years ago and have graded a couple here ... I should do more but centering and some stock discoloration on the backs isn't uncommon here with gloss-less stock with a pulpy back and a funky storage box they came in. (Something with the acids in the cardboard for one of them caused minor discoloration on some card backs -- not super bad but not helpful with grading.)
The Grade: CGC 9

Reality Check: My centering here was strong so he made the cut in a recent sub ... I used to dabble with NASCAR more but really only to chase hits and then some (but not many) key cards. I figured Waltrip would be a decent slab and I'm now the lone copy graded via CGC.

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THREE OF A KIND ...
The Cards: Shotzi Blackheart 2020 Topps Slam Attax Reloaded
The Reason Bought: I've been picking up cheap Shotzi cards here and there and this trio presented themselves on the affordable side since it's a lower mark ... but I went there for a couple reasons. One, the old green-label CSG slabs work for me here -- there won't be any more -- and green is a trademark for her. I now own all four 8.5s on the pop report, too, and don't mind that as these black-bordered cards can have all kinds of issues depending on whether they are the UK or the India version. Between packaging and materials, there can be problems with both when it comes to grading.
The Grade: CSG 8.5 on all three

Reality Check: All three look really clean for 8.5s -- it's the backs that I think are messy here -- and I'll be honest I was surprised to see a 9.5 and some nines topping these. Seeing them as low as seven is a reason I grabbed these cheap vs. sub a raw copy of my own.

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A REFRACTOR ROOKIE CARD (PARALLEL)
The Card: Blaze Jordan 2021 Bowman's Best Refractors -- Rookie Card parallel
The Reason Bought: His MiLB stats in four seasons are respectable -- .291 average with 36 homers and 185 RBI in 280 games -- so I bit on this stabbed RC parallel on the cheap awhile back just in case there's something of note here later. It's a RC by definition thanks to the error on the checklist in this one as well as one other release so I have picked off key names and a few others from this set when cheap. How cheap? Just $5 for this one.
The Grade: CSG 9.5 (now 10)

Reality Check: Most copies check in at the top mark here, so that's another reason they should be cheaper ... though that overall volume is not high at all. I suspect it could be higher elsewhere.

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