Making the Grade (Nov.): A rare Steve Austin leads the pack plus RCs for Jalen Hurts, Shohei Ohtani, John Cena & 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 ... 

GOOD AS GOLD ...
The Card: "Stone Cold" Steve Austin 2022 Panini Select WWE Gold Flash (/10)
The Reason Graded: If you recognize this card, well, there's a reason. Just a few weeks ago, I pulled it from a blaster box and thanks to CSG's quick, budget-minded services I turned this around fast and, well, this rarity pays for itself. This retail-only card is rare -- only nine others like it exist -- and it came back with a top mark since even the horizontal centering was clean. (That's not the norm from what I have seen with this release.) This is a pricey card right now so that was my main reason for slabbing, and now it's that much better.
The Grade: CSG 10

Reality Check: It's the only one that has been slabbed so far. How many might still be sitting in packs? Generally speaking, Select is a strong release worth your look in any format -- and I have other stuff here I intend to get graded.

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

THE DARKENED ROOKIE CARD
The Card: Shohei Ohtani 2018 Topps Allen & Ginter X -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: For a few years, I used to buy a box or two of Ginter X as it was typically bargain-priced with an auto in every box -- a steal, really, if you landed ink like I did. My two autos in 2018? Rookie autos for Ronald Acuña Jr. and Ozzie Albies, who was a short-print. My standard cards included this guy in two boxes and also an Acuña RC which ended up damaged when I put it into a top-loader with a lump of plastic in a corner ... denting that corner. (Big bummer.) This one? It looked really good when I went back through things so it went in a recent grading sub.
The Grade: CSG 9.5

Reality Check: These black-bordered cards aren't always going to be friendly with grading -- any little issue on a corner or edge will stick out like a sore thumb. This one? It didn't have any obvious issues, so it got the slab. I'm fine with the grade and it's only topped by one in what's a surprisingly low volume card.

--

HURTS SO GOOD ...
The Card: Jalen Hurts 2020 Score Scorecard -- Rookie Card parallel
The Reason Bought: I picked this up just before the season started due to a bargain price (about the price of a retail jumbo pack) and a strong grade for a parallel RC of him in the team I like, my team, and not the one he finished up with (Oklahoma). The stock here is really soft -- and like Ginter X edges and corners showcase any issue well with all that color (in any shade) -- so I went this route instead of picking up a different color to grade one myself.
The Grade: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: I didn't realize this was a pop-one card. Even better.

-

BUFFALO'S BIGGEST?
The Card: Josh Allen 2018 Donruss Optic -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: This is my second of these I recently sent in and since he's had a good few years so far it was a no-brainer. My other copy checked in at a 10 and this one drops in there right behind it. Enough said.
The Grade: CSG 9.5

Reality Check: This tweener grade is not the norm -- and 10s are -- which is odd but can happen with releases on this kind of stock. I'm not particularly big on Allen -- or any particular NFL players at moment beyond some with school ties -- but this is a nice card.

-

HUH-HUH, HUH-HUH ...
The Comic: Beavis & Butt-Head -- Marvel Age No. 134
The Reason Bought: The dynamic duo of the 1990s is back on TVs and I picked up this book as well as another one of note -- but not in the highest marks -- just to have them. Those higher grades have some surprisingly high prices right now and interesting pops, too, as this book and the other probably weren't high-circulation titles back then. This one, should be for sure, as it was more of a Previews-style comic that previewed upcoming projects from Marvel. This was near the end of Marvel Age's 140-issue run, so that, too, should indicate not that many made. This one teases a Beavis & Butt-Head title to come, of course. I passed on both back in the day as I had likely come and gone from comics and back harder into chasing autographs in card packs. (I did comics as well as cards for a time but comics were far cheaper to collect then price-wise until ink started showing up more often.)
The Grade: CGC 9.4 (Universal)

Reality Check: I didn't check pops here but things look about right -- though 42 total graded did surprise me a little. I figured it might be more obscure -- and this number might be vs. a lot of slabs from that era.

--

PEACEMAKER'S ROOKIE CARD
The Card: John Cena 2002 Fleer WWE Royal Rumble -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: I have had a number of the key RCs from this set awaiting slabbing for months, if not years, now but after I got my best ones done my others hadn't made the cut in many bulk subs. Why? I know nines will be challenges here, let alone any other higher marks. I recently marathoned Peacemaker after watching Cena in the second Suicide Squad movie so that got him into a submission. I still have more copies of this one and others I'd slab but at a later point.
The Grade: CSG 8.5

Reality Check: I had thought this would check in at a nine but the stock on these is so all over the place this mark didn't surprise me.  It's also where most cards check in.

-

LEA THOMPSON'S "ROOKIE CARD"?
The Card: Lea Thompson ("Kathryn Look out ..." is line on the back) 1983 Topps Jaws 3-D
The Reason Graded: I picked up a set of these and then a small lot, too, once I saw who was on the checklist. Is this Thompson's first trading card? I think it might be. She has other card appearances in the 1980s -- see Howard The Duck -- that might get some attention, too, that might get some collector attention for iconic names from landmark movies. (Not this movie, of course.) This one came from my small bulk lot (a lot with one to three copies per card) and not my set where centering was brutal.
The Grade: SGC 8

Reality Check: I went with SGC since they're quick and affordable for all non-sports and this mark was a but lower than I had expected ... but it's their first copy graded so it might stand as the highest for a bit. Why? The backs here are the problem as they have black edges to help showcase some 3-D style printing. This set has some other interning names in it -- I'll talk more about this one in my next Buzz Buys piece.

-

CLOSER TO CRIMSON
The Card: Najee Harris 2021 Panini Chronicles Draft Picks Spectra Pink -- Rookie Card parallel
The Reason Bought: As part of some preseason slab grabbing, I did this one for the price it would cost to grade without the guarantee of a 10. This is the time of year to shop last year's guys, especially draft picks cards, in normal times as new players' RCs grab a lot of attention. With all of the delays for releases, though, the new 2022 stuff is still competing with new old (2021) stuff. Pink isn't exactly the best color here -- either for Alabama or the Steelers -- but it looked better than some other options and he had a pretty solid rookie year. This year so far? Probably more sluggish than a success for him and the team as a whole. (It's OK ... I bought to stash away.)
The Grade: CSG 9.5 (now 10)

Reality Check: All copies of this one check in at this grade so that's good ... but it also doesn't really give it an edge over anything else on a pop report.

--

GUINAN'S 'GRAPH ...
The Card: Whoopi Goldberg 2017 Rittenhouse Women Of Star Trek Autographs
The Reason Graded: I pulled this in a past Buzz Break -- and it's one of the best autos in that release for a key character in The Next Generation series who also had a successful career before and after Trek. She only has a handful of Trek (non-cut) autos and when I was going back through some of my recent pulls I noticed how this card looked very, very clean ... so I threw it in my submission.
The Grade: SGC 10 (10 auto)

Reality Check: It came back pretty much as I had expected, though one always wonders whether the perfect 10 could be in play. Considering how much handling on-card autos get and how this isn't a set on some super-thick stock, I'm still good with a 10.

--

ONE OF A KIND ...
The Mag: Joe Namath -- Sports Illustrated, Oct. 9, 1972 (subscription edition)
The Reason Bought: I recently picked off a number of slabs in a few genres as I await some magazine subs back from early this year -- and figured a new football season was here I'd go with some NFL. Broadway Joe has a number of in-career covers for this weekly magazine (weekly back then, monthly now) and this one looked pretty clean, especially for a copy that was mailed. Will I grab all of his covers? Probably not -- or if I do they'll be low-grade filler pieces since they are vintage. They present well as long as not truly mangled and this is way better than that.
The Grade: CGC 8.5 (Universal)

Reality Check: This one was a surprise as it's the only subs copy graded -- so none top it -- meanwhile, only four newsstand copies have been graded. On that front, there are two 9.4s, a seven and a 5.5. I feel good about this one compared to those, too. Unlike cards, an 8.5 isn't really considered a high grade for comics or new stuff, but for older magazines it should be. It's been handled and has issues but in this few it still looks pretty good.

--

NO MEAT DRESSES HERE
The Card: Lady Gaga 2020 Topps Now USA Election (/8,271)
The Reason Bought: From time to time, I'll search some oddball sets or names out there in the world and see what they have for cardboard. This one I remembered when I saw it, of course, and I grabbed it for the price of about a regular jumbo pack of cards in the retail wild. She has a number of cut autos and some Garbage Pail Kids homages, but this pop star doesn't have many standard card appearances.
The Grade: PSA 9

Reality Check: The pop report seems about right here but with the skewed 10 volume seen on a lot of newer stuff. Given those numbers, I may have overpaid a little on a nine but that's OK ... it was still cheap. There are also a number of lower ones.

--

THE FORGOTTEN ROOKIE CARD?
The Card: Dave Stewart 1982 Los Angeles Dodgers Police -- "Rookie Card"
The Reason Bought: Old police sets -- cards given away by police departments as part of community events or interactions not involving the law -- are kind of a relic of the past, but that's not why I popped this one into my collection. It's a rookie-year oddball for a dominant pitcher who was recently honored by one of his former teams. I've had this one in my reserves waiting for a spot here for a while. Oh, and it was like $6.
The Grade: PSA 4

Reality Check: Behold ... the worst copy! I didn't look at this one that closely but it must have some kind of wrinkle/crease to check in that low. At a glance it didn't look that bad -- and doesn't in this photo, either.

--

GRADING ODDBALL ...
The Mag: Sarah Silverman -- Wired, February 2008
The Reason Graded: This one was an intentionally odd submission, but I think it's something that makes a good point. I picked up this magazine at newsstand years ago and it had bounced around in my stash -- boxes/tubs of mags and papers -- for years now, surviving being jettisoned at each stop. Why? I'm not totally sure but one reason might be because it's essentially a perfect-condition mag with a thicker cover stock -- I picked it up to read one item inside and so I could examine a content/design approach for another topic and then it sat untouched. This might even be the only copy of Wired I ever bought -- actually, it has to be. But, it also survived as it was just a little different than others without some tech name or product on a cover for a mag that's way more tech-oriented than I am. That's not to say there weren't plenty of celeb covers in the past -- they are -- but unique names and appearances might stand out more here vs. somewhere else. An easier thought here would be, for example, celebrities on the covers of magazines that were commonly saved like Playboy or Sports Illustrated -- they stand out from the rest with an added level of star power.
The Grade: CGC 9.6 (Universal)

Reality Check: This mag is basically perfect, so I was a little miffed about it missing out on a 9.8. This one was among my first CGC returns for a mag and I sent it in since Silverman is a memorable (controversial) name in pop culture, too. I think I missed on 9.8s on most of my sub this came from -- maybe CGC is getting tougher with its top grade? Fun fact: Only three issues of Wired have been graded ... and the other two are autographed issues for Silicon Valley cast members. Rather than submit stuff that's heavily graded, I'm more into iconic mags for people who don't have a lot of cardboard or stuff that is just different.

--

NO PRESSING NEEDED
The Comic: The Uncanny X-Men -- Annual No. 14
The Reason Graded: I think I picked this up in a local comics shop's dollar bin in recent years -- that or it was just a few bucks (probably under $5) on sale -- and I grabbed it because it looked really clean issue and I knew from my original time regularly grabbing books that this one had a special cameo/first appearance. That's for Gambit -- a character who's iconic and has a first cover that's seriously pricey and one you have seen here before in a past MTG. This one I knew I liked when I found it, but I never looked at it that closely before to realize that it's very clean.
The Grade: CGC 9.6 (Universal)

Reality Check: Once I saw its condition, I checked the prices on eBay ... and slabbing this was a no-brainer. I didn't get it pressed -- that may have cost me the top mark -- but I liked it considering my price. The best money comes on the top marks, of course, but this is still a good book in a strong grade.

--

BIG-LEAGUE ODDBALL
The Card: David Wells 1987 Venezuelan League Stickers
The Reason Bought: I picked up this card long, long ago (deep in pandemic buying instead of wax) because it's just odd and one of those kinds of cards where you might not see one again if you pass. Since it had a big-leaguer involved, I figured this might be something different for around $15. While these are called stickers, the backs are blank and without adhesive, so a lot were probably glued into albums by fans of Venezuelan League baseball all those years ago. This one is mangled -- but all of them in slabs are -- and it also pre-dates his Rookie Cards (1988).
The Grade: PSA 2 MC (*qualifier added into stats below)

Reality Check: Mine is the one with a qualifier but those don't bug me ... besides, it's mangled as it is.

--

BACK TO THE FUTURE
The Comic: Spider-Man 2099 No. 1
The Reason Graded: This is a premium issue from a number of future titles from back then (1992) where I wasn't all that impressed but I still bought the first issues like a lemming or something. The foil cover was nice -- but maybe not $1.75 nice -- so I only grabbed two and this one was the cleaner copy. This apparently became a more-important issue in recent years as the 2099 character popped pop in a bonus scene of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and there's a role for the character to come in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse next year. Could there be more after that? After I saw how these sell in graded form, I opted to grade one.
The Grade: CGC 9.4 (Universal)

Reality Check: I fell short of the top grades here, though I'm not totally sure why. That said, the cardboard-stock cover here isn't friendly with those staples so some spots on the back could have got me. My other copy has a wrinkle on the bottom-front foil, so I doubt I'll slab that one. A 9.8 here has topped $230 in recent sales, but a 9.4? About $80-90. I'm still ahead but not that good.

--

THAT LITTLE EXTRA
The Card: Jim Brewer 1975 Topps Mini
The Reason Bought: This is the last of my dirt-cheap slabs from this set I found for like $3 a pop or so (on average) and I did this one as it's clean -- except for the awful centering that gives this one a Joe Morgan (Hall of Famer) cameo of sorts. A just-f0r-fun question ... doesn't that look like Nick Saban?
The Grade: PSA 7 (MC)

Reality Check: There are plenty of these graded and mine is among the qualifiers added into totals (*). It was a surprise to see so few pop up in lower grades considering how sloppy the printing and cutting can be back in 1975.

--

THE RIGHT COLOR
The Card: Shotzi Blackheart 2021 Topps WWE Aqua parallel (/299)
The Reason Graded: I collect this high-energy star to a decent degree and when I saw this card -- one of only a few with her famous Taking Care of Business tank during her entrances -- I knew I'd land one and slab it. Ideally, that means one of the parallels with the right colors -- Green or Aqua. My Green showed up with an oddly rough back top edge (watch those if you grade) so I sent in this one to join my army of Shotzi slabs. It's not pricey, but over time I intend to slab a bunch of her basics, some color and some ink. I've done a few so far and this is among the newer additions.
The Grade: CSG 9.5

Reality Check: I'm the only one graded and I'm fine with a mark like this on basic cardboard-stock cards. Some release's stock can be skinny enough that even a slight pressure in a wrong direction while opening packs can cause edge or corner damage.

-

THE ROOKIE CARD
The Card: Julio Rodriguez 2021 Bowman's Best -- Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: I picked up a couple of these for modest prices -- not super-cheap like my typical $10-15 buys, but on the affordable side vs. PSA 10s. With these green CSG slabs now being 10s, the perception alone there will get a bump if I were to ever cross over. I picked up a few just to sit on them vs. chase raw and slab since he had a monster year and things look like he could end up being a Seattle icon ... he's already got the contract of one.
The Grade: CSG 9.5 (now 10)

Reality Check: The volume graded isn't bad -- and the 10s are somewhat plentiful but nines are also heavy -- but with future demand there could be more to come. If you're a believer in the player, no big deal.

-

PERFECT FRONT, BUT ...
The Card: Michael Jordan 1994 Upper Deck Minor League Silver
The Reason Graded: I scoured online pretty hard for a cheap but razor-sharp copy of this memorable insert card from the 1990s and I found one that looked perfect on the front -- it seems corners are often very funky here with how these interacted with their wrappers ... but then I flipped it to the back after I got it in hand. Oomph. But I graded it, anyway.
The Grade: CSG 7.5

Reality Check: The back of the card has some errant foil in the areas adjacent to where the cards would have stacked against others. I knew that wasn't good but the front here looked so nice I slabbed this one anyway in a bulk sub (so at least it was cheap). The return grade was a bummer but also not unexpected. I had figured something in the eight range considering the look of the front -- I still think it's perfect or close to it -- but the back was apparently too much here. Ironically, this is still a tough grade with only one copy in a truly elite mark and then a decent number of them in 8.5 or 9. I was a little surprised to see so many checking in like mine -- maybe it's a common flow -- and even one lower. I want to chase a higher-grade one without paying too much, so there's a chance I might find more raw or just pick off a slab if the price is right.

-

PULLED BACK IN THE DAY ...
The Card: Michael Jordan 1997-98 Fleer Ultra Big Shots
The Reason Graded: I decided I'd grade this one, too, even though it also had an issue where it might affect the grade. In this case? The top back edge of these cards can be messy since the stock is a little chippy to start with and with some color stripes up there, too. I pulled this back in the day and had it sitting in an album for all this time before I popped it out for slabbing. These are in relative demand raw and can sell very well in slabs with good marks.
The Grade: CSG 8

Reality Check: A little low for me -- and one of the three worst-graded right now -- but I still don't mind this one. It's also a card where almost all copies check in at 8-9 and not many higher ... so it looks like a tough grade in general.

-

FROM MY FIRST BOX ...
The Cards: Maki Itoh 2021 BBM Women's Pro Wrestling & Secret variation
The Reason Graded: I have only ever opened one box of Japanese wrestling cards -- men's or women's stuff -- and this star was one who I actually didn't know all that well when I did my Buzz Break. But ... she popped up for a short run in AEW and that led me to seeing highlights and other clips on Twitter where she's become a bit of a favorite. Don't let the look fool you, she's a foul-mouthed, middle-finger waving tiny cannonball of a wrestler with some epic (and often funny) moves and she's not afraid to do some crazy stuff, either. (Check out this highlight from one match.) And her T-shirts sold give anything from "Stone Cold" a run on that front, too.
The Grade: CSG 9.5 (now 10)

The Grade: CSG 10

Reality Check: BBM's stuff is so cleanly produced that you could almost expect these kinds of marks opening anything new. They're clean like Topps Now -- but even cleaner than that despite being packed out. If I were more dedicated, I'd step back a couple years and find her first BBM cards and slab a run of all of them. I have a few as it is already, but buying singles from Japan often takes a little longer and costs a little more.

-

HAD TO GO FIND THIS ONE, TOO ...
The Card: Maki Itoh 2021 BBM Women's Pro Wrestling Secret Autographs (/80)
The Reason Graded: I didn't land this in a pack, but since I already had her standard and Secret variation I figured I would go here as this also looked very clean like the others. Prices on cards like this can be all over the place on eBay -- raw with high prices, graded with high prices for sure -- and yet, right now, all of them are more than what I paid ... even with a lower grade.
The Grade: CSG 9.5 (now 10)

Reality Check: I liked this one to go with the others for sure. Simple as that.

-

TWO OF A KIND ...
The Cards: Frank Thomas 1990 Leaf -- Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: I picked up this pair for about the price of a Chrome retail blaster box right now. Why? Looking back, I'm not totally sure, but this card has always been considered one of his best and I never had it other than a cheap copy that showed up with a surface issue so bad I should have sent it back. These are clean but off-centered ... but a start. I think his Score RC is my absolute favorite but I kind of want to do a run of his rookies as they're all cheap, he's memorable and none are that tough to find (Topps error excluded). I also picked these up early in CSG's run ... and I should do more additions like this when the prices are right.
The Grade: CSG 9

Reality Check: I didn't sub them so I don't have reactions here, really, but it does look like copies better than these are a bit tougher to land.

-

TWO OF A KIND,  TOO
The Cards: Kris Bryant 2015 Topps Heritage High Number -- Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: I also grabbed these on the relative cheap earlier this year -- at least cheap remembering him as a memorable Cubs World Series guy vs. the showing he had this year. His year was one so rough you gotta wonder how the future might go for him on the field and whether his cards will make some serious drops. These were so cheap I had to grab them -- about $11 each -- and I did more than just these as part of a lot. I thought he might have a monster year in Colorado ... turns out it was a monster miss.
The Grade: CSG 9

Reality Check: The volume here overall is very low ... and these are not alone in my stash. The spoiler for next time is in the stats.

-

THAT ONE CORNER GOT ME ...
The Card: John Hannah 1974 Topps -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: He is one of a few Alabama Crimson Tide players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and I'm slabbing a RC for each of them -- or I already have them in my collection. I picked this up raw and was amazed at how it looked with the centering -- those narrow borders often end up touching the edge of the card (miscut) on many copies and those uprights are often lopped off, too. I knew the top-right corner here might be an issue ... it's a little fuzzy but still there and close to square. Either way, it was my only copy, so it went in.
The Grade: CSG 8.5

Reality Check: Behold ... the best copy of this one! Makes the small sting of missing out on a nine hurt a little less. Nine was my target but this works as most are around seven or lower -- and a couple are low enough they don't even show on this table. This one is a really nice card for a guy who was a franchise player long before That Brady Guy showed up.

-

PULLED LONG AGO ...
The Card: Francisco Lindor 2015 Topps Update -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: I don't remember precisely when I landed this card -- but it's my only one I had -- and I found it popping around in a mixed box of rookies. With his move to New York, I threw this in my first CSG bulk sub for a cheap addition since he was a new face in a new place last year. I'm not a big fan but it looked flawless unlike a lot of cards with corner spots in that colorful set.
The Grade: CSG 9.5 (now 10)

Reality Check: The pop report here is meatier than I thought, but this one is among the best. Not bad.

-

DIE-CUT DRAMA?
The Card: Mickey Mantle 2012 Topps A Cut Above
The Reason Graded: How do die-cut cards fare when it comes to grading? It varies as much as the designs but this one for an iconic player made me wonder. It's razor sharp on the front and very clean but the back had a couple minor spots where the cardboard gave out a little when cutting the shapes. Despite that, I threw this in an early CSG bulk sub (under $10 a card) and figured it could be a learning lesson.
The Grade: CSG 9

Reality Check: I was bummed to get a nine -- I think it's stronger -- but it turns out this one is the highest copy so far. Go figure.

-

ANOTHER FORGOTTEN ROOKIE CARD?
The Card: Ken Griffey Jr. 1989 Score Scoremasters -- "Rookie Card"
The Reason Graded: I landed this set eons ago -- early 1990s -- and I swear for all that time I thought it was from 1990, making this one a second-year card ... but it's not. That means this small-set boxed release is a Griffey RC of sorts. It won't get claimed like the standard stuff, of course, but I slabbed it since I figured it would be a better talker here vs. his standard RCs.
The Grade: CSG 9

Reality Check: I was bummed with a nine but the centering on mine isn't great -- it's my only copy -- but what I thought was interesting is that only seven are higher. This is the most-common mark, too.

--

Follow Buzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz or send email to BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com. 

>> Click here to buy cards on BlowoutCards.com.