Making the Grade (Nov.): Air Jordan, The Joker, Sadaharu Oh, Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Coach Prime, Shotzi & 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 ...

THE AIR UP THERE ...
The Card: Michael Jordan 2009 Goodwin Champions
The Reason Graded: This is one I pulled from a pack of this Ginter-style rival throwback brand back when it arrived, and it's got an obviously appropriate background for Air Jordan. It's that simple touch (and it being a dunk shot) that makes this card -- in all its versions -- in some demand. This one had been in my "maybe grade" pile for literally years and I finally worked it into a bulk sub since the NBA season is here.
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: It checked in higher than I had expected, though I tend to punt cards where the centering is just slightly off ... but those can still land a 10 like this one did. Ultimately I was good with any mark as, for me, this is more of a novelty slab -- about the only Jordan collecting I do is his baseball stuff. Interestingly, most copies of this card have checked in here -- that's surprising to me -- but with that overall volume still low that could change easily with time.

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

SEEING GREEN
The Card: Shotzi Blackheart 2022 Panini Select WWE Neon Green Prizm parallel (/49)
The Reason Graded: Green parallels are, of course, a focus for me for Shotzi -- at least when I can afford them -- and I did pony up a little for this card when I saw its perfect centering. Why? It seems like the entire product has left-right centering issues a heavy majority of the time, so this was an easy grading sub. Another reason why? I'm a collector of this colorful, high-energy WWE star and this card is on the rarer side of things from what is perhaps my favorite Panini WWE brand.
The Grade: CGC 10 (Pristine)

Reality Check: Perfect? Can't beat that.

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NEW TO ME ...
The Card: Deion Sanders 1989 Score NatWest Banks New York Yankees -- RC-year regional issue
The Reason Graded: It's college football season, so I figured I'd rep the here and now with a throwback ... but one with a n0t-obvious twist. Yes, Coach Prime has plenty of cards -- MLB and NFL -- but somehow I'd never seen this one until this year despite actively collecting all this time. Score apparently created this set for the regional bank chain and included this Yankees newcomer, which is a little odd as he wasn't in a Score baseball set until 1990. I knew this wouldn't be the easiest grade knowing the stock type and typical packaging, but I rolled the dice figuring an oddball RC-year card would at least still be more interesting even if it was a grading miss.
Grade: CGC 9

Reality Check: I was perfectly fine with a nine here knowing how Score stuff has looked in the past -- even from freshly opened boxes/packs. It's the highest-graded copy for now.

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ALL OUT OF BUBBLE GUM
The Card: Revealing Roddy (Roddy Piper in They Live) 2019 Topps Garbage Pail Kids Oh The Horror-ible! Purple parallel
The Reason Graded: This card made me laugh out loud when I first saw it with the "THEY LIVE" type tweaked GPK-style in the background and with the stark details of this violent scene of a cult classic alien-invasion film blasted all over the place but in bubble gum. So apropos.
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: I was pleased with a 10 here as the stock is skinny -- and because this was a COMC pick-up and direct-submission card where I wasn't able to examine it in-hand first. Everything looked good on the scans (can't tell on surface) but it was cheap enough I rolled the dice. It's a win.

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A DIFFERENT LOOK
The Card: Aaron Judge 2013 Panini Prizm Draft Picks Draft Class
The Reason Graded: Judge had another monster season and because of that I recently subbed a few early cards (but nothing of the obvious stuff) that I have left, though I do need to find my box where I still have 20-some copies of his Heritage RC stashed away. This was my lone copy of this first-year prospecting insert and I subbed it as the stock and cutting on this release was very clean and I liked that it's in his college colors -- that's something not seen on cardboard much at all.
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: A 10 was a nice return and it being the only one graded was surprising, though understandable, with the pinstripes always going to win over most people.

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BARGAIN BO ...
The Card: Bo Bichette 2022 Topps Sterling Sterling Seasons Autographed Relics (/25)
The Reason Bought: I bought this one without hesitation as it's a low-volume card with an on-card auto from a super-premium brand priced where I wouldn't be ripping into boxes for sure. But in this case? It was less than $45 shipped ... an absolute no-brainer of a price toward the end of a bad season.
The Grade: PSA 9

Reality Check: The only flaw that I noticed once I had this card in-hand was maybe some slight edge issues on the back -- but nothing that was obvious at a glance. That made this feel like a win even more.

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KATE HUDSON'S MOM ... WAS A HARLEM GLOBETROTTER?
The Card: Goldie Hawn (and the original Globetrotters) -- 1992 Comic Images Harlem Globetrotters Prizms
The Reason Graded: No, she wasn't really ... but this card does note a bit from the past -- watch it here -- from The Goldie Hawn Special in 1978. Hawn performs the song "Short People" with five members of the iconic team, which includes Curly Neal and Meadowlark Lemon for starters, as part of an hour-long variety show (comedy skits, jokes, songs, etc.) and somehow this ended up in this insert set looking back at the team's history. I bit on this cardboard as it was simply a surprise to see during a dive of old basketball cards -- the perfect kind of a slab to me, too.
The Grade: CGC 7

Reality Check: The grade was a bit of a surprise but you never know with COMC pick-ups when stuff is older and foiled. In this case, I don't think it was anything with the foil or soft stock that got me -- there's some edge curling on the back of the card like the cards were not stacked flush while packed and then there was some pressure applied. No biggie ... I just liked this as a weird slab perfect for a spot here, though a higher-grade copy would still be on my radar if it existed without breaking the bank.

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TOUGH SLABBING?
The Card: Joe Montana 1984 Topps
The Reason Bought: Joe Cool's 1980s Topps cards with the 49ers always seemed to get extra attention when it came to photo selections and this card is a prime example of that. I went digging and liked the looks of this for what would have been less than the cost of a blaster box buy in the past ... and I was fine with that without even checking the pop report knowing that this number would be better than many out there. (If you don't believe me, go look at all the raw copies online ... 1984 can be an absolute slopfest on the centering and printing fronts.)
The Grade: CSG 8.5

Reality Check: Only four copies out of many have checked in higher. It would almost be hard for me to imagine anything at the 10 level from this release.

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A TOP POP FAVORITE
The Card: John Johnson 1979-80 Topps
The Reason Bought: I definitely didn't need this card but it was a near-instant grab as I knew the realities right away. Beyond his RC, this card is my favorite for this player with school ties for me -- a card I like so much that a signed copy I once owned that went poof in USPS hands on its way to a BASE slab still seriously burns. I knew instantly that this would be the top grade without even checking. Why? If you think 1980s NFL printing and cutting was bad, you don't even want to revisit the 1970s.
The Grade: BGS 8.5

Reality Check: Best copy -- by a mile -- of only three graded. It's not an easy high grade at all and the PSA 10 volume is still pretty low, too, despite a lot more copies of this one graded over there. (A total of 58 slabbed ... only two 10s.)

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WHY SO SERIOUS?
The Card: Heath Ledger as The Joker (The Joker's Philosophy) 2019 Cryptozoic DC CZX Super Heroes & Super-Villains
The Reason Graded: This high-end set is an iconic one if you ask me with a number of big names from a number of DC films inside with all of it printed on glossy and thick stock -- though not the cleanest stuff when it comes to grading. This card is a favorite of mine -- so much so I have graded both copies I own -- and a few cards from this set recently made their way into a CGC sub this year as non-sports has just been on my radar a lot more.
The Grade: CGC 9

Reality Check: This is kind of one of those times where a nine (where I'm normally fine) was kind of a bummer ... but at the same time nothing has topped it.

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A VINTAGE GEM
The Card: George McGinnis, Julius Erving & Ron Boone (ABA Scoring Avg. Leaders) 1975-76 Topps
The Reason Graded: If you poke around in The Buzz Archives, you'll see how I landed this card in a small lot of vintage NBA cards for only $10 -- so basically $1 for this one. It was absolutely a reason I grabbed the lot as it looked razor sharp and so, so strong for vintage with two Hall of Famers and a standout who won an ABA title here. Erving, of course, is the obvious big name as he's an NBA at 50 and 75th Anniversary Team member. Leader cards can often be found with modest if not humbling prices for even the biggest names and that can make for some fun collecting ... and a rare elite-grade finds like this can surprise, too.
The Grade: CGC 9

Reality Check: With that many 8.5s, this is a card that obviously can grade well somewhat regularly -- that can happen in the past, perhaps due to its sheet placement in relation to spots in stacks and vs. equipment during both cutting and packaging -- but mine checked in at the to of this graded pack. I have a second card from that lot in graders' hands as I type this, so there's a good chance you'll see another interesting vintage card like this soon.

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THE NUMBERS GAME
The Card: Nick Swisher 2006 Ultimate Collection Ultimate Numbers Patch (/35)
The Reason Bought: Buzz is a big fan of this set in particular with those A's patch colors absolutely popping -- and I know I own a number of the various parallels, and probably a handful of copies of this one, though it's capped at 35. Why did I grab this card beyond a decent price? The serial number ... it's 33/35 and that's his uniform number.
The Grade: BGS 8

Reality Check: Of a dozen or so Swisher cards (all cards) from this release, nothing is better then a BGS 9 ... so while an eight isn't great it's not topped by a whole lot here when it comes to the details and slabbing via BGS.

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PULLED FROM A BLASTER
The Card: Kyle Larson 2021 Panini Prizm Teamwork Gold Vinyl (1/1)
The Reason Graded: I pulled this from a discounted Walmart blaster box in a past Buzz Break and with the NASCAR season a seemingly constant thing -- it wraps up (finally) later this month after starting back in February -- I figured I'd pop this gem into a slab and see how it looked on the other side. A 1/1 of a past Cup champ from a popular brand is a cool card ... even moreso from a blaster.
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: It didn't land a perfect grade but it will, of course, always be the top pop. A win of a win.

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VARIATION ON THE CHEAP
The Card: Mason Miller 2023 Topps Heritage Black & White variation
The Reason Bought: This rookie had a solid season -- he was an All-Star -- with 104 strikeouts in 65 innings while racking up 28 saves in 55 games ... that was enough to get me looking for RCs and this variation that was already graded got me to bite. The price wasn't bad but I think the lack of color in the image made those team colors in the design pop even more and that's probably what got me to bite. I won't be grabbing a bunch of his stuff -- this might be it actually -- but I like Heritage RCs and this hit the spot since it's a little rarer card than standard one. Heritage RCs are easy to find and can be challenges to grade, so clean copies of key names should get a look ... especially if they're cheap.
The Grade: PSA 9

Reality Check: Lone copy graded ... works for me.

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A BIG MINI FIND
The Card: Ronald Acuña Jr. 2020 Topps Heritage Mini (/100)
The Reason Graded: I pulled this mini way back when it was new and I knew it was a solid find then as he was a new star everybody was chasing for good reason. These aren't easy finds as those 100 cards get spread out into pretty much all pack formats ... but it was really all of his time out with injuries that kept me pushing this off for grading. Other cards got priority over this when it came down to slab submissions but he finally made the cut this year.
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: With only 100 made -- and who knows how many still possibly sitting in packs -- seeing it's the only one graded isn't a huge surprise. A 10 was nice, too, as minis have the room to bounce around in the packs and can have the corner tweaks to show for it.

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ROOKIE YEAR RARITY? (PROBABLY NOT)
The Card: Shohei Ohtani 2018 Topps 582 Montgomery Club -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: I was a Monty Club O.G. -- a member that first year but that's it -- and the first set was the home to a few rookies of note that I have slowly gotten graded. Acuña got the call long ago but Ohtani was just a recent send as this one has some very minor funk that, to me, is perhaps more about the original cardboard here than the ink added to it. I recently subbed this and one other rookie from the set at the same time -- that way the light surface funk was seen on both -- I figured that might be less annoying if it's seen on both vs. one card alone.
The Grade: CGC 9

Reality Check: A nine was lower than I had hoped for here but I wasn't surprised. I was surprised to see that three checked in at a 10 -- his stock doesn't seem that gracious, and mine's not even the lowest-graded copy.

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PLAYING CARD OF A PLAYING GREAT
The Card: Sadaharu Oh 1960s Meiji Sadaharu Oh Playing Cards Blue (Six of Spades)
The Reason Graded: This is another COMC grab and a direct sub from there. Why? It was a very clean card of the world home run leader and Japanese baseball great from the 1960s for less than $3. While it's just a playing card, I just felt like I had to ... something different, something old and a legend ... all grabbed and slabbed for less than $20 total.
The Grade: CGC 8

Reality Check: Not a shock to see it's all alone here ... that just makes me want to examine them all again and see if I can find something higher. Why? Again, something different, something old and a legend ... a guy who hit more than 100 homers more than Barry Bonds in his career.

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THE OTHER TERMINATOR
The Card: Kristanna Loken as T-X 2003 Comic Images Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
The Reason Graded: A deep dive had me hitting the non-sports section and this card jumped out at me with how clean it all was vs. other cards in this release and from this company. Stuff from a couple decades ago can always have stock cutting or surface issues but what I could see (this also was on COMC) looked really nice showcasing the new star of this Terminator film. It's not my favorite movie from the franchise, but it's also nowhere near the worst, either.
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: Sole copy graded is again not a surprise but there are a lot of obscure non-sports sets from the recent past where you can find them cheap (typically as sets) with memorable names or characters who might not have a lot of card appearances. I don't think there would be widespread demand here for Loken, but with it being her first major film role it's likely an early card. (I say likely as she did have a lot of TV credits before that and didn't really dig into some non-sports set lists to check if she might have others. My gut says this is probably the first, though.)

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A TIFFANY ROOKIE CARD (KIND OF)
The Card: Willie Mays 1989 Bowman Tiffany Reprint Inserts (1951 Bowman Rookie Card) -- announced /6,000
The Reason Graded: This MLB legend's death at age 93 back in June got me looking at cards or slabs and, well, ultimately a lot of the better stuff isn't in my taste wheelhouse for cost/condition as a casual dabbler. Of course I already have a lot of Mays stuff from collecting over the years -- stuff that might check in at a CGC 1 or 2 on a good day -- but when I spotted this I said, "that'll work." What is it? Back in 1989 when Bowman was re-introduced by Topps for the first time since the 1950s, every pack had a reprint card inside and the card was an entry into a drawing for the original shown on the front. While these did showcase a lot of notables, they ultimately went into the trash for me (save for maybe the Mickey Mantle and Mays cards) as they piled up fast when ripping packs. (The first time I spotted this release was at a Kmart where several feet of a random aisle had boxes and boxes and boxes of this one on one side and candy/snacks on the other. I pillaged hard as a kid ... probably grabbed a full box or two.) This card? This isn't from that time, though. For whatever reason the deluxe Tiffany release that's boxed, high-glossed and printed on white paper also included these with the set ... that's what this card is this time.
The Grade: CGC 9

Reality Check: I figured I'd add a "rookie parallel" and not the real thing this time. (Sarcasm.) Centering on these can be rough but this was the cleanest of the options on COMC so I grabbed it and submitted it. I'm fine with nines ... I like this for the overall cost, which isn't much at all.

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A THROWBACK, BABY, YEAH ...
The Card: Heather Graham as Felicity Shagwell ("OK, well ...") -- 1999 Cornerstone Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me 
The Reason Graded: As I've noted in some past months of this series (and earlier this time), I've dabbled with non-sports sets a little more on the grading front this year and this is an example of earlier stuff for a notable name in packs that's likely off the radar despite being from a big-time comedy franchise. Not saying it's that rare or valuable ... but it might have more interest than one might think when stabbed and with a strong mark. (And when's the last time you saw or opened a box of Cornerstone cards?)
The Grade: CGC 9.5

Reality Check: I was obviously (pun intended) shooting for a 10 here but that didn't really happen on any of the stuff from around this time that I submitted from a couple sets. That's OK ... it didn't check in too low for my tastes.

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HITTING 100
The Card: Jimmy Carter 2004 Topps (MLB) Presidential Pastime
The Reason Graded: I always liked the feel of this elegant MLB insert set from back in the day and this photo of Carter working on a Habitat For Humanity house was different than a lot of the other cards you'd see. With him hitting 100 years old last month and it being an election year, I figured I'd slab this one up as it looked really clean ... but I got an October surprise. (It was earlier than that but work with me on my election cliches.)
The Grade: CGC 7

Reality Check: I'm still not totally sure what dropped this one down -- it may have some slight edge curling (not obvious like on the Globetrotters card) or something on the back or maybe some edge roughness I missed -- but it is what it is ... at least it was from a bulk sub so I paid less to land my seven. I had this one in-hand to look at when I sent it in ... it's rare for me to miss like this on a grade.

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ABOUT LAST MONTH ...
The Card: Shotzi Blackheart 2019 Sabotage Wrestling Series 1
The Reason Graded: As I mentioned last month, I landed both Blackheart cards from this set last year -- a "YOLO" kind of raw-card buy around my birthday for a steep, steep price from the company that originally made them for the indy promotion. (At this price, I could have bought 40 sets at their original price ... had I known they existed and that would have landed 80 of her cards.) Those were not cheap and they were bummers. This one? I knew it wasn't gonna be an elite-mark winner, either, with some minor corner funk and, more importantly, with the back edges of these cards being very chippy. (That was why I never graded this one despite landing it even before the others.) Since I had them all sitting together, I subbed them for grading all at the same time ... I figured this copy would have looked better than the others because, well, it is, and maybe checked in a smidge higher just by comparison.
The Grade: CGC 7.5

Reality Check: This one checked in low but not as brutal as the others ... I'll survive. Why grade? Indy wrestling cards can be tough finds ... it's better to have some low-grade filler copies than nothing at all for a core name in my collection.

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MUDDY BUT CLEAN
The Card: Roger Maris & Hank Aaron (All-Time Record Holders subset) 1979 Topps
The Reason Graded: The mugshots here are muddy -- welcome to the 1970s -- but everything else was way, way, way cleaner than a lot of the stuff out there raw for this era so I rolled the dice on a slab. Why? Well, I lightly collect both (more for Maris) and the centering here was nice.
The Grade: CSG 7.5

Reality Check: Probably lower than I had hoped but at the same time it's only been topped three times out of more than 20 graded. Most check in at this grade but if you look at raw copies online you'll see that more than a few look nasty in comparison to this. So ... it's a win to some degree. I think this would be a cool card in higher marks ... especially if that ink flow on the photos got cleaned up during the print run.

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CHUCKY & TIFFANY WILL BE BACK ...
The Card: Tiffany Topper (Chucky & Tiffany from the Child's Play/Chucky franchise) 2019 Topps Garbage Pail Kids Oh The Horror-ible! Yellow parallel
The Reason Graded: As I've mentioned previously in Buzz Buys, this dynamic duo has been on my cardboard radar slightly with the return (and recent death) of the latest TV show. These two actually have more than just this on the GPK front but with stuff being made print-to-order and having a finite print run the prices aren't always the friendliest for casual dabbling that I like to do.
The Grade: CGC 9

Reality Check: The centering here was off for sure but I either wasn't worried or didn't notice it as obviously with the pattern for the parallel ... but nines are fine and this was just some quirky, affordable dabbling for slabbing.

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YOU GOT PURPLE ON YOU ...
The Card: The Editor (Simon Pegg) 2016 Topps Doctor Who Extraterrestrial Encounters Purple parallel (/50)
The Reason Graded: Pegg's roles are probably more on my radar for Shaun Of The Dead, Hot Fuzz, Paul and the Star Trek franchise, but I didn't mind the vibes of this card from the Who realm with a modest price, a low print run and some simple design touches. (That weird patch of lighter color on the left is in the wall in the photo and on all versions of this card ... so it's not missing ink or gloss.) I'm not deep into Who -- in fact, I've probably never seen a full episode -- but I know the franchise is a strong one with plenty of film in the can and a lot of fans. I figured a big name from the here and now on a card wouldn't hurt for the non-sports slab stash.
The Grade: CGC 9

Reality Check: Nines are fine, though I don't know what dipped this one down unless there was some kind of edge or spot on the back. It's paper stock and skinny but the front looked really solid to me.

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LIKE THIS THROWBACK
The Card: Bo Bichette 2020 Topps Throwback Thursday -- Rookie Card (announced /1,363)
The Reason Graded: This isn't the first slab of this card that I have picked up -- there's just something about this 1966 Topps re-do that works for me. The photo is simple, the colors all match and The Flow is flowing ... a solid card.
The Grade: CSG 9

Reality Check: Behold! It's the worst-graded copy. Still looks solid to me, though.

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A TIMELESS COVER
The Mag: Toni Storm -- Fitness Gurls, Aug./Sept. 2022
The Reason Graded: "Timeless" Toni Storm is this year's No. 1 on the Pro Wrestling Illustrated annual list of top women's stars in the world, but that one isn't her first magazine cover. (And, actually, this might not be, either, as she worked in Japan years ago and there are seemingly a lot of wrestling publications there.) However, this mag for competitors and fans in the weightlifting, nutrition and fitness competitor realms has showcased pro wrestlers a number of times and I've bit on a few. Why? They're different, well-crafted, really cleanly printed and bound -- and there's not much going on in North America for new wrestling magazines beyond PWI. I actually grabbed a handful of copies for this mag and, well, with this result I will end up having to send in another to slab. This result was like Brock Lesnar and Undertaker at 'Mania back in the day and I'm the dude with the bulging eyes who can't believe the result.
The Grade: CGC 9.0 (Universal)

Reality Check: I'll admit 100-percent that the result is probably more on me than any potential mis-handling accident at CGC but I'll never know for sure. The flaw that got notes here? The back cover got lightly crunched (but not folded over) all they way up on the back by the spine. I didn't check the backs of my copies super-closely but I should have as these are generally going to be 9.6/9.8 contenders almost all of the time. I was busy sweating the littlest of details for the front such as corners and spine and I absolutely had 9.8 expectations here. This copy is absolutely razor clean ... except for the back cover where it got shifted in a stack. (Possibly when it was first mailed to me. It's also possible that I simply subbed the wrong copy from my stack as I do remember having one where I said "nope" for slabbing.)

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WAY BACK IN THE DAY ...
The Card: Hulk Hogan 1998 Bandai New Japan Pro Wrestling Special insert
The Reason Graded: I landed this insert that is a throwback to Hogan's early 1980s work in Japan as part of a partial set in an album on the cheap. It was a steal though it wasn't the whole set but it did include inserts as well as a number extras for this release that is packed with WCW stars from a crossover as well as a lot of historical highlights. This card? Raw, it might sell for more than I paid for everything and it was clean enough to slab. This was in graders' hands while Hogan was busy losing fans with his latest payday move this summer. That was a bummer ... this result was, too.
The Grade: CGC 8.5

Reality Check: I figured this would show around a nine (the spots here on the surface are from me not dusting off my slab before the photo" but the 8.5 is likely due to a very small corner curl or edge spot on the back. (These are more like a glossed foilboard with stamping so these might have stuck to other cards or not slid with other cards in packs if everything moved.) I would have been unhappy with anything lower than this mark and I thought it would have been better but at the same time it doesn't matter that much. Hogan is probably now off my collecting radar completely when it comes to adding new stuff or grading more cards.

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