Making the Grade (November): Young MLB stars, a few Hall of Famers, Big Bang Theory, Trish Stratus & an early Dale Jr. card

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 ...

FEELING SUPER
The Card: Nick Swisher 2015 Bowman Chrome Superfractor #129 (1/1)
The Reason Bought: I picked this one up off of a collector friend who grabbed it for me, making this just my second Superfractor for my retired favorite player and my third Super overall (I once pulled one from a Heritage blaster) in years of collecting. There's not a whole lot of grading drama to be had on either the grade or the pop report, but I figured I'd lead things off with the rarest card of the bunch for this edition.
The Grade: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: This is the only one that exists and it had been on the market for literally years online -- I got it for about $3 more than an offer I made for it when it first arrived and was declined. I've never been all that enamored enough to chase any of them, but this one I'm comfortable with since it was not much more than a basic Bowman box typically goes for at suggested retail price even after landing a top grade.

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

A PAIR OF 'TWEENERS
The Cards: Bo Bichette 2018 Bowman Draft Chrome Refractor #BDC32
The Reason Bought: I got these for about $12 total before the season started and he's pretty cheap (like many guys) when it's the prospect cards that arrived between his Bowman Chrome debut and his Rookie Cards ... you know, the 'tweeners. I'm not saying I'd stockpile and slab them in all instances, but they are often readily available raw for so many guys who are key names. If the players truly blow up, they could move more than the already big cardboard out there though probably not eclipsing any of those key firsts. For roughly $6 apiece for slabbed Refractors, I'm in pretty much all day long here.
The Grade: BGS 9 on both

Reality Check: I'm fine with nines, so that wasn't really a concern for the price and it was interesting to see what grade checked in most-prominently here. Both grades were pretty much find-able back when I was looking but I went with the better bargains. I'm warmed to the non-subs approach for BGS as they seem closer to a PSA standard without having to cross-check subs to determine final grades. And I'm fine with people being picky and paying less for non-sub cards. (I'm picky when I pick them up.)

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THREE-THOUSAND YEARS OF BEAUTIFUL TRADITION (OR 25 FOR WOOD GRAINS)
The Card: Sandy Koufax 2012 Topps 1987 Topps Minis #TM92
The Reason Bought: I picked this one up since it's from a mini set that I really like and own a few key names for in slabs. Meanwhile, I say that I also acknowledging that it's not a set many people would grade as the cards aren't all that pricey, either, so passing on a card like this might mean I won't see another.
The Grade: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: Behold, the highest-graded copy! I had figured I would be able to say that regardless but was surprised to see a second one had been slabbed. Surprisingly, they were not in the same order based on their serial-numbering. Cards from around this time are relatively plentiful yet wax is drying up so finding clean copies that are elite-slab worthy could be tougher than you might think. This one cost me $9.

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TWO OF A KIND
The Card: "The Future Is Bright" (Ozzie Albies & Ronald Acuña Jr.) 2018 Topps Update #US43 "Rookie Card"
The Reason Bought: This is a simple card that I like and I'm sure there are others out there who are fans of these two guys on their Rookie Cards in the 2018 Topps releases. This is the kind of card that can command a decent number if it's one of the elite marks. Why? It's unique and showcases two key guys on rookie-year cardboard.
The Grade: BGS 9

Reality Check: I got this one for about $8 which may or may not be a good price -- I haven't looked as this one wasn't about the money -- but this card is the lowest grade out there pop-wise. The volume here is pretty high and it's even higher as the various parallels push it up over 60 slabbed. Whatever condition issues this one might have, none are glaring to me to detract from its appeal.

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A LAST DANCE BUY
The Card: Phil Jackson 1973-74 Topps #71
The Reason Bought: This is Jackson's second-year card -- his RC is on the pricey end if you want it in a solid slab -- and it's a relatively affordable one as I landed this for less than $12. It looks better than a 7, so that's why I grabbed it back in the midst of The Last Dance on ESPN. This card was not alone but it's, off the top of my head, the only slab I grabbed during that documentary's run.
The Grade: SGC 84 (SGC 7)

Reality Check: PSA is probably more of the go-to for stuff from this timeframe (I didn't check the pop report) but this one does have a decent volume of graded copies. I'd expect the RC to be far higher across the board no matter where one looked. For how this one looks and the price, I have no worries.

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MATH, SCIENCE, HISTORY, UNRAVELING THE MYSTERY ...
The Set: Portraits set -- 2016 Cryptozoic The Big Bang Theory Seasons 6-7 (Card Nos. CP1-7)
The Reason Graded: You ever get a goofy idea and follow through on it when it comes to grading? I did months ago with this set that I submitted. It's an insert that's found roughly one set per box but with a rarer foilboard parallel. (I considered doing that one but didn't want to pay $5 or more for a few of the names.) I found somebody who was selling a small group of sets (likely from part of a case break) with the sets costing just a couple bucks apiece -- at most -- and cherry-picked the best for each card to submit with the goal of a matching 10s set.
The Grade: PSA 10

Reality Check: That's what I got and that wasn't a given as there was something about how these were cut or packaged where there's always a minor spot on a bottom edge of many of these cards. All but one I sent was perfect in my book but the one I was worried about also landed a 10 ... so that wasn't apparently that big of a deal. Somebody out there has graded some of the parallels but didn't do them all ... and I'm the only one to dare try these. I don't think something like this would be a "name your price" kind of item at auction, but a graded 10s set with sequential serial numbers might get hit with a modestly surprising price if I were a seller. (This one's going in my slab stash.) I'm a little surprised that bulk submitters don't try small sets like this in their big submissions to kind of test the markets considering all the slab attention out there. Somebody might pay for you saving them the work.

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DID YOU KNOW IT'S AN ELECTION YEAR?
The Card: George Washington 1956 Topps U.S. Presidents #3
The Reason Bought: As I dabble with stuff more and more that's not the norm instead of chasing new stuff that's tougher to find due to COVID -- at least at a reasonable price -- I find myself picking up single cards here and there from sets just to check them out as a "type" collector ... a sampler. This card cost me less than $7, again cheaper than it would cost me to slab one if I even owned a raw one, but I don't and it's the only card I own from this set.
The Grade: PSA 4

Reality Check: Yes, this one's corners are rounded, but there are no creases here on the front. The back might have some wrinkles but nothing is illegible or missing -- so this one makes me glad I grabbed it. The grade is lower, but it presents like a better-l0oking card that has issues but nothing truly ugly.

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RED HOT BARGAIN (TO ME)
The Card: A.J. McCarron 2014 Panini Prizm Red Power Prizms #293 (ball in one hand version) (/125)
The Reason Bought: The price was enticing here (under $8) and the color was right for my school ties part of my collection. I've never really bothered chasing all parallels of guys I collect all that hard -- even the main ones -- and this one had three versions in the base set and then all parallels for each card. I'm not that dedicated to chase 'em all even if he's far cheaper now than he was back then.
The Grade: PSA 10

Reality Check: There's another one out there just like this and there are a number of slabbed copies across the board with all the versions and their parallels. (No more than five copies of any card have been slabbed.) I'm not sure I would have paid more here but it was a 10 ... so I bit.

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TOUGH GRADING ...
The Card: The Doors 1991 Pro Set Superstars MusiCards #6
The Reason Graded: If you're a regular reader, then you know my schtick here -- I have a lot of cards from this set I'd want to grade but the thin and chippy stock, packaging and rough cuts make it a nightmare if you're seeking slabs. Elite BGS grades have to be pretty much impossible while PSA 9s and 10s are attainable but also tough. You can rip box after box of this cheap (but really good) release and not find anything clean enough to slab between centering and cutting issues. This card was among a number I pulled from a large lot of jumbo packs that seemed to have cleaner everything compared to those from normal packs. (Though having opened a jumbo box since ... that's no guarantee.)
The Grade: PSA 9

Reality Check: This is the first card for this legendary band among five on the checklist and only 15 total copies for all of those cards have been graded by PSA. Just one of the five cards has even landed a 10 and you saw one of those right here last month. This one didn't land a 10 but I'm not sure why -- it may be the centering or something minor on the back though even a PSA 9 here is fine by me. This one is also the highest-graded copy by a couple marks -- a PSA 7 would be rough to get back ... and somebody did.

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STRATUSFACTION
The Card: Trish Stratus 2004 Fleer Divas Femme Physique #10
The Reason Graded: Fleer WWE stuff is really not all that grading friendly for a few reasons -- sets are often glossed with soft stock that can stick or arrive out of packs with lifted corners -- and this insert set was only found a couple times per box. It doesn't have the gloss, but instead it presents something different ... a lot of foil. I pulled this one in a past break here (I think it was one of my BuzzMania marathon boxes) and did a double-take as it looked very clean. I compared it to a copy I pulled years ago and others I had from these packs, and it's apparent that the edges with foil and corners are challenges for grading.
The Grade: PSA 10

Reality Check: I was very pleased with this one as the foil on corners can be problematic not necessarily with lifts but them appearing ever so slightly "squished" due to the foil. (I use a loupe and prefer BGS-level scrutiny but sent this one in figuring it was probably a PSA 9 or maybe a 10 ... but not expecting it.) It turns out this is the only top grade for any card (only seven graded) from the insert set with most checking in at a PSA 8 or 9 (tied).

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PRE-ROOKIE CAMEO
The Card: Dale Earnhardt (with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kerry Earnhardt) 1993 Maxx Premier Plus #189
The Reason Bought: The Junior cameo here was my reason to grab, though it's not the only time he can be found on celebration cards (and there are at least two others). I liked this one since it was from the "chromed" version and it seems everything on plastic is in more demand these days. I got this for less than $7 -- a palatable price for an oddball slab with a story.
The Grade: PSA 9

Reality Check: The card looks quite clean so I'm not sure why it got a PSA 9, but that's the most-common mark to be found here. I was a little surprised to see so many graded but maybe the cameo is a little more popular than I thought ... or maybe was years ago when NASCAR and Junior were quite popular and cards like this stood out from the pack a little more.

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A FINALE ...
The Card: Ken Griffey Jr. 2009 Topps Series 1 #30
The Reason Bought: Remember that Junior documentary this summer that completely ignored his time with the Chicago White Sox? Sure, that time was forgettable (three homers and 18 RBI in 41 games), but this card wasn't -- it has a real "farewell" vibe to it that I always liked even though it wasn't a cardboard farewell. What makes it stand out to me is that the timing of his changing teams (he signed with Seattle again on February 2009) had him back on Mariners cardboard not long after basic Topps arrived in 2009. He just doesn't have a lot of cards in these pinstripes and the snub got me thinking about them.
The Grade: PSA 9

Reality Check: Higher grades will get more attention here, especially for parallels, but I don't mind this one for my price of less than $12. And really the 10s shouldn't command a big premium based on the pop report stats but I bet they do. I didn't check to see how the pop report looked when I bought -- that 10 stat seems weird to me -- but I was more surprised to see the overall volume here. I guess others like the look of this card, too. The retro Target version hasn't been graded by PSA but seven Gold and then a handful between the rare Black and the Walmart blacked-out version are out there. I think I have a raw Target version on my perhaps-grade BGS stack sometime next year. Maybe ... getting actual subs in and back on cheaper cards isn't really as easily done right now with huge delays from grading companies. (This series may ultimately become new pick-ups more than new returns from submissions in 2021 or even wind down. We'll see.)

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