Making the Grade (Sept.): Some football, plenty of oddball, even more Shotzi, old comic books, perfect slabs & plenty more

Like many collectors, Buzz is a fan of grading ... so here's this month's grading diary.

TOP-GRADE VARIATION
The Card: C.J. Stroud 2021-22 Bowman University Chrome Prospects -- image variation
The Reason Graded: If you poke around in the archives for the Buzz Breaks of this release, you'll likely find a break where I missed this one and just simply called it a Refractor despite it being an image variation (all are Refractors on these). It should have been obvious based on the practice photo vs. game action, but I only spotted it well after the fact -- months, if not years, later -- when going through my old boxes. When I stopped to look, this card looked absolutely flawless and since it's somewhat rarer than the others it's also still a bit pricier for a standard card. (It's no monster but it's definitely better than a few types of Refractors.) Since it was so clean and the NFL season is upon us, I put this one into a bulk submission.
The Grade: CGC 10 (Pristine)

Reality Check: This card checked in at exactly where I thought it would. Fun find and a win -- and it wasn't even tucked away in a box penny sleeved. The divide between mine and the other copies graded is also an interesting one -- perhaps there's a common flaw on copies due to position on the sheet or from machinery? No idea ...

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

TIFFY TIMES TWO
The Cards: Tiffany Stratton 2025 Topps Now WWE (announced /2,903)
The Reason Bought: An interesting twist recently presented itself over on WWE Shop, the official company store run by Fanatics, when a number of the early Topps Now WWE cards appeared on the site in graded form via BGS (and in the time since, some graded by CGC). According to serial-numbers in large consecutive groups, it appears nearly all 200 of these were submitted for grading by the company along with a small handful of parallels and the image variation. Initially, these popped up with a modest price -- with no premium over a regular 10 -- so I watched and waited. Then, one day, there was a discount available to me on rewards so I grabbed one cheap. A few days later, while my first one was still in the mail, a bigger sale was available to the public ... so I grabbed another at a much-lower price. Why? I collect Stratton and, well, the second one took away from the sting of the first. My average price here? A decent $59.49 -- not cheap but since it's a BGS Black label I bit. Why? Let's take look at the numbers.
The Grade: BGS 10 (Pristine)

Reality Check: As I suspected, the BGS Black labels are sold out now, but a chunk of the other 10s are still available at $69.99, while the 9.5s are $49.99. While the 17 percent rate for a BGS top mark seems high, I still think over time there could be a better premium here as she's a top name and this was her Now debut for her first title reign atop WWE. I think they are solid and while more might come if more are graded, I'm doubtful they'd come back at 17 at percent rate unless somebody bought in volume and examines closely and subs a large volume of only their best. If slabs continue here, I may skip buying singles raw and just grab a slab I want -- my most-recent Now batches (I had been doing a small group of a lot of early Now WWE for names I like) have been rough on the grading front with edge issues and then centering/minor spots. All of those things could make top-level 10s a challenge from any company. I prefer CGC slabs these days but wouldn't shy away from names I like when sales pop up to make prices more appealing. This combo was strong. (I may not chase the BGS Black labels on others, though. I made an exception for Stratton.)

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THAT'S A WIN ...
The Card: Roger Maris 2010 Topps Heritage -- SP variation
The Reason Graded: This year of Heritage is one that I bought very, very little of as the 1961 Topps design simply wasn't of interest to me -- too simple -- back then (or now) and the crop of modern players was a smidge dry. One inclusion I did like was the Chase '61 inserts, which are a bit obscure now because of how they were released, while this card is one of three variations of those players emulating the base set and tangentially related to those inserts. Maris hit 61 homers in 1961 and broke Babe Ruth's record of 60, while fellow Yankee Mickey Mantle hit 54. Ruth's Chase inserts are in hobby packs, Mantles are in loose packs that were sold at Target and Maris' are in loose packs sold at Walmart. I spotted this at a solid price and it looked perfect other than the centering being a tiny bit off (just barely) so I grabbed it and slabbed it to go with my small stash of graded Maris originals.
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: This one checked in where I had hoped, making this one a win. Raw, this card is anywhere from $30 to $80 on eBay between sales and asking prices ... and it's not overly plentiful.

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FANTASTIC FOUR
The Card: Brian O'Halloran (Dante Hicks), Jeff Anderson (Randal Graves), Marilyn Ghigliotti (Veronica Loughran) & Lisa Spoonauer (Caitlin Bree) 2017 Clerks Quad Autographs
The Reason Graded: I think this is the last of my Clerks autos I had graded in recent months and it, too, checked in where I had hoped -- and that may not be the easiest thing given how these cards are basically glossless and have on-card autos. These four core members of the cast are not pricey sigs for the most part -- they were unknowns before appearing in this Kevin Smith franchise debut and filmed their spots at night in a video store and convenience store where Smith worked during the day. O'Halloran and Ghigliotti have been convention regulars, so landing their ink is pretty easy, while Anderson is perhaps lesser-volume but also findable. Spoonauer is basically only found in this set and she died at age 44 from issues stemming from a cancer battle just a week after this set arrived. For more thoughts on this one -- and more from other sets -- check the archives. I have graded quite a few cards here and probably will do more at some point, probably next year.
The Grade: CGC 10 (10 auto)

Reality Check: Lone copy graded and only one spot might top it ... if one goes there.

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THE FIRST OF MY FOUR ...
The Book: X-Men No. 1 (1991) -- Cyclops/Wolverine/Iceman version (newsstand edition)
The Reason Graded: As I mentioned in a past month with the deluxe issue from this five-book debut and launch of a new X-Men series, I graded one of each cover from back in the day since I picked off some of each of them and own crisp copies. All but one of my four standard covers here are newsstand edition (UPC code instead of a Marvel-related logo) and that's why I subbed them. As I've noted many a time in the past, newsstand editions were not the default choice here for many and likely were printed in lower volumes, too, so there are variables that can add to why there could be higher asking prices here. Raw, these books are findable and not all that pricey -- they shouldn't be with many made overall -- but graded is a different animal.
The Grade: CGC 9.8 (Universal)

Reality Check: The volume here is high -- Jim Lee's stuff is popular and the four covers here and the wraparound deluxe are iconic pieces of early 1990s Marvel -- but what might not be known is how many of those 19,000-plus are newsstand copies. Asking prices and eBay volumes reinforce the thought. Asking prices are as high as $400 for CGC 9.8 newsstand copies of some of these and an actual sale of this one recently on eBay was $250. I'm in for less than cover price plus the cost of grading ... and given some of these prices I should consider slabbing my others.

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REMEMBER ME?
The Card: Michael Ynoa 2008 Bowman Chrome Draft Prospect Autographs Gold Refractor (/50) (uncorrected error "Inoa")
The Reason Bought: Poke around in Buzz Buys in recent months and you'll see a full spiel on Ynoa and the hype that wasn't fulfilled back in the day, despite him being a top name and a money guy when he arrived on cardboard. I picked this off for about the cost of grading a card in a bulk sub from some companies. Why? A throwback slab in the proper team color -- Gold is best for Oakland -- and a reminder that nearly all prospects are whiffs, not Hall of Famers, in the long term.
The Grade: BGS 9 (10 auto)

Reality Check: Not the lowest, not the highest. I just wanted to add to my stash of slabs for can't-miss names who missed.

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GOING OLDSCHOOL ...
The Card: Ernie Ladd 1964 Topps
The Reason Bought: "The Big Cat" played eight seasons for three teams in the AFL beginning in 1961, but that's not what got him in my collection on this low-grade but really clean-looking card found on the cheap. (The corners are funky but I was fine with how it looked for well under $10.) Ladd is here because he's a Hall of Famer in a different world, pro wrestling, and was a draw as a part-timer during his playing years and then as a full-timer after football. He entered the WWE Hall of Fame in 1995 (its third class) and held a number of titles in several promotions while also honored in other wrestling Halls through the years and after his death from cancer at age 68 in 2007. On the gridiron, he's a member of the Chargers Hall of Fame as well as Grambling State's Hall of Fame where he was a college star.
The Grade: SGC 5

Reality Check: While my copy is too low to make the table above, there are actually four cards checking in lower than this one with the worst copy an SGC 3 ... and an SGC 5 is the most-plentiful mark with five copies.

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A NEW HOMAGE ...
The Book: Amazing Spider-Man No. 39 -- Disney 100 X-Men No. 1 tribute cover variant
The Reason Bought: A number of the Disney 100 variants from Marvel revisit iconic past covers with Disney characters in place of the Marvel Icons. I like some of them and this was a recent pick-up already graded. Did I pay too little or too much? I don't know or care ... I just liked it. If you made it this far, then you already saw which issue this one is emulating with Mickey Mouse as Cyclops, Goofy as Iceman and Donald Duck as Wolverine.
The Grade: CGC 9.8 (Universal)

Reality Check: The volume isn't massive but it might be higher than the norm for more recent issues that aren't obvious money-making rarities. I suspect this one will continue to grow as there are a couple collecting bases that might be interesting in this and other Disney 100 covers. They are fun.

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PURPLE REIGN
The Card: Bo Bichette 2020 Topps Purple (Meijer) -- RC parallel
The Reason Bought: As I continue my ongoing quest to pick off slabs of this Bichette RC in many of its parallel forms, I finally grabbed one of these rarer un-numbered versions. This one is clean and the price was right for me -- simple as that.
The Grade: PSA 9

Reality Check: That pop report number shows how this one, which was found only in one style of pack format sold at Meijer stores, is perhaps on the rarer side in all the years they happened (across not just flagship Topps). Why? The volume of those stores simply is not as big as Walmart or Target. (Meijer has fewer than 300, Target more than 2,000, Walmart more than 10,000.) The Walgreens card (Yellow) for example is pushing 100 slabs with PSA, while the basic RC has been stabbed by PSA around 31,000 times.

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HISTORIC MINI ...
The Card: Rocky Bleier 2011 TRISTAR Obak T212 Mini Brown parallel (/75)
The Reason Graded: He played 11 seasons in the NFL but missed parts of two as he was drafted into the U.S. Army and sent to Vietnam in 1969 not long after playing his rookie season. After serving in combat, he was awarded a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart after he was injured by shrapnel from a grenade attack -- and he was told he'd never play football again. Despite that, he went on to win four Super Bowl rings with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1970s and is a member of the franchise's Hall of Fame, Hall of Honor and All-Time Team. This card, which comes from a set that's full of players and unusual stories, is one that is unlike any other with it showing him while in the Army -- and that photo is at at the Pentagon in its Wounded Warrior corridor.
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: When I pulled this mini parallel's parallel (the slab label missed that notation) in a past box here, it was immediately one that got set aside in a top-loader -- and for a long time it was in my possible-grade stack. He finally made the cut.

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COLLECTED 'EM ALL
The Card: Blowout Buzz 2023 Wrestling Card Collector Series Series 2 Metal parallel (announced /3)
The Reason Graded: My card, my bad card photo. My bad. (This one was a challenge to photograph, but I got sick of fighting with it so here we are.) This is a parallel of my card in this small set showcasing notable collectors from the wrestling realm and it's printed on thick metal. Not the brightest stock to shoot -- and there also was glare from the case -- but that's fine for me. I slabbed a standard one, I slabbed this parallel. Why? Just because. (Lots of deep thought with this post, can't you tell?) There are some card cameos there as well as some other nods to WWE's past.
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: A 10 is generous here with my centering a smidge wonky, but that's fine as I fully expect I'm the only one worried about it. There were only 150 regular sets made and these Metals appeared one per set. I'd grade the other two if I can ever find them.

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KINDA STOLE IT FROM MY SISTER LONG, LONG AGO ...
The Book: Disney's The Little Mermaid Limited Series No. 1 (newsstand edition)
The Reason Graded: The pop report here was surprising to me, but even more surprising was how clean this book was after all its years sitting in my stash. I picked it off for less than cover price when it hit a bookstore where I had a relative working in 1992 and it cost me less than its $1.50 cover price. I had originally intended to give it to a relative, but it was either set aside and forgot -- or I grabbed it back at some point. (Don't remember.) Now that it's slabbed it's all mine, though.
The Grade: CGC 9.8 (Universal)

Reality Check: Disney stuff can be quite popular when it comes to sealed and slabbed VHS, so perhaps that was in the back of my mind here but, really, this obviously kiddy book stood out as different from all of my mutant and super-hero stuff set aside for years. Asking price for a 9.8 of this one -- a direct edition, not newsstand -- on eBay last I looked? A cool $210. There are no newsstand copies out there -- and I'd bet that the overall volume of books for titles like this was a lot lower than the Marvel/DC stuff back then at newsstand.

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ALWAYS COLORFUL
The Card: Shotzi Blackheart 2022 Panini Select WWE Signatures Tie-dye (/25)
The Reason Graded: I landed this at a good price for the card, but I ponied up more than I might normally as I like these parallels. (Spoiler: This won't be the last time you see a Tie-dye Shotzi in this series.) Although I tend to not want to grade autographed cards as much -- the disappoints there tend to sting more to me when I miss -- this looked flawless and it went on a trip to Florida to be graded.
The Grade: CGC 10 (10 auto)

Reality Check: It came back almost as good as it gets and this one is strong overall with a clean studio shot with plenty of room for color but also enough photo to fill the card. It's among many favorites in my stash of many Shotzi slabs.

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A FIRST CARD FOR WASP?
The Card: Kate Austen (aka Evangeline Lilly) 2004 Inkworks Lost Preview Set
The Reason Graded: I'm pretty sure (but not 110 percent sure) that this is Evangeline Lilly's first trading card appearance -- but what I do know is that this was the first card set made for this hit show. Inkworks revealed this 15-card preview set based on the two-hour pilot episode of the ABC series that arrived in September 2004 and it includes a topper and 14 character cards in advance of the main set's in-pack arrival in January 2005. (The label here groups them with the main set in 2005.) I spotted this on the affordable side and it looked clean -- so I graded it since it was an early (if not first) card.
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: This was a nice surprise after I received a mystery of a slab with a brutal grade on a magazine promo card for this series -- hit the archives to see that one -- but this was a win. It's the lone copy graded, which isn't a big surprise since this one isn't as plentiful as other cards (not super rare just not as easily found as the basic stuff). She has plenty of other Lost cards and stuff from the Marvel realm ... but I think this was the first of everything.

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SOME EXTRA SHINE
The Card: Bo Bichette 2016 Bowman Chrome Draft Picks Prospects Refractors
The Reason Bought: I dipped down a little more than I might normally grade-wise to grab this one, but it was hands to pass up an already slabbed Refractor debut for about $10, especially for a player I collect. It's definitely not my favorite card --  kind of an odd photo -- but first is first.
The Grade: BGS 8.5

Reality Check: The pop report shows a pretty deep spread with this not being the lowest and many checking in lower. Most, however, check in above this one ... like I said the price was right.

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RARE IN ANY GRADE
The Card: Shotzi Blackheart 2022 Panini Select WWE Lucky Envelopes Prizms parallel (/8)
The Reason Graded: Only seven other copies of this card exist, so I was grading this no matter what when I spotted it raw. What is it? It's one of the rarest parallels from perhaps my favorite Panini WWE brand and it's one only found in the pricey and overall pretty rare Lucky format made for international collectors. The overall volume of boxes is low and I'd suspect that a good amount of what's pulled never comes back this direction -- or if it does, some boxes might stay sealed. Over time, that could spark some extra heat for these rarer cards (of any name).
The Grade: CGC 8

Reality Check: This grade was a bummer but not unexpected as the vertical centering is pretty extreme. Normally, left-right centering is a constant problem with Select and Prizm. That's cleaner this time. I'll survive ... and it will always be a rare card.

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LIVING UP TO EXPECTATIONS?
The Card: Spencer Torkelson 2021 Bowman's Best -- Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: This guy fell off quite a bit last year after his 2023 season with 31 homers, but this year he's back on track with a lot of power but still a meh batting average that is perhaps holding back his cardboard potential some. At the same time, his team has been playing well -- so that got me looking -- and he's also made it into some of my recent grading subs so you should see him here in the future, too.
The Grade: CSG 9.5 (now 10)

Reality Check: The checklist error here made this one a RC by definition, and I think to a degree that's why so many of these got slabbed along with a lot of other stuff from 2021. I liked this card as it was dirt cheap and has the 9.5 across the board on sub grades ... a 10 by the current CGC standard.

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GOING RETRO ...
The Card: Anna Jay 2022 AEW Metal Universe '97-98 Retro Purple Spectrum
The Reason Graded: I dabbled with a few cards for this homegrown AEW talent (as in she never wrestled elsewhere on a big stage before there) and this set -- the Purples and Reds in particular -- led me to grade a couple names a few times. This isn't a Rookie Card parallel -- those are the year before -- but this look is a lot better as her first-year cards so showcase photos where she looked new and perhaps a but understyled as a performer. In this one, it's a little more confident in its feel and that makes for a better card.
The Grade: CGC 9

Reality Check: Lone copy graded isn't a surprise but I thought I'd check in higher. All good. I have graded a few of her cards but have slowed some as she fell off the radar a bit. I'll perhaps consider more stuff at some point if she pops up in more key angles.

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IN DA CLUB
The Card: Michael Harris II 2023 Topps Stadium Club -- Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: This is one of those weird cards where I don't necessarily like it ... but I still picked it off anyway. This one definitely has more of a documentary, stepped-back feel with seven people on the card and the subject in the middle taking up a definite minority of the space. This is 1970s quirky -- not bad, but really odd. That's why it was in Buzz Buys and that's why another copy is here.
The Grade: PSA 9

Reality Check: This RC of the Rookie Of The Year has a pretty good grading volume when you consider this brand isn't really one of the most-popular ones or one of the best candidates for grading with its stock type and other variables. The stats here also show how a 10 isn't a given.

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SILVER SARAYA
The Card: Saraya 2022 Upper Deck AEW New Arrivals Silver parallel
The Reason Graded: This card and this moment have popped up a few times here between Buzz Buys and some parallel pick-ups, and I think I dropped a graded standard version of this card here in the past, too. Why? This moment was truly a jaw-dropper out of nowhere -- her career was believed to be legitimately over due to serious injury -- and the crowd reaction was insane. (Poke around in the archives more more of my waxing poetic on this one.)
The Grade: CGC 9

Reality Check: These aren't all that grading friendly with skinny stock, spotty/light gloss and all that black ink. Despite that, admittedly, I was not pleased with this mark as I think it perhaps has a little too much edge funk for even a nine to me. (I'd call it a slightly dirty nine.) I picked it off raw on COMC and subbed it without ever seeing it in-hand ... so I'll take it for now and maybe try to upgrade at some point. These cards aren't pricey any more, really, I just like the moment and have picked up slabs and subbed some of her cards for a long time now.

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MIKE PIAZZA'S WIFE PLAYED FOOTBALL?
The Card: Alicia Rickter 1992 BenchWarmer Series 1
The Reason Graded: This is from the absolute first BenchWarmer set released showcasing models on sports-styled trading cards of their own -- think of it as a set that's more of an IMDb biography or an Instagram profile years before those things existed. The company, which is still going today, was founded by one of the women in the set and this set is pretty standard in its inclusions with a handful of autograph signers -- on just standard cards with autographs added and no notations to make them different -- but there's no rhyme or reason as to how often they arrive. Ultimately even the biggest names in this set are pocket change as plenty was made and they're all not as pop culture famous now as they might have been then (TV and modeling credits). So, why this card? First the biography ... Rickter was an actress (Baywatch) and model (Playboy and The Price Is Right) among a few other credits and in 2005 she married baseball Hall of Famer Mike Piazza. She also was an executive when they were owners of an Italian soccer club in more recent years. The trivia here was interesting to me and this particular copy always jumped out at me as razor sharp and immensely clean vs. many of the other cards I found in packs. This year was filler inclusions in repack boxes loaded with old packs. I figured a high-grade copy would be a fun oddball card, so that's why it made the cut. (It's football season!)
The Grade: CGC 9

Reality Check: This grade was a big bummer, though, as I thought this one was a 10 contender if not a perfect 10 -- I still think so -- and I really can't find anything wrong with it beyond maybe an immensely minor (barely there) edge spot on the top back. The spots on the football tackling pad near the bottom of her jersey are actually real damage on the pad in the photo (something that probably would have been Photoshopped out in a newer set) and not card damage. Ironically, a nine is a good grade here. Across all/any cards from this release, there are 12 graded and just one is a higher mark (only a 9.5) vs. this card, which is the sole CGC 9. Most cards check in between 5.5 and 8 and I think that's due to the stock, which can be chippy, and gloss sometimes being funky.

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TIFFY TIME (AGAIN)
The Card: Tiffany Stratton 2023 Panini Chronicles WWE Phoenix Pink parallel
The Reason Bought: It's always Tiffy Time around here and I've scouted cards from some sets slowly as the production quality can be a bit spotty in recent years. This is one of those times and this card is an example of the conundrums that could be found if buying raw to grade ... so I simply grabbed somebody else's miss at a 10.
The Grade: PSA 9

Reality Check: Why is this a nine? There are a pair of minor surface dents (dots) in the bottom left by the end of the rail and then some glare there in the photo actually makes this one look worse than it is in reality. (There are only two dots and the light spot is below that.) This card is simple and clean, so there's a good shot I will eventually add something else graded if I spot it at a good price. Too often with plastic-stock cards the asking prices can be steep on popular names, though. Patience.

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ALL ABOUT THE MESSAGING ...
The Card: Ad Space Alexandria (aka Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 2021 Topps Garbage Pail Kids '21 Was The Worst Sad Face Emoji parallel
The Reason Bought: I picked this one off since it was a dirt-cheap, already graded parallel from an online-only wave of a set that showcased some of the annoyances of the year as only GPK can. (Other subjects here in this wave? Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk.) I liked the self-serving joke here -- it's a spoof of her Met Gala dress that in reality read "TAX THE RICH."
The Grade: PSA 9

Reality Check: Only 1,876 10-card sets were ordered with one parallel per set included ... so there are, in theory, fewer than 200 of each parallel card made in this wave. None have graded higher here, either. I'll take that for $6.50.

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