John Heckert
Website: None
Email: None
Location: Ohio
Work away from cards: None
Collecting since: 2008

Main focuses: I collect mainly baseball and football cards, but I collect a bit of basketball and hockey. Also autographs.

Favorite players/teams: My favorite player is Grady Sizemore and my favorite baseball team is the Cleveland Indians. Although he's a free agent, I decided to start a collection of him a few months ago. For football, my favorite player is Golden Tate and my favorite team is the Detroit Lions. I also like the Browns.

Current collecting projects: I am collecting Grady Sizemore cards and I have decided to try to get the complete 1967 Philadelphia football set because I like the look of the design. My goal is to add 10 cards a year and make it a project that won't cost a ton but take a while.

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If you're in certain parts of the U.S. as you read this, then you're snowed in thanks to Mother Nature and Winter Storm Jonas.

It will probably give you some time to consider collecting some new players.

Maybe Brett Blizzard is an option -- he had a pretty decorated college career but never made it to the NBA. He did have cardboard, though, and he's still playing overseas.

But he's not your only option ...

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What: 2016 Topps Star Wars: The Force Awakens stickers
Arrives: March 9
Box basics: five stickers per pack, 50 packs per box, 24 boxes per case

What's buzz-worthy: The newest Star Wars release comes with some sticking points that have nothing to do with the plot of The Force Awakens. Instead, it's all about a collecting experience that beginners -- and a few others -- might adhere to.

Keep reading for more.

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Game-used baseball bats are often some of the most-abused and most-personalized pieces of game-used memorabilia to hit the market.

And, because of the number of bats a player uses in a season, they can also be bargain-priced at times. But in the case of the Old Hickory J143M used by Mike Trout to hit four home runs during 2013? Well, that bat opened at $2,000 and sits at $7,000 after 17 bids with plenty of time remaining ... so not every bat can be a bargain.

Check out this gallery of 18 gamers presently up for grabs right now from Goldin Auctions. You can see a larger image, the model specs and the opening bid price once inside the gallery.

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

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

Buzz has spent a lot of the off-season watching MLB Network because there's plenty going on when it comes to transactions, baseball chatter and there's always time for documentaries.

And there's Intentional Talk, too.

But watching a lot of the Network also got Buzz wondering about autographs of many of the people on the air bringing the news to us. Many are former players who have certified autographs that were placed into packs of baseball cards -- but there are some who have far fewer cards than others. Who might cost you the most between Billy Ripken, Kevin Millar, Sean Casey and Peter Gammons? It might be surprising -- but the first challenge is to just find a signed card from some of them.

It's surprising that a card company hasn't attempted some type of card set focusing on the Network (signed or not). An unsigned set would immediately become a favorite of through-the-mail autograph seekers -- and probably a good piece of marketing for MLB, too.

Keep reading for a rundown of the MLB Network roster when it comes to certified autos ...

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You probably don't know the name Ron Blomberg, but he was the first-overall pick in the 1967 MLB Draft and a big-leaguer for parts of eight seasons with the Yankees and White Sox.

But if you do know his name it's probably because of one thing -- he was the first designated hitter in MLB history.

Could there be more hitting history made soon? Perhaps with the MLB owners' meetings this week in Florida where the owners are considering adopting the DH in the National League as soon as next season. Such a change wouldn't be possible without the approval of the MLBPA but it still could happen.

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🤘 Sean Doolittle Metallica Gnome WITH SOUND 🤘 April 30. #2016Promotions @whatwouldDOOdo @Metallica pic.twitter.com/HCPMzRoy0r

— Oakland Athletics (@Athletics) January 19, 2016

Sean Doolittle of the Oakland A's leads the league in rocking preseason promotion hype with an assist from Metalllica. The gnome in the video above was revealed by the team this week in advance of an April 30 date where 15,000 fans will know "For Whom The Bell Tolls."

On a scale of one to 10, this one goes to 11.

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

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

Some collectors who have ripped into boxes of 2015 Panini Immaculate Collection College have found a pretty unusual type of memorabilia card -- chin snaps.

Literally almost all parts of the football helmet have made their way into cardboard now -- except maybe the mouthguard, inner padding and optional visor.

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If you don't remember seeing anything about Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice on TV or anywhere else, you might need to check your pulse.

One more place you're going to be seeing more of the DC Comics powers before the movie arrives is on the NASCAR track and on diecast cars from Lionel Racing, which teased the forthcoming cars this week. The No. 48 Chevy of six-time champ and NASCAR's Clark Kent, Jimmie Johnson, will take on the role of Superman.

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One of the surprises in last year's Topps baseball card set was First Pitch, a collection of celebrities seen throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at MLB games.

It's back for 2016 Topps Series 1 -- a set that's just 13 days away -- and it's still a secret as the checklist has not yet been revealed. (Nor has the design -- so you can settle for last year's Jessica Alba card above.)

But Buzz has done some research to perhaps discover who'll be in this year's set. We don't know how many cards there might be, but they'll be found a few times per box.

Keep reading for the possibilities.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are five threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Some 2015 Panini National Treasures, a Ruthian Pull, Derek Jeter's documents, redemption replacements and some big card company rumors ...

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A.J. Styles is reportedly set to make his WWE debut sometime in the next week with the annual Royal Rumble pay-per-view set for Sunday in Orlando and the Raw and Smackdown tapings also in Florida next week.

That's good news for wrestling card collectors since he's a relatively plentiful autograph, a potential popular name for the story lines heading into the biggest time of the year with WrestleMania coming soon, and he's also a bargain auto to pick up at the moment.

How much of a bargain?

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What: 2016 Topps Archives baseball cards
Arrives: June 1
Box basics: Two autographs in every 24-pack hobby box (10 boxes per case)

What's buzz-worthy: All these years later, Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh makes it to The Show -- on Topps cardboard, that is -- as the stars of Bull Durham, are among the surprises in Topps' newest edition of the retro-themed brand. Previously teased were Kevin Costner's autographs but now we know it's potentially more than just Crash Davis coming to packs.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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What: 2016 Upper Deck All-time Greats Master Collection trading cards
Arrives: This week
Box basics: 58 cards and one mystery redemption per box

What's buzz-worthy: Take the biggest names in the sports world (and the Upper Deck stable of signers) and take it all high-end. How high-end? The cost per box to dealers -- not the price to the public -- is north of $10,000. What does it include? Among the inclusions in each box are an autographed acrylic box-topper, a 25-card autographed base set, a 30-card acetate Master Collection Puzzle set, one Michael Jordan Diamond card, one autographed Masterful Paintings card, one dual auto or dual cut auto card and one mystery redemption.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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Not only are they blown up and much more limited, but they include some rare big-name autographs, too.

Topps revealed its 2015 Topps Oversized Red set on Wednesday, and it's an online-only release that takes every one of the 500 cards in this year's football base set and makes it even bigger and badder.
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What: 2015-16 Upper Deck AHL hockey cards
Arrives: March 2016
Box basics: Five autographs per 20-pack box (20 boxes per case)

What's buzz-worthy: Some of hockey's next stars can be found down in the American Hockey League and Upper Deck's newest AHL set gives them the big-league treatment before they arrive.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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There are plenty of movies that are probably on the radars of collectors these days, whether it's the newest sports movie or one of the countless comic book-inspired releases coming soon.

While there's inevitably plenty to collect for these films before their arrivals, what we see first are the trailers and that gave Buzz an idea ... something extra that gets 'em buzzing. Up first is Suicide Squad, a DC Comics-inspired creation arriving on Aug. 5 that we'll see plenty of in the coming months. This trailer arrived yesterday -- check it out and tell us what you think.

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We're down to four NFL teams and we get a marquee matchup in the AFC Championship Game between quarterbacks Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.

Plenty has and will be said about that one -- and we have a likely league MVP playing in the NFC title game in Cam Newton -- but we simply have a different question here.

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[polldaddy poll=9279767]

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

>> Click here to shop for football boxes on BlowoutCards.com.

Five presidential candidates will take a few more jabs on Wednesday when Topps' newest group of Garbage Pail Kids officially arrives with a 10-card subset specifically focusing on those seeking the highest office in the land.

The 2016 Topps Garbage Kids: American As Apple Pie In Your Face set includes spoofs of Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Jeb Bush and Ben Carson. Each of them has a pair of names adorning artwork meant to evoke a laugh or two at their expense as part of an overall product that parodies American pastimes, icons and moments as only the Garbage Pail Kids can.

Its artwork on the wrappers? You can see it at right -- it's all keeping with an All-American theme. (You can click here to view a PDF of the checklist.)

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Countless collectors call themselves prospectors, and that particular focus is one that can lead to a lot of pack-ripping or a lot of secondary market purchases with future flips in mind.

One brand that's got many of those coveted newcomer names year after year is Elite Extra Edition, which is Panini America's foilboard-focused prospecting brand that typically packs one of the deepest checklists and, with Hot Boxes, some of the highest autograph totals in the hobby.

While the dust isn't yet settling on the recently released newest edition of the brand, Buzz decided to take a look back at nine names who you should know from the previous two editions (2013 and 2014) and see how they did last season. Why? There are inevitably some bargains to be had if you consider this brand and these guys (along with countless other players that may not yet be on the radars of too many prospectors) given box prices these days. After all, old wax can still be good wax if the price is right.

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What: 2015-16 Panini Luxe basketball cards
Arrives: March 23
Box basics: Four autographs or memorabilia cards per box (eight boxes per case)

What's buzz-worthy: Luxe is back with a new look but packing nothing but hits and at least two autographs per box with every card limited to no more than 99 copies.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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What: 2015-16 Upper Deck Black hockey cards
Arrives: April 2016
Box basics: five autographs or memorabilia cards per six-card box (eight boxes per case  with two four-box inner cases)

What's buzz-worthy: Black is back packing nearly just the hits and the hits include some of the biggest names in today's game as well as the past. The Wayne Gretzky-Connor McDavid dual autograph above? Well, we all know that one's big even if we don't know the NHL.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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"Inducting Pete into the Reds Hall of Fame will be a defining moment in the 147-year history of this storied franchise. ... He is one of the greatest players to ever wear a Reds uniform and it will be an unforgettable experience watching him being honored as such."

--  Cincinnati Reds CEO Bob Castellini

That was from the announcement on Tuesday as the team has decided to induct Pete Rose into its Hall of Fame and retire his No. 14 during the weekend of June 24-26.

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and break down the results here. Like this and want to see more -- or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2012 Panini Cooperstown baseball cards (hobby box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 24
Cards per pack: 5
Cards in this box: 120
Base set completion: 
86 of 150 (57 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notable names pulled on base cards: Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Jackie Robinson, Christy Mathewson (all base cards are Hall of Famers)

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What: 2016 Upper Deck Alien Anthology trading cards
Arrives: March 30
Box basics: five cards per pack, 20 packs per box, 12 boxes per case

What's buzz-worthy: The world of the first three Alien movies will be found all in one place as Upper Deck's next non-sports release will revisit the classic science-fiction franchise during its 30th anniversary.

Keep reading for more.

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