What: 2023 Topps Pro Debut baseball cards
Arrives: Sept. 1
Box basics: Four autographs per 24-pack hobby box (12 boxes per case); Three autographs per six-pack HTA jumbo box (eight boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Minor League Baseball's flagship release arrives for another summer recap with the Chrome cards folded into the standard boxes for the first time since they arrived in the brand.

Keep reading for more as well as a full gallery of images.

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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 ...

SHINE LIKE MINI-DIAMONDS ...
The Card: Ronald Acuña Jr. 2021 Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary Edition Rose Gold Mini-Diamond Refractors (/75)
The Reason Graded: Generally, I only do Chrome stuff in any kind of volume when it gets cheap -- and in this case they were as I found a run of mega boxes of this one priced less than blasters and that got me to bite. (They're all Buzz Breaks so go check the archives.) One of my better finds in those boxes was this card, which is a super-sparkly take on the 1952 Topps design that, in my mind, does work while a lot of the basic Chrome takes found in this set just don't. (There were a lot of quality control issues with this release.) In this case, since it's a top name, a rare card and a crisp and cleanly centered copy I put it into a bulk sub. Why? I like it and the player ... and I felt like it had some good potential.
The Grade: CSG 9.5

Reality Check: It's the lowest of two copies graded by CSG (now CGC) with the other one checking in where I had hoped to be. No biggie ... I like this card no matter what and all of his stuff -- Rookie Cards, hits and rarities -- should be getting looks as he could become baseball's newest 40-40 Club member -- and might even push higher if he gets really hot with the bat in the second half. With him you never know.

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

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Buzz buys and busts a lot of boxes right here for Buzz Breaks, but one of my goals is to rip a little less and talk more about cardboard that I -- and you -- might like. One way to do that? Simple show and tell -- present a few pick-ups and say why they captured my attention.

So, with all that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ... a mix of recent grabs and some older stuff, too.

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A SURPRISING SEASON
The Cards: Spencer Strider 2022 Topps Living Set (five-pack)
The Price: Bundle price via Topps.com
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The defending World Series champs didn't have the finish they'd hoped for this year, but one big highlight this season was the arrival of this rookie seemingly out of nowhere. Strider flashed record-setting potential for strikeouts when on the mound as he went 11-5 this season with a 2.69 ERA and 202 strikeouts in 172 innings He reached 200 Ks in 130 innings -- an MLB record held by Hall of Famer Randy Johnson -- and he had 16 Ks in a single game to break the team record. The year also got him a new contract that will keep him in Atlanta along with a number of other young stars for several years. Strider had RCs in this year's stuff since early on but should have more to come in the later releases that have been delayed. I grabbed this pack with an eye on grading with mixed results -- one had big, nasty surface issues, two having unusual and not-good surface problems and then two that are yes/maybe for slabbing. One is in CSG's hands as I type this.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... but MLB boxes are here.

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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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 ...

A START FROM THE HARDCOURT
The Card: Ja Morant 2019-20 Donruss Optic #168 -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: As I noted last time, I have made an effort to slab some of my better (basic) Rookie Cards for key NBA names in the last couple of years and Morant is among them. Why? Well, I didn't pull all that many to start with, so they still sort of still feel special to me unlike some brands (Chronicles) where I cleaned up and have plenty of the basics. Last time here, you saw my Zion Williamson Optic Rookie Card, so I figured this time I'd drop my Morant ... If I remember correctly I found both of them in the same box.
The Grade: CSG 9.5

Reality Check: It graded well, which is what I was hoping for, and via CSG that's not always the easiest thing to get. Optichome-stock cards of the last couple years seem to always have issues on the backs from what I have seen with chippy edges and sometimes-textured stock that isn't all that smooth and clean. This time? It's clean and I think this mark on the CSG pop report (*they say it's coming very soon) might be a lot smaller than other places.

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

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post 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 boxes: 2021 Topps Mickey Mantle Collection (five boxes)
First Buzz Preview & Checklist: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (when available)

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery for what was in this one.

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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 a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing: Steph Curry and Derrick Henry light 'em up, big pulls and take a trip back to the Topps factory in 1967.

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post 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: 2016 Topps Heritage High Number baseball cards (hobby box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery of images.

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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 ...

Continue reading →

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: Trading Cards artwork, vintage cards, collecting Canseco & more.

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post 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: 2016 Topps Heritage Minor League baseball cards (hobby box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 18
Cards per pack: 8
Cards in this box: 139
Base set completion: 
120 of 200 (60 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Dansby Swanson, Ozzie Albies, Andrew Benintendi, Jose DeLeon, Daz Cameron, J.P. Crawford

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What: 2016 Topps Heritage High Number baseball cards
Arrives: Sept. 21
Box basics: One autograph or Relic per 24-pack hobby box (12 boxes per case)

What's buzz-worthy: The High Series once again arrives as an in-pack brand continuing this year's journey back to 1967 with a new wave of base cards, inserts and hits.

Keep reading for more as well as a full gallery of images.

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Is your 1967 Topps baseball card set complete? There's a chance it might not be now.

A funny thing happened when Buzz was working to confirm the various errors and variations in the 1967 card set in the weeks before the arrival of this year's homage, 2016 Topps Heritage.

There appears there could be a third version of Mike McCormick's card No. 86. When examining a group of 1967 cards, Buzz noticed a possible version (above) that's not cataloged anywhere among the various error & variations lists or noted on any population reports despite this set being 49 years old. It's a dramatically different version of the card for the Washington Senators pitcher who was traded to the San Francisco Giants, which is the reason for the variations to exist.

It turns out that this card is from the 1967 O-Pee-Chee set, though there is only one version cataloged there. Could a third version like this exist for the Topps card? Or are there two versions for O-Pee-Chee? Keep reading for the details.

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post 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: 2016 Topps Heritage baseball cards (Hot Box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 24 (plus one box-topper)
Cards per pack: 9
Cards in this box: 216
Base set completion: 
169 of 425 (40 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notable names pulled on base cards: Ichiro Suzuki, Kris Bryant, Byron Buxton, Carlos Rodon, Manny Machado.

Rookie Cards pulled (11) -- Notables include Corey Seager, Michael Conforto, Aaron Nola, Henry Owens, Raul Mondesi.

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We’re a week away from the release of 2016 Topps Heritage baseball cards, the annual trek to the past that takes us back to 1967 this season.

The checklist is now here.

Curious about which errors and variations there might be? Check out our primer on the quirks from 1967.

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

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

We're less than a month away from the release of 2016 Topps Heritage baseball cards, the annual trek to the past that includes errors and variations as an added homage to the past year within the new product.

In advance of the March 2 release, Buzz was wondering about which mistakes are found in the 1967 Topps set -- that's this year's throwback model -- and what might be found. We don't yet have a checklist from Topps for this year, but that will be telling. Why? Stars from the past teams will often match stars on present teams in the set if an error/correction is in play.

Here's a rundown of the mistakes found in 1967 Topps ...

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Demand for The Mick continues to be an all-time high.

A run of high-grade Mickey Mantle Topps and Bowman baseball cards from 1951 to 1969 sold for more than $750,000 this weekend in a Memory Lane Inc. auction.

"The Empire State Collection" consisted of 21 PSA-graded cards and, according to the company, 14 of them set new record-highs for their condition.

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