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: 2019 Topps Heritage High Number baseball cards (monster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com
First Buzz preview, SPs & checklist: Click here

Keep reading for a breakdown of what was in this one ...

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What: 2024 Topps Archives baseball cards
Arrives: Jan. 8, 2025
Box basics: One auto per 10-pack Collector's Box Lunch Box (10 boxes per case); Two autos per 24-pack hobby box (10 per case)
Checklist: Click here
Odds: Click here
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Topps Archives will arrive in two formats as noted above once again as it revisits past looks and past stars along with plenty of the notables from today's game, too.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images so far.

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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 ...

STRONG SEASON ... WHAT'S NEXT?
The Card: Juan Soto 2018 Topps 582 Montgomery Club Set 1 -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: A big season that came up short of the goal ... but now it's time for a historic payday while still in his mid-20s. Soto's Rookie Cards (2018) aren't all that rare, really, but there's a lot of demand -- but they still might be good buys depending on where he goes next. (Mets? Watch out.) All those thoughts were in mind when I popped this one into a submission earlier this year along with other key names from this small set for Club members. It's not a traditional RC since it's from a small set, but it's still a good Soto to me ... so I slabbed it.
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: Top grade of a small volume works for me. I'm sure there will be more and I'm sure the pops are higher elsewhere, but the range of the grades here shows it might not be the easiest kind of card to grade thanks to that retro stock.

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

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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 ...

MAMI'S HOME ...
The Card: Rhea Ripley 2020 Topps Chrome WWE Gold Refractor Autographs (/50) -- rookie-year auto
The Reason Graded: I picked up this one a few years ago for a pretty modest price -- about the price of a box back then -- and since then Ripley has emerged as the top name among a newer wave of stars who, barring injuries, should be helping redefine women's wrestling for some time. I had this one in my get-graded stacks for a long time as I don't often slab up auto cards -- I don't like surprises -- but I did it on this one and a standard auto earlier this year since they looked quite clean.
The Grade: CGC 10 (Pristine) with 10 auto

Reality Check: As good as it gets and this card is a monster as it is. A raw copy pushed $500 not that long ago and a PSA 9 sold for that much as well earlier this year. A perfect 10 absolutely works for me on this one ... it's the best color here if you ask me, too.

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

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Group breaks have been a game-changer for the card industry for several years now and from time to time Buzz will jump into a BlowoutTV break of some type and break down the results of what he landed by picking up a team. There are near-daily breaks right here with Matt on Blowout TV during weekday working hours and even more from Houdini and others over on the forum in the evening.

Now, it's time for this post's break breakdown -- a spot in a Heritage baseball mixer with some extras.

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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 FIRST FOR ME ...
The Card: Bo Bichette 2022 Topps Chrome Logofractor Edition Blue Refractor (/150)
The Reason Graded: If you're a regular reader, then you know that Bichette is perhaps my leading active player who I collect (casually ... as he's expensive). That means I dabble merely with what I like, what's a bargain and so on. In some cases, I'll grab a striking color of parallel or an appropriate shade from a certain brand that stands out from the rest and this Blue parallel fits right there along with this being a Logofractor parallel. Why did I grab this and then slab it? Well, the price was right (under $10 during the season) and it was one of few centered copies I saw and it was one that avoided a possible pattern gap in the logos that seemed to land on his cards often. When I grabbed this, it also became my first COMC pick-up to go directly to CGC for grading while all in their hands rather than starting out in mine.
The Grade: CSG 10

Reality Check: It came back with an ideal mark, which is what I had hoped for, though you never know with surfaces of cards ... that's about the only big risk of buying/subbing stuff there at the moment other than corners, which should be a smidge more obvious on screen -- but not always. My total cost for card and grading here? Under $24 and it only took about a month to get it back. That's a move I've actually done a few times late last year as my goal of sending in some new stuff for slabbing didn't happen on the card side of things before 2023 had ended. There will be plenty more in 2024 -- cards, comics, coins magazines ... and more.

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 ...

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FINALLY LANDED HIM
The Card: Roger Maris autographed 1975 Topps MVPs card (PSA/DNA authenticated)
The Price: About $200 less than I figured it would cost me
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: For several years now, something on my want list for when I'd head to The National was to find a clean and slabbed Maris autograph of some sort. They're rare but not impossible as the former single-season home run champ who hit 61 homers in 1961 died in 1985 just as doing autograph shows was about to truly explode for past players. Had he died a decade later he'd probably be an easy autograph to find -- or at least an easier one -- but still in high demand. A typical signed and slabbed plain 3-by-5 card of him typically was around $500 when I was looking in the past and I've seen many of them but that was still a little too much to swing for me if I wanted to keep shopping while at a show. Signed and slabbed cards from his career are often a lot pricier depending on the condition of the card and the year ... some are quite impressive and many are not having been signed in ballpoint pen. Like pretty much everything, prices on his autos have jumped in the last few years but I still had been looking for something like this ... and then one day late last year I woke up and checked emails to see this one on the block with a buy price that made it an instant grab. It's not a perfect card, it's not a mangled card ... but it was an affordable one for me as it's a lesser card from just after his career ended (last cards as an active player were in 1968). As a bonus to me, he's seen alongside pretty much the other player I actively collect from the era ... but his auto is easy to find. I've crossed a big one off my want list.
Grab a box right here: No boxes of this one ... but MLB stuff is here

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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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 ... and this time around there's a little bit of everything.

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RARE STUFF 
The Card: Addie Joss 2019 Panini Flawless Legendary Jumbo Materials Sapphire (/7)
The Price: Just under $80
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I don't pony up this big for single cards all that often, but something grabbed my attention here. Actually, it was a mix of a few things (beyond just the price) for a Hall of Famer who only has memorabilia cards in only a few releases (Diamond Kings, Flawlesss, National Treasures) from just the last two years. First, price. Second, this one has a huge swatch and based on the look of it, I'd bet big money that the material came from a $12,426 pair of game-used pants sold by Lelands in late 2017. Third, Joss played just nine years -- 1902 to 1910 -- won 160 games in that span and fell ill in spring training the following year and died at age 31 from tubercular meningitis so it's not some decades-later coach-worn piece. (Learn more about his career here  -- and there's a ton more here that's also interesting.) For memorabilia and cardboard, there's just not much to go around for him and my gut feeling about this one's price felt even better when I checked eBay completed sales to see easier versions of this card pushing $200. With the price of those pants -- and the fact that there are no known jerseys out there beyond anything hanging out at the Hall of Fame per the auction house -- there could be fewer jumbo cards like one this made in the future and a finite volume of memorabilia cards in general for this notable name from the past. I'd grab 'em while you can if you have any interest.
Grab a box right here: Panini Flawless (all years)

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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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: 2019 Topps Heritage High Number baseball cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)
First Buzz preview, SPs & checklist: Click here

Packs per box: 25 (24 regular, one stamped buyback box-topper)
Cards per pack: 9
Cards in this box: 215
Base set completion: 
190 of 200 (95 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, Yasiel Puig, Tyler Glasnow, Austin Meadows, Byron Buxton, Curtis Granderson, Craig Kimbrel

Rookie Cards (41) – Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Pete Alonso, Eloy Jimenez, Fernando Tatis Jr., Keston Hiura, Carter Kieboom, Nick Senzel, Austin Riley, Yusei Kikuchi, Chris Paddack (SP), Ryan Helsley (SP), Cole Tucker, Elvis Luciano, Joe Harvey, Corbin Martin, Taylor Clarke, Brandon Brennan, Michael Chavis, Nate Lowe, Jon Duplantier, Jake Cave, Richie Martin, Nick Margevicius, Jake Bauers, Eric Stamets, Griffin Canning, Alex Jackson, Skye Bolt, Justus Sheffield, Braden Bishop, Nick Anderson, Travis Bergen, Richard Lovelady, Josh Fuentes, Brendan Rodgers, John Means, Connor Joe, Merrill Kelly, Pedro Avila, Kyle Zimmer, Cal Quantrill

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Have you seen the latest cool cards from a new release? With so many options for collectors of all kinds arriving every week it's possible you haven't. That's where Buzz comes in -- well at least on one brand you'll see here from time to time in what we're calling Buzz's Pick Six. Simply put, here are six cards from a new arrival that seemed interesting to this collector and we think they might interest you, too.

This week's release: 2019 Topps Heritage High Number
Checklist: Click here
First Buzz Preview: Click here

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LOADED WITH ROOKIES 
The Cards: Eloy Jimenez, Keston Hiura, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Pete Alonso & Fernando Tatis Jr. Rookie Cards (and more)
The Prices: Will vary by player
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This year's revisiting of 1970 Topps was admittedly dry on the RC front but this series more than makes up for it and it takes that A+ grade I gave last year's edition with its rookies and gives it a nudge. This one is just as loaded and just as strong. There are more than 40 RCs on the standard checklist of just 200 cards for this one and then there are a few more (not the big names) among the 25 short-prints. The key names will be found often here and that's a recipe for strong breaks and plenty of heat if you're ripping at the case level. Heritage RCs and their autos have been some of the biggest movers (especially when slabbed) the last few years and this one will be just as strong. Now consider you'll also get parallels and variations (noted on checklist) ... oh, boy.

Keep reading for five more interesting items in this week's roundup ...

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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: 2019 Topps Heritage baseball cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (a few formats)

Packs per box: 8
Cards per pack: 9
Cards in this box: 71
Base set completion: 
65 of 400 (16 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox World Series Champions, Max Scherzer

>>> For variation details, click here

Rookie Cards (7 cards, 16 rookies) – Kyle Tucker, Cionel Perez, Heath Fillmyer, Brad Keller, Edmundo Sosa, Adolis Garcia, Jeffrey Springs, Jose Trevino, Kevin Newman, Kevin Kramer, Kolby Allard, Touki Toussaint, Kyle Wright, Framber Valdez, Josh James, Dean Deetz

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Buzz buys and busts a lot of boxes right here for Buzz Breaks, but one of my goals just might be to rip fewer blasters this year 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. Would they capture yours? I'd be interested to know -- sometimes they might, sometimes they won't and that's fine. It's a buyer's market out there with plenty of options and bargains as well as high-end gems to chase.

So, with all that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ... and this time around it's another super-sized edition.

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BATTING LEAD-OFF ONCE AGAIN 
The Card: Ronald Acuña Jr. 2018 Topps Heritage High Number Rookie Card (BGS 9)
The Price: $14
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: You may think it's a comedy bit with this Atlanta Braves slugger's RC batting lead-off here once again -- and it's not even the first time it's been this card in a slab, just a different company -- but Buzz is still sold on his hobby potential as part of a first-place team loaded with home-grown talent ... and he bats lead-off there, too. There will come a time where the wax will become harder and harder to find so these slabbed versions are always worth a look on the cheaper side in my mind. This also was my first buy for a BGS card without sub-grades -- people tend to price them lower than other cards. This one does have issues with vertical centering but it doesn't bug my eye at all compared to left-right centering issues when those exist. For the price, I'm good here ... and I still miss 1969 Heritage compared to this year.
Grab a box right here: 2018 Topps Heritage High Number baseball cards

Keep reading for five more interesting items ...

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What: 2019 Topps Heritage Minor League baseball cards
Arrives: Sept. 25
Box basics: One autograph and one Relic per 19-pack box (12 boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Collectors can turn back the clock to 1970 for a final time this season with this trip down to the minor leagues where baseball's hopefuls get a big-league look on this popular line and one lucky collector will get a chance to suit up on a one-day contract.

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

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Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today's your day then as we launch 8 in 8 -- a series of a eight breaks of wax boxes and wax packs in as many hours today. We'll post one every hour ... this is Hour 3.

The box: 2019 Topps Heritage baseball cards (blaster)
The cost: Click here (a few formats)

What's inside this one? Keep reading ...

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One of the fun things that collectors look for every year in Topps Heritage baseball cards are errors and variations directly based on the mistakes of the past.

That won't happen too often this year as the 1970 Topps set is relatively error-free save for small changes on six checklists in the set and a cartoon on the back of card No. 303 that's found with and without a baseball.

That means when you rip into boxes of 2019 Topps Heritage beginning on Wednesday you'll likely have to settle for chasing unknown errors not based on that original set and, of course, you'll have to chase the typical variations that are planned by Topps every year. There are cards that look to the past, though, like this Pat Neshek, which has a nod to Lowell Palmer from 1970. The Neshek isn't a mistake or variation, it's a simple planned photo to mirror the pitcher remembered for his dark sunglasses back in the day. (These cards share the same number to help reinforce the point.)

Now, what might be in store for this one on the short-printed variation front?

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Have you seen the latest cool or interesting items on eBay? If not, you just might see some of those here every week as we're launching a weekly version of our eBay Buzz pieces that pop up from time to time. We’ll spotlight some items that have a story or just wow us with how much interest it might have — and we’re not just talking baseball cards, either.

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GREEN MONSTER
The Item: Tim Duncan 1997-98 Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Emerald (/10) (PSA 6)
The Price: $15,500 after 36 bids (eight days remaining)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This one isn't mint -- they rarely are -- but that doesn't matter as this one is a rare pull from a line that people absolutely love and will pay dearly for especially when it's a key card of a Hall 0f Fame lock. This is a parallel of his Rookie Card with the PMGs being so condition-sensitive that only one is graded higher by PSA. I dabbled with the NBA much more back in this time but this entire brand just struck me as too kiddy-looking -- though I was a kid and I apparently never pulled any of these. Now they're among the biggest money-makers of any recent cardboard without autos or slabs. Don't believe me? Check out the link below and then also check completed auctions.
Similar Pieces: Other PMG cards on eBay
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for NBA boxes

Keep reading for four more interesting items in this week's roundup ...

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What:

What's buzz-worthy: Welcome to a new decade. Collectors can turn back the clock to 1970 once again with the arrival of Heritage, which is a line that has taken us year by year through the past Topps designs -- but with new players -- leading to this set in its journey that began back in 2001.

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

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He'll always be known for his epic Afro and one of the greatest baseball cards ever made -- 1976 Topps Traded No. 74T -- but he also was a reliable big-leaguer for a long, long time.

He's Oscar Gamble, a former New York Yankees outfielder who died on Wednesday at age 68. A member of the Yankees for seven of his 17 seasons in MLB, he hit .265 with 200 home runs and 666 RBI in 1,584 games. He also played for the Cubs, who drafted him in the 16th round in 1968, as well as the Phillies, Indians, White Sox, Padres and Rangers.

"He was the player on the Yankees known for big hair," said his agent, Andrew Levy, on Twitter, "but those who knew him best will remember his big heart."

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There's no doubt that even after years out of the spotlight that O.J. Simpson remains one of the more-controversial and polarizing people on the planet, and we'll get a new wave of discussion about the retired and incarcerated football star with the premiere of O.J.: Made in America, which is a five-part ESPN Films documentary, tonight on ABC.

Simpson, of course, is behind bars for armed robbery and kidnapping after an altercation with a memorabilia dealer back in 2007. His acquittal in the deaths of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman -- and the 1997 civil suit found Simpson liable for their deaths -- will be one of the main focuses of the nearly eight-hour series.

Will the new story spark any added interest in his key cards? It's very possible and people are seemingly already interested to some degree. His 1970 Topps Rookie Card (above) actually surged in value back during the first trial and there were non-NFL-licensed card companies that actually had him sign autographs while in jail. According to one advance account of the new documentary, those autographs signed in jail are discussed in the series.

"O.J. had only been in jail for two or three days when, per his agent Mike Gilbert, he gave instructions to start 'marketing and merchandising and generating a lot of money,'" reads one advance review. "Gilbert and memorabilia dealer Bruce Fromong brought in fabric numbers for O.J. to sign, which would later be sewn into jerseys, and leather panels that would eventually become footballs. Demand, says Fromong, was through the roof, and as photographs reveal, an O.J. autograph signed from behind bars could go for hundreds of dollars.

"'He sat in jail,' says Fromong, 'and we did $3-million dollars in autographs.' One photograph of O.J. and Johnnie Cochran got both their signatures. 'I look back,' says Gilbert, 'and think, this sucked. I can’t believe we did this.'”

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A near-perfect PSA 9 Hank Aaron 1954 Topps Rookie Card led the way in the Mile High Card Company auction that ended during the weekend -- and it was just one of 10 lots that topped the $20,000 mark.

All were graded vintage cards in high grades or key specimens slabbed by PSA or SGC -- meanwhile 13 other auctions topped the $10,000 plateau in the sale.

Click the first image below to enter our gallery and get a closer look at the top 10 lots as well their final sale prices. We added an extra one so you can see a surprising sale price on the only PSA 10 Joe Torre 1962 Topps Rookie Card in existence.

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

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