We’re coming up on the 30th anniversary of the arrival of a cardboard icon and the highest-voted Hall of Famer in history, Ken Griffey Jr., on the field as well as on his Rookie Cards. While we’re not there just yet, Buzz couldn’t wait to try a little something with box-busting … a 24-hour marathon where we chase No. 24.

Welcome to Buzz 24 for 24.

The boxes? We’ve got one safe pick — a 24-pack 1989 Fleer cello box from a sealed case — and a riskier and pricier pick — a 36-pack 1989 Upper Deck High Number Series box. The Fleer Griffey isn’t an expensive one, but it should make an appearance given the set size vs. the box size. Meanwhile, the Upper Deck card isn’t a sure thing from a high-number box but it can be done. (High boxes are also roughly half the price of standard boxes … so that’s why Buzz went this way.)

So, for the next 24 hours you’ll see a break of at least a couple packs as we chase No. 24, George Kenneth Griffey Jr., and take a quick look back at some of the cardboard that was big at the time.

This is Hour 7.

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We’re coming up on the 30th anniversary of the arrival of a cardboard icon and the highest-voted Hall of Famer in history, Ken Griffey Jr., on the field as well as on his Rookie Cards. While we’re not there just yet, Buzz couldn’t wait to try a little something with box-busting … a 24-hour marathon where we chase No. 24.

Welcome to Buzz 24 for 24.

The boxes? We’ve got one safe pick — a 24-pack 1989 Fleer cello box from a sealed case — and a riskier and pricier pick — a 36-pack 1989 Upper Deck High Number Series box. The Fleer Griffey isn’t an expensive one, but it should make an appearance given the set size vs. the box size. Meanwhile, the Upper Deck card isn’t a sure thing from a high-number box but it can be done. (High boxes are also roughly half the price of standard boxes … so that’s why Buzz went this way.)

So, for the next 24 hours you’ll see a break of at least a couple packs as we chase No. 24, George Kenneth Griffey Jr., and take a quick look back at some of the cardboard that was big at the time.

This is Hour 6.

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We’re coming up on the 30th anniversary of the arrival of a cardboard icon and the highest-voted Hall of Famer in history, Ken Griffey Jr., on the field as well as on his Rookie Cards. While we’re not there just yet, Buzz couldn’t wait to try a little something with box-busting … a 24-hour marathon where we chase No. 24.

Welcome to Buzz 24 for 24.

The boxes? We’ve got one safe pick — a 24-pack 1989 Fleer cello box from a sealed case — and a riskier and pricier pick — a 36-pack 1989 Upper Deck High Number Series box. The Fleer Griffey isn’t an expensive one, but it should make an appearance given the set size vs. the box size. Meanwhile, the Upper Deck card isn’t a sure thing from a high-number box but it can be done. (High boxes are also roughly half the price of standard boxes … so that’s why Buzz went this way.)

So, for the next 24 hours you’ll see a break of at least a couple packs as we chase No. 24, George Kenneth Griffey Jr., and take a quick look back at some of the cardboard that was big at the time.

This is Hour 5.

Continue reading →

We’re coming up on the 30th anniversary of the arrival of a cardboard icon and the highest-voted Hall of Famer in history, Ken Griffey Jr., on the field as well as on his Rookie Cards. While we’re not there just yet, Buzz couldn’t wait to try a little something with box-busting … a 24-hour marathon where we chase No. 24.

Welcome to Buzz 24 for 24.

The boxes? We’ve got one safe pick — a 24-pack 1989 Fleer cello box from a sealed case — and a riskier and pricier pick — a 36-pack 1989 Upper Deck High Number Series box. The Fleer Griffey isn’t an expensive one, but it should make an appearance given the set size vs. the box size. Meanwhile, the Upper Deck card isn’t a sure thing from a high-number box but it can be done. (High boxes are also roughly half the price of standard boxes … so that’s why Buzz went this way.)

So, for the next 24 hours you’ll see a break of at least a couple packs as we chase No. 24, George Kenneth Griffey Jr., and take a quick look back at some of the cardboard that was big at the time.

This is Hour 4.

Continue reading →

We’re coming up on the 30th anniversary of the arrival of a cardboard icon and the highest-voted Hall of Famer in history, Ken Griffey Jr., on the field as well as on his Rookie Cards. While we’re not there just yet, Buzz couldn’t wait to try a little something with box-busting … a 24-hour marathon where we chase No. 24.

Welcome to Buzz 24 for 24.

The boxes? We’ve got one safe pick — a 24-pack 1989 Fleer cello box from a sealed case — and a riskier and pricier pick — a 36-pack 1989 Upper Deck High Number Series box. The Fleer Griffey isn’t an expensive one, but it should make an appearance given the set size vs. the box size. Meanwhile, the Upper Deck card isn’t a sure thing from a high-number box but it can be done. (High boxes are also roughly half the price of standard boxes … so that’s why Buzz went this way.)

So, for the next 24 hours you’ll see a break of at least a couple packs as we chase No. 24, George Kenneth Griffey Jr., and take a quick look back at some of the cardboard that was big at the time.

This is Hour 3.

Continue reading →

We’re coming up on the 30th anniversary of the arrival of a cardboard icon and the highest-voted Hall of Famer in history, Ken Griffey Jr., on the field as well as on his Rookie Cards. While we’re not there just yet, Buzz couldn’t wait to try a little something with box-busting … a 24-hour marathon where we chase No. 24.

Welcome to Buzz 24 for 24.

The boxes? We’ve got one safe pick — a 24-pack 1989 Fleer cello box from a sealed case — and a riskier and pricier pick — a 36-pack 1989 Upper Deck High Number Series box. The Fleer Griffey isn’t an expensive one, but it should make an appearance given the set size vs. the box size. Meanwhile, the Upper Deck card isn’t a sure thing from a high-number box but it can be done. (High boxes are also roughly half the price of standard boxes … so that’s why Buzz went this way.)

So, for the next 24 hours you’ll see a break of at least a couple packs as we chase No. 24, George Kenneth Griffey Jr., and take a quick look back at some of the cardboard that was big at the time.

This is Hour 2 ... and we've got a big surprise already.

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We’re coming up on the 30th anniversary of the arrival of a cardboard icon and the highest-voted Hall of Famer in history, Ken Griffey Jr., on the field as well as on his Rookie Cards. While we’re not there just yet, Buzz couldn’t wait to try a little something with box-busting … a 24-hour marathon where we chase No. 24.

Welcome to Buzz 24 for 24.

The boxes? We’ve got one safe pick — a 24-pack 1989 Fleer cello box from a sealed case — and a riskier and pricier pick — a 36-pack 1989 Upper Deck High Number Series box. The Fleer Griffey isn’t an expensive one, but it should make an appearance given the set size vs. the box size. Meanwhile, the Upper Deck card isn’t a sure thing from a high-number box but it can be done. (High boxes are also roughly half the price of standard boxes … so that’s why Buzz went this way.)

So, for the next 24 hours you’ll see a break of at least a couple packs as we chase No. 24, George Kenneth Griffey Jr., and take a quick look back at some of the cardboard that was big at the time.

It starts right now.

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Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today's your day then as we launch 12 in 12 -- a series of a dozen breaks of past wax packs in a dozen hours. We'll post one every hour on the hour all day long today ... this is Hour 2.

The pack: 1989 Upper Deck baseball cards
The cost: $4

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

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Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today's your day then as we launch 12 in 12 -- a series of a dozen breaks of past wax packs in a dozen hours. We'll post one every hour on the hour all day long today ... this is Hour 2.

The pack: 1989 Upper Deck High Number baseball cards
The cost: $3

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

Continue reading →

Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today's your day then as we launch 12 in 12 -- a series of a dozen breaks of past wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We'll post one every hour on the hour all day long today ... and this is Hour 1.

The pack: 1989 Upper Deck High Series baseball cards
The cost now: $3
The cost then: $1

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

Continue reading →

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 Today: Repacks, on-demand cardboard, big pulls, Manny Machado, the National and plenty more as we end the month.

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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 Today: Nothing but breaks today as we inch closer to the weekend.

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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 Today: Nothing but breaks as we truck into the weekend.

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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: BenchWarmers breaks, Gypsy Queen chatter, Two Griffeys, one pack ... and partial holograms?

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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: Nothing but breaks from the past and present today.

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Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today's your day then as we launch 12 in 12 -- a series of a dozen breaks of past wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We'll post one every hour on the hour all day long today ... and this is Hour 4.

The pack: 1989 Upper Deck High Series baseball cards
The cost now: $2
The cost then: $1

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

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: Hot comic books for Logan, big pulls, rare wrestling boxes, Kris Bryant's most-iconic Rookie Card and then things went "boom."

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Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza are in Cooperstown, N.Y., this weekend to join baseball's immortals as the newest members of the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday.

One is the first No. 1 overall draft pick to ever make it to the Hall. The other is the lowest draft pick to ever be enshrined in Cooperstown.

Griffey received 99.3 percent of the vote -- a record and three votes short of unanimous -- after his first time on the ballot. Meanwhile, Piazza appeared on 83 percent of the 440 ballots in his fourth vote.

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The Baseball Writers' Association of America votes are in, and there's no surprise at the top -- Ken Griffey Jr. is headed to Cooperstown, N.Y., this summer to join baseball's immortals.

He received 99.3 percent of the vote -- a record and three votes short of unanimous -- after his first time on the ballot. Joining him is former Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets catcher Mike Piazza, who appeared on 83 percent of the 440 ballots.

Griffey helped usher in a new era of collecting in 1989 as the iconic No. 1 in the first Upper Deck set, a release that helped change the printing and packaging of cards and the collecting expectations of a generation. For those same thirty-somethings and beyond, he's an also icon on the field with his backwards cap and a smooth but powerful left-handed swing that helped produce 630 home runs and countless more memorable moments for the Mariners, Reds and White Sox over 22 seasons but never a World Series at-bat.

Clearly he's one of the greatest players -- and most-beloved players -- in MLB history, a symbol of what's good about the game in an era of bogus records and inflated statistics that have undermined not only the results on the field but also the cardboard of our youth. His enshrinement this summer in Cooperstown will be the stuff that cardboard (and baseball) marketing is made of. In fact, there are already two forthcoming brands -- 2016 Topps Series 2 and 2016 Topps Finest (above right) -- that will spotlight Junior.

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