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: Spencer Strider's big night, J-Rod, Shaq ink, Kobe's Chrome RC, NFL chatter and NFTs all in one spot.

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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: The National opens later today, a Super Bo, hulking Kobe RCs, Project chatter and more.

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Goldin Auctions continues to set new sales records in each of its auctions. Your valuable items could be next.

If you're headed to the National Sports Collectors Convention, consign your high-end items with Goldin (minimum $10,000 value) for its popular Goldin Elite Auction and you will be entered into a drawing for a random group of box breaks including 1993 Upper Deck SP baseball, 2000 UD SP Authentic football and 1996-97 Topps Chrome basketball.

Goldin Auctions (booth Nos. 1100, 1102 and 648) also is offering fun and excitement with a chance to see rare trading cards and memorabilia at the show, set for July 28-Aug. 1 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill. Collectors can also meet the founder, chat with trading card and memorabilia experts and be entered into giveaways.

Collectors can also find Goldin Tickets in boxes of the 2021 Blowout MegaMix with auction credit values as high as $1,000 randomly inserted into boxes. Visit Goldin Auctions at the show for a chance to take part in these rare opportunities.

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As you may have seen Saturday night, it was a weekend of record-setting sales over at Goldin Auctions -- and it wasn't just Michael Jordan scorching the auction block, either.

The Runnemede, N.J.-based company had sales topping $33 million in the two-day event, which it claimed to be "the largest online sports collectibles auction of all time."

"I’ve been collecting cards and memorabilia for my whole life and I’ve never seen as much interest in the hobby. Long-time collectors have seen the value of their items soar and new collectors have rushed in because they view the hobby as not only fun but also a valuable investment," said company founder Ken Goldin in a prepared release. "It’s gratifying to see the hard work of our team on behalf of our consignors lead to these record setting results."

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This one is a quick idea for a new department here on The Buzz ... Fast Five -- a quick list under a simple topic that might offer a basic starting point for a themed collection. It's a basic list of five items that could be fun for a starting collector or a new way to add to a stash that might already seemingly include everything when it comes to cardboard. For some of you, it's probably common sense. For others of you out there, it's something to think about.

This time? Five Kobe Bryant cardboard basics to own.

A ROOKIE CARD
It's clear that a lot of people who aren't seven-day-a-week collectors have been picking up Kobe Bryant basketball cards since his death in late-January, and the easy starting point for someone -- regardless of budget -- is a Rookie Card. His best Rookie Cards are from major manufacturers and most of them show him in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform or at least use Lakers logos. He has a ton of draft picks and early cards, too, but his 16 Rookie Cards all from the 1996-97 season are the ones to consider first. Here's a rundown of the brands -- Bowman's Best, Collector's Choice, E-X 2000, Fleer, Fleer Metal, Flair Showcase, Fleer Ultra, NBA Hoops, SP, Topps, Topps Chrome, Topps Finest, Upper Deck, UD3 and Z-Force. They're all in demand but they have always been relatively findable and vary in price. Topps Chrome, Topps Finest, Bowman's Best and SP are arguably the better ones, so they'll cost more, while Collector's Choice and Hoops will be on the cheaper side. There are parallel versions for the Chrome and Finest cards, too, and there are also fakes for some of the basic cards here to be weary of. I'd grab one that's been graded by BGS, PSA or SGC only. My Favorite? Probably Finest (above) as I was actually able to find one in a pack long, long ago ... I also once had a Chrome ... but traded it. (Story for another day.)

Keep reading for four more basic cards to consider for Kobe Bryant.

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When Topps Chrome arrived in basketball, it was a bit simpler time than it is today -- so much so that the brand was a retail-only release because the idea of merely Chroming a set perhaps wasn't a sure thing.

Plenty of time has passed since 1996 and in that time so has the career of Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant who was a rookie back in 1996-97 Topps Chrome.

The best card in that landmark product is arguably Bryant's Refractor version of his Rookie Card and this copy is the best of the best of the thousands that were pulled and saved since then.

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After a rough start to his 20th season in the NBA, a 37-year-old Kobe Bryant confirmed in a Players Tribune essay published Sunday night that this year will be his last.

It's probably not a surprise to most NBA fans given his injuries in recent years, but an end to a career doesn't mean an end to cardboard, either. In fact, we're probably just getting started with this Panini America spokesman.

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