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 Buzz goes a little high-end (for him).

--

BUZZ FELT RICH ... 
The Card: Mercedes Varnado (aka Sasha Banks) 2021 Topps Star Wars Stellar Signatures autograph (/40)
The Price: Less than anybody else (so far)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is one of those rarer (but not non-existent) times where Buzz paid up for a single card from a new release. Why? It's so premium-priced that single cards are the only way I'll see it -- and this time I'm not alone. It comes from the loaded Stellar Signatures release where only 100 boxes were made with all of them including ink from everybody who's signing for Topps every time. This is Varnado's first Star Wars autograph card and it comes from her role in The Mandalorian, so I figured I'd go there if they dipped enough ... and they did ... at least around the time I grabbed this. They do seem to be drying up, though, even in the weeks since I found mine with the cheapest as I write this being a $499 ask on eBay (for a parallel) with other copies of this base card even higher. This auto (vs. her Banks auto, which I have many copies of) is a lot simpler and the one private signing she did for Star Wars before these -- where they are at least $150 per photo depending on sizes -- showed her sig quality being all over the place. So, with that in mind, I went the card route as a sure thing. This one is clean -- though some cards in this release aren't as crisp -- so I was fine going there. Varnado has had just two other Star Wars autos arrive in the newest Signature Series release but those are stickers ... so I'll wait and see how prices shake out on more. I may not do a ton of them as it's a simple sig, but I knew I needed at least one in my stash and started with the best brand in the land.
Grab a box right here: 2021 Topps Star Wars Stellar Signatures

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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: Nothing but big pulls in today's edition -- everything from the NFL to The Big Bang Theory, which over-delivered big-time.

Continue reading →

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 ...

FEELING SUPER
The Card: Nick Swisher 2015 Bowman Chrome Superfractor #129 (1/1)
The Reason Bought: I picked this one up off of a collector friend who grabbed it for me, making this just my second Superfractor for my retired favorite player and my third Super overall (I once pulled one from a Heritage blaster) in years of collecting. There's not a whole lot of grading drama to be had on either the grade or the pop report, but I figured I'd lead things off with the rarest card of the bunch for this edition.
The Grade: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: This is the only one that exists and it had been on the market for literally years online -- I got it for about $3 more than an offer I made for it when it first arrived and was declined. I've never been all that enamored enough to chase any of them, but this one I'm comfortable with since it was not much more than a basic Bowman box typically goes for at suggested retail price even after landing a top grade.

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

Continue reading →

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 that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ...

--

PROJECT 2020 GOT ME
The Card: Ken Griffey Jr. 2020 Topps Project 2020 -- Artist: King Saladeen (/2,504 made)
The Price: $19.99
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This was my first card I picked up in the recently launched Project 2020 series from Topps, which is a higher-end premium-stock card set that takes a look back at 20 memorable players' memorable cards through the eyes of 20 different artists. They start at $19.99 with combo and volume discounts available, but I'm going to be on the boat for selected cards here and there as I don't heavily collect any of the players and all artists' styles aren't for me. That said, this card is a memorable take of a memorable Rookie Card for one of the biggest players of the last 40 years so I grabbed it. There are 400 cards in the set with each having Artist Proofs (/20) that vanish instantaneously as well as a Gold 1/1 that's randomly inserted into direct orders from Topps. You'll see more of these cards here throughout the year and you can see the ongoing gallery that updates every weekday right here on The Buzz. I have more of these incoming but this is the only one I presently have in-hand.
Grab a box right here: No boxes for this set ... see MLB boxes here

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

Continue reading →

Buzz buys and busts a lot of boxes right here for Buzz Breaks, but one of my ongoing 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 more non-sports -- perhaps a reflection of some recent binge-watching of TV and movies that came to mind without live sports happening.

--

NO BASEBALL, NO MARCH MADNESS ... 
The Card: Tony Gwynn 2016-17 Panini Immaculate Collection Collegiate Jersey Prime (/25)
The Price: $22.50
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Back in December, I presented a similar card to this one and had it leading off -- but with there being no March Madness, no baseball, nothing ... I figured I might lead off with this one again as a reminder of what's not going on right now. As mentioned last time, this Hall of Famer's estate auctioned off a number of game-used pieces in 2015, generating more than $217,000 and among them was his first San Diego Aztecs basketball uniform that sold for $11,858 via SCP Auctions to Panini America. The swatches didn't go into a ton of different cards -- just a couple brands over a couple years -- so there's a chance there could be some more at some point. If not, these will remain classics.
Grab a box right here: 2016-17 Panini Immaculate Collection Collegiate

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

Continue reading →

The box: 2016 Cryptozoic The Big Bang Theory Seasons 6-7
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 24
Cards per pack: 5
Cards in this box: 114
Base set completion: 
72 of 72 (100 percent)
Duplicates: 6

Continue reading →