2016 Topps First Pitch
Buzz Buys: Ronald Acuña Jr., New Yaz, Satchel Paige, Ferris Bueller, Aubrey Plaza, WWE stars & Ted Williams goes fishing
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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 a super-sized edition to clear out some cardboard that's been waiting for its turn here.
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BATTING LEADOFF ... AGAIN
The Card: Ronald Acuña Jr. 2018 Panini Chronicles Score Rookie Card (SGC 10)
The Price: $10.60
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Is it really a shocker to see this guy batting leadoff here once again? If you're a regular reader you'll know this is the third straight time I've picked one of my Acuña pick-ups to start things off here -- and this time it's a high-grade copy from an affordable (for now) release that's jam-packed with Rookie Cards. I haven't ever submitted anything to SGC for grading, but I have picked off a few cards in their slabs when the price is right and the card is noticeably clean. In this case it was an affordable one picked off in a top grade just before he started heating things up this season. Boxes of many 2018 releases have picked up steam and this one is among them, especially on the hobby side where they are jam-packed with good stuff. I couldn't find this card in the pop report, but the price was right for me.
Grab a box right here: 2018 Panini Chronicles baseball cardsKeep reading for many more interesting items ...
Making the Grade (April): Vince McMahon, Steve Austin and WrestleMania icons plus Ronald Acuña Jr. & more MLB stars
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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 ... it's all MLB and WWE this time with a new baseball season under way and it being WrestleMania week.
The Card: 2018 Topps WWE Then Now Forever 25 Years of Raw #RAW28 Mr. McMahon's Limousine Explodes
The Reason Graded: You don't see why? This is one of the greatest cards I've ever seen in any set, and it simply had to lead off here, too. The heat you see on the card is only rivaled by the heat that is this card. (Something like that.) So, what's the story with this? In a June 2007 episode of Raw, WWE Chairman and ultimate on-screen villain Vince McMahon had an unusual evening on the air. At the end of the show he walked through a star-laden backstage area to go to his limo at the end of his "Appreciation Night." He stepped inside, closed the door and at that exact moment it exploded on live TV. (See it happen here and read all about the fallout.) The company was bombarded with phone calls from some members of the public and it even issued a press release that McMahon was, indeed, dead. The company's stock even took a hit (seriously) as part of the story line. Somehow, it took all of these years for this epic moment to make it onto a card.
The Grade: BGS 9.5Grade 5.5 6 6.5 7 7.5 8 8.5 9 9.5 10 B10 Total Population 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 Reality Check: I was all over this one the second I saw the checklist and knew I'd own it in a slab. The super-skinny stock and dark edges make it tough to land without a tweaked edge or corner, but mine is the first and it's nearly perfect. (The spot on the right is part of the photo, not a nicked edge.) The only thing better than a near-perfect copy of a card like this would be one signed by VKM himself ... after all, he somehow survived. This card makes me laugh and I laugh even harder with a high-grade copy.
Keep reading for the rest of this month's new grades and additions.
You never know where you'll see baseball cards pop up
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You never know where you'll see baseball cards and late-night TV is one place where some good ol' American cardboard surfaced.
Actor Viggo Mortensen was on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and brought some gifts for the host.
They Tweeted It ... Jimmy Kimmel
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Being on a baseball card might be the most exciting thing that has ever happened to me @ToppsCards @Mets pic.twitter.com/JQGJ136l2s
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) June 16, 2016
A few of the celebs found on Topps' First Pitch cards have started to react to their cards via Twitter. Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel wasn't the only one, but here you go.
You might expect it to make the air tonight, which probably would entice a few of his non-collecting regular fans to go find one. If you haven't seen them all, click here for a full gallery and checklist.
Follow Buzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz or send email to BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.
Add Mo'ne Davis & Kristaps Porzingis to the 2016 Topps First Pitch roster + gallery/checklist
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Contest >> Click here to win a box of 2016 Topps Series 1
A few more First Pitch cards from 2016 Topps Series 1 have begun to trickle out onto eBay in advance of the product's official release on Wednesday and there's another surprise among the celebs doing the ceremonial honors.
One of them is former Little League World Series star and 14-year-old Mo'ne Davis.
Davis became first girl to earn a win and to pitch a shutout in Little League World Series history during the 2014 event capturing the hearts of many. She appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated and became a household name.
Who else is among the surprises in the set?
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (Jan. 31)
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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: 2016 Topps Jordan Spieth First Pitch, big breaks, a 264 collector, Johnny Manziel & more.
PGA star Jordan Spieth among the 2016 Topps' First Pitch celebrities
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The first retail pulls from 2016 Topps have begun to hit eBay in advance of its widespread release on Wednesday and that means we get out first glimpses at the surprise inclusions in the First Pitch set.
A checklist has not been released for the insert set, but it appears that this year's version will include golfer Jordan Spieth who has not had any official PGA cardboard despite dominating successes this past year.
Who might make the cut for First Pitch in 2016 Topps Series 1?
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One of the surprises in last year's Topps baseball card set was First Pitch, a collection of celebrities seen throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at MLB games.
It's back for 2016 Topps Series 1 -- a set that's just 13 days away -- and it's still a secret as the checklist has not yet been revealed. (Nor has the design -- so you can settle for last year's Jessica Alba card above.)
But Buzz has done some research to perhaps discover who'll be in this year's set. We don't know how many cards there might be, but they'll be found a few times per box.
Keep reading for the possibilities.
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