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 an MLB mixer with some vintage flair.

Continue reading →

If you hadn't noticed, there are a number of boxes with discounted prices right now right here as Blowout Cards' Black November sales have arrived this year.

The third wave is here and many of the discounts were dramatic enough that Buzz once again had to ponder the possibilities in many of the boxes and cases -- and here are five that caught this collector’s eye ... and there's far more that just might suit your tastes in the big sale.

--

PLAYING IT SAFE ... WHILE ROLLING THE DICE
2017 Bowman Chrome Mini baseball card set (It's not just a set.)
You yet plenty of notables here in a set of 273 cards loaded with rookies and prospects from a few full-size series that year and then you get three 10-card Refractor packs that have all kinds of potential inside -- including Superfractors and mini printing plates -- for all players here. Among them? Rookie Cards or prospect cards for Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, Dansby Swanson, Alex Bregman, Ronald Acuña Jr., Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Gleyber Torres, Rafael Devers and plenty more. The prices here aren't as big as the regular stuff, but I think these are a better buy, though there's not ink in play. The parallels can be powerful but if you somehow strike out there the base cards are nice. I'd also suspect that they aren't as heavily graded as the regular stuff for some guys, too.

Keep reading for a few more boxes you should consider (and are likely to end up in Buzz's cart).

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 ... it's a bit of a super-sized edition.

DOMINATING THIS YEAR
The Card: Jonathan Taylor 2020 Donruss #317 -- Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: If it's not my main collecting focus within the sport I'm at best a dabbler when buying football -- and this is a recent example. I grabbed this since it felt like the cheaper side of things as Taylor has had flashes of brilliance this season (and last year) -- in fact, this was less than $12 not long ago and he's put on some real shows in the weeks since. That's why I have him leading things off here over some far-pricier pick-ups and new slabs I have gotten back lately. (Keep reading for those.)
The Grade: PSA 9

Reality Check: I liked this for the price but I'm not sure I'd go higher based on the pop report -- or pay up for a 10 when they're seemingly checking in there at a heavy clip. (Yet, he seems like the real deal -- so if you're solely focused on NFL he's a must-look.) This isn't my favorite of his RCs, but the brand might be my No. 1 for the last few years. Why? The simplicity. I liked the design for this one but the images can be a little limited for the RC crop with all the COVID issues that were seen on cardboard last year. I was a little surprised to see so many copies graded for this one as cheaper cards like this shouldn't be submitted for grading with steep processing fees -- at least right now. (There were probably a lot of them sent before PSA halted submissions as he was impressive late in his rookie season.)

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

Continue reading →

There could be a new slugger on his way to MLB from Japan -- and you might already have some of his baseball cards.

Yoshitomo Tsutsugo will posted by his team, the Yokohama DeNA BayStars, soon and that means MLB teams will have a shot at signing him. He's a guy who has hit 139 homers in the last four years -- his best season being 2016 when he hit .322 with 44 homers and 110 RBI.

Thanks to the World Baseball Classic, he's already got a few baseball cards that have been found in past Topps packs -- and, of course, he has BBM cards if you want to go further back into the past.

Continue reading →

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: 2017 Bowman Chrome Mini baseball (factory set & bonus packs)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 3
Cards per pack: 10
Cards in this box: 303 (273 cards in set, 30 bonus parallels)
Base set completion: 
273 of 273 (100 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notable players on base cards – Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger (2), Kevin Maitan, Yoan Moncada, Nick Senzel, Alex Bregman, Rhys Hoskins, Ronald Acuna, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Mickey Moniak, Rafael Devers, Gleyber Torres, Andrew Benintendi,, Eloy Jimenez, Dansby Swanson ... and nearly all other rookies and prospects from 2017 Bowman and 2017 Bowman Chrome

Continue reading →

What: 2017 Bowman Chrome Mini baseball cards
Arrives: December (date TBD)
Box basics: Each 273-card set also will include three 10-card bonus packs
Checklist: Click here to view

What's buzz-worthy: The Minis are back -- and they're packing bonus parallel packs with every factory set.

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

Continue reading →