Buzz buys a lot of stuff these days and for a few reasons, really. Sometimes it's just bargain-hunting, sometimes it's just something that strikes me. And other times it's a lot -- a group of things -- and that has happened enough lately I figured I'd try something different as a regularly appearing item. Sometimes my lots will be wins, sometimes they won't be ... but I'll let you decide. 

--

AN UNDISPUTED STEAL?
The Lot: A lot of nine numbered Orange parallel cards from Topps Undisputed WWE
The Price: $15

Keep reading for more on this one ...

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 all that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ... and this time around it's perhaps a little heavy on wrestling (but then again so am I) and some pick-ups that have simply piled up waiting for a spot. (Call it some spring cleaning.)

--

A MONÉ MYSTERY ... 
The Card: Sasha Banks 2021 Topps Transcendent WWE Green Autograph (/15)
The Price: Way less than most new WWE boxes ...
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: When the final Transcendent set was teased, this card with its striking image (a real photo from one of her laser show entrances) was immediately on my radar from this ultra-pricey release. However, how I was going to actually land one wasn't something I had to worry about upon arrival ... her cards simply were not packed out in the boxes and she wasn't alone. Why? There's some chatter about that, but one WWE insider believed her boxes of cards may have mistakenly left at a venue. Then some popped up on the open market, forcing Topps to go track them down legally and then get the signing done. All that is stuff I don't really care about, but I'm 100-percent confident that this is a legit auto of The Legit Boss and the card is perfectly fine. A number of the other Banks autos from this one have some steep asking prices but I ponied up to land this one not that long ago, knowing it will be a few more years before we might even see Transcendent again. And who knows what the wrestling future for Mercedes Moné might hold -- Mercedes Varnado is no longer in WWE -- or if we'll even see Sasha Banks again.
Grab a box right here: None for this one but ... WWE boxes are 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 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 ... a mix of recent grabs and some older stuff, too.

--

A SURPRISING SEASON
The Cards: Spencer Strider 2022 Topps Living Set (five-pack)
The Price: Bundle price via Topps.com
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The defending World Series champs didn't have the finish they'd hoped for this year, but one big highlight this season was the arrival of this rookie seemingly out of nowhere. Strider flashed record-setting potential for strikeouts when on the mound as he went 11-5 this season with a 2.69 ERA and 202 strikeouts in 172 innings He reached 200 Ks in 130 innings -- an MLB record held by Hall of Famer Randy Johnson -- and he had 16 Ks in a single game to break the team record. The year also got him a new contract that will keep him in Atlanta along with a number of other young stars for several years. Strider had RCs in this year's stuff since early on but should have more to come in the later releases that have been delayed. I grabbed this pack with an eye on grading with mixed results -- one had big, nasty surface issues, two having unusual and not-good surface problems and then two that are yes/maybe for slabbing. One is in CSG's hands as I type this.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... but MLB boxes are 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 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 are some really unique pieces and some normal stuff found over recent months.

--

BETTER THAN A BOX.
The Piece: Sasha Banks 2019 Topps WWE Undisputed original art by Rob Schamberger
The Price: Same as a box of this year's Undisputed cards
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: For the last two years, Topps' Undisputed sets have included a subset showcasing the work of WWE artist Rob Schamberger whose pieces also have been found on countless prints, shirts and more as well as in WWE Canvas 2 Canvas video shorts. How popular is his work? Well, wrestler-signed prints have their own section over at WWE Auction and he also had original card-sized works in last year's Transcendent boxes -- and this year's Undisputed set has his autographs as one of its chases. One card from last year's set that got my attention upon arrival was the Banks, which I even submitted for grading and I hadn't really thought about that one until just recently with this year's new set. What popped up? Well, he launched his new website, Schamberger Labs, where collectors can find prints, original pieces and more and that's where I found this original. For months now, I had been eyeing an original watercolor/ink piece to showcase here (story perhaps to come later ... if I do grab that one) but with the new site announcement one recent morning I checked things out and was shocked to see this original. (His photo is above since it's too large for me to photograph well.) I hadn't really imagined any art from this set ever being available but I grabbed it with little hesitation. I figured these pieces might be locked away in Topps' or WWE's possession given the card presence, but, no, the Banks and a handful of other pieces were up for grabs. (Some are still there.) These 11-by-15 pieces aren't overwhelmingly large to manage -- mine is in a photo top-loader for now -- and there's a strong chance I'll display it at some point, though I never really display any of my buys. (Well, beyond showing them off here.) This was one of my favorite finds of the year ... and it's been a good year (of shopping at home).
Grab a box right here: 2020 Topps WWE Undisputed

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

Continue reading →

First Buzz previews are by far our most-popular pieces here on The Buzz and they are a simple way of looking back at everything that was teased and arrived in 2019. Here's a recap of everything that was previewed -- nearly 300 products -- all in one spot.

Keep in mind that a number of 2019 releases were announced before the calendar changed -- but even those can be found by clicking here and doing some digging. And the latter portion of the listing to come are actually a preview of what's to come soon ... so even if you're not in the look-back mood you can certainly look forward to 2020 right here, too.

--

JANUARY PREVIEWS (Don't mind dust on the old galleries ... still updating them after a Wordpress change.) 

First Buzz: 2019 Topps Chrome baseball cards

First Buzz: 2019 Topps WWE Transcendent Collection wrestling cards

First Buzz: 2019 Leaf Draft football cards

First Buzz: 2019 Onyx Preferred Players Baseball Collection

First Buzz: 2017-18 Leaf Pearl hockey cards

First Buzz: 2018 Panini Flawless football cards

First Buzz: 2018-19 Donruss soccer cards

First Buzz: Super Break The Bar Mementos Holiday Edition

First Buzz: 2019 The Bar Pieces of The Past Series 1

First Buzz: 2019 Panini Prizm Draft Picks football cards

First Buzz: 2019 Topps WWE Undisputed wrestling cards

First Buzz: 2019 Topps Tier One baseball cards

First Buzz: 2019 Topps Pro Debut baseball cards

First Buzz: 2019 Topps MLB Sticker Collection

First Buzz: 2019 SAGE HIT Low Series football cards

First Buzz: 2018-19 Panini Court Kings basketball cards

First Buzz: 2019 Panini Diamond Kings baseball cards

First Buzz: 2018 Panini Honors football cards

First Buzz: 2019 Topps UFC Knockout

First Buzz: 2019 Topps Museum Collection baseball cards

First Buzz: 2018-19 Topps Chrome UEFA Champions League

Alliance of American Football opts for Topps football cards

First Buzz: 2019 Topps Finest baseball cards

First Buzz: 2019 Historic Autographs Steele Engravings

--

Keep reading for more ... there were plenty of releases this year.

Continue reading →

Buzz Breaks are always among our most-read features here on The Buzz as many of you are curious about seeing what comes out of a new box of cards -- whether it's some affordable retail box or some pricier box from the many that are out there.

Excluding our monthly #Buzz8in8 marathon days -- those will return in 2020, by the way -- Buzz ripped nearly 300 boxes for Buzz Breaks this year. While we'd love to present all of them here, that's not just going to happen today. (There's just not enough on caffeine for that.)

Instead, here is a sampling of the most interesting breaks of the last year -- some new boxes, some not -- presented in no particular order.

--

Buzz Break: 2019-20 Panini Prizm NBA cards (mega box)

Buzz Break: 2018-19 Panini Prizm NBA cards (mega box)

Buzz Break: 2019 Topps Big League baseball cards (hobby)

Buzz Break: 2019 Panini Diamond Kings (FOTL)

Buzz Break: 2019 Topps Tier One baseball cards (hobby)

Buzz Break: 2017 Donruss Optic football cards (SE blaster)

Buzz Break: 2019 Topps Tribute baseball cards (hobby)

--

Keep reading for more ... there are nearly 50 breaks in this one.

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. 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 the biggest roundup ever (in volume, not price).

--

A UNIQUE SURPRISE 
The Card: Tony Gwynn 2015 Panini Immaculate Collection Collegiate Memorabilia (/99)
The Price: $16.25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: It took me a while to find one of these (only casually looking), but this card of the Baseball Hall of Famer is one of a few that show him in his other sport, basketball, which he played at San Diego State. His estate auctioned off a number of game-used pieces and other memorabilia in 2015, generating more than $217,000 partly going to the Tony and Alicia Gwynn Foundation to help kids in need. His first Aztecs basketball uniform went for $11,858 in that SCP Auctions sale and the buyer was Panini America. These cards aren't all that plentiful in this release -- and they certainly aren't the only place the swatches went as there are just 99 standard cards and a second one limited to five copies with a much larger prime swatch. The follow-up release to this one had a few more, including prime cards, and he also had posthumous autographed cards (stickers) showing him in his basketball uniform in a National Treasures release. Spoiler alert: you'll see one more of these here at some point.
Grab a box right here: 2015 Panini Immaculate Collection Collegiate (when available)

Keep reading for more ...

Continue reading →

You won't see Bryce Harper explaining his autograph ... but these guys will.

Pro wrestlers are a little different and that's what can make things a lot more interesting if you're a collector -- and that's where a new release from Topps and the autographs of two recently renamed wrestlers comes into play. All it took to see this was some work (not war) on the ol' Twitter machine.

They are The Viking Raiders -- aka Erik and Ivar -- who made their cardboard debuts with these personas in boxes of the newly released 2019 Topps WWE NXT cards that arrived this week. The current WWE Raw Tag Team Champions are in this one as part of the "Called Up" portion of the base set and autographs.

Now, about that ink?

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 ...

A BIG BLASTER PULL
The Card: Shohei Ohtani 2018 Topps #700B hand on helmet SSP photo variation
The Reason Graded: Not that long ago, I pulled this card from a Series 2 blaster box and decided that it needed a slab since these SSPs appear to be relatively rare -- and I was even more surprised to see how they didn't grade all that well on the pop report. Meanwhile, mine looked very clean ... so I had to do it.
The Grade: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: Only one card graded better than mine and four others have equaled it while eight cards have checked in at a BGS 9 or lower -- that seems pretty low for a modern card, though the skinny stock here clearly could have issues after these cards hit packaging. I'll admit that this was a pull while Ronald Acuña Jr. hunting in Series 2, but this feels like a win on top of a win with it grading so well after being pulled from a discounted box. Here's hoping his third season is as strong or better than his first two, which are remarkably similar from the batting side.

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

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: Big pulls from recent releases, "What should I buy?" and a thread that's about everything but high-end cardboard.

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: Nothing but break highlights in today's edition -- a little bit of everything.

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: Gleyber Torres put on a show and breaks from WWE, MLB, NFL and college basketball to start things off today.

Continue reading →

From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and break down 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: 2019 Topps WWE Undisputed wrestling cards
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here

Packs per box: 10
Cards per pack: 5
Cards in this box: 50
Base set completion: 
31 of 90 (34 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Base cards – Finn Balor, Ruby Riott, Rey Mysterio, Tommaso Ciampa, Shawn Michaels, Kofi Kingston, Deonna Purrazzo, Shinsuka Nakamura, Asuka, Drake Maverick, Bray Wyatt, Keith Lee, Nia Jax, Adam Cole, Peyton Royce, Trish Stratus, Zelina Vega, Shayna Baszler, Drew McIntyre, Ricochet, Bayley

Continue reading →

Have you seen the latest cool or interesting items on eBay? If not, you just might see some of those here every week as we're launching a weekly version of our eBay Buzz pieces that pop up from time to time. We’ll spotlight some items that have a story or just wow us with how much interest it might have — and we’re not just talking baseball cards, either.

--

ZION HITS PACKS ... AT THE NATIONAL
The Item: Zion Williamson 2019 Panini National Rainbow Spokes parallel (/50) BGS 9.5
The Price: $1,499.99 Buy-It-Now (or best offer)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The NBA's No. 1 draft pick has officially hit packs via the promos that Panini America made for the just-ended National Sports Collectors Convention and its Panini VIP Party on Saturday night. While we haven't seen any ink in wrappers just yet, these promo packs will be the only place to find him until the first 2019-20 draft picks and NBA sets arrive later this year. This is one of a few cards that was graded at the show -- and it won't be the last Williamson cardboard to end up slabbed. There will be many to come ... it's just a matter of when and where, especially when it comes to autographs.
Similar Pieces: Zion Williamson Panini cards on eBay
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for the promo packs section 

Keep reading for four more interesting items in this week's roundup ...

Continue reading →

What: 2019 Topps WWE Undisputed wrestling cards
Arrives: May 22
Box basics: Eight autographs and two Relics in every 10-pack box (eight boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: The fifth edition of Topps' high-end WWE brand arrives with a brighter look than last year but the same hit-per-pack format showcasing WWE's stars from the past, present and future via NXT inclusions.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

Continue reading →