For years now, autographed books coming direct from the publishers -- or direct from the authors themselves -- have been an affordable way to collect ink from notable names in all realms of pop culture.

It's not a perfect system with stamped autos, fakes and autopens sometimes in the mix -- a problem for publishers to catch as they are not authenticators -- but thanks to dedicated collectors on the Blowout Cards Forum and elsewhere, those problems often get caught and fixed ... or at least become well-known enough to avoid if it's an issue that goes uncorrected.

Getting ink in-person is always best -- book tours still happen, of course -- but landing autographed editions from publishers, online sellers or celebs themselves via their websites or other appearances are common.

Our latest subject and autograph in this ongoing series? Comedian and actor George Lopez.

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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 ... a pretty deep mix with some pricey pieces (at least for Buzz) this time.

BIG BOOK LEADS OFF
The Book: The Amazing Spider-Man #361 -- first full appearance of Carnage
The Reason Graded: One of my goals this year -- something already under way -- is to grade a number of the notable comic books I have had stashed from back in the day (the early/mid 1990s) when I dabbled somewhat regularly with comics. Back then they were re-emerging in pop culture with a revolution of big-name artists taking on iconic characters and then branching out to make their own brands -- and they were also a lot cheaper to collect with cover prices like you see here. Also born in those years of polybags, gimmicked covers and many publishers? Big-name characters like the one making his full debut here, Carnage, who is one of Spider-Man's big villains like Venom and others before them. I picked up a couple copies of this one back then since I liked the cover art and it was a start of a run for the new character. Over time, he has become a favorite and that has made this a pricey book.
The Grade: CGC 9.6 (Universal)

Reality Check: My main reason for grading a lot of my books from this time is that many of them are rarer newsstand copies (UPC bar code) which are harder to find in top condition and can carry a premium vs. direct copies. I wasn't (and still am not) a big comic reader so my copies are as razor fresh as they were then. I liked the art and I was very picky about what I would and wouldn't buy when it came to condition. I didn't check the pop report here when subbing -- and I have sent a second one into be slabbed since getting this one back -- and it's (shocker!) a heavily graded book. A 9.8 isn't easy here and a newsstand copy recently sold on eBay for almost $1,700. This grade? Well, it's a $600 sale among completeds but asking prices for UPC copies are as high as $1,450 with several above $900. Over the long-term, I think newsstand copies are going to remain rare in top grade, though for some reason CGC doesn't break them out on its pop report. (I wish they did ... it would have to be a shocking divide.)

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

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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: Big pulls, breaking down cases and an eternal base card question in this holiday edition.

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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: 2020 Leaf Metal Pop Century 1/1 Pre-Production Proofs
Where to buy: Click here

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery of what was in this one.

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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: Nothing but pulls and break highlights in today's variety-packed edition.

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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: 2020 Leaf Metal Pop Century trading cards
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here
Where to buy: Click here

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery of what was in this one.

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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.

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PREMIUM PREMIERE
The Item: Cody Bellinger 2017 Topps Transcendent Collection Silver variant autograph (/15)
The Price: $397.79 Buy-It-Now (or best offer)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: With the World Series starting tonight and this guy the one who made sure the Dodgers got there, I figured it would be fitting that this one leads off. It's a bit of a homer pick for me (I have a regular version of this card) but the prices on his stuff now are a fraction of what they used to be a couple of years ago. Why does this one matter in my mind? It's his best rookie ink in terms of a premium brand and it's possible that a number of them may not be in circulation compared to what that serial-numbering says as these were issued as redemption. The sticker covering a top-loader should make the redemption part obvious but that was the best pic here. (I didn't remove mine from the top-loader, either.) There might be a couple of concern spots here on the frame but that could also be on the holder in the scan, but I'd not be super-worried about that due to the scarcity and if you're not grading. I'm not sure who might command the most gains on the team if the Dodgers win it all, but in general you can't lose on premium stuff from early years if you get in on the lower side. This one, while somewhat pricey, feels like a bargain compared to other stuff out there -- see the link below. A card like this can reasonably sell for more later compared to those prices.
Similar Pieces: Cody Bellinger autos on eBay
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for Transcendent boxes (all years and sports)

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

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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: Cody Bellinger shoulders the load as the Los Angeles Dodgers head to the World Series ... and even more in this midnight-drop edition.

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What: 2020 Leaf Metal Pop Century trading cards
Arrives: August
Box basics: Four autograph or memorabilia cards per box (12 boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Leaf's annual celebrity release is back for another Metal go with notable names from Hollywood and standouts from other areas of pop culture, too, all in one spot.

Keep reading for more info and a full gallery of images.

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