What's Buzzing: NFL chatter, Big Dumper homers again, new NBA topics, a Kenny Lofton story and more.

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1 -- Reactions to NFL Week 3

2 -- And many more NFL discussions are here

3 -- Big Dumper homers again -- 58 on the year

4 -- Plenty of NBA talk

5 -- A Kenny Lofton story

6 -- Phillies Karen: The new offer stands

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Have you spotted a hot thread? Tell us about it in a comment or on Twitter.

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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? Dominating Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky.

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What's Buzzing: Talking Topps Chrome boxing, showing off autographed Funko Pop! figures, comic book icons on U.S. coins, preseason NFL and more in this Sunday edition.

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1 -- Showing off autographed Funko Pop! figures

2 -- Talking Topps Chrome boxing

3 -- Comic book icons meet U.S. coins

4 -- All your preseason NFL chatter is here

5 -- eTopps' finale is not going well

6 -- Checking in on the Roman Anthony thread

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Have you spotted a hot thread? Tell us about it in a comment or on Twitter.

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What: 2025 Pulse Retail Baseball Series 2 autograph cards
Arrives: Oct. 23
Box basics: One encased autograph card per pack (36 packs per case)
Checklist: See a partial player list in gallery
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Pulse revisits some recent releases with some of those cards also found here -- an autograph every time -- and with some notables in today's game among the possibilities.

Keep reading for more info and a gallery of images.

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What: 2025 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Autographed Platinum Edition Mini Helmets
Arrives: Oct. 10
Box basics: One autographed mini helmet per box (eight boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: A new batch of Hidden Treasures autographed minis arrives from TRISTAR this year with every box including either a Hall of Famer or an active player.

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What: 2024 Wild Card Five Card Draw Stacked Deck baseball cards
Arrives: Sept. 5, 2025
Box basics: Five encased autographed cards (/5 max) per box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Wild Card literally stacks the deck with this one including more than one 1/1 in every box on average atop the numbered pack format that this brand has used in the recent past -- that's 60 autographed cards per case with everything capped at no more than five copies per card.

Keep reading for more info and a gallery of images.

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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? A member of The Sandlot cast, Patrick Renna.

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Mystery Box Buzz Break is a new series here on The Buzz -- it's essentially a Buzz Break but only for "mystery boxes" that seem to be everywhere these days -- and not just in the sports realm. Like this and want to see more? Is there a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The mystery box: Big Event NY wrestling JSA mystery box
Where to buy: Via eBay (find new WWE cards at BlowoutCards.com)

Keep reading for a full breakdown and a gallery of what was in this box. (Yes, it was a box and not a bag ... but that's their image.)

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What: 2025 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Autographed Footballs Season Edition
Arrives: Sept. 24
Box basics: One autographed football per box (four boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: TRISTAR's Hidden Treasures line of autographed footballs hits the field during the season once again with its familiar format and mix of pro and college balls in play.

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What: 2025 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Platinum Achievements Edition autographed baseballs
Arrives: Sept. 26
Box basics: One autographed baseball per box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: TRISTAR's autographed baseball chase brand hits the field with a focus and one of the strongest Grand Treasure packages possible its ever offered for players of the modern era.

The biggest chase of them all this year? Keep reading for that and a gallery of what's in this one.

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What: 2025 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Grand Slam baseball memorabilia
Arrives: Oct. 1
Box basics: One autographed baseball jersey, one autographed baseball, one autographed bat and one encapsulated autographed item per case
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: TRISTAR's autographed baseball chase lineup goes high-end with this one that guarantees a variety of items and plenty of possibilities from the past and present.

What's the biggest of them all this year? Keep reading for details on those and a gallery of what's in this one.

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Via @tristar1 ... Bo Jackson

This year's National Sports Collectors Convention is nearly here -- it's set for July 30-Aug. 3 in Chicago with a strong roster of autograph guests ready to sign for collectors who get a ticket and get in line for their moment beyond the ballpark.

Some signers are free if you attend the VIP reception on opening day of the show or buy a VIP ticket package -- a bonus for taking the time to hit every day of the show -- but landing other signers will take some planning and a few bucks.

It's tough to see everything at The National -- it's that big -- and the time it takes to work through autograph lines is valuable in that it impedes your shot at seeing it all. But, if you have wanted to meet a player and get that ink, a number of past and present stars are on the list this year. With that said, here are my picks -- skewing toward the best names for the lowest prices possible -- to grab off the autograph list during the full days of the show this year. (Keep reading for the full signers list at the end ... and, remember, times are always subject to change.)

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Auction Buzz is a monthly look at some of the variety found out there on the auction block ... check 'em out.

It's going to be a busy second half of the year for Dallas-based Heritage Auctions with a number of regularly scheduled events as well as some showcase auctions with high-profile stuff all on the calendar. This time, we look at a few things from a few active sales this month.

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DARK KNIGHT IN DEMAND
The Item: Batman tin robot with original English box (Nomura Toys, 1966)
The Price: $5,250 after 29 bids (ends July 11)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This vintage Japanese toy is a foot-tall prime piece of pop culture with an obvious 1960s feel yet with some aspirations of something more for the future -- it's a battery operated tin toy and it's complete with its Adam West-styled box and fabric cape. This one is "an iconic fusion of superhero flair and vintage tin toy charm" per Heritage and it's one of two known styles -- this one has the serious face and one with the switch button in red. Heritage calls this "a standout from the golden age of Batman collectibles, blending Japanese craftsmanship with Gotham nostalgia."

Keep reading for more interesting pieces up for grabs right now.

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Minor league baseball cards from the past can include some weird stuff ... sometimes stuff you wouldn't imagine to be found on a baseball card. Here are some some new fun cards and oddities in this latest edition of MiLB Madness. 

ONE MORE DURHAM NOD ...
The Card: Steve Dalkowski 2009 TRISTAR Obak T212 Minis Green (/25)
The Buzz On This: This set isn't one limited to MiLB players per se -- it's more about the history and oddities around baseball at every level in every direction -- and it's not one issued in team sets, either. But, this card popped up in my digging for unique and different stuff with a story and, well, this one has it. Dalkowski is a legendary minor-leaguer whose powerful arm -- and unruly control -- inspired Bull Durham creator Ron Shelton to create Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh. How unruly was he? As an 18-year-old in Class D- Kingsport in 1957 he struck out 121 batters in 62 innings. He also walked 129 while recording a 1-8 record in 15 games. That's 17.6 Ks per nine innings and 18.7 walks per nine. The next season, he went 4-10 with a 7.63 ERA, striking out 203 batters in 118 innings and walking 245. The final stats, though not complete due to it being MiLB and being way back in the day, are impressive. You can find his only MLB card in 1963 Topps among the higher-numbers (despite never actually pitching in MLB) and basically his cards in this release are the only other option. He was slated to sign certified autos for it, too, but they were never completed. This one will always be an add for me if I see them.

Keep reading for more examples of some weird or fun baseball cards (and other stuff) you can find in MiLB.

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What's Buzzing: Chrome, Dave Parker, NFL collusion, new wrestling cards, The National and signed books are today's topics.

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1 -- Talking 2025 Topps Chrome

2 -- An NFL issue?

3 -- Collectors remember Dave Parker

4 -- Wrestling cards are on their minds

5 -- Checking in on the signed books section

6 -- The National section is open as the show nears

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Have you spotted a hot thread? Tell us about it in a comment or on Twitter.

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What: 2025 Leaf Metal baseball cards
Arrives: July 25
Box basics: Five autos per seven-card hobby box (12 per case) or 10 autos (one being a slabbed 1/1 proof) per 14-card jumbo box (eight per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Metal is back for another go once again with its two box formats -- and still having exclusives and encased proofs among possible finds.

Keep reading for more.

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What: 2025 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Autographed Full-size Helmets 2
Arrives: Aug. 20
Box basics: One autographed full-size authentic helmet per box (three boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: This staple in TRISTAR's Hidden Treasures autographed memorabilia lineup arrives for a second time this year with a new batch of full-size signed authentic-model helmets that are inked by some of the game's greatest players of today as well as top newcomers.

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What: 2025 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Autographed Football Photos
Arrives: Aug. 27
Box basics: One autographed football photo per pack (15 packs per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: TRISTAR's Hidden Treasures line arrives for another year of signed football photos with some big-chase items, bonus upgrades and more awaiting collectors.

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What's Buzzing: The best MLB players of the last 25 years, Shohei Ohtani, Ronald Acuña Jr., 2025 Bowman pulls and ... is Drake Baldwin a sleeper rookie on cardboard?

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1 -- Pondering the best MLB players of the last 25 years

2 -- Is Drake Baldwin a sleeper rookie on cardboard?

3 -- Talking Shohei Ohtani

4 -- All your Ronald Acuña Jr. chatter 

5 -- A documentary and a project

6 -- New MLB pulls include 2025 Bowman and more

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What: 2025 Pulse Stratos Football Heat Seeker Edition football cards
Arrives: July
Box basics: One encased autograph per one-card box (24 boxes per case)
Checklist: See early players list in gallery
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: A faster chase -- one auto per box and that's it -- edition of Stratos drops this summer with newly drafted NFL stars as well as legends from the past all among the possible finds.

Keep reading for more info and a gallery of images.

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What: 2025 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Dugout Dreams autographed baseballs
Arrives: June 27
Box basics: One autographed baseball per box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: This newer brand in TRISTAR's autographed baseball chase lineup is back for another summer with a (green) monster of a Grand Treasure package to be found and then plenty of past and present superstars in these mystery boxes.

What's the biggest of them all this year? Keep reading for details on those and a gallery of what's in this one.

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What's Buzzing: LeBron James got McDonald's, Drake Maye's future, Bobby Witt Jr. and more in this Thursday edition.

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1 -- Check out this notable McDonald's 1/1 pull ... 

2 -- Future forecast for Drake Maye?

3 -- Off-season NFL chatter is here

4 -- Still legit

5 -- Thoughts on 2025 Topps Tribute

6 -- A long story from a galaxy not so far, far away ... 

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What: 2025 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Autographed Basketball Jerseys
Arrives: June 13
Box basics: One autographed basketball jersey per box (five boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: TRISTAR's Hidden Treasures line hits the court for a new year with some of the biggest stars in the history of the game involved as either standard jerseys or as the big chase.

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What's Buzzing: Minecraft cards, best pens for autographs on glossy cards, Ichiro Suzuki, sketch cards, WWE and more.

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1 -- New pulls are here

2 -- Talking WWE as Wrestlemania nears

3 -- Talking Minecraft cards ... get yours here

4 -- Sketch cards

5 -- Ichiro Suzuki card chatter

6 -- Talking autograph pens for glossy cards

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Have you spotted a hot thread? Tell us about it in a comment or on Twitter.

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What: 2025 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures End Zone Autographed Football Memorabilia
Arrives: June 4
Box basics: Four autographed football items per case
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: TRISTAR once again offers up a big box of memorabilia for football fans with nothing but signed stuff inside every box of this one -- and the biggest chase this time showcases items from the newest Super Bowl champions.

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