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: Astros are World Series bound, pondering the NBA at 100, a big 1/1 Aoki Chrome soccer pull, inside a Star Trek case and more.

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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: Boston Red Sox Mystery Publications Grab Bag
Where to buy: Via Red Sox on MLB.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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We all know the power of Rookie Cards ... but what's a rookie cover card worth?

We're about to find out as Topps launched its 2021 Topps x Sports Illustrated card set today, which will arrive two cards per week for 35 weeks revisiting past covers from the magazine that launched back in 1954 with Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews on the cover ... and with sheets of paper Topps baseball cards inside the first issue, by the way.

The first card in the printed-on-demand series is Mike Trout and his first cover appearance from Aug. 27, 2012.

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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 ...

WORKS FOR ME
The Card: Dan Marino 1984 Topps #123 -- Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: I never really aspired to own a Dan Marino RC -- or a number of other notables from the past -- but this one presented itself on the cheaper side of things for this card (about $135) and considering how this one looks I grabbed it. Why? Go window-shopping for these cards raw -- it can be depressing to see how sloppy the printing and cutting can be for this set. (Want more proof of extreme possibilites? Click here.)
The Grade: BGS 9

Reality Check: I knew this was a strong grade for this card but I didn't look at the pop report for this heavily graded and iconic Hall of Famer RC. Just 415 check in at a higher mark out of nearly 9,000 graded -- less than 5 percent of the total grade higher -- and this one accounts for just seven percent of the total population for this card. My card isn't perfect -- there's a minor couple of spots in the black border line above "Dan" and some very, very minor specs here and there on the edges but at a glance there are not massive differences here vs. higher grades ... other than the fact that a BGS 10 copy of this card has sold on eBay for more than $4,500. I'll take mine all day long -- and getting a nine here is tough as it is.

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: Chewing on the new Hall of Fame ballot, Theo Epstein, big pulls, inside a UFC case and more in today's edition.

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What: 2021 Topps Tribute baseball cards
Arrives: April 7
Box basics: Three autographs and three Relics per six-pack box (six boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Tribute arrives with a new inclusion that could be a monster -- a Green Monster that is -- as Green Monster Wall Graphs arrive for the first time among the hits in this one.

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

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MLB has lost a legend ... a Terrific one.

Hall of Famer Tom Seaver, who won 300 games in his 20-year career and a World Series ring in just his third summer as a big-leaguer, died on Monday at his home in California. He was 75.

“We are heartbroken to share that our beloved husband and father has passed away,” said his wife, Nancy Seaver, and daughters Sarah and Anne in an announcement released by the Hall of Fame. “We send our love out to his fans, as we mourn his loss with you.”

The former Mets, Reds, White Sox and Red Sox ace known as "Tom Terrific" was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia last year. According to the Hall, his death was in part also due to COVID-19.

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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: 2019 Leaf Metal Babe Ruth Special Edition Box
Where to buy: Will take some looking -- click here for other Leaf Babe Ruth cards

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

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They're not easy pulls, but they're cards in 2020 Topps Opening Day that are unique and figure to be ones that could hold interest over time as they might not be ever made again.

Arriving today in packs of that low-end but loaded-with-the-unusual brand are 11 Ballpark Profile autograph cards that showcase people who are probably known well by their hometown fans but might be relative unknowns to others.

In most -- but not all -- cases, these are cardboard debuts for those in the set and they are certainly all first-time certified autographs.

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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 ...

The Card: Dak Prescott 2016 Donruss #362 Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: It takes a pretty good deal for one of my buys to lead off here instead of one of my newly submitted grades, but this one was just that. This is one of those cards that is relatively available if you want to chase one down and slab it for some fun or profit. My cost? About $22, which might seem high generally speaking but isn't for its grade -- this was about half the price of the other cards in the same grade where I was looking at the time. They are even higher now.
The Grade: BGS 10

Reality Check: This one is just a half-grade away from a perfect BGS Black slab and the percentage of cards to get this mark is pretty low vs. the overall total. That's what surprised me here more and prompted the pick-up. It's a relatively heavily graded card, too, which you'd think would have resulted in more 10s. (Paper stock can be more pesky than Optic stuff when it comes to grading, though.)

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

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Here's a look at the top five players on this week's Baseball America Top MLB Prospects Hot Sheet and their seasons so far. It's a little something to help those who might want to dabble with prospecting -- some basics on their baseball cards alongside a highlight line from those more scouting-minded. We may not do this every week, but we'll check in on BA's top crop from time to time for the remainder of the season.

1. Joey Bart, C, Giants — Double-A Richmond Flying Squirrels
Baseball America’s highlight line: “The Giants’ top prospect put an exclamation point on his season with an extremely strong finish to his brief tenure at Double-A Richmond. He produced an .868 OPS in August, which included four of his 16 homers in his first full season as a pro. He might not have any 80-grade tools on his card, but Bart has a plethora of pluses that should lead him to become the Giants’ long-term answer at catcher."

CARDBOARD BASICS
Approximate card total (so far): 450
First Chrome auto: 2019 Bowman
One auto to consider: 2018 Elite Extra Edition
Buzz’s card take: He's a top name, so you should know him and he's got more than 200 autographs to choose from, too. There's some promise to those words from BA -- sounds like they are sold -- but the second pick in last year's draft has decent numbers to justify it. He's hit .284 with 29 homers and 88 RBI in 130 MiLB games the last two years. Good for a catcher but perhaps not for a big-money guy on cardboard. Replacing Buster Posey would come with expectations if he makes it, so I'd be prudent with my looking in terms of prices paid.

Keep reading for the rest of the top five ...

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What: 2019 Leaf Metal Babe Ruth Edition
Arrives: September
Box basics: One Babe Ruth original Yankee Stadium seat card and one other Ruth hit per six-card box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Leaf takes a premium look back at "The Bambino" with bat cards, a bat knobs, a bat barrel and a cut autograph among the potential pulls.

Keep reading for more.

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This year's National Sports Collectors Convention is nearly here -- it's set for July 31-Aug. 4 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 other signers will take some planning to land the ones you want.

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. With that said, here are my picks -- one per day plus a bonus pick this year -- to grab off the autograph list. (Keep reading for the full signers list in a gallery ... and, remember, times are always subject to change.)

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There were almost as many runs scored in Saturday's London Series game as there are Topps Now baseball cards today.

They're not all from the game that the New York Yankees won 17-13 over the Boston Red Sox but a number of them are, including Relics from two English icons who got VIP access at the game and gifts from both teams, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. 

It's not the first time that public figures have been in the mix -- a Chicago Cubs White House visit in 2016 comes to mind -- but it just might be the first where a Relic is involved. A 29-card day also just might be a record for the real-time cardboard program.

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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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SELL NOW OR BUY FOR LATER?
The Item: Mike Trout 2019 Topps Now Future World Series (/10 Chrome set prize)
The Price: $84.95 Buy-It-Now (or best offer)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: It's a long baseball season so the recently released Topps Now Future packs (three cards) and single cards have some time to rise and fall based on pennant potential. This card is of a top name in the game and if his Los Angeles Angels somehow win the World Series it's good for a team set of Chrome parallels limited to only 10 copies. Logically, with three players per team on the standard checklist, that would mean that about three of these exist, right? Or, maybe all 10 of the eligible cards for that prize are of Trout? Either way, the rarer prize cards in this release should be rarer, too. The  three-card packs are limited in nature (just under 11,000 total) and every card inside can yield something -- team sets or team sets with an autograph. Sales of singles for some of these have been strong -- they are all worth a look. However, part of me thinks action for playoff contenders could really pick up late in the season. Do you buy or sell now? Or buy and sell later?
Similar Pieces: 2019 Topps Now Future cards on eBay
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for 2019 Topps Now Future packs

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

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Here's a look at the top five players on this week's Baseball America Top MLB Prospects Hot Sheet and their seasons so far. It's a little something to help those who might want to dabble with prospecting -- some basics on their baseball cards alongside a highlight line from those more scouting-minded. We may not do this every week, but we'll check in on BA's top crop from time to time for the remainder of the season.

1. Logan Gilbert, RHP, Seattle Mariners — High-A Modesto Nuts
Baseball America’s highlight line: “His professional debut this year was worth the wait. Gilbert overwhelmed low Class A hitters in four starts to begin the year and has been similarly dominant since his promotion to high Class A. His delivered 12 scoreless innings over two starts this week, capped by Sunday’s seven-inning, two-hit, 11-strikeout performance at Rancho Cucamonga. Overall Gilbert is 3-0, 1.75 with 53 strikeouts and nine walks in 36 innings, with opponents batting just .157 against him."
CARDBOARD BASICS
Approximate card total (so far): 200
First Chrome auto: 2018 Bowman Draft 
One auto to consider: 2018 Panini Contenders Draft Picks
Buzz’s card take: He seems to be an affordable Chromw auto -- for now -- so that's a good sign. What's also a good sign is that more than half of his cards are of the certified auto variety. He doesn't have a ton of cardboard for a guy who was the 14th pick in last year's MLB Draft. These all feel like winning variables right now given those stats. You can land him in his college colors with an on-card auto on the cheap in Contenders.

Keep reading for the rest of the top five ...

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As said last month, not all game-used baseballs are the same, despite the fact that they're all a pair of leather panels with 108 stitches holding it all together.

And this one is not like last month's ball at all.

This one arrived via a Boston Red Sox mystery box over on MLBShop.com with the only guarantees that this one would be MLB Authenticated and could be from any time between 2013 and 2017 -- that first season being one where the Sox won the World Series.

You can keep reading to see the details ...

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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 ...

The Card: 2014 Topps Chrome Update #MB46 Mookie Betts RC
The Reason Graded: I didn't buy a ton of Mega Boxes when these arrived five years ago, but I did land this card, which is a Rookie Debut version for then Red Sox rookie and now-reigning American League MVP Mookie Betts. This card is an ironic classic in that he's captured taking the field at Yankee Stadium. That aspect of the photo isn't as easily seen in Chrome form, but I opted to get this pricier version of the card graded. I'll probably grade some more of my others in the future. For now, though, this one leads the way.
The Grade: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: I wasn't that confident in this one as I just have bad luck at times with Chrome cards, but this one turns out to be one of the highest-graded copies. I'll take it, especially considering what I've got up next.

Keep reading for the rest of this month's new grades and additions.

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Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today's your day then as we launch 8 in 8 -- a series of a eight breaks of wax boxes and wax packs in as many hours today. We'll post one every hour ... this is Hour 1.

The box: 2019 Topps Series 1 baseball cards (hobby box)
The cost: Click here (several formats)

What's inside this one? Keep reading ...

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Have you seen the latest cool cards from a new release? With so many options for collectors of all kinds arriving every week it's possible you haven't. That's where Buzz comes in -- well at least on one brand you'll see here from time to time in what we're calling Buzz's Pick Six. Simply put, here are six cards from a new arrival that seemed interesting to this collector and we think they might interest you, too.

This week's release: 2019 Topps Heritage baseball cards (arrives Wednesday)

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BATTING LEADOFF ... 
The Card: Boston Red Sox World Series Champions 2019 Topps Heritage Card No. 1
The Price: Affordable once they arrive
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Just like the original set this one is built on, 1970 Topps, this one leads off with the defending champs in a modern celebration photo that's miles beyond the stiff team shot of the 1969 New York Mets that led things off back in the day. This card gets my nod because you'll see dozens of new Sox cards throughout this release with base cards, All-Stars, postseason highlights, World Series highlights and plenty more once these arrive. You'll see more Soxy cardboard at the end of this pre-release Pick Six, too.

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

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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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HOW YOU LIKE ME NOW?
The Item: Tom Brady 2000 Bowman Chrome Refractor (RC parallel) BGS 9.5
The Price: $19,499 Buy-It-Now
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Think this price is crazy? It is, but it isn't -- check out that link below. You should know by now that Brady has won yet another Super Bowl ring after Sunday's snoozefest in Atlanta and you need to know that his Rookie Cards are easily some of the priciest football cards out there in top condition and in slabs. This one isn't the flashiest of them -- other big ones have autographs and command much more cash -- but this is one (non-Refractor) that I managed to pull from a pack back in the day so it gets my pick here. The pop report for this particular version shows 28 others in this grade and just one getting a 10. Just 207 Refractors have been slabbed by BGS while mine is pushing 3,000 with 103 BGS 10s and two getting a BGS Black perfect 10. Some of Brady's RCs have been faked, so slabbed is the way to go unless you want to pay big bucks to chase wax (not easy to find anyway). He's expensive but there's no doubt that he's atop the mountain right now. Is he a safe buy? Traditional thought might say that he's too pricey to get in on right now, but when Brady is the top guy in NFL history there should continue to be more attention and speculation money pumped into his cards from beyond the typical collecting base.
Similar Pieces: Other 2000 Tom Brady Rookie Cards on eBay
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for NFL boxes

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

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There are eight guys with realistic chances at being voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame tonight (announcement is set for 6 p.m. EST on MLB Network) and there's one good thing to be had here for potential new baseball card collectors or veterans still needing them.

Most of them have Rookie Cards can be easily landed thanks to the timeframe when they were made -- and they have plenty of cards to chase in boxes made since.

The first lock of the bunch is former New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, MLB's career saves leader (652), who is a contender for the highest Hall of Fame voting percentage ever. That mark is 99.6 percent of ballots and is held by Ken Griffey Jr. back in 2016. Unlike Griffey -- and others you'll see here -- Rivera has just one Rookie Card. It can be found in 1992 Bowman, a set that added gloss and white stock into the brand's repertoire along with a deeper checklist (and guys in street clothes). Rivera has more than 5,500 different cards but only one gets the RC label -- that's a rarity in this day and age that helps bolster its value. (If you want one, buy it graded. They have been counterfeited.) >> Check out his autographed cards (and more) on eBay

Who else is out there and potentially headed to Cooperstown?

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Have you seen the latest cool cards from a new release? With so many options for collectors of all kinds arriving every week it's possible you haven't. That's where Buzz comes in -- well at least on one brand you'll see here from time to time in what we're calling Buzz's Pick Six. Simply put, here are six cards from a new arrival that seemed interesting to this collector and we think they might interest you, too.

This week's release: 2019 Topps Series 1 (arrives Jan. 30)

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THE CHAMPS ARE HERE
The Card: David Price World Series Champion Autographed Relics (/50 max)
The Price: N/A as these are not available yet
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This guy's dominating postseason led the Red Sox to another World Series title and that means we get a few highlight cards in the base set and some rarer hits among the chase cards for this latest crown. Our sneak peek at this set arrives just after the checklist, which shows a handful of base cards for the Series, 14 World Series Champion Relics (/99 max), 12 World Series Champion Autographs (/50 max) and seven guys in the World Series Champion Autographed Relics set. These are typically not the easiest pulls as they are limited and the run for this one is larger than others due to popularity. Price is perhaps the biggest auto in this one with Brock Holt, Chris Sale, Christian Vazquez, Eduardo Rodriguez, Matt Barnes and Rick Porcello joining him. There will be Red parallels for all of these sets, too.

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

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The Boston Red Sox are your World Series champions -- and the second wave baseball cards to prove it is here less than 24 hours after the first

Both are thanks to Topps Now, the real-time card platform of Topps, which offered the first three sets of commemorative cards early this morning as the Sox took down the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5.

Autographs from Game 5 starter David Price and closer Chris Sale lead things off -- together -- along with another appearance from MVP Steve Pearce and then game-used base Relics.

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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 Today: World Series chatter and Clayton Kershaw fallout, MLB breaks, NFL breaks, the "best case of my life" from the NBA and more.

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