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 ...

No. 1 GOES FIRST HERE, TOO ...
The Card: Bryce Young 2021 Onyx Vintage College Football Autographs
The Reason Graded: I collect Alabama guys but on the cheap so when a top talent arrives on NFL cardboard odds are I already found them ... if they had stuff. Generally, I try to have auto of all new big names and in the most-recent years thanks to NIL deals where active players can sign autograph deals that's been easier to do -- for both big names and guys who won't be top picks. In the case of this new Carolina Panthers QB, I pulled this one -- something I also did with Tua Tagovailoa -- so I don't have to chase new stuff after he was taken No. 1 in this year's NFL Draft. (But I will if I somehow find bargains.) This one is nice as it's on-card, has a clean retro design (I like that) and has a design/photo that doesn't showcase the fact that there are a couple small missing logos here that would come with full licensing. Atop that, his autograph on this card -- and the card itself -- is super clean and many of his autos are absolutely not clean in recent years. (In fact, I'd say that his auto is bad way more often than it's good ... and it's not that good visually to start with.) When I saw this one, I knew I needed to slab it for those reasons.
The Grade: CSG 9.5

Reality Check: I was a little worried about the surface here as the retro stock is definitely no-frills -- it doesn't even have a light gloss -- but it checked in with a grade I don't mind. I was happy with this and you'll probably see more of Young here in this series -- or at least Buzz Buys -- more once new NFL stuff starts popping up and the college colors fade away for some. Those colors won't fade away for me -- I like them a lot more than anything Carolina -- and he's always going to be the first Heisman-winning Alabama QB.

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

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What: 2023 Panini Select Draft Picks football cards
Arrives: June 30
Box basics: Three autographs per three-pack box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Select goes back to school once again with an autograph in every 15-card pack and with stars of the past and present all found in their school colors.

Keep reading for more info and a full gallery.

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What: 2023 Wild Card Draft Alumination football cards
Arrives: May 26
Box basics: Six encased autos per six-pack box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Wild Card revamps this line into an autograph-only release where the packs inside the box indicate scarcity and only an elite group of players appears on rarer insert autographs worked into the mix.

Keep reading for more info and a gallery of images.

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What: 2023 Leaf Signature Series football cards
Arrives: June 30
Box basics:  One 1/1 autograph per box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Leaf Signature Series returns to the gridiron once again with just one 1/1 autographed card per pack and a mix that includes past, present and potential future stars all together in the same spot.

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

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What: 2023 Panini Chronicles Draft Picks football cards
Arrives: May 26
Box basics:  Three autographs and one memorabilia card per six-pack box (16 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Panini's all-in-one brand focuses on the college game for a fourth time with the same volume of hits and a ton of variety in every box.

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

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What: 2023 Leaf Exotic Football cards
Arrives: July 28
Box basics: Three autographed and encased cards per box (20 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Leaf's second run through the jungle with a football once again includes nothing but autographs on promising young stars with every card on the rarer side of things.

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

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What: 2023 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Autographed Mini Helmets Platinum Edition
Arrives: June 7
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 soon from TRISTAR with every box including either a Hall of Famer or an active player -- and this time there are also more guarantees in every case.

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What: 2022 Bowman University Best football cards
Arrives: April 26
Box basics: Two autographs in every 12-pack hobby box (via two mini boxes) (eight boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Topps' second release for the NCAA prospect ranks in pack form and with school colors and logos arrives with this -- a release that uses the Finest mini-box format with an autograph in there every time.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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What: 2023 Leaf Metal Draft football cards
Arrives: June
Box basics: Five autos per hobby box (15 boxes per case) or nine autos and one slabbed 1/1 auto proof per jumbo box (eight per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Leaf Metal Draft is back for another season on the gridiron with two box options once again but with a print run reduced by more than 50 percent and with a legendary player's autograph to chase beyond the newcomers and future stars.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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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: NIL cardboard vs. Rookie Card, MLB chatter, WWE 1/1 cards, GOAT Rookie Cards and more.

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What: 2023 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Game Day Greats Football Jerseys
Arrives: May 10
Box basics: One autographed football jersey per box (five boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: TRISTAR's Hidden Treasures brand arrives for a new year of football with its familiar format with some all-time greats as well as some new stars included.

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What: 2023 SAGE Football High Series football cards
Arrives: April 28
Box basics: 16 autographs per 16-pack hobby box (16 boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: SAGE's second wave of NFL Draft hopefuls on cardboard for 2023 arrives with an autograph in every pack and a lineup that includes some established stars, current NIL guys and more while keeping with some of the formula of recent years.

Keep reading for more info.

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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 ...

BAD IN BLACK!
The Card: Julio Rodriguez 2022 Topps Allen & Ginter X
The Reason Graded: I ripped a pair of these boxes and haven't even sniffed at the regular stuff -- a first for me in its run since 2006 when I used to clear everything I saw on every shelf -- but instead I opted to grade a couple of key pulls from this and other postseason releases with notable newcomers in play. Why this one? It just looked perfect even vs. others I pulled -- and since I only pulled one and have really no plans at this moment to even dabble with regular Ginter I put it into my bulk sub.
The Grade: CSG 10

Reality Check: CSG may have a flub in its system as this didn't even show in the pop report (perhaps it was tagged as a regular card) but I'll present it here* with what I know ... and that's that I know at least this one exists. He's the face of 2023 Topps, so he's on the minds of a few fans right now -- and that's why he's batting lead-off despite this pop report anomaly.

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

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What: 2023 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Autographed Full-size Helmets
Arrives: March 10
Box basics: One autographed full-size replica helmet per box (three boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: TRISTAR's Hidden Treasures brand of full-size helmets arrives for the first time this year with a new batch of full-size signed helmets that are inked by some of the game's greatest players of today as well as top newcomers.

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What: 2023 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Autographed Mini Helmets
Arrives: March 10
Box basics: One autographed mini helmet per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: TRISTAR's Hidden Treasures line drops for a new year with a new assortment of NFL and college helmets in the mix and some of the biggest names in the history of the game among them.

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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: Topps is back in fully licensed football cards, Scott Rolen is a Hall of Famer, Brock Purdy and plenty more in today's edition.

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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 finds and some from throughout last year.

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LEADING OFF WITH A BARGAIN ... 
The Item: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. autographed 2019 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby 8-by-1o photo (Topps Authentics)
The Price: Around $80 (regularly $130)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This autograph is one I've never bothered with on cardboard mostly for how it typically looks (it's not the greatest sig) but also because the stock-pilers have stayed busy grabbing them up as he's one of MLB's better young hitters today and he's not cheap. I landed this with a sale combined with some discount certificates on one of the sites that Fanatics populates and went here since that price was strong and the image isn't bad -- it's from his dominating Derby showing where he didn't win but wowed many. This was cheaper than most if not all autos from where I typically buy most often ... and those were sticker autos. I'll probably go this route for ink of notables (or singles in some instances) vs. ripping to chase 'em with pack prices these days. Pro tip: Just because a box is old doesn't mean the autographs just vanish ... hunt him from 2016 prospect stuff forward and Rookie Cards/ink in 2019 forward.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one but MLB cards are here.

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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What: 2022 Leaf Valiant football cards
Arrives: February 2023
Box basics: Nine autos and one slabbed 1/1 proof auto card per box (eight boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Leaf Valiant arrives with nothing but autographs of potential NFL draft picks, young stars already in the NFL and others all in one spot in a colorful release with plenty to chase -- and these boxes are more than twice as large as last year.

Keep reading for more and a montage of teaser images.

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What: 2022 Leaf Exotic Football cards
Arrives: Feb. 24
Box basics: Three autographed cards per box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Leaf goes wild with an ink-only product limited to only 537 cases for its football debut and every card is limited to no more than 10 copies.

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

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What: 2022 Leaf Trinity football cards
Arrives: Feb. 24, 2023
Box basics: Five autographed cards per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Trinity is back on the field with a mix of past NFL greats, current young NFL players and recent draft picks as well as future pros, too, in a release that's nothing but hits.

Keep reading for more info and a full gallery.

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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 fourth 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.

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NOW'S THE TIME ...
2022 Panini Prizm WWE wrestling cards hobby boxes
This one is an important release for wrestling card collectors since it was the first Panini America WWE set and it's one that is absolutely loaded with actual Rookie Cards for a bunch of new NXT 2.0 and NXT UK stars who didn't have any previous cardboard at all as well as most of the biggest names of the past and present -- all in one spot, all on one checklist and all with rainbows of parallels. Throw in autographs and a boatload of color and inserts and there's big potential here. The Prizm investor crowd here certainly pumped these up big-time as there is big potential here the rarest stuff ... but the box prices have dropped heavily since release. Why? There's supply for everything available here -- for now -- and that volume of singles, parallels (a deep rainbow on every card and plenty of retail and hobby boxes, too) couldn't keep up with the volume of buyers if you take away the flippers. It remains the same solid release that it was when the boxes were three times the price ... but now it's a more reasonable rip. If you land big stuff you're probably still OK -- maybe more ahead vs. the past -- but if you're a collector this might be closer to the price point where it's more do-able.

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

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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.

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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).

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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.

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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 ...

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What: 2022 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Game Day Greats Football Jerseys Season Edition
Arrives: Nov. 16
Box basics: One autographed football jersey per box (five boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: TRISTAR's Hidden Treasures line hits the field during the season with its familiar format and mix of pro and college stars.

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What: 2022 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Autographed Mini Helmets Season Edition
Arrives: Oct. 26
Box basics: One autographed mini helmet per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: TRISTAR's Hidden Treasures line arrives in-season with a new assortment of NFL and college stars -- including active college stars -- along with alternative-design helmets that can add some extra variety within the chase.

Continue reading →