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 ...

LEADING OFF WITH THE RECORD-BREAKER
The Card: Aaron Judge 2017 Topps Archives 1960 Rookie Stars
The Reason Graded: He has been an established slugger since his 52 homers as a rookie in 2017, but to a degree he'd fallen off card-wise (and power-wise) the last few years until smacking 39 in 2021 and his Yankees team record (and American League record) 62 homers this year.  I got rid of pretty much all of my RCs in 2017 -- no regrets -- to turn them into stuff I actively wanted (I'm still working rather glacially on some of those Clerks autograph runs) but some of my late-year Judge pulls and some inserts were saved along with my lone autograph. While I haven't yet slabbed my ink -- I probably will here at some point once I figure out what box I put it in -- this insert modeled after the memorable-but-overbearing 1960 Topps design was one that jumped out at me. Why? It was soooo clean.
The Grade: CSG 10

Reality Check: I was right and that pop shows me I'm not alone -- but it is surprising given how skinny the stock is here.

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

Continue reading →

Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today's your day then as we launch 12 in 12 -- a series of a dozen breaks of wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We'll post one every hour all day long ... this is Hour 10.

The box: 2005 BBM Glorious Stars Japanese baseball cards
The cost: $20 (at The National)

What's inside this one? Why is it being ripped here? Keep reading ...

Continue reading →

Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today's your day then as we launch 12 in 12 -- a series of a dozen breaks of past wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We'll post one every hour on the hour all day long today ... this is Hour 2.

The box: 2000 Upper Deck Ovation Japanese baseball cards (hobby)
The cost: $49

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

Continue reading →

If you hadn't noticed, there are a number of boxes with discounted prices now over on the mothership as BlowoutCards.com's Black November Wave 7 hits today.

Many of the discounts were dramatic enough that Buzz had to sit down and ponder the possibilities in many of the boxes and cases -- and here are five boxes that caught this collector’s eye.

2013 Panini Prizm Perennial Draft Picks baseball hobby box
Every box of this one includes four autographs, three inserts and six Prizm parallels -- that's not a lot and Panini America added more in subsequent Prizm releases but there are a couple of names that make this box notable at its reduced price. They are Kris Bryant and Mookie Betts and both of those MVP candidates can be found within the Prizm rainbow of autographs here. Others of note within these packs? Carlos Correa, Joc Pederson, Clint Frazier, Byron Buxton, Clint Frazier, Maikel Franco, Jose Abreu and Aaron Judge. The right rare shade here could be easy profits based on the box prices.

Continue reading →