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: Comic book variants for Disney 100, new pulls, Victor Wembanyama, NFL, soccer, NBA chatter and more.

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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: NBA Playoffs chatter, new MLB talk, ripping 2023 Bowman, signed book, Disney cards 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: 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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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 ... and this time it's still a few more past pick-ups than usual as my pre-COVID grading submissions are delayed and still in graders' hands.

GOOD AS GOLD?
The Card: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 2019 Topps Update Gold #US1 (/2,019) -- Rookie Card parallel
The Reason Graded: This one looked razor-sharp when I pulled it -- and that wasn't always the easiest thing with the corners for cards in this release. While I might want to slab a few key RCs in this one, I wouldn't unless I think that the corners could be decent enough to get a 9.5 or better. Why? Because a lot of people are grading stuff here so you can let them take the chance at stuff coming back surprisingly low. Meanwhile, because of those corner issues (tight wrappers or chippy stock) a high-grade card is seemingly just not easy in this one -- and Gold parallels can be problematic at times, too,  though they were cleaner here than other past years.
The Grade: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: This card checked in where I had hoped but I'm definitely not alone as nearly all of the cards graded checked in as 9.5s. While the grade is a win, the pop report is a bit of a bummer. Long-term that might not matter as the demand will be there if he lives up to the expectations.

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

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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 Topps Star Wars: The Mandalorian Journey of The Child (aka the Baby Yoda set)
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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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.

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BIG INK
The Card: Mark McGwire 2017 Topps Tier One Tier One Autographs (/30)
The Price: $45.75
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: For years, my only Mark McGwire autograph was one on a somewhat average-condition Oakland A's World Series team-signed ball that I found in an unusual way and got via a trade. (In short, it was sitting in a mug on co-worker's desk. He didn't know what team it was ... it was just his dad's ball that had been brought in for some reason. There it sat ... until I happened to pick it up and look. Then I picked up my jaw.) I added a similar and different item in recent years -- a bat -- and both pieces are 100-percent legit but without authentication. (That happened back in the day when teams signed items ... without merch deals and MLB Authentication around.) This time, though, I added a fresh McGwire release that's on both the rarer side and the cheaper side since the price was right (and dramatically lower than others out there for comparable cards). McGwire has always been a pricier auto -- he didn't sign much during his career except for very early on (before certified auto cards) -- and then became an Upper Deck guy after his record-setting years. Topps got him back in the fold in 2014 releases and he's also been in Panini stuff. I liked the price and the look of this one, which has him watching a homer from late in the 1998 season.
Grab a box right here: 2017 Topps Tier One baseball cards

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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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 Topps Journey to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (mini blaster)
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here
Where to buy: Initially at Walmart -- BlowoutCards.com for hobby

Packs per box: 6 (five standard and one three-card Red parallels pack)
Cards per pack: 6
Cards in this box: 33
Base set completion: 
20 of 100 (20 percent)
Duplicates: 0

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The Force is strong with this one ... and we're just getting our first look at his merchandise.

Topps' Chapter 3 Topps Now Packs for The Mandalorian arrived on Monday via Topps.com with three of the five cards for this episode showing the viral sensation of the Disney+ series so far.

It's Baby Yoda.

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She's not bad, she's just sculpted that way.

Jessica Rabbit from Disney's iconic Who Framed Roger Rabbit is on the way to the toy aisle as part of Funko's Rock Candy line this fall.

She's also not the only Disney baddie on the way as there are a total of five new figures to come.

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The stars of Star Wars have plenty of toys and merchandise from decades of fan demand, but as the legendary franchise enters its 40th anniversary year one company has added some extra badassery to the brand.

Herocross Company's Hybrid Metal Star Wars figures have been in the works for some time and a number of them are set to arrive in the United States this month.

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A new trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story dropped this week and it's giving us all a glimpse into the story that happens before the original 1977 Star Wars film.

That wasn't the only unveiling of images from the film set to arrive on Dec. 16 as Enterainment Weekly teased some mocked Topps cards also to come soon.

Keep reading to check both of them out ...

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The upcoming Disney animated movie Moana gets a heavy toy push from Funko and there's one name in the sports world who's going to help it come to life.

The lead is Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who voices Maui as part of a tale set to arrive in theaters on Nov. 23.

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Rogue One: A Star Wars Story doesn't arrive until December, but the first poster and a making-of highlights reel were unleashed upon the masses today at Star Wars Celebration Europe.

If the poster didn't tell you, it's the back story before A New Hope (the first Star Wars film) with a focus on the Death Star.

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The Force Awakens has awakened a new possibility for Star Wars cardboard.

Topps recently revealed that it will create factory sets for its three series of releases for the movie, which will be an online-only offering coming in September.

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Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce will be the star of a reality TV show that revolves around his dating life -- and, believe it or not, there's a shot that it could spark added interest in his football cards.

E! Entertainment announced this week that it has eight episodes of Catching Kelce coming soon and in a story to deadline.com an E! executive described why the player was chosen.

“On top of being a well-respected athlete, Travis has a fun-loving, over the top personality that draws people to him," E! executive vice president Jeff Olde said. "We are excited to give our viewers an up-close look at his search for love."

So, why might this mean something for his football cards?

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A pair of auctions this week from Profiles in History will help get some iconic pieces of original art into collectors' hands from some of the most-memorable works in pop culture history.

Up first on Thursday (Dec. 10) is the Calabasas, Calif.-based company's "Animation & Disneyana" sale, which will include 880 lots of artwork and Disney memorabilia ranging from retired ride vehicles to animation cels from classic films.

The top two pieces in the sale are original animation cels from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (above) and Lady and the Tramp (below). These pieces carry opening bids of $35,000 and $40,000 respectively and are estimated to command around $50,000 apiece when the final gavel falls. Several other pieces from memorable works, including Fantasia, are among the sale's items as well as a pair of Charles Shulz Peanuts strips.

You can browse the catalog for the auction right here.

And on the other end of the artistic spectrum ...

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We're less than two months away from the arrival of Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens but we're not even done seeing the merchandise coming from The Force Known as Disney with its new franchise. As you all know, it goes far, far beyond a galaxy of just trading cards.

A perfect example? The newest Star Wars video game arrives on Nov. 17 -- Star Wars Battlefront -- on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and on Origin for PC, and if you're one of the people who opt to pre-order the game's Deluxe Edition from Walmart.com, you'll land yourself an impressive extra.

A Han Solo Carbonite refridgerator. 

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