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 ... 

--

ICONIC ARRIVAL
The Cards: Caitlin Clark 2024 Panini Instant WNBA (All-Rookie Team) -- Rookie Card (/26,980)
The Price: Whatever a 10-pack cost was from Panini
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: There's no doubt that Clark owned the WNBA in her rookie year and for most of this year her only pro cardboard came via Instant ... but I passed. Why? I figured I'd wait and see what popped up that I liked in packs -- and then when I opened one of her college career boxes I found interesting stuff but not cards all that slab-worthy with the details for cutting and printing. (Too messy for the risk to me.) As an easy slabbing decision, I grabbed a 10-pack of this card within hours of its arrival online. Why? It's clean and simple -- iconic -- and I knew that I'd want one or two of these in a slab with a high mark. How does that happen? Well, you have to have a few to pick from -- to eliminate obvious flaws like centering or corners -- and in this case three of my 10 might get sent in. The rest were too off-centered for my taste. There were plenty of these made so there's no rush, but it'll happen at some point in 2025.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but WNBA cards are here.

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

Continue reading →

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 ...

STRONG SEASON ... WHAT'S NEXT?
The Card: Juan Soto 2018 Topps 582 Montgomery Club Set 1 -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: A big season that came up short of the goal ... but now it's time for a historic payday while still in his mid-20s. Soto's Rookie Cards (2018) aren't all that rare, really, but there's a lot of demand -- but they still might be good buys depending on where he goes next. (Mets? Watch out.) All those thoughts were in mind when I popped this one into a submission earlier this year along with other key names from this small set for Club members. It's not a traditional RC since it's from a small set, but it's still a good Soto to me ... so I slabbed it.
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: Top grade of a small volume works for me. I'm sure there will be more and I'm sure the pops are higher elsewhere, but the range of the grades here shows it might not be the easiest kind of card to grade thanks to that retro stock.

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

Continue reading →

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.

--

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 ...

Continue reading →

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 ... it's a bit of a super-sized edition.

DOMINATING THIS YEAR
The Card: Jonathan Taylor 2020 Donruss #317 -- Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: If it's not my main collecting focus within the sport I'm at best a dabbler when buying football -- and this is a recent example. I grabbed this since it felt like the cheaper side of things as Taylor has had flashes of brilliance this season (and last year) -- in fact, this was less than $12 not long ago and he's put on some real shows in the weeks since. That's why I have him leading things off here over some far-pricier pick-ups and new slabs I have gotten back lately. (Keep reading for those.)
The Grade: PSA 9

Reality Check: I liked this for the price but I'm not sure I'd go higher based on the pop report -- or pay up for a 10 when they're seemingly checking in there at a heavy clip. (Yet, he seems like the real deal -- so if you're solely focused on NFL he's a must-look.) This isn't my favorite of his RCs, but the brand might be my No. 1 for the last few years. Why? The simplicity. I liked the design for this one but the images can be a little limited for the RC crop with all the COVID issues that were seen on cardboard last year. I was a little surprised to see so many copies graded for this one as cheaper cards like this shouldn't be submitted for grading with steep processing fees -- at least right now. (There were probably a lot of them sent before PSA halted submissions as he was impressive late in his rookie season.)

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

Continue reading →

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 ... and this time around there's a mix of everything -- mostly on the affordable side.

--

WHO I'D BE WATCHING
The Card: Bo Bichette 2019 Bowman Sterling (PSA 9)
The Price: Under $11
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: If baseball were happening right now, there are a few young players I'd be watching and Bichette is one of them. In just 46 games as a 21-year-old rookie last year, this second-generation MLB player hit .311 with 11 homers, 21 RBI and 18 doubles -- numbers that would have projected out to 39 homers, 74 RBI and 63 doubles over 162 games. While I wouldn't reasonably expect that this year, he was dominating at times in 2019 and he's one of several homegrown Blue Jays rookies from the last couple years (Bichette's RCs are this year) who could be around for a while and generate some success both on the field and on cardboard. When they're this cheap, I'm grabbing them -- most of the time, they are not. With its high-end format, Sterling makes me think this basic card might be less plentiful than a lot of the prospect brands from last year, too, but ultimately I picked it up since it's clean and has a solid photo.
Grab a box right here: 2019 Bowman Sterling

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

Continue reading →