Buzz buys and busts a lot of boxes right here for Buzz Breaks, but one of my goals just might be to rip fewer blasters this year 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. Would they capture yours? I'd be interested to know -- sometimes they might, sometimes they won't and that's fine. It's a buyer's market out there with plenty of options and bargains as well as high-end gems to chase.

So, with all that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ... and this time around it's a mix of hits and basics.

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A SMALL USA BASEBALL GEM
The Card: Tony Zych 2009 Upper Deck Signature Stars USA National Team Premier Materials Cap Flag Patches (/4)
The Price: Under $10
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: USA Baseball products have some types of hits you just don't see elsewhere and they aren't all one-of-kind creations, either. Zych was still a college player here but he did make it to The Show for three seasons with the Mariners but he's ultimately not why you see this one here -- it's because it's a unique patch from a cap that's a small version of a larger chase that USA sets are known for. This USA crop in this particular release is stacked between all of the USA ink and mem cards and a strong list of names who have made MLB. Other players with cards like this one in those cheap boxes? Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, Trevor Bauer, Gerrit Cole, Sonny Gray and Kolten Wong. There are 27 players with these cards, though not all have four copies. Either way, this one is a gem to me as I have always had a soft spot for prime USA stuff. Why? Because I've actually pulled some -- they're far from impossible finds and they're not from high-end boxes price-wise.
Grab a box right here: 2009 Upper Deck Signature Stars

Keep reading for several more interesting items ...

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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: 2018 Topps Home Run Challenge Silver #HRCAJ Aaron Judge (/59)
The Reason Graded: Aaron Judge recently returned from injury for the first time since April and that prompted me to lead things off with this rare card I recently got slabbed. I only have this card because I managed to predict one of his homers not long after he returned from injury last year after missing more than a month and a half. Injuries have mounted for his popular slugger the last two years, but I figured this card, given its scarcity, was one worth a slab.
The Grade: BGS 10

Reality Check: The pop report is a little iffy on this one -- there could be others not slabbed* -- since the checklist isn't complete on their site for this set this is merely a guess. (Pop report and checklists typically sync up.) I have gotten very few 10s in the last few years, but I thought this would be a contender and it was. Other Judge cards from this set -- there are at least three before this one -- are a lot rarer. Meanwhile, this appears to be the only Judge (of any color) from this set that's been slabbed.

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

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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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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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THE BIG GUY
The Item: Wander Franco 2019 Bowman Magenta Printing Plate Autograph (1/1)
The Price: $8,499.99 Buy-It-Now (or best offer)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This guy is the big one (so far) in this new release and while that price is high it's not as steep as what will be seen for his colorful parallel autos in the set. I'm priced out on all of them but I'd prefer this one -- due to rarity over many of the color Refractors that will be pulled and priced with new-car potential on eBay in the coming days.
Similar Pieces: Wander Franco autos on eBay
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for 2019 Bowman boxes 

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

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The biggest weekend in professional wrestling is here with WrestleMania 35 set for Sunday in New Jersey. It's a big week for WWE with its NXT and Hall of Fame events planned, and we'll make today a big day for wrestling collectors right here on The Buzz with #BuzzMania2, a series of WWE wax box and wax pack breaks every hour.

How long will we go? Stay tuned ...

The box: 2004 Fleer WWE Divas 2005
The cost: Varies (click here for newer boxes)

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

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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: Mangled Michael Jordan Rookie Cards, big pulls from new boxes and more in this Sunday edition.

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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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BIG NAMES IN NEW PLACES
The Item: Odell Beckham Jr. 2014 Panini National Treasures Hats Off Signatures New Era Tag (1/1) ... plus a few more autos and cards
The Price: $7,000 Buy-It-Now (or best offer)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: There are a number of NFL veterans in new places this coming season -- Antonio Brown, Mark Ingram, Kareem Hunt, Nick Foles, Le'Veon Bell and Mark Ingram for starters -- but it's perhaps Odell Beckham Jr. who walks into the best position for potential cardboard hype as he's now the big target for Baker Mayfield in his sophomore campaign after a "dangerous" and record-setting rookie season. Beckham's last three seasons haven't been nearly as productive as his first two -- a big drop-off on the field and even more off of it -- but if you're a believer in the talent it's time to buy. (Right?) The complaints about future Hall of Famer Eli Manning won't be there, so the production will be. (Right?) Antonio Brown leaves a team with a solid cardboard fan base for one that's also strong -- but it's a team that's seriously underachieved. Hunt is perhaps done on cards. Foles is perhaps a push and Bell could be in for a big tumble ... or big ups if The Big Apple's underachievers are successful. Ingram? He's leaving as the Saints career rushing TD leader and almost its career yards leader (less than 100 yards short) for a team where he might get the ball more but might be off the radar card-wise vs. New Orleans. That leaves Beckham as the biggest potential gainer here ... am I right? We'll see. This is a solid card and the lot includes a few others but there are a lot of high-end options out there for one of the biggest guys in the rookie crop of five years ago.
Similar Pieces: Other Odell Beckham Jr. autos on eBay
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for 2014 NFL boxes

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

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Buzz buys and busts a lot of boxes right here for Buzz Breaks, but one of my goals just might be to rip fewer blasters this year 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. Would they capture yours? I'd be interested to know -- sometimes they might, sometimes they won't and that's fine. It's a buyer's market out there with plenty of options and bargains as well as high-end gems to chase.

So, with all that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ... and this time around they're varied but also pretty cheap. (The way Buzz likes it.)

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TAKING ADVANTAGE OF MINOR FLAWS
The Card: Calvin Ridley 2018 Panini Obsidian Cutting Edge Relics Electric Etch Orange #CE-14 (/35)
The Price: $7
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is a nice card of a strong rookie from a funky brand that didn't break the bank because it's got a few minor flaws that aren't that uncommon with thick-stock memorabilia cards. That's fine because they don't take away from the feel of what is a different kind of card that shows Panini is trying some things with die-cutting designs. It was that process that led to some compression wrinkling on a back edge and a spots on the top front edge, but I still liked it enough to pick up. Ridley had flashes of brilliance during his rookie season that included 64 catches for 821 yards and 10 touchdowns and I'm a buyer when they're on the cheap because I think there's some potential for more here. (Memorabilia cards can be cheap buys for football because they are often plentiful -- yet they are a fun alternative to pricey autographs in my book.) This is a brand that includes some big stuff -- far bigger than what my tastes are focused on. It's worth a look.
Grab a box right here: 2018 Panini Obsidian NFL boxes

Keep reading for five more interesting items ...

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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: Nothing but big pulls, including this misplaced Alexa Bliss 1/1, in today's edition.

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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: Big pulls from around the collecting world, new interest in Billy Ripken's bat knob and combatting bitterness in the hobby today.

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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 2.

The pack: 1971 Fleer Harlem Globetrotters
The cost: Will vary when found -- click here for new basketball

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

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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: Pondering Hall of Fame card potential and checking in on Vladdy Jr., NBA and NFL discussions.

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Buzz buys and busts a lot of boxes right here for Buzz Breaks, but a new year's resolution just might be to rip fewer blasters this year 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. Would they capture yours? I'd be interested to know -- sometimes they might, sometimes they won't and that's fine. It's a buyer's market out there with plenty of options and bargains as well as high-end gems to chase.

So, with all that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ... and this time around they're not all on-the-cheap additions.

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HISTORIAN CARDBOARD HISTORY
The Card: John Thorn 2018 Topps Archives Purple Fan Favorites Autographs (/150)
The Price: $10
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Buzz first knew his name back in 1989 when the massive book Total Baseball was a key way to look up past MLB players' stats -- you know, before the Internet -- and you could find a bit of everything else from the rules of the game, baseball history and more inside. Thorn has a ton of credits since then, including a consultant on the landmark Ken Burns documentary Baseball, and he is a winner of the Henry Chadwick Award, which is the top honor from SABR. Since 2011, Thorn has been the official historian of Major League Baseball and he has credited baseball cards as one way his interest in the game was sparked when he was young. He's also a collector. Believe it or not, he has a past card appearance in the 1990 Little Sun Baseball Writers set (an obscure release that's tough to find), but his cards in Archives can be landed somewhat easily despite there not being a lot to go around. He only appears on autograph cards -- a standard card and then Purple (/150), Silver (/99), Blue (/25) and 1/1 Gold parallels. The stock on these cards is way too thin, so you will see flaws easily -- especially on bold-colored versions -- but I grabbed this one because it was about adding the ink. Archives has included a number of unusual autographs with ties to the game in recent years and this one was on my to-get list from the start.
Grab a box right here: 2018 Topps Archives

Keep reading for six more interesting items ...

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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: 2017 Donruss Press Proofs Red #327 Patrick Mahomes II Rated Rookie
The Reason Graded: Oh what a difference a year makes. This time last year, this parallel Rookie Card was a pull from a retail box where it didn't do much for me -- in fact, I had it set aside to send away when I revisited a box out of curiosity and there he was ... and he wasn't alone. Now, he's an MVP lock and one of the hotter Rookie Cards in the hobby after a 50-touchdown season. These Reds are only found in retail boxes and I figured I'd take my shot at getting it in a slab since it looked pretty clean.
The Grade: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: It was definitely that and what's surprising is that nobody else has pulled one and opted to slab it up. Yes, I know it's the rare autos from key brands that lead the way, but I think a slab for a card like this -- one where there may not be as many out there as other un-numbered parallels -- with a low pop could surprise you if you were a seller. (I'm not ... I stash my stuff 99.9 percent of the time.)

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

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Between everyday Buzz Breaks and the near-monthly Buzz 12 in 12 marathons, Buzz busted a lot of packs in 2018.

How many? Well, Buzz is almost afraid to count -- though it was seemingly news to me that the 12 in 12 marathons actually started early last year. (That's even more proof there's been a lot of wax to get these hands ... it's all a blur.)

It was a year of memorable pulls for me at times with some icons' autographs found in my packs. It also was fun one ripping into really old packs, too, with some cheap thrills there.

Breaks are among the most-popular items seen here nearly every day and Buzz knows that. So look for plenty of breaks in 2019 -- but, before that time comes, keep reading for links to not one, not 18, but 25 memorable breaks from 2018.

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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: Big pulls, fake cards, taking "The Luka Doncic Experiment," 582 Montgomery Club ... and a Rookie Card five decades later?

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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 ...

Continue reading →

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: Nothing but big breaks and pulls in today's edition.

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 some of all of those.

Continue reading →

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: Some prospecting pontification and the rest is NFL chatter and pulls as kickoff time nears.

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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: Nothing but NFL chatter and football breaks as the season is here.

Continue reading →

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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A HIGH-GRADE RARITY
The Item: 1959 Fleer Ted Williams #68 Ted Signs for 1959 SP (PSA 9)
The Price: $2,500 Buy-It-Now 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Today would have been Ted Williams' 100th birthday and this card is by far the rarest one from a unique and collectable set that examines his life away from the game as well as highlights up to that time. He signed a $5,000 per year deal to only appear on Fleer cards but this one was pulled for some type of contractural reason. Meanwhile, ironically, if you check the PSA pop report this card is the most-graded of any card in the set. (Likely since it's the most-valuable and others are all readily available.) Just 43 copies of this card have graded a PSA 9 -- and fakes exist, meaning you should buy one graded --  and none have graded higher.
Similar Pieces: Other Ted Williams cards on eBay 
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for MLB boxes

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

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Quick, can you name the hottest wax box of the 1990s?

It's not anything from Topps, Fleer, Upper Deck, Donruss or any other creator from the sports-card world, it's one of these 1999 Pokemon First Edition (English) boxes and it commanded a solid five-figure sale on Friday via Huggins and Scott Auctions. 

How much?

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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: Big pulls, Sweet Spot autos, fake NBA cards, Rookie Cards missing their RC logos and more.

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"The Round Mound of Rebound" is joining Panini America's team.

Hall of Famer Charles Barkley has signed an exclusive autograph deal with the Dallas-based company and that means he'll have his first certified autos in packs. He'll also sign memorabilia for Panini Authentic -- basketballs, jerseys and prints -- while his first cards will appear in 2017-18 Panini Noir.

“Barkley’s long absence from the trading card category has had fans clamoring and wondering if he would ever be featured on trading cards again,” Panini CEO Mark Warsop said in a prepared statement. ”This is a great day for NBA fans and all collectors as we will now be able to celebrate Charles’ illustrious career on trading cards and memorabilia.”

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