For years now, autographed books coming direct from the publishers -- or direct from the authors themselves -- have been an affordable way to collect ink from notable names in all realms of pop culture.

It's not a perfect system with stamped autos, fakes and autopens sometimes in the mix -- a problem for publishers to catch as they are not authenticators -- but thanks to dedicated collectors on the Blowout Cards Forum and elsewhere, those problems often get caught and fixed ... or at least become well-known enough to avoid if it's an issue that goes uncorrected.

Getting ink in-person is always best -- book tours still happen, of course -- but landing autographed editions from publishers, online sellers or celebs themselves via their websites or other appearances are common.

Our latest subject and autograph in this ongoing series? A member of The Sandlot cast, Patrick Renna.

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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 ...

WOOOOOOO!
The Card: Charlotte Flair 2015 Topps WWE Undisputed NXT In Line Autographs #NA-CH
The Reason Graded: The trio of big first/first-year autos in this release for three of the four biggest homegrown women's names (aka not Ronda Rousey) in WWE in this one have been slabbed in my stash -- Flair this time, Becky Lynch last time and Sasha Banks a couple times before in the history of this series. Why? Well, I think first (or first-year) autos are way more important than what people argue about on the Rookie Card front. They're inherently rarer and this brand is one that always seems to grade well as long as there's not any back-edge damage here (the designs often have dark colors).
The Grade: CSG 9.5

Reality Check: This one checked in where I had hoped -- and thanks to their new shift to a "Gem Mint 10" scale this one would be a 10 if in a new slab. (I'm good with that, too.) Flair isn't my favorite of The Four Horsewomen of NXT but I think this is one of her better cards ... though I do wish she would have signed in blue like everybody else.

Keep reading for more of this month's 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: 2018 Topps Archives baseball cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Keep reading for a breakdown and gallery of what was in this one.

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"You're killing me, Smalls."

Patrick Renna -- aka Hamilton "Ham" Porter from The Sandlot -- is the first guest who will be on hand at the annual Panini VIP Party on Saturday night in Chicago.

Panini revealed Renna's spot on this year's VIP roster on Tuesday afternoon as the first of several who will be on hand at the event for high-rollers in the hobby.

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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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A UNIQUE TOUCH 
The Item: Juan Soto 2019 Topps Museum Collection bat barrel nameplate 1/1
The Price: $2,999.99 Buy-It-Now (or make offer)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: His full name is Juan Jose Soto Pacheco and it's "Soto Pacheco" that he has chosen to put on his bats. You can get a good look at one right here (click to zoom), though the MLB Authentication sticker (albeit unreadable) should be enough to make worries lessen. This is one simple personalized touch that shows how game-used bats (and premium bat cards) can be a lot more interesting. This card is an example of the big stuff that is possible in boxes of Museum Collection, though as a 1/1 card this one is no longer potentially in a box if you grab one.
Similar Pieces: 2019 Topps Museum Collection autos on eBay
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for 2019 Topps Museum Collection boxes

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

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The Sandlot's stars.

The basic insert set for this one includes Scotty Smalls, Alan 'Yeah-Yeah' McClennan, Kenny DeNunez, Tommy 'Repeat' Timmons, Hamilton 'Ham' Porter, Michael 'Squints' Palledorous, Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez, Bertram Grover Weeks, Timmy Timmons, Wendy Peffercorn (despite her non-player status) and Hercules the dog who has a taste for Babe Ruth-signed baseballs.

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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 ORIGINAL HOME RUN DERBY
The Item: 1959 Home Run Derby Mark Scott card PSA 4
The Price: $400 Buy-It-Now (or best offer)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This week's MLB All-Star Home Run Derby is a spectacle and one of the highlights of the season since it began back in 1985. But, 59 years ago this fall, there was a different Home Run Derby -- a television series that took us to an empty ballpark and showcased a number of Hall of Famers in one-on-one battles. The show's 26 episodes were filmed in the offseason of 1959 and they first aired in 1960 with Hall of Famers Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, Al Kaline, Harmon Killebrew, Mickey Mantle, Eddie Matthews, Willie Mays, Frank Robinson and Duke Snider among the 19 stars who battled it out. The show's producer and host was Mark Scott and all of them appeared on this oversized promotional card set that was produced in 1959 and released with the show. They measure 3 1/8 by 5 1/4 inches and they have all -- except for Scott -- been reprinted in the past. (Graded is a safer buy if you're paying big money here, while the reprints are fun and affordable.) Scott died in the summer of 1960 of a heart attack at age 45 and the production company canceled future episodes the show. Is this card particularly valuable? I'm not sure, but this copy -- not a high-grade one -- is the only Scott card on eBay. Oddly, I think I'd want the host card first -- you can watch episodes on YouTube as well as on DVD if you're curious about these.
Similar Pieces: Other 1959 Home Run Derby cards on eBay
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for MLB cards 

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

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Remember kid, there's heroes and there's legends: Heroes get remembered, but legends never die.

And then they end up in 2018 Topps Archives.

The 25th Anniversary Collector Edition Blu-Ray of The Sandlot is in stores now and it has a set of Topps baseball cards inside with the nine starters from the iconic squad, but it also includes a bit of a scoop for the not-even-announced-yet product.

The scoop? There's even more to come ...

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The wait is killing me, Smalls.

While the 25th Anniversary Collector Edition Blu-Ray of The Sandlot arrives in stores this week with a few bonuses collectors might want, they're not alone in terms of new stuff for the memorable movie as six stars from the movie will be soon found in toy form thanks to Funko and its Funko Pop! vinyl toys.

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You're killing me with the wait here, Smalls.

The 25th Anniversary Blu-Ray of The Sandlot is in stores now, but a Collector Edition Blu-Ray set that's still to come next month will include a set of 10 Topps baseball cards branded with a new take on the 1962 Topps All-Star subset.

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