Auction Buzz is a monthly look at some of the variety found out there on the auction block ... check 'em out.

It's going to be a busy end of the year for Dallas-based Heritage Auctions with a number of regularly scheduled events as well as some showcase auctions with high-profile stuff all on the calendar. This time, we look at a few things from a few active sales this month.

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ANOTHER BIG JORDAN
The Item: Michael Jordan Oct. 26, 1984 (NBA Debut) Chicago Bulls season-ticket stub (PSA 4)
The Price: $65,000 after 25 bids (ends Sept. 27)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Last month, a Michael Jordan (and Kobe Bryant) card sale via auction re-wrote some hobby history and, while we're confident this one won't fetch $12.9 million, this one is in some rare air. It has already hit its estimated price from the auction house and while its grade is low there are only three higher. "The most important athletic debut of the post-war era?" asked Heritage in its listing. "A strong argument could be made. Perhaps only Wayne Gretzky could challenge Michael Jordan in balloting seeking to identify the most dominant figure of his respective major sport, but once you step outside the sports arena and into the wider popular culture, M.J. leaves The Great One in his dust. He remains one of the most recognizable humans on the planet two decades after his retirement from the NBA." Jordan scored a modest 16 points in a 109-93 win over the Washington Bullets on this night and only 14 of these have been grade overall.

Keep reading for more interesting pieces up for grabs right now.

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Update: The card sold for $12,932,000 -- an all-time record for any sports card -- at 1:45 a.m. Sunday morning.

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It's already topped the $7-million mark with time to go before the auction ends tomorrow night, but there's no telling the heights this card might reach.

There's a realistic chance that the Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Dual Logoman Autographs card will become the priciest sports card of all time -- not just priciest basketball card ever -- when the dust settles at ends Heritage Auctions on Saturday and it's really only got two rivals.

Right now, with its buyer's premium attached, this card sits at $7,015,000 after 46 bids (click to view) and that already gives it the title of the biggest basketball card of all time. The previous NBA high was for a similar modern card, a 2009-10 Panini National Treasures Steph Curry Logoman auto, that sold privately for $5.9 million to an investment fund July 2021.

And there aren't too many past auctions that top that.

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Auction Buzz is a monthly look at some of the variety found out there on the auction block ... check 'em out.

It's going to be a busy second half of the year for Dallas-based Heritage Auctions with a number of regularly scheduled events as well as some showcase auctions with high-profile stuff all on the calendar. This time, we look at a few things from a few active sales this month.

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AS BIG AS IT GETS
The Item: Michael Jordan & Kobe Bryant 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Dual Logoman Autographs (1/1) -- PSA 6
The Price: $4,150,000 after 32 bids (ends Aug. 23)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This one has plenty of time remaining but as you can tell it's already one of the biggest monsters to ever hit the auction block -- and that's with the grade that, well, would be a bummer on any other card from the modern era. But, with game-used NBA logos from two of the game's all-time greats and their ink? Well, it's all about the card, not that dinged corner. "Do you hear that rumbling? It's the sound of the standing world record price for a basketball card getting ready to fall," Heritage said in its listing. "For five years, the 2009-10 National Treasures Steph Curry logoman autograph card has enjoyed the view from the top of the heap, the $5.9 million private sale to an investment fund in July 2021 demonstrating the virtually unlimited elasticity of the market's upper edge. ... We're proud and privileged here at Heritage for the opportunity to take the title back for the auction world," Heritage continued, "providing the manner of competition and high drama that private transactions lack, and which serves as a far more fitting tribute to the iconic subjects this remarkable trading card celebrates." ... This one is estimated by Heritage to top the $6-million mark when it's sold.

Keep reading for more interesting pieces up for grabs right now.

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Auction Buzz is a monthly look at some of the variety found out there on the auction block ... check 'em out.

It's going to be a busy second half of the year for Dallas-based Heritage Auctions with a number of regularly scheduled events as well as some showcase auctions with high-profile stuff all on the calendar. This time, we look at a few things from a few active sales this month.

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DARK KNIGHT IN DEMAND
The Item: Batman tin robot with original English box (Nomura Toys, 1966)
The Price: $5,250 after 29 bids (ends July 11)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This vintage Japanese toy is a foot-tall prime piece of pop culture with an obvious 1960s feel yet with some aspirations of something more for the future -- it's a battery operated tin toy and it's complete with its Adam West-styled box and fabric cape. This one is "an iconic fusion of superhero flair and vintage tin toy charm" per Heritage and it's one of two known styles -- this one has the serious face and one with the switch button in red. Heritage calls this "a standout from the golden age of Batman collectibles, blending Japanese craftsmanship with Gotham nostalgia."

Keep reading for more interesting pieces up for grabs right now.

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Ichiro Suzuki’s 2001 MLB arrival didn’t just change the game on the field — he helped feed growing international demand for baseball cards via plenty of new premium brands that helped pave the way for the ultra-deluxe stuff of today.

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A legendary career and baseball journey on two continents makes its final stop this month in Cooperstown, N.Y., and the Hall of Fame and there’s a lot that can be said about that in several directions. 

Ichiro Suzuki changed the game with his arrival in MLB, eschewing the longball in favor of speed and hits — lots and lots of hits. But, “hits” are also the story of all those years when it comes to baseball cards with the prized rarities found in packs with autographs on them — or pieces of memorabilia in them — being an unstoppable force in those years. 

Of course, hits didn’t start with the Japanese star’s arrival, but many of his cards in sets alongside another now-legendary 2001 rookie, Albert Pujols, helped change the cardboard world even faster. Demand for their stuff prompted several new brands from several companies making MLB cards back then to try new things, capitalizing on their new stars who could move packs and boxes of cards -- just like they could move players around the bases and move butts into seats to watch games. One could argue that 2001 was in part a big piece in the evolution of what we see in today’s sports card landscape -- a focus on rarities with small print runs and with premium prices that weren’t like the wax paper-wrapped pocket-change treasures of not that many years before. 

Now, what’s to come here is absolutely not a definitive list of top cards — and it’s not one purely based on volatile values or one limited solely to Rookie Cards. Why? There’s a lot to choose from for Suzuki on all fronts — there could be several ways to take on this challenge. He has more than 50 different Rookie Cards between his 1993 Nippon Professional Baseball and 2001 Major League Baseball debuts (depending on how you want to argue about RC definitions) and he had roughly 500 cards in 2001 alone. Many of them are rarer cards where it is impossible to own them all thanks to small print runs and rare serial-numbered versions. 

In all, he appears on more than 19,000 different cards made over the years between NPB and MLB -- and even though his playing career ended in 2019 his cardboard career has not. He’s got a place in the game in seemingly every new baseball card set on the way and that figures to be the story for the rest of cardboard eternity. He’s not just a Hall of Famer … he’s an international icon.

Here’s a small sampling of 25 Ichiro Suzuki cards that are both fun and notable.

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One of the sports collecting universe's biggest conversation hubs has a new sponsor.

Heritage Auctions will now have an advertising display presence and regularly appearing spotlight items on the Blowout Cards Forums beginning on July 1.

Heritage is the largest collectibles auctioneer and third-largest auction house in the world with more than 2 million registered bidder-members on HA.com from 195 countries and annual sales exceeding $1.87 billion. Based in Dallas, Heritage was established in 1976 and regularly offers a wide range of auction genres beyond just sports collectibles, sports cards, and trading/game cards. Those include rare coins, currency, art, comic books and comic art, movie posters, entertainment and music memorabilia, timepieces and jewelry, handbags, historical/political memorabilia, books and manuscripts, photographs, nature and scientific relics, wine, real estate, American, European & Asian fine art, and much more. Membership is free to Forum members and allows free, searchable access to almost 8 million Heritage auction records (including over 400,000 sports lots) with images, full descriptions and price realized. Join at www.ha.com/blowout.

BlowoutCards.com, the leading online retailer of sports and other trading cards in the hobby today, was founded in 1999 and has more than 40,000 registered users on the forum -- an always-open community in support of the website, which also is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week with more than a million boxes in stock with a particular focus on modern cards — sports, non-sports, gaming and more. Atop that, Blowout has a hobby blog updated daily, live online box breaks, active social media channels and creative promotions to help collectors enjoy their hobby for less.

Collectors in the Northern Virginia area can also visit The Fantastic Store — Blowout’s brick-and-mortar storefront. If you have any questions, send them to support@blowoutcards.com.

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Follow Buzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz or send email to BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com. 

>> Click here to buy cards on BlowoutCards.com.

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 name you probably don't know but the book is a unique one from a series of guides for collectors.

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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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WELCOME TO THE COLLECTION 
The Item: Slash autographed Four (2022) CD cover (PSA/DNA authenticated)
The Price: Less than a jumbo box of flagship cards ...
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is one of my recent additions in the rock autograph realm as, well, that genre can be quite pricey -- too pricey, really -- but the cost was decent here for an autograph of the iconic Guns N' Roses guitarist who's stayed busy with many a project since that band disbanded and then reloaded in recent years. While I'd prefer a signed item showing him -- I have to flip this one over to see an image -- this PSA-slabbed CD cover that was likely among those sold via Newbury Comics back in the day worked for me. It was probably $100 less than it could be at times for a similar slabbed/third-party authenticated item. Meanwhile, it was probably about $50 more than the same thing but without third-party authentication and encapsulation. A signed and authenticated photo can end up around $500 if it looks good (sometimes more, sometimes less) while signed items can soar even higher. Why? Access -- Slash isn't exactly doing signings or conventions -- so the few times he's signed for his own album releases like this in more volume they get gobbled up and become ultimately the entry point (or only addition) for many. Count me right there. I wanted to add Slash to my stash ... but not break the bank.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... hit non-sports on BlowoutCards.com

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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If you're a regular reader here, then you know that Ballers has had a place in this Collecting Game-used series and other event-used pieces shown off here a few times over.

Why? A unique auction in the past saw a lot of props from the HBO series hit the open market via Heritage Auctions and Screenbid a few years ago and then remaining props and other pieces went off to a company that burns off props from all kinds of production companies over time for this and many other shows.

This one this month? Well, it's right there in the wheelhouse of all that -- a holiday pick-up of mine when the current company selling it all off actually offered discounts on items and I finally grabbed a piece that's fun, unique and has a tie to the big game this Sunday. If you know the show, then you know the tie-in.

If not, keep reading to see the details this time.

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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: The Mick sets a new record, showing off Michael Jordan cards, new pulls and more.

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I must have done something to make the collecting gods happy ... because The One That Got Away came back to me.

This month's Collecting Game-used item is a piece of photo-matched Sports Illustrated history and you can see it above -- well, sorta -- in all its glory on the Dec. 5, 2016, issue. If you watch Ballers at some point, you'll likely see it somewhere there, too, but that research wasn't necessary for this one this time.

So what's the deal?

In late 2020, a number of props, wardrobe pieces and other items used by cast members in Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's hit HBO series were on the block via Heritage Auctions and ScreenBid. Thanks to some dumb luck back then, I noticed something that the prop masters, the auction company and, based on the price, even the bidders didn't among the more than 500 items up for grabs. One of the suits that was sold -- and there were many in the sale as Ballers might be known for those as much as anything else in Spencer Strasmore's world -- also was worn on the cover of Sports Illustrated. The blue and black plaid custom-made jacket and pants were right there waiting for me at Heritage with a "designed for Dwayne Johnson" tag inside and an opening bid that was easily within my budget -- as long as the bidding didn't get too crazy. How did I know it was that one? I'll get to that. (Spoiler: It's just like matching other pieces in this series of memorabilia stories.)

I was beyond excited about the auction. I lost sleep over it for a couple days before the Sunday sale because this was such an interesting find -- a piece cooler than just something worn on screen. The live auction couldn't come fast enough. I scouted all of the lots, took notes on what I liked and what looked good for the price. I didn't dare mention this piece of trivia at all here on The Buzz, though, but I did tell a couple of relatives. (They looked at me like I was crazy when I mentioned the start price for something I'd never wear.) Another plus for me was that the lot was pretty deep in the auction lineup with many suits dropping before and several after.

Once the auctions started, I took notes about what other suits cost and I scouted back-up pieces I might want -- but nothing truly came close to this one. Nothing. Early on, suits sold for way less than I expected. It really could be mine I thought, though some suits in signature colors (grey/silver) potentially from key moments, posters and DVD covers did sell for more. When my lot finally came up an hour or two in, my fingers went cold. I was nervous. I might have hyperventilated a little (not really ... but maybe ... it's all a blur). I bid. So did somebody else. I bid again (my first bids in Heritage history). They did, too. Deep breaths. I bid again. Than I paused legitimately thinking it was mine as the clock ticked down in slow-motion ... and yet it was not. Things then instantaneously went into fast-forward and there was no time to react once I realized it was gone. I was done faster than Erick Rowan at WrestleMania 32. I was stunned like my chin had just met "Stone Cold." I was hotter than this 'Mania moment. I was out of it -- both the auction running and the world for a bit. It was gone and it hurt. I recovered, though, and later landed another piece with a story that was perhaps bigger so at least there was some Buzzing about the Ballers auction. (That's a classic item, too, if I do say so -- hit that link.) And this tale with The One That Got Away was over, going untold, more than a year ago.

So ... what's the deal in the here and now? Fast-forward to three weeks ago today and a not-yet-caffeinated Buzz checked some Friday-morning email and saw a props-for-sale message from Attro Digital -- a name I didn't recognize but it was essentially the same mailing list for ScreenBid that I had signed up for back in the day. By chance, something caught my eye, so I clicked.

And then I saw "Ballers" ...

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This month's item in this Collecting Game-used series is a perhaps a bit loose in its definition of "use" but here we go ...

In January, I wrote about an item I picked up in last year's Ballers prop auction -- that one a copy of a book held by The Rock in one scene that was the subject of some viral chatter with Elizabeth Warren not all that long ago. Their tweets sparked more than a few stories online as the two went back and forth about her fandom for the show ... then, months later, that book popped up on the auction block with its feathered corners and even an odd extra item inside.

This time? A far more anonymous item that was in the auction and billed as "training-used" by a key character in one episode.

You can keep reading to see the details ...

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It's a TV show opening scene that seems simple enough, but it spawned a lot of Internet and TV chatter with millions (and millions) amused.

(Click for a closer view.)

Hot takes arrived left and right on entertainment sites and political pundits had their thoughts, too. (Left and right, I'm sure.) It was something simple and something planned that generated some buzz and even some high-profile tweets that went out to some 20 million people. (Meanwhile, the episode itself had just 588,000 people watching per Nielsen. Go figure.)

What is it? It's the opening-credits scene for the fifth season of Ballers and it had player-turned-agent-turned-businessman Spencer Strasmore (aka Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) reading a copy of Elizabeth Warren's 2017 book This Fight is Our Fight as he sat on the beach in the first episode. It all takes place quickly and Strasmore's down-time is interrupted first by his girlfriend (Arielle Kebbel) asking him why he never goes into the ocean -- then that's interrupted by a phone call from Bossman (aka the Ballers-world owner of the Dallas Cowboys) before he walks off down the shoreline to chat. The scene isn't about a paperback with tattered edges at all, really -- it's about the mystery of the water, what Strasmore might be hiding -- but that's how the book's brief on-screen life comes to an end.

Meanwhile, that actual copy of the book? Well, it's still alive and well.

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It's a simple mistake that's not supposed to happen since the United States Mint has strict standards, but, well, it happened.

And it's a bill that's worth a lot more than you might think as it sold for a ton Friday night via Heritage Auctions in Dallas.

What you see above is the Del Monte note -- and while you might think that collecting during the pandemic has been crazy this sale is absolutely bananas ... it sold for $396,000. That's way more than it originally sold for back when it was previously discovered and put onto the market.

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Blowout Cards may not catch 'em all ... but we're trying.

This Pokémon 1st Edition booster box sold for $360,000 via Heritage Auctions on Thursday night -- a mark that includes the buyer's premium and set a new record sale. That topped a $198,000 mark (also via Heritage) in September.

Our 36-pack box includes 396 untouched cards that could carry potential for perfect Gem Mint 10 copies of everything, including the rare Charizard card that has generated headlines on its own with some six-figure sales on its own in advance of the 25th anniversary of the game's arrival in the United States next February.

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The first night of Dallas-based Heritage Auctions' three-day Spring Sports Catalog Auction opened with some serious firepower that wasn't just about all of those vintage rarities that just shouldn't exist anymore.

It also included some impressive sales of rare singles from modern cardboard -- and some modern cases that probably don't exist anymore in high volume as the treasures inside them can command huge wads of cash, too.

Among five cards that commanded six-figure sales last night was the 2010 Bowman Chrome Draft Picks Superfractor 1/1 autograph of former NL MVP Christian Yelich, which sold for $111,000 in a PSA 9 slab. Joining it was a 2011 Bowman Chrome Draft Picks Superfractor 1/1 autograph (also a PSA 9) of Francisco Lindor, which went for $102,000. The other five six-figure cards were of Joe Jackson, Mickey Mantle and Ted Williams -- cards either immensely rare or in high grades. A top-grade Michael Jordan 1986-87 Fleer Rookie Card just missed that club but set a new record for the card's sale.

A number of other key modern cards were scorchers, too -- check out a gallery and sales stats after the jump -- and some modern cases less than a decade old also commanded top dollar, too.

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Just 10 of the most-notable items in the sports world that were sold in 2018 totaled more than $8.4 million, ranging from a $2.8 million 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card to a baseball signed by the first class for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

And they all had one thing in common -- PSA or PSA/DNA authentication.

The Newport Beach, Calif.-based company recently took the time to examine the markets last year and touted its Top 10 for 2018. Keep reading to see everything on the list.

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The finest set of 1909-11 T206 baseball cards is on the market -- and it's being broken up -- this month via Dallas-based Heritage Auctions where it's expected to be a record-breaker.

"For hundreds of trading card collectors, this is the auction event of a lifetime," said Chris Ivy, director of sports collectibles for Heritage. "This auction is the vault door swinging open to reveal treasures unavailable anywhere else."

It's a lot of 520 cards that includes nine PSA 10s -- only 13 in all exist at that grade -- and nearly all of the cards in this one are the highest-graded specimens of their kind for this landmark set. More than 100 of the cards are PSA 9s and only one is graded below a PSA 7 (it's a PSA 6).

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A few pieces from one of rock's biggest names is hitting the market via Heritage Auctions and one lot alone -- a guitar and an iconic top hat -- is expected to fetch six figures.

A 1965 Gibson SG Cherry guitar used on stage by Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Tom Petty and one of his hats from his time with The Traveling Wilburys -- a supergroup that also included Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne and Roy Orbison -- are being sold together.

They're one of eight lots being sold by the Dallas-based auction house this month and the lot carries an opening bid of $150,000.

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Update: It sold for $33,600 back in August 2018.

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Not all ticket stubs are the same -- and this one is far rarer than an iconic card in the hobby.

This Chicago Bulls stub from Oct. 26, 1984, hits the auction block late this month and it's one that could push the $10,000 mark according to Heritage Auctions. 

Why?

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As you may have seen here via The Buzz Twitter account last night, a PSA 9 copy of Mickey Mantle's iconic 1952 Topps baseball card sold for a whopping $2.88 million via Heritage Auctions. 

It set a new record for The Mick but came up short of the record of $3.12 million set by a PSA 5 copy of the famed T206 Honus Wagner tobacco card.

“The 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle is more than just a baseball card, it is pop culture art and the symbol of the card-collecting hobby itself,” said PSA President Joe Orlando. “This new auction record is not only a record for a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle or any post-WWII baseball card, it is now the new standard for any card other than the 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner."

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Depending on your age, you might not know the name Jack Smalling -- but he wrote the book on through-the-mail autograph collecting back in the day when most autographs weren't just a click away.

While The Baseball Autograph Collector's Handbook is up to its 19th edition today with addresses for more than 90 percent of known living major leaguers, coaches and umpires inside, it's the fruits of his publishing passion -- his autographs -- that are on the auction block in one single lot coming to the auction from Heritage Auctions next month.

"Many, if not most, of Smalling's greatest successes came from trails long since gone cold, but when Smalling first took up his hobby in 1962, quite a few Dead Ball Era legends still walked the Earth," said the auction listing. "And if not the players themselves, then their children or grandchildren, pleased in that pre-Internet age that somewhere, someone still remembered the man. They were all too happy to drop a cancelled check or a clipping from an old lease into the supplied self-addressed, stamped envelope in fulfillment of Smalling's request. More than a half century later, Smalling's collection of autographs numbers in the six figures."

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Update (April 19): After 21 bids, the card stood at $2.88 million as it entered the extended bidding window (30 minute sessions).

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The Mick is about to take on the record books once again.

A PSA 9 copy of Mickey Mantle's iconic 1952 Topps baseball card is on the auction block via Heritage Auctions and its bidding is already in seven figures as we count down the minutes until its close later this week.

Just five other copies of the card have graded this high among more than 1,500 slabbed by PSA and just three have scored higher. It's estimated to sell for more than $3.5 million by the auction house, given recent demand for lower grades, and that would put it atop the list of best-selling baseball cards -- atop even top sales of Honus Wagner's T206 tobacco card.

"This card is a towering symbol of American exceptionalism, from its celebration of our national pastime to the fearless ambition of creator Sy Berger's vision to the exaltation of a culture that could elevate a poor kid from the Oklahoma coal mines to the pinnacle of fame and acclaim," said the auction house's listing. "It is 10 square inches of the American dream, preserved virtually flawlessly for eternity. It is a commodity recognized and coveted by millions, yet available to only a tiny handful of the most-sophisticated collectors."

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A uniform worn by Babe Ruth is on the auction block and it's not yet surpassed the $100,000 mark with a couple days to go before the final gavel.

There's little doubt that Ruth's 1945 Esquire All-America Game coaching uniform will get there, though, as it's estimated by Heritage Auctions to top $200,000.

And that's nothing compared to what his New York Yankees jerseys have sold for, making this one a bargain.

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The biggest comic book in history is on the auction block -- and there's already plenty of bidding action.

Bidding action on Action Comics No. 1? Shocker.

This CGC Conserved 7.0 copy of Superman's debut from June 1938 is pushing $300,000 with two weeks to go on the auction block over at ComicLink -- and the reserve isn't even yet met.

In fact, according to the auctioneers, "the Overstreet Price Guide lists this issue in 7.0 Universal condition for $855,000 but today would likely sell for well over $1 million. At this point, even a low-grade Universal (2.0-3.0) example would ballpark at about $500,000. With a bright look, largely unblemished images, straight edges and minimal corner wear, this is the most attractive Action Comics No. 1 example that a collector will find at this price."

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