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 ...

LEGENDARY INK
The Card: Undertaker 2022 Panini Revolution WWE Sunburst Autographs (/99)
The Reason Graded: This cost me less than what two boxes would have when I bought it raw -- and then I submitted it to grade after seeing that some typical problem spots for cards from this brand weren't really issues. (In my view, the back corners and edges can be funky for both years.) Why grab this? Undertaker was not a regular signer for a long time and even when has signed cards in recent years he's been more limited since his signing fees are always high -- seemingly far higher than others -- based on public signing prices. I have his ink on a few items sold direct from WWE in the past, but I hadn't rally bothered with anything for cards and figured this could make for a nice slab -- even with sticker ink -- as the photo is as iconic as it gets for a legendary character in WWE history. This would be a perfect kind of auto card if it had an on-card sig ... and it's still not far off as it is with that photo. It's also a perhaps-overlooked brand in the Panini WWE portfolio.
The Grade: CGC 9

Reality Check: A nine I'm fine with -- so no worries here -- but anything less than that I would have been kind of mad at myself for trying it. Why? Generally, I don't like pricey surprises with grading, so I don't slab as much ink as I should as I own plenty of them raw. I need to do more slabs like this, but a miss on cheaper, oddball cards that are interesting aren't as risky in my book.

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

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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 ... and this time around it's a little bit of everything.

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ALREADY A STAR ... 
The Item: Jahmyr Gibbs autographed 16-by-20 photo (Fanatics Authentic)
The Price: Under $40
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This guy has a number of autographed cards already thanks to NIL deals, but to me they're often on the wrong team as he transferred to the Alabama Crimson Tide just this season after two years at Georgia Tech. Atop that, his autograph isn't the flashiest thing out there so that's one reason sticker autos might not appeal ... but when I saw this signed photo for the size and price? Well, I bit -- and it's a really good photo for college merch. He's rushed for 850 yards and seven TDs so far this year and added 42 catches for 378 yards and three more TDs on a team where, well, at times he's been the beast on the ground this year. His next stop? Likely the NFL -- he's popped up as a late first-round or early second-round guy in some quick searches -- though I'm not buying to scout. I just wanted his ink in my stash and this one will go alongside a few other larger-format college photos I've stacked up in the last few years. Depending on where he goes, autographed Rookie Cards should easily top this price. It also helped that I had some sales discount rewards in play, so I paid less than the $40 it had been going for. For me, this one was a win ... and, again, I really like this photo.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... but football boxes are here

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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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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HISTORIC INK 
The Card: Rachel Balkovec 2022 Topps Now MiLB Autographs (/99)
The Price: Around $10 (since I had discount rewards piled up) via Topps.com
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This autographed card was a first for Topps Now this year -- some minor-league cardboard -- since as you can see she was a bit of a history-maker in MiLB and baseball in general. Topps Now cards have had delays at times this year with stock shortages and this one was actually initially scheduled to arrive much later this year but it looks like the signing came together faster than expected. I believe this is my first Topps Now auto in my stash. Why? Cost is always a factor -- most are too much for me to bother looking -- but in this case it was about as low as it gets and then I snuck in toward the end of the line and added this on the cheap with rewards points from buys.
Grab a box right here: No boxes for this one ... but MiLB boxes are here.

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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 it's deep -- but also one of the pricier overall roundups I've done. 

BATTING LEAD-OFF ...
The Card: Roger Maris 2005 Playoff Absolute Memorabilia Tools of the Trade Reverse Blue Single Materials (/50)
The Price: $30
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Most of my pick-ups for this series are more personal collection buys meaning a lot of them might not have a ton of mainstream appeal to all of you but I'll let a legend bat lead-off here once again with a simple piece of cardboard. This brand was one that had a ton of highlights in it for game-used memorabilia fans when it arrived at the end of the Donruss/Playoff years and it delivered a ton for roughly $40 a pack back then if I remember correctly. This one was the home of legendary memorabilia cards from Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and many more and I have pulled or picked up many of them though the years. One player I pick up regularly if the price is right is Maris and this one fits that bill. It's not a perfectly designed card (His legs ... what's up there?) but the brand has so many variations and so many cards.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... but newer MLB boxes are here.

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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 it's a super-sized edition with buys from last year as well as some from recent weeks.

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THE RAMS & PRIME TIME
The Card: Joe Namath & Sam Bradford 2011 Panini Certified Fabric of the Game Combos Prime (/25)
The Price: $27.75
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is one of only a few Joe Namath memorabilia cards from his career-capping 1977 season with the Los Angeles Rams -- and it's on the rarer side of things as a prime patch card along with another notable past QB for the team who people had tapped for Super Bowl stardom. I figured I'd have this one lead off this time as the Rams are in the Super Bowl on Sunday and, to me, this is a Super Bowl-caliber card on the cheaper side of things. It's a part of my school ties part of my stash ... Namath Rams jersey cards are always worth the look in my book.
Grab a box right here: 2011 Panini Certified NFL

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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