Minor league baseball cards from the past can include some weird stuff ... sometimes stuff you wouldn't imagine to be found on a baseball card. Here are some some new fun cards and oddities in this latest edition of MiLB Madness. 

IT'S NOT A '52, BUT ...
The Item: Ryan Mantle 2008 Grandstand Salem-Keizer Volcanoes Update
The Buzz On This: The last line of this card's "Ballpark Banter" gives away the show here -- he's the third cousin of Mickey Mantle -- and there have been a few Mantles to appear on cards beyond The Mick over the years. This one played two seasons of minor-league ball for three teams in that stretch and then 10 final games during his third season -- that one in the Frontier League. The final MiLB stats? Three homers and 38 RBI in 81 games while batting .269. Per Baseball Reference, he's among six relatives of the Hall of Famer to play pro baseball.

Keep reading for more examples of some weird or fun baseball cards you can find in MiLB.

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What's Buzzing: MLB chatter, Cam Smith is a big-leaguer now, Heritage High Number bots and more in today's edition.

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1 -- All your MLB chatter as we await Opening Day

2 -- Checking in on the March Madness thread

3 -- Still talking Heritage High Number ... and bots

4 -- New pulls are here

5  -- Talking checklists

6 -- Cam Smith makes the Astros

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Have you spotted a hot thread? Tell us about it in a comment or on Twitter.

Follow BlowoutBuzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz.

The condition of this ball says it all.

My latest addition to this Collecting Game-used series is again one that I found on the cheap -- less than the cost of a 2024 Bowman mega box -- but it's one that commands attention based on its look alone. That makes it a cool ball, too, but there's also an All-Star attached. (Admittedly, many game-used baseballs are near-anonymous ... not this time on either front.) Why did I grab it? Beyond the visuals, it's also a player I collect, Bo Bichette, though he's too pricey to command the cash I'd need for an ironclad MLB Authenticated game-used helmet, jersey or bat. That one reason baseballs like this can be a little more appealing -- it' a one-of-a-kind item with full ironclad authentication without breaking the bank.

Keep reading to see the details this time ... and the ball in action.

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A career first ... that's simply hard to pass up no matter who it is.

My latest ball in this Collecting Game-used series is one I found on the cheap -- well, at least cheaper than some retail mega boxes out there and not much more than some game-used mystery boxes -- and it was used for three pitches in The Show ... one from a routine out and then two to a rookie playing in just his second game as a big-leaguer.

Keep reading to see the details this time ... and the ball in action.

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Big name, small price ... I couldn't pass on that.

My latest item in this Collecting Game-used series is a little different than a lot of my buys when it comes to MLB Authenticated baseballs. Most times, I go the mystery-box route on the cheap with key dates or certain teams with players I like or collect among the likely possibilities, but this one was a straight-up buy -- still on the cheap -- recently. Why? That's because it was used for a pair of pitches from a newcomer on a World Series winner to one of the biggest names in the game today.

The price? Less than a retail mega box of whatever new card brand you like -- a certainty with this item this time vs. playing the possibilities of what might from packs. The possibility will get me often, but this time a game-used future Hall of Famer in my stash here works just fine with That Mike Trout Guy attached. (He good.)

Keep reading to see the details this time ... and the ball in action.

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With these Ticket Stud or Ticket Dud stories I'm turning just a tiny bit of that energy just a few degrees away from cards (we'll still have plenty of them here) for a different kind of cardboard. What am I doing? Simple ... this is an occasional dip into some random ticket lots -- a show and tell showing something small with a story.

This time? Some MLB games from this time of year that went undocumented ... and one that was reality.

Keep reading to see the details this time ... and tell me if you think it's a Ticket Stud or a Ticket Dud.

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With these Ticket Stud or Ticket Dud stories I'm turning just a tiny bit of that energy just a few degrees away from cards (we'll still have plenty of them here) for a different kind of cardboard. What am I doing? Simple ... this is an occasional dip into some random ticket lots -- a show and tell showing something small with a story.

This time? Four games from the phantom zone.

Keep reading to see the details this time ... and tell me if you think it's a Ticket Stud or a Ticket Dud.

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Group breaks have been a game-changer for the card industry for several years now and from time to time Buzz will jump into a BlowoutTV break of some type and break down the results of what he landed by picking up a team. There are near-daily breaks right here with Matt on Blowout TV during weekday working hours and even more from Houdini and others over on the forum in the evening.

Now, it's time for this post's break breakdown -- a spot in a 2023 Topps Series 1 mixer with big potential.

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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 ... and it's one of my biggest groupings ever.

RARER THAN RARE ...
The Book: Batman No. 457 -- second-print newsstand edition
The Reason Graded: This one is why you grade. Why? Well this book is more than obscure ... it's obscure on top of obscure with a pop report that shows that in a couple ways. I had this sitting in a junk box of books -- comics bagged in bulk with others taped shut in between a couple boards -- since the late 1990s with it having absolutely no thought in my mind for that time. When I opened up the bag, though, I remembered its cool cover -- that's why I saved it -- and in the here and now it's an example of how the grading world has changed a lot of stuff. It wasn't popular back in the day and that makes it more valuable (potentially) now. What is it? It's a second printing of a newsstand copy for an issue that had the debut of a key character, Tim Drake as Robin. The regular edition of this book has been graded almost 1,400 times -- actually still a modest number for the era -- but a newsstand copy is something else. And a second-printed newsstand copy? Nobody wanted that. How many could have even been made and how many went unsold or were trashed? There's some mystery there as with a lot of things but the pop report talks.
The Grade: CGC 9.8 (Universal)

Reality Check: Just four copies of the 78 graded have checked in at my mark -- not bad considering I got this in some Sears catalog mystery box with like 25 comics for $10 back in the early 1990s. It wasn't a really impressive buy at all at that time -- a lot of stuff that just wasn't appealing or was later printings and I'm betting some of them were pitched or given away. Nobody wanted that then. But now? The numbers game and speculation has people on eBay sellers challenging the market. A 9.6 -- with twice as many copies as this one in existence -- has an eBay asking price of ... well just see it for yourself. It's not alone, either, as a 8.5 checks in with an asking of $3,800, an 8.0 checks in at $3,500 and a 6.5 is $1,499. Other versions (first print direct and newsstand) are cheaper along with direct second prints as they've all got far higher pop reports. People like the easier versions a lot -- eBay highs as much as $255 but not for this one -- and who knows where the other three 9.8s might even be? What might mine command? I'm not sure ... but I know this is pretty solid potential for something that was pocket change from years ago. Again, this is why you grade.

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

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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: Justin Fields, scouting Black November deals, missing baseball, NFL chatter and more.

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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 Houston Astros win it all, Jeremy Pena arrived this postseason, some big blasters and all your Sunday NFL chatter in one spot.

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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: Jeremy Pena and the Houston Astros are a win away from winning it all, some good thoughts, two good questions and "PSA made me cry a little today."

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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: Some World Series history is made, checking on Cristian Javier cards, new pulls, new sets and celebrity autos.

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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: World Series opens with an extra-inning affair won by Philly, 2022 Topps Update, Rookie Card chatter, learning some things and more in this all-MLB edition.

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It may not happen, but Aaron Judge in a new uniform is a possibility Yankees fans should be ready for.

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 World Series is set, Tua is back, best 1980s MLB designs, new pulls, Christian McCaffrey and ... Aaron Judge on a new team?

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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: Christian McCaffrey heads to the 49ers, Yankees vs. Astros, college football, new pulls and an Adam Sandler baseball card movie?

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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: MLB Postseason match-ups, MLB's top prospect for 2023, NFL talk, AEW chaos and new pulls from collectors.

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If you want to collect 'em all, you'll have to hit an MLB team shop.

Topps and MLB Players Inc. revealed this morning that the 2022 Topps Players Clubhouse baseball card line, which will get a pack of cards into your hands if you buy at least $149 in "officially licensed MLB Players products displaying the MLB Players logo, in a single transaction, at this team store location" beginning on selected dates -- starting today -- while supplies last with a limit of one pack per person.

Packs will not be sold at the participating team shops, according to the announcement.

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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 Braves are a win away from taking the World Series, Austin Riley, NFL chatter and pulls, Ja'Marr Chase and more.

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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: Astros are World Series bound, pondering the NBA at 100, a big 1/1 Aoki Chrome soccer pull, inside a Star Trek case and more.

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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: New pulls, setting up in an antiques shop, MLB predictions and more 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: New WWE Chrome pulls, an NHL poll, NFL scandals, the Hall of Fame, cheaters and more.

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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: MLB's cheaters, talking 1981 Topps, MLB licensing and breaks, NFL scandals and more.

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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: Rays-Astros has them talking, taking on impossible tasks, big breaks and a question about unopened boxes from the past.

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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: Gerrit Cole chooses the Yankees and big pulls from MLB and NBA breaks rule the day.

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