Like many collectors, Buzz is a fan of grading ... so here's this month's grading diary.

TOUGH ONE?
The Card: Bo Bichette 2022 Topps Heritage image variation (found in Heritage High Number packs)
The Reason Graded: Some of you might wonder why this card is in the lead slot this month since it's a simple image variation -- but a great one -- from a brand that's not quite as pricey as it used to be. (At least for singles ... you can find this for about $2 or less.) But, finding one of these that will get a high (real) grade? Not so much. The centering can always be a bear here but that's not the constant problem spot. It's the backs of these that use full-bleed black ink where cards that may look flawless on the fronts are often demolished when it comes to those those back edges.
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: This one? It still has a some minor spotting -- that's why it's not a perfect 10 -- but it's way better than every other one I've seen and that's why I subbed this after I found it raw. Why? That front is pretty much a perfectly crafted design and I definitely don't mind retro-styled sets like this one -- I call it the old-guy flagship set as it is for me vs. basic Topps. The stuff feels more sturdy with its stock and printing -- I'm not sure I trust foilboard to age that well, either -- but the trade-off is that Heritage is harder to grade and land those higher marks. In all ways, this one is a win for me, a Bichette collector, and that's why he's batting lead-off. (It also doesn't hurt he's starting to warm up on the field this season.)

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: 2023 Leaf Metal Pop Century 1/1 Pre-Production Proofs
Where to buy: Click here (when available)

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

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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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THERE'S ALWAYS TIME FOR TIFF
The Card: Tiffany Stratton 2024 Panini Instant WWE Red-White-Blue Autograph (/10)
The Price: $49.99 via Panini Instant
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This was an instant buy for me for that price and I suspect that future autos for this rising WWE star will cost more when they happen again via Instant based on asking and sale prices over on eBay that are far higher. (And because Panini has charged more for names who aren't as popular.) It's not a perfect card with the auto running off the sticker to a small degree here (though others I saw were worse with that being part of the "T") but that doesn't matter to me much with this being a personal collection addition. The only question is whether I'll slab it or not and I'm leaning toward no as I don't want any surprises on a solid card. With this victory, she got a title match anywhere and at any time, so this is a key moment upon that rocketship ride to the top as she only started wrestling in any capacity in late 2021 and already has all the skills to pay the bills. (Here's one match to see.) There will be more Strattons to come here as long as the prices don't get too crazy.
Grab a box right here: Not for this ... WWE cards 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 ... and this time around there's some traditional stuff and some odd stuff.

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CHECK IT OUT ... 
The Item: Pro Football Hall of Famer Deacon Jones autographed 1984 Warner Bros. payroll check
The Price: Less than a blaster box
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I haven't ever really dabbled with signed/canceled checks except for a few school ties names (Roll Tide!) who don't have a lot of stuff and where other items are pricey. One example? Former Yankees broadcaster Mel Allen ... a signed ball can be expensive but a signed check is still pricey but not as bad. In this case, I stumbled upon this check during a curiosity dive online and it seemed unique -- a Warner Bros. studio payroll check (pre-printed signatures on the front) made out to and signed by a Pro Football Hall of Famer on the back. The amount isn't massive, so I figured it was probably a royalty payment for some TV show appearance or movie re-run and he had a few in films and spots as himself on TV through the years. I wish I could figure it out, but IMDb only had an appearance on Super Bloopers and Practical Jokes in 1984 and an appearance on The Fall Guy in 1983 with other past projects also possible. (I didn't do a deep dive on figuring out who owned what for studio/network properties back then ... but it's probably do-able.) What do I know? This is something different compared to a lot of the stuff out there signed by "The Secretary of Defense."
Grab a box right here: None for this ... but NFL boxes are here.

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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Buzz buys a lot of stuff these days and for a few reasons, really. Sometimes it's just bargain-hunting, sometimes it's just something that strikes me. And other times it's a lot -- a group of things -- and that has happened enough lately I figured I'd try something different as a regularly appearing item. Sometimes my lots will be wins, sometimes they won't be ... but I'll let you decide. 

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A MYSTERY MIX PART II
The Lot: A mix of 50 assorted non-sport promo cards (and some inserts, too)
The Price: $9.99

Keep reading for more on this one ...

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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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ONLY 40 MORE OUT THERE ... 
The Cards: Rhea Ripley 2020 Topps Transcendent WWE (/50) -- Rookie Card
The Price: More than I'll admit
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Not all 10 of these are totally new pick-ups -- I showed off five of them awhile back right here in this series -- but with this run of super-premium RCs I wanted to show them off all together. It's not often that I have been able to track down 20 percent of a print run -- especially in a brand that carried such a massive price tag -- or, well, really even tried except for maybe my PC player. But, last year I made an effort to start amassing them and I'm not done yet. How many more might I grab? Depends on availability and price -- I can think of four I have missed on recently but things could slow here as I'm not going to overpay more than I did to get this far. If you don't know, Ripley is the new Smackdown women's champ after a classic win over Charlotte Flair at Mania and could be the title-holder on both shows at some point ... and since she's young she's got plenty of time to do even more in WWE barring any injuries. Her 2020 Rookie Cards and autographs should be worth a look ... raw or slabbed.
Grab a box right here: BlowoutCards.com for other WWE cards

Keep reading for 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: Celebrity ink and non-sports chatter, World Baseball Classic updates, hobby pet peeves, Corbin Carroll and more.

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What: 2022 Break King Non-sport Premium Edition
Arrives: June 10
Box basics: Two buybacks -- two autos or one auto and one sketch/other -- per box (three boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Break King looks to the icons of the non-sports realm for a buyback release that will be nearly all about ink but work in some original artwork at times, too.

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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 DEMAND FOR UNSIGNED EARLY RARITIES?
The Item: Drew Brees 2000 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity parallel XRC (/30) BGS 8.5
The Price: $4,960 Buy-It-Now (or best offer)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The NFL's new all-time passing yards leader is here and his key first autos have some insane asking prices (see link below) but there are a few other cards that can be surprising out there, too. Why? They're low-volume and the wax is nowhere to be found now -- and there's that Tom Brady guy not helping in 2000 -- but this one is even more complicated. It's a card that was issued via redemption and this one is an interesting card as it's from the year before Brees' Rookie Cards -- and it's a foilboard parallel (hence that scan) limited to only 30 copies. That asking price seems lofty but only four of the 30 have been slabbed by BGS and only one has graded higher (a BGS 9). You won't find one graded higher and you may not find one at all otherwise ... so, is it worth the big price tag? Maybe if you're a diehard Brees fan who hasn't found one yet or if you think there's big potential in other rarities from this era that could appreciate big in the future. (Remember, there's no back stock of volume boxes walking through that door for new cars to be found unlike the being-revisited boxes of the 1980s and 1990s that can still be found easily. And, again, this one is a redemption.) Buzz actually owns one of the three other cards so seeing this one out there at that price was a shocker -- I'm definitely going to keep my eyes on this one.
Similar Pieces: Other Drew Brees autos on eBay
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for NFL boxes

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

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If it's been a while since you last visited a comic book shop, there are a few reasons you might want to this weekend.

There are 50 of them potentially up for grabs for free as part of Free Comic Book Day, an annual event to reward regular visitors and get others back into the fold.

It's set for this Saturday at participating shops who'll have a lineup of books available that are all made for this event.

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One of the most-iconic names in film history -- a character brought to life via several actors in decades of films -- is hitting toy stores in a new way soon.

It's James Bond.

Funko revealed on Monday its plans for the first wave of Pop! Movies toys for two Bonds and a number of memorable characters from the film legacy of the British Secret Service star known as 007.

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KISS and Vampirella -- seems like an unusual yet still natural crossover, right?

That's just one of the comic books arriving this month -- this one specifically today -- via Dynamite Entertainment, a Mt. Laurel, N.J.-based publisher that has a tie to something beyond the typical realm of comic book characters.

KISS/Vampirella arrives with six different covers for issue No. 1 -- all seen in a gallery below along with a sketch cover -- and that's a common trait for other series from Dynamite, many of which come with ties to movies, video games, famous book and comic strip characters, Internet stars and more.

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Bond, James Bond is gone.

Roger Moore who played Britain's iconic spy in seven 007 films died Tuesday after a "short but brave battle with cancer," according to his family. He was 89. Moore had a lengthy film career and took on the Bond role in 1973's Live and Let Die. He continued in the spot until 1985 and was the longest-running actor of the six who have played the character.

“Being eternally known as Bond has no downside,” Moore told The Guardian. “People often call me ‘Mr Bond’ when we’re out and I don’t mind a bit. Why would I?”

And it's because of that role that collectors have a number of certified autographs of him to chase today.

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What: 2017 Rittenhouse James Bond Archives - The Final Edition
Arrives: May 24
Box basics: Two autographs per 24-pack box (12 boxes per case)

What's buzz-worthy: James Bond gets another run on cardboard but includes something pretty big and pretty notable -- Sean Connery cut autographs -- that are a first but only found in the rare Archive Boxes.

Keep reading for more.

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Younger collectors may not know it, but there was a time when Topps published comic books and magazines

And that time is back with the first issue of Garbage Pail Kids issue No. 1 -- "The Worst of 2016" -- which is being sold only initially via Topps.com. The books are $19.99 with a pair of stickers (Grim Jim and Nervous Rex) also included. A discount is available for those buying five copies of the book. It will be printed to order just like its other recent online GPK releases, according to the company's site.

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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: 2008 Donruss Americana Celebrity Cuts
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 1
Cards per pack: 6
Cards in this box: 6
Base set completion: 
3 of 100 (3 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Base cards (3) – Ashley Judd, John Wooden, Ron Howard

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What: 2016 Rittenhouse James Bond Archives: Spectre Edition trading cards
Arrives: Nov. 16
Box basics: Two autographed cards per 24-pack box with some boxes also including memorabilia cards

What's buzz-worthy: The James Bond universe's newest movie gets cardboard treatment with members of the Spectre cast woven in with stars from past films.

Keep reading for more. We'll have a full gallery of images here soon.

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What: 2016 Rittenhouse James Bond 007 Classics trading cards
Arrives: April 27
Box basics: Two autographed cards per 24-pack box with some boxes also including memorabilia cards

What's buzz-worthy: The James Bond universe gets chronicled in Rittenhouse's second release of 2016 with a 72-card base set that revisits The World is Not Enough starring Pierce Brosnan along with several inserts and a deep autograph checklist.

Keep reading for more. We'll have a full gallery of images here soon.

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The newest James Bond movie, Spectre, arrives in theaters today with the latest in silky smooth suits, fast cars, creative-but-lethal technology, big villains and everything else one has come to expect from the series that began back in 1962 and has spawned 24 movies since.

While there haven't been quite as many Bond trading card sets, there have been plenty of interesting cards created by Rittenhouse Archives though the past few years with many of the incarnations of Bond reflected on autographs, memorabilia cards and standard releases that even the most-casual of Bond fan could appreciate.

Check out the trailer for the film above and keep reading for our choice of five James Bond trading cards that are worth a look.

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