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 ...

--

MORE LIKE TOPANGA NOW
The Cards: Danielle Fishel 2023 Topps Now 10-pack (/4,993)
The Price: Bundle price from Topps
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is among the newer pick-ups for me from Topps this year -- there have not been that many, really -- but the novelty of this one got me to bite on some Topps Now hoping for maybe landing a parallel and something that might draw an elite grade. I got nothing on the parallel front and, well, maybe one of this 10 might be slab-worthy at some point ... but this one was not cleanly made (at least in my batch) with some corner issues and surface spots (lower left side most often). That made this not as fun as I had hoped but I did it anyway as I missed on the auto packs that were reasonably priced -- I would have bought one had I not missed the drop -- and those who have landed unsigned parallels are asking prices that are even higher than what ink cost ... so this one's novelty appeal is strong -- for now. Hopefully, more unusual cards will show up among Topps Now offerings in the coming weeks and months. Novelty Now will get my attention as stuff that's different and unique will have more appeal in the long-term than some might think. I still think a single auto (or maybe a low-volume auto parallel) mixed into regular Topps Now orders could draw more buys, too.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one but 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 ...

--

THANKS TO OLD EL PASO ... 
The Card: Shotzi Blackheart autographed 2021 Topps Chrome WWE card (Fanatics witnessed)
The Price: $18.13 shipped (after $50 off promo)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: If you hit that link above and follow the instructions on the can when you hit a grocery store, you should be able to land a code for $50 off your order over yonder and it should be good on anything. While I pondered using this on some other things, I went back to my collecting well for a simple item that I would probably not buy at its original price as it's an aftermarket signed card but one that was witnessed and then slabbed and it says so right there on the label, which I like. It's not the best card per se for an added auto and her certified auto from this set can probably be found for less than this card's original price ... but for the delivery price here I didn't mind it. Plus, I made some tacos. I opted to stick closer to one of my collection cores with more Shotzi ink ... and as you'll see in the rest of this edition I'm still all over the place -- this is a Buzz Buys with some oddball and interesting pick-ups for this collector these days.
Grab a box right here: Chase the certified version in packs here

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

Continue reading →

Fast Five is a quick list that might offer a basic starting point for a themed collection or new focus -- five things that could be fun for a beginner or a new way to add something to your stash if you're a grizzled veteran.

This time? Five past movies Buzz wants to see on card sets. New Oscar nominations? No need for me -- I'm not sure I have seen any of the movies up for honors this year. I'm too busy Buzzing with cardboard but I can do a film twist here today. How about some films that I'd want to see on cardboard? I can totally do that ... though it's not easily said and done for card companies to do so with licensing costs and the reality that sets need autographs today -- so Hollywood A-lister ink is a big obstacle.

NEED THIS ONE IN WIDEVISION ...
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Remember the days when Topps took its "tallboy" card size and flipped it sideways to show off widescreen scenes from Star Wars movies? Fury Road is one of those kinds of movies where landscapes and dramatic visuals would make for some cool cards. Among the cast members are some big names then and some names that are perhaps bigger now, too. Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Zoë Kravitz, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Riley Keough are of note here. (If you don't know some of them, Google them.) You have seen some of them elsewhere on cardboard already but this one would be far about more than just ink. It's not my flashiest pick here but it's the newest film from my top-of-my-head list ... you know, a fast five.

Keep reading for four more.

Continue reading →

If you want to see how different Topps' Allen & Ginter baseball card set is, all you have to do is look at the checklist set scroll down to card No. 18.

"Bullpen car."

That's just one of the surprises in the 2018 edition of the retro-styled brand that's been revived since 2006 with 1880s stylings that include not only baseball stars but "World's Champions" in other sports and beyond.

Continue reading →

Although the MLB Network has its share of Hall of Famers like John Smoltz, "Rookie Cards" for some of the other names who bring you the highlights begin arriving on Feb. 1 in packs of 2017 Topps Series 1 baseball cards.

A 10-card release begins a set that will continue in Series 2 and Update later this year and this series will include Lauren Shehadi (RC), Kevin Millar, Mike Lowell, Greg Amsinger (RC), Ryan Dempster, Sean Casey, Harold Reynolds, Dan Plesac and Smoltz as well as an MLB Tonight card.

A number of that crew's members already have cards as players (click to view a Buzz archives piece) -- but there will be several debuts in the forthcoming releases. Meanwhile, a number of them haven't had many autographs and all nine found in Series 1 will have ink.

Continue reading →

When Topps' First Pitch insert cards arrived in 2015 Topps Series 1 earlier this year, they got collectors buzzing with the first MLB-approved cardboard of a few big-name celebrities.

The same happened for Series 2, but when the company released it's 5x7 version of the entire set late this summer -- a set only initially sold on Topps.com -- it snuck in five more celebs, making the total jumbo release 30 cards.

Continue reading →