Here's this month's roundup of items that have recently caught my eye as a buyer ...

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GOING FOR THE GOLD
The Card: Shotzi Blackheart 2022 Panini Select WWE Gold Wave Prizm (/10)
The Price: Around the price of a blaster box at arrival
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This brand is my favorite of the Panini years for WWE, and in the case of this star who I collect I have seemed to found her rarities on the affordable side at times with this release. This is a perfect example of that with it being one of the rarest parallels in there but it cost me not much more than the price of a retail box. It was arguably underpriced, so I grabbed it quickly when I spotted it. Will I grade it? It's a possibility, though this release's centering issues can create some surprises (that aren't totally surprises) as I found out with a different parallel of this card. Poke around in Making The Grade last month for an example.
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Here's this month's roundup of items that have recently caught my eye as a buyer ...

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'TIS THE SEASON
The Card: Rhea Ripley 2020 Topps Chrome WWE Refractor autographed Rookie Card parallel (BGS 9, 10 auto -- BAS & Fanatics Witnessed)
The Price: Less than a 2025 Topps Chrome WWE retail mega box these days
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: She's one of WWE's top stars and this was a key card at a somewhat-modest price considering it's a RC parallel with ink attached -- and it's fully graded, too. Sure, that's not the "Mami" mode/look of Ripley in the here and now -- her hair and look changed a lot while in NXT and early on -- but that different does reinforce "rookie" in a visual way along with that gear. I'm sure I have a copy of this card in my stash unsigned somewhere -- and I know I have a couple colors of her certified auto here -- but this was still an easy addition and an easy choice to lead things off this month. Why? Since it's Wrestlemania season (the big one is on April 19-20). Oh, and there might be (intentionally) a little more wrestling this time vs. my norm, too. Ripley has a lot of cardboard but is among the safest bets there is to grab bargains and stash them away. Why? She's only 28 and has been in the game more than a decade and there figures to be plenty more to come for her in WWE. Interestingly, this one is also graded and in the BGS pop report, so it could have led off Making The Grade this month. It's a pop-three card with one lower and one higher, a 9.5, with five total copies graded.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but WWE cards are here.

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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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THE FORCE WAS STRONG ... 
The Item: Daisy Ridley autographed Star Wars: The Force Awakens IMAX 3D ticket (/500) -- BAS Authenticated
The Price: Less than a couple Chrome boxes
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The next Star Wars film is in pre-production -- Star Wars: New Jedi Order coming in 2026 -- and it apparently pushes forward more than a decade from the last film with Rey Skywalker its main character. Hearing that much alone got me thinking I should really track down a Ridley auto now vs. later -- she has signed a lot but prices are perhaps softer now than they may have been in the past. Well, at least in theory ... she's seemingly always been expensive. So here we are. I had a few rules for looking here -- I wanted a full-name sig for sure, an on-card auto and a decent presence/feel for the item ... whether it be an item, an oversized photo or something else that might display a little better than merely a card. I wanted something clean and unique but also safe for a price that I'd stretch a little to get to since she's pricey. I opted for a seemingly Fanatics-adjacent seller where a number of big-ticket items reside without the massive prices that can come with those names and opted for this oversized commemorative ticket for an IMAX showing in Chicago -- only 500 numbered tickets made for each week of the promotion per location in late 2015 and early 2016 during its first run. I don't do a lot of tickets, but I liked the promotional twist and serial-numbered volume here (albeit it's only limited to 500 per venue) and then it being signed and encased gives it a nice feel in an oversized slab. This was substantially discounted by a third or maybe half of a typical price (they have a few) so I bit. Unsigned, it's not a pricey item but this felt cooler to me for its price than a lot of pricier certified auto cards.
Grab a box right here: Star Wars boxes at BlowoutCards.com

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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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I CAN'T LAND THE CARD, BUT ... THIS IS EVEN BETTER
The Item: Paige autographed 2012 FCW Summer Slamarama 12-by-18 promotional poster
The Price: Pricey ... but probably less than your new WWE hobby box
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: So, what is this? It's a piece of 2000s WWE history that ultimately would only surface regionally (in Florida) and is one of few collectible options for the company's developmental ranks in the years before NXT was on TV every week. Florida Championship Wrestling was NXT's predecessor with it being broadcast on regional TV only (and sometimes weeks after events happened ... not live). Meanwhile, many of today's current stars got their starts there with different names than you might know -- and the only "stuff" that might be found now for this summer in particular are a single in-demand (and counterfeited) card set, potential programs/magazines, tickets and maybe a calendar ... but FCW wasn't like NXT is now in a lot of ways. It wasn't uncommon for the stars of now to be taking money for tickets or helping the crowd members find their seats before a modest small-venue show. This is a large poster that uses a version of Paige's card from that set of the same name -- a pricey one that's eluded me due to price and the fakes (I'd only buy graded) -- and this auto is an early, full-letter signature unlike her few card autos. It came from a Florida-based collector who went to an FCW show on June 8, 2012, in Punta Gorda, Fla., and landed it at a signing to kick off the regional Summer Slamarama Tour that year ... and that was the first event. Supposedly only 300 fans per stop (while they lasted) got card sets -- that also shows why those are pricey (if they survived). This stop had six FCW stars in the set signing these posters and Paige is the biggest of them by far -- and she had only signed with WWE as an 19-year-old and made her FCW debut that January. How many of these are still around now? I have no idea ... but I've never seen another.
Grab a box right here: Land WWE stuff at BlowoutCards.com

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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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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.

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What: 2023 TRISTAR Signature Series Entertainment
Arrives: Sept. 8
Box basics: Five autographed memorabilia pieces per case
Pre-order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: TRISTAR's Signature Series line turns its focus to the entertainment world after a few years away with a release that includes a pretty good volume of items per case -- just 50 cases will be made -- and has plenty of star power to potentially be found.

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What: 2020 TRISTAR Signature Series Live Edition
Arrives: Sept. 9
Box basics: One autographed item per pack (eight packs per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: TRISTAR's Signature Series returns with just 80 eight-pack cases of authenticated autographed memorabilia with only oversized items being redemptions.

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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: 2019 Topps Garbage Pail Kids We Hate the '90s (hobby box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (when available)

Packs per box: 24
Cards per pack: 8
Cards in this box: 192
Base set completion: 
153 of 220 (70 percent)
Duplicates: 0

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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: 2019 Topps Garbage Pail Kids We Hate the '90s (hobby box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 24
Cards per pack: 8
Cards in this box: 192
Base set completion: 
153 of 220 (70 percent)
Duplicates: 0

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What: 2018 Leaf Autographed Jersey Multi-sport Edition
Arrives: January
Box basics: One autographed custom jersey per box (eight boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Leaf once again expands the collecting landscape for its newest autographed-jersey-in-a-box release with this one -- and it includes some team-signed and surprise inclusions once again.

Keep reading for more.

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A new year is almost here and Buzz has a few questions for you about your collecting habits.

Simply put, we want to know more about what you collect and here are 10 questions we hope you'll take a few minutes to answer.

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See the rest of the questions after the jump.

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In an interview with Dan Patrick this week, Kevin Costner said he'd be opening to reprising the role of Crash Davis in Bull Durham 2 if creator Ron Shelton was open to the idea and could draft the next chapter in the story of big-screen players that have become minor-league baseball icons.

But there's one cardboard icon in the real world who's partly responsible for the creation of the 1988 film in the first place.

He's Steve Dalkowski.

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Now that 2016 Topps Allen & Ginter has arrived, we get our second of the Kevin Costner autographed movie cards released by Topps this year.

While his Allen & Ginter card is not branded as a Field of Dreams card on the front, it does list (Ray) Kinsella as his name on the front. His 2016 Topps Archives card is clearly a Bull Durham card for the memorable Crash Davis character.

Both are memorable movies, which leads to a question of pure curiosity here ... which one would you want? Tell Buzz here on the poll or via Twitter.

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[polldaddy poll=9483080]

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

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

It's been nearly 30 years since the arrival of Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh and on Wednesday he gets his first baseball card in a fully licensed MLB release.

The set, of course, is 2016 Topps Archives and the star brought to life by Tim Robbins is just one of the Bull Durham cards to be found inside packs. In all, there will be nine certified autographs to chase and seven unsigned cards along with any parallels.

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Annie Savoy, Bobby, Crash Davis, Jimmy, Larry Hockett, Millie, Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh, Tony and Bull Durham creator Ron Shelton.

Those are the Durham autographs set to arrive in 2016 Topps Archives when it arrives on June 1, which is one week from today.

For those not familiar with the characters of the memorable baseball film, that's all of the main stars -- Susan Sarandon, Kevin Costner, Tim Robbins, Robert Wuhl, Jenny Robertson and a few others who helped bring the film to life.

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What: 2016 Leaf Pop Century Signed Photograph Edition
Arrives: Late June
Box basics: One autographed 8-by-10 photo per box (12 boxes per case)

What's buzz-worthy: Leaf's latest buyback product for pop culture arrives with certified autographed photos from the biggest names in Hollywood as well as big names from elsewhere.

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Call this week the calm before the storm.

There are just three brands on the schedule for release this week -- one football, one baseball, one gaming -- in advance of 11 coming next week.

For football fans, Panini America presents 2015 Donruss Signature Series, which includes four autographs per box. The base set consists of 400 signed cards and every box includes an autographed rookie jersey -- or a multi-auto booklet, which is found one per case.

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What: 2016 Topps Allen & Ginter baseball cards
Arrives: July 20
Box basics: Three hits in every 24-pack hobby box

What's buzz-worthy: "If you rip it, he will come" is a possible line here as Kevin Costner's character in Field of Dreams, Ray Kinsella, gets the movie-style nod on Costner's certified autographs. Other surprises in this one? Roman coin Relics ... otherwise the 2016 edition is much like the 10 past releases of this heavily collected retro-styled brand.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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Crash Davis finally makes it back to The Show -- at least in packs of baseball cards.

Topps teased one inclusion coming in its 2016 Topps Archives set on Tuesday morning and it's a Kevin Costner certified autograph in a Durham Bulls uniform -- you know, the team that took center stage in Bull Durham.

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If he signs it, they will come.

Leaf Trading Cards revealed on Friday that it has the first certified autographs of actor Kevin Costner found in packs of the upcoming 2015 Leaf Trinity baseball product.

Other than occasional cuts, he had never signed for a card company.

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