What: 2023 Pieces of the Past Art & Music Edition
Arrives: January 2023
Box basics: Two hits per four-pack box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Pieces of the Past once focuses on pop culture with a celebration of artwork from the past and then the names and faces of music and more among more recent years in both cuts, original artwork and more.

Keep reading for more info and a selection of images.

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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: 2021 Gummy Arts trading cards (two packs)
Where to buy: Right here (when available)

What's this? Keep reading to see what was found in two packs of this one ...

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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 ...

The Card: Kobe Bryant 1996-97 Upper Deck #58 Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: I actually bought this card more than a year ago and thought I had it waiting in my stash of cards to present here at some point but, after doing some searching, realized that I never took a photo of this iconic 1990s card and it had been waiting for its time to appear. Unfortunately, we know why this NBA legend has been on the minds of many sports fans out there this week so here we are. I picked up this Rookie Card back then since it was a decent grade for a decent price -- just $9 -- and I didn't ever pull one way back when. It doesn't have any obvious flaws on the front, so it looks much better than its grade, too. (Sub-grades on the back of this slab are all 9 or higher except for an 8.5 on corners and one corner shows why.) The shocking news of this week has created a frenzy of interest for Bryant's RCs and autographs -- and a card in this same grade (not an elite grade, really) sold for $200. Mine will remain in my stash.
The Grade: BGS 9

Reality Check: The pop report on this card is a lot stiffer than I had expected with this being the most-common grade and fewer than 600 checking in higher. I had expected there to be more but I suspect the pop reports on this card could change a lot in the coming months -- and it will be interesting to see if any ever reach BGS Black status. Bryant has a number of RCs -- more than 20 -- and this one is unique in that it doesn't show him in his Lakers uniform. The debate as to whether Bryant's cards will hold values in comparison to what people are paying right now is an interesting one over on the Blowout Forums where there are a number of discussions. I think this is a scenario that may defy common collecting logic -- I'd think that anything is possible in this case and there are a lot of buyers right now who will pick up cards and stash them away forever, leaving a smaller volume of stuff available for everyday collectors to grab on eBay and other market hot spots. Finding unopened boxes won't be an option for a lot of his Rookie Cards that people want to track down, either.

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

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What: 2017 Topps Garbage Pail Kids Battle of the Bands trading cards
Arrives: Oct. 18
Box basics: One hit per Hobby Collector box (eight boxes per case)

What's buzz-worthy: This batch of Garbage Pail Kids will rock when it arrives packing parody takes on stars of the music world as well as remakes of iconic album covers.

Keep reading for more as well as a full gallery of images.

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Vintage concert posters can be big, big business with iconic artists' psychedelic promotions of the 1960s a particular focus for many.

CGC, which is known for grading comic books, also grades concert posters, handbills and postcards, helping collectors weed out bad examples of posters and helps show the elite pieces on a 10-point scale.

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