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 ... THE FINALE
The Lot: A mix of 50 assorted non-sport inserts and promo cards
The Price: $9.99

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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 ...

GRADE LIKE A BUTTERFLY ...
The Card: Muhammad Ali 2021 Topps Muhammad Ali The People's Champ Collection Black parallel (/56)
The Reason Graded: When I spotted this card (ungraded) at about the price of a blaster, I bit as that was a good number for a parallel from this set that was released week by week for a year on Topps' site. Since it was both a rarer parallel and, if you ask me, one of the better-looking cards in this retro-styled set with that exposure photo, I also opted to slab it. Why? Well that stock and color is a grading challenge -- but it was one I was willing to take as this one looked strong.
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: I was right and it graded actually better than I had hoped (I figured a 9.5)  making this a win atop of a win.

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

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What: 2024 TRISTAR Best Of All Time autographed memorabilia
Arrives: May 10
Box basics: Four autographed memorabilia pieces per case
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: TRISTAR dips into the autographed memorabilia realm with a crop that reflects its name -- only the best of all time are in play.

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

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First Card 1/1 error announcement via Topps on Feb. 27.

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: 2024 Topps has error 1/1s, one for NBA investors, Michael Jordan, spring training pumps and more.

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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 ... a lot of my usual suspects and some early spring cleaning as I've always got plenty of stuff lined up to appear here.

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AS YOU KNOW ... I BUY BO
The Card: Bo Bichette 2023 Topps Tribute Stamp of Approval Relics (/196)
The Price: $13
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: If you're a regular reader, then you know Bichette is in heavy rotation here and I sprung a little more than I might usually for a memorabilia card to grab one of these premium-brand Relics that has a little extra attached ... just to talk about it here. As you can see at right (click for a closer look if you need it) this piece comes from a jersey worn on May 21, 2021, that was then cut up and authenticated a second time -- for this exact piece -- that got its sticker on Sept. 1, 2022 ... all for you to know which specific game, event and season it came from. (Spoiler: Other game-used Relic items were stickered, too, they're just not noted on every card as some releases will inevitably have more than one item used, creating a logistics nightmare between cards printed and pieces available.) I don't mind these, but at the same time it's not necessary on every card as the time and organization that it requires isn't worth it for the cost for the company to do it all the time, it could cause even more errors, and it doesn't add much value -- you can find these with some interestingly low prices through the years.
Grab a box right here: MLB boxes at BlowoutCards.com

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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 ...

THERE WERE NO GUARANTEES ... BUT I'LL TAKE IT
The Card: Joe Namath 1973 Topps
The Reason Graded: It's almost Super Bowl time and while I don't really collect any of the names who are going to be in this year's big game, I do collect names who helped make the big game in the past ... and this freshly graded card is a big one in my eyes. It's Namath's final card made by Topps during his career and I found it raw on COMC with is razor-sharp everything -- especially compared to other copies out there -- and decided it was not only grab-worthy, it was also slab-worthy with centering and only one corner with lightness and color immensely minor spotting on the front being the only issues. This one looked very strong for a vintage card so I submitted it for immediate grading directly via COMC, too.
The Grade: CGC 7

Reality Check: I had visions of a higher grade, but the card backs here have dark ink and corners on the backs can be spotty ... and I think that's a reason this one graded lower than I had hoped. But, at the same time, it's a pop-six card with only five CGC 8s grading higher -- and nothing above that. That actually puts this card among the elite for graded copies of this one ... and that's not a bad thing with my total cost here under $30. (The slight spot on the bottom left corner of the card bugged me ... until I realized it's some funk on the surface of the plastic slab, not the card or inside the slab. That's something I hadn't run into with CGC's generally crystal clear and clean slabs.)

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

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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 ...

A FIRST FOR ME ...
The Card: Bo Bichette 2022 Topps Chrome Logofractor Edition Blue Refractor (/150)
The Reason Graded: If you're a regular reader, then you know that Bichette is perhaps my leading active player who I collect (casually ... as he's expensive). That means I dabble merely with what I like, what's a bargain and so on. In some cases, I'll grab a striking color of parallel or an appropriate shade from a certain brand that stands out from the rest and this Blue parallel fits right there along with this being a Logofractor parallel. Why did I grab this and then slab it? Well, the price was right (under $10 during the season) and it was one of few centered copies I saw and it was one that avoided a possible pattern gap in the logos that seemed to land on his cards often. When I grabbed this, it also became my first COMC pick-up to go directly to CGC for grading while all in their hands rather than starting out in mine.
The Grade: CSG 10

Reality Check: It came back with an ideal mark, which is what I had hoped for, though you never know with surfaces of cards ... that's about the only big risk of buying/subbing stuff there at the moment other than corners, which should be a smidge more obvious on screen -- but not always. My total cost for card and grading here? Under $24 and it only took about a month to get it back. That's a move I've actually done a few times late last year as my goal of sending in some new stuff for slabbing didn't happen on the card side of things before 2023 had ended. There will be plenty more in 2024 -- cards, comics, coins magazines ... and more.

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

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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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THIS SET IS A CLASSIC
The Card: Tua Tagovailoa 2023 Panini Luminance Gold (/250)
The Price: About $5.50
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This set was among many recent NFL releases on the high-end spectrum when it comes to box price, so, well, I'm not ripping it ... but when this one popped up in an online search I did some scrolling and I quickly realized that this set just might be one of the best photo-editing jobs done in all of modern football card history (view a lot of them here). I scouted listings and opted for this clean parallel of a top guy in the NFL this season and this one arrived so clean that there's a very good shot this will end up slabbed and in a future Making The Grade ... that's how much I like this card. The base set is full of strong images. Strong, strong images.
Grab a box right here: Grab a box by clicking here

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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 stars, a Connor Bedard sighting, new pulls, an NBA Mount Rushmore, grading Star Michael Jordan cards, NFL Week 7 and TacoFractors.

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What: 2023-24 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Autographed Basketballs Season Edition
Arrives: Dec. 8
Box basics: One autographed basketball per box (four boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: TRISTAR's Hidden Treasures line takes to the court for a second time this year with some legendary ink to be found -- the biggest names in the game past and present -- and plenty of other stars, too.

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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: An impressive Heritage case, NFL chatter, PMGs in wrestling, a big NBA story and more.

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They're not the biggest boxes when it comes to their price -- but they're definitely packing a lot more than a Happy Meal.

In fact, with some luck when it comes to the 2022 Topps Chrome McDonald's All-American basketball boxes, you can feast with some of the first cardboard for a number of newly drafted NBA players, some likely future picks and even potential WNBA talent a little further down the line. (They have different draft rules so players can't be picked out of high school.)

A dozen players in this release were NBA Draft picks this year -- seven of those among the Top 20 -- and others who weren't are still active in the college ranks, transferred or are waiting on the draft due to injury. While it appears that only three players on the men's squad that year are not on cards in this release, there's still plenty to be found and a lot of it with big-dollar potential thanks to it being Chrome, and, of course, there being plenty of parallels to chase as well as autographs.

Brandon Miller, for example, was taken by the Charlotte Hornets with the No. 2 pick in this year's draft after a dominating season at Alabama and he appears on more than 70 cards in this release with a dozen certified autograph cards. Gameday Autographs in this one are traditional-stock on-card autos signed by players at the prep All-Star event, while the rest of the cards are Chromes and all parallels are numbered to 99 copies or less. Atop ink, there's a 100-card base set (some players are on the checklist more than once) and then photo variations for 10 notables, four insert sets packed with top names and then the ink. A lot of those versions of both base Chrome and autographs are found in both hobby boxes (a sure thing for ink) and then in blasters, too, with the ink flowing a little less easily -- but still in there .

While Bronny James' cardboard debut in the 2023 set to come soon undoubtedly will be a monster, this one is packed with a lot of break-out potential beyond just one headling-making big name. Heck, this one might have been passed over by many when James wasn't in there (he shouldn't have been, but it arrived around this year's event) -- but the roster is there for this marquee event. It's one that has seen legends such as Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant suit up in the past (but without cards in their era) and then cards in limited volumes in the early 2000s for stars such as Kevin Durant, James Harden and Chris Paul. (WNBA stars have been in there, too, but few on cards.) The combination of talent here without a monster price tag at the moment -- plus it being Chrome -- makes this one with relatively fertile potential in both the short-term -- and longer -- without breaking the bank like high-end NBA releases might.

Keep reading for more on who else is in this one as well as a rundown of where they are now.

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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: That Ja Morant cameo card has others, new pulls, eBay Authentication blunders, lawsuit reactions and more.

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What: 2023 Super Break Supercharged Series 3
Arrives: Sept. 18
Box basics: Three items per box (five boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Super Break offers up a third version of a memorabilia vault type of offering this year with some of the biggest names in the game (all sports) and other notables from pop culture and elsewhere all possible -- "GOATs, GOATs and more GOATs," according to the company.

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What: 2023 Historic Autographs Flight trading cards
Arrives: July 19
Box basics: One hit per 12-pack box (20 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Historic Autographs' latest wide-in-scope look at history and pop culture is one that will take collectors from the 15th century all the way to modern times with the various icons of the sky and beyond all in play.

Keep reading for more information.

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What: 2023 Leaf Three Point Play Basketball
Arrives: June 30
Box basics: One signed basketball and two other basketball boxes per box (three boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: This one meshes memorabilia with boxes jam-packed with autographed cards all in one spot with some legends of the game among them.

Keep reading for more info and images.

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What: 2023 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Autographed Basketball Jerseys
Arrives: June 14
Box basics: One autographed basketball jersey per box (five boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: TRISTAR's Hidden Treasures line hits the hardwood for another year with some of the biggest stars in the history of the game involved as either standard jerseys or as the big chase.

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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, NBA Playoffs begin, Michael Jordan cards, a vintage question 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: NFL chatter, MLB pulls, a spring training name to watch, Michael Jordan and more in this one.

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What: 2022-23 Leaf Autographed Jersey Basketball Edition
Arrives: April 28
Box basics: One autographed custom jersey per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: A new batch of signed basketball jerseys is headed into collectors' hands via a blind-box release that includes stars from the past and present -- and some of the biggest in the game.

Keep reading for more.

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Sure, today and this week is about the newest of the new in 2023 Topps, but Wheatland Auction Services has some of the biggest of the big cards up for grabs in an auction ending on Sunday.

Everything from iconic Hall of Famer tobacco cards like Ty Cobb above -- a card presently at $7,500 -- to slabbed Rookie Cards of the Super Bowl QBs, Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts are all presently on the auction block beginning at just $5 with the sale ending this Sunday evening (7 p.m. Eastern).

Keep reading for a look at some of the pieces and details on even more that's up for grabs -- cards, lots, memorabilia and more -- via the Lancaster, Pa.-based company.

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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: Eagles and Chiefs advance in NFL Postseason, 2023 Topps reactions and more in this Sunday 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: Fun with Photoshop, new MLB pulls and chatter, painful NFL retirements and new NFL pulls and ... eBay Bucks still exist?

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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: Jacob deGrom heads to Texas, more MLB chatter, Zion Williamson, showing off Michael Jordan cards and more.

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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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