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: 2018 Donruss Optic baseball cards (Mega Box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 10
Cards per pack: 4
Cards per box: 40
Set completion: 
10 of 100 (10 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Base cards – Mickey Mantle, Frank Thomas, Jose Altuve, Francisco Lindor, Nolan Arenado, Manuel Margot, Chris Archer, Jonathan Gray, Yadier Molina, Brian Dozier

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Times have changed a ton when it comes to collecting -- even in the last 10 years -- but a new mailday that just arrived included something I hadn't seen before in years of collecting

Sealed packs -- specifically some old mis-wraps of an old premium brand -- as box filler instead of packing peanuts.

Now, that might be common here and there in small instances -- especially for some especially unworthy-of-opening years like 1991 Fleer -- but this time? Well, it was just a little different.

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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 Today: Nothing but breaks and a couple of opinion-heavy threads make up today's 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 Today: Houston Astros cheating chatter, NFL breaks, 2020 Topps hauls, Optic and Revolution NBA highlights and comic books in today's edition.

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We're just a week away from the arrival of 2020 Topps Heritage baseball cards and one sign that the wait is almost over is this new development released just today.

We've got the checklist.

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Sometimes, it's just dumb luck.

That's the lesson of this month's Collecting Game-used item. In short, this baseball had been sitting on my desk a while now -- I picked it up via a grab bag/mystery box via Fanatics for a cheap price (less than two blasters) -- and figured I'd finally do a photo check for the players noted on its MLB Authentication.

It had three names attached but none that made me really want to go look -- the downside of a mystery box -- but it turned out to be a jaw-dropper thanks to details mentioned in info from the photographer who's noted above. This swing from Wilmer Difo came in the eighth inning -- his only swing of the at-bat -- that made this one a match.

You can keep reading to see the full details ... and the ball in action.

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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: 2020 Topps Series 1 baseball cards 
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (a few formats)
First Buzz preview with checklist/SPs/more: Click here

Cards per pack: 67
Base set completion: 
57 of 350 (16 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bryce Harper, Francisco Lindor, Mike Soroka, Washington Nationals team card

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

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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 Today: Zion Williamson thrills, Brett Gardner has a fan, a loaded MLB box and the Houston Astros still cheated.

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The newest Topps On Demand set of the year is here and it's one that carries with it a dramatic and nearly colorless look at Major League Baseball.

It's the 2020 Topps MLB Black & White and it includes a 75-card base set and more

Packs of this one are $60 and include a one-in-two chance at an autograph with 25 base cards and five parallels/inserts also inside when bought directly via Topps.com. The format is the same as it was for this one last year.

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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 Today: Ryan Newman, Lou Whitaker, AEW chatter, big breaks and a meandering NBA/NFL thread.

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What: 2020 Panini Select baseball cards
Arrives: April 15
Box basics: Two autographs and two memorabilia cards per 12-pack hobby box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Select returns as a standalone release after some time as a Chronicles inclusion with a lineup of tiered cards, parallels and hits all in varying colors and parallel textures.

Keep reading for a gallery and more info.

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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 Today: Houston Astros cheating chatter, Bo Bichette, Cody Bellinger, big NBA and MLB pulls and an oldschool repack that brings back some memories.

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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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BIG INK
The Card: Mark McGwire 2017 Topps Tier One Tier One Autographs (/30)
The Price: $45.75
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: For years, my only Mark McGwire autograph was one on a somewhat average-condition Oakland A's World Series team-signed ball that I found in an unusual way and got via a trade. (In short, it was sitting in a mug on co-worker's desk. He didn't know what team it was ... it was just his dad's ball that had been brought in for some reason. There it sat ... until I happened to pick it up and look. Then I picked up my jaw.) I added a similar and different item in recent years -- a bat -- and both pieces are 100-percent legit but without authentication. (That happened back in the day when teams signed items ... without merch deals and MLB Authentication around.) This time, though, I added a fresh McGwire release that's on both the rarer side and the cheaper side since the price was right (and dramatically lower than others out there for comparable cards). McGwire has always been a pricier auto -- he didn't sign much during his career except for very early on (before certified auto cards) -- and then became an Upper Deck guy after his record-setting years. Topps got him back in the fold in 2014 releases and he's also been in Panini stuff. I liked the price and the look of this one, which has him watching a homer from late in the 1998 season.
Grab a box right here: 2017 Topps Tier One baseball 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 Today: When an Optic run turns into the mother lode of hot wax, computerized grading, 2020 Topps, new NBA breaks and plenty 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 Today: Donruss Optic, more Donruss Optic, 2020 Topps, the Astros still cheated, more 2020 Topps and an interesting legal development.

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If you're a Funko Pop! collector and a baseball fan, you might be busy collecting 'em all this summer.

Nearly 20 toys were revealed for the 2020 MLB Funko Pop! lineup and they include some of the biggest young stars in the game today as well as a few established veterans.

Just three teams have players represented more than once, meaning almost half of the MLB franchises have a star found 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 Today: Nothing but big pulls and breaks highlights in today's edition.

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What: 2020 Bowman Chrome baseball cards
Arrives: Sept. 18
Box basics: Three autographs per one-pack HTA Choice box (12 boxes per case);
Two autographs per 12-pack master box (two mini-boxes per master box; 12 masters per case)
Checklist: Click here
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Topps continues with the format that it introduced for Bowman Chrome a few years ago with HTA Choice boxes that are autograph-only with their own features and a traditional release that includes standard cards and more via a mini-box format.

Keep reading for more info as well as a full gallery 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: 2020 Topps Series 1 baseball cards 
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com
First Buzz preview with checklist/SPs/more: Click here

Packs per box: 8 (seven standard, one medallion card pack)
Cards per pack: 14
Cards in this box: 99
Base set completion: 
82 of 350 (23 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Mike Trout, Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, Gleyber Torres, Trea Turner, Stephen Strasburg, Juan Soto, Max Scherzer, Anthony Rendon, Justin Verlander

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

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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 Today: Potential MLB postseason changes chatter, Optic NBA arrives, sketch card artist issues, 2020 Topps Heritage heat, 2020 Topps pulls and ... who makes the Mount Rushmore of MLB?

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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.

--

OFF-SEASON SLABBING
The Card: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 2019 Topps Chrome RC (PSA 9)
The Price: About $15
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The pop report on this one is flip-flopped like a lot of new modern cards -- it's got more than 1,500 PSA 10s but just over 150 PSA 9s out of nearly 1,700 graded ... not the norm, really. Nonetheless, I still didn't mind it in this grade for this price. The short-printed Series 2 card that carries the same photo as this one is a tougher grade -- those corners can be chippy -- but rather than sub my own there and hope for a PSA 9 I just decided to go this route on Chrome. I'll probably do more when they present themselves or perhaps submit others at some point. (I'll have a big submission I already made batting lead-off in a future Making The Grade, too.) My gut feeling is that this super-rookie didn't live up to the massive hype we had envisioned last year -- so 2020 could be one that is dramatic for his cardboard ... one way or another.
Grab a box right here: 2019 Topps Chrome 

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

Continue reading →

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 Today: Purple parallels are back in 2020 Topps, Ozzie Albies, 2020 Topps Heritage heat, The Modern Wax Fund and more in today's edition.

Continue reading →

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: 2020 Topps Series 1 baseball cards 
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com
First Buzz preview with checklist/SPs/more: Click here

Cards per pack: 67
Base set completion: 
57 of 350 (16 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Juan Soto, Mike Trout, Fernando Tatis Jr., Shohei Ohtani, Nick Senzel, Gleyber Torres, Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Buster Posey

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

Continue reading →

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 Today: Big 2020 Topps pulls, Rookie Cards vs. prospect cards, Zion Williamson, The Modern Wax Fund and more in today's edition.

Continue reading →

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 Today: A grading debate, the XFL is here (again), who might sign for Ginter, predictions, pondering old card volumes and 2020 Topps Series 1 pulls.

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