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 Bowman Platinum baseball cards (collector's box)
Where to buy: Initially only at Walmart; Click here
Checklist: View here

Packs per box: 20
Cards per pack: 5
Cards in this box: 100
Base set completion: 
45 of 100 (45 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Mike Trout, Justin Verlander, Gary Sanchez, Cody Bellinger, Kris Bryant, Carlos Correa, Giancarlo Stanton, Andrew Benintendi, Alex Bregman, Mookie Betts

Rookie Cards (9) – Shohei Ohtani, Rafael Devers, Victor Robles, Chance Sisco, Dominic Smith, Harrison Bader, Clint Frazier, Ryan McMahon, Alex Verdugo

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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: We're just Jake Taylor (No. 7) days away from The National in Cleveland (where he and Roger Dorn are signing) and the chatter for the show is strong. Toss in some contracts and some pulls and that's 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: A Ginter box with two Rip Cards ... and a pack with two metal minis, one fishy break, NSCC chatter and Blowout Mega Mix anticipation are just some of the highlights today.

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It's also a way to get an autograph of the Chicago Cubs' World Series-winning manager who has never sat down with a card company for a certified signature on a card despite a 15-year career as boss atop plenty more time as a coach and minor-leaguer. It's that time that helped bring some of these concepts to life.

"I’ve been wanting to do this for years" reads on essay on the Maddon Art website. "I’ve always enjoyed art, we all do. I’m not saying I’m an artist by any means, but I’ve always enjoyed the concepts. I believe baseball is a very artistic game and that major league players are artists, just like athletes from all of the other professional sports. For some time, I have tried to coerce Major League Baseball to utilize 'Put the Art Back in Thee Game' as a marketing campaign. I was unable to get anyone to bite, so I did it myself."

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Roughly a year ago, St. Louis Cardinals prospect Daniel Poncedeleon was hit in the head by a line drive and collapsed on the pitcher's mound during a game in Des Moines, Iowa, never losing consciousness but wondering if his playing career (or life as he knew it) was over.

On Monday night in Cincinnati, he made his MLB debut for the Cardinals and was pulled from a game in the seventh inning despite having a no-hitter going and a 1-0 lead. Per the Elias Sports Bureau, the 26-year-old is just the fifth pitcher have a no-hit bid through seven innings in his MLB debut since 1961. (The Cardinals bullpen blew it in the ninth so it went down as a no-decision.)

"I think that played a huge part into this, because without that, I'm pretty weak," Poncedeleon told MLB.com. "With God, I have a lot of faith and confidence. ... The journey was not drawn up by me. Obviously, there is something greater drawing up this plan or this story. ... I just wanted to win, to be honest."

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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: 2018 Topps Allen & Ginter baseball cards (hobby box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 25 (24 plus box-topper)
Cards per pack: 8
Cards in this box: 193
Base set completion: 
130 of 300 (43 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Derek Jeter, Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Roger Maris, Lou Gehrig, Roberto Clemente, Paige Spiranac, Method Man, Scott Rogowsky, Tyronn Lue, H. Jon Benjamin, Stugotz, Lincoln Riley, Sonny Fredrickson, Champ Pederson, Theo Epstein, Jim Thome, Chipper Jones, Willie McCovey, Roger Clemens, Ted Williams, Ryne Sandberg, Wade Boggs, Andre Dawson, Johnny Bench, Dave Winfield, Mookie Betts, Corey Seager, Justin Verlander, Buster Posey, Mark McGwire, Ozzie Smith, Carlos Correa, George Brett, Trea Turner, David Ortiz, Manny Machado

Rookie Cards (14) – Shohei Ohtani, Rafael Devers, Miguel Andujar, Gleyber Torres, J.P. Crawford, J.D. Davis, Amed Rosario, Jack Flaherty, Ryan McMahon, Garrett Cooper, Tyler Mahle, Sandy Alcantara (SP), Jen-Ho Tseng (SP), Dustin Fowler (SP)

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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 ...

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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: 2018 Topps Big League baseball cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 24
Cards per pack: 10
Cards in this box: 240
Base set completion: 
199 of 400 (50 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Base cards – Mike Trout, Manny Machado, Alex Rodriguez, Paul Goldschmidt, Pedro Martinez, Mariano Rivera, Cody Bellinger, Ted Williams, Carlos Correa, Johnny Bench, Ernie Banks, Anthony Rizzo, Frank Thomas, Giancarlo Stanton, John Smoltz, Rickey Henderson, Sandy Koufax, Kris Bryant, Alex Bregman, Corey Seager, Nolan Ryan, Bryce Harper, Clayton Kershaw, Albert Pujols, Dansby Swanson, Andrew Benintendi

Rookie Cards (20) – Shohei Ohtani, Brian Anderson, Francisco Mejia, Luiz Gohara, Richard Urena, Franchy Cordero, Nicky Delmonico, Gleyber Torres, Felix Jorge, Rhys Hoskins, Jack Flaherty, Walker Buehler, Dominic Smith, Clint Frazier, Austin Hays, Sandy Alcantara, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Andrew Stevenson, J.P. Crawford, Brandon Woodruff

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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: Big WWE (retail) and hockey (The Fantastic Store) pulls, NSCC chatter, a look at tonight's Ted Williams documentary & more.

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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: 2018 Topps Allen & Ginter baseball cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 8
Cards per pack: 6
Cards in this box: 48
Base set completion: 
28 of 300 (9 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Joc Pederson, Champ Pederson, Joey Votto, Manny Machado, Ryne Sandberg, Jim Thome, Andre Dawson

Rookie Cards (2) – Sandy Alcantara (SP), Amed Rosario

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Dodger Blue is just one of the parallel colors for Manny Machado's first baseball cards as a member of his new team and almost all of his cards will come with blue-ink autographs, too.

Thanks to Topps Now.

Topps revealed the rainbow of six autos atop Machado's standard card as part of a huge 13-card day as the company's real-time baseball card program returns from the All-Star Break.

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Wade LeBlanc's career numbers probably won't shock you, but the left-hander has been good enough long enough to stick around in Major League Baseball for a decade.

This journeyman has been a Padre, a Marlin, an Astro, an Angel, a Yankee, an Angel again, a Blue Jay, a Mariner, a Pirate, a Yankee again and a Mariner once again in 10 MLB seasons. In the right here right now, you'll see him leading the headlines on the Seattle Mariners section of MLB.com as he struck out a career-high 10 batters last night as he upped his career record to 36-36. He's 6-1 with a 3.44 ERA and 76 strikeouts this season and is on pace for a career year in wins (8-12 his best back in 2010) and strikeouts (110 that same year).

Along the way to this point, though, he's also played elsewhere. He's been a Buffalo Bison, a Seibu Lion (yes, Japan), a Salt Lake Bee, an Oklahoma City RedHawk, a New Orleans Zephyr, a Tucson Padre, a Portland Beaver, a San Antonio Mission, a Lake Elsinore Storm(er?), a Fort Wayne Wizard and a Eugene Emerald.

But why are you hearing all of this about a guy who's gone from starter to bullpen guy and back to starter but still ultimately a common in any baseball card parlance?

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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 NSCC discussions and some huge pulls in today's edition.

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What: 2018 Topps Dynasty baseball cards
Arrives: Nov. 7
Box basics: One encased autograph per box (five boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: This high-end brand returns for another season with an on-card autograph in every pack that's limited to no more than 10 copies as usual -- but with a few types of cards in play.

Keep reading for more 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: 2018 Topps Museum Collection baseball cards
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 4
Cards per pack: 5
Cards in this box: 20
Base set completion: 
11 of 100 (11 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Base cards – Ty Cobb, Chipper Jones, Roger Maris, Manny Machado, Miguel Cabrera, Yoenis Céspedes, Reggie Jackson, George Springer, Miguel Sano

Rookie Cards (2) – Rhys Hoskins, Victor Robles

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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: 2018 Topps Archives Signature Series Active Player Edition baseball cards
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 1
Cards per pack: 1
Base set completion: 
N/A

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Have you seen the latest cool or interesting items on eBay? If not, you just might see some of those here every week as we're launching a weekly version of our eBay Buzz pieces that pop up from time to time. We’ll spotlight some items that have a story or just wow us with how much interest it might have — and we’re not just talking baseball cards, either.

--

THE ORIGINAL HOME RUN DERBY
The Item: 1959 Home Run Derby Mark Scott card PSA 4
The Price: $400 Buy-It-Now (or best offer)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This week's MLB All-Star Home Run Derby is a spectacle and one of the highlights of the season since it began back in 1985. But, 59 years ago this fall, there was a different Home Run Derby -- a television series that took us to an empty ballpark and showcased a number of Hall of Famers in one-on-one battles. The show's 26 episodes were filmed in the offseason of 1959 and they first aired in 1960 with Hall of Famers Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, Al Kaline, Harmon Killebrew, Mickey Mantle, Eddie Matthews, Willie Mays, Frank Robinson and Duke Snider among the 19 stars who battled it out. The show's producer and host was Mark Scott and all of them appeared on this oversized promotional card set that was produced in 1959 and released with the show. They measure 3 1/8 by 5 1/4 inches and they have all -- except for Scott -- been reprinted in the past. (Graded is a safer buy if you're paying big money here, while the reprints are fun and affordable.) Scott died in the summer of 1960 of a heart attack at age 45 and the production company canceled future episodes the show. Is this card particularly valuable? I'm not sure, but this copy -- not a high-grade one -- is the only Scott card on eBay. Oddly, I think I'd want the host card first -- you can watch episodes on YouTube as well as on DVD if you're curious about these.
Similar Pieces: Other 1959 Home Run Derby cards on eBay
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for MLB cards 

Keep reading for four more interesting items in this week's roundup ...

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What: 2018 Bowman Draft baseball cards
Arrives: Dec. 14
Box basics: Three autographs per 12-pack jumbo box (eight boxes per case); for Super Jumbos, there will be five autos -- one per pack of 120 cards (six boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: The year's first look at the newest draft picks in their MLB uniforms once again arrives in December with the formats used last year but some new touches inside those packs.

See a gallery and more ... below.

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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: Busting 2018 Topps Allen & Ginter and 2018 Donruss Optic, NSCC chatter and more.

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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: Fanatics Texas Rangers game-used baseball mystery box
The cost: $39.95

What's inside this box? Keep reading ...

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There was just one event on the MLB calendar on Monday and Bryce Harper stole the show -- and Topps Now has the baseball cards to reflect that.

This year's MLB All-Star Home Run Derby champ will be sitting down to sign a rainbow of autographs showing his victory, while four other players from that event will have their used socks make their way into memorabilia cards reflecting the exhibition.

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What: 2018 Bowman's Best baseball cards
Arrives: Dec. 19
Box basics: Four autographs (two per mini-box) per 12-pack box (eight boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Bowman's Best returns with its mini-box format that delivers two autographs in just six packs with nods back to 1998 and nothing but on-card autographs.

Keep reading for more details and a gallery.

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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: NSCC chatter, awaiting Allen & Ginter, Daisy Ridley ink, an interesting collecting question and other big pulls.

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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: 2018 Topps Big League baseball cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 6 (five standard, one Blue bonus parallel pack)
Cards per pack: 10 in standard four in bonus
Cards in this box: 54 (plus one more on the box)
Base set completion: 
43 of 400 (11 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Base cards – Ted Williams, Mookie Betts, Corey Seager, John Smoltz, Jose Altuve, Buster Posey, McCovey Cove, Stan Musial Statue, AL Hits Leaders, NL Slugging Percentage Leaders, NL Home Runs Leaders, 2017 AL Batting Average Leaders,

Rookie Cards (4) – Shohei Ohtani, Parker Bridwell, Miguel Andujar, Gleyber Torres

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The Futures Game indicates things might be bright for the Cincinnati Reds in the future.

With the bat it was 20-year-old outfielder Taylor Trammell who took home MVP honors Sunday after a day that included a home run and a triple in his two at-bats, while last year's No. 2 overall draft pick Hunter Greene scorched from the mound with his first seven pitches of the All-Star event topping 101 mph and one hit 103.

Trammell, who ranked 48th on Baseball America's Top 100 entering this season, is hitting .295 with six homers and 29 RBI in 78 games this season for the Advanced-A Daytona Tortugas, while the 18-year-old Greene was 29th on that list but has a prominent spot with collectors appearing on boxes of Bowman products. He's 3-7 with a 4.69 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 63 innings this season for the Class-A Dayton Dragons.

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