What's Buzzing: NFL and MLB postseason chatter, C.J. Stroud, the Jets make a move, Cosmic Chrome 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: Aaron Rodgers, Jimmy Butler, new pulls, 2023 Bowman, photo-matching memorabilia cards 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 Today: A Derek Jeter Superfractor emerges from a pack 14 years later, inside a hot Heritage case from the past, NBA breaks and more in today's edition.

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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: Joe Namath 2015 Topps 60th Anniversary Rookie Reprint Autographs #T60RAJN
The Reason Graded: Buzz first met this NFL legend almost 20 years ago and landed the ink for free thanks to some luck while autograph hounding but when it comes to certified autographs of this icon I didn't have any until recent years. Why? He's always been a pricey auto but that has come down a bit as he's been a steady signer and doesn't have quite as much hobby heat as the guy at the end of this month's list. This release was how Topps burned off its Hall of Famer autographs via packs on its website once its NFL deal was done, so the influx of big-name autos helped make the supply even stronger at the time perhaps without added demand. I scouted them all where I buy and this one looked near-perfect to me in both its centering and that ink. Seriously, look at that signature ... that's a perfect Namath auto.
The Grade: BGS 9.5/10

Reality Check: I absolutely thought I had a BGS 10 contender with this one, though I submitted it before I picked up my better loupe and I probably didn't check the back as closely as I should have. Either way, it's still a very solid card in my stash. I don't grade autographs all that often -- I fear results I won't like on those -- but this one I had to. Most of them landed this grade with only one higher so I don't feel bad about not landing a 10.

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 just might be to rip fewer blasters this year 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. Would they capture yours? I'd be interested to know -- sometimes they might, sometimes they won't and that's fine. It's a buyer's market out there with plenty of options and bargains as well as high-end gems to chase.

So, with all that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ... and this time around it's nothing but football pick-ups.

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THE MOUTH OF THE SOUTH?
The Card: Paul Finebaum 2017 Topps Allen & Ginter Framed Mini Autographs
The Price: $9.25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: When it comes to college football, Buzz is pretty much SEC or nothing. The SEC Network wasn't around with this guy at the center of a lot of things when Buzz was around there, but he was still all over the place back then. Who's Paul Finebaum a small few of you might say? He's one of ESPN's top names covering the college game on the Network, though he's been a big part of radio and newspaper scenes for years covering the SEC. Finebaum's only card appearances are limited to a literal handful of autographs in this baseball set that often includes media personalities and he has no standard cards. Podcaster James Andrew Miller said this of him: "Paul Finebaum knows the American Southeast like Jay-Z knows Brooklyn. And that's a big blast of wind at your back if your job is covering college football. His instincts as an interviewer rank him in the top tier of the sports world. And he is beyond mere savvy when it comes to speaking very virally." While I'm not the biggest fan, it's a unique autograph and one that a lot of non-collectors would want if they knew it existed. I finally grabbed one since it was cheap.
Grab a box right here: 2017 Topps Allen & Ginter

Keep reading for even more interesting items ... again, all football from here on out.

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Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today's your day then as we launch 12 in 12 -- a series of a dozen breaks of past wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We'll post one every hour on the hour all day long today ... this is Hour 6.

The pack: 1974 Topps football two-card wax pack
The cost: $8 (Really.)

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

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Picking Aaron Rodgers among a group of weekly standouts could essentially happen any week but here we are.

Why? It was a week where a lot of obvious stars did what they do and a week where a number of names who aren't as big on cardboard also had big days. The Green Bay Packers QB had his best game of the year yet, ironically, still lost. He completed 32 of 52 passes for 442 yards and three touchdowns. That's a bit freakish but it's still not the team record (480) which he owns a share of. He also threw three TDs in Week 1 but totaled only 286 yards.

His key cardboard -- Rookie Cards (2005) and autographs (click here to see them on eBay) -- are already pricey so this kind of a game may not make much of a difference. If you're a dedicated NFL collector, you probably have (or need) one, and if you pull one then you've captured a gem among today's stars. It may be tempting to cash in -- but it's also a safe hold for years if you ask me.

>> Click here to shop for football boxes on BlowoutCards.com.

Keep reading for more guys who generated some buzz on the field this week.

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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.

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THE POWER OF GRADING
The Item: 1980 Topps Rickey Henderson Rookie Card (PSA 10)
The Price: $17,300 after 33 bids with more than three days remaining
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is a card that's been slabbed by PSA more than 18,000 times but just 22 have gotten a PSA 10. Even PSA 9s are relatively rare compared to other grades (just 1,842 exist) while PSA 8s are the most-common grade with more than 8,500 cards in that grade. This is an iconic Rookie Card that has topped the $30,000 mark seven times since 2015, according to PSA, with a high of $38,400 via Heritage Auctions early last year. Many times cards like these get posted with hefty Buy-It-Now prices so it should be interesting to see where this piece of cardboard perfection ends.
Similar Pieces: Other 1980 Topps cards on eBay
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for MLB boxes

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

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The New York Jets haven't had a lot of luck with quarterbacks in the recent past, but their newest signal-caller will already be in the record book when he sets foot on the field Monday night in Detroit.

At 21 years (and 97 days) old, Sam Darnold will be the youngest starting quarterback in the NFL since the 1970 AFL merger.

That should add a little more attention to the Rookie Cards of the No. 3 overall pick in this year's draft -- at least until the NFL realities kick in. If he does well? Well, then, look out -- because his already pricey cardboard found in 2018 football boxes will get even steeper for rarer cards and autographs.

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Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today's your day then as we launch 12 in 12 -- a series of a dozen breaks of past wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We'll post one every hour on the hour all day long today ... this is Hour 1.

The pack: 1974 Topps football cello
The cost: $5 (Really.)

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

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It was today back in 1969 that New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath delivered on his guaranteed upset of the Baltimore Colts -- and next month an elite specimen of his best football card will hit the auction block.

It's a PSA 9 copy of his 1965 Topps Rookie Card, and it's one of just five cards to get that grade -- and none have ever graded higher.

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First, the Panini VIP Party -- then the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Panini America revealed the eighth guest for its upcoming exclusive event set for Saturday night and it's LaDainian Tomlinson, who will be headed to Canton, Ohio, next week to join the NFL's elite forever.

The event coincides with the National Sports Collectors Convention, which is under way in Chicago and runs through Sunday.

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He was a coach for two of the greatest teams in NFL history, a defensive mastermind and a coach that his players revered.

He's Buddy Ryan, a 26-year veteran of the coaching ranks and an innovator in the game. He was a young defensive coach for the New York Jets that won Super Bowl III. He was the brains behind the 46 defense and the dominating Chicago Bears that steamrolled their way to a victory in Super Bowl XX.

"Buddy was such an integral part of the Chicago Bears and the '85 Bears, it was unbelievable," former Bears coach Mike Ditka told NFL.com. "There's no way we win anything without that defense, without his coaching and I think everybody understands that. We won because of our defense, we can never forget that. That's just the way it was."

He died on Tuesday at age 82 -- and he's also a legend you won't find often on cardboard.

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It's been 39 years since Joe Namath last suited up for an NFL game, but his 1965 Topps Rookie Card remains an iconic one and is among the most-valuable RCs out there.

And a high-grade specimen on eBay right now is going to prove it when the auction ends.

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Among the items in the Pro Football Hall of Fame's online gift shop are a series of five mini busts that Buzz couldn't help but be drawn to.

Why? Buzz can't figure out whether they are cool or creepy.

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The semifinalists list for this year's Pro Football Hall of Fame vote was revealed this week and there are some legendary names on the list of 25 -- Brett Favre, Terrell Owens, Morten Anderson, Alan Faneca. 

And if you're like Buzz -- a long-time collector but maybe someone whose focus isn't purely on football all the time -- one of those names may have left you saying, "Who?"

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