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 COLLEGE CLASSIC
The Card: The Four Horsemen 1955 Topps All-American #68 SP -- Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: College football is back for another season, so I'll lead things off with a vintage classic. This card featuring Notre Dame quarterback Harry Stuhldreher, halfbacks Jim Crowley and Don Miller as well as fullback Elmer Layden is one that's been on my want list -- albeit very casually -- for a long time. I recently found one at a price that wasn't uncomfortable so here we are. I don't need a high-grade copy of this one -- just one that looks pretty good so I can say I have it. Besides their place in college football history, The Four Horsemen have a place in sportswriting history, too, as Grantland Rice gave them this name early on in what was a perfect 1924 season that ended with a national title. His New York Herald Tribune story started like this: "Outlined against a blue-gray October sky, the Four Horsemen rode again. In dramatic lore they are known as Famine, Pestilence, Destruction and Death. These are only aliases. Their real names are: Stuhldreher, Miller, Crowley and Layden. They formed the crest of the South Bend cyclone before which another fighting Army team was swept over the precipice at the Polo Grounds this afternoon as 55,000 spectators peered down upon the bewildering panorama spread out upon the green plain below." It's one of those pieces that's often cited when talking college football or sportswriting history and it's often emulated and it later sparked a marketing scenario -- the players would go on to pose on horses in uniform. In a lot of ways, that marketing is still replicated every Heisman season and beyond. This set is a landmark release, especially for college collectors, and this is one of a few big cards.
The Grade: BVG 2.5

Reality Check: Mine checks in low, but it's not the lowest -- there are 18 copies worse than mine and 14 others with this grade. It's very interesting to compare that total and then consider how few cards there are above a seven here.

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

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: 2013 Panini America USA Baseball boxed set
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

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

Continue reading →

Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today's your day then as we launch 8 in 8 -- a series of a eight breaks of wax boxes and wax packs in as many hours today. We'll post one every hour ... this is Hour 3.

The sets: 2019 Panini USA Baseball Stars & Stripes rack sets (four)
The cost: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby boxes)

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

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 sets: 2019 Panini USA Baseball Stars & Stripes rack sets (four)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby boxes)

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery.

Continue reading →

This one is a new department here on The Buzz ... Fast Five -- a quick list under a simple topic that might offer a basic starting point for a themed collection. It's a basic list of five items that could be fun for a starting collector or a new way to add to a stash that might already seemingly include everything when it comes to cardboard. For some of you, it's probably common sense. For others of you out there, it's perhaps something to ponder.

This time? MLB postseason players to watch on cardboard

Shane Bieber -- SP, Cleveland Indians
This year's most-dominating pitcher took home the Triple Crown when the season ended and he's got tonight's must-win game against the Yankees and their top arm, Gerrit Cole. Bieber's got just three Rookie Cards and that makes for some added volatility -- 2018 Topps Update and Topps Chrome Update and then Panini Spectra, which was found in boxes of 2018 Panini Chronicles. Those are also sets loaded with other hobby-favorite rookies -- so they are in demand and not cheap. His first autographed cards also arrived that year in Bowman Chrome, while his first prospect cards dropped in 2017 ... but without ink so there's not anything earlier to truly trump the 2018 stuff. His basic cardboard is pretty cheap big-picture, but his rarities and early autos are not -- and tonight's the night that is a key to them all. If they lose, the hype goes elsewhere. If they win and make a run? Watch out ... "Not Justin" will just get hotter.

Keep reading for four more making up the list this time.

Continue reading →

There could be a new slugger on his way to MLB from Japan -- and you might already have some of his baseball cards.

Yoshitomo Tsutsugo will posted by his team, the Yokohama DeNA BayStars, soon and that means MLB teams will have a shot at signing him. He's a guy who has hit 139 homers in the last four years -- his best season being 2016 when he hit .322 with 44 homers and 110 RBI.

Thanks to the World Baseball Classic, he's already got a few baseball cards that have been found in past Topps packs -- and, of course, he has BBM cards if you want to go further back into the past.

Continue reading →

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 there are a dozen weird, cheap or interesting cards.

--

BEFORE THE NBA CAREER ... 
The Card: LeBron James 2003 Sports Illustrated For Kids #264 (BGS 9)
The Price: $11
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: There was a time when this was a popular card in the hobby -- maybe not Tiger Woods SI For Kids big, but popular. What is it? It's a card pulled from a perforated sheet in an issue of the kids' magazine, something it has done since the 1980s, showcasing countless big-name athletes and many others who don't have much -- or any -- cardboard. Everybody knows how much hype there was for James back then -- and his first cardboard from SAGE was huge -- but this one was one of only a few options until his NBA cardboard arrival on Rookie Cards (and plenty more) on 2003-04 releases. Ultimately all those early cards don't command as much interest as NBA stuff, but I liked the look and price on this one for a slab -- especially when you consider higher-graded cards can push $50-100 and 10s can be quite big at auction even today ... at least for a card found in a magazine.
Grab a box right here: No boxes for this one ... click here for NBA boxes

Keep reading for five more interesting items ...

Continue reading →

Have you seen the latest cool cards from a new release? With so many options for collectors of all kinds arriving every week it's possible you haven't. That's where Buzz comes in -- well at least on one brand you'll see here from time to time in what we're calling Buzz's Pick Six. Simply put, here are six cards from a new arrival that seemed interesting to this collector and we think they might interest you, too.

This week's release: 2019 Topps Opening Day baseball cards (arrives Wednesday)

--

THE ROOKIE ARRIVES 
The Card: Yusei Kikuchi 2019 Topps Opening Day #55 Rookie Card
The Price: Should be affordable ... but could surprise early on
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Take a quick glance at the basic checklist and it should be apparent that this one might be the front-runner upon arrival. It's the MLB Rookie Card for a headline-generating rookie from Japan -- who will make his MLB debut for the Mariners later this month in Japan. He's set to be the starter for the second game of the Mariners' series against the Oakland A's in Tokyo. The 27-year-old is 2-1 with a 4.00 ERA and six strikeouts in nine innings this spring. He's a former Seibu Lins standout who went 74-48 with a 2.81 ERA in eight seasons.

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

Continue reading →

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 ...

Continue reading →

Professional Sports Authenticator has opened its doors in Japan.

The company revealed on Tuesday that it opened an office in Tokyo this month to collect submissions from collectors for slabbing, grading and authentication.

PSA announced that its overseas satellite office will be led by Tony Aram, a "bilingual financial expert and collector who has lived in Tokyo for more than 40 years."

“Because the practice of authenticating and grading cards is just now gaining popularity in Japan, there is an enormous opportunity to attract new consumers and future hobbyists to the benefits of trading card grading,” he said.

Part of the move is due to the country's love of Major League Baseball and former Nippon Professional Baseball stars such as Shohei Ohtani and Ichiro Suzuki who have continued to captivate fans -- but also because of demand for grading of n0n-sports, gaming and NPB cardboard. The move also will help the language and time-zone differences that can be barriers, the company said.

Continue reading →

Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today's your day then as we launch 12 in 12 -- a series of a dozen breaks of wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We'll post one every hour all day long ... this is Hour 10.

The box: 2005 BBM Glorious Stars Japanese baseball cards
The cost: $20 (at The National)

What's inside this one? Why is it being ripped here? Keep reading ...

Continue reading →

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

The box: 2008 USA Baseball box set
The cost: Click here (when available)

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

Continue reading →

The wait is over if you want to know where Shohei Ohtani's first Topps autographs will be found.

The company revealed on Tuesday that the Los Angeles Angels pitcher-designated hitter's first ink will be included in packs of 2018 Topps Heritage. 

Set to arrive on Feb. 28, the brand will be the home to a new crop of stars using the 1969 Topps design. He will be included as a short-printed base card showing him as a pitcher in addition to his ink. A card of him as a hitter will arrive in 2018 Topps Heritage High Number later this year.

Continue reading →

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 2.

The box: 2000 Upper Deck Ovation Japanese baseball cards (hobby)
The cost: $49

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

Continue reading →

Baseball fans who watch the international scene know the name Shohei Otani but now collectors have their shot at some American cardboard of the pitcher-slugger.

Topps has put him into its 2017 Bowman Mega Boxes that are only found at Target stores.

And the early copies to hit eBay are getting noticed, too. And it's not alone.

Continue reading →

The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are five threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Big Black Friday rips, 1/1 stars from Japan and a hot hand ripping soccer.

Continue reading →

Los Angeles Dodgers rookie Kenta Maeda will be among the notable inclusions when 2016 Topps Tribute baseball cards arrive on July 13.

He was a star in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball with a triple crown, two nods as the top pitcher in the league and five All-Star nods.

But he won't be the only rookie signing on for the brand.

Continue reading →