For years now, autographed books coming direct from the publishers -- or direct from the authors themselves -- have been an affordable way to collect ink from notable names in all realms of pop culture.

It's not a perfect system with stamps, fakes and autopens sometimes in the mix -- a problem for publishers to catch as they are not authenticators -- but thanks to dedicated collectors on the Blowout Cards Forum and elsewhere, those problems often get caught and fixed ... or at least become well-known enough to avoid if it's an issue that goes uncorrected.

Getting ink in-person is always best -- book tours still happen, of course -- but landing autographed editions from publishers, online sellers or celebs themselves via their websites or other appearances are common. So, with that said, here's the first of what just might become a monthly department here on The Buzz.

Our third subject and autograph in this ongoing series? Academy Award winner Geena Davis.

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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 ...

LEGENDARY INK
The Card: Undertaker 2022 Panini Revolution WWE Sunburst Autographs (/99)
The Reason Graded: This cost me less than what two boxes would have when I bought it raw -- and then I submitted it to grade after seeing that some typical problem spots for cards from this brand weren't really issues. (In my view, the back corners and edges can be funky for both years.) Why grab this? Undertaker was not a regular signer for a long time and even when has signed cards in recent years he's been more limited since his signing fees are always high -- seemingly far higher than others -- based on public signing prices. I have his ink on a few items sold direct from WWE in the past, but I hadn't rally bothered with anything for cards and figured this could make for a nice slab -- even with sticker ink -- as the photo is as iconic as it gets for a legendary character in WWE history. This would be a perfect kind of auto card if it had an on-card sig ... and it's still not far off as it is with that photo. It's also a perhaps-overlooked brand in the Panini WWE portfolio.
The Grade: CGC 9

Reality Check: A nine I'm fine with -- so no worries here -- but anything less than that I would have been kind of mad at myself for trying it. Why? Generally, I don't like pricey surprises with grading, so I don't slab as much ink as I should as I own plenty of them raw. I need to do more slabs like this, but a miss on cheaper, oddball cards that are interesting aren't as risky in my book.

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

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A series of nine Oscar-specific Garbage Pail Kids initially available for only 24 hours includes some of the biggest winners of the evening and some of the biggest personalities, too.

It's the 2016 Topps Garbage Pail Kids Notscars.

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The Academy Awards are set for Sunday and the top films and actors will come home with Oscars, but you shouldn't expect to be able to build a collection of the winners' certified autograph cards.

Why?

Because barely any of this year's top nominees have ever signed on for a certified (non-cut) autograph. And, in most instances, it's been years since those few who have signed have sat down to do the honors.

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Hollywood's awards season is here with the nominees for the SAG and Golden Globes arriving this week and the inevitable chatter about who might get an Oscar nomination on Jan. 15 heating up online.

Good luck finding yourself Oscar cardboard, though, as cards showing Hollywood's biggest honor aren't all that common at all. In fact, they're downright scarce even though countless Oscar winners themselves have appeared on cards. (At right is a 2005 Topps Chronicles card Buzz bets most of you have never seen.)

Because of that, we're going with a different piece of awards cardboard above -- you all remember that one and its 2011 Topps American Pie card, right? -- as Buzz presents his picks for the top Oscars collectors need to know.

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