Buzz buys a lot of stuff these days and for a few reasons, really. Sometimes it's just bargain-hunting, sometimes it's just something that strikes me. And other times it's a lot -- a group of things -- and that has happened enough lately I figured I'd try something different as a regularly appearing item. Sometimes my lots will be wins, sometimes they won't be ... but I'll let you decide. 

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A PC THROWBACK
The Lot: 225-plus cards of former MLB player Nick Swisher (mostly cards from 2004-2010)
The Price: Not much more than a Chrome blaster box in the retail wild (with tax) -- check out Retro Rips here

Keep reading for more on this one ...

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What: 2024 Panini Encore football cards
Arrives: March 14, 2025
Box basics: One autograph and one memorabilia card per 10-pack box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: A new catch-all brand arrives for football collectors with a lot of familiar names -- both brands and players from the past and present -- where collectors can "look forward to discovering" all that it includes.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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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: Looking back at 1995 Pinnacle and its quirks, Bowman blasters deliver big, grading, market thoughts and more.

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Let's all act surprised when The Captain gets his Cooperstown call later today -- it will make things a lot more exciting than some who-got-snubbed or who-shockingly-got-in commentary. Those are too predictable.

Since I'm feeling a tad contrarian today, here's where I'll rattle off my take on Derek Jeter and his Rookie Cards and how the one I'd want right here, right now today is the one you see above, not some big-money, elite-graded slab.

The New York Yankees shortstop appears on more than 18,000 different cards but only eight of those -- just eight! -- are classified as Rookie Cards based on the traditional definitions. (Insert cards are not RCs. Autographs are not RCs. Even RC parallels are not RCs and so on.) And technically, the card you see above didn't arrive in the most-traditional of forms, either, as it came from the 1993 Topps Stadium Club Murphy set -- a boxed set limited to just an announced 128,000 copies which is inevitably lower than anything else -- that also does get dubbed a RC from back then.

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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 ... and this time around there's a little bit of everything -- 20 items for a new year.

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WILL HE STAY OR WILL HE GO?
The Card: Kyle Schwarber 2016 Bowman's Best Rookie Card (PSA 10)
The Price: $8
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I picked this one up because the price was right for a high-grade Rookie Card but also because I took a look at the stat sheet. I'd argue that while he's been off the collecting radar of many lately, Schwarber put up a career year last season. His average was still low -- but a career-best .250 -- and he also had career marks in homers (38) and RBI (92) as well as games, at-bats, runs, hits, doubles ... pretty much everything except stolen bases and on-base percentage. He'll always be remembered as a member of the 2016 Cubs World Series championship team, but I said "had been" off collecting radars because there were recent trade rumors where he could be headed to the Yankees. A move like that would make these kinds of cheaper buys vanish far faster than they might already and rejuvenate his cardboard. I'd be buying on him right now among the cheap early options.
Grab a box right here: 2016 Bowman's Best baseball cards (when available)

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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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A HIGH-GRADE RARITY
The Item: 1959 Fleer Ted Williams #68 Ted Signs for 1959 SP (PSA 9)
The Price: $2,500 Buy-It-Now 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Today would have been Ted Williams' 100th birthday and this card is by far the rarest one from a unique and collectable set that examines his life away from the game as well as highlights up to that time. He signed a $5,000 per year deal to only appear on Fleer cards but this one was pulled for some type of contractural reason. Meanwhile, ironically, if you check the PSA pop report this card is the most-graded of any card in the set. (Likely since it's the most-valuable and others are all readily available.) Just 43 copies of this card have graded a PSA 9 -- and fakes exist, meaning you should buy one graded --  and none have graded higher.
Similar Pieces: Other Ted Williams cards on eBay 
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for MLB boxes

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

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The NHL and the Chicago Blackhawks have lost one of their greats.

Hall of Famer Stan Mikita lost a long-term health battle and died on Tuesday at age 78. He had been diagnosed with Lewy body dementia, a disease similar to Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s in its symptoms, in 2015.

“There are no words to describe our sadness over Stan’s passing,” the team said via a statement. “He meant so much to the Chicago Blackhawks, to the game of hockey, and to all of Chicago.”

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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 wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We'll post one every hour all day long ... this is Hour 11.

The box: 1997-98 Pinnacle BeeHive hockey
The cost: $19.95 (will vary by location)

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

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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 wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We'll post one every hour on the hour all day long ... this is our finale for today.

The box: 1995 Action Packed ABC Monday Night Football cards
The cost: $15

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

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He was a dominating goaltender nicknamed "The China Wall," a two-time Vezina Trophy winner, a four-time Stanley Cup champ and a Hall of Famer.

He's Johnny Bower and the former star for the New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs died Tuesday after a battle with pneumonia. He was 93.

"Johnny Bower enriched us all by sharing the pure joy he felt for the game he played and for the men who played it, with him and against him," said NHL commissioner Gary Bettman in a statement. "It was a personal privilege to know him, a delight to be in his presence."

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What: 2017-18 Panini Chronicles basketball cards
Arrives: Jan. 17
Box basics: Three autograph or memorabilia cards per three-pack box (10 boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here to view

What's buzz-worthy: Panini offers a look at the newest crop of NBA rookies on a number of designs/brands from the recent past and present all in one place.

Keep reading for more info and a gallery of images.

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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 pulls from around the collecting world.

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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: Legendary maildays, NFL Draft scenarios, big pulls & more.

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 1.

The box: 1997 Pinnacle Action Packed NFL retail (magazine vendor) box 
The cost now: $9,99
The cost then: $89.64 in United States, $125.64 in Canada ($2.49/$3.49 per pack ... it says so on the packs!)

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

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