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 ...

STRONG SEASON ... WHAT'S NEXT?
The Card: Juan Soto 2018 Topps 582 Montgomery Club Set 1 -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: A big season that came up short of the goal ... but now it's time for a historic payday while still in his mid-20s. Soto's Rookie Cards (2018) aren't all that rare, really, but there's a lot of demand -- but they still might be good buys depending on where he goes next. (Mets? Watch out.) All those thoughts were in mind when I popped this one into a submission earlier this year along with other key names from this small set for Club members. It's not a traditional RC since it's from a small set, but it's still a good Soto to me ... so I slabbed it.
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: Top grade of a small volume works for me. I'm sure there will be more and I'm sure the pops are higher elsewhere, but the range of the grades here shows it might not be the easiest kind of card to grade thanks to that retro stock.

Keep reading for more of this month's pick-ups and new slabs for 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: 1994 Classic Pro Line Live football cards
Where to buy: Will take some hunting ... BlowoutCards.com for newer NFL boxes

Keep reading to see a full breakdown and gallery of that was in this one.

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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: 1996 Pro Line National Edition NFL cards
Where to buy: Will take some hunting to find ... click here for newer NFL stuff

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

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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: 1993 Classic Pro Line Live football cards
Where to buy: Will take some hunting ... BlowoutCards.com for newer NFL boxes

Keep reading to see a full breakdown and gallery of everything that was in this one.

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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.

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GIVE 'EM A HAND ...
The Piece: Calvin Ridley 2018 Panini Instant Instant Impressions autographed hand print (/10)
The Price: $60 (shipped)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I picked this one up earlier this year when Panini had a half-price sale on Panini Instant stuff and I think it was a gem of a find considering he's had some strong showings for the Falcons. (Beyond that he fits one of my collecting niches.) What is this? It's a huge card -- not a card, really but it does have a full back so it's a card that's a couple feet tall -- with his handprint and autograph worked into the mix. The signature is slightly more full than many of his cards (believe it or not) but the uniqueness of the whole package drew me in ... especially at half price.
Grab a box right here: No boxes of these ... but you can find NFL boxes here.

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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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: 1992 Pro Line football cards (autograph box)
Where to buy: Will take some hunting ... get new football boxes here

Keep reading for a full breakdown of what was in this one along with a gallery of images.

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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 that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ...

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PROJECT 2020 GOT ME
The Card: Ken Griffey Jr. 2020 Topps Project 2020 -- Artist: King Saladeen (/2,504 made)
The Price: $19.99
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This was my first card I picked up in the recently launched Project 2020 series from Topps, which is a higher-end premium-stock card set that takes a look back at 20 memorable players' memorable cards through the eyes of 20 different artists. They start at $19.99 with combo and volume discounts available, but I'm going to be on the boat for selected cards here and there as I don't heavily collect any of the players and all artists' styles aren't for me. That said, this card is a memorable take of a memorable Rookie Card for one of the biggest players of the last 40 years so I grabbed it. There are 400 cards in the set with each having Artist Proofs (/20) that vanish instantaneously as well as a Gold 1/1 that's randomly inserted into direct orders from Topps. You'll see more of these cards here throughout the year and you can see the ongoing gallery that updates every weekday right here on The Buzz. I have more of these incoming but this is the only one I presently have in-hand.
Grab a box right here: No boxes for this set ... see MLB boxes here

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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Fast Five is new department here on The Buzz -- a quick list under a single topic. Five items that could have a common tie, fit a theme, be fun for a starting collector, or be 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 something to think about.

This time? Five brands from the past that I'd bring back now.

SAME APPROACH, NEW FORMAT
The Brand: Panini Americana non-sports cards
There might be some groans out there -- perhaps even from Dallas -- with my having this one leading off here. Why? These kinds of releases are a lot of work to create -- there's no union deal to help line up rights for those to appear in the set and help facilitate who might appear and sign autographs. It's been five years since the last Americana non-sports release and that was one that has really dried up now wax-wise. It's a brand that, with a format tweak, I could perhaps see do better now than back then. That last release was a traditional box format with a ton of packs, a few hits at a price that I'd argue was too high for what those non-hit packs delivered. (And, at times, even beyond some of the hits, too.) But the formula of celeb autos and mem cards is one that still works. What would I change? I'd avoid a drab design -- there's a reason I show a Blue foilboard parallel here and not one of the gray base cards -- and I'd put a hit in every pack in a smaller box ... something closer to Prestige NFL or Elite Extra Edition baseball in recent years or in Americana's earlier years. Or, perhaps a brand like this might even take a hits-only approach? Either way, there are a ton of big names who have had cards in the various editions of this line that arrived way back in 2007. To me, it's time for more.

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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 12.

The box: 1992 Pro Line football cards (hobby box -- look for silver stripe at bottom ... not gold)
The cost: Will vary when found -- get new football boxes here

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 all day long ... this is Hour 11.

The box: 1996 Score Board NFL Special box
The cost: $5 (seriously)

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 all day long ... this is Hour 3.

The box: 1991 Pro Line football cards
The cost: $19.99 

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

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If you're a long-time reader of The Buzz, then you've seen this card before, but with the Super Bowl last night in Minneapolis there was a reason for it to hit The Buzz's Twitter Machine, too.

It's a 1992 Pro Line Profiles card for Hall of Famer Howie Long, and it was among the few tweets in an 11-hour marathon for Super Bowl LII last night simply because of the tree-climbing kid on the right.

Why? That's Eagles defensive end Chris Long, who was roughly six years old at the time of this family portrait that made its way to cardboard -- and that's far from the only piece of trivia here.

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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 our finale for today.

The box: 1993 Classic Pro Line Live NFL
The cost: $29

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

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Cortez Kennedy was a mainstay for the Seattle Seahawks for 11 seasons, starting 153 of 167 games every year beginning in 1990.

Along the way, Kennedy signed just two certified autograph cards for a trading card company and did just one more signing after he was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2012.

The 48-year-old died on Tuesday, according to the Orlando Police Department.

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The feel of 1991 Pro Line is back in packs of 2016 Panini Absolute football cards -- but with a modern-day twist.

This time, the NFL gear seen in players' portraits on the cards is inside the cards as memorabilia swatches.

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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: 1996 Pro Line football cards
Where to buy: Check eBay.

Packs per box: 28
Cards per pack: 10
Cards in this box: 280
Base set completion: 
252 of 350 (72 percent)
Duplicates: 18
Triplicates: 6

Notables on base cards -- Joe Montana, Junior Seau, Dan Marino, Warren Moon,  Jerry Rice, Deion Sanders, Barry Sanders, John Elway, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Jerome Bettis, Reggie White, Steve Young, Marshall Faulk, Randall Cunningham, Jim Kelly.

Notable Rookie Cards -- Keyshawn Johnson, Mike Alstott, Eddie George

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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: 1995 Pro Line football cards
Where to buy: Check eBay on this one.

Packs per box: 36
Cards per pack: 10
Cards in this box: 360
Base set completion: 
319 of 400 (80 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards -- Joe Montana, Drew Bledsoe, Junior Seau, Dan Marino, Warren Moon,  Jerry Rice, Deion Sanders, Barry Sanders, Andre Rison, John Elway, Sterling Sharpe, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Jerome Bettis, Reggie White, Steve Young, Marshall Faulk, Randall Cunningham, Jim Kelly.

Notable Rookie Cards -- Steve McNair, Jeff Blake, Warren Sapp, Ki-Jana Carter, Kordell Stewart, Joey Galloway, Derrick Brooks.

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"They are who we thought they were" may be a sound bite he's remembered for, but Dennis Green also will be remembered as being what many thought he was.

A pretty decent football coach.

The former Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals leader died from an apparent heart attack on Friday at age 67. He last coached a decade ago with the Cardinals, going 5-11 to cap his 13-year coaching resume with 113 wins and 94 losses.

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There are many sports cards sets out there from the past that aren't valuable in the financial way at all but they can carry some intrinsic quality that should just resonate with some collectors anyway.

Maybe it's just because Buzz ripped these packs in the past -- or maybe because they are just so much more different than anything made in the years since -- but one set that feels that way for me is 1992 Pro Line Portraits. It's a football card set that's simple -- portraits on the front -- and oddly non-statistical with thoughts from the person on the back. Most are football players, but some are players' wives and others are celebrities who have a fondness for the game. One of those people, for example, is Muhammad Ali and you can see his Team NFL insert card (No. 1 in the set) above. The biggest draw of these back then? There was an autographed card guaranteed in every box.

For a simple Sunday item -- call it a Sunday Six -- here's a look at six fun cards from the product.

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As he told us all, he floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee -- he was the greatest of the great ... his name was Muhammad Ali.

The legendary boxer, iconic athlete, activist and cultural figure died Friday night. He was 74.

"A true great has left us," promotor Bob Arum told ESPN. "Muhammad Ali transformed this country and impacted the world with his spirit. His legacy will be part of our history for all time."

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Admit it, you may have overdone things when it comes to buying football cards this year -- maybe past years, too -- and have a big ol' stash of cards you don't know what to do with. What do you keep? What do you jettison? That's where having a collecting focus comes in. If you haven't overdone it on wax, then maybe having a focus for your single-card buys is a need. (That's one even Buzz has struggled with over decades of collecting.)

One potential niche that seems prevalent this year in NFL and college sets? Cards showing the kids of former NFL players who have now made their way onto cardboard.

They seem to be everywhere this year. Second-generation players aren't anything new, of course, but they can be a fun way to revisit the past while also collecting the present. Buzz started his collecting days in the 1980s and, back then, a Joe Montana autograph wasn't an easy find -- plus, his handwriting didn't justify the high cost on a small budget. Fast-forward to 2015 and Nick Montana has cardboard. He won't be an NFL star -- he wasn't really even that good in college -- and the handwriting also isn't great, but he's got a certified autograph card.

Buzz wanted it, Buzz got it. Can't say the same thing for a Joe autograph, though, even all these years later.

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With the holiday season here, cardboard is probably on the minds of many Buzz readers as they wonder what might await them soon.

Others, like Buzz, might be thinking of Cardboard of Christmas Past -- you know, some of the Santa Claus trading cards we've seen throughout the years. Most of it's trivial and not all that collectable -- but they all stand out in a way compared to our traditional sports cards.

1989 Pro Set Promos #1989
When Dallas-based Pro Set created this card during its first season of making football cards in 1989, it sparked a trend that we saw in not just football cards but other areas in the years that followed. (Boy are there some bad Photoshop jobs there in the 1990s.) For all intents and purposes, though, Buzz would call this one a "Rookie Card." Yes, there were previous non-sports cards -- but this was the one that put cards like this on the minds of the sports-collecting masses after it was mailed out to dealers and selected NFL-related people.

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