There's a new player in the sports card landscape that you might already know pretty well depending on your taste in shoes.

StockX, a Detroit-based company founded in 2015, has perhaps been best known for helping collectors of in-demand basketball shoes like the Air Jordan 6 Travis Scott model you see here by being a platform for users to make and take offers in a few select categories.

But beginning this month there's a new addition to the company's lineup -- graded sports cards.

"Staying true to our mantra as the world’s first 'Stock Market of Things,' we are excited to announce trading cards as a brand new category for StockX," read a company statement. "We have been researching the trading-card space for a long time, and believe that our stock-market model will provide collectors and enthusiasts alike a superior e-commerce experience."

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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: Andrew Luck calls it a career, a Kobe auto in a retail repack, NHL grading results and more in this early Sunday edition.

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You may have seen the headlines, but here's the real scoop.

BlowoutCards.com was the buyer of the $107,010 PSA 10 grade Pokémon 1st Edition set sold via Goldin Auctions this weekend, a sale that generated headlines from around the world -- not just the collecting world -- as the power of Pokémon is well-known. (And it's not just the cherished Charizard card leading the way here, either.)

Among the national news sites writing about this one? Newsweek, CNBC, TMZ Sports, Kotaku, Geek.com and CNET.

BlowoutCards.com is aggressively buying past Pokémon booster boxes and sets -- send an email pokemon@blowoutcards.com if you're selling. Keep reading to see this landmark set in its entirety and for Goldin's take on why the set is (and it is) a key release for a generation of younger collectors.

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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, a big PSA return and plenty of other breaks to check out today.

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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 they're a little pricer than my normal pick-ups.

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I AM GROOT ... 
The Card: Groot 2018-19 Upper Deck Marvel Annual sketch card -- artist: Poognasty (1/1)
The Price: $21.25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I did a double-take when I saw the detail of this sketch card in comparison to its price. While sketch cards can get super cheap these days -- even for full-color comic sets -- that's often due to quality of the work. This one seems like it was seriously underpriced. Groot is one of the more unique characters in the Marvel universe these days, though he's more of a merch machine in his child years vs. adult years seen here. Either way, this one was striking and I had little hesitation picking this one up. That's easily the most I've spent on a sketch card but it's by far my best one, too.
Grab a box right here: 2018-19 Upper Deck Marvel Annual (when available)

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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: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 2019 Topps Living Set #179 RC
The Reason Graded: While I own a few Topps Living Set cards the arrival of this second-generation MLB star in this weekly release sparked my first purchase from this popular brand that's clearly popular with flippers. I ponied up for 10 copies of the card --solely with potential grading in mind -- but didn't receive a single perfectly centered card in my batch, which was a bummer. After some grumbling, I picked out this one from the batch and sent it in.
The Grade: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: It graded as well as I thought it could -- maybe better -- so I wasn't unhappy with the grade and it appears that I'm perhaps on the luckier side with just two 10s out there better than it via BGS ... for now. This is a card that will likely be graded more and more often so those won't last but but it appears that this one is arriving between 8.5 and 9.5 more often than not. I have a second one I'll submit to PSA at some point with my sights set on a 10 there. We'll see sometime later this year.

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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 collection of Tom Brady RC wax boxes, big Allen & Ginter pulls, inside a Barry Sanders collection, The National, NBA rips and ... check out the heaters.

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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: Allegedly altered and trimmed big Mike Trout cards, grading controversy hits the radio, MLB and NFL breaks, The National, Bob Gibson and plenty more in today's edition.

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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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CARDBOARD THAT KICKS
The Item: Mike Piazza 2019 Topps Diamond Icons Preeminent Pieces cleat Relic (/10)
The Price: $449.95 Buy-It-Now (or best offer)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is a game-used cleat card that has nine other cards similar to it in Topps' new high-end MLB brand that's all about the hits. They're not all like these but these are cards that have a distinct feel and look that's a lot different than the jersey or bat Relics that we've seen for years. That makes them always worth a look -- and this one seems a little under-priced even at that BIN. The fact that offers are being considered also indicates that the seller will take less -- both situations that work for me if I was a Piazza fan. This is also nowhere near the biggest finds in this release -- check out the autos link below.
Similar Pieces: 2019 Topps Diamond Icons autos 
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for 2019 Topps Diamond Icons boxes and cases

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

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PSA will have a number of things for fans to check out and dig into at The National this year.

First, it will be giving away a graded Michael Jordan 1986-87 Fleer Rookie Card during three days of the show -- and if you aren't going you can still enter to win one of them by clicking right here. Up first will be a PSA 8 on the Thursday of the show, a PSA 8.5 on Friday and a PSA 9 on Saturday of the event that begins in Chicago on July 31.

There also will be show-exclusive promo cards and even more going on -- a card-grading contest for starters -- if you visit the authenticator's booth.

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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 a mix of hits and basics.

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A SMALL USA BASEBALL GEM
The Card: Tony Zych 2009 Upper Deck Signature Stars USA National Team Premier Materials Cap Flag Patches (/4)
The Price: Under $10
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: USA Baseball products have some types of hits you just don't see elsewhere and they aren't all one-of-kind creations, either. Zych was still a college player here but he did make it to The Show for three seasons with the Mariners but he's ultimately not why you see this one here -- it's because it's a unique patch from a cap that's a small version of a larger chase that USA sets are known for. This USA crop in this particular release is stacked between all of the USA ink and mem cards and a strong list of names who have made MLB. Other players with cards like this one in those cheap boxes? Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, Trevor Bauer, Gerrit Cole, Sonny Gray and Kolten Wong. There are 27 players with these cards, though not all have four copies. Either way, this one is a gem to me as I have always had a soft spot for prime USA stuff. Why? Because I've actually pulled some -- they're far from impossible finds and they're not from high-end boxes price-wise.
Grab a box right here: 2009 Upper Deck Signature Stars

Keep reading for several more interesting items ...

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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 another super-sized edition.

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BATTING LEAD-OFF ONCE AGAIN 
The Card: Ronald Acuña Jr. 2018 Topps Heritage High Number Rookie Card (BGS 9)
The Price: $14
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: You may think it's a comedy bit with this Atlanta Braves slugger's RC batting lead-off here once again -- and it's not even the first time it's been this card in a slab, just a different company -- but Buzz is still sold on his hobby potential as part of a first-place team loaded with home-grown talent ... and he bats lead-off there, too. There will come a time where the wax will become harder and harder to find so these slabbed versions are always worth a look on the cheaper side in my mind. This also was my first buy for a BGS card without sub-grades -- people tend to price them lower than other cards. This one does have issues with vertical centering but it doesn't bug my eye at all compared to left-right centering issues when those exist. For the price, I'm good here ... and I still miss 1969 Heritage compared to this year.
Grab a box right here: 2018 Topps Heritage High Number baseball cards

Keep reading for five more interesting items ...

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PSA has added a new feature as part of its grading services that lets collectors verify cardboard on the company's website.

It's called SecureScan and it means that front and back scans of cards can be seen online, and it's now available to all PSA customers using five levels of service -- Super Express, Walk-Through, Premium, Premium Plus and Premium Elite.

“This is a significant step to help collectors with security measures as well as marketing opportunities for their collectibles,” said PSA President Steve Sloan in a prepared release. “People can now view images of the exact item we authenticated, graded and encapsulated right on our Cert Verification page. This is extremely useful for those collectors looking to verify the details of an item, including its certification number, before they purchase it.”

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A private sale of an original Type 1 photo of an MLB icon -- a legendary image taken by a legendary photographer -- has set a new sales record.

It's an original photo from Charles M. Conlon and it's perhaps his most-famous photograph of Ty Cobb from back in 1909 showing him sliding into third base. This PSA-authenicated photo set a new sales record, fetching $250,000 in a privately brokered transaction.

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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: Box-break madness -- Mega Boxes and more -- along with non-sports breaks, a cool find, The National and more in today's edition.

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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: PSA addresses card-trimming allegations, big NBA and MLB pulls, the end of a player collection, The National 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: Topps Definitive pulls, grading Bowman Mega Box players, MLB breaks, The National and even more important chatter today.

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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 ... a super-sized edition this time around that's heavy on MLB and NBA but with a few surprises.

The Cards: 1991-92 SkyBox #544-546 Team USA puzzle
The Reason Graded: I picked up a box of this one for roughly $16 late last year (a bargain price) and pulled two sets of these puzzles, which was good. Why? Because grading these and the other notables from the iconic Hall of Famer-loaded Dream Team is pretty heavy and this one has been on my to-do list. I landed most of the notables more than once but just one Jordan that was noticeably off-centered. These glossed cards on the puzzle could have issues that the standard cards don't have simply because of their surfaces, but mine were clean. I will revisit my second set to see if anything stands out. I may go the PSA route on the other set for variety's sake if I see anything that would make me wonder about potential grades.
The Grades: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: This one was a stressful one as I had hoped for matching grades. Thankfully, that's what I got and that's where most cards land for all three pieces of the puzzle. This is a textbook example of the kind of cardboard that can make you some money with grading, too, as they're no more than $10 total raw, while BGS 9.5s together should top $100 in some cases and asking prices for the middle (Jordan) card alone can be steep. It's memorable cardboard from the past with nothing but iconic players involved, so there's still good demand -- and that's another reason why I slabbed. Wax boxes aren't all that plentiful, either, compared to other boxes around that time.

Keep reading for the rest of this month's new grades and additions.

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It's got four rounded corners and plenty of missing original real estate, but it's the highest-selling piece of cardboard this year.

SCP Auctions has brokered a private sale of this 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner card for $1.2 million, according to the company.

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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 a super-sized edition to clear out some cardboard that's been waiting for its turn here.

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BATTING LEADOFF ... AGAIN
The Card: Ronald Acuña Jr. 2018 Panini Chronicles Score Rookie Card (SGC 10)
The Price: $10.60
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Is it really a shocker to see this guy batting leadoff here once again? If you're a regular reader you'll know this is the third straight time I've picked one of my Acuña pick-ups to start things off here -- and this time it's a high-grade copy from an affordable (for now) release that's jam-packed with Rookie Cards. I haven't ever submitted anything to SGC for grading, but I have picked off a few cards in their slabs when the price is right and the card is noticeably clean. In this case it was an affordable one picked off in a top grade just before he started heating things up this season. Boxes of many 2018 releases have picked up steam and this one is among them, especially on the hobby side where they are jam-packed with good stuff. I couldn't find this card in the pop report, but the price was right for me.
Grab a box right here: 2018 Panini Chronicles baseball cards

Keep reading for many more interesting items ...

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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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SELL NOW OR BUY FOR LATER?
The Item: Mike Trout 2019 Topps Now Future World Series (/10 Chrome set prize)
The Price: $84.95 Buy-It-Now (or best offer)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: It's a long baseball season so the recently released Topps Now Future packs (three cards) and single cards have some time to rise and fall based on pennant potential. This card is of a top name in the game and if his Los Angeles Angels somehow win the World Series it's good for a team set of Chrome parallels limited to only 10 copies. Logically, with three players per team on the standard checklist, that would mean that about three of these exist, right? Or, maybe all 10 of the eligible cards for that prize are of Trout? Either way, the rarer prize cards in this release should be rarer, too. The  three-card packs are limited in nature (just under 11,000 total) and every card inside can yield something -- team sets or team sets with an autograph. Sales of singles for some of these have been strong -- they are all worth a look. However, part of me thinks action for playoff contenders could really pick up late in the season. Do you buy or sell now? Or buy and sell later?
Similar Pieces: 2019 Topps Now Future cards on eBay
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for 2019 Topps Now Future packs

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

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Collecting game-used memorabilia isn't as tough as it used to be, but matching a game-used item to it being used isn't easy at all. In fact, it can be downright impossible in many instances.

But not all -- and that's where PSA's new photo-matching game-used bat examination service comes in.

“It is not merely a style or model match, but instead an exact match to that item,” said Joe Orlando, Collectors Universe CEO, in a prepared statement. “While finding a true match can be difficult, there is no question that a confirmation can add value to a bat, even one that is already considered a high-grade example.”

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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 a super-sized edition.

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A CLASSIC YOU CAN FIND ... FOR NOW 
The Card: Ronald Acuña Jr. 2018 Topps Heritage High Number RC (PSA 9)
The Price: $11.20
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This Atlanta Braves slugger had a strong start in April -- enough to get people looking at his Rookie Cards from last season once again and that's why I have him leading off here once again but with a different card. I didn't pick this one up since that hot start, but the PSA 10s and other high-grade cards out there have asking prices that are definitely getting more attention and pricier than when I nabbed this one. Raw copies are going for not a lot less than what I paid on the same site and ripping a box isn't going to guarantee you a well-centered copy. (All of mine pulled  last year were a tad off.) This one is off top-to-bottom but that worries me far less than left-right centering, so I grabbed it at the price.
Grab a box right here: 2018 Topps Heritage High Number

Keep reading for nine more interesting items ...

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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: New football and baseball pulls of note, card trimming, Chris Paddack and pondering if there's a PSA 10 bubble.

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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: 2018 Donruss Optic Red & Yellow #153 Baker Mayfield (RC parallel)
The Reason Graded: I found this one in a Mega Box and it was by far the best highlight of the bunch there so that's why you see it here. Mayfield has shown himself to be a spark plug among a good rookie crop since back when I pulled it, so that's another reason. A third? This brand is one that I like more than others. The color scheme of this card, a retail-exclusive, also looked good, so I figured I'd slab it up and see how it looked when it came back. These were very pricey when they first started arriving on eBay but I'm sure they have settled down by now -- still an impressive card to me either way and I'll be tucking this one away in my stash alongside my Bowman Chrome Tom Brady RC for the simple long-term appreciation. (Mine, not financial.)
The Grade: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: At the point I submitted this one, there was at most one graded and I'm still surprised that there are so few slabbed. I also was surprised with the grade figuring I'd check in at a likely BGS 9 but I'll take it. I think high-grade copies of retail-only parallels found in certain formats could be tougher future finds than people might think.

Keep reading for the rest of this month's new grades and additions.

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