This month's Collecting Game-used item a gamer for sure, but I can't put it in the player's hands to prove it. That's actually way more common than you might think today even if we live in a world of holographic authentication stickers on nearly everything.

After going 3-for-3 for exact photo matches within this series, this one is still a solid hit -- it's a fully prepped and lightly used gamer. What do I mean? If you haven't followed this series, from time to time I grab game-used baseball bats for the retired player I collect, Nick Swisher, and I've been able to photo-match nearly all of them. Here's last time, here's part two and here's the first one. They are all bats that cost me less than this Sam Bat ... but I had to have it.

Why? Because it's a deluxe brand -- it's one that cost me more compared to others -- but it was worth it ... and it turns out this bat might be a lot rarer than others I own.

Keep reading to see the details this time.

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When it comes to baseball card brands, Topps' Allen & Ginter is one of the most-unique ones in the hobby today -- even though it's modeled after cards from the 1880s.

Why? Those original tobacco cards featured all kinds of people and all kinds of things -- not just baseball players -- among many releases but it's the "World's Champions" that drive the idea of what we've gotten today since Topps re-introduced the brand back in 2006.

Kate Upton, Takeru Kobayashi, George W. Bush, Serena Williams, Axl Rose, Michelle Beadle, Anthony Bourdain, Nick Saban, Cat Osterman, Kevin Costner, Sylvester Stallone, Roger Federer, Michael Phelps, Tony Hawk, Maria Sharapova, John Wooden, Laila Ali, Snoop Dogg, Pele, Henry Rollins and so many other surprising subjects have been found in packs of baseball cards beside typical MLB inclusions such as Mike Trout, Hank Aaron, Bryce Harper, Derek Jeter, Justin Verlander, Sandy Koufax, Clayton Kershaw and Ichiro Suzuki through the years. Those surprises can be pricey later, too. Upton wasn't a super-rare autograph but you wouldn't know it based on these prices.

Planning stages for the 2019 release are clearly already beginning for the brand as Topps took to Twitter on Thursday to ask collectors who they'd want to see in Ginter for non-baseball inclusions.

That got Buzz thinking ... and here are a few signers I'd want to see in 2019 Topps Allen & Ginter -- and more than a few of them have small ties to the baseball world.

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