What: 2022 Topps Black & White baseball cards
Arrives: Now via Topps.com
Box basics: Two parallels and three inserts per 30-card box
Checklist: Click here
Order: Click here (when available)

What's buzz-worthy: Black & White arrives once again with a lineup of just 100 base cards and parallels where color is the chase.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

Continue reading →

What: 2022 Topps Mini baseball cards
Arrives: Now ... via Topps.com 
Box basics: 35 cards per pack
Checklist: Click here
Order: Initially via Topps.com (here when available)

What's buzz-worthy: Minis return to the Topps lineup once again with an initial release on Monday only for 582 Montgomery Club members that is now live for everybody.

Keep reading for more as well as a full gallery of images.

Continue reading →

If you hadn't noticed, there are a number of boxes with discounted prices right now right here as Blowout Cards' Black November sales have arrived this year.

The third wave is here and many of the discounts were dramatic enough that Buzz once again had to ponder the possibilities in many of the boxes and cases -- and here are five that caught this collector’s eye ... and there's far more that just might suit your tastes in the big sale.

--

PLAYING IT SAFE ... WHILE ROLLING THE DICE
2017 Bowman Chrome Mini baseball card set (It's not just a set.)
You yet plenty of notables here in a set of 273 cards loaded with rookies and prospects from a few full-size series that year and then you get three 10-card Refractor packs that have all kinds of potential inside -- including Superfractors and mini printing plates -- for all players here. Among them? Rookie Cards or prospect cards for Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, Dansby Swanson, Alex Bregman, Ronald Acuña Jr., Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Gleyber Torres, Rafael Devers and plenty more. The prices here aren't as big as the regular stuff, but I think these are a better buy, though there's not ink in play. The parallels can be powerful but if you somehow strike out there the base cards are nice. I'd also suspect that they aren't as heavily graded as the regular stuff for some guys, too.

Keep reading for a few more boxes you should consider (and are likely to end up in Buzz's cart).

Continue reading →

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 ... 

GOOD AS GOLD ...
The Card: "Stone Cold" Steve Austin 2022 Panini Select WWE Gold Flash (/10)
The Reason Graded: If you recognize this card, well, there's a reason. Just a few weeks ago, I pulled it from a blaster box and thanks to CSG's quick, budget-minded services I turned this around fast and, well, this rarity pays for itself. This retail-only card is rare -- only nine others like it exist -- and it came back with a top mark since even the horizontal centering was clean. (That's not the norm from what I have seen with this release.) This is a pricey card right now so that was my main reason for slabbing, and now it's that much better.
The Grade: CSG 10

Reality Check: It's the only one that has been slabbed so far. How many might still be sitting in packs? Generally speaking, Select is a strong release worth your look in any format -- and I have other stuff here I intend to get graded.

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

Continue reading →

If you hadn't noticed, there are a number of boxes with discounted prices right now right here as Blowout Cards' Black November sales have arrived this year.

The first wave is here and many of the discounts were dramatic enough that Buzz once again had to ponder the possibilities in many of the boxes and cases -- and here are five that caught this collector’s eye ... and there's far more that just might suit your tastes in the big sale.

--

PLAYING IT SAFE? NAH ... THERE'S HUGE POTENTIAL HERE
2020 Topps Heritage MLB
Buzz isn't a high-roller for the most part -- even when the big sales hit -- but there are releases where the discounts can make the gamble (and this one, like many, can be a gamble) worth it. This one gets the nod from me this time as it's one that I did very well with -- check out the autograph in this break (or at right) -- that's a win that's not the norm ... but he's also not alone. You get some kind of variation in every box most of the time and a good name there can mean good things. There are also rarer Relics to go with ink here where master set collectors can pay well if it's something they need. This Ryan will end up in a slab for me at some point -- I should have slabbed it long ago no matter what but those black borders have made me push it off -- but other autos here include Bo Bichette (rookie), Austin Riley, Anthony Rizzo, Carl Yastrzemski, Fernando Tatis Jr., Hank Aaron (yep!), Johnny Bench, Mike Trout, Pete Alonso, Ronald Acuña Jr., Shohei Ohtani, Yordan Alvarez (rookie) and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. among others. They won't be in every box or even every case, of course, but they could be in there and when it's cheaper that's when it's time to open.

Keep reading for a few more boxes you should consider (and are likely to end up in Buzz's cart).

Continue reading →

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: 2022 Topps Pro Debut baseball cards (hobby)
First Buzz Preview & Checklist: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

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

Continue reading →

What: 2022 Donruss Optic baseball cards
Arrives: Dec. 2
Box basics: Two autographs per 20-pack hobby box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Optic hits the diamond as a postseason release but with plenty of inserts and color to go with a loaded lineup of stars young and old on Optichrome.

Keep reading for a gallery and more info.

Continue reading →

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: 2022 Topps Chrome Logofractor Edition baseball cards (hobby box)
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

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

Continue reading →

What: 2022 Super Glow Patch Auto Edition sports cards
Arrives: November
Box basics: One autographed patch card per box (six boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Super Glow releases another one-card wonder -- as in one patch auto per box -- but it's all going to be encased patch autos or 1/1 patch autos every single time in this one with stars from a wide array of sports and some other surprise names, too.

Keep reading for more info and a selection of images.

Continue reading →

What: 2022 Topps Garbage Pail Kids X MLB
Arrives: Now via Topps.com
Box basics: One chase card per six-card pack ... or the same format in a five-pack box
Checklist: Click here
Order: Click here (when available)

What's buzz-worthy: The Garbage Pail Kids have been taken over by the stars of Major League Baseball in a new online release that's a twist on, well, everything.

Keep reading for more as well as a full gallery of images.

Continue reading →

What: 2022 Super Break Super Duper Baseball Edition
Arrives: Sept. 14
Box basics: One buyback card per box (five boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Super Break takes its buyback line to a high-end multi-sport stage and packs only baseball cards inside for this one -- a release that "will pack a serious punch."

Keep reading for more info and a selection of images.

Continue reading →

What: 2022 Topps X Bobby Witt Jr. Crown Collection baseball cards
Arrives: Live now via Topps
Pack basics: 25 cards per pack (hits every other box)
Checklist: Click here
Order: Via Topps.com; Click here (when available)

What's buzz-worthy: Bobby Witt Jr. gets to curate his own baseball card set that has plenty of big-leaguers, some family ties and more inside every box.

Keep reading for more info and a gallery for this one.

Continue reading →

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: 2022 Topps Chrome baseball cards (hobby box)
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here
Where to buy: Click here (a few formats)

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

Continue reading →

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 ... and it might be the biggest edition ever.

BIG SEASON AHEAD?
The Card: Josh Allen 2018 Donruss Optic #154 -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: I pulled a pair of these from a number of rips -- probably deep in the archives here if you poke around -- but I never slabbed any of them back then, instead grading guys like Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield and maybe a Nick Chubb. Meanwhile, it turns out this guy might be The One over the long term from this rookie class. After this past season's successes and close finish at the end, I figured it was time to grade a pair of these and I'm still working through some of my past pulls to see if I need to grade more for this franchise QB.
The Grade: CSG 10

Reality Check: I was happy with this one (and I'll drop my other one here at some point later this season) as Optic stock can be hit and miss, particularly on the backs. Sometimes it's dents and wrinkles or minor dents but this one was clean. It looks like these do grade pretty well with nearly half of them getting this mark. An interesting comparison to make here? PSA has graded more than 2,500 of these with more than half being 10s, while BGS has graded only 160 and SGC has slabbed 320.

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

Continue reading →

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: 2022 Topps Clearly Authentic baseball cards
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Continue reading →

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: 2019 Panini Diamond Kings baseball cards (blaster)
First Buzz: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for FOTL)

Keep reading to see a breakdown and gallery of what's in this one.

Continue reading →

What: 2022 Super Glow One Time Edition sports cards
Arrives: Sept. 21
Box basics: One autographed Glow card per box (five boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Super Glow simplifies the inclusions with this one -- one auto per box -- but it's all from an array of possibilities that also includes slabs and stars from around the sports world.

Keep reading for more info and a selection of images.

Continue reading →

What: 2022 Onyx Premium baseball cards
Arrives: Sept. 9
Box basics: Two on-card autographs per box (24 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Onyx goes this fall with nothing but autographed cards in this one once again with top prospects in the mix as well as an iconic Hall of Famers and even some unusual and creative ink.

Keep reading for more info and a gallery of images.

Continue reading →

I've presented a lot of baseballs in this Collecting Game-used series, but this new low-priced pickup of mine isn't one from the discount bin (my usual for baseballs as I'm a bargain-hunter) yet it was a steal in my eyes.

It was a mere $50 -- that's cheap for a ball -- and it's one that comes with a little extra history attached to go with that tiny piece of "Seashore Paspalum, Platinum TE" (that's a grass type) in the seams from Truist Park ... so, yes, that means this is another Atlanta Braves ball.

A visit to MLB Authentication and then to the MLB Film Room captured the moment where this ball's life began and ended and it presented something slightly different than my previous visual evidence shows (the play happened differently than I imagined ... you'll see). Yet, it was still a first for a highly watched rookie's career. It's also a first for me in that its authentication listing shows a few extra pitches, too, where the Film Room shows that part of the listing to not be accurate. (It happens but not often.) A foul ball before this one went to the backstop and the umpire reaches into his bag to give a new ball to the pitcher for my play.

So, who is it and what happened? You can keep reading to see the details ... and the ball in action.

Continue reading →

What: 2022 Topps Derek Jeter Call Of The Captain baseball cards
Arrives: Now via Topps.com
Box basics: One autograph or Relic per 15-card pack
Checklist: Click here
Order: Click here (when available)

What's buzz-worthy: The New York Yankees icon teams up with Topps once again for a 50-card set that includes nods to players of the past as well as the present with Jeter hits also in the chase.

Keep reading to learn more and see a full gallery of images.

Continue reading →

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 pack: 2018 Topps Update baseball cards (retail)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (several formats)

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

Continue reading →

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 ...

THIS IS WHY YOU GRADE ...
The Book: The Amazing Spider-Man #361 -- first full appearance of Carnage (Marvel cards here)
The Reason Graded: As you probably read in a past piece where I previously graded my other newsstand copy of this iconic issue, I have a stash of early 1990s books that are all quite clean as I was picking off stuff from a bookstore without rack damage. I was more of an art fan/collector than a reader -- it was all about art and condition -- and this cover-price pickup came at a time where cards were starting to get too expensive to me in 1992 so I dabbled. I have had this stashed all this time and while the pop report here is heavy for sure ... how many of them can be newsstand 9.8s? I suspect it's a definite minority of that 5,000-some books.
The Grade: CGC 9.8 (Universal)

Reality Check: When I graded my other copy of this its pop was at 20,179 and there have been big gains at 9.4, 9.6 and 9.8. The eBay asking prices on this one for newsstand include $6,999 (not getting hit), $2,500 for a pair, just under $2,200, $2,000 and a bunch down to $750. Not that helpful. Actual eBay sales? Highs around $1,200 down to around $600 ... so definitely still a little all over the place. Recent sales are also still in that range for this key issue. No matter the timing or the price paid ... this is an example of why you grade good stuff. All it cost me $1.25 and grading fees.

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

Continue reading →

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 pack: 2020 Topps Chrome Ben Baller Edition baseball cards
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (when available)

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

Continue reading →

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 boxes: 2022 Topps Series 1 baseball cards (two hangers)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com
First Buzz preview with checklist/SPs/more: Click here

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

Continue reading →

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 boxes: 2022 Topps Series 1 baseball cards (two hangers)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com
First Buzz preview with checklist/SPs/more: Click here

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

Continue reading →