From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and break down 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: 2021 Topps WWE Slam Attax (Topps India Smart Pack)
Where to buy: Will take some looking -- get standard WWE boxes here

Keep reading for a full breakdown of what was in this one as well as a gallery of highlights.

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 ...

FROM THE BARGAIN BIN TO ...
The Card: Ken Griffey Jr. 1989 Topps Traded -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: I picked up this at the last minute -- literally at closing time -- at a past National Sports Collectors Convention after some digging through a bargain bin where cards were literally bouncing around inside cases in a plastic tub. For just $5 this card (as a raw copy) was mine after one thing jumped out at me -- its back with all that black ink was perfectly cut and its front was super-close to centered. It's not that I needed this card, really, as I picked up about three or four sets from the 1989 JCPenney Christmas catalog -- just $12.99 apiece -- back in the day, but I found the rough back edges to be an issue when revisiting all my copies with the the stars that survived past purges. This one made it into one of my bulk grading subs earlier this year as it was past time to grade one. Yes, it's got a very slight rough spot on the front left -- some extra fuzz as it's some light cardboard -- but everything else here (especially the back) was too clean to not send it in.
The Grade: CSG 10

Reality Check: That's definitely the kind of grade I was going for here, though a lot of them seem to check in at that mark -- about 17 percent of the current population -- which seems high for the era, but, at the same time, these were released as boxed sets and not in packs so they perhaps didn't get handled as much during packaging. Plus, inner cards in the boxes got protected pretty well. I'll take it. This one has always been one of my favorite RCs for this icon ... because I could afford this one and not the other big one that many love. I have them all now, of course (I think), but I'm pretty sure few or even none of my copies from back then would grade like this one did. Not bad for a $5 find and then $10 more to grade it.

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

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 ...

SHINE LIKE MINI-DIAMONDS ...
The Card: Ronald Acuña Jr. 2021 Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary Edition Rose Gold Mini-Diamond Refractors (/75)
The Reason Graded: Generally, I only do Chrome stuff in any kind of volume when it gets cheap -- and in this case they were as I found a run of mega boxes of this one priced less than blasters and that got me to bite. (They're all Buzz Breaks so go check the archives.) One of my better finds in those boxes was this card, which is a super-sparkly take on the 1952 Topps design that, in my mind, does work while a lot of the basic Chrome takes found in this set just don't. (There were a lot of quality control issues with this release.) In this case, since it's a top name, a rare card and a crisp and cleanly centered copy I put it into a bulk sub. Why? I like it and the player ... and I felt like it had some good potential.
The Grade: CSG 9.5

Reality Check: It's the lowest of two copies graded by CSG (now CGC) with the other one checking in where I had hoped to be. No biggie ... I like this card no matter what and all of his stuff -- Rookie Cards, hits and rarities -- should be getting looks as he could become baseball's newest 40-40 Club member -- and might even push higher if he gets really hot with the bat in the second half. With him you never know.

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

Continue reading →

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 ...

--

A DIFFERENT DIRECTION ... 
The Cards: Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) 2023 Topps Throwback Thursday Star Wars Wave 4 (/3,039)
The Price: About $40 for lot of nine
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: A lot of the online small-set releases from Topps have tempted me the last few years, but at times when I have bit the actual finished product isn't as appealing for my main reason I'd grab something -- issues that hurt if you're grading. This line has been tempting but instead of buying a bundle for a card that jumped out at me (like this one) I instead picked off a singles lot from a re-seller. Why? Again, grading. I was looking back at all of the 1952s for this brand and this one was by far the best of the bunch with the colors and photo. The centering here? About as flawed as the times that annoyed me in the past, but one or two here were decent enough that I'll send one in for grading at some point. They probably won't land top marks but I'd still be fine with a slabbed copy of this one as Dawson is a relative newcomer to Star Wars cards and in a lot of memorable past roles elsewhere.
Grab a box right here: No boxes for this but ... Star Wars boxes are here.

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

Continue reading →

The biggest weekend in pro wrestling is here with WrestleMania 39 set for this Saturday and Sunday from Los Angeles. We'll make today a big one for wrestling collectors right here on The Buzz with #BuzzMania6, a marathon of WWE wax box/pack breaks all day long.

This seventh break of the day is a half-case of a release that has the potential to deliver big ... but without breaking the bank. What will happen this time?

The Brand: A half-case of 2020 Topps WWE Women's Division wrestling cards (four hobby boxes)

Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

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

Continue reading →

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 it's deep -- but also one of the pricier overall roundups I've done. 

BATTING LEAD-OFF ...
The Card: Roger Maris 2005 Playoff Absolute Memorabilia Tools of the Trade Reverse Blue Single Materials (/50)
The Price: $30
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Most of my pick-ups for this series are more personal collection buys meaning a lot of them might not have a ton of mainstream appeal to all of you but I'll let a legend bat lead-off here once again with a simple piece of cardboard. This brand was one that had a ton of highlights in it for game-used memorabilia fans when it arrived at the end of the Donruss/Playoff years and it delivered a ton for roughly $40 a pack back then if I remember correctly. This one was the home of legendary memorabilia cards from Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and many more and I have pulled or picked up many of them though the years. One player I pick up regularly if the price is right is Maris and this one fits that bill. It's not a perfectly designed card (His legs ... what's up there?) but the brand has so many variations and so many cards.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... but newer MLB boxes are here.

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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: 2021 Topps Chrome WWE wrestling cards (blaster)
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Keep reading for a full breakdown 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 box: 2021 Topps Chrome WWE wrestling cards (hobby)
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

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

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.

--

A FORGOTTEN ONE?
2020 Topps Baseball UK Edition baseball box
Maybe it's just because I never ripped this one -- or, heck, even saw it -- last year, but this box with a pretty big discount feels like it needs to be here as you should get a number of parallel cards in every one and there's a decent shot at key names being among them as it's only a 200-card set. I recently grabbed the one basic RC I wanted to land here but there are parallels and even autographs in play here as ell as a mix of UK Icons inserts also with parallels. With 240 cards in a box if the collation is clean you should come pretty close at landing a good chunk of it all. This one's in my cart as I type ... I need to scout even more after I finish this piece.

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: 2021 Topps Chrome WWE wrestling cards (hobby)
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Keep reading for a full breakdown 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 box: 2021 Topps Chrome WWE wrestling cards (hobby)
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

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

Continue reading →

From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and break down 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 package: 2019 Topps WWE Slam Attax Universe (India smart pack box)
Where to buy: Will take some looking -- get WWE boxes here

Keep reading for a full breakdown of what was in this one as well as a gallery of highlights.

Continue reading →

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 ... 

--

FLOWN IN THE FINAL FRONTIER?
The Card: 2018 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions Museum Collection Aviation Jumbo Relics (5-by-7) Space Shuttle Columbia Mission STS-75 MLI Blanket
The Price: About $85
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This over-sized piece is one of a number of space-related memorabilia cards that you can find (as redemptions) in this past Goodwin release, and I opted for this one since it's got a lot going on with its swatch and because it's noted as being used for Mission STS-75 that went to space in the spring of 1996. What exactly an MLI blanket is I didn't know when I grabbed it, but apparently "Multi-layer Insulation" blankets help protect various pieces of equipment from heat and light while in space. I liked how this piece has a rivet hole on one side and some Velcro on another along with some striping to help make it a little more interesting than just a big plain white swatch of material. A lone drawback here is that it's not easy to store at 5-by-7 and about a half of an inch thick but it's a cool card. (I wrapped it in a sealed magazine bag and then boxed it away.) Did I need it? Probably not, but it's pretty interesting and I will have more oddities like this coming in the future. If it grabs your attention, there are a number of standard-size cards with varying pieces inside them to suit more budgets easier than this card. Other blanket swatches look like tin foil and you can find other pieces in cards, too. I may need to get one of those.
Grab a box right here: Goodwin Champions (all years)

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

Continue reading →

From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and break down 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: 2020 Topps WWE Women's Division wrestling cards (hobby)
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

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

Continue reading →

From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and break down 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: 2020 Topps WWE Women's Division wrestling cards (hobby)
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

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

Continue reading →

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 ...

--

A HOME RUN OF A SURPRISE
The Card: Hank Aaron 2021 Topps x Sports Illustrated five-pack ... Red (/5) parallel and standard cards (/2,057)
The Price: Direct from Topps ($29.99)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This was my first grab from this year's SI set since this cover was one I was hoping to see in the release and I decided to take a shot at a five-pack for grading purposes. I was rewarded with one of the rarest parallels to find in one's order. Only the 1/1 is rarer and there are three other colors. (Just 111 parallel cards between all of them.) I've collected a number of cards that have commemorated Aaron's record-breaking home run back in 1974 but never graded any for condition reasons ... I might have two to slab now.
Grab a box right here: None for this one but MLB boxes are here

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

Continue reading →

From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and break down 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: 2020 Topps WWE Women's Division wrestling cards (hobby)
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

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

Continue reading →

From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and break down 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: 2020 Topps WWE Women's Division wrestling cards (hobby)
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

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

Continue reading →

From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and break down 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: 2020 Topps WWE Women's Division wrestling cards (hobby)
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

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

Continue reading →

From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and break down 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 package: 2019 Topps WWE Slam Attax Universe (India smart pack box)
Where to buy: Will take some looking -- get WWE boxes here

Keep reading for a full breakdown of what was in this one as well as a gallery of highlights.

Continue reading →

What if ... Topps created a Stadium Club WWE card set?

It's a simple enough question, so that's why you see it here has both the headline and the opener -- and there are more than 100 simple fake cards that I've crafted to follow to show just some of the possibilities. It all started with a tweet of the photo you see above of Bianca Belair on the way to the ring for her history-making main-event match at WrestleMania 37 earlier this month. I saw that and followed with a tweet of my own saying "somewhere out there in the world is a Topps Stadium Club WWE set that could be huge."

For those who don't know, Stadium Club is a brand that Topps introduced to the world back in 1991 and it's a photo-driven full-bleed brand that has been seen for baseball, football, basketball, hockey, soccer and even some non-sports entities ... but never for WWE, which Topps has made cards for in its current run since 2005. (The first Topps WWE sets were in 1985 and 1987.)

Why might it work? Well, if you ask me, the WWE has some of the best photographers on the planet working for them and I scoured a tiny sampling of the thousands of images they produce every year to document it all -- in the ring, outside the ring and behind-the-scenes stuff -- to imagine the possibilities. Just a sliver of their work ever sees cardboard, and while a number of the iconic images you will see here have appeared on cards they've not often had much of a dynamic border-free run like you see in Stadium Club.

I spent a few hours this weekend coming up with a basic photo frame for some imagined -- totally fake -- cards to help sell the idea like I'm D-Generation X with a new T-shirts to hock. Here's hoping you see what I see for the potential as I look at a few categories of photos and approaches I'd take in an all-eras, all-encompassing set that seems like it could easily be one of the coolest and meatiest card sets in WWE history if it were to happen.

Continue reading →

The biggest weekend in pro wrestling is here with WrestleMania 37 set for Saturday and Sunday from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. We'll make today a big day for wrestling collectors right here on The Buzz with #BuzzMania4, a series of WWE wax box/pack breaks.

This is our finale for today ... another hit-per-pack release with younger stars getting the spotlight -- one that includes the only 1/1 pull of the day by my quick mental recap. 

The box: 2017 Topps WWE NXT wrestling cards (hobby)
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here
Where to buy: Click here (when available)

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

Continue reading →

The biggest weekend in pro wrestling is here with WrestleMania 37 set for Saturday and Sunday from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. We'll make today a big day for wrestling collectors right here on The Buzz with #BuzzMania4, a series of WWE wax box/pack breaks.

This is Hour 10 ... a triple-play of a strong 2020 release -- a first for WWE and going to retail -- with big-hit potential that has over-delivered. Will it this time?

The boxes: 2020 Topps Finest WWE wrestling cards (three blasters)
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

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

Continue reading →

The biggest weekend in pro wrestling is here with WrestleMania 37 set for Saturday and Sunday from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. We'll make today a big day for wrestling collectors right here on The Buzz with #BuzzMania4, a series of WWE wax box/pack breaks.

This is Hour 6 ... a bulk lot of hobby packs from a popular brand -- a hits-free lot that still delivered very well. 

The lot: 2018 Topps WWE Women's Division wrestling cards (200-plus hobby packs)
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here
Where to buy: Click here for (hit-per) blasters

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

Continue reading →

The biggest weekend in pro wrestling is here with WrestleMania 37 set for Saturday and Sunday from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. We'll make today a big day for wrestling collectors right here on The Buzz with #BuzzMania4, a series of WWE wax box/pack breaks.

This is Hour 1 ... a high-end opener with a hit in every single pack -- or an Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal in every box depending on how you want to look at things.

The box: 2020 Topps WWE Undisputed wrestling cards (hobby)
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here
Where to buy: Click here

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

Continue reading →