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Buzz Break: 2023 Leaf Heroes of Wrestling trading cards
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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: 2023 Leaf Heroes of Wrestling trading cards
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com
Signers list: Click here
First Buzz preview: Click hereKeep reading for a full breakdown and gallery of what was in this one.
Buzz Buys: Intergalactic icons, MLB newcomers, old mags, young WWE stars, iconic ink, Star Trek, Metallica & much more
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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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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 ...
Buzz Buys: WWE greats & superstar autographs, Roger Maris, Hank Aaron, lobby cards, vintage Hollywood, mags & more
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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 ... and this time around it's perhaps a little heavy on wrestling (but then again so am I) and some pick-ups that have simply piled up waiting for a spot. (Call it some spring cleaning.)
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A MONÉ MYSTERY ...
The Card: Sasha Banks 2021 Topps Transcendent WWE Green Autograph (/15)
The Price: Way less than most new WWE boxes ...
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: When the final Transcendent set was teased, this card with its striking image (a real photo from one of her laser show entrances) was immediately on my radar from this ultra-pricey release. However, how I was going to actually land one wasn't something I had to worry about upon arrival ... her cards simply were not packed out in the boxes and she wasn't alone. Why? There's some chatter about that, but one WWE insider believed her boxes of cards may have mistakenly left at a venue. Then some popped up on the open market, forcing Topps to go track them down legally and then get the signing done. All that is stuff I don't really care about, but I'm 100-percent confident that this is a legit auto of The Legit Boss and the card is perfectly fine. A number of the other Banks autos from this one have some steep asking prices but I ponied up to land this one not that long ago, knowing it will be a few more years before we might even see Transcendent again. And who knows what the wrestling future for Mercedes Moné might hold -- Mercedes Varnado is no longer in WWE -- or if we'll even see Sasha Banks again.
Grab a box right here: None for this one but ... WWE boxes are here.Keep reading for more interesting items ...
Making the Grade (Dec.): A true rarity from a bargain box, mascot ink, Shotzi Blackheart, Beavis & Butt-Head, old mags, new stars, Michael Jordan, Paddy Pimblett's RC & plenty more
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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 ... and it's one of my biggest groupings ever.
RARER THAN RARE ...
The Book: Batman No. 457 -- second-print newsstand edition
The Reason Graded: This one is why you grade. Why? Well this book is more than obscure ... it's obscure on top of obscure with a pop report that shows that in a couple ways. I had this sitting in a junk box of books -- comics bagged in bulk with others taped shut in between a couple boards -- since the late 1990s with it having absolutely no thought in my mind for that time. When I opened up the bag, though, I remembered its cool cover -- that's why I saved it -- and in the here and now it's an example of how the grading world has changed a lot of stuff. It wasn't popular back in the day and that makes it more valuable (potentially) now. What is it? It's a second printing of a newsstand copy for an issue that had the debut of a key character, Tim Drake as Robin. The regular edition of this book has been graded almost 1,400 times -- actually still a modest number for the era -- but a newsstand copy is something else. And a second-printed newsstand copy? Nobody wanted that. How many could have even been made and how many went unsold or were trashed? There's some mystery there as with a lot of things but the pop report talks.
The Grade: CGC 9.8 (Universal)Grade 7.0 7.5 8.0 8.5 9.0 9.2 9.4 9.6 9.8 9.9 10.0 Total Population 5 6 10 8 8 9 4 8 4 0 0 78 Reality Check: Just four copies of the 78 graded have checked in at my mark -- not bad considering I got this in some Sears catalog mystery box with like 25 comics for $10 back in the early 1990s. It wasn't a really impressive buy at all at that time -- a lot of stuff that just wasn't appealing or was later printings and I'm betting some of them were pitched or given away. Nobody wanted that then. But now? The numbers game and speculation has people on eBay sellers challenging the market. A 9.6 -- with twice as many copies as this one in existence -- has an eBay asking price of ... well just see it for yourself. It's not alone, either, as a 8.5 checks in with an asking of $3,800, an 8.0 checks in at $3,500 and a 6.5 is $1,499. Other versions (first print direct and newsstand) are cheaper along with direct second prints as they've all got far higher pop reports. People like the easier versions a lot -- eBay highs as much as $255 but not for this one -- and who knows where the other three 9.8s might even be? What might mine command? I'm not sure ... but I know this is pretty solid potential for something that was pocket change from years ago. Again, this is why you grade.
Keep reading for more of this month's pick-ups and new slabs for Buzz.
Buzz Buys: Cardboard stars, movie icons, vintage magazines, new ink, favorites from my teams, WWE icons & plenty more
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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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BATTING LEAD-OFF ... THE PITCHER
The Card: Tatum O'Neal (as Amanda Whurlitzer) 2013 Panini Golden Age Exhibit Box-topper
The Price: $14
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is a modern take on the old Exhibit postcards and this one is one of a few cards in a huge set that stands out to me. Why? It's one that shows an actor in character as she was the ace of The Bad News Bears. The key here? This is a box-topper set that had 40 cards in it ... so that's a lot of boxes to open to complete a set -- just one per box -- and the collation could be quite repetitive in my experience as I ripped a ton of these over the years. While a lot of sets from even a decade ago have dried up in wax form and gotten perhaps too steep for the typical return, these are still very affordable and include some good stuff. The only drawback? A wide array of inclusions may not be for everybody and now all these years later some of the good autograph redemption cards (only a few) can't be redeemed for that ink. (Points now as they are long-expired.) There are a lot of on-card autos in this release that have no equal -- including autos from her and other Bears.
Grab a box right here: 2013 Panini Golden AgeKeep reading for more interesting items ...
Buzz Buys: New cards, new autos, a new car, old mags, vintage gems, some basics & plenty of WrestleMania stars (duh)
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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 ... and it's once again the biggest Buzz Buys ever. (A collection of pick-ups from recent times as well as in the past year or so.)
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A RECORD-SETTER, BUT ...
The Cards: Wander Franco 2022 Topps Living Set (/68,228)
The Price: Direct from Topps (10-pack price)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This one re-wrote the new Living Set record book with its sales volume and I did a 10-pack to hopefully land a copy without centering issues and to maybe grade one or two. It turns out 10 wasn't enough as the front card is closest to centered but it has a cardboard blotch that should nix some top marks and any immediate grading from me. I still might but not right now. With so many made, there likely will be plenty graded in the coming months ... so without an obvious gem I'll wait. This might have been my first Living Set lot direct from Topps since Vladimir Guerrero Jr., so it will probably send me back to hibernation on that brand. We'll see.
Grab a box right here: No boxes for this one ... but MLB boxes are here.Keep reading for more interesting items ...
First Buzz: 2018 Historic Autographs Celebrity Vintage
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What: 2018 Historic Autographs Celebrity Vintage
Arrives: May 16
Box basics: Two encapsulated cut autographs per box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click hereWhat's buzz-worthy: Historic Autographs takes to Hollywood history once again with a product that will be limited to no more than 76 10-box cases (1,520 cards max) with some big names included.
Keep reading for more information.
Gallery: 2016 Leaf Signature Series wrestling cards
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One of the more comprehensive autograph sets in wrestling card history arrived in hobby shops on Friday packing plenty of power from the past for the WWE, TNA, ECW, NWA, AWA and beyond.
The set is 2016 Leaf Signature Series and it includes eight autographed cards in every box with an array of parallels that help add to the chase that's already pretty intensive.
8 Item(s)