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.

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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 pack: 2021 Donruss NFL cards (jumbo)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for a few formats)

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery of highlights from this one.

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Fast Five is a quick list that might offer a basic starting point for a themed collection or new focus -- five things that could be fun for a beginner or a new way to add something to your stash if you're a grizzled veteran.

This time? Five NFL players who impressed Buzz in Week 4.

PRIME TARGET
Tyreek Hill -- WR, Kansas City Chiefs (Rookie Cards in 2016 boxes)
Patrick Mahomes' deep-threat receiver put up yet another big game this week with a league-leading 11 catches for a league-leading 186 yards and a league-leading three TDs (tied with another guy on this list) in a 42-30 win over the Eagles. He's in his sixth season and should reach the 6,000-yard mark for his career this week ... or, at worst, sometime next week. Only one other WR in NFL history has posted more than a game of 10-185-3 and that's Jerry Rice. Hill has done it more than once. Some of Hill's stuff can be cheap -- and that's where I might dabble and slab -- but there's no chance that his big stuff will be under the radar. He may be undervalued compared to the record-setting prices of stuff for his QB, though.

Keep reading for four more making up the list this time.

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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: Nothing but NFL pulls and QB card chatter as we start the season with some strong performances.

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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 Panini Contenders football cards (blaster box)
First Buzz preview: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

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

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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: 2020 Panini Prizm football cards (blaster box)
First Buzz preview: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for a few formats)

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 box: 2020 Panini Prizm football cards (blaster box)
First Buzz preview: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for a few formats)

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 box: 2020 Panini Absolute Football cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery of highlights from this one.

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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: 2020 Donruss NFL cards (Walmart hanger box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for a few formats)

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery of highlights from this one.

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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: 2020 Panini Prizm Draft Picks football (two multi-packs)
First Buzz preview: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby & FOTL)

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

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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: 2020 Panini Prizm Draft Picks football (mega box)
First Buzz preview: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby & FOTL)

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

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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: 2020 Panini Prizm Draft Picks football (blaster box)
First Buzz preview: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby & FOTL)

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 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: 2018 Panini Playoff football cards (mega box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (when available)

Packs per box: 10
Cards per pack: 8
Cards per box: 80
Base set completion: 48 of 200 (24 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards: Russell Wilson, Mark Ingram, Julio Jones, Cam Newton, Carson Wentz, Stefon Diggs, Dalvin Cook, DeVante Parker, Richard Sherman, David Johnson, Aaron Donald, Sammy Watkins

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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: 2019 Panini Contenders football cards (blaster box)
First Buzz preview: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Packs per box: 5
Cards per pack: 8
Cards in this box: 40
Base set completion: 
34 of 100 (34 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards: Patrick Mahomes II, Pat Tillman, Baker Mayfield, Tom Brady, Amari Cooper, Julio Jones, Derrick Henry, Eli Manning, Cam Newton, Jared Goff, Dak Prescott, Sam Darnold, Drew Brees

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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 there's a mix of pricey and cheaper buys.

--

I WAS SEEING GHOSTS FOR A WHILE ... 
The Card: Sam Darnold 2018 Panini Spectra Neon Blue (/75)
The Price: $15.25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I'm generally a fan of Spectra despite its funky looks at times and I spotted this one just after his return at a price that seemed lower than the norm so I grabbed it. I was a tad worried in games after that, thinking this was a bad pick-up, but it seems he's rebounded a bit so we'll see whether this was a decent pick-up in the longer term. I like the look of these sequin-looking cards with this particular parallel, so that's probably another reason I went this route.
Grab a box right here: 2018 Panini Spectra football cards

Keep reading for many more interesting items ...

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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: 2019 Panini Playoff football cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (when available)

Packs per box: 8
Cards per pack: 7
Cards per box: 56
Base set completion: 41 of 200 (21 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards: Saquon Barkley, Eddie George, Ezekiel Elliott, Brett Favre, Amari Cooper, Mitchell Trubisky, Earl Campbell, Christian McCaffrey, Jerome Bettis, Tony Gonzalez, Drew Brees, David Johnson, Marlon Mack, Lawrence Taylor, Cam Newton, Terry Bradshaw, Charles Woodson, Sam Darnold, Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Thomas, Bernie Kosar

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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: 2019 Panini Prizm football cards (Target mega box)
First Buzz preview: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for a few formats)

Packs per box: 5
Cards per pack: 4
Cards in this box: 20
Base set completion: 
10 of 300 (3 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Base cards – Jerry Rice, Sam Darnold, Cam Newton, Philip Lindsay, Sterling Shepard, Bobby Wagner, Jordan Akins, Jarvis Landry, Clay Matthews, Jamaal Williams

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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: Waiting on the World Series, sketch cards, Sam Darnold on Monday Night, NFL sleepers, big pulls & more.

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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: 2019 Panini Absolute Football cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Packs per box: 8
Cards per pack: 8
Cards per box: 64
Base set completion: 
55 of 200 (28 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Nick Chubb, Andrew Luck, Mitchell Trubisky, Derek Carr, Mark Ingram, David Johnson, Deshaun Watson, Christian McCaffrey, Matt Ryan, Sony Michel, Sam Darnold

Rookies (32) – Daniel Jones, Damien Harris, Emanuel Hall, Juan Thornhill, Jarrett Stidham, Marquise Blair, Ryan Finley, Alex Barnes, Gary Jennings Jr., Deandre Baker, N'Keal Harry, Ugo Amadi, Elijah Holyfield, Bryce Love, Ryquell Armstead, Irv Smith Jr., Oshane Ximines, Riley Ridley, Jahlani Tavai, Easton Stick, Lil'Jordan Humphrey, Anthony Johnson, Rodney Anderson, Darwin Thompson, Mack Wilson, Julian Love, Noah Fant, Devin White, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, Drew Sample, T.J. Hockenson, Josh Oliver

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Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today's your day then as we launch 8 in 8 -- a series of a eight breaks of wax boxes and wax packs in as many hours today. We'll post one every hour ... this is Hour 4.

The box: 2018 Panini Contenders football cards (11-pack blaster)
The cost: Click here

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

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Call it a week for the recent rookies.

NFL Week 6 didn't have a lot of flashy games for collectors early on if you ask me, but New York Jets QB Sam Darnold returned for just his second game of the year and helped knock off the Dallas Cowboys 24-22 to give it some spark. He completed 23 of 32 passes for 338 yards with two TDs and a pick in the game, which had to have helped spark some life into his Rookie Cards from last year's boxes -- he's in everything then -- as the only attention they had been getting was for mono/spleen jokes.

>> Click here to shop for football boxes on BlowoutCards.com.

Keep reading for more guys who generated some buzz on the field this week.

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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: Ronald Acuña Jr. 2018 Topps Chrome Update #HMT25 Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: I only opened a couple of mega boxes for this brand but did land this guy -- and, man, do I wish this card had used the bat-down photo. (What could have been?) I recently revisited a few of my boxes holding the finds of my buys last year and this one struck me as a clean example worth a slab, especially with him having had an elite season coming up just short of being the youngest member of the elite 40-40 Club.
The Grade: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: Turns out I was right, though this is a card that's heavily graded with a growing pop report since I submitted this one. There was a 10 grade right after mine in the serial-numbering line and there have been plenty of 9.5s graded since -- and even the 10s aren't all that rare for this one. There's plenty here to feed the demand for a guy who should be on collector radars for years. You'll see more of Acuña here.

Keep reading for more of this month's new slabs for Buzz.

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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: 2019 Donruss NFL cards (mega box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Packs per box: 7
Cards per pack: 8
Cards per box: 56
Base set completion: 
37 of 250 (15 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Alvin Kamara, Derrick Henry, Nick Mullens, Myles Garrett, Jameis Winston, Sam Darnold, Eddie George, Jared Goff, Sony Michel

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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: 2019 Panini Prestige NFL cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (when available)

Packs per box: 8
Cards per pack: 8
Cards in this box: 64
Base set completion: 
47 of 200 (24 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards: Patrick Mahomes II, Dak Prescott, Jared Goff, Matthew Stafford, Mitchell Trubisky, Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Odell Beckham Jr., Larry Fitzgerald, Julian Edelman, Antonio Brown, Amari Cooper, Marlon Mack, Todd Gurley II, Sony Michel, Ezekiel Elliott, Le'Veon Bell

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Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today's your day then as we launch 8 in 8 -- a series of a eight breaks of wax boxes and wax packs in as many hours today. We'll post one every hour ... this is Hour 3.

The box: 2018 Panini Prizm football cards (mega box)
The cost: Click here (other formats)

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

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