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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WELCOME TO THE COLLECTION 
The Item: Slash autographed Four (2022) CD cover (PSA/DNA authenticated)
The Price: Less than a jumbo box of flagship cards ...
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is one of my recent additions in the rock autograph realm as, well, that genre can be quite pricey -- too pricey, really -- but the cost was decent here for an autograph of the iconic Guns N' Roses guitarist who's stayed busy with many a project since that band disbanded and then reloaded in recent years. While I'd prefer a signed item showing him -- I have to flip this one over to see an image -- this PSA-slabbed CD cover that was likely among those sold via Newbury Comics back in the day worked for me. It was probably $100 less than it could be at times for a similar slabbed/third-party authenticated item. Meanwhile, it was probably about $50 more than the same thing but without third-party authentication and encapsulation. A signed and authenticated photo can end up around $500 if it looks good (sometimes more, sometimes less) while signed items can soar even higher. Why? Access -- Slash isn't exactly doing signings or conventions -- so the few times he's signed for his own album releases like this in more volume they get gobbled up and become ultimately the entry point (or only addition) for many. Count me right there. I wanted to add Slash to my stash ... but not break the bank.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... hit non-sports on BlowoutCards.com

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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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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THANKS TO OLD EL PASO ... 
The Card: Shotzi Blackheart autographed 2021 Topps Chrome WWE card (Fanatics witnessed)
The Price: $18.13 shipped (after $50 off promo)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: If you hit that link above and follow the instructions on the can when you hit a grocery store, you should be able to land a code for $50 off your order over yonder and it should be good on anything. While I pondered using this on some other things, I went back to my collecting well for a simple item that I would probably not buy at its original price as it's an aftermarket signed card but one that was witnessed and then slabbed and it says so right there on the label, which I like. It's not the best card per se for an added auto and her certified auto from this set can probably be found for less than this card's original price ... but for the delivery price here I didn't mind it. Plus, I made some tacos. I opted to stick closer to one of my collection cores with more Shotzi ink ... and as you'll see in the rest of this edition I'm still all over the place -- this is a Buzz Buys with some oddball and interesting pick-ups for this collector these days.
Grab a box right here: Chase the certified version in packs here

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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 Topps Seattle Children's Heroes card set
Where to buy: Seattle-area Bartell Drugs stores or eBay (for now) -- see MLB cards here

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

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Collecting game-used memorabilia is dramatically different in the vintage years vs. today in many ways -- styles, materials, documentation, amount of use and, most importantly, availability.

For some sports, it's still definitely out there and available regularly -- you just have to flip through a modern auction catalog to see gamers from plenty of MLB legends, NFL stars, NHL notables and NBA greats. However, that volume dramatically changes from sport to sport and from era to era. Vintage NBA? It's just not as plentiful -- and I'm no expert here for this sport, just a casual collector who does homework -- and sometimes you have to bite the bullet and grab an item if it presents itself. Why? Because you never know if you'll ever see anything like it ever again ... even if you can't 110-percent know that it's legit. (You just have to do your homework and do it if you're confident in the piece.)

That happened to me recently with one vintage-era item from the player you see above, John Johnson. I added a piece with a few features that checked out and I believe my new addition very likely to be legit --- but I'll never know for sure.

You can keep reading to see the details ... and see this month's item.

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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: Dak Prescott 2016 Donruss #362 Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: It takes a pretty good deal for one of my buys to lead off here instead of one of my newly submitted grades, but this one was just that. This is one of those cards that is relatively available if you want to chase one down and slab it for some fun or profit. My cost? About $22, which might seem high generally speaking but isn't for its grade -- this was about half the price of the other cards in the same grade where I was looking at the time. They are even higher now.
The Grade: BGS 10

Reality Check: This one is just a half-grade away from a perfect BGS Black slab and the percentage of cards to get this mark is pretty low vs. the overall total. That's what surprised me here more and prompted the pick-up. It's a relatively heavily graded card, too, which you'd think would have resulted in more 10s. (Paper stock can be more pesky than Optic stuff when it comes to grading, though.)

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

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