Here's this month's roundup of items that have recently caught my eye as a buyer ...

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MY BEAR NECESSITY
The Item: Paul "Bear" Bryant autographed & dated/inscribed (Oct. 18, 1976) 8-by-10 photo (BAS authenticated)
The Price: $219 ... high for me but it's the perfect item for me
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This was a jaw-dropper of a find for me during a random search of Mill Creek Sports' superstore for autographed stuff earlier this year and I've saved it for football season, specifically this month, to present it and tell its story. It's personalized and that makes it perfect for me this time ... and to top that, the signed date -- the legendary Alabama Crimson Tide football coach and football icon who won 323 games dated everything signed like this -- might as well be on Buzz's actual birthday. (It's close ... close enough.) The odds of this existing or one being signed on my actual birthday? Well, I'm sure there were a number of things to sign on this Monday and I'm also very sure he wasn't sitting down to sign requests on a gameday when I kicked things off in the world. So, this is perhaps as close as it can get. The quality and condition of the photo are perfect and the ink is perfectly legible, too. Now, is his autograph really rare? Not particularly, but he died in January 1983 well before sit-down and paid signing sessions were en vogue for sports legends and he's still in high, historic demand despite Nick Saban equaling him and/or re-writing the Alabama record book in more recent years. It's the perfect item at a perfect price and it will always be mine.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but football cards are here.

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Like many collectors, Buzz is a fan of grading ... so here's this month's grading diary.

A HIGH-GRADE DOMINATOR
The Card: Paul Skenes 2025 Topps Heritage
The Reason Bought: I'll fully admit I'm a sucker for high-grade Heritage Rookie Cards and, while this isn't an RC, this one captured my attention just like one as I've ripped my fair share of Heritage this year and, well, not much of the cards that matter that I pulled could have checked in at a perfect grade. All that perfection, the clean photo and the color scheme here got me to bite.
The Grade: CGC 10 (Pristine)

Reality Check: I didn't check the pop report before grabbing it, so it was an extra bonus to see that it's the lone card in the top slot with a decent number of cards below it -- and that goes as low as a CGC 7. That reinforces that Heritage isn't the easiest grade. That makes this one even more of a win in my book.

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

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Here's this month's roundup of items that have recently caught my eye as a buyer ...

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GOING FOR THE GOLD
The Card: Shotzi Blackheart 2022 Panini Select WWE Gold Wave Prizm (/10)
The Price: Around the price of a blaster box at arrival
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This brand is my favorite of the Panini years for WWE, and in the case of this star who I collect I have seemed to found her rarities on the affordable side at times with this release. This is a perfect example of that with it being one of the rarest parallels in there but it cost me not much more than the price of a retail box. It was arguably underpriced, so I grabbed it quickly when I spotted it. Will I grade it? It's a possibility, though this release's centering issues can create some surprises (that aren't totally surprises) as I found out with a different parallel of this card. Poke around in Making The Grade last month for an example.
Grab a box right here: WWE cards are here.

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Like many collectors, Buzz is a fan of grading ... so here's this month's grading diary.

TOP-GRADE VARIATION
The Card: C.J. Stroud 2021-22 Bowman University Chrome Prospects -- image variation
The Reason Graded: If you poke around in the archives for the Buzz Breaks of this release, you'll likely find a break where I missed this one and just simply called it a Refractor despite it being an image variation (all are Refractors on these). It should have been obvious based on the practice photo vs. game action, but I only spotted it well after the fact -- months, if not years, later -- when going through my old boxes. When I stopped to look, this card looked absolutely flawless and since it's somewhat rarer than the others it's also still a bit pricier for a standard card. (It's no monster but it's definitely better than a few types of Refractors.) Since it was so clean and the NFL season is upon us, I put this one into a bulk submission.
The Grade: CGC 10 (Pristine)

Reality Check: This card checked in at exactly where I thought it would. Fun find and a win -- and it wasn't even tucked away in a box penny sleeved. The divide between mine and the other copies graded is also an interesting one -- perhaps there's a common flaw on copies due to position on the sheet or from machinery? No idea ...

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

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Here's this month's roundup of items that have recently caught my eye as a buyer ...

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PARALLEL POWER?
The Card: National League Wins Leaders (Spencer Strider, Zac Gallen, Justin Steele) 2024 Topps True Photo variant & Gold Foil parallel
The Price: About $11 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The concept of this one is simple and it's striking -- knock off the border of a base card completely, using just its photo -- and I think it works. But there's also one thing here that's striking -- and not in the best way. These are arguably too rare to make that big of an impact with me and I think perhaps other collectors who might not bother to grab their players or even think about a team set or full set. How rare? They are one in 677 hobby packs and I'm confident they'd be more popular if people could reasonably collect a team run or set. Why? Because they're something dramatically different and you can compare the regular card and this version side by side. I also grabbed a Gold Foil parallel for this one this time after I bit on the variant ... just to say I had one. Even paying $10 for this was a stretch for me ... and those odds and that price might say that these aren't as popular as they could/should be. These are one in basically every third hobby case.
Grab a box right here: MLB cards are here.

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Like many collectors, Buzz is a fan of grading ... so here's this month's grading diary.

NINES ARE FINE
The Card: Aaron Judge 2017 Topps Archives -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: The unique 1960 Topps design always stands out to me. Why? Because one of my first clean vintage cards as a kid was a Gus Bell form the set, which I got since I knew he was a big-leaguer's dad. (Yay, trivia!) So that's perhaps one reason I held this Judge RC instead of letting it go. (Plus, I didn't rip as much of this brand ... so it was the only copy I pulled.) Judge's dominating 2025 season should make you stop and wonder about slabbing any RCs or early/rare stuff you have now ... just because. He and Shohei Ohtani are all-timers playing right in front of our faces now and are as safe as it gets when it comes to grab and slab or buy and hold -- even with plenty of their cards being graded.
The Grade: CGC 9

Reality Check: I knew this wouldn't be a 10 contender with the finicky stock here and the centering being a smidge off by my typical standards for a slab, but, like I said, it was my only copy. Most check in at this grade, so the nine makes sense, too, and the volume below it also shows this card isn't the easiest to grade.

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

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Here's this month's roundup of items that have recently caught my eye as a buyer ...

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RETRO RECORD-HOLDER
The Card: Roger Maris 2014 Panini Classics Home Run Heroes Jerseys (/25)
The Price: $30
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I ponied up a little bit for this one vs. my typical range for Maris mem cards since it's a rarer card, has a material (jersey/pants) swatch vs. a bat and is from a brand that packed a lot of potential for big names back in the day. Yet, at the same time, that price was a bargain. Yes, its centering is just slightly off, but otherwise it's clean -- that errant spot on the right side is part of the printed design on all cards here. It was an easy addition for a player I collect and pick off stuff for a few times a year. Those top corners are really clean on this one, which might not always be the case with those bold colors.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but MLB cards are here.

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Like many collectors, Buzz is a fan of grading ... so here's this month's grading diary.

AS GOOD AS IT GETS
The Card: Caitlin Clark 2024-25 Panini Instant WNBA (/26,980) -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: I watched and waited for the most part with Caitlin Clark cards as Panini Instant stuff arrived regularly and her in-pack WNBA Rookie Cards arrived later in the year. But, when this award-winner card popped up with a clean and iconic studio photo? Well, I pretty much instantly (pun not intended as it's simply true) grabbed a 10-pack with an eye for a slab. It's in a past Buzz Buys (hit the archives) and this is the result a few months later.
The Grade: CGC 10 (Pristine)

Reality Check: This one is heavily made and should be heavily slabbed -- the number of Pristines has at least doubled just in the few weeks since I got these back from CGC -- but many won't be checking in at this top mark. I didn't slab to expect a perfect 10 but I thought this one had potential after going through my stack. Three of my 10 had solid centering and this one was first to make that cut ... with this mark I may not need to send in the other two. It's my lone Clark slab ... and it's strong enough it might stay that way just so I can say I went 1-for-1 grading here. We'll see.

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

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Buzz buys a lot of stuff these days and for a few reasons, really. Sometimes it's just bargain-hunting, sometimes it's just something that strikes me. And other times it's a lot -- a group of things -- and that has happened enough lately I figured I'd try something different as a regularly appearing item. Sometimes my lots will be wins, sometimes they won't be ... but I'll let you decide. 

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RARER FROM RINGSIDE 
The Lot: 14 Ringside tier SPs/parallels from 2023 Panini Select WWE
The Price: Not much more than a blaster at some retail chains (with tax)

Keep reading for more on this one ...

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For years now, I've said that every card has a story ... but, every once in a while, a celebrity's meandering tale has chapters you might not even know about and, in a few really rare instances, there might even be some cardboard to go with it.

That's the case for me with this card this time -- I'm a grizzled veteran collector who's seen plenty, forgotten even more and collected all kinds of directions as players come and go in the traditional sports realm. TV shows and movies come and go on other cardboard, too, and times just sometimes change for collectibles ... just like my sometimes-meandering tastes. But this one? It was something that's right in my wheelhouse as a Shotzi Blackheart collector and it's totally new to me so here we are. She's a pro wrestler and a unique, self-made character if you don't know -- find her in WWE boxes here.

Not that long ago, I spotted a set that had me doing a spit-take, then a double-take -- and all of that was followed up by picking up my jaw off the floor, a click to buy and then hoping that the stuff would actually arrive. In short, it was something I'd never, ever seen before -- or even seen in a photo anywhere at any time. It's a card set for Creepy KOFY Movie Time, a watch-along late-night TV series that ran several years on KOFY Channel 20 in San Francisco that celebrated the retro horror movie genre with a surf music-serving house band called The Deadlies, as well as regular characters for bits, guests for other segments and then a regular go-go dancer ensemble on stage at all times called the Cave Girls, which marked Blackheart's TV debut. The series came to an end just as her indy wrestling career was taking off and eventually took her around the world with WWE.

The card set is from 2013 -- the year before Blackheart's pro wrestling debut in the indies with Oakland-based edgy and irreverent promotion Hoodslam where she was aligned with the Stoner Brothers (a parody of a famous team) under a Missy Hyatt-inspired moniker for a debut match on ... April 20. (Get it?) This name, though, which she has used otherwise for the rest of her wrestling career and to this day post-WWE, originated before that -- "Shotzi" comes from a nickname based off a character in a musical called Starmites (and her role in a high-school production) and "Blackheart" was an ode to Joan Jett and her band, The Blackhearts.

That's here captured in this set with some eccentric characters that you'd expect to find with the genre. It was a show broadcast from a "cave" under the TV studio with a demon (Balrok) and a zombie (No Name) as its hosts. This card set came two years before her attempt at WWE fame as part of its Tough Enough reality show -- she made it but then didn't when they found she had a health issue -- and then seven years before her eventual arrival on WWE cards (2020) as an NXT star. In between was a busy indy wrestling run where "The Ballsy Badass" left her red hair behind in favor of her trademark neon green and crafted her horned-helmet, tank-driving ways that she rode right into WWE unchanged.

Now, what's my convoluted headline and that Tom Cruise cameo all about?

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It's not match-used -- but it's been seen a whole lot more than that.

That sums up the item in this fifth chapter of a memorabilia series with a tweaked name -- a tank-driven tangent in my Collecting Game-used series. It's once again a piece from Shotzi Blackheart, who I collect rather seriously in the traditional realms involving Panini America and Topps cardboard, but this time it's something seen on cards as well as the small screen.

And that's just a part of what makes it a cool item.

This final memorabilia piece for this run -- at least for now (there will be more at some point) -- comes from her brief time with a distinctly different look, her spikes era. It's from 10 days before the memorabilia seen here last month but this time it's on Smackdown and not Raw. In WWE chronology, it's still from after she was attacked by Bayley who cut off chunks of Blackheart's trademark long green hair before she finished the job herself, she began to unravel and she joined forces with Charlotte Flair to take on Bayley's group, Damage CTRL, at Survivor Series.

Keep reading to see the item and all the details.

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Here's this month's roundup of items that have recently caught my eye as a buyer ... 

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TIFFY TIMES TWO
The Cards: Tiffany Stratton 2024 Panini Three Count WWE Prime Memorabilia Autographs Purple parallel (/25) & standard version (/99)
The Price: About half of a Three Count box these days
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This card was immediately on my radar back when it first was revealed among the mock-ups for this high-end WWE brand and, I've said it before, if this set hadn't used sticker autos it would be perfect. The end of the Panini WWE run combined with a logjam of releases and then the collector (and definitely flipper) focus perhaps shining more on Chrome actually made secondary market prices on a lot of stuff here a bit softer than I had expected, allowing me to pony up on two of these at prices I could handle. (I had initially figured I wouldn't land one of these, let alone one and a parallel.) I was picky with these and wanted to make sure I landed one with a clean auto -- full name, not the abbreviated and half-empty-sticker "Tiff" that shows up sometimes. Both of these hit the spot on both auto quality and price ... and if they ever dip more, I'll do more. Why? It's a Tiffy Time world and we're just collecting in it.
Grab a box right here: WWE cards are here.

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Like many collectors, Buzz is a fan of grading ... so here's this month's grading diary.

TOUGH ONE?
The Card: Bo Bichette 2022 Topps Heritage image variation (found in Heritage High Number packs)
The Reason Graded: Some of you might wonder why this card is in the lead slot this month since it's a simple image variation -- but a great one -- from a brand that's not quite as pricey as it used to be. (At least for singles ... you can find this for about $2 or less.) But, finding one of these that will get a high (real) grade? Not so much. The centering can always be a bear here but that's not the constant problem spot. It's the backs of these that use full-bleed black ink where cards that may look flawless on the fronts are often demolished when it comes to those those back edges.
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: This one? It still has a some minor spotting -- that's why it's not a perfect 10 -- but it's way better than every other one I've seen and that's why I subbed this after I found it raw. Why? That front is pretty much a perfectly crafted design and I definitely don't mind retro-styled sets like this one -- I call it the old-guy flagship set as it is for me vs. basic Topps. The stuff feels more sturdy with its stock and printing -- I'm not sure I trust foilboard to age that well, either -- but the trade-off is that Heritage is harder to grade and land those higher marks. In all ways, this one is a win for me, a Bichette collector, and that's why he's batting lead-off. (It also doesn't hurt he's starting to warm up on the field this season.)

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

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Shotzi Blackheart takes care of business against then-champ Asuka during a brawl on Raw. (WWE photo)

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It's the end of an era -- for now -- but the moments and the memorabilia remain.

That's how I'd sum up the recent developments in the wresting realm that tie into this fourth chapter of a memorabilia series with a tweaked name -- a tank-driven tangent in my Collecting Game-used series to be more specific. This time, it's once again an item from Shotzi Blackheart, who I collect rather seriously in the traditional realms involving Panini America and Topps cardboard, but this time it comes with a mild bummer attached yet the piece being ironclad authentic and caught on tape.

The bummer part? Well, that's got nothing to do with the item -- Blackheart's five-plus year run with WWE is over as her contract isn't being renewed as of this past weekend. However, that just means she should be able to take her name and her tank anywhere else in the globe (both things pre-date WWE so they should be hers) and get a lot more ring time and add some new stories to her wrestling tales unlike others who have to find a new name that's not a WWE-owned creation. The unique part of this? Well, it's my next-to-last item for this run -- for now -- and it comes from her brief time in WWE with a distinctly different look, one that I call her spikes era. It's from after she was attacked by Bayley who cut off chunks of her trademark long green hair before Blackheart finished the job herself and she began to unravel. This item was from one of the final steps as she joined forces with Charlotte Flair to take on Bayley's group, Damage CTRL, at Survivor Series and exact some revenge.

Keep reading to see the item and all the details.

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What's Buzzing: Postseason NBA, WNBA pulls, WWE roster changes, 2025 Bowman, Pete Crow-Armstrong keeps homering and more.

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1 -- Postseason NBA chatter

2 -- WWE releases/non-renewals still have 'em talking

3 -- Awaiting Topps NBA 

4 -- Opening more WNBA packs

5 -- Still talking 2025 Bowman

6 -- Pete Crow-Armstrong is still delivering

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Have you spotted a hot thread? Tell us about it in a comment or on Twitter.

Follow BlowoutBuzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz.

WWE star Shotzi Blackheart revisits her old NXT stomping grounds on Oct. 18, 2022. (WWE photo)

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It's one step closer to match-used, but still not there -- yet it's still an iconic piece of a moment for a colorful WWE star.

That's how I'd describe the item in this third installment of a series with a tweaked name -- a tank-driven tangent in my Collecting Game-used series to be more specific -- and it's one that didn't take a whole lot of research time at all before I added this to my collection of memorabilia.

As should be obvious, it's once again from Shotzi Blackheart, who I collect rather seriously in the traditional realms involving Panini America and Topps cardboard, and this item, which came directly from her, also is one that's forever captured in TV history and beyond.

Keep reading to see all the details.

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Here's this month's roundup of items that have recently caught my eye as a buyer ...

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'TIS THE SEASON
The Card: Rhea Ripley 2020 Topps Chrome WWE Refractor autographed Rookie Card parallel (BGS 9, 10 auto -- BAS & Fanatics Witnessed)
The Price: Less than a 2025 Topps Chrome WWE retail mega box these days
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: She's one of WWE's top stars and this was a key card at a somewhat-modest price considering it's a RC parallel with ink attached -- and it's fully graded, too. Sure, that's not the "Mami" mode/look of Ripley in the here and now -- her hair and look changed a lot while in NXT and early on -- but that different does reinforce "rookie" in a visual way along with that gear. I'm sure I have a copy of this card in my stash unsigned somewhere -- and I know I have a couple colors of her certified auto here -- but this was still an easy addition and an easy choice to lead things off this month. Why? Since it's Wrestlemania season (the big one is on April 19-20). Oh, and there might be (intentionally) a little more wrestling this time vs. my norm, too. Ripley has a lot of cardboard but is among the safest bets there is to grab bargains and stash them away. Why? She's only 28 and has been in the game more than a decade and there figures to be plenty more to come for her in WWE. Interestingly, this one is also graded and in the BGS pop report, so it could have led off Making The Grade this month. It's a pop-three card with one lower and one higher, a 9.5, with five total copies graded.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but WWE cards are here.

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Photo-matching a piece of used memorabilia is easier in some sports, especially in today's era of often-authenticated, slap-a-sticker-on-it premium items that can make up a meaty revenue stream for a lot of sports leagues. But, no matter what it is -- or where a piece is from -- it always comes down to one thing.

Details.

Grimey and beaten-down baseball bats? They can have plenty of details between player customizations, models, manufacturers and damage from use. Mangled used football jerseys? Stains and tears of course -- you know, details. Baseball or basketball uniforms? Tougher but still do-able ... thanks to the details of tagging, stitching and other minute things that change over time.

But in the wrestling realm? Well, details still apply ... but things might be a little different to verify depending on a star's habits, styles and budgets for in-ring gear or their tastes for their fashion outside of the ring. Sometimes, those are the same. Sometimes they have to be different ... that's this time.

This second installment with a tweaked name in my Collecting Game-used series is one for a pick-up that wasn't a definitive match when I recently found it. It was a guessing game to a degree until I could get the item in hand for a closer look at ... the details. The star once again is Shotzi Blackheart, who I collect rather seriously in the traditional realms involving Panini America and Topps cardboard, and this item, which came directly from her, was one where those it was those cards that helped solve the mystery.

Keep reading to see all the ... details.

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Here's this month's roundup of items that have recently caught my eye as a buyer ...

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LEGENDARY INK
The Card: Ichiro Suzuki autographed 2001 Topps Rookie Card (BAS 10 auto)
The Price: Not as much as you might think ... but also not that cheap.
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Clean copies of this iconic Topps flagship Rookie Card are not easy finds in general with the boxes and sets likely bricked now if they remain unopened -- that means the gloss will be snowy if you're lucky to peel the cards apart at all -- and then the dark green border and high-gloss on soft stock here is always going to be problematic. When I spotted this card among many where Suzuki has signed for literally years (Mill Creek Sports) without a premium price, I bit on this just before his Hall of Fame results hit. (We all knew he was going in ... but I didn't know if his prices were going to rise.) This copy is super clean vs. many cards out there with some very light roughness on maybe one edge and a light touch on the bottom-left corner ... but some of what's seen in my photo is just how the light is reflecting. I generally don't do a ton of bigger buys for my collection, but this one's cost wasn't that much more than some of the hot and plentiful new release hobby boxes. I went with a safe and iconic bet for my (for me) premium spend and went with the sure thing on an iconic card for a living legend. I pulled his ink once from an unlicensed release -- and it was in one of my earliest Making The Grade posts here -- but a signed RC means I'll likely never need to sweat his stuff again. (Might window shop, though, or bite if price is right for a nice certified.) One more fun part of my card? If that label had a simple added line of Beckett/Fanatics witnessed instead of signed for Mill Creek and then slabbed, the price likely would be double what I paid. I wouldn't pay that -- and this one is a win in my book.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but MLB cards are here.

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Like many collectors, Buzz is a fan of grading, so here's this month's grading diary.

CLOSE TO PERFECT
The Card: Shohei Ohtani 2018 Topps -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: Ohtani's historic 2024 season had me assessing all of my cards from my 2018 stash -- mostly lower-end stuff that's heavily graded -- but not graded by me. Why? I don't grade the heavily submitted stuff because a lesser mark wouldn't be as worthy of going through the process and, really, in most instances a card can always be found already graded if it's needed. But, with his 50-50 season being so big, I opted to slab a few basics and this is one that made the cut. The stock used in 2018 is almost as thin as it gets and all that dark ink definitely showcases flaws, but I picked a pair of cards I thought were perfect from my stash and sent them in.
The Grade: CGC 10

Reality Check: I don't know where I missed a perfect mark here but I'll still take a 10 ... less than half check in there and I think it's really harder than that -- people are examining their stuff harder before sending them in. The fact that these have checked in as low as a seven show how this one isn't easy sledding when it comes to slabbing. And as for my perfect aspirations? Well, it doesn't exist.

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

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A piece of the exact moment ... that's what it's all about.

There's a reason there's a tweaked name above for this item in the Collecting Game-used series this month as this isn't just some baseball, football or other typical piece from a name from a traditional game. This one is from a realm just as athletic but also one way more theatric -- the WWE -- which is a world full of colorful characters and names that have more on their resume than just what's on the stat sheet. This time there's no game and there's no uniform, but it's a small piece from a memorable moment that helped lay out the basics for a star who was then still somewhat new to the NXT landscape after a few years as an independent wrestler making her way in the world.

Her name, if you don't know it already from seeing the colorful hair and the horn-adorned Army helmet, is Shotzi Blackheart and she's a star I collect rather seriously in the traditional realms involving Panini America and Topps cardboard, so you'll know her name from reading many other items here. This is the first of a few entries in this series that will step away from the field and get in the world that includes a ring. If her look doesn't grab your attention, her unusual entrances at times might ... she originally rode to the ring in an intentionally absurd childrens' toy tank bought at a Walmart that just works with the vibes and the unusual energy of a Blackheart. (Yes, that name an homage to Joan Jett's punk band.) Meanwhile, in more recent days, her ride is more of a WWE-style tank with and her gear a more glamorized leather aesthetic in the ring and beyond with an energy that's evolved since her late-2019 arrival.

But this time for this item in this series? Well ... keep reading to see all the details.

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Here's this month's roundup of items that have recently caught my eye as a buyer ... 

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CROSSING HIM OFF 
The Card: Joe Montana autographed 1988 Topps card (BAS slabbed)
The Price: About $65
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Rewind the clock to the early/mid 1990s and Montana is the unquestioned top QB on cardboard with perhaps only a small number of RBs or WRs even coming close to competing with him for popularity on cards. Back then, in a new era of certified autographs from brands such as Pro Line and Classic or mail-order autographed items, there was ink to chase but Montana was never, ever on my radar. Why? Look at that auto ... there's still not much going on there that would have sparked me to pay a premium price for a glorified initialgraph with a slight more added on. Fast-forward to now and the Hall of Famer still has all those rings and all those MVP awards, but he's been surpassed on the stat sheets and cards ... it happens. The 68-year-old has done a lot of signing for Leaf for its releases and buyback brands -- I think this was one from there -- in recent years and it had been on my radar for literally months as I really like the look of many of his 1980s Topps cards. A relatively clean copy with an on-card auto is a no-brainer if the price is right and I got this one for about half of the asking price of man identical copy I'd been watching. All these years later, I can cross Montana off my ink-needed list.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but NFL cards are here.

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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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ICONIC ARRIVAL
The Cards: Caitlin Clark 2024 Panini Instant WNBA (All-Rookie Team) -- Rookie Card (/26,980)
The Price: Whatever a 10-pack cost was from Panini
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: There's no doubt that Clark owned the WNBA in her rookie year and for most of this year her only pro cardboard came via Instant ... but I passed. Why? I figured I'd wait and see what popped up that I liked in packs -- and then when I opened one of her college career boxes I found interesting stuff but not cards all that slab-worthy with the details for cutting and printing. (Too messy for the risk to me.) As an easy slabbing decision, I grabbed a 10-pack of this card within hours of its arrival online. Why? It's clean and simple -- iconic -- and I knew that I'd want one or two of these in a slab with a high mark. How does that happen? Well, you have to have a few to pick from -- to eliminate obvious flaws like centering or corners -- and in this case three of my 10 might get sent in. The rest were too off-centered for my taste. There were plenty of these made so there's no rush, but it'll happen at some point in 2025.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but WNBA cards are here.

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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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 ...

THEY'RE BACK ... SOMETIME SOON
The Item: Stranger Things Season 1 Target-exclusive Blu-ray set (2016)
The Reason Bought: How many Netflix series these days get a physical DVD release of any kind? How many get chain store-exclusive variant versions? Not that much of anything TV gets a physical release, really, not at least anywhere near the volumes of the past and that thought, along with the fact that the final season of this franchise is finally dropping sometime this year, got me looking here. I really liked the feel of this DVD set that's made to look like an old 1980s VHS sleeve that's had plenty of wear and tear and I also liked the idea of a graded item with that feel -- one where its actual flaws can blend in well and not stand out as glaring reasons why an item didn't grade higher.
The Grade: CGC 9.4 (A+ seal)

Reality Check: There are definitely other* copies of this one graded, but a pop report doesn't yet appear to be live for CGC Home Video (or it was down when I prepped this) and my number didn't come up on the verification search, either. That's OK for me as slabbed movies and games aren't as high on my radar in slabs as cards and magazines in terms of a "commodity" ... these are more the kind of shelf item with maybe some longer-term potential substance to them. To me they're more of a name-your-price novelty -- and, as an aside, I do like CGC's cases a lot more than others in this realm. This was a relatively cheap addition as well -- less than a lot of retail card boxes -- and over time affordable items can build a collection. One scary part? This is not far away from being 10 years old ... time flies.

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

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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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IT'S POGPOOL!
The Books: Deadpool No. 5 (2024) -- Dogpool from Deadpool & Wolverine variant
The Price: About $13 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This pair of books came in and went right back out to CGC for slabbing within hours. I may or may not land 9.8s ... but I don't care. I simply needed that movie star in a gimmick slab and I opted to send both as they were clean but perhaps not perfect ... just like Dogpool. Well, they're closer to perfect than Dogpool, but ... I'll have more to say when I get the slabs back. There are a lot of Dogpool books from the past -- and I've noted two previous pick-ups in this series (including his debut) -- but this one is most-tied to the hit movie. If there are more movie covers like this coming -- or they already exist -- they'll get a look from me. In fact, I need to go look after I finish this.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... but non-sports cards are here.

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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