If you happen to look at the backs of the 2019-20 Donruss Optic T-Minus 3, 2, 1, insert cards -- ones that show NBA players ready for liftoff on the front -- you might notice something.

It's the Flux Capacitor from Dr. Emmett Brown's DeLorean time machine in Back to The Future.

No, really ... and it's not alone.

Continue reading →

Have you seen the latest cool or interesting items on eBay? If not, you just might see some of those here every week as we're launching a weekly version of our eBay Buzz pieces that pop up from time to time. We’ll spotlight some items that have a story or just wow us with how much interest it might have — and we’re not just talking baseball cards, either.

--

HOW YOU LIKE ME NOW?
The Item: Zion Williamson 2019-20 Donruss Optic Holo (Silver Prizm) Rookie Card parallel
The Price: $1,499.99 Buy-It-Now (or best offer)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: What's the hottest box on the planet at the moment? It might be this one and it arrives just as the NBA's No. 1 pick is at his peak so far after a late arrival that has generated plenty of attention. Retail boxes are vanishing within seconds of arrival for this one and the various hobby formats are also scorchers -- and it's not really been around long enough for a huge number of single-card sales to be out there on eBay just yet. Too many box flippers affecting that? Or is it just me? (It could be just as I've been shut out all season long on pulling any Zions in an NBA uni ... I'm bitter.) This brand is one I like because it seems to deliver a little more fun and a little more volume than its other Optichrome counterparts -- there are a few brands with plastic potential -- but they're all very popular this year and I'm sure there's more to come. I'm not totally sure what's going on with the photo crop here (Maybe it's to facilitate autos?) but that doesn't matter. Raw copies of the base card have pushed $100 so you can expect plenty of action -- and volatility -- on everything else, too. The one constant? People want them. If I pulled a big one like this, I'd be slabbing before selling.
Similar Pieces: Zion Williamson Optic cards on eBay
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for all 2019-20 Donruss Optic box formats

Keep reading for four more interesting items in this week's roundup ...

Continue reading →

What: 2020 Topps The Mandalorian: Journey of The Child trading cards
Arrives: April 8
Box basics: 30 cards per set along with two parallel cards (40 boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: The biggest little deal in Star Wars today -- Baby Yoda -- gets a card set of his own that will go retail-only when it arrives this spring.

Keep reading for more as well as a gallery.

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 mostly stuff found on the affordable side.

--

WORKHORSE PLATES
The Card: Derrick Henry 2016 Panini Spectra Plates & Patches black printing plate (1/1)
The Price: About $9
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: We'll know soon whether this monster of the gridiron this season will be playing in the Super Bowl for the first time, but I figured I'd lead off with him since he's had a huge year. I'd also let this serve as a reminder that there are some solid bargains to be found among stuff that's not brand new and that there are types of cards that seem to be overlooked. This card fits that bill. Yes, printing plates can have less appeal depending on the color of the plate and the design of the cards, but they seem to be overlooked by many for some unknown reason to me. They are 1/1s available in four different colors/separations but people don't seem to always act like they are when selling or buying. This price works for me and for my collecting tastes, especially when you consider this is also from his rookie year.
Grab a box right here: Spectra NFL boxes (all years)

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

Continue reading →

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: Mostly box break highlights and big pulls making up today's edition ... check 'em out.

Continue reading →

What: 2020 Topps Chrome Star Wars Perspectives Resistance vs. First Order trading cards
Arrives: Aug. 5
Box basics: One autograph per 18-pack box (12 boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Star Wars gets another go on Chrome with an all-encompassing look at the Star Wars universe with a focus on the players among The Resistance as well as The First Order as part of this hobby-only release.

Keep reading for more as well as a gallery.

Continue reading →

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: Derrick Henry is a freak, Drake's Rookie Card reaction, big pulls from around the collecting world and "What happens with Patrick Mahomes prices when Houston wins?"

Continue reading →

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: Some collecting goals for 2020, discussing part of an uncut sheet, clearance-bin gems and other big pulls as we head into the weekend.

Continue reading →

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: Pondering 2020 Allen & Ginter signers, designing a new product, "my best case ever" and a number of big pulls, including this Zion Williamson gem.

Continue reading →

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: Tua Tagovailoa, Panini Blockchain, big pulls and ... Zion Williamson Silver from a $20.20 box? (Yep.)

Continue reading →

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: Many burning questions posed by forum members -- from missing old companies, to the Patriots dynasty, Tom Brady's future and allegedly fake NBA cardboard -- as well as some big pulls.

Continue reading →

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: Nothing but breaks and other big pulls in today's edition.

Continue reading →

What: 2020 Topps Star Wars Authentics Autographs
Arrives: March 18
Box basics: One autographed 11-by-14 photo and one serial-numbered trading card per box (12 boxes per case)
Signers list: Click here
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: The signing roster for the Star Wars universe is in full effect here -- with some new ones, too -- for this autographed photo line, which includes oversized autographs for the first time.

Keep reading for more as well as a full gallery of images.

Continue reading →

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: Some unreal -- but totally legit -- Star Wars pulls, MLB breaks, new Optic NFL and plenty more in today's edition.

Continue reading →

Making The Grade is a monthly department here on The Buzz that ran all year long in 2019 -- its first complete season so far. Its a place where newly slabbed cards and a few pick-ups get the spotlight -- a little show-and-tell to get people talking and thinking about cards beyond "What's it worth?"

Sometimes I picked cards for fun, sometimes I chased 10s, but other times I slabbed with some longer-term "investment" thought -- and I don't even do that often. (My go-to is to simply slab stuff that I like.) The card you see up top? You can firmly place it in the red-hot fun file. The card at right? You can put it in the long-term keeper stack along with the guy below him, who had plenty of appearances in the series this year.

As one of a couple of 2019 retrospective posts I have planned -- they're at least on my to-do list at least until other work pops up -- here's a look at the series where I talked about 158 new slabs this past year. You can see them all at the links below.

January -- Making the Grade: Patrick Mahomes, The Mick, Tommy Chong, Whitney Houston, botched cardboard & more

February -- Making the Grade: Patrick Mahomes, Bo Knows, Wendy Peffercorn, Tom Brady, Super Bowl stars & more

March -- Making the Grade: Young MVPs, iconic Hall of Famers, Silent Bob, March Madness, a Future Superstar & more

April -- Making the Grade: Vince McMahon, Steve Austin and WrestleMania icons plus Ronald Acuña Jr. & more MLB stars

May -- Making the Grade: Baker Mayfield, JLo's Rookie Card, Joe Cool, Nuke LaLoosh, Hailie Deegan & more past gems

June -- Making the Grade: The Dream Team, Ronald Acuña Jr., Bart Starr, Mike Trout, Deadpool, Kelly Hu's rookie & more

July -- Making the Grade: Aaron Judge, Jayson Tatum, Ric Flair, Michael Jordan, Ronald Acuña Jr., Billy Ripken's bad bat knob, Chrissy Teigen's Rookie Card, The Big Lebowski's ink & more

August -- Making the Grade: New Vladdy, Acuña, Rally Squirrel, Undertaker, Juggernaut, Michael Jordan, Paige, Kurt Cobain, The Bad News Bears' ace ... and Keith Comstock's beanballs?

September -- Making the Grade: Joe Namath's ink, Dak & Jerry Rookie Cards, Saquon Barkley, Lonzo Ball, 1990s NFL classics, high-grade vintage, The Four Horsewomen of NXT & more

October -- Making the Grade: Ronald Acuña Jr. heaters, Clerks, Ernie Davis, hot ink, Supergirl, Catwoman & real Nuke LaLoosh

November -- Making the Grade: Dak Prescott, Luka Doncic, Magic Johnson & John Cena rookies, Robert Mueller, the first perfect Keith Comstock, Meghan Markle's MLB card & more

December -- Making the Grade: Rare Shohei Ohtani, Star Wars, Pete Alonso, Tim Duncan, vintage, several WWE stars & more

--

Need even more? See previous months' Making The Grade posts by clicking here (scroll down)

--

Follow Buzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz or send email to BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com. 

>> Click here to buy cards on BlowoutCards.com

It's fitting that he's green ... he's generating plenty of it.

In the Twitter and meme galaxies, he's "Baby Yoda," but on Topps Now cards for The Mandalorian, he's "The Child" -- the 50-year-old silent (so far) alien boy that is the center of attention as the sci-fi western series plays itself out over on Disney+.

He's been a focal point of the series for all seven episodes so far, but he didn't make his cardboard debut in the weekly episodic Topps Now sets until the third pack -- and that's where we start to see his Forceful ways.

Continue reading →

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: Pondering the NFL's all-time Made of Glass Team, collectors react to Hyun-Jin Ryu to the Blue Jays, and big breaks to start off the week.

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. 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 it's the biggest roundup ever (in volume, not price).

--

A UNIQUE SURPRISE 
The Card: Tony Gwynn 2015 Panini Immaculate Collection Collegiate Memorabilia (/99)
The Price: $16.25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: It took me a while to find one of these (only casually looking), but this card of the Baseball Hall of Famer is one of a few that show him in his other sport, basketball, which he played at San Diego State. His estate auctioned off a number of game-used pieces and other memorabilia in 2015, generating more than $217,000 partly going to the Tony and Alicia Gwynn Foundation to help kids in need. His first Aztecs basketball uniform went for $11,858 in that SCP Auctions sale and the buyer was Panini America. These cards aren't all that plentiful in this release -- and they certainly aren't the only place the swatches went as there are just 99 standard cards and a second one limited to five copies with a much larger prime swatch. The follow-up release to this one had a few more, including prime cards, and he also had posthumous autographed cards (stickers) showing him in his basketball uniform in a National Treasures release. Spoiler alert: you'll see one more of these here at some point.
Grab a box right here: 2015 Panini Immaculate Collection Collegiate (when available)

Keep reading for more ...

Continue reading →

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: Nothing but new breaks and pulls from around the collecting world in today's edition.

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: 2019 Topps Journey to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (mini blaster)
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here
Where to buy: Initially at Walmart -- BlowoutCards.com for hobby

Packs per box: 6 (five standard and one three-card Red parallels pack)
Cards per pack: 6
Cards in this box: 33
Base set completion: 
20 of 100 (20 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Continue reading →

If you have ever dared to chase a master set of a product, you know it can be work -- but this one can be done on the serious cheap.

It's 2019 Topps Star Wars Resistance Surprise Packs and 16-box cases of these are up for grabs right now for just $29.95 (limit six cases).

No, really, cases. And that's not a typo  ... that's $1.87 a box. Keep reading to see what can be found here for this Disney animated series ...

Continue reading →

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: Big pulls from recent NFL, MLB and non-sports breaks (Star Wars, Stranger Things and a high-ender) and more.

Continue reading →

Have you seen the latest cool cards from a new release? With so many options for collectors of all kinds arriving every week it's possible you haven't. That's where Buzz comes in -- well at least on one brand you'll see here from time to time in what we're calling Buzz's Pick Six. Simply put, here are six cards from a new arrival that seemed interesting to this collector and we think they might interest you, too.

This week's list: Six 2019 boxes that I'd rip (or maybe even stash) right now ...

--

SAFETY IN NUMBERS -- AS IN A BOATLOAD OF ROOKIE CARDS
The Box: 2019 Topps Update Series Baseball Jumbo Box
The Price: Click here
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This year's rookie crop is a strong one -- and there might be more potential than the 2018 class that sparked serious interest in this release last year. It was seemingly plentiful all year long and then poof -- the rocketship took off. This year's isn't super-cheap (right now) but some of that fuel seemingly has gone to Series 2 since it has earlier cards for a couple of high-profile guys -- Series 2 is pricey and surprised me -- but this one has some of those guys' cards as well as a number of others. Topps Chrome also seems to have some very good potential in my mind, too, but these jumbo boxes include a ton of stuff and the chances you get at parallels and other stuff here - in volume -- put this one at the top of my list. (And if you're on a budget and don't want to swing hard on this one -- you might look for blasters of Series 2 and Update both here and at retail ... those can still be found. These won't last as long as those, though.)

Keep reading for five more interesting items in this week's roundup ...

Continue reading →

Buzz buys and busts a lot of boxes right here for Buzz Breaks, but one of my goals just might be to rip fewer boxes 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.

So, with that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ... and this time around there's a bit of everything but more on the affordable side.

--

MONSTER YEAR, SIMPLE ROOKIE CARD
The Card: Derrick Henry 2016 Donruss Rookie Card (BGS 9.5)
The Price: $9
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I made this pick-up just before he started his recent run of big games mostly because it seemed underpriced for the grade, which is a solid quad 9.5. Interestingly, just 25 copies of this card have been slabbed and nothing has checked in below this mark. It makes me think you could pick off a factory set at a pretty cheap price if you want to dabble with grading key cards here -- and there are a few where you could do pretty well with some 9.5s or 10s. About that price ... one of the other 9.5s had an asking price of $40 on eBay when I looked. Sure, the action here is heavier on Optic, ink and rarer parallels, but simple RCs of affordable sets seem to be go-to cards for more and more people these days.
Grab a box right here: 2016 Donruss (several formats)

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

Continue reading →

What: 2020 Topps Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Series 2
Arrives: April 22
Box basics: One autograph guaranteed in every two-hit box (12 boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: The upcoming Star Wars film gets a second run on new cardboard next spring with a number of inclusions that should be in-demand as the Skywalker Saga comes to a close (for now).

Keep reading for more as well as a gallery of images.

Continue reading →