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 ...

MAMI'S HOME ...
The Card: Rhea Ripley 2020 Topps Chrome WWE Gold Refractor Autographs (/50) -- rookie-year auto
The Reason Graded: I picked up this one a few years ago for a pretty modest price -- about the price of a box back then -- and since then Ripley has emerged as the top name among a newer wave of stars who, barring injuries, should be helping redefine women's wrestling for some time. I had this one in my get-graded stacks for a long time as I don't often slab up auto cards -- I don't like surprises -- but I did it on this one and a standard auto earlier this year since they looked quite clean.
The Grade: CGC 10 (Pristine) with 10 auto

Reality Check: As good as it gets and this card is a monster as it is. A raw copy pushed $500 not that long ago and a PSA 9 sold for that much as well earlier this year. A perfect 10 absolutely works for me on this one ... it's the best color here if you ask me, too.

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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THE PERFECT EARLIER SIG
The Card: Shotzi Blackheart 2020 Topps WWE NXT Roster Blue Autographs (/50)
The Price: Less than a box these days
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: If you're a regular reader, then you know this set and this auto -- in all colors -- is high on my radar and that's why I grabbed this super-clean copy with an eye on grading. It's not totally perfect but I'm fine with that as the core reason I bit here was how clean this sig is with her original WWE ink, not the shortened one that has come about on her cards since this earlier signing. (It's not quite her pre-WWE auto, which is more of a puffy almost "tagging" writing style with big curves and loops on all letters.) A quicker auto happens for many signers as they ink more and more stuff and some styles just won't come back -- so that's another reason this one is a favorite ... plus, not that many of her WWE cards have this auto.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... but WWE boxes are here

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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FLOWN IN THE FINAL FRONTIER?
The Card: 2018 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions Museum Collection Aviation Jumbo Relics (5-by-7) Space Shuttle Columbia Mission STS-75 MLI Blanket
The Price: About $85
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This over-sized piece is one of a number of space-related memorabilia cards that you can find (as redemptions) in this past Goodwin release, and I opted for this one since it's got a lot going on with its swatch and because it's noted as being used for Mission STS-75 that went to space in the spring of 1996. What exactly an MLI blanket is I didn't know when I grabbed it, but apparently "Multi-layer Insulation" blankets help protect various pieces of equipment from heat and light while in space. I liked how this piece has a rivet hole on one side and some Velcro on another along with some striping to help make it a little more interesting than just a big plain white swatch of material. A lone drawback here is that it's not easy to store at 5-by-7 and about a half of an inch thick but it's a cool card. (I wrapped it in a sealed magazine bag and then boxed it away.) Did I need it? Probably not, but it's pretty interesting and I will have more oddities like this coming in the future. If it grabs your attention, there are a number of standard-size cards with varying pieces inside them to suit more budgets easier than this card. Other blanket swatches look like tin foil and you can find other pieces in cards, too. I may need to get one of those.
Grab a box right here: Goodwin Champions (all years)

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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Today's the last day of auction action over at Crazy Uncle Auctions and since that might not be on your natural list of places to check for modern cardboard, well ... that's why Buzz is here.

The Harrison, N.Y.-based auction house has an impressive array of stuff -- from elite oldschool pieces that you wouldn't imagine existing to stuff fresh from the card factories of today.

POLAR BEAR POWER
The Item: Pete Alonso 2019 Topps NOW #705A Autographed Relic (/99)
The Price: $80 after five bids (about 10 hours remaining)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is one of 15 Alonso cards up for grabs in this one and it's at a fraction of the previous eBay prices (for now) with some solid flip potential even if bidding picks up from here. (It should but could still be a good buy.) eBay asking prices are at least $100 higher and actual sales of comparable Relics (not this one but others from Topps Now) are $250 and up. The key here might be timing -- with MLB set to return there could be more attention here very soon for this big-market slugger. Either way, it's an iconic card noting a key part of his career so far and not a generic aut0-Relic card.

Keep reading for a deeper look at four more items ending tonight that caught Buzz's attention for this weekend edition of Auction Buzz -- the action closes at 11 p.m Eastern here.

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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.

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GOING SOLO?
The Item: 2018 Topps Star Wars Archives Signature Series Harrison Ford 1/1 1977 autograph
The Price: Out of this galaxy (or best offer)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This card came from a new box of Signature Series, which is a simple one-autograph-per-card buyback release. There are a lot of cards in this one that aren't as big as the elusive ink of Han Solo but the fact that he's in there (likely on other 1/1s) makes this box one to consider. There's no doubt it won't go for that much, but it should be interesting to see how much it does command when it does sell -- because Ford's autographs are in high demand when it comes to Star Wars cards.
Similar Pieces: Other Signature Series cards on eBay
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for 2018 Topps Star Wars Archives Signature Series boxes or cases

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

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The final trailer for X-Men: Apocalypse arrived today in advance of its arrival on May 27.

Check out the new trailer -- and tell us what you think -- after the jump.

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If you're in certain parts of the U.S. as you read this, then you're snowed in thanks to Mother Nature and Winter Storm Jonas.

It will probably give you some time to consider collecting some new players.

Maybe Brett Blizzard is an option -- he had a pretty decorated college career but never made it to the NBA. He did have cardboard, though, and he's still playing overseas.

But he's not your only option ...

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