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The Dream Team

The Dream Team

Making the Grade (January): Acuña, Apollo, The Fiend, vintage, Eddie Vedder, Tool Time, Tiger, Drax, Dream Team, XFL & more

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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 ... a super-sized edition with 20 cards to open 2020.
--
SO CLOSE TO PERFECTION ...
The Card: Ronald Acuña Jr. 2018 Topps Chrome #193 -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: This one looked very clean to my eye and I figured getting some of my past Acuña pulls slabbed was a good move considering his almost-40/40 showing last year. Some of his cards are heavily graded to the point where they can be had for not much more than a typical cost to slab if not in top grades. Meanwhile, others aren't as plentiful and some can typically grade very well. I went with this one since it's not as heavily graded and it does tend to grade well. Plus, I just liked the photo here compared to others -- and those I already own slabbed.
The Grade: BGS 10

Grade 5.5 6 6.5 7 7.5 8 8.5 9 9.5 10 B10 Total
Population 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 45 367 95 14 522
Reality Check: This one surprised me a bit -- just one half-subgrade away from a BGS Black. Only 14 cards have gotten the perfect mark and this one is among an also-small population. Most cards here check in at 9.5s -- a solid mark and a perfect card to bat lead-off for this first MTG of the year. I expect big things from Acuña this year and I'll be slabbing him often.
Keep reading for more.
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This entry was posted in Baseball, Basketball, Football, Movies, Non-sports, Pro Wrestling, Boxing, Errors & Variations, Golf, Making the Grade, Music, TV and tagged Batista, BGS, Billie Kay, Eddie Vedder, Fleer, MLB, NBA, NFL, Panini America, Peyton Royce, PSA, Topps, WWE, 1964 Topps, 1978 Topps, 1979 Topps, 1992 USA Basketball Dream Team, 2001 Topps XFL, 2010 Donruss Elite Extra Edition, 2015 Topps Allen & Ginter, Apollo Creed, Donruss, Juan Gonzalez, Kawhi Leonard, Ozzie Newsome, Pamela Anderson, Pearl Jam, Robin Yount, Rocky, Rod Smart, Shaun Alexander, Skybox, Tiger Woods, Tony LaRussa, Topps Now, USA Basketball, Vince McMahon, XFL, Carl Weathers, 2012-13 NBA Hoops, 2018 Topps Chrome, Baker Mayfield, 2001 Upper Deck, 2018 Donruss Optic, 2018 Topps WWE Then Now Forever, Ronald Acuña Jr., 2019 Topps Now WWE, Tim Allen, Home Improvement, 1991-92 SkyBox, 2002 Fleer WWE Royal Rumble, 1990 Donruss, 2001 Upper Deck VIP Promos, 2018 Pearl Jam The Home Shows, 2000 Topps, "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt, The Fiend, Tim Taylor, Al Borland, 1994 Skybox Home Improvement, Pepperdine baseball, The Dream Team on January 1, 2020 by BlowoutBuzz.

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