For years now, autographed books coming direct from the publishers -- or direct from the authors themselves -- have been an affordable way to collect ink from notable names in all realms of pop culture.

It's not a perfect system with stamped autos, fakes and autopens sometimes in the mix -- a problem for publishers to catch as they are not authenticators -- but thanks to dedicated collectors on the Blowout Cards Forum and elsewhere, those problems often get caught and fixed ... or at least become well-known enough to avoid if it's an issue that goes uncorrected.

Getting ink in-person is always best -- book tours still happen, of course -- but landing autographed editions from publishers, online sellers or celebs themselves via their websites or other appearances are common.

Our latest subject and autograph in this ongoing series? Dominating Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky.

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What's Buzzing: Oklahoma City roars into the NBA Finals, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, new pulls and more.

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1 -- "Is it time to start talking about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander?"

2 -- About Anthony Edwards ... 

3 -- NBA postseason chatter

4 -- All your baseball threads are here

5 -- New pulls are here

6 -- Talking a unique Topps Now card ... 

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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.

What's Buzzing: NBA Playoffs, a long-time project completed, a card to avoid, VeeFriends Chrome, 2025 Bowman and more.

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1 -- All your postseason NBA chatter is here

2 -- A project completed 

3 -- Talking Topps Now

4 -- One to avoid

5 -- Chewing on VeeFriends Chrome

6 -- Still talking 2025 Bowman

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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.

What's Buzzing: Hall of Fame voting change, error cards, Gold Prizms, Cheers cards and more have them talking.

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1 -- Error cards and misprints are on their minds

2 -- Hall of Fame voting change might eliminate debate 

3 -- Gooooooooollllllllldd NBA Prizms and Refractors

4 -- Heritage High Number has 'em talking

5  -- Topps Now WWE chatter has some gems

6 -- Talking Cheers cards ... Get your box here!

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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.

What's Buzzing: Active discussions across the board this weekend -- new pulls, MLB, NBA, NFL, WWE and Topps Now in this Sunday edition.

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What's Buzzing: Fanatics Fest, Bobby Witt Jr., crunching numbers on a Topps Now record-setter, plenty of Chrome and more in this Sunday edition.

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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: MLB trade deadline reactions, Olympic basketball, sketch cards, comic books and more in this Monday edition.

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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 ... and this time around there's some traditional stuff and some odd stuff.

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CHECK IT OUT ... 
The Item: Pro Football Hall of Famer Deacon Jones autographed 1984 Warner Bros. payroll check
The Price: Less than a blaster box
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I haven't ever really dabbled with signed/canceled checks except for a few school ties names (Roll Tide!) who don't have a lot of stuff and where other items are pricey. One example? Former Yankees broadcaster Mel Allen ... a signed ball can be expensive but a signed check is still pricey but not as bad. In this case, I stumbled upon this check during a curiosity dive online and it seemed unique -- a Warner Bros. studio payroll check (pre-printed signatures on the front) made out to and signed by a Pro Football Hall of Famer on the back. The amount isn't massive, so I figured it was probably a royalty payment for some TV show appearance or movie re-run and he had a few in films and spots as himself on TV through the years. I wish I could figure it out, but IMDb only had an appearance on Super Bloopers and Practical Jokes in 1984 and an appearance on The Fall Guy in 1983 with other past projects also possible. (I didn't do a deep dive on figuring out who owned what for studio/network properties back then ... but it's probably do-able.) What do I know? This is something different compared to a lot of the stuff out there signed by "The Secretary of Defense."
Grab a box right here: None for this ... but NFL boxes are here.

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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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: NFL chatter as Tom Brady feels the heat, Topps Now reactions, new arrivals and more in this Monday edition.

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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: Pete Rose apparently is back in MLB packs, new pulls and more in this Saturday edition.

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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: Pondering Deadpool & Wolverine cardboard, Topps Now hot dogs and more midweek memorabilia madness.

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It only took 10 games in the minors -- where he hit .333 with two homers and nine RBI -- to get a Holliday in Boston tonight.

No, it's not Roger Dorn Night or Big Papi Funko Pop! day (that's Sept. 9) ... it's the MLB debut of No. 1 prospect Jackson Holliday, an infielder for the Baltimore Orioles and son of a former big-leaguer.

Holliday's Rookie Cards will arrive later this year, in theory, and his Topps Now debut will inevitably arrive tomorrow no matter what, but he's already appeared on more than 2,000 different baseball cards since he was the first pick in the 2022 MLB Draft.

In fact, his certified autograph total alone is pushing 1,000 cards and that's thanks to early Perfect Game prep all-star sets, USA Baseball appearances as well as a number of prospect releases -- some from before draft day.

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Group breaks have been a game-changer for the card industry for several years now and from time to time Buzz will jump into a BlowoutTV break of some type and break down the results of what he landed by picking up a team. There are near-daily breaks right here with Matt on Blowout TV during weekday working hours and even more from Houdini and others over on the forum in the evening.

Now, it's time for this post's break breakdown -- a spot in a Heritage baseball mixer with some extras.

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A quick and historic debut like this one should have collectors watching cardboard ... but right now that only means Topps Now. 

Nolan Schanuel made his MLB debut in August with the Los Angeles Angels just 42 days after he was drafted and since then he's done nothing but collect hits and get on base at a historic clip. According to MLB.com, Schanuel has now made it on base in 27 consecutive games to open his career and that's the fourth-longest streak since 1900. The record is 47 games by Alvin Davis in 1984, while the others ahead of him were back in 1938 (29 games for Hall of Famer Enos Slaughter) and 1918 (38 games for Truck Hannah).

Why does this matter? His only MLB cardboard is in 2023 Topps Now for now with his Rookie Cards not coming until next year's releases -- and he doesn't even yet appear on any MLB prospect cards in Bowman sets, either.

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Update (Aug. 22): A total of 9,785 copies were sold for this card.

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Card No. 725 is a first for this new MLB player -- and almost his only cardboard regardless of place in the game.

Nolan Schanuel made his debut on Friday night with the Los Angeles Angels going 1-for-4 and that got him his first 2023 Topps Now card as seen here and he followed that up with two more hits in his first double-header as an MLB player yesterday.

What makes Schanuel unique? He was the 11th pick in this year's draft back on July 9 -- just 42 days ago -- and he signed and played 21 games in Rookie/Single-A/Double-A ball before getting the call to the big team. That's not totally unheard of as nine players have actually skipped MiLB completely before their MLB debut since 1986 ... but that is still lightning-fast and, more importantly here, very few players these days make an MLB debut having so little cardboard. After all, we live in a world of, well, "Now" as well as prospect sets such as USA Baseball and Perfect Game that can have players on cards and in packs with certified autographs, memorabilia cards and more as young teenagers years before they're anywhere near a pro contract.

As for Schanuel? Keep reading ... he doesn't have much at all when it comes to baseball cards.

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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 ...

SHINE LIKE MINI-DIAMONDS ...
The Card: Ronald Acuña Jr. 2021 Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary Edition Rose Gold Mini-Diamond Refractors (/75)
The Reason Graded: Generally, I only do Chrome stuff in any kind of volume when it gets cheap -- and in this case they were as I found a run of mega boxes of this one priced less than blasters and that got me to bite. (They're all Buzz Breaks so go check the archives.) One of my better finds in those boxes was this card, which is a super-sparkly take on the 1952 Topps design that, in my mind, does work while a lot of the basic Chrome takes found in this set just don't. (There were a lot of quality control issues with this release.) In this case, since it's a top name, a rare card and a crisp and cleanly centered copy I put it into a bulk sub. Why? I like it and the player ... and I felt like it had some good potential.
The Grade: CSG 9.5

Reality Check: It's the lowest of two copies graded by CSG (now CGC) with the other one checking in where I had hoped to be. No biggie ... I like this card no matter what and all of his stuff -- Rookie Cards, hits and rarities -- should be getting looks as he could become baseball's newest 40-40 Club member -- and might even push higher if he gets really hot with the bat in the second half. With him you never know.

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

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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: The National nears, Topps Now, Shohei Ohtani, new pulls and more in today's edition.

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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 ...

No. 1 GOES FIRST HERE, TOO ...
The Card: Bryce Young 2021 Onyx Vintage College Football Autographs
The Reason Graded: I collect Alabama guys but on the cheap so when a top talent arrives on NFL cardboard odds are I already found them ... if they had stuff. Generally, I try to have auto of all new big names and in the most-recent years thanks to NIL deals where active players can sign autograph deals that's been easier to do -- for both big names and guys who won't be top picks. In the case of this new Carolina Panthers QB, I pulled this one -- something I also did with Tua Tagovailoa -- so I don't have to chase new stuff after he was taken No. 1 in this year's NFL Draft. (But I will if I somehow find bargains.) This one is nice as it's on-card, has a clean retro design (I like that) and has a design/photo that doesn't showcase the fact that there are a couple small missing logos here that would come with full licensing. Atop that, his autograph on this card -- and the card itself -- is super clean and many of his autos are absolutely not clean in recent years. (In fact, I'd say that his auto is bad way more often than it's good ... and it's not that good visually to start with.) When I saw this one, I knew I needed to slab it for those reasons.
The Grade: CSG 9.5

Reality Check: I was a little worried about the surface here as the retro stock is definitely no-frills -- it doesn't even have a light gloss -- but it checked in with a grade I don't mind. I was happy with this and you'll probably see more of Young here in this series -- or at least Buzz Buys -- more once new NFL stuff starts popping up and the college colors fade away for some. Those colors won't fade away for me -- I like them a lot more than anything Carolina -- and he's always going to be the first Heisman-winning Alabama QB.

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

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What: 2023 Topps Road to Opening Day Autograph Collector baseball card packs
Arrives: Live today via Topps ... and now sold out
Pack basics: One autograph and one parallel card per 10-card pack
Signers list: Click here
Gold parallels list: Click here
Order: Via Topps.com; Click here (when available)

What's buzz-worthy: The annual Topps Now spring team sets that had versions with guaranteed autographs are no more -- instead, the ink has been seeded into packs for collectors to chase their players with the chance at getting others, too. (Standard team sets are still being made.)

Keep reading for more info and a gallery for this one.

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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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HER TIME IS NOW ... 
The Cards: Rhea Ripley 2020 Topps Transcendent WWE (/50) -- Rookie Card
The Price: Less than some of your new boxes out there
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This one is more of a long-term buying project for me as I think Ripley has the potential to be an all-time great in the WWE's women's ranks. She's only 26 and has literally been wrestling half of her life, already has held WWE gold and this is her premium-brand Rookie Card (gaming cards don't count in my world) that has an iconic pose and is limited to only 50 copies. This one also is easily among the priciest of the unsigned cards in this pricey set that was made to be broken up. Only three of these are new additions for me but I had to take a pic of all five together as a bit of a brag -- I don't do that a lot and I don't like to give the prices when I spend big on stuff -- but this is a card I like ... and I'm definitely not done yet. She has other Rookie Cards (with logos ... this set didn't use them) from 2020 but this one will always be the best in my book and we know exactly how many exist and that it cost plenty for somebody else to land one. She's got another WrestleMania match against an all-time great, Charlotte Flair, here soon and I don't know exactly how that might go ... but I do know she's definitely worthy of a long and dominating title reign and a smackdown of a great would solidify her place. I think her time is now.
Grab a box right here: WWE boxes can be found 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 ... and it's once again the biggest Buzz Buys ever. (A collection of pick-ups from recent times as well as in the past year or so.)

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A RECORD-SETTER, BUT ... 
The Cards: Wander Franco 2022 Topps Living Set (/68,228)
The Price: Direct from Topps (10-pack price)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This one re-wrote the new Living Set record book with its sales volume and I did a 10-pack to hopefully land a copy without centering issues and to maybe grade one or two. It turns out 10 wasn't enough as the front card is closest to centered but it has a cardboard blotch that should nix some top marks and any immediate grading from me. I still might but not right now. With so many made, there likely will be plenty graded in the coming months ... so without an obvious gem I'll wait. This might have been my first Living Set lot direct from Topps since Vladimir Guerrero Jr., so it will probably send me back to hibernation on that brand. We'll see.
Grab a box right here: No boxes for this one ... but MLB 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 ... and this time around it's the biggest Buzz Buys ever. (A collection of pick-ups from recent times as well as in the past year or so.)

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BUZZ FELT RICH AGAIN ... 
The Card: Derek Jeter 2012 Panini National Treasures Prime Button (/6)
The Price: More than I'll admit.
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This was a premium-priced pick-up for me but I only landed it after getting rid of a lot of smaller cards slowly but surely -- and that's something I should do more often. Sure, it's centering is off -- that's the one obvious issue -- but I always liked the simplicity and lineup of options for this first year of Panini National Treasures. I typically stick to the old guys but a button card of a new Hall of Famer wasn't a bad add and at the price it's a good long-term hold. I got this at a fraction of many Jeter game-used button cards out there. That's all I'll say for now -- I'm keeping these a little shorter than normal as this is the biggest roundup of pick-ups I've ever done.
Grab a box right here: Panini National Treasures boxes (all years)

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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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: NFL chatter, NBA player show-offs, chasing Bo Bichette, another big card goes missing and more.

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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: NFL chatter, MLB licensing, pondering a 1/1 value, a colorful NXT case and more in today's edition.

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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 that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ... 

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A STEAL ON JOE WILLIE
The Card: Joe Namath 2015 Panini National Treasures Century Materials Holo Silver (/15)
The Price: $20
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This one is a steal for the volume made and considering that, unlike a number of Namath's recent memorabilia cards, it's got a game-used piece inside of it and not a player-worn swatch. I easily would have paid more for a card like this for this brand (one I've historically liked) with a prime piece and so few made. In fact, I'm sure I have paid more for cards with more copies made compared to this. Would I go this high for a player-worn card? Perhaps but it wouldn't have been as easy of a no-brainer to grab.
Grab a box right here: National Treasures football boxes (all years)

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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