This one is a quick idea for a new department here on The Buzz ... Fast Five -- a quick list under a simple topic that might offer a basic starting point for a themed collection. It's a basic list of five items that could be fun for a starting collector or a new way to add to a stash that might already seemingly include everything when it comes to cardboard. For some of you, it's probably common sense. For others of you out there, it's something to think about.

This time? The big release of the week ... 2020 Topps Heritage

SUPER, MAN
The Card: 2020 Topps Heritage 1971 Topps Super Bo Bichette 
These oversized 1971 Topps Super cards are box-toppers that are not found in every box but I kind of wish they were. It's a simple 15-card set that's more postcard-size but uses all of that space and some tight crops to emphasize the photographs chosen for a mix of current stars. Just two rookies made the cut here -- Bo Bichette and Yordan Alvarez -- and I'm going with Bichette of the two this year. Meanwhile, there are a number of notables in this set on the checklist. I'm not the biggest fan of the facsimile auto that was part of the original design (Topps needs to thin out the pen strokes on any and all facsimiles used if you ask me while also scaling them down to be well-placed "accents") but the good news is that that those vanish for the players who have certified autos from this set. Those are far tougher pulls and were only made for five players. No Bo, though. (Bummer.)

Keep reading for four more making up the list this time.

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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 Today: Get all your 2020 Topps Heritage details here, a few Zion Williamson appearances and something that may be a huge development out at retail.

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Two of the error-based variations in 2020 Topps Heritage (see all of them here) are based on mistakes in the original releases that it emulates from 1971.

Juan Soto's card, No. 403, can be found with a version where the background of the image is bluer -- and if you look closely at the stadium, you'll notice that the pole for one of the venue's light towers has been removed.

This is a direct nod to the card No. 42 in the 1971 Topps set for Boots Day, a Montreal Expos outfielder who had a piece of the light tower poking out from behind his right ear on his card. It was lightened to help remove the distraction, making it one of just a handful of cards in that set with players involved (most errors were on checklists) to have a variation that year.

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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 Today: The arrival of 2020 Topps Heritage, SP galleries, box breaks and plenty more in today's edition.

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What: 2020 Topps Star Wars Authentics 8x10 Autos
Arrives: Aug. 19
Box basics: One autographed 8-by-10 photo, one serial-numbered trading card and one discount card per box (12 boxes per case)
Signers list: Click here
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: This signed photos line reverts back to 8-by-10 photos for its second release of the year with new ink from The Mandalorian and The Rise of Skywalker in play here.

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

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Topps' annual Industry Conference is under way in Arizona right now and it has teased some things to come when it comes to cardboard this year.

Here's a notebook of what's been teased so far ...

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What: 2020 Topps UFC cards
Arrives: Aug. 26
Box basics: Two autographs per 24-pack box (12 boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: UFC gets a flagship-style card set with the 2020 Topps MLB design hitting the Octagon with plenty of hits, a number of inserts and a ton of the big names you would expect to see.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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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 Today: Plenty of hobby investment and related discussions, 2020 Topps Heritage, MiLB cards and more in today's edition.

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This one is a quick idea for a new department here on The Buzz ... Fast Five -- a quick list under a simple topic that might offer a basic starting point for a themed collection. It's a basic list of five items that could be fun for a starting collector or a new way to add to a stash that might already seemingly include everything when it comes to cardboard. For some of you, it's probably common sense. For others of you out there, it's something to think about.

This time? Five Kobe Bryant cardboard basics to own.

A ROOKIE CARD
It's clear that a lot of people who aren't seven-day-a-week collectors have been picking up Kobe Bryant basketball cards since his death in late-January, and the easy starting point for someone -- regardless of budget -- is a Rookie Card. His best Rookie Cards are from major manufacturers and most of them show him in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform or at least use Lakers logos. He has a ton of draft picks and early cards, too, but his 16 Rookie Cards all from the 1996-97 season are the ones to consider first. Here's a rundown of the brands -- Bowman's Best, Collector's Choice, E-X 2000, Fleer, Fleer Metal, Flair Showcase, Fleer Ultra, NBA Hoops, SP, Topps, Topps Chrome, Topps Finest, Upper Deck, UD3 and Z-Force. They're all in demand but they have always been relatively findable and vary in price. Topps Chrome, Topps Finest, Bowman's Best and SP are arguably the better ones, so they'll cost more, while Collector's Choice and Hoops will be on the cheaper side. There are parallel versions for the Chrome and Finest cards, too, and there are also fakes for some of the basic cards here to be weary of. I'd grab one that's been graded by BGS, PSA or SGC only. My Favorite? Probably Finest (above) as I was actually able to find one in a pack long, long ago ... I also once had a Chrome ... but traded it. (Story for another day.)

Keep reading for four more basic cards to consider for Kobe Bryant.

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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: 2020 Topps Series 1 baseball cards 
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com
First Buzz preview with checklist/SPs/more: Click here

Packs per box: 8 (seven standard, one medallion card pack)
Cards per pack: 14
Cards in this box: 99
Base set completion: 
82 of 350 (23 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Mike Trout, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Christian Yelich, Keston Hiura, Buster Posey, Eloy Jimenez, Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon, Cody Bellinger, Shohei Ohtani

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery of what was in this one.

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

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There aren't any new details about the 2020 Topps Celebration of the Decades golden tickets found in  2020 Topps Series 1 baseball packs just yet, but BlowoutCards.com has upped the ante for those ripping into boxes.

We're now paying a handsome sum for your ticket if you land one of these invitations to an exclusive event coming later this year. Email support@blowoutcards.com if you have one.

Keep reading for more details.

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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 Today: The Houston Astros' cheating chatter ain't slowing down, new NBA and NFL breaks, showing off 1990s NFL stuff, picking a team and favorite MLB memorabilia pieces 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 Today: Nothing but breaks and big pulls in today's edition.

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Times have changed a ton when it comes to collecting -- even in the last 10 years -- but a new mailday that just arrived included something I hadn't seen before in years of collecting

Sealed packs -- specifically some old mis-wraps of an old premium brand -- as box filler instead of packing peanuts.

Now, that might be common here and there in small instances -- especially for some especially unworthy-of-opening years like 1991 Fleer -- but this time? Well, it was just a little different.

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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 Today: Nothing but breaks and a couple of opinion-heavy threads make up today's edition.

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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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BO KNOWS
The Item: Bo Bichette 2020 Topps Series 1 1985 Topps Red Autographs (/25)
The Price: $399.99 Buy-It-Now (or best offer)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This price might not be the best one out there, but this guy is my pick to watch this season among the rookies and young stars you should be looking to find in packs. The 1985 cards actually aren't my favorite inclusion in 2020 Topps Series 1, but these cards (all colors) have on-card sigs and that's a big plus. I'd also consider the stickered 1985 Chrome autos that are in box-topper packs as there has to be a limited volume of those out there -- and inevitably there will always be some stuck in sealed hobby boxes for years to come. Prices for rarer versions of top guys on unsigned cards show there is some serious interest in those cards, too. I'm not sure this price will get hit, but after his rookie season where he hit .311 with 11 homers, 18 doubles and 21 RBI in just 46 games we may be all wishing we had been chasing him now at some point later this season.
Similar Pieces: Bo Bichette autos on eBay
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for 2020 Topps Series 1 boxes

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

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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 Today: Houston Astros cheating chatter, NFL breaks, 2020 Topps hauls, Optic and Revolution NBA highlights and comic books in today's edition.

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We're just a week away from the arrival of 2020 Topps Heritage baseball cards and one sign that the wait is almost over is this new development released just today.

We've got the checklist.

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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 Today: Zion Williamson thrills, Brett Gardner has a fan, a loaded MLB box and the Houston Astros still cheated.

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The newest Topps On Demand set of the year is here and it's one that carries with it a dramatic and nearly colorless look at Major League Baseball.

It's the 2020 Topps MLB Black & White and it includes a 75-card base set and more

Packs of this one are $60 and include a one-in-two chance at an autograph with 25 base cards and five parallels/inserts also inside when bought directly via Topps.com. The format is the same as it was for this one last year.

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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 Today: Ryan Newman, Lou Whitaker, AEW chatter, big breaks and a meandering NBA/NFL thread.

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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 Today: Houston Astros cheating chatter, Bo Bichette, Cody Bellinger, big NBA and MLB pulls and an oldschool repack that brings back some memories.

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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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BIG INK
The Card: Mark McGwire 2017 Topps Tier One Tier One Autographs (/30)
The Price: $45.75
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: For years, my only Mark McGwire autograph was one on a somewhat average-condition Oakland A's World Series team-signed ball that I found in an unusual way and got via a trade. (In short, it was sitting in a mug on co-worker's desk. He didn't know what team it was ... it was just his dad's ball that had been brought in for some reason. There it sat ... until I happened to pick it up and look. Then I picked up my jaw.) I added a similar and different item in recent years -- a bat -- and both pieces are 100-percent legit but without authentication. (That happened back in the day when teams signed items ... without merch deals and MLB Authentication around.) This time, though, I added a fresh McGwire release that's on both the rarer side and the cheaper side since the price was right (and dramatically lower than others out there for comparable cards). McGwire has always been a pricier auto -- he didn't sign much during his career except for very early on (before certified auto cards) -- and then became an Upper Deck guy after his record-setting years. Topps got him back in the fold in 2014 releases and he's also been in Panini stuff. I liked the price and the look of this one, which has him watching a homer from late in the 1998 season.
Grab a box right here: 2017 Topps Tier One baseball cards

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 Today: When an Optic run turns into the mother lode of hot wax, computerized grading, 2020 Topps, new NBA breaks and plenty more.

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