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: Jasson Dominguez has a perfect first at-bat, Ronald Acuña Jr., Shohei Ohtani, new pulls, NFL chatter and 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 here on The Buzz ...

FROM THE BARGAIN BIN TO ...
The Card: Ken Griffey Jr. 1989 Topps Traded -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: I picked up this at the last minute -- literally at closing time -- at a past National Sports Collectors Convention after some digging through a bargain bin where cards were literally bouncing around inside cases in a plastic tub. For just $5 this card (as a raw copy) was mine after one thing jumped out at me -- its back with all that black ink was perfectly cut and its front was super-close to centered. It's not that I needed this card, really, as I picked up about three or four sets from the 1989 JCPenney Christmas catalog -- just $12.99 apiece -- back in the day, but I found the rough back edges to be an issue when revisiting all my copies with the the stars that survived past purges. This one made it into one of my bulk grading subs earlier this year as it was past time to grade one. Yes, it's got a very slight rough spot on the front left -- some extra fuzz as it's some light cardboard -- but everything else here (especially the back) was too clean to not send it in.
The Grade: CSG 10

Reality Check: That's definitely the kind of grade I was going for here, though a lot of them seem to check in at that mark -- about 17 percent of the current population -- which seems high for the era, but, at the same time, these were released as boxed sets and not in packs so they perhaps didn't get handled as much during packaging. Plus, inner cards in the boxes got protected pretty well. I'll take it. This one has always been one of my favorite RCs for this icon ... because I could afford this one and not the other big one that many love. I have them all now, of course (I think), but I'm pretty sure few or even none of my copies from back then would grade like this one did. Not bad for a $5 find and then $10 more to grade it.

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: Ronald Acuña Jr., the Angels don't care, Cosmic Chrome, Jasson Dominguez, TacoFractor talk and more.

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What: 2023 Topps Chrome McDonald's All-American basketball cards
Arrives: Sept. 27
Box basics: Two autographs per 20-pack box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Topps' presence on McDonald's All-American cardboard return for a second time this season and this one includes the first autographed cards of LeBron James' highly touted son, Bronny, as seen above.

Keep reading for more info and a gallery of images.

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and break down 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: 2015 Topps WWE wrestling cards (retail gravity box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (when available) or for newer WWE

Keep reading for a full breakdown of what was in this one as well as a gallery of highlights.

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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: Julio Rodriguez is still hot, NFL chatter, a winning NBA repack, reeled in a big Trout and continuing talk about big industry headlines.

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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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IT'S FOOTBALL SEASON ... 
The Item: Paul "Bear" Bryant cut autograph (BAS authenticated)
The Price: Less than a lot of new hobby boxes.
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This pricier (for me) pick-up actually came in the last week of last year but I decided to hold onto posting it here until it's the right time -- and since football season is upon us, well, that means now's the time. In the fall of 2019, I bought a starter auto of this legendary Alabama Crimson Tide coach who before Nick Saban was easily the greatest in school history (right now, it's perhaps a toss-up) -- that one was an inscribed nickname-only auto -- for a lot less as it was a cut from a paperback book. This one? It's signed on thick, red paper (almost a light cardboard stock) and I know exactly where it came from -- a 1975 copy of his autobiography, Bear: The Hard Life and Good Times of Alabama's Coach Bryant. I have a clean-but-ratty copy of that book somewhere in my stash from an antiques store find 20-some years ago, but when this popped up from a West Coast mega-dealer of vintage (and selected modern-player) autographed stuff and plenty more I bit. I actually prefer the cut auto feel here in its case vs. the full book as it can be viewed when you find it vs. tucked behind a cover. A lot of Bryant autographs are found these days -- 40 years after his death -- are on signed copies of this book or on a style of autographed photo or two that is nearly always found inscribed and dated to fans or boosters from back in the day. While a photo (preferably slabbed) would be nice, this is a better, simpler item. Authenticated photos can cost less but look iffier depending on condition. I like this one -- and it's card-like feel -- and, heck, I might even do more. They are out there and findable.
Grab a box right here: College football boxes

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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What: 2023 Topps Star Wars Chrome Black trading cards
Arrives: Sept. 27
Box basics: One autograph in every four-card box (12 boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: The Topps Chrome Black formula goes intergalactic once again with Star Wars and the formula that has been previously used for Topps' dark line.

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: Favorite 1/1 cards, MLB Jacksons, NFL chatter, new pulls and licensing/lawsuit reactions.

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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: Mike Trout, Ozzie Albies, Stephen Strasburg, Topps Chrome chatter and licensing/lawsuit reactions 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: Brian Gray steps down as CEO at Leaf, Trey Lance to the Cowboys, new MLB pulls, collectors react to the big news items of the month and more in this Saturday edition.

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That first auto being a redemption now has a redeeming quality.

Topps revealed on Friday plans for the The Ultimate Collector Experience -- an event where any collector who pulled one of the 99 redemptions for the Victor Wembanyama Green Refractor autograph card from packs of 2022-23 Bowman University Chrome can attend an event on Sept. 23 in San Antonio where they will have a shot at receiving the inscribed first signed card.

Those who already redeemed their codes will be notified by Topps and a deadline for any newer pulls to be redeemed is Sept. 8. One person who attends in-person or virtually with a card will get the one-of-a-kind inscribed copy.

"After you’ve submitted your Wemby redemption card code, you will be invited to attend the live in-person Ultimate Collector Experience by Topps, where you will then be eligible to be randomly selected to receive the 2022-23 Bowman U Chrome Victor Wembanyama Green parallel '1st card I ever signed' inscribed auto," read the Topps reveal. "If you are unable to join us in person, you will still be eligible to receive the 2022-23 Bowman U Chrome Victor Green parallel '1st card I ever signed' inscribed auto as your redemption by participating virtually."

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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: Bray Wyatt's death surprises the wrestling world, new MLB pulls and chatter, inside a strong WWE case and plenty more reactions to the big headlines of the month.

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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: Shohei Ohtani, something to watch for, pondering MLB award-winners, lawsuit and licensing reactions plus more in today's 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: Some unique cross-company MLB-NASCAR error cards, Jasson Dominguez, Bazooka is sold, lawsuit and licensing reactions plus more.

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NFL Players Inc. has killed its trading card deal with Panini America effective immediately, according to a memo sent out to agents on Monday evening.

The move gives Fanatics -- the owner of Topps -- the exclusive right to create cards using NFLPA players effective immediately and years ahead of its contracted entry into the realm for the 2026 season.

"Effective immediately, Fanatics has the exclusive right to make NFLPA-branded trading cards," read the message, which you can see below. "This decision has no impact on any individual players' contractual agreement(s) with Panini. If you represent any player(s) with an existing Panini agreement, the NFLPA recommends that you encourage the player(s) to fulfill his contractual commitments to Panini."

The move comes as both companies have lawsuits pending against each other for a number of topics, including anti-trust and employees' mass exits in recent months as an apparent attempted purchase by Fanatics previously failed.

Panini football's 2023 releases previously revealed and scheduled to come include Luminance (Wednesday), Prizm Draft (Aug. 30), Elite (Sept. 1), Plates & Patches (Sept. 8), Mosaic (Sept. 20), Black (Sept. 27), Gold Standard (Oct. 4) and Origins (Oct. 18). The 2023 editions of Legacy, Chronicles Draft, Mosaic Draft, Select Draft, Immaculate College and Score already had arrived.

We'll add more here once it's known or companies issue statements on the issue.

Update -- A Tuesday statement from Panini America: "We believe this was a totally unwarranted and improper action by the NFL Players Association in conjunction with Fanatics, especially in light of the unprecedented sales by Panini of NFL trading cards. Panini has grown the category of sports trading cards by over 1,000 percent since 2009 to the benefit of all concerned. We believe the only party who benefits for this action by the NFL Players Association is Fanatics, and not the players, the leagues or consumers. We note that in addition to the NFL Players Association license, Panini has licenses with the NFL and over 360 individual players. Panini will honor all of its contractual obligations."

Later in the day, filed a demand for arbitration with the American Arbitration Association according to published reports.

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From The Forum: Collectors react & try to chew on licensing issues as they stand now.

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Blowout Cards issues statement on NFL licensing developments

Blowout Cards is closely monitoring the situation following the recent announcement by the NFLPA.

The demand for NFL cards has experienced a significant upswing in the past few years, and all eyes are on the 2023 rookie class, which is anticipated to be among the most exciting in recent memory.

In light of the current uncertainty surrounding upcoming releases and the unprecedented surge in demand within the past 15 hours following the announcement, we have taken the step to temporarily suspend pre-orders for forthcoming Panini America NFL items. This decision has been made to ensure that we can provide accurate information and a clear direction regarding the situation.

Furthermore, we'd like to bring to your attention that we've experienced an overwhelming influx of orders and inquiries related to NFL items spanning the years 2017 to 2023. Given the substantial volume of interest, we have made the careful choice to limit sales for these particular items. This measure is intended to manage our inventory levels as they have been steadily depleting.

We greatly appreciate your understanding and patience during this dynamic period. Our commitment to providing you with the best service and products remains unwavering. We will continue to keep you updated on any developments and changes as they arise.

Thank you for your continued support.

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

>> Click here to buy cards on BlowoutCards.com

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: NFLPA pulls plug on Panini deal, new pulls, comic books, other lawsuits and ... LeBron James with Fanatics?

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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: 2022 Topps Chrome Platinum baseball cards (blaster)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby/LITE)
First Buzz preview with checklist: Click here

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: J-Rod isn't washed, preseason NFL chatter, BALCO, new pulls, lawsuit reactions and not bad for a first pack ever.

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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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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: Bobby Witt Jr., Ozzie Smith, the Club 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: NFL preseason chatter and pulls, breaking down four Pop Century cases, Rick and Morty and more in this Saturday edition.

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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: 2022 Topps Series 2 baseball cards (vending)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com
First Buzz preview with checklist: Click here

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

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What: 2023 Bowman Chrome baseball cards
Arrives: Sept. 13
Box basics: Two autos per 12-pack Hobby boxes (12 per case); three autos per HTA Choice box (12 per case)
Checklist: Click here
Mega Box Checklist: Click here
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Bowman will arrive tomorrow via an early pre-sale with no details ultimately yet available other than set size and the autos per box.

Keep reading for more info as well as 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: That Ja Morant cameo card has others, new pulls, eBay Authentication blunders, lawsuit reactions and more.

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