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: 2023 Donruss UFC trading cards (blaster box)
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (hobby and retail)

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: 

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What: 2024 Topps Chrome UFC trading cards
Arrives: Feb. 28
Box basics: Two autographs per 12-pack box (12 boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here
Odds: Click here
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Topps returns to the Octagon after three years away with its heavyweight brand, Chrome, opening the new deal -- a release that's packed with insert sets, plenty of color and some long-odds chases, too.

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: UFC heads back to Topps, 2024 Topps Heritage chatter, Series 1 chatter and more in today's edition.

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What: 2023 Panini Immaculate Collection UFC
Arrives: Jan. 5, 2024
Box basics: Three autographs and two memorabilia cards per six-card box (five boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Immaculate Collection's third round in the hobby's Octagon is coming soon with some power-packed multi-auto books and plenty more awaiting UFC fans such as the 30th Anniversary Signatures booklet above.

Keep reading for more.

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What: 2023 Donruss Optic UFC trading cards
Arrives: Nov. 15
Box basics: At least one autograph per 20-pack box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Year Two of Opticgon cardboard arrives with the possibility of extra ink in boxes, plenty of inserts and, of course, a colorful rainbow of parallels to be found for past and present UFC stars.

Keep reading for more info and a full gallery of images released so far.

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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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MORE LIKE TOPANGA NOW
The Cards: Danielle Fishel 2023 Topps Now 10-pack (/4,993)
The Price: Bundle price from Topps
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is among the newer pick-ups for me from Topps this year -- there have not been that many, really -- but the novelty of this one got me to bite on some Topps Now hoping for maybe landing a parallel and something that might draw an elite grade. I got nothing on the parallel front and, well, maybe one of this 10 might be slab-worthy at some point ... but this one was not cleanly made (at least in my batch) with some corner issues and surface spots (lower left side most often). That made this not as fun as I had hoped but I did it anyway as I missed on the auto packs that were reasonably priced -- I would have bought one had I not missed the drop -- and those who have landed unsigned parallels are asking prices that are even higher than what ink cost ... so this one's novelty appeal is strong -- for now. Hopefully, more unusual cards will show up among Topps Now offerings in the coming weeks and months. Novelty Now will get my attention as stuff that's different and unique will have more appeal in the long-term than some might think. I still think a single auto (or maybe a low-volume auto parallel) mixed into regular Topps Now orders could draw more buys, too.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one but MLB boxes are here.

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What: 2023 Panini Chronicles UFC trading cards
Arrives: Sept. 20
Box basics: Two autographs per six-pack box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Chronicles returns to the Octagon for another round with several brands all found in one spot -- more than 20 once again -- in this third edition that Panini America says is "most diverse release in the history of UFC trading cards."

Keep reading for more info and a full gallery of images released so far.

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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: Super pulls, Bowman University and lawsuit reactions, a Topps Vault question and are UFC cards heading back to Fanatics sooner than later?

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What: 2023 Panini Select UFC trading cards
Arrives: July 26
Box basics: Two autos and one memorabilia card per 12-pack box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Select gets in the Octagon for a third round with all the colorful action collectors expect but also with some new rarer insert inclusions.

Keep reading for more info and a full gallery of images released so far.

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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 ... 

TIFFY TIME ... IS NOW
The Cards: Tiffany Stratton 2022 Panini Prizm WWE Premium Box Set (/199) & Orange Prizm (/99) -- Rookie Card parallels
The Price: About $60 total
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: She's the new NXT women's champ and that is likely going to mean more people are looking for her 2022 Rookie Cards from Panini America where she arrived in the meaty Prizm debut but actually didn't make the cut in all of the other sets from last year. Why? She was very new to WWE even when this first set arrived. I picked up both of these this spring when it seemed very obvious her time -- what she calls "Tiffy Time" -- was coming in NXT and I suspect it won't stop here. For more on her background, check out my previous Buzz Buys where there were more pick-ups. In short, I'm sold on the in-ring potential here and the over-the-top character work, too. These also will both eventually be slabbed cards in my collection.
Grab a box: WWE boxes are here.

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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 Donruss UFC trading cards
Arrives: June 9
Box basics: One autograph and one memorabilia card per 10-pack box (10 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Up next in the Octagon for Panini America is the collector-friendly Donruss that includes a whopping 60 inserts per box as part of a meaty big-box format.

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: 2021 Bowman Heritage arrives, new pulls, some big questions and more in this mid-week 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: World Baseball Classic chatter, MLB and NFL breaks, Jasson Dominguez, Anthony Volpe, UFC ... and "whose career will the Panthers ruin?"

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What: 2023 Panini Prizm UFC trading cards
Arrives: April 28
Box basics: Two autographs per 12-pack box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Panini America's third year in the Octagon begins with how it started -- Prizm -- with a whopping 22 parallels in every hobby box and another insert in every pack.

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: NFL Postseason chatter, still talking "comps," the state of UFC cards, new MLB breaks, the future of the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle and a "bananas" eBay situation?

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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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A STRATUSFACTORY ADDITION 
The Card: Trish Stratus 2014 Topps WWE Road to WrestleMania Trish Stratus Pants Relic
The Price: Less than a typical low-end hobby box
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This WWE Hall of Famer got her own tribute set in this Topps release and part of the project also included a small batch of jumbo memorabilia cards that, unlike most Topps WWE stuff, wasn't loaded with pieces of shirts or mat pieces. Instead, these jumbos were massive swatches of some match-worn pants from the multi-time champ and they're also seen on the cards themselves in at least one instance. (This one.) These weren't impossible pulls back then -- I just never found one and they were pricey for Relics -- but I latched onto one when it surfaced to have it in my stash almost a decade later. With so many new boxes being pricey or less enticing at times because of that in all sports, I've found myself being more selective and playing the waiting game on some ... and buying up selected singles perhaps for more than I typically do. Though at the same time, the markets are starting to feel a little more normal here and there. This is an example of that.
Grab a box right here: None for this one ... find WWE boxes here.

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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What: 2022 Panini Immaculate Collection UFC
Arrives: Feb. 1
Box basics: Three autographs and two memorabilia cards per six-card box (five boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Immaculate Collection's second round in the hobby's Octagon once again is nearly all hits and once again showcases top stars from the men's and women's ranks all in one spot.

Keep reading for more info and a full gallery of images released so far.

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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 ... and it's one of my biggest groupings ever.

RARER THAN RARE ...
The Book: Batman No. 457 -- second-print newsstand edition
The Reason Graded: This one is why you grade. Why? Well this book is more than obscure ... it's obscure on top of obscure with a pop report that shows that in a couple ways. I had this sitting in a junk box of books -- comics bagged in bulk with others taped shut in between a couple boards -- since the late 1990s with it having absolutely no thought in my mind for that time. When I opened up the bag, though, I remembered its cool cover -- that's why I saved it -- and in the here and now it's an example of how the grading world has changed a lot of stuff. It wasn't popular back in the day and that makes it more valuable (potentially) now. What is it? It's a second printing of a newsstand copy for an issue that had the debut of a key character, Tim Drake as Robin. The regular edition of this book has been graded almost 1,400 times -- actually still a modest number for the era -- but a newsstand copy is something else. And a second-printed newsstand copy? Nobody wanted that. How many could have even been made and how many went unsold or were trashed? There's some mystery there as with a lot of things but the pop report talks.
The Grade: CGC 9.8 (Universal)

Reality Check: Just four copies of the 78 graded have checked in at my mark -- not bad considering I got this in some Sears catalog mystery box with like 25 comics for $10 back in the early 1990s. It wasn't a really impressive buy at all at that time -- a lot of stuff that just wasn't appealing or was later printings and I'm betting some of them were pitched or given away. Nobody wanted that then. But now? The numbers game and speculation has people on eBay sellers challenging the market. A 9.6 -- with twice as many copies as this one in existence -- has an eBay asking price of ... well just see it for yourself. It's not alone, either, as a 8.5 checks in with an asking of $3,800, an 8.0 checks in at $3,500 and a 6.5 is $1,499. Other versions (first print direct and newsstand) are cheaper along with direct second prints as they've all got far higher pop reports. People like the easier versions a lot -- eBay highs as much as $255 but not for this one -- and who knows where the other three 9.8s might even be? What might mine command? I'm not sure ... but I know this is pretty solid potential for something that was pocket change from years ago. Again, this is why you grade.

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

Continue reading →

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 ... a mix of recent grabs and some older stuff, too.

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A SURPRISING SEASON
The Cards: Spencer Strider 2022 Topps Living Set (five-pack)
The Price: Bundle price via Topps.com
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The defending World Series champs didn't have the finish they'd hoped for this year, but one big highlight this season was the arrival of this rookie seemingly out of nowhere. Strider flashed record-setting potential for strikeouts when on the mound as he went 11-5 this season with a 2.69 ERA and 202 strikeouts in 172 innings He reached 200 Ks in 130 innings -- an MLB record held by Hall of Famer Randy Johnson -- and he had 16 Ks in a single game to break the team record. The year also got him a new contract that will keep him in Atlanta along with a number of other young stars for several years. Strider had RCs in this year's stuff since early on but should have more to come in the later releases that have been delayed. I grabbed this pack with an eye on grading with mixed results -- one had big, nasty surface issues, two having unusual and not-good surface problems and then two that are yes/maybe for slabbing. One is in CSG's hands as I type this.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... but MLB boxes are here.

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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What: 2022 Donruss Optic UFC trading cards
Arrives: Dec. 21
Box basics: One autograph per 20-pack box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Do we call it the Opticgon now? Optic hits the Octagon for the first time with this one, a release that will pack ink in every box and plenty of color and inserts.

Keep reading for more info and a full gallery of images released so far.

Continue reading →

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: Funko Pop! toys, MLB and NFL chatter, ripping some UFC and ... all that above in half a box?

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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 ... and it's one of the biggest months ever.

A MONSTER MONTH ...
The Card: Bo Bichette 2020 Topps Archives Snapshots Archives Autographs
The Reason Graded: I've been buying up Bo Bichette cards relatively heavily by my standards -- second perhaps only to some top favorites and people with school ties -- but of all my pick-ups only one was an autograph. These were, I believe, via a redemption and that's how I landed mine -- at least in a sealed Topps top-loader -- and I opted to slab it in a recent submission. (Even though I generally don't grade a lot of autos as I don't want to get a dreaded grade on a card I like.)
The Grade: CSG 9

Reality Check: I'm fine with nines, but this one seemed like a slight bummer as I didn't see anything dramatically wrong with it -- so there must have been a couple of minor issues that dropped it down in tandem. The design here is one that doesn't have a lot of perfectly center-able features ... so maybe part of that was just a judgment call, too.

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

Continue reading →

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 a bit heavy on autographs I've picked up over, say, the last year.

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TURTLE POWER!
The Card: Kevin Eastman 2019 Topps The Art of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Green Artist Autographs (/99)
The Price: Around $30
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is an autograph from one of the original creators of the TMNT franchise that has been seen in countless comic books, video games, movies and other stuff out there in the world for years now -- a franchise among franchises. I'm not sure how rare his autograph is out there in the comic book world -- typically, artists do signings somewhat regularly -- but for trading cards he signed about 30 different options in this release that included one artist auto and one sketch card along with a very nice premium-style set ... and I think that is it for his cards. Poke around here on The Buzz and you'll see how these sets look and how I did pretty well opening a couple of them in the past. Why? The prices dipped rather dramatically in the year or so after they arrived but they have picked back up price-wise and aren't the cheapest of ripping options now -- but the sketches can be nice enough to pay for it all sometimes. I figured this auto was a key one in the long run, so I added this to go with my others. And, if you want to add some more pop culture trivia here, Eastman was the editor and publisher of Heavy Metal magazine as well as married to Julie Strain, a model and "The Queen of B-movies" who has appeared in BenchWarmer sets and helped create other card sets herself.
Grab a box right here: 2019 Topps The Art of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

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