What's Buzzing: New tennis pulls, preseason NFL chatter, a solid NASCAR find, pondering autograph ink, bounties and more in today's edition.

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What's Buzzing: NBA and NFL chatter, new pulls, Aaron Judge, the future of baseball cards and ... bounty.

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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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What's Buzzing: USA Basketball, college football, new pulls, preseason NFL, Bobby Witt Jr. and what's the greatest box or case you ever opened?

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What's Buzzing: Preseason NFL chatter, 2024 Topps Chrome pulls, USA Basketball, retail box prices and more in this Sunday edition.

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What's Buzzing: Card photography, one not for White Sox fans, NFL chatter, Olympic basketball, 2024 Topps Chrome pulls and more.

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What's Buzzing: Olympic cards and chatter, NFL preseason, Aaron Judge hits 40th, a bulk question and more.

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What's Buzzing: Olympic cards and chatter, Jordan Love, Panini vs. NFLPA and "prospecting" in basketball.

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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: NFLPA vs. Panini, MLB trade deadline reactions, Olympic basketball, Jackson Chourio, inside a case of Topps Chrome 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: NBA Finals chatter, Topps Series 2, inside a case of Topps Tribute, Caitlin Clark 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: Big pulls, oldschool non-sports pulls, Olympic basketball, The National 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: College football bowls, NFL card chatter, big pulls, ripping soccer in bulk and showing off USA Basketball cards in memory of a collector.

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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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OFF-SEASON SLABBING
The Card: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 2019 Topps Chrome RC (PSA 9)
The Price: About $15
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The pop report on this one is flip-flopped like a lot of new modern cards -- it's got more than 1,500 PSA 10s but just over 150 PSA 9s out of nearly 1,700 graded ... not the norm, really. Nonetheless, I still didn't mind it in this grade for this price. The short-printed Series 2 card that carries the same photo as this one is a tougher grade -- those corners can be chippy -- but rather than sub my own there and hope for a PSA 9 I just decided to go this route on Chrome. I'll probably do more when they present themselves or perhaps submit others at some point. (I'll have a big submission I already made batting lead-off in a future Making The Grade, too.) My gut feeling is that this super-rookie didn't live up to the massive hype we had envisioned last year -- so 2020 could be one that is dramatic for his cardboard ... one way or another.
Grab a box right here: 2019 Topps Chrome 

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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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.

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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

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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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 ...

The Card: 2018 Topps Home Run Challenge Silver #HRCAJ Aaron Judge (/59)
The Reason Graded: Aaron Judge recently returned from injury for the first time since April and that prompted me to lead things off with this rare card I recently got slabbed. I only have this card because I managed to predict one of his homers not long after he returned from injury last year after missing more than a month and a half. Injuries have mounted for his popular slugger the last two years, but I figured this card, given its scarcity, was one worth a slab.
The Grade: BGS 10

Reality Check: The pop report is a little iffy on this one -- there could be others not slabbed* -- since the checklist isn't complete on their site for this set this is merely a guess. (Pop report and checklists typically sync up.) I have gotten very few 10s in the last few years, but I thought this would be a contender and it was. Other Judge cards from this set -- there are at least three before this one -- are a lot rarer. Meanwhile, this appears to be the only Judge (of any color) from this set that's been slabbed.

Keep reading for the rest of this month's new grades and additions.

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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 ... a super-sized edition this time around that's heavy on MLB and NBA but with a few surprises.

The Cards: 1991-92 SkyBox #544-546 Team USA puzzle
The Reason Graded: I picked up a box of this one for roughly $16 late last year (a bargain price) and pulled two sets of these puzzles, which was good. Why? Because grading these and the other notables from the iconic Hall of Famer-loaded Dream Team is pretty heavy and this one has been on my to-do list. I landed most of the notables more than once but just one Jordan that was noticeably off-centered. These glossed cards on the puzzle could have issues that the standard cards don't have simply because of their surfaces, but mine were clean. I will revisit my second set to see if anything stands out. I may go the PSA route on the other set for variety's sake if I see anything that would make me wonder about potential grades.
The Grades: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: This one was a stressful one as I had hoped for matching grades. Thankfully, that's what I got and that's where most cards land for all three pieces of the puzzle. This is a textbook example of the kind of cardboard that can make you some money with grading, too, as they're no more than $10 total raw, while BGS 9.5s together should top $100 in some cases and asking prices for the middle (Jordan) card alone can be steep. It's memorable cardboard from the past with nothing but iconic players involved, so there's still good demand -- and that's another reason why I slabbed. Wax boxes aren't all that plentiful, either, compared to other boxes around that time.

Keep reading for the rest of this month's new grades and additions.

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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 ...

The Card: 2018 Donruss Optic Red & Yellow #153 Baker Mayfield (RC parallel)
The Reason Graded: I found this one in a Mega Box and it was by far the best highlight of the bunch there so that's why you see it here. Mayfield has shown himself to be a spark plug among a good rookie crop since back when I pulled it, so that's another reason. A third? This brand is one that I like more than others. The color scheme of this card, a retail-exclusive, also looked good, so I figured I'd slab it up and see how it looked when it came back. These were very pricey when they first started arriving on eBay but I'm sure they have settled down by now -- still an impressive card to me either way and I'll be tucking this one away in my stash alongside my Bowman Chrome Tom Brady RC for the simple long-term appreciation. (Mine, not financial.)
The Grade: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: At the point I submitted this one, there was at most one graded and I'm still surprised that there are so few slabbed. I also was surprised with the grade figuring I'd check in at a likely BGS 9 but I'll take it. I think high-grade copies of retail-only parallels found in certain formats could be tougher future finds than people might think.

Keep reading for the rest of this month's new grades and additions.

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What's rarer than the rarified air of a pair of Michael Jordan game-used shoes?

A pair of Michael Jordan game-used Converse shoes -- and the latest pair of shoes from the 1984 Olympics to sell via SCP Auctions went for nearly six-figures at auction following a record-setting sale earlier this year.  Continue reading →

Update (June 11): The shoes sold for $190,373 after the auction closed this weekend.

They're not Air Jordans but they're already in some rare air as an SCP Auctions clock counts down.

They're Michael Jordan’s game-worn and dual-signed Converse shoes from the 1984 Olympics -- specifically the gold-medal-winning-game against Spain -- and they're on the auction block and already have set a record for a pair of game-used shoes. And that's with more than two days remaining before the auction closes.

How much?

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Panini America is getting into the Olympic action with USA Basketball's stars coming to the real-time card platform beginning today.

The cards will showcase memorable moment's from this year's events and will only be available for 24 hours.

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The impressive stash of 1992 Olympic Dream Team memorabilia will probably get the post-sale attention, but there are a few other big-ticket items presently the auction block and ending in the next few days via Heritage Auctions.

The weirdest? Al Capone's fingerprints.

In 1929, Capone provided these prints after he was sent to the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. It's an 8-inch square document that's also signed by Capone -- and it's presently sitting at $44,000 ($52,580 with a buyer's premium) with two days remaining in the sale.

Sure, it's not a sports item -- but there are some big pieces in that world that more than a few collectors would want to get their hands on in this auction. Keep reading for more.

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A priceless stash of autographed items and game-used shoes from the 1992 USA Basketball Dream Team is hitting the auction block via Heritage Auctions, giving deep-pocketed collectors a shot at owning items from the one team that arguably revolutionized basketball on a global scale.

More than 20 lots are up for grabs -- all from the collection of Dr. David A. Fischer, who was the physician for the gold-winning squad, which is packed with legends.

"It's arguably the most significant offering of Dream Team game-used gear ever to surface in the collectible marketplace," said Chris Ivy, director of Sports Auctions at Heritage. "Due to the brief existence of the team, and the enormous fame and wealth of its members, very little Dream Team material has become available.

"This is a rare opportunity to acquire such significant material from the Dream Team," he said. "Like the team itself, there will never be another auction like this again."

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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 the third grading diary here on The Buzz ...

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Base cards are becoming less and less of a find in high-end brands but Panini America has helped keep them on the minds of basketball collectors this year with photo variations in 2015-16 Panini Gold Standard.

And the company has disclosed which variations are the toughest pulls from the high-end product.

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