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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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 ...

WILD THING!
The Card: Ricky Vaughn (Charlie Sheen) 2014 Topps Archives Major League 
The Reason Graded: As you can tell by the green label, this one is an older submission of mine ... but since spring training will be upon us soon I figured I'd lead off with an oddball classic and a card that has been pretty pricey in recent years despite being from a set where they showed up one per blaster box (if I remember correctly). The challenge here? Now even finding blasters is not easy ... they got ripped. Why? There weren't just basic inserts for some of the stars of Major League who got carded ... they signed, too. (Roughly one auto per hobby case.)
The Grade: CSG 9.5 (now 10)

Reality Check: This one was clean so I knew I wanted to slab it -- the backs here have black borders that can be an issue -- and as it turns out this is the only 10 of a small bunch graded. That's a win for me.

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: NFL Week 16, showing off Tiger Woods cards, NFL investor worries, MLB's outcast position, Mac Jones and World Cup 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: It's time for a World Cup winner, MLB pulls and chatter, Dansby Swanson, Aaron Judge, Frank Gore Jr. 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: Awaiting the World Cup, "safe" NBA cards, grading questions, wrestling talk and Frank Robinson.

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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: Project100 returns, inside a big mystery box, a good MLB contract question, World Cup cards, NFL retro hot takes 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: Brock Purdy has 'em talking, new MLB pulls, new old-timey Star Wars cards, World Cup cardboard and 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: NFL and World Cup chatter, NBA and MLB pulls and a 1/1 auto from a single pack of Prizm.

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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: "I just hit a monster," World Cup, NBA and NFL talk, a collection buy and tips for selling commons.

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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: Scouting Black Friday deals, World Cup, NFL chatter, Zach Wilson, Topps MVP Buyback Promotion and 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: World Cup, soccer breaks, NFL Week 12, new NBA and NLB cards and some non-sports, too.

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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: Collecting J-Rod autos, World Cup, MLB breaks, teams that cost more, "hobby good" 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 Week 11, the World Cup, NBA chatter, Bob Dylan's autopenned books, custom non-sports autos and new MLB pulls 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: NFL Week 11 chatter, AEW puts on a show, MLB breaks and chatter, comics and inside nine CASES of Prizm World Cup.

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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 World Cup is coming, NFL Week 11, a one-and-done box, MLB chatter and more.

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What: 2022 Panini Eminence World Cup soccer cards
Arrives: Dec. 23
Box basics: Nine autographs and one other card per box
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Eminence turns its premium format to the stars of the World Cup -- past and present -- all in one nearly hits-only spot.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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What: 2022 Panini Prizm World Cup soccer cards
Arrives: Nov. 2
Box basics: One autograph per 12-pack box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Prizm takes on the World Cup with boxes that will be loaded with parallels and color for the global game's biggest stars on its biggest stage

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

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One of the world's biggest soccer stars is signing for Panini America.

Panini revealed on Monday that Kylian Mbappé signed an exclusive autograph trading card and memorabilia deal. Terms were not disclosed but that will lock him into signing for trading cards in its release and via Panini Authentic, its memorabilia division.

"It is such an honor for me to join the Panini family," Mbappé said in a prepared release. "As a child, I used to collect some of Panini trading cards, dreaming to be represented on these cards one day. Ten years later, here we are!"

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What: 2022 Panini National Treasures FIFA Road to World Cup soccer cards
Arrives: Oct. 19
Box basics: Eight autographs 0r memorabilia cards (and sometimes nine) per 10-card box (four boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: National Treasures hits the pitch once again with the stars of the global game all in one spot as they work toward the World Cup later this year.

Keep reading for more info as well as a gallery of early images.

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What: 2021-22 Panini Mosaic Road To FIFA World Cup soccer cards
Arrives: Oct. 5
Box basics: One autograph per 10-pack box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: The World Cup action gets a colorful, parallel-loaded release with this one, which will include 40 chase cards in every box.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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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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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: Favorite Topps designs, fake autos on real T206 cards and break highlights as we work toward the weekend.

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Soccer fans have a lot of stars from around the world to spend their hobby dollars on, but it seems more than a few of them have high-end rarities all in one place.

That's inside a box of the ultra-high-end 2018 Panini Eminence World Cup Soccer.

Those crafted wood boxes include at least 10 cards (nine autographs) but there also are Hot Boxes that include as many as 15 cards (one in four boxes). These scorchers have included gems like the Lionel Messi 1/1 diamond autograph you see above. Earlier this month, that card collected 38 bids on eBay and sold for $4,450.

And it's not alone ... nor is it the highest sale in recent weeks.

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Panini America's National Sports Collectors Convention wrapper redemption plans are starting to come into shape publicly with the first glimpses of the cardboard to come revealed today.

And the key color of everything so far is pink.

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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: NSCC chatter, big pulls and the Rick and Morty sketches keep flowing in this Sunday edition.

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