The story of this baseball is a whole lot of ... Bananas.

This extra item in my Collecting Game-used series this month is easily the most-unique baseball in my collection -- and part of this appealing story happened absolutely thanks to some dumb luck. (Again ... some of my best finds have happened that way.) What's the deal? One day when looking into baseball cards for the traveling road show and pop culture phenomenon that is the Savannah Bananas -- think baseball meets a circus with side helpings of Zubaz-era WWF and some Talladega Nights-style NASCAR bombast with game rules even quirkier than both -- I stumbled upon a new part of the official team store. The Bananas now sell game-used stuff with full databased authentication and some supreme stickered specificity just like MLB.

While I picked off my ball simply because it was among the cheapest options, it's actually one with a story and some unique documented game-use that's quite unique within this spectacle on the diamond. In fact, it's absolutely one to chew on ... and when you do that you won't even be the first.

Huh? Keep reading to see the details this time ... and the ball in action.

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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: Joe Namath 2015 Topps 60th Anniversary Rookie Reprint Autographs #T60RAJN
The Reason Graded: Buzz first met this NFL legend almost 20 years ago and landed the ink for free thanks to some luck while autograph hounding but when it comes to certified autographs of this icon I didn't have any until recent years. Why? He's always been a pricey auto but that has come down a bit as he's been a steady signer and doesn't have quite as much hobby heat as the guy at the end of this month's list. This release was how Topps burned off its Hall of Famer autographs via packs on its website once its NFL deal was done, so the influx of big-name autos helped make the supply even stronger at the time perhaps without added demand. I scouted them all where I buy and this one looked near-perfect to me in both its centering and that ink. Seriously, look at that signature ... that's a perfect Namath auto.
The Grade: BGS 9.5/10

Reality Check: I absolutely thought I had a BGS 10 contender with this one, though I submitted it before I picked up my better loupe and I probably didn't check the back as closely as I should have. Either way, it's still a very solid card in my stash. I don't grade autographs all that often -- I fear results I won't like on those -- but this one I had to. Most of them landed this grade with only one higher so I don't feel bad about not landing a 10.

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

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Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today's your day then as we launch 12 in 12 -- a series of a dozen breaks of wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We'll post one every hour all day long ... this is Hour 3.

The box: 1991 Pro Line football cards
The cost: $19.99 

What's inside this one? Keep reading ...

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There are many sports cards sets out there from the past that aren't valuable in the financial way at all but they can carry some intrinsic quality that should just resonate with some collectors anyway.

Maybe it's just because Buzz ripped these packs in the past -- or maybe because they are just so much more different than anything made in the years since -- but one set that feels that way for me is 1992 Pro Line Portraits. It's a football card set that's simple -- portraits on the front -- and oddly non-statistical with thoughts from the person on the back. Most are football players, but some are players' wives and others are celebrities who have a fondness for the game. One of those people, for example, is Muhammad Ali and you can see his Team NFL insert card (No. 1 in the set) above. The biggest draw of these back then? There was an autographed card guaranteed in every box.

For a simple Sunday item -- call it a Sunday Six -- here's a look at six fun cards from the product.

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