Internet All-Star John Scott takes home game MVP honors, fueling new interest in his cardboard

What happens when a guy isn’t an All-Star but becomes an All-Star but isn’t an All-Star even when he’s an All-Star but then is allowed to be All-Star after all?

He scores two goals and wins the All-Star Game MVP, and that’s precisely what happened with John Scott on Sunday night.

The tale of a journeyman’s route to the NHL All-Star Game is one that had a lot of ups and downs and seemingly a lot of politics. (It’s a story that SBNation initially was all over here.) The basics? A fan vote led to a guy who’s played for six teams in eight seasons with 11 career points making the team. Then, when he was traded and demoted, he was thought to be no longer eligible for the game. Then the NHL said he could play.

And that’s what he did, clearly capturing the fans in Nashville as he received the loudest ovation pre-game and had a few chants for him during the action besides his goal-scoring moments. (Oh, and his helmet from the event is headed to the Hall of Fame.)

Buzz Break: 2015-16 NBA Hoops basketball cards (blaster box)

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: 2015-16 NBA Hoops basketball cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Packs per box: 10
Cards per pack: 11
Cards in this box: 110
Base set completion: 
100 of 300 (33 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notable names pulled on base cards: Andrew Wiggins, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Derrick Rose, Tony Parker, Dirk Nowitzki, Damian Lillard

Rookie Cards pulled: Jahlil Okafor, Jerian Grant, Anthony Brown, Willie Cauley-Stein, Stanley Johnson, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson R.J. Hunter, Trey Lyles, Nemanja Bjelica and Kobe’s floor-riding buddy Larry Nance Jr.

Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (Jan. 31)

The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are five threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What’s Buzzing Today: 2016 Topps Jordan Spieth First Pitch, big breaks,  a 264 collector, Johnny Manziel & more.

PGA star Jordan Spieth among the 2016 Topps’ First Pitch celebrities

The first retail pulls from 2016 Topps have begun to hit eBay in advance of its widespread release on Wednesday and that means we get out first glimpses at the surprise inclusions in the First Pitch set.

A checklist has not been released for the insert set, but it appears that this year’s version will include golfer Jordan Spieth who has not had any official PGA cardboard despite dominating successes this past year.

First Buzz: 2016 Leaf Memorabilia Treasury

What: 2016 Leaf Memorabilia Treasury
Arrives: April 2016
Box basics: Five memorabilia pieces per box.

What’s buzz-worthy: Leaf Trading Cards follows up its Memorabilia Vault release of last year at a lower price point while still packing the same type of surprises inside with autographed and notable items from the sports world and beyond.

Keep reading for more.

#BuzzWorthyPulls Week 3 — Show us your favorite Topps baseball pull

Our weekly Blowout #BuzzWorthyPulls Contest is back. Every single Saturday we’ll launch a new post where all you have to do is show off your biggest, newest card via a photo posted on Twitter and here on BlowoutBuzz.com.

Your prize if you’re the winner? A $25 BlowoutCards.com gift certificate.

This week’s contest & instructions (read closely): Show your best Topps baseball pull. Maybe it’s in your box of 2016 Topps Series 1 to rip later this week — or maybe it’s something from an old box. Show us your top Topps card pulled lately.

Step 1 — Take your photo. This must either be a selfie with the card or an image of the card with paper that has #buzzworthypulls hand-written on it. Be sure to show the card clearly. No exceptions.

Step 2 — Tweet us and tag it. Tweet your pic to @blowoutbuzz and @blowoutcards and you must include the #BuzzWorthyPulls tag. You don’t have to say anything else but if you need to add a detail (“Card is a 1/5.”) you can.

Step 3 — Copy-and-paste that tweet into a comment posted on this thread. (This helps us keep track of things.) We’ll only consider one entry per person per week — so make it count. If you don’t copy your tweet here, you can’t win. Simple as that.

What’s next? Be Patient and wait for the following Saturday … we’ll announce a winner either in the early morning or in the evening (depends on Buzz’s schedule). The winner will be notified on Twitter and noted in the comments for that week. The comments will then be closed. At the same time, we’ll post the next contest and you can enter there.

Are you ready to win? You know what to do … show us your #BuzzWorthyPulls.

Do you have a collecting story worth seeing here? Follow Buzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz or send BlowoutBuzz a direct message on the Blowout forum.

>> Click here to buy baseball cards on BlowoutCards.com.

First Buzz: 2016 Topps WWE Undisputed wrestling cards

What: 2016 Topps WWE Undisputed wrestling cards
Arrives: June 29
Box basics: Six autographs, two autograph Relics and two Relics in every 10-pack box

What’s buzz-worthy: Topps takes WWE high-end once again with the sophomore release of Undisputed, which will include more advanced hits and signers not seen in what was the first high-end WWE brand ever made. It also will include what Topps says is “more autograph cards than any previously released WWE product.”

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

First Buzz: 2016 Bowman Inception baseball cards

What: 2016 Bowman Inception baseball cards
Arrives: July 6
Box basics: Four autographed and one autographed Relic in every box.

What’s buzz-worthy: Bowman Inception is back with a new array of colors for top rookies and prospects and five hits in every box without a high-end price — and new this year are veteran autographs signed on-card.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

Will “Catching Kelce” turn into collecting Kelce? Perhaps …

Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce will be the star of a reality TV show that revolves around his dating life — and, believe it or not, there’s a shot that it could spark added interest in his football cards.

E! Entertainment announced this week that it has eight episodes of Catching Kelce coming soon and in a story to deadline.com an E! executive described why the player was chosen.

“On top of being a well-respected athlete, Travis has a fun-loving, over the top personality that draws people to him,” E! executive vice president Jeff Olde said. “We are excited to give our viewers an up-close look at his search for love.”

So, why might this mean something for his football cards?

Chasing “Thunder & Lightning” not as easy as you might think in Panini America’s high-end college brands

Buzz is a collector with varying tastes — one where there’s definitely not one focus but many.

It’s a blessing and a curse.

When one favorite player isn’t playing well or is off the mental radar, the collection doesn’t suffer — the focus turns elsewhere. And then, sometimes, there are just cards that pop up because they are interesting.

Panini America‘s recently released Immaculate Collection College set and the upcoming National Treasures College edition are packed with singles on Buzz’s radar because they show something we haven’t seen before — or at least not a lot of — in the hobby. One example? A Rafael Palmeiro Mississippi State autograph like the one above that’s coming in National Treasures. It’s not that Buzz cares one bit about the Bulldogs or even Palmeiro, but the 1985 season where MSU had Will Clark and Palmeiro, aka “Thunder and Lightning,” is one that’s pretty significant in college baseball lore. And since college baseball is something we haven’t historically seen a lot of on cardboard (other than new prospects awaiting their pro colors) that makes a card like this interesting.

Upper Deck e-Pack cards of Connor McDavid, Dylan Larkin already have big asking prices on COMC.com

Less than 24 hours after the reveal of Upper Deck’s e-Packs, there are more than 200 Silver Foilboard parallel cards for 2015-16 Upper Deck Series 1 hockey cards on COMC.com, which is the initial home of the cards in their physical form once they are pulled and stacked to be eligible for reality.

One of those cards is card No. 201 of Connor McDavid. This card was made into reality by a collector buying enough e-Packs to land five digital versions of the card and then upgrading to post on the site. There are 50 Young Guns each landing one in every four packs so you can do the math. (Young Guns are eligible to immediately be made physical as regular base cards without stacking just like inserts pulled.)

Now, the real question … how much?

Do you know someone who would want a Carolina Panthers ball card?

It’s a simple idea, but Buzz thought it should come to life.

With all of the game-used touchdown balls from the Carolina Panthers heading into the stands to young fans this season, wouldn’t there also be a football fan or two out there interested in a game-used ball card like this one? (I mean, look at the kid in the Auburn hat. You know he’d want one right about now.)

Buzz grabbed an old (admittedly low-res) Prestige card image of the likely NFL MVP Cam Newton from eBay and meshed it with a new photo to create this what-if card and simply present the following question.

—

It’s a simple idea — and really something that’s already pretty commonly done just without the power of a timely and topical photograph. Something tells Buzz that a card like this would be popular right now — maybe even moreso in a couple of weeks if (or is it when?) the Panthers win Super Bowl 50. Or, perhaps there could be a set even more specifically branded to footballs for Panthers fans with a photo of Newton handing the ball toward the camera lens? Maybe a card in a commemorative Super Bowl championship set — or the key item in a kid-focused release.

Just an idea. This kid knows he’d want one.

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

>> Click here to shop for football boxes on BlowoutCards.com.

Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (Jan. 28)

The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are five threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What’s Buzzing Today: Upper Deck’s e-Packs, Topps Bunt, golf cards, Contenders football & more.

DC Comics readies updated spin on Hanna-Barbera classics Scooby-Doo, The Flintstones & more

Ruh-roh, Shaggy.

Fans of Scooby-Doo, The Flintstones, Space Ghost and other classic Hanna-Barbera characters will be able to revisit their old favorites in new ways as DC Comics revealed on Thursday that it’s bringing them to life once again.

How? In new comic books.

“I can’t think of anyone that doesn’t look back at these characters with anything but fond memories,” said Dan DiDio, DC Entertainment Co-Publisher, in a prepared statement. “With this initial lineup of titles and talent, we’re excited for fans to experience the reimagining of these Saturday-morning classics with a more modern and contemporary look and feel.”

New spring training unis will make memorabilia cards more exciting

Your Relics may have just gotten a little more interesting.

On Thursday, MLB revealed the new looks for all 30 teams in spring training this year and there are new touches to be found on jerseys and caps beyond the obvious new colors and logos.

For starters, all names and numbers now have a spring-themed sublimated texture as part of the material which will allow collectors to, in some cases, see when the material in their cards was used. The year, along with other spring designators, is part of the design.

Upper Deck e-Pack meshes digital cards with physical delivery option

Fans of digital card apps may have a new pastime with a new Upper Deck app revealed on Thursday that offers a digital collecting experience with the option of claiming physical cards.

It’s Upper Deck e-Pack.

According to the company, “users can instantly purchase and open packs online at anytime, from anywhere. Entire card collections can be easily viewed, sorted and stored digitally, eliminating the need for any physical storage space, while still providing an exciting pack-opening experience. What makes e-Pack’s patent pending technology truly unique is the ability to have actual physical versions of digital cards mailed out at any time.”

Collectors vote Mike Trout as card No. 1 in 2016 Topps baseball card set

When 2016 Topps Series 1 baseball cards arrive on Wednesday, leading the way in the set will be Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout.

Trout was voted card No. 1 by collectors and Topps revealed that nugget about its 65th-anniversary release on Thursday.

>>> Need a 2016 Topps Series 1 baseball card checklist? Click here.

“It’s awesome,” Trout said in a prepared release. “I appreciate the support from fans across MLB. It’s pretty special to be the No. 1 card for Topps.”

Funko Pop! Preview Gallery: A sampling of what’s coming soon …

Collectors of Funko Pop! figures will have several new figures on the way in February and beyond as the Lynnwood, Wash.-based company continues to expand its lineups.

Among the figures to come are characters from the Battlestar Galactica TV series, Independence Day, Clueless, a new wave of WWE characters and a deep Harry Potter roster.

Keep reading to check out our gallery.

Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (Jan. 27)

The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are five threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What’s Buzzing Today: Retro breaks, Dylan Larkin, best Rookie Cards, boxing cards, hot comics & NASCAR.

Do you own a card of one of the NFL’s smartest players?

Do you own a card of one of the NFL’s smartest players? The answer is probably not.

This week, Baltimore Ravens center John Urschel revealed that he’s pursuing a doctorate in math at MIT with a focus on Spectral Graph Theory, Numerical Linear Algebra and Machine Learning.

You clearly know what those things are … right? But what you might not know is how few football cards he appears on.

If this was your only way to own the iconic 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle baseball card, would you buy it?

Buzz did something today that he hadn’t done often in years of collecting — out of curiosity, he searched “1952 Topps Mickey Mantle” on eBay.

Surprisingly (though maybe not given auction prices these days) there were nearly 20 graded copies of the iconic card to be had. On the high-end was a PSA 8 OC copy of the card with a hefty price tag and a PSA 7 copy as well. Not bad price-wise, there.

Buzz flipped over to completed auctions out of curiosity and found nearly 30 more completed sales for slabbed copies of the card before finding the gem you see above.

First Buzz: 2016 Upper Deck Captain America: Civil War trading cards

What: 2016 Upper Deck Captain America: Civil War trading cards
Arrives: May 2016
Box basics: one sketch, auto or premium insert card and two memorabilia cards per 10-pack box (12 boxes per case)

What’s buzz-worthy: The next Marvel movie, Captain America: Civil War gets documented on cardboard with a full array of inserts and hits.

Keep reading for more.

Buzz Poll: Will you miss presidential candidates cards from 2016 Topps?

Topps announced on Wednesday that it removed a set of presidential candidates cards from its 2016 Topps Series 1 baseball card set that is to arrive in seven days.

What are your thoughts about not finding Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump and the other hopefuls in packs of cards?

–

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

>> Click here to buy baseball cards on BlowoutCards.com.

Preview Gallery: 2015-16 SP Game-used hockey cards

The arrival of 2015-16 SP Game-used hockey cards from Upper Deck will usher in the newest wave of high-end memorabilia cards along with the newest looks at today’s young stars on a more-premium platform.

Each box will contain five autograph or memorabilia cards in a single-pack format just like last season.

Keep reading to check out a gallery of some potential pulls in the brand.

What comes in a $15,000 box of cards? See the 2016 All-time Greats Master Collection checklist here

Upper Deck released the final checklist for its 2016 All-time Greats Master Collection product on Tuesday, answering the million-dollar question.

What shows up in a $15,000 box of cards?

Find out with a downloadable PDF here.

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

>> Click here to buy baseball cards on BlowoutCards.com.

Luke Skywalker’s Empire Strikes Back blaster hits auction block

Mark Hamill may need to chime in on this one.

No, it’s not an autograph for the actor to authenticate — it’s a prop DL-44 heavy blaster pistol of Luke Skywalker’s from The Empire Strikes Back and it’s up for auction with a $200,000 opening bid.

Gallery: Don Drysdale collection coming to market via SCP Auctions

More than 20 years after his death, the memorabilia of Hall of Famer and Los Angeles Dodgers pitching great Don Drysdale is coming to auction.

The sale will be handled by Laguna Niguel, Calif.-based SCP Auctions and will open on April 6 with more than 1,000 lots as part of the overall event.

“We feel honored to have been chosen by the Drysdale family to bring this extraordinary collection to auction,” said SCP Auctions President David Kohler. “Don was among the most accomplished and revered pitchers in Major League Baseball history and his impressive assemblage of awards and accolades speaks volumes as to his winning ways out on the mound.”

Abe Vigoda had very few roles when it came to trading cards

Actor Abe Vigoda had many roles in his acting career, but for people of a certain age his roles in Barney Miller and The Godfather might come to mind first.

Sal Tassio and Detective Fish were the most-memorable for the veteran actor during a career that spanned from the 1940s into the 2000s — nearly 100 credits. He died on Tuesday at age 94.

His roles on cardboard? They were much more limited.

Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (Jan. 26)

The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are five threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What’s Buzzing Today: Manny Machado’s ink, the 1/1 debate, Blake Griffin’s Punch-Out, Boogie Cousins, Superfractors & more.

Cross this one off if Super Bowl 50 truly is Peyton Manning’s last rodeo

Guess we can cross this cardboard off the possibilities list if Super Bowl 50 is, indeed, Peyton Manning‘s last rodeo. 

Buzz really was hoping for there to somehow be a Peyton Omaha rodeo card in the future. (Yep, there were Professional Bull Rider cards made back in 2009 — autographs, memorabilia and everything.)

The real point here? It’s OK to have some fun with collecting.

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

>> Click here to shop for football boxes on BlowoutCards.com.

 

eBay Buzz: Topps Star Wars Force Awakens Mystery Autograph Redemption tops $2,000 mark

The last time we had checked in on the Mystery Redemption from 2015 Topps Star Wars: The Force Awakens Series 1 it had sold for big bucks on eBay — going for $1,700.

(Spoiler alert: It was initially revealed to be for an autograph of Daisy Ridley, who plays Rey, though Topps Marketing Communications Manager Susan Lulgjuraj said there is not yet a confirmed subject for the card.)

But now an actual sale has gone even higher.

Earlier this month, a copy of the redemption topped the $2,000 mark, selling for $2,050 via a Best Offer in this auction. That has helped inflate asking prices for the card in active auctions as cards continue to be tucked away into personal collections.

First Buzz: 2016 Topps Triple Threads baseball cards

What: 2016 Topps Triple Threads baseball cards
Arrives: Sept. 14
Box basics: Four hits in every two-pack box.

What’s buzz-worthy: Triple Threads returns for an 11th year of high-end hits with a familiar two-pack box format and plenty of potential, which includes a Kevin Costner Bull Durham autographed Relic, plenty of autographs and memorabilia and plenty of booklet cards.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

Buzz Break: 2015 Topps WWE Heritage wrestling (blaster box)

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 Heritage wrestling cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Packs per box: 8 (seven standard packs plus one Relic/Sting/Vudu code pack in boxes at Walmart)
Cards per pack: 9
Cards in this box: 66
Base set completion: 
38 of 110 (35 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notable names pulled on base cards: The Four Horsemen, Trish Stratus, Finn Balor, The Rock, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Kevin Owens, Undertaker, John Cena

First Buzz: 2015-16 SP Authentic hockey cards

What: 2015-16 SP Authentic hockey cards
Arrives: May 2016
Box basics: Three autographs per 20-pack box (12 boxes per case)

What’s buzz-worthy: One of Upper Deck’s longest-running brands in all sports returns on the ice with not only the newest designs and stars of today, but also a look back into the 1990s with some Retro SP designs as well as Upper Deck Updates and Young Guns cards that keep the here and now up-to-date, too.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

High-grade Hank Aaron 1954 Topps Rookie powers big Mile High sale

A near-perfect PSA 9 Hank Aaron 1954 Topps Rookie Card led the way in the Mile High Card Company auction that ended during the weekend — and it was just one of 10 lots that topped the $20,000 mark.

All were graded vintage cards in high grades or key specimens slabbed by PSA or SGC — meanwhile 13 other auctions topped the $10,000 plateau in the sale.

Click the first image below to enter our gallery and get a closer look at the top 10 lots as well their final sale prices. We added an extra one so you can see a surprising sale price on the only PSA 10 Joe Torre 1962 Topps Rookie Card in existence.

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

>> Click here to buy baseball cards on BlowoutCards.com.

1954 Topps #128 Henry Aaron PSA 9 MINT # Bids: 25 Min Bid: $25,000 Final Price: $192,527

1933 Goudey #92 Lou Gehrig SGC 96 MINT 9 # Bids: 27 Min Bid: $12,000 Final Price: $57,183

1970 Topps #140 Reggie Jackson PSA 10 GEM MINT- (Only PSA 10) # Bids: 32 Min Bid: $3,500 Final Price: $43,101

1980 Topps #482 Rickey Henderson PSA 10 GEM MINT # Bids: 12 Min Bid: $5,000 Final Price: $29,872

1954 Topps #128 Henry Aaron PSA 8 NM/MT # Bids: 18 Min Bid: $5,000 Final Price: $28,449

1954 Bowman Football Set (#3 On PSA registry, 9.59 rating) # Bids: 12 Min Bid: $7,500 Final Price: $27,751

1952 Bowman #101 Mickey Mantle SGC 96 MINT 9 # Bids: 16 Min Bid: $5,000 Final Price: $27,095

1915 Cracker Jack #57 Walter Johnson SGC 96 MINT 9 # Bids: 21 Min Bid: $6,000 Final Price: $26,867

1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle PSA 2.5 GOOD+ # Bids: 18 Min Bid: $3,000 Final Price: $21,549

1956 Topps #135 Mickey Mantle SGC 96 MINT 9 # Bids: 14 Min Bid: $6,000 Final Price: $21,049

1962 Topps #218 Joe Torre PSA 10 GEM MINT (Only PSA 10) # Bids: 17 Min Bid: $1,800 Final Price: $15,536