As previously noted here on The Buzz, Panini America’s first baseball card release of the year will include autographs of new Los Angeles Angels signee Shohei Ohtani.
But now we have the specifics for 2018 Donruss and the cardboard to prove it after the former Nippon Professional Baseball star signed for Panini last week.
Imagine a world where New York Yankees star Aaron Judge had just a single product where you could find his one Rookie Card and one rookie autograph — okay, okay, throw in some parallels of them and maybe a variation or two to make it a more realistic scenario.
What might those sell for? How tough would that wax become over time? It’s something to ponder.
That hypothetical is much, much closer to reality for Olympic athletes and the heavy focus on the few cards they do have gets amplified a million times over during the Olympic Games, no matter whether they are of the summer or winter variety. While we’re still on the cusp of this year’s Winter Olympics, some of the notable first-time autographs already are selling very well — but there’s clearly room for more as they become true household names. One of those likely names belongs to 17-year-old snowboarder Chloe Kim, who’ll appear on the cover of ESPN The Magazine‘s Olympics Issue dropping on Friday when the Winter Games open in South Korea.
The Kim 2018 Topps U.S. Winter Olympic Team & Hopefuls Gold autograph (/25) you see here already sold for $199, which seems low compared to the hype that already comes before she takes to the halfpipe and her dominating success in the Winter X Games. It’s also impressive considering it comes from a box guaranteeing ink that’s presently less than $75.
But it’s not alone.
Shohei Ohtani autographs are on the way and there’s only one question left for Topps to reveal.
Which one’s first?
Buzz promised this contest online last week … and now we’re delivering.
Ronda Rousey is in WWE now — and we want this 2017 Topps Chrome UFC Hot Box Refractor Autograph (/20) to be yours.
How? Keep reading …
What: 2018 Pieces of The Past Antiquity Edition trading cards
Arrives: March
Box basics: Three hits per six-card box (10 boxes per case)
What’s buzz-worthy: Super Break once again takes a look at history with cards of notable historic figures as well as memorabilia cards with pieces from past documents and press clippings.
Keep reading for a gallery and more info.
Whether it was a surprise or not, the deal is done — and now the wait begins for cardboard.
Former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey made her WWE debut on Sunday night at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view in Philadelphia. After the main event, the first women’s Royal Rumble match, Rousey marched to the ring wearing a new “Rowdy” Roddy Piper-inspired shirt and a coat given to her by the late WWE icon’s son to make it known she’s headed to WrestleMania.
“This is my life now,” Rousey told ESPN. “First priority on my timeline for the next several years. This is not a smash-and-grab; this is not a publicity stunt. When I first met with Triple H, I told him, ‘There are other things I can do with my time that’ll make way more money, but I won’t enjoy nearly as much.'”
When it comes to cards, Rousey has been among the most-popular female athletes out there and her autographs are among the most sought-after in UFC, despite her last match being back in 2016. The wait for her new WWE cards, may not be long, though, thanks to one detail seen on Sunday.
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: Big pulls reign as we work toward the weekend.
The call to the Hall also means new baseball cards via Topps Now.
Two of the new members of the Baseball Hall of Fame voted in on Wednesday are signing cards for Topps‘ real-time card program and two others voted in via the Modern Era committee will be inking up, too.
Jim Thome, Chipper Jones, Jack Morris and Alan Trammell also will all have standard cards printed to order after a 24-hour window.
What: 2018 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Platinum autographed baseballs
Arrives: Feb. 21
Box basics: One autographed baseball per box (12 boxes per case)
What’s buzz-worthy: TRISTAR’s autographed baseball chase brand is back for another season with a new batch of stars and legends along with some new specialty balls guaranteed per case that help add variety to the chase.
The biggest chase of them all this year? Keep reading for that and a gallery of what’s in this one.
What: 2018 BenchWarmer Dream Girls Update trading cards
Arrives: February
Hobby box basics: TBD cards per box (16 boxes per case)
What’s buzz-worthy: BenchWarmer’s next release is a sequel to its dream-team theme with photoshoot-used cards alongside, gem and pearl cards as well as autographs from a number of models and celebs.
Keep reading to see a gallery and more.
When Topps‘ new Winter Olympics card set arrives next Friday, it will feature one new athlete who’ll likely become a household name with her autographs in big demand once the action begins.
She’s Chloe Kim and she’s a 17-year-old already being called the “new face of American snowboarding” who is “poised to become the most-famous Korean-American female athlete in history” according to Bleacher Report writer Joon Lee.
But don’t take his word for it.
“Watching her at a young age was like watching Shaun White,” said Tommy Czeschin, a former coach with U.S. Snowboarding, in the story. “She was leaps and bounds better than anyone her age, her height, anyone she would ride with.”
This collector just had a bit of a somber mailday today as a package arrived from Newbury Comics with a couple of CDs inside.
They were copies of The Cranberries‘ album Something Else, a collection of their biggest hits from the past performed with an orchestra as well as three new songs released last year.
Each of them also came with something else, something extra, something more personal — an autograph from Dolores O’Riordan, who died Monday at age 46.
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: Box-topper storage issues, big retro pulls, graded card debates and a Bill Murray autograph for $50?
Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today’s your day then as we launch 12 in 12 — a series of a dozen breaks of past wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We’ll post one every hour on the hour all day long today … this is Hour 11.
The box: 2014 BenchWarmer Eclectic Collection
The cost: BlowoutCards.com
What’s inside this one? Keep reading …
Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today’s your day then as we launch 12 in 12 — a series of a dozen breaks of past wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We’ll post one every hour on the hour all day long today … this is Hour 7.
The box: 2017 Panini Absolute Racing blaster
The cost: BlowoutCards.com
What’s inside this one? Keep reading …
Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today’s your day then as we launch 12 in 12 — a series of a dozen breaks of past wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We’ll post one every hour on the hour all day long today … this is Hour 6.
The box: 2016 Fanatics Authentic Under Wraps Series 1 autographed baseballs
The cost: BlowoutCards.com
What’s inside this one? Keep reading …
Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today’s your day then as we launch 12 in 12 — a series of a dozen breaks of past wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We’ll post one every hour all day long today … this is Hour 4.
The box: 2017 Historic Autograph Fame & Photo Signed 8×10
The cost: BlowoutCards.com
What’s inside this one? Keep reading …
If you want the “rookie card” of the next member of the WWE Hall of Fame, you’ll have to look back to 1980s SEC football to get in on the action.
It’s Bill Goldberg, a former Georgia Bulldogs star, who’ll get WWE’s highest nod on April 7 in New Orleans on the eve of WrestleMania XXXIV.
What: 2018 Elite Draft Picks football cards
Arrives: March 28
Box basics: Five autographs per five-pack hobby box (16 boxes per case)
What’s buzz-worthy: Elite Draft Picks will kick off Panini America’s 2018 football calendar with an autograph in every hobby pack and a limited retail offering with an autograph in every other pack.
Keep reading for more info.
If you saw this coming, you need to be coaching The Big Game next year — and every year after that.
Alabama freshman QB Tua Tagovailoa took over behind center for the Crimson Tide down 13-0 at halftime and delivered a game-winning 41-yard TD pass to DeVonta Smith in overtime to seal a 26-23 victory.
And that makes his U.S. Army All-American Bowl cards from Leaf Trading Cards the hottest cardboard on the planet for the moment — and there’s a decent amount of options to go around, too.
With a victory tonight, University of Alabama Head Football Coach Nick Saban would equal a giant not only in the history of college football but a giant in his school’s history.
His Crimson Tide plays in Bryant-Denny Stadium on Paul W. Bryant Drive down the road from the Paul W. Bryant Museum and the Bryant Conference Center — all reminders of Bear Bryant and his NCAA-record six national championships and 323 career victories. (Saban is at 285.)
Tonight’s College Football Playoff National Championship is Saban’s sixth title-game appearance in the last nine years and with a win he’ll have his sixth season title for his career. Saban had his chance at tying Bryant last season when his undefeated team lost in the final seconds on the final play of the game against Clemson, which Alabama knocked off in a rematch this year to advance to tonight’s game against the Georgia Bulldogs. Both of Alabama’s postseason foes this year are coached by former Tide assistants, Dabo Swinney at Clemson and Kirby Smart at Georgia, but neither has autographs and football card appearances as easily found as the legend of today, Saban.
Major League Baseball’s new international star will sign for Topps.
Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani will have autographs from the company in packs before spring training, according to a deal announced on Monday morning.
“Getting a deal with Shohei Ohtani was a priority for us because we want the best for our Topps fans,” said David Leiner, Topps Global General Manager, Sports & Entertainment. “Ohtani is a dynamic two-way player who has gained a lot of attention because of his incredible talent. We are thrilled to offer his trading cards and autographed cards to baseball fans.”
What: 2018 Star Trek Deep Space Nine Heroes & Villains
Arrives: March 21
Box basics: Three autographs and one metal card per box (12 boxes per case)
What’s buzz-worthy: Deep Space Nine returns for cardboard for the first time in nearly a decade with some new signers that include rock star Iggy Pop, who had a past cameo on the series, along with many of the notable cast members.
Keep reading for more as well as a small selection of card images to come.
Jon Gruden‘s return to the Oakland Raiders looks to be a pricey one when it comes next week — a mere 10-year contract worth close to $100 million.
One thing the former coach turned analyst turned coach again might not be doing anytime soon after signing that massive deal, though, is signing autographs for card companies — but thankfully for collectors he’s already got a heavy volume of ink out there (at least for a coach) from more than a decade ago if they want one.
Could a new dominant rookie be here?
That’s a question for the hobby as Oklahoma City guard Terrance Ferguson put on a show in his first career start Wednesday night against the Lakers — you know, the team with those other rookies who are hot in the hobby.
The 21st pick in this year’s NBA Draft is a 19-year-old without college experience, but it didn’t matter on the court as he scored a team-high 24 points in 33 minutes as part of a 133-96 drubbing of Los Angeles.
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: 2014 BenchWarmer Eclectic Collection
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com
Packs per box: 61 (60 past packs, one pack of new Eclectic hits and bonus cards)
Cards per pack: varies by year (mixed)
Notables on base cards – Sara Underwood, Carmen Electra, Christy Hemme, Kara Monaco, Nikki Ziering, Traci Bingham, Jessica Canseco, Nadine Velazquez, Brooke Burke, Gena Lee Nolin, Maryeve Default, Julie Strain, Cindy Margolis, Candice Michelle, Lisa Dergan, Holly Madison, Kendra Wilkinson, Bridget Marquardt, Kerri Kasem, Charisma Carpenter
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: 2015 Panini Americana (hobby box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com
Packs per box: 10
Cards per pack: 5
Cards in this box: 52
Base set completion:
26 of 73 (36 percent)
Duplicates: 0
Notables on base cards – Molly Ringwald, Corbin Bernsen, Laura Prepon, Ali Larter, Darryl McDaniels, Coolio, Vince Neil, D.B. Sweeney, Aly Raisman, Hulk Hogan, Paula Abdul
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: 2017 Leaf Originals Wrestling
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com
Packs per box: 1
Cards per box: 5
Base set completion:
3 of 41 (7 percent)
Duplicates: 0
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: 2015 Panini Americana (hobby box)
Where to buy: Click here
Packs per box: 10
Cards per pack: 5
Cards in this box: 51
Base set completion:
25 of 73 (34 percent)
Duplicates: 0
Notables on base cards – John C. McGinley, Corbin Bernsen, Joan Collins, Katrina Bowden, Vanilla Ice, Aly Raisman, Gabreille Reece, Bradley Cooper, Martin Short, Chris Jericho, Joe Manganiello, Ian Ziering, Lea Michele, James Earl Jones, Tiffani Thiessen
One of the familiar voices in all of the sports world — a long-time broadcaster for NBC, CBS and ESPN who covered Wimbledon 28 times, covered 10 Super Bowls and covered eight NCAA men’s basketball championships along with much, much more — has been silenced.
Dick Enberg was 82.
Despite a Hall of Fame career and plenty of time in homes on TV since the 1960s when he covered John Wooden‘s UCLA Bruins, he’s only got a handful of sports card appearances from the past — and, of those, really only one is easy to find.
What: 2018 Elite Draft Picks football cards
Arrives: March 18 28
Box basics: Six autographs per 12-pack retail jumbo box (20 boxes per case)
What’s buzz-worthy: Elite Draft Picks will kick off Panini America’s 2018 football calendar with an autograph in every other jumbo pack — that’s more ink in boxes than last year — and that will be the only format to be found at retail, too.
Keep reading for more info.
TRISTAR has a new exclusive team member — and he’s “the greatest baseball player of all time” based on Hall of Fame voting.
It’s former Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds star Ken Griffey Jr. and a full line of autographed memorabilia from him is available now from the Houston-based company after the new deal was announced on Tuesday night.
The Jacksonville Jaguars clinched their first playoff berth in a decade on Sunday with a 45-7 spanking of the Houston Texans and there was a pair of wide receivers helping lead the way.
While we know this team is one where a bruising defense is perhaps making the biggest waves on the field in “Sacksonville,” but there is a collecting key on these two rookie WRs.
One, Keelan Cole, doesn’t even have cardboard — so there should be interest when he does (Panini Instant?) — and the other, Jaydon Mickens, has very little that’s been largely overlooked meaning there could be some serious movement going forward if Sunday’s game is a potential indicator of more to come.
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: Awaiting Transcendent and at least two insane 1/1 finds in wax lead off today’s edition.
Collectors tearing into packs of Panini America‘s popular recent NBA arrival — 2017-18 Panini Prizm — might find something a little different.
Coaches cards … and that’s not all as there are even some rarer coach autographs to be found.
These iconic leaders, some former players and some future Hall of Famers, aren’t typically found on cardboard — at least in most sets — but they’re found here.
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