Buzz Break: 2018 Topps U.S. Winter Olympic Team cards (hobby box)

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The box: 2018 Topps U.S. Winter Olympic Team & Hopefuls cards (hobby box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 24
Cards per pack: 8
Cards in this box: 181
Base US set completion: 
48 of 48 (100 percent)
Base USA set completion: 
45 of 45 (100 percent)
Duplicates (both sets): 36

Winter Olympics arrival means it’s time to watch Topps cards heat up

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.

Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (Feb. 6)

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: Nothing but big pulls from around the collecting world — and even a Christian Slater rainbow — in today’s edition.

Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (Feb. 2)

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: Nothing but big pulls from MLB, WWE, NFL, NBA and the Olympics.

Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (Feb. 1)

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: Long-term projects completed, storing oversized hits and big pulls from around the collecting world.

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 a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What’s Buzzing Today: Nothing but big pulls in this weekend edition.

Katie Uhlaender should bring some baseball to Winter Olympics

You might not find Katie Uhlaender in the newest Topps Winter Olympics card set that officially arrives in stores beginning today, but there’s still plenty to collect for those who remember her story from last time around and are looking forward to a new chapter soon.

In the 2014 Winter Games, she came up four-hundredths of a second short of winning a bronze medal in skeleton, but that story isn’t yet final even all these years later. Why? Russia’s Elena Nikitina was stripped of her bronze after doping violations late last year — and it’s quite possible that an adjustment of results will be done soon. Plus, just last week Uhlaender was named to this year’s squad, making her the first four-time Olympian in her sport.

But when it comes to Uhlaender cardboard, it’s actually not all about her, and there’s a pretty good chance we’ll soon see a 1969 Topps baseball card of her father, Ted Uhlaender, on her sled and his 1972 Cincinnati Reds National League Championship ring as part of a necklace she wears while competing around her neck during the action in South Korea.

Chloe Kim’s new Topps cards and autographs should be in big demand

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.”

First Buzz: 2018 Topps U.S. Winter Olympic Team & Hopefuls cards

What: 2018 Topps U.S. Winter Olympic Team & Hopefuls trading cards
Arrives: Jan. 10
Box basics: One autograph and two memorabilia cards in every box (12 boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here to view

What’s buzz-worthy: The newest crop of Winter Olympics and Paralympics heroes is found here with a focus on skiing star Lindsey Vonn, who gets her own tribute found in every box.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.