Revisiting a favorite Hank Aaron baseball card on his 84th birthday

On this day in 1934 in Mobile, Ala., Henry Louis Aaron was born — and 20 years later he made his big-league debut for the Milwaukee Braves.

Twenty-two years after that? Hammerin’ Hank’s career ended — in the uniform of the Milwaukee Brewers — with him atop the all-time home run list. All of this is a simple but impressive stat-sheet reality that you can revisit here but should know.

What some younger collectors may not realize, though, is that one of his baseball cards arrived noting his new record before it actually happened and before it was on the back of his card, instead of the year after as it really should have been. (It’s actually among my favorite Aaron cards, too, making the birthday the reason you’re reading this.)

PSA authenticated or graded 10 of most-expensive items sold in 2017

Just 10 of the most-notable items in the sports world that were sold in 2017 totaled more than $6.7 million in sales, ranging from the $1.68 million Norman Rockwell piece you see here to high-grade copies of Mickey Mantle‘s iconic 1952 Topps card.

And they all had one thing in common — PSA or PSA/DNA authentication.

“We certified a myriad of incredible items last year, and the list is full of sports history from top to bottom,” said Professional Sports Authenticator VP Steve Sloan. “We’ll continue pushing ourselves toward another great year in 2018, and look forward to what’s in store.”

The Newport Beach, Calif.-based company recently took the time to examine the markets last year and touted its Top 10 for 2017. Keep reading to see everything on the list.

First Buzz: 2018 Panini Diamond Kings baseball cards

What: 2018 Panini Diamond Kings baseball cards
Arrives: April 11
Box basics: Two autographs or memorabilia cards per 12-pack box (24 boxes per case via two inners)

What’s buzz-worthy: Diamond Kings returns for another season with the legends of yesterday and the stars of today with an artistic approach and nods to the rich past of DK baseball cards.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

First Buzz: 2018 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Platinum auto baseballs

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.

First Buzz: 2018 Panini Diamond Kings baseball (early retail details)

What: 2018 Panini Diamond Kings baseball cards
Arrives: March 28
Box basics: Three retail-exclusive insert cards per seven-pack blaster box (20 boxes per case)

What’s buzz-worthy: We’ve got early word on what’s coming to the retail aisle from Panini America in 2018, and it’s the newest crop of Diamond Kings will be the second set to arrive next March.

Keep reading for more info.

First Buzz: 2017 Historic Autographs Originals 1930s baseball cards

What: 2017 Historic Autographs Originals 1930s baseball cards
Arrives: Dec. 29
Box basics: One encased autographed buyback card display per box (16 boxes per case)

What’s buzz-worthy: The final Historic Autographs release of the year takes us back to the 1930s with buyback cards and cut autographs paired together in a very limited product.

Keep reading for more information.

First Buzz: 2018 Topps Series 2 baseball cards

What: 2018 Topps Series 2 baseball cards
Arrives: June 13
Box basics: One autograph or Relic per 36-pack box (12 boxes per case); One autograph and two Relics per 10-pack jumbo box (six boxes per case)

What’s buzz-worthy: The second series of the newest edition of the Topps baseball brand — the flagship brand for the hobby — will arrive with a wave of energy and full-bleed feel that further breaks from the traditional feel for the brand that’s been around for 67 consecutive seasons.

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

First Buzz: 2018 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Autographed Baseball

What: 2018 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures autographed baseballs
Arrives: Jan. 3
Box basics: One autographed baseball per box (12 boxes per case)

What’s buzz-worthy: TRISTAR’s autographed baseball chase brand is back in January with nods to its hometown World Series champion Houston Astros as well as Diamond Tickets good for one of the biggest possible autographs in MLB history.

Keep reading for details on that one and a gallery of what’s possible in this one.

First Buzz: 2017 Topps Transcendent Collection baseball cards (gallery updated Dec. 15 & beyond)

What: 2017 Topps Transcendent Collection baseball cards
Arrives: Dec. 13
Box basics: 53 autographs — and plenty more — per hand-crafted wooden box
Checklist: Click here to view

What’s buzz-worthy: Topps’ high-end baseball brand — what it calls “the pinnacle of high-end collecting” — returns for another season with a tribute of sorts to 1987, a spotlighting of the newly crowned American League Rookie of the Year and a party invite that includes one of the biggest sluggers in baseball history.

So, what comes in a box? Keep reading for more info and a full gallery of images released so far.

First Buzz: 2017 Panini Flawless baseball cards

What: 2017 Panini Flawless baseball cards
Arrives: June 1
Box basics: Six autos, two memorabilia and two jewel cards per box (two boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here to view

What’s buzz-worthy: Flawless returns to the baseball diamond once again with elite names from the past and the biggest names of the present all in one place — “more All-Stars, legends and superstars than ever before,” according to the company.

Keep reading for more info and a full gallery of images released so far.

SCP Auctions’ newest sale launches with new legends, vintage icons

The newest SCP Auctions event launched this week with some items that defy the imagination — items that you probably wouldn’t imagine them to still exist, let alone be up for grabs.

Some of them, such as this 2013 Fresno State Aaron Judge game-used jersey, open with more modest prices of $4,000, while college classics such as a Lew Alcindor game-used UCLA jersey is already at $44,288 after less than a day of active bidding.

But the leader in the clubhouse among the more than 900 lots? It’s a baseball card.

First Buzz: 2017 TRISTAR Quest Top Shelf

What: 2017 TRISTAR Quest Top Shelf
Arrives: Oct. 11
Box basics: Four envelopes per case — each with an autographed item or memorabilia redemption inside

What’s buzz-worthy: TRISTAR’s Quest once again takes things up a notch with a product that is purely high-end memorabilia — and just 30 cases will be made.

Keep reading for more.

Mel Ott game-used memorabilia hitting market via SCP Auctions

Game-used memorabilia from one of baseball’s greatest sluggers is hitting the auction block next month.

SCP Auctions will be handling the sale of several items from Mel Ott, a Hall of Famer who hit 511 home runs and led the National League in long balls six times during a 22-year career — all with the New York Giants.

“It’s our pleasure to auction off these items from Mel Ott’s family,” says SCP Auctions President David Kohler. “He truly was a baseball treasure and we look forward to seeing how the bidding goes.”

First Buzz: 2017 Panini National Treasures baseball cards

What: 2017 Panini National Treasures baseball cards
Arrives: Oct. 25
Box basics: Eight autographs or memorabilia cards — including one booklet — per box (four boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here to view

What’s buzz-worthy: The fourth edition of National Treasures baseball arrives with some of the biggest names in the history of the game and among those cards is a Mickey Mantle tribute set.

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

Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (Sept. 7)

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, Bryce Harper’s hair and … card-sorting robots?

Buzz 12 in 12: Busting a 2017 Topps Allen & Ginter hobby box (Hour 3)

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 3.

The box: 2017 Topps Allen & Ginter (hobby)
The cost: BlowoutCards.com

What’s inside this one? Keep reading …

Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (Aug. 17)

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: Huge pulls from 2017 Panini Immaculate Collection and Topps Clearly Authentic, vintage MLB photos and “Mike Foltynewicz is the next Max Scherzer.”

First Buzz: 2017 Topps Dynasty baseball cards

What: 2017 Topps Dynasty baseball cards
Arrives: Nov. 1
Box basics: One encased autograph per box (five boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here to view

What’s buzz-worthy: This high-end brand returns for another season with an autographed card in every pack that’s limited to no more than 10 copies as usual — but with a few new players and new twists possible, too.

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

Buzz Break: 2017 Topps Allen & Ginter X baseball cards (hobby box)

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: 2017 Topps Allen & Ginter X baseball cards
Where to buy: Initially via Topps.com (BlowoutCards.com for hobby A&G)

Packs per box: 18
Cards per pack: 8
Cards in this box: 142
Base set completion: 
113 of 300 (38 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Bryce Harper, Ken Griffey Jr., Clayton Kershaw, Laurie Hernandez, Babe Ruth, Roger Maris, Albert Pujols, Mookie Betts, Corey Seager, Ryne Sandberg, Chipper Jones, Yu Darvish, Trevor Story, Ken Rosenthal, Gary Sanchez, Kris Bryant, Nolan Ryan, Don Mattingly, Stephen A. Smith

Rookie Cards (18) – Aaron Judge, Dansby Swanson, Alex Bregman, Yoan Moncada, Andrew Benintendi, Tyler Glasnow, Matt Olson, Antonio Senzatela, Jharel Cotton, Jesse Winker, Yulieski Gurriel, Hunter Renfroe, Renato Nunez, Alex Reyes, Jose DeLeon, David Dahl, Jake Thompson, Ty Blach (SP)

Buzz Break: 2017 Topps Allen & Ginter baseball cards (hobby box)

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: 2017 Topps Allen & Ginter baseball cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 25 (24 standard packs plus box-topper)
Cards per pack: 8
Cards in this box: 194
Base set completion: 
128 of 300 (43 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Ty Cobb, Ted Williams, Ichiro Suzuki, Buster Posey, Johnny Bench, Nolan Ryan, Hank Aaron, Ken Rosenthal, Krazy George, Ken Griffey Jr., Babe Ruth, Frank Thomas, Dave Winfield, Derek Jeter, Roger Maris, Anthony Rizzo, Kyle Schwarber, Mike Piazza, Don Mattingly, Laurie Hernandez, Cal Ripken Jr., Ernie Banks, Jose Canseco, Nick Jonas, William Shatner

Rookie Cards (18) – Teoscar Hernandez, JaCoby Jones, Jesse Winker, Robert Gsellman, Matt Olson, Ryon Healy, Antonio Senzatela, Chad Pinder, Alex Reyes, Yulieski Gurriel, Hunter Renfroe, Jharel Cotton, Tyler Glasnow, Luke Weaver, Gavin Cecchini, Carson Fulmer, Seth Lugo (SP), Dan Vogelbach (SP)

Buzz 12 in 12: Busting a 2007 UD SP Legendary Cuts MLB box (Hour 2)

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 2.

The box: 2007 Upper Deck SP Legendary Cuts baseball cards
The cost: Click here

What’s inside this one? Keep reading …

First Buzz: 2017 Panini Immaculate Collection baseball cards

What: 2017 Panini Immaculate Collection baseball cards
Arrives: Aug. 16
Box basics:  Five autographs or memorabilia cards per six-card box (eight boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here to view

What’s buzz-worthy: Immaculate returns to the diamond with a number of big names but it’s three New York Yankees who will steal the attention for now — Aaron Judge, Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle.

Keep reading for more info and a full gallery of images released so far.

Babe Ruth’s 1927 World Series ring — and more — hits auction block

Update: The ring sold for $2,093,926, while the contract sold for $2,303,319.

—

“Wild Thing” is cashing in.

Babe Ruth‘s 1927 World Series ring is on the auction block and its owner, actor Charlie Sheen, is closing in on a seven-figure payday with more than three days remaining before the Lelands.com auction closes on this and one other very, very big piece of memorabilia from MLB history.

“We have sold and seen many great pieces of sports memorabilia in our nearly 50 years in the hobby,” reads the auction house listing. “But this is without a doubt the finest piece of all.”

Buzz Break: 2017 Topps Series 2 baseball cards (blaster box)

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: 2017 Topps Series 2 baseball cards 
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)
Packs per box: 11 (10 standard plus one Independence Day MLB logo card)
Cards per pack: 10
Cards in this box: 102
Base set completion: 
76 of 350 (22 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Base cards of note – Yu Darvish, Nolan Arenado, Jake Arrieta, Michael Conforto, Buster Posey, Justin Verlander

Rookie Cards (6) – Manny Margot, Roman Quinn, Adalberto Mejia, Jorge Alfaro, Jharel Cotton, Hunter Renfroe

First Buzz: 2017 Leaf Pearl sports cards (updated)

What: 2017 Leaf Pearl
Arrives: Late February 2018
Box basics: 11 cards per box (two boxes per case)

What’s buzz-worthy: Leaf’s next release will be a “product that will change the industry landscape” and “will set the standard for aesthetic beauty and legendary content by which all products will be measured.”

 

Buzz 12 in 12: Busting three 2015 Topps Series 2 blister packs (Hour 7)

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 packs: Three 2015 Topps Series 2 blister packs (each contains three packs)
The cost: Click here

What’s inside this one? Keep reading …

MLB’s founding documents will hit auction block via SCP next month

MLB‘s founding documents are hitting the auction block this spring as SCP Auctions is handling yet another historic sale.

This time, it’s a 74-page hand-written artifact — the original constitution of The National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs — that outlines its objectives. Among them are to “encourage, foster and elevate the game of baseball, enact and enforce proper rules for the exhibition and conduct of the game, to make baseball playing respectable and honorable, to protect and promote the mutual interests of professional baseball clubs and professional baseball players and to establish and regulate the ‘Baseball Championship of the United States.'”

This follows the sale of the 1857 “Laws of Base Ball” for $3.26 million one year ago today by the Laguna Niguel, Calif.-based company

Buzz 12 in 12: Busting a 2016 Topps Allen & Ginter blaster box (Hour 9)

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 9.

The box: 2016 Topps Allen & Ginter baseball cards (blaster box) 
The cost: $14.99 (Click here for hobby)

What’s inside this one? Keep reading …

First Buzz: 2017 TRISTAR Quest autos

What: 2017 TRISTAR Quest autographs
Arrives: June 7
Box basics: Five envelopes per lockbox — each with an autographed flat or memorabilia redemption inside (three lockboxes per case)

What’s buzz-worthy: This TRISTAR line will be limited to only 50 cases of autographed items from around the sports world and beyond.

Keep reading for more.

Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (April 10)

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: Russell Westbrook’s record, Bald Vinny’s baseball card, Tim Tebow’s homer and plenty more from the weekend.

First Buzz: 2017 Leaf Babe Ruth Immortal Collection baseball cards

What: 2017 Leaf Babe Ruth Immortal Collection baseball cards
Arrives: March 31
Box basics: Four hits in every six-card box (10 boxes per case)

What’s buzz-worthy: The Bambino returns with a high-end product from Leaf Trading Cards that includes two stadium seat cards and two bat cards in every single box — and the possibilities of much more.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

First Buzz: 2017 Super Break Heavy Hitters

What: 2017 Super Break Heavy Hitters
Arrives: Feb. 15
Box basics: At least two items per box (four boxes per case)

What’s buzz-worthy: Super Break returns with a high-end release that includes buyback cards, memorabilia and 30 Super Draft coupons for a May 6 draft of big, big names.

First Buzz: 2017 Historic Autographs Kings baseball cards

What: 2017 Historic Autographs Kings baseball cards
Arrives: Feb. 22
Box basics: Two autographs per box (four boxes per case)

What’s buzz-worthy: The first Historic Autographs release of the year goes high-end with a release that will be limited to just 80 cases.

Keep reading for more information.

Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (Dec. 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: The final Board Buzz of 2016 is nothing but impressive pulls.

Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (Dec. 24)

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: Holiday gift-giving, The Bambino, Totally Certified & Crown Royale breaks.