Buzz Poll: Who gets your single vote for the Hall of Fame this year?

This year’s Baseball Hall of Fame ballot has been released by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America with several new names and players who appeared on last year’s ballot but failed to get selected on 75 percent of the vote.

It’s a crop that includes Chipper Jones, Jim Thome and Johan Santana among the newcomers and Larry Walker, Fred McGriff, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens among those left over from past ballots.

Below is the ballot that all BBWAA members will receive. The writers can vote for as many as 10 players. Those who appear on 75 percent of all ballots cast will be inducted into the Hall.

Buzz 12 in 12: Busting a 1999 Upper Deck Ovation MLB blaster (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 box: 1999 Upper Deck Ovation baseball cards (blaster)
The cost now: $19.95
The cost then: $34.99

What’s inside this one? Keep reading …

New Topps On Demand set focuses on 600 Home Run Club — and other stars with 600-homer potential

The newest Topps On Demand set is baseball — and it’s focusing on the long ball.

It’s the 2017 Topps On Demand 600 Home Run Club set and it includes 25 cards — the first six for the newest member, Albert Pujols, and the rest being a few members of the club and a number of players who are chasing that elusive dream.

Among them? National League Rookie of the Year front-runner Cody Bellinger. Also among them? Autographs.

Potomac Nationals baseball card set can only be completed with visit to BlowoutCards-The Fantastic Store

The 40-year history of the Potomac Nationals includes some of the biggest names in the history of baseball — and the team has the baseball cards coming to prove it as part of a stadium giveaway.

Bryce Harper, Barry Bonds, Albert Pujols, Jorge Posada and Andy Pettitte are just some of the players who have suited up for the franchise that is now the Class-A Advanced affiliate of the Washington Nationals. All of those stars and more will be found in the 2017 Potomac Nationals’ 40th Anniversary Team card set honoring them all to be given away at a game later this month.

And it’s only at BlowoutCards-The Fantastic Store where that set can be completed.

Star power is really nothing new with Topps Update & Topps Traded RCs

First Bowman Chrome autos, Topps Heritage autos and Rookie Cards in general for key players seem to be powering sales of wax boxes most generally these days for Major League Baseball.

Those shouldn’t be too surprising, but in a world of seemingly countless options with autographs, serial-numbering or memorabilia pieces one could argue that less is more — that oldschool simplicity is back.

And one could argue that the basic Rookie Cards from a hobby staple such as Topps Update (or Topps Traded if you’re oldschool) continue to be an emerging go-to — and not just for players such as Mike Trout, whose 2011 Topps Update card is a ridiculous seller if in top condition and still pretty impressive if just in a lesser slab.

Perhaps it’s just a gut feeling with the arrival of 2017 Topps Update previewing last week and its date now known on the release calendar — but the old Topps Traded sets of the 1980s and even recent years of Topps Update also seem like fertile collecting ground, too, especially if you’re into graded specimens.

Here’s a year-by-year rundown of notable Rookie Cards from past Traded and Update sets …

Buzz 12 in 12: Busting a 1987 Donruss baseball wax pack (Hour 4)

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 4.

The pack: 1987 Donruss baseball
The cost now: 55 cents ($20 for a 36-pack box; this pack randomly chosen)
The cost then: Under $1

What’s inside this one? Keep reading …

Buzz Break: 1997 Score Series 1 baseball cards (jumbo box)

 

Do you like Buzz Breaks? We recently launched 12 in 12 — a series of a dozen breaks of past wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. This is a faster break in that style — but not the launching of a new 12 in 12. We’ll have another marathon soon. (Click the logo below to see the previous posts in the series.)

The box: 1997 Score Series 1 baseball cards (jumbo box)
The cost now: $9.99
The cost then: $71.64 in U.S., $107.64 in Canada ($1.99/$2.99 per pack; prices printed on them)

What’s inside this box? Keep reading …

Buzz 12 in 12: Busting a 1992 Upper Deck MLB jumbo box (Hour 12)

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 our finale.

The box: 1992 Upper Deck baseball cards (jumbo box)
The cost now: $9.99
The cost then: $43.80 ($2.19 per pack … printed on every pack)

What was found inside this one? Keep reading …

Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (April 19)

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: Collectors react to the Aaron Hernandez news, big pulls, big Fan Cave pieces, big hobby questions and more.

Buzz 12 in 12: Busting a 1993 Upper Deck Series 2 MLB jumbo (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: 1993 Upper Deck Series 2 baseball cards (jumbo box)
The cost now: $19.99
The cost then: $55.80 ($2.79 per pack … printed on every pack)

What was found inside this one? Keep reading …

Buzz 12 in 12: Busting a 1994 Upper Deck Series 1 Hobby Eastern Region baseball wax 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: 1994 Upper Deck Series 1 Hobby Eastern Region baseball cards
The cost now: $19.99
The cost then: $72 (or more … it was hot)

What’s inside this box? Keep reading …

Topps reveals new autograph inclusions for 2017 Topps Tribute

There will be some new features in 2017 Topps Tribute when it arrives later this month and chief among them will be some new autographs that weren’t available back in September when this one was announced.

The biggest one? Former New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, who signed with the company in November. His ink will be found in Tribute Autographs and the Generations of Excellence Autographs sets.

What else is in play? Keep reading …

Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (Jan. 25)

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: Star Wars breaks, NBA, MLB & NFL pulls, top shortstops & more.

Rare Kris Bryant autos, party passes, sketches & cuts command cash from Topps’ historic Transcendent release

With 52 autographs in every box — as well as a posh party invitation — it doesn’t take a lot to see the dollar signs inside each $25,000 box of 2016 Topps Transcendent Collection baseball cards.

Those invites alone get a good chunk of change back (details here) and each case’s 1/1 Kris Bryant autograph using one of the 65 historic Topps designs commands some, too. Those cards have sold for as much as $2,182 on eBay (so far) and all seven sold have gone for at least $1,000.

Meanwhile, the asking or bid prices in current auctions are over the $1,000 mark in all but one instance and range as high as $7,250 for those in the historic set.

But the priciest find found inside one of those 65 silver briefcases? It’s much more impressive.

You get one Baseball Hall of Fame vote … who gets it this year?

This year’s Baseball Hall of Fame ballot has been released by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America with 19 new names as well as the players who appeared on last year’s ballot but failed to get 75 percent of the vote.

Below is the list of names that all BBWAA members will receive. The writers can vote for as many as 10 players and those who appear on 75 percent of all ballots cast will go into the Hall. Your challenge here is different.

Unlike the writers, you don’t get to pick 10. You get to pick just one player. 

Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (Nov. 13)

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: UFC 205, the Barry Bonds debate, retro MLB rips, Goodwin Champions and some shredded cases from Black Friday.

Need a 2016 Panini Prime Cuts baseball checklist? It’s here + gallery

Prime Cuts is almost here — but the wait for its checklist is now over.

How many Babe Ruth memorabilia cards will there be? How many rookies made the cut? Who’s signing and whose memorabilia can be found for the first time?

Oh and who made it onto the eight-player autograph booklets?

Keep reading to find out what’s in store for 2016 Panini Prime Cuts baseball cards …

Buzz Poll: Would a Chicago Cubs World Series win be the biggest thing ever for cardboard?

We’re just a few hours away from Game 7 of the World Series where the Chicago Cubs will end more than a century of futility — or the Cleveland Indians will make them once again wait for next year.

On cardboard and in the hobby, there’s no comparison between the two teams as the Cubs are largely stocked with young players (several homegrown) who are well-established and readily available on cardboard — for now — compared to the Indians, who have a few young notables but nobody who’ll truly break the bank. Among the Cubbies’ notables are Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber, Addison Russell, Javier Baez, Jake Arrieta, Willson Contreras, Anthony Rizzo … and that’s not all on a list that’s meaty and the cardboard is boldly available for nearly all of them.

That got Buzz wondering … if the Cubs win it all, is their victory bigger than the Boston Red Sox’ 2004 World Series win when it comes to the hobby and collecting? Is it bigger than Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens — you know, all those historic super-human performances that ultimately turned out to be, well, a bit questionable? They all sold plenty of cardboard in the past — plenty — but that team and those players were mostly established veterans. The Cubs are largely kids with plenty of potential for future successes — dare we say dynasty — for years to come being a real possibility.

And that would all start with a ring tonight and pay off for collectors for years to come.

I’d argue that demand for the Cubs’ key players autographs and key players could be the biggest thing seen in years once it’s all said and done. Once The Curse of the Billy Goat is dead and buried alongside that of The Bambino there’s all kinds of potential for now in the short-term, later in the weeks and months to come and, ultimately, for future seasons.

It could be like nothing we’ve ever seen before.

Agree? Disagree? Tell Buzz what you think in the poll below …

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

>> Click here to buy cards on BlowoutCards.com

Barry Bonds adds milestone HR tickets to autographs in his store

They may not be as hot as they once were, but they’re still very notable pieces of baseball history — and they can be yours

MLB home run king Barry Bonds has added four new pieces to his online store where some collectors have found relative bargains in recent months when it comes to game-used and autographed memorabilia.

This time, it’s milestone home run tickets that are top for grabs.

Barry Bonds adds autographed memorabilia to his official website — and much of it sells out instantly

Maybe the MLB Home Run King doesn’t know his market all these years later.

Barry Bonds offered a number of team-issued memorabilia pieces on his website on Tuesday afternoon — a number of travel bags and a couple of warm-ups and a jersey — and nearly all of the autographed items were gone in minutes.

Why?

Just $25 can get you an autograph of Barry Bonds? Apparently so — and it’s straight from Bonds himself

Nobody in the history of Major League Baseball hit more home runs than Barry Bonds and that means his autograph will always be in demand to some degree.

If you’re like many collectors, you may not have a Bonds auto in your stash, but there’s one way to land one without a lot of work — and without a boatload of cash.

You can get one straight from Bonds himself.

Auction Gallery: Game-used baseball bats from Goldin Auctions

Game-used baseball bats are often some of the most-abused and most-personalized pieces of game-used memorabilia to hit the market.

And, because of the number of bats a player uses in a season, they can also be bargain-priced at times. But in the case of the Old Hickory J143M used by Mike Trout to hit four home runs during 2013? Well, that bat opened at $2,000 and sits at $7,000 after 17 bids with plenty of time remaining … so not every bat can be a bargain.

Check out this gallery of 18 gamers presently up for grabs right now from Goldin Auctions. You can see a larger image, the model specs and the opening bid price once inside the gallery.

Kris Bryant — Model: 2015 Chandler CB243.1 used on May 8. (MLB Authenticated) … Opening Bid: $1,000

George Brett — Model: 1977-79 T85 Louisville Slugger. (PSA/DNA 8) … Opening Bid: $300

Christian Colon — Model: 2015 Victus I13C. World Series Game 5 game-winning RBI bat (Anderson LOA & PSA/DNA GU 10) … Opening Bid: $500

Mike Trout — Model: 2012 Old Hickory J143M. (Anderson LOA & PSA/DNA GU 10) … Opening Bid: $1,500

Ken Griffey Jr. — Model: 1997 C271 Louisville Slugger. (PSA/DNA and JSA) … Opening Bid: $1,000

Barry Larkin — Model: 1993 I13 Louisville Slugger All-Star Game model (Barry Larkin and PSA/DNA) … Opening Bid: $500

Tony Gwynn — Model: 1999 B267 Louisville Slugger. Used for hit No. 2,995 in career. (PSA/DNA) … Opening Bid: $1,000

Mike Trout — Model: 2013 Old Hickory J143M. Photo-matched to four home runs. (Anderson LOA & PSA/DNA GU 10) … Opening Bid: $2,000

Roger Maris — Model: 1965-1968 D145 Louisville Slugger (PSA/DNA) … Opening Bid: $500

Bryce Harper — Model: 2012 Marucci Luke1:P37. (PSA/DNA GU 10) … Opening Bid: $1,000

Lloyd Waner — Model: 1927-1928 Hillerich & Bradsby side-written bat (Mears A-8) … Opening Bid: $1,500

Barry Bonds — Model: 1993-1997 H238 Louisville Slugger (PSA/DNA GU 9.5) … Opening Bid: $400

Derek Jeter — Model 2002-2005 P72 Louisville Slugger (PSA/DNA GU 10) … Opening Bid: $1,500

Willie McCovey — Model: 1959 K55 Louisville Slugger (PSA/DNA GU 9 & JSA) … Opening Bid: $1,000

Johnny Bench — Model: 1968-1970 220A Adirondack (PSA/DNA GU 9) … Opening Bid: $750

Cal Ripken Jr. — Model 1986-1989 F149 Louisville Slugger (PSA/DNA GU-9, JSA, & Mears A9.5) … Opening Bid: $750

Max Carey — Model: 1928-1930 Hillerich & Bradsby (PSA/DNA) … Opening Bid: $1,000

Gabby Hartnett — Model: Circa 1925 Krens I13GH (PSA/DNA GU 8) … Opening Bid: $1,000

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

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

Cooperstown calls for Ken Griffey Jr. as well as Mike Piazza

The Baseball Writers’ Association of America votes are in, and there’s no surprise at the top — Ken Griffey Jr. is headed to Cooperstown, N.Y., this summer to join baseball’s immortals.

He received 99.3 percent of the vote — a record and three votes short of unanimous — after his first time on the ballot. Joining him is former Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets catcher Mike Piazza, who appeared on 83 percent of the 440 ballots.

Griffey helped usher in a new era of collecting in 1989 as the iconic No. 1 in the first Upper Deck set, a release that helped change the printing and packaging of cards and the collecting expectations of a generation. For those same thirty-somethings and beyond, he’s an also icon on the field with his backwards cap and a smooth but powerful left-handed swing that helped produce 630 home runs and countless more memorable moments for the Mariners, Reds and White Sox over 22 seasons but never a World Series at-bat.

Clearly he’s one of the greatest players — and most-beloved players — in MLB history, a symbol of what’s good about the game in an era of bogus records and inflated statistics that have undermined not only the results on the field but also the cardboard of our youth. His enshrinement this summer in Cooperstown will be the stuff that cardboard (and baseball) marketing is made of. In fact, there are already two forthcoming brands — 2016 Topps Series 2 and 2016 Topps Finest (above right) — that will spotlight Junior.

Examining 20 Baseball Hall of Fame candidates’ Rookie Cards + Buzz casts his votes for Cooperstown

There are 32 players on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America Hall of Fame ballot this year and the ongoing debate of who’s worthy, who’s not and who cheated with performance-enhancing drugs will rage on well beyond the reveal of the voting results on Jan. 6.

In Buzz’s book, there’s quite possibly only one new Hall of Famer headed to Cooperstown this coming summer, and that lock is Ken Griffey Jr.

The rest? Well, it’s not that easy. Buzz has eliminated 12 of the guys who are not likely to even make the cut to be on next year’s ballot and examined the stats for 20 of those who are left. Along with this, Buzz has added some key Rookie Card info, too, just in case you haven’t tracked any of them down just yet or want to revisit cardboard from your youth.

Rookie of the Year will be signing at Baseball Card Exchange on Sunday

Autograph appearances aren’t just for baseball players — they’re also for the Rookie of the Year.

And that’s exactly who’s showing up for an Indiana signing on Sunday — Thomas Ian Nicholas, the Rookie of the Year. You know, Henry Rowengartner … the guy who once struck out home run king Barry Bonds?

Who gets your single vote for the Baseball Hall of Fame this year?

This year’s Baseball Hall of Fame ballot has been released by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America with 15 new names and several players who appeared on last year’s ballot but failed to get 75 percent of the votes.

Below is the ballot that all BBWAA members will receive. The writers can vote for as many as 10 players. Those who appear on 75 percent of all ballots cast will be inducted into the Hall. Your challenge here is a bit different.