Buzz Break: 2017 Bowman Chrome Mini baseball (set & bonus packs)

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 Bowman Chrome Mini baseball (factory set & bonus packs)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 3
Cards per pack: 10
Cards in this box: 303 (273 cards in set, 30 bonus parallels)
Base set completion: 
273 of 273 (100 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notable players on base cards – Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger (2), Kevin Maitan, Yoan Moncada, Nick Senzel, Alex Bregman, Rhys Hoskins, Ronald Acuna, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Mickey Moniak, Rafael Devers, Gleyber Torres, Andrew Benintendi,, Eloy Jimenez, Dansby Swanson … and nearly all other rookies and prospects from 2017 Bowman and 2017 Bowman Chrome

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

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 breaks in today’s edition — WWE, Holiday Boxes, Hall of Famers and more.

First Buzz: 2018 Bowman baseball cards (updated)

What: 2018 Bowman baseball cards
Arrives: April 25
Box basics: Three autographs per 12-pack jumbo box (eight boxes per case); One autograph per 24-pack hobby box (12 boxes per case)

What’s buzz-worthy: Bowman returns with a new look, new prospects and even a new inclusion — two-player double-sided (and on-card) autographs as seen above.

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

Buzz Poll: Which Jose Altuve Rookie Card would you want to own first?

Jose Altuve was the Houston Astros player who stole the spotlight on Thursday night with three home runs in Game 1 of the American League Divisional Series.

The number was just one short of his Rookie Card total from 2011 — and the three-time batting champ doesn’t have much cardboard before that, either, just an appearance in 2010 Bowman Chrome.

And that fact has me pondering a simple question for all of you …

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

>> Click here to buy cards on BlowoutCards.com

Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (Sept. 29)

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 baseball breaks and other MLB posts in today’s edition.

First Buzz: 2017 Bowman Chrome Mini baseball cards

What: 2017 Bowman Chrome Mini baseball cards
Arrives: December (date TBD)
Box basics: Each 273-card set also will include three 10-card bonus packs
Checklist: Click here to view

What’s buzz-worthy: The Minis are back — and they’re packing bonus parallel packs with every factory set.

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

Record-breaker: Twelve Aaron Judge autos to consider chasing

What happens when a New York Yankees star sets a new MLB rookie home run record with his 50th longball of the year?

His baseball cards just keep on selling.

Aaron Judge is that Yankee and thanks to several years’ of prospecting sets and his blazing 2017 Rookie Card arrival he’s arguably the hottest cardboard in the hobby today and pretty much has been all season long. As we documented here previously, he’s got plenty of ink. And there’s been plenty made this summer — at the point where he had a dozen home runs this year, he had more than 400 different autographed cards.

Now? He’s pushing 700. Seriously.

If you don’t have a Judge auto, where should you start? Consider these 12 sets or specific cards as mentioned here previously on The Buzz — or one of the many that has arrived since then.

Rafael Devers’ hot late start means long wait for 2018 Rookie Cards — but he’s got plenty to chase now

You’ll have to wait until 2018 for his official Rookie Cards, but, don’t worry, he’s got plenty you can collect for now.

His name is Rafael Devers and he’s also got six home runs in his first 62 at-bats for the Boston Red Sox and, most importantly, three of those have come in his last two games against the New York Yankees.

The 20-year-old third baseman is hitting .339 with 12 RBI, 11 runs and a stolen base in his first 16 games — and he’s got to be among the league leaders in pre-RC cardboard, too.

eBay Buzz: Graded Aaron Judge cards reportedly sell for $20,000

Its auction photo really didn’t help, but this Aaron Judge 2013 Bowman Draft Gold Refractor really was another color when it reportedly sold on eBay last week.

That color was green.

Scott Schebler’s autographs can be found in just one place — and same goes for his lone Rookie Card

Scott Schebler is this year’s Adam Duvall — a hard-hitting Cincinnati Reds outfielder who’s come out of nowhere to hit a boatload of home runs.

Schebler’s present stat line stands at 15 homers and 29 RBI through his first 48 games where he’s hitting .247. It’s a home run mark that puts him tied for fifth in the majors and tops in the National League beside Bryce Harper. (Duvall is one shot behind them on the NL list.)

Unlike Duvall, whose arrival last year was at a time where he had no certified autographs, Schebler’s is one where he’s got autographs — but only in a single past release.

Buzz Poll: Does Mike Trout’s first visit to the disabled list worry you?

For the first time in his big-league career, the biggest-selling star in MLB is headed to the disabled list — and it’s with a torn thumb ligament that needs surgery.

With Mike Trout cards — particularly his 2009 Bowman Chrome Draft autos — trading at record highs, there are bound to be some worries. (Here’s where it’s being discussed over on the Blowout Forums.)

Could this be the type of injury that affects his performance now and in the future? Or is it something that gives collectors a chance to catch their breath and maybe land some big cards cheaper than they might have otherwise been?

Tell us what you think in our polls below or via a comment here or on Twitter.

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

>> Click here to shop for cards on BlowoutCards.com.

Buzz 12 in 12: Busting three 2016 Bowman MLB value packs (Hour 5)

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 5.

The lot: Three 2016 Bowman baseball value packs (each contains three packs plus a bonus pack)
The cost: Click here

What’s inside this one? Keep reading …

Ian Happ’s big arrival for Cubs might be calm before storm on cards

The newest big-name Chicago Cubs prospect arrived on Saturday and made his presence felt immediately in his first game with a two-run homer.

So far, Ian Happ is hitting .429 in his first two games, further helping bolster a mostly home-grown lineup that is watched closely by collectors.

Happ is not a surprise for prospectors as the defending World Series champs took him with the ninth pick in the 2015 MLB Draft out of the University of Cincinnati– and he’s been watched on cardboard ever since — but sales of his cards, at least so far, are showing some room for growth.

Gift Ngoepe has MLB-approved baseball cards before historic debut

No matter what he does, Gift Ngoepe‘s first play for the Pittsburgh Pirates will be a historic one.

The team called him up on Wednesday — after nine seasons in the minors — making him the first MLB player born in Africa. You know, the entire continent.

And thanks to the World Baseball Classic and Topps he’s already got a modest amount of MLB-approved cardboard for collectors to chase.

Eric Thames’ surprising start prompts look back at key cardboard

A new season’s new emerging names are doing just that.

Your MLB home run leader right now is Eric Thames of the Milwaukee Brewers, who has smacked seven longballs so far. The latest came as part of a 3-for-4 day Monday against the Cubs in Wrigley Field.

The 30-year-old entered this season with 21 homers in his previous three big-league seasons — his last being in 2012 with the Mariners. He hit 12 of those homers as a rookie with the Blue Jays in 2011 but struggled with a career average that’s up to .259 with his .405 start this year. How far off the radar was he? Thames spent the last three years playing in Korea’s KBO League — where he hit 124 homers in 390 games.

First Buzz: 2017 Bowman Chrome baseball cards

What: 2017 Bowman Chrome baseball cards
Arrives: Sept. 6
Box basics: Three autographs per one-pack HTA Choice box (12 boxes per case);
Two autographs per 12-pack master box (two mini boxes per master box; 12 masters per case)
Checklist: Click here to view
Order: Click here for HTA Choice and click here for Hobby

What’s buzz-worthy: Topps offers a new format for Bowman Chrome with HTA Choice boxes that are autograph-only with their own features or a traditional release that includes standard cards and more via the traditional mini-box format.

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

Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (Feb. 18)

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: Breaks from around the collecting world and a couple collecting debates that might make you think.

Buzz Poll: What do you collect when it comes to cardboard these days?

A new year is almost here and Buzz has a few questions for you about your collecting habits.

Simply put, we want to know more about what you collect and here are 10 questions we hope you’ll take a few minutes to answer.

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See the rest of the questions after the jump.

Buzz Break: 2016 Bowman Draft baseball cards (jumbo 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: 2016 Bowman Draft baseball cards (jumbo box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 12
Cards per pack: 32
Cards in this box: 384
Base set completion: 
200 of 200 (100 percent)
Duplicates: 73

Base cards of note – Mickey Moniak, A.J. Puk, Delvin Perez, Kyle Lewis, Joshua Lowe, Alex Kiriloff, Bobby Dalbec, Bobby Ray, Ian Anderson, Tyler O’Neill, Gleyber Torres, Eloy Jimenez, Bo Bichette, Braxton Garrett, Corey Ray, Forrest Whitley, Gavin Lux, Joe Rizzo, Will Benson, Zack Collins (and others)

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

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: New Topps Dynasty baseball cards and some bold Black Friday-inspired breaks from around the sports and non-sports world.

Get the 2016 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects baseball checklist here

The wait for many of the details is over.

Topps released the final checklist for its 2016 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects baseball cards on Thursday, giving prospectors a final rundown of who’ll be signing on for the 15th edition of the popular brand.

Gallery: Who’s signing for 2016 Bowman Draft … so far

The arrival of 2016 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects is less than two weeks away and Topps has begun teasing players whose autographs will be found inside its packs.

One of them will be No. 1 overall draft pick Mickey Moniak, a high-schooler who hit .284 with 28 RBI in 46 games in his first season as a pro.

Black November Wave 6 is here — and here are five deals to consider

If you hadn’t noticed, there are a number of boxes with discounted prices now over on the mothership as BlowoutCards.com’s Black November Wave 6 hits today.

Many of the discounts were dramatic enough that Buzz had to sit down and ponder the possibilities in many of the boxes and cases — and here are five boxes that caught this collector’s eye.

2008 Upper Deck Goudey baseball hobby box
This one is a fun retro box to rip with its 1930s design and it’s one that has some serious potential when it comes to autographs. Signers in these two-hit-per boxes include Albert Pujols, Derek Jeter, Gordie Howe, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Nolan Ryan, Sidney Crosby, Tiger Woods, Johnny Bench, Dan Marino, Julius Erving, Ken Griffey Jr., Willie McCovey and plenty more. It will take some luck to find some of them, but they are in there along with a Clayton Kershaw Rookie Card and plenty more among the base cards and inserts.

First Buzz: 2017 Bowman baseball cards (updated with gallery)

What: 2017 Bowman baseball cards
Arrives: April 26
Box basics: One autograph per 24-pack hobby box (12 boxes per case);
Three autographs per 12-pack Jumbo box (eight boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here to view

What’s buzz-worthy: Topps celebrates the 70th anniversary of Bowman with a number of throwback inclusions as well as buyback cards while offering up the newest crop of rookies and prospects with plenty of color.

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

Buzz Poll: Which 2016 MLB debut has impressed you most?

More than 200 players have made their MLB debuts so far this season and one of the latest is the hottest prospect in baseball, Boston Red Sox third baseman Yoan Moncada.

He got his first hit last night in just his second game and that got us wondering which newcomers you think have been best. Take the Buzz Poll below …

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

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

Dansby Swanson’s arrival offers hope for struggling hobby-favorite Braves

The Atlanta Braves have the worst record in baseball but they’ll be one of the most-watched teams when it comes to hobbyists the rest of this season thanks to a call-up that appears to have paid off pretty well on Wednesday night.

Former No. 1 overall draft pick Dansby Swanson arrived and went 2-for-4 with a pair of singles in his big-league debut. The home-state star’s promotion is about more than just performance, though, as less than 10 months ago, he was a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks organization — and now he’s immediately one of the faces of a franchise aiming to rebuild. It’s a franchise with plenty of hobby favorites in the past and it doesn’t hurt that there’s a new stadium coming next year, too.

Now, the questions come about cardboard. Will this Rookie Cards now be included in 2017 Topps Series 1 and 2017 Topps Heritage? We don’t know that yet — but we do know he’s among today’s Topps Now stars on a call-up card — not once but twice.

First Buzz: 2016 Bowman’s Best baseball cards

What: 2016 Bowman’s Best baseball cards
Arrives: Dec. 21
Box basics: Four autographs per box (eight boxes per case)

What’s buzz-worthy: Bowman’s Best is back once again with a mini-box format that delivers two autographs in six packs with this year’s top veterans, rookies, prospects and draft picks potentially found inside.

See a gallery and more … below.

Futures Game MVP Yoan Moncada gets Topps Now tribute for 24 hours

Houston Astros prospect Alex Bregman stole the show early in the All-Star Futures Game Sunday night in San Diego, but Boston Red Sox prospect Yoan Moncada stole the show.

And to the victor go the spoils — the MVP award and the Topps Now card appearance.

Need a 2016 Bowman Inception baseball card checklist? Click here …

This year’s edition of Bowman Inception is just a week away, and that means the latest round of Inceptioned insert cards, plenty of prospect autographs and maybe a few surprises.

Well, there won’t be as many surprises now since Topps has released the checklist.

Who’ll be playing in the 2016 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game?

Who’ll be playing in the 2016 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game that’s part of MLB All-Star Game festivities?

The answer to that arrived on Tuesday.

eBay Buzz: Is his really a $500,000 Mike Trout baseball card?

So, what’s the best card of one of Major League Baseball’s top two players worth?

You could find out soon as Mike Trout‘s Superfractor from 2009 Bowman Chrome Draft is on the auction block. The asking price? A mere $500,000 Buy it Now — or best offer.

(No, seriously, go look.)

Big weekend for Dodgers’ Corey Seager prompts collecting question

Los Angeles Dodgers rookie Corey Seager‘s hot streak started Friday night and continued again on Sunday with his weekend tally including five homers in three games.

Not bad for a guy who was waiting (and waiting) for the call a year ago.

But Seager’s domination at the plate got Buzz wondering which way collectors are leaning on Seager ink. He’s pretty much a given to appear in forthcoming brands this year — so there are plenty more autos to come with an RC logo attached (including Tier One this week) — but he’s already got a rich autograph history. Even on Chrome.

Julio Urias to make MLB debut for Dodgers Friday night vs. Mets

It’s go time for Julio Urias.

The highly touted Los Angeles Dodgers pitching prospect will make his major league debut on Friday night in New York against the defending National League champion Mets. He’ll be the youngest starter in MLB since Felix Hernandez back in 2005.

The 19-year-old from Mexico was 4-1 with an 1.10 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 41 innings this season for Triple-A Oklahoma City. Baseball America ranked him fourth overall on its 2016 Top 100 list — the best pitcher of the bunch. He’s actually in his fourth season as a pro after signing with the Dodgers as an international free agent in 2013.

Kenta Maeda autographed RC will be found in 2016 Bowman Chrome

It shouldn’t be a surprise that he’ll be included, but it should be a surprise when you pull him.

Topps announced on Monday that Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Kenta Maeda will have autographed Rookie Cards in 2016 Bowman Chrome when it arrives on Sept. 7.

Buzz Break: 2016 Bowman 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: 2016 Bowman baseball cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 8
Cards per pack: 10
Cards in this box: 80
Base set completion: 
34 of 150 (23 percent)
Duplicates: 0
Prospect set completion: 
24 of 150 (16 percent)
Duplicates: 0
Chrome prospect set completion: 
16 of 150 (11 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notable players on base cards – Mike Trout, David Price, Madison Bumgarner, Stephen Strasburg, Yu Darvish, Nolan Arenado

Rookie Cards (7) – Jose Peraza, Brandon Drury, Max Kepler, Rob Refsnyder, Luis Severino, Trea Turner, Hector Olivera

Notable Prospects (both sets) – Kenta Maeda, Brendan Rodgers, Nick Gordon, Rafael Devers, Brady Aiken, Jhailyn Ortiz