Buzz Break: 2008 Donruss Americana II 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: 2008 Donruss Americana II trading cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 8
Cards per pack: 5
Cards in this box: 41
Base set completion: 
38 of 100 (38 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Elijah Wood, John Cusack, Ray Park, Martin Kove, Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell, Bai Ling, Greg Grunberg, Ricardo Montalban, Jake LaMotta, Peter Mayhew, Vicki Lawrence, Connie Britton, Jane Russell, Peggy Fleming, Lee Meriwether, Jonathan Winters, Ed Asner, Regis Philbin, Kane Hodder, Lindsay Wagner, Corey Feldman, Martina Navratilova, Laraine Newman

Black November Wave 2 is here … and here are five deals to consider

If you hadn’t noticed, there are a number of boxes with discounted prices right now over on the mothership as BlowoutCards.com is in the midst its Black November sales now.

Wave 2 is here and 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/cases that caught this collector’s eye.

2017 Topps Update Jumbo boxes and cases
This relatively new release is simply a fun one that’s stacked with Rookie Cards and moments from the All-Star Game and Home Run Derby. This collector has ripped hanger boxes, blaster boxes and standard Hobby boxes and many of them have delivered good volume on those guys named Bellinger, Judge and even on the variations. (They don’t have to be rare to be fun.) I haven’t studied the jumbo breaks closely, but one auto and two other hits at this price makes for a fun rip — and if you get lucky you could do pretty well. While this might be a brand that seems somewhat plentiful now, once wax dries up there will be enough key players here to make it of interest later — and basic Topps flagship RCs seem to be growing in popularity, too.

First Buzz: 2017 Historic Autographs Fame & Photo Edition

What: 2017 Historic Autographs Fame & Photo Edition
Arrives: Oct. 25
Box basics: One autographed 8-by-10 photo per pack (20 packs per case)

What’s buzz-worthy: Historic Autographs takes to Hollywood with this release that includes big names from Hollywood — you know, ones found in the tabloids and elsewhere.

Keep reading for more information.

First Buzz: 2017 Historic Autographs Celebrity Quads trading cards

What: 2017 Historic Autographs Celebrity Quads trading cards
Arrives: Late July
Box basics: One quad autograph  per box (eight boxes per case)

What’s buzz-worthy: Historic Autographs takes to Hollywood history with a release that will be limited to just 90 cases and feature some of the biggest names in entertainment history.

Keep reading for more information.

Ever wonder how a half-case of blaster boxes breaks down? Let’s look at 2011 Panini Americana …

Blaster boxes are the taste-testing location — the sample platter you might say — of many products for many people who may not have a hobby shop or want to try something new without spending too much.

After a few years, some of those boxes get dirt cheap as collectors’ attentions are focused elsewhere and it’s fun to dig in with those boxes become available at a fraction of their original cost.

One such product for this collector is 2011 Panini Americana, a non-sports release that’s somewhat higher-end and hit-driven at hobby — one hit per pack, just four packs per box — while the blasters typically include a hit of some type and typically more base cards than a hobby box inside.

Buzz 12 in 12: Busting a 2015 Panini Americana hobby box (Hour 6)

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: 2015 Panini Americana trading cards (hobby box)
The cost: Click here

What’s inside this one? Keep reading …

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

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: Who would you want to sign for Americana or Pop Century? Plus big pulls and other talkers from the boards.

Weekend Update: Check out 12 top items on The Buzz this week

It was a busy one on The Buzz this past week. Here are 12 stories worth a look if you missed out. Check ’em out & hit the subscribe button at right if you want email updates.

Bowman Chrome gets a revamp
HTA Choice boxes with nothing but autographed cards inside are now one option for Chrome fans. Get all the details in our 2017 Bowman Chrome First Buzz preview here.

Keep reading for more …

Celebrity autographs just might be easier to find than you think

When it comes to autographs in the sports world, there are plenty of ways that collectors and the autograph industry itself has helped commodify ink.

In other words, there are a number of common items that are commonly signed that help us all figure a common value that we’d expect to pay or expect to get if we have to sell something we own. Jerseys, balls, helmets, cards, photos — there are a lot of ways to collect sports autographs.

But for celebrity autographs, it’s a lot less complicated as the 8-by-10 photo is arguably the most-commonly solid piece across the whole spectrum of television, movies and others of note who we might find, say, at a comic book convention or other similarly organized signing session. Not all films have massive toy lines, not all celebs have book deals and TV shows often don’t have posters you can find all that easily.

Buzz Break: 2011 Panini Americana trading 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: 2011 Panini Americana trading cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: Shop around online.

Packs per box: 8
Cards per pack: 5
Cards in this box: 41
Base set completion: 
38 of 100 (38 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – David Carradine, Linda Hamilton, Corey Haim, Ralph Macchio, Ric Flair, Christina Applegate, Jeffrey Tambor, Leslie Nielsen, Burt Reynolds, Michael Madsen, Michelle Beadle, Pamela Anderson, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Selma Blair

Buzz Break: 2015 Panini Americana trading 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: 2015 Panini Americana trading cards (hobby box)
Where to buy: Shop around online.

Packs per box: 10
Cards per pack: 5
Cards in this box: 53
Base set completion: 
33 of 73 (45 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Al Pacino, Shannon Elizabeth, Molly Ringwald, Sylvester Stallone, Paula Abdul, James Earl Jones, Eliza Dushku, Danica McKellar, Katrina Bowden, John C. McGinley, Vanilla Ice, Kelly Rowland, Nick Cannon

CM Punk, Silent Bob & more celebs in Upper Deck’s next NHL set

When Upper Deck first teased its High Profile Fans cards of celebrities in its forthcoming 2015-16 Upper Deck Contours set, there was one notable hockey fan who got the attention, Chicago Blackhawks fan CM Punk.

Now, with the release of a final checklist, there are a few more.