Buzz Break: 2017 Topps Gallery 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 Gallery baseball cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: Initially only at Walmart

Packs per box: 8 (seven standard & Artist Proof pack)
Cards per pack: 4
Cards in this box: 33
Base set completion: 
24 of 150 (16 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Justin Verlander, Yoenis Cespedes, Jose Bautista

Rookie Cards (10) – Alex Bregman, Carson Fulmer, Jesse Winker, Alex Reyes, Hunter Renfroe, Trey Mancini, Magneuris Sierra, Ian Happ, Lewis Brinson, Orlando Arcia

Buzz 12 in 12: Busting a 2001 Topps Archives MLB blaster 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: 2001 Topps Archives baseball cards (blaster)
The cost: $50 now ($34.99 then by the box, $3.99 per pack)

What’s inside this one? Keep reading …

Buzz Break: 2017 Topps Triple Threads baseball cards

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 Triple Threads baseball cards
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 2
Cards per pack: 7
Cards in this box: 14
Base set completion: 
6 of 100 (6 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Base cards – Hank Aaron, Jackie Robinson, Chipper Jones, Don Mattingly, Julio Urias, Chris Sale

Newest Lelands auction includes some serious baseball history

A number of high-end and truly historic baseball items are leading the way in the latest Lelands Masters Auction.

What you see above? A 1962 Topps first series cello box.

It includes 36 packs that originally cost buyers $3.60 if they cleared out the box. It’s been inspected, authenticated and documented by Baseball Card Exchange and includes a number of packs with stars showing, including four showing Stan Musial and then appearances by Sandy Koufax, Ernie Banks, Eddie Mathews, Brooks Robinson and a number of leaders cards.

Bidding currently sits at $48,717 after just eight bids — and it’s not even close to the biggest item in the sale.

First Buzz: 2017 Topps Fire MLB

What: 2017 Topps Fire baseball cards
Arrives: This week only initially via Target stores
Box basics: Two hits per 20-pack collector’s box; blaster boxes and jumbo packs
Checklist: Click here to view

What’s buzz-worthy: Fire returns as a limited retail-only release with three pack formats all featuring different options for collectors.

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

Buzz 12 in 12: Busting a 2008 Donruss Threads Baseball hobby 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: 2008 Donruss Threads Baseball
The cost: $79

What’s inside this one? Keep reading …

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 Break: 2007 Upper Deck SP Legendary Cuts baseball cards

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: 2007 Upper Deck SP Legendary Cuts baseball cards
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 12
Cards per pack: 4
Cards in this box: 50
Base set completion: 
46 of 100 (46 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Frank Robinson, Cal Ripken Jr., Carl Yastrzemski, Wade Boggs, Carlton Fisk, Harmon Killebrew, Tom Seaver, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Yogi Berra, Robin Yount, Willie Stargell, Tony Gwynn, Willie McCovey

First Buzz: 2017 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Chicago North Side autographed baseballs

What: 2017 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Chicago North Side autographed baseballs
Arrives: March 1
Box basics: One autographed baseball of a current or former Chicago Cub per box (12 boxes per case)

What’s buzz-worthy: TRISTAR’s autographed baseball chase goes to the north side of Chicago with some chase baseballs and memorabilia items to be found in some boxes.

Keep reading for more.

Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (Jan. 8)

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: Error pulls, big pulls, Star Wars pulls, elusive pulls and more.

Buzz Break: 2014 Panini Golden Age 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: 2014 Panini Golden Age trading cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (hobby box)

Packs per box: 6
Cards per pack: 8
Cards in this box: 48
Base set completion: 
38 of 150 (25 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Jimi Hendrix, Martin Luther King Jr., Josh Gibson, Ernie Banks, Farrah Fawcett, Joe Jackson

Topps Fire baseball set returns for second season as wall art & jumbos

Topps Fire is back.

The colorful and energetic release of last year is back on the same platforms — wall art and jumbo card sets — for this year as Topps unleashed 2016 Topps Fire Wednesday on Topps.com.

Just For Fun: Can you identify which years these vintage baseball card photographs were used?

When someone says “1952 Topps Mickey Mantle” there’s simply one image that comes to mind for collectors — the image of the Oklahoma-born slugger looking over his right shoulder where his Louisville Slugger resides.

The blue hues and the yellow bat — the results of colorized images back in those days — are dramatically different than what we often expect from the cardboard of today, yet they are the basis of everything, too.

Seeing one of these memorable card images recently got Buzz wondering whether fellow collectors would be able to identify photographs from memorable vintage baseball card sets — but without the accoutrement that make 1952 look like 1952 or 1965 look like 1965.

Iconic Sports Illustrated covers can be quite collectable & sometimes quite valuable, too (gallery)

If you’ve watched any NFL games this season, you’ve likely heard the word “concussion” many times as the league has implemented new tests on players to help prevent future problems by assessing the here and now immediately following a hard hit.

On Christmas Day, a film about the issue of concussions in football called Concussion opens in theaters. You’ve probably seen the commercials for the film during NFL games.

Will Smith stars as Dr. Bennet Omalu, who discovered the degenerative brain disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. It’s a real-life issue that has affected more than 80 former players — many you’ve seen on football cards and might have collected. The movie is an important one and Sports Illustrated has Smith on its cover this week to discuss the movie.

Is it the first time a celebrity has appeared on the cover of the highly collectable sports magazine?

George Mikan Rookie Card sets record, while four other items top $100,000 mark in SCP Auctions sale

A perfect copy of a basketball legend’s Rookie Card reached legendary status on Saturday night in a sale via SCP Auctions.

The card is a PSA 10 1948 Bowman George Mikan Rookie Card, which is the only perfect copy in existence. It set what is believed to be a new record for a single basketball card with its sale.

The price?

Auction Buzz: Jo Jo White sale via SCP includes Hall of Famer’s rings & plenty more basketball brilliance

Jo Jo White was a Kansas Jayhawk before he was a Boston Celtic and an NBA-championship winner inducted into the Hall of Fame. Since then, he’s also worked in the Celtics’ front office.

A 25-lot sale open now via SCP Auctions includes memorabilia from all those times, including his Converse College All-America honors, two replacement rings for his titles with the Boston Celtics (the originals were lost) and his honorary 2008 Celtics championship ring from when he worked for the team.

Auction Buzz: Michael Jordan’s final Bulls home jersey, big bats top sales + PSA 10 George Mikan sale coming

Michael Jordan‘s final jersey worn for a regular-season home game as a member of the Chicago Bulls netted a new record for a piece of Jordan memorabilia with a sale price of $173,240 this weekend after 17 bids in Goldin Auctions‘ latest sale.

It wasn’t the only six-figure sale of the weekend, either.