Buzz Break: 2017 Donruss Optic football cards (Mega Box)

From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and break down 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 Donruss Optic NFL cards (Mega Box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Packs per box: 10
Cards per pack: 4
Cards in this box: 40
Base set completion: 16 of 100 (16 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards: Dak Prescott, Julian Edelman, Andy Dalton, David Johnson, Le’Veon Bell

Buzz Break: 2017 Donruss Optic NFL cards (Special Edition 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 Donruss Optic NFL (SE blaster)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Packs per box: 6
Cards per pack: 4
Cards in this box: 24
Base set completion: 
11 of 100 (11 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Base cards – Marshawn Lynch, Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski, Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell, Randall Cobb, Alshon Jeffrey, Jordan Matthews, Carlos Hyde, Tavon Austin, Doug Baldwin

Landing free autographs can be easy … if you buy the book

Legendary actor Tom Hanks, $19.77. Wrestling icon Ric Flair and his WWE star daughter Charlotte, $19.98.

Those are the prices this collector paid for the latest additions to his autograph collection thanks to the signed books section at one major book chain’s website — a new reminder that one of the easiest ways to land autographs from some big names is to watch the new arrival lists.

It’s a little oldschool — you don’t have to pay for the autograph just the book?!? — and a little risky as you have to buy from the right places using some strategy, but it’s one way that many collectors have landed ink without forking over big bucks or ripping packs to chase a particular name. (Some names, like Hanks for example, don’t even have card appearances.)

Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (Aug. 27)

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: Floyd Mayweather’s big win over Conor Mcgregor, Julian Edelman’s season-ending injury, Rhys Hoskins’ power surge, Elgin Baylor ink and big NFL pulls.

NFL stars get Funko Pop! treatment in new wave of toys coming this fall

The fourth wave of NFL Funko Pop! toys are coming this fall and the stars of the rookie class of last year as well as many mainstays of the league are in play.

The Everett, Wash.-based company revealed the lineup of more than 20 toys on Tuesday with Dallas Cowboys stars Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott leading the way among a pack of players that also includes exclsuives and variations.

Buzz Break: 2014 Topps football cards (Relic hanger 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 Topps football cards (Relic hanger box)
Where to buy: Check around (This one: $7.98 in a retail clearance bin.)

Cards in this box: 72
Base set completion: 
60 of 440 (14 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards: Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck, Julian Edelman, Matt Ryan, Jason Witten, Andy Dalton, Colts team card, Seahawks team

Rookie Cards (16) – Martavis Bryant, Jake Matthews, A.J. McCarron, Charles Sims, Kevin Norwood, Jared Abbrederis, Marion Grice, LaDarius Perkins, Pierre Desir, Donte Moncrief, Tyler Gaffney, George Atkinson III, Cody Latimer, Zach Mettenberger, Darqueze Dennard, Aaron Donald

Buzz 12 in 12: Busting a 2016 Donruss Optic football blaster box (Hour 1)

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 1.

The box: 2016 Donruss Optic football cards
The cost: Click here

What’s inside this one? Keep reading …

Patriots’ first Super Bowl LI champs cards come via Panini Instant

The champs are here — and “here” is Panini Instant.

The New England Patriots‘ stunning come-from-behind overtime victory in Super Bowl LI on Sunday is now documented via a new commemorative football card set from Panini America revealed on Wednesday.

Who are Super Bowl LI superstars worth collecting? Most are obvious …

If you didn’t know, Super Bowl LI is on Sunday with the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots facing off for top honors in the NFL — something the Patriots have done four times and something the Falcons have come up short at grasping one previous time.

We all know the household names here and that list starts with the quarterbacks, Tom Brady and Matt Ryan, but we also should all know that this is one of those games where an unknown and cardless player could become a postseason legend like Malcolm Butler two years ago.

So, who else should be on the radar of football collectors already?

Buzz Poll: Assess the 2016 NFL season with our latest questions

The regular season is now over in the NFL and that means one thing — we now have final stats.

Ok, ok … it also means the playoffs.

But for many rookies and players who are important in the hobby and may not be playing this weekend, those final stats are one way to assess whether we should continue to sink our dollars into their cards. Two rookies of note in 2016, Dallas’ Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott, will still be playing and they lead off our first of 13 Buzz Poll questions all about the NFL this year.

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Keep reading to answer the rest of our questions …

Buzz Break: 2016 Panini Contenders football cards (blaster box)

From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and break down 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 Panini Contenders football cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Packs per box: 5
Cards per pack: 8
Cards in this box: 40
Base set completion: 
33 of 100 (33 percent)
Duplicates: 4

Notable names pulled on base cards: Odell Beckham Jr., Mark Ingram, Bart Starr, J.J. Watt, Andrew Luck, Todd Gurley, Drew Brees, Eli Manning, Julian Edelman