Revisiting a favorite Hank Aaron baseball card on his 84th birthday

On this day in 1934 in Mobile, Ala., Henry Louis Aaron was born — and 20 years later he made his big-league debut for the Milwaukee Braves.

Twenty-two years after that? Hammerin’ Hank’s career ended — in the uniform of the Milwaukee Brewers — with him atop the all-time home run list. All of this is a simple but impressive stat-sheet reality that you can revisit here but should know.

What some younger collectors may not realize, though, is that one of his baseball cards arrived noting his new record before it actually happened and before it was on the back of his card, instead of the year after as it really should have been. (It’s actually among my favorite Aaron cards, too, making the birthday the reason you’re reading this.)

If you’ve wanted to pull a Tom Brady Rookie Card, here’s your shot …

Even if Tom Brady doesn’t get his sixth Super Bowl ring on Sunday, his Rookie Cards from 2000 will remain the hottest cards in the hobby as it’s become abundantly clear that he’s The One to those who target the all-time elite on cardboard.

The biggest challenge to chasing Brady RCs isn’t really finding them — you can, but they’re not cheap — the biggest challenge of them all might be finding wax boxes where you can pull one yourself.

But we’ve got a shot for you to do it over on the main site.

PSA authenticated or graded 10 of most-expensive items sold in 2017

Just 10 of the most-notable items in the sports world that were sold in 2017 totaled more than $6.7 million in sales, ranging from the $1.68 million Norman Rockwell piece you see here to high-grade copies of Mickey Mantle‘s iconic 1952 Topps card.

And they all had one thing in common — PSA or PSA/DNA authentication.

“We certified a myriad of incredible items last year, and the list is full of sports history from top to bottom,” said Professional Sports Authenticator VP Steve Sloan. “We’ll continue pushing ourselves toward another great year in 2018, and look forward to what’s in store.”

The Newport Beach, Calif.-based company recently took the time to examine the markets last year and touted its Top 10 for 2017. Keep reading to see everything on the list.

Tom Brady’s 2000 Playoff Contenders Rookie Ticket autograph Rookie Card just keeps selling

It’s the iconic autographed Rookie Card of the iconic player of today — and maybe any day — and it just keeps commanding big money at auction in high-grade.

It’s the 2000 Playoff Contenders Rookie Ticket autograph of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

And this PSA 10 copy? Well, it recently sold for $85,000 on eBay — and it’s not alone.

Highest-graded Joe Namath Rookie Card hits open market via Heritage

It was today back in 1969 that New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath delivered on his guaranteed upset of the Baltimore Colts — and next month an elite specimen of his best football card will hit the auction block.

It’s a PSA 9 copy of his 1965 Topps Rookie Card, and it’s one of just five cards to get that grade — and none have ever graded higher.

eBay Buzz: This 1968 Topps Nolan Ryan Rookie Card is how much?

It’s not new and fresh from a pack, but the price tag attached?

Well, it’s a jaw-dropper.

It’s a nearly perfect copy of Nolan Ryan‘s 1968 Topps Rookie Card — a hobby classic that’s chased by both New Yorkers who remember his early days with an iconic World Series-winning team, but also the fans of a rugged Texan who struck out more players than anyone else in MLB history. (And maybe by a few Jerry Koosman fans, too.)

Is it worth that? Perhaps to the right deep-pocketed collector — but maybe not for that much, though Ryan was MLB’s first million-dollar-a-year player when he signed with the Houston Astros in 1980.

Buzz 12 in 12: Busting a 1991 O-Pee-Chee 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 packs in a dozen hours. We’ll post one every hour on the hour all day long today … this is Hour 4.

The pack: 1991 O-Pee-Chee baseball
The cost: $3

What’s inside this one? Keep reading …

Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (Nov. 4)

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: A big collecting question and some big pulls for the weekend.

Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (Sept. 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: Big pulls, big question, big chatter and discussions on Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, Bruce Maxwell, Ken Griffey Jr.’s 1989 Upper Deck Rookie Card & more.

Hulk Hogan ‘Rookie Card’ pumps up Hulkamaniacs over on eBay

One of the highest-graded copies of one of a wrestling icon’s first cards has hit eBay and is already putting on a show.

It’s the 1982 Wrestling All-Star Series A card of Hulk Hogan, and it’s a card from an iconic set that was available via mail order three years before the first WWF (now WWE) cards arrived in packs from Topps.

Is it a Rookie Card? Is it not a Rookie Card? Doesn’t really matter, brother, as it’s already a big deal on eBay.

Real autograph, fake card: A Ric Flair story too good to be ‘woooooooooo’

There’s an old saying that if something too good to be true, then it probably is — and this collector recently got a reminder of just that.

With the recent health scare of pro wrestling legend “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair, I decided it was past time to track down a copy of his 2005 Topps Heritage WWE autograph card — a card that was never released in packs but had reportedly surfaced years ago.

It’s not that I needed a Flair autograph — I have it a few times and actually met him at a past show — I wanted this card because I’ve always had an affinity for Topps‘ earliest years of WWE cards. This was Topps’ first release in its current run, but Flair didn’t make the cut as part of a crop of signers that includes Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, The Iron Sheik, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Trish Stratus, Stacy Keibler and so many more notables from the past.

I found one on eBay and examined the autograph in the auction photo closely even though it was certified by JSA. I checked other cards for sale from the seller to see if there were autographs that looked questionable — everything looked fine to me and the card was affordably priced ($50) compared to another seller who wanted nearly $900 for a PSA-authenticated and slabbed copy (and I’m not a fan of its autograph). This JSA one was complete with sticker and a certificate noting that it was a witnessed autograph, not just an authenticated one.

But, I never even thought about whether the card itself was legit — I figured somebody somewhere had gotten their hands on the original cards Flair was supposed to sign but didn’t — however I knew instantly upon arrival that the card was legit as one of Flair’s face-first flops to the mat.

Heritage breaks up a legendary set of 1933 Goudey baseball cards

If you’ve ever been interested in grabbing some high-end copies of cards from the landmark 1933 Goudey set and have the bank account that lets you do so, then a new sale from Heritage Auctions is for you.

Active until Sept. 21 is an auction breaking up one of the best PSA-graded sets of the brand that contains the traditional in-pack Rookie Cards of many legendary names.

And they’re in sometimes-untoppable conditions.

National Sports Collectors Convention — the basics (so far)

The National Sports Collectors Convention is nearly here and the months of preparation are culminating in the show of all shows for sports collectors for five days in Chicago.

There will be plenty to see, plenty to do and plenty to buy and Buzz has been watching the developments the whole way. We’ll have galleries of images from the show floor and a few nuggets here and there in the coming days but there’s already been plenty written leading up to the show that you can all find right here.

Here’s a rundown of all past NSCC stories here on The Buzz …

Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (July 20)

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: Big breaks, big collecting questions, big games, big hits and the big question of today … “Will O.J. Simpson walk?”

Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (July 16)

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: A big vintage find, new MLB breaks, Aaron Judge, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., The National & more …

Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (June 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: Big pulls, vintage grading questions, WNBA show-offs & more.

PSA plans free custom slabbed cards & three game-used bat giveaways at this year’s NSCC

PSA has a couple of fan-friendly things to consider at this year’s National Sports Collectors Convention if you’re headed to Chicago.

If you visit the company’s booth, you can enter for a shot at winning one of three game-used bats, pose for a photo with the bat you prefer for your own baseball card, and have it placed into a PSA slab — free.

“The National Sports Collectors Convention is like the Super Bowl of the hobby, and each year we challenge ourselves to go bigger and better,” said PSA President Joe Orlando. “So, this year we’re giving away Frank Thomas, Derek Jeter and Kris Bryant signed bats, all game-used and totaling over $10,000 in value. Each bat is graded a PSA/DNA GU 10. And that’s just the beginning of what will be available at the PSA booth.”

PSA announces new label enhancements for its graded cards

Newly graded cards from PSA will arrive with a new look to their flips inside the slabs.

A new “lighthouse logo” is the centerpiece with it reflecting light and also connecting to the red trim of the paper insert is joined by “fugitive ink” in the background.

So why the change?

“As the market grows, it is imperative that we continue to look for ways to improve our services and the quality of our products,” said a statement from the company. “This includes enhancing the security features on the holders and labels used during our authentication/grading process. The newly-incorporated security features represent the single largest leap forward during our 26-year history. The new PSA label not only offers vastly superior technology and capabilities; it has also received a stylistic makeover as we look to take our leading brand well into the future.”

Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (March 26)

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: Big games, big debates, big questions, big pulls & big cards.

Six-figure sales happen with vintage football greats’ Rookie Cards, too

The high-dollar auctions aren’t just for high-grade Mickey Mantle cards.

While “The Mick” has dominated the auction block in recent years — and did so again last weekend via Heritage Auctions — there were two six-figure NFL sales of note in that Heritage sale, too.

And they weren’t alone as a number of graded football cards topped the $10,000 mark.

Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (Feb. 11)

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: Nothing but big NFL and MLB collecting questions.

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

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: Big breaks, Dr. Who, Matt Ryan, SI Swimsuit cards & more.

Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (Jan. 12)

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: We’re heavy on the NFL breaks along with the Los Angeles Chargers and the curious case of a Carlos Correa card.

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.

Holding Honus: Arizona D-backs’ MLB Play Ball charity auction includes an unusual bonus

A series of charity auctions during the MLB Winter Meetings will raise money for a New Jersey youth baseball field in memory of former New York Mets public relations executive Shannon Forde and one will give a card collector a big, memorable moment.

One of the Arizona Diamondbacks’ auctions among more than 80 active as part of the Play Ball initiative will give the winner a chance to meet someone legendary in the history of baseball cards.

First Buzz: 2017 Onyx Baseball Icons Collection

What: 2017 Onyx Baseball Icons Collection
Arrives: Jan. 6
Box basics: One autographed baseball per box and one vintage graded card per case (12 boxes per case)

What’s buzz-worthy: Only 50 sealed cases will be made for this one, meaning the checklist of the new inclusion — a graded vintage icon per case — will be limited, too, as Onyx looks to the Hall of Fame ranks for this new product.

Keep reading for more info, including a checklist.

Heritage’s 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle auction could top $1 million

Update: Including a buyer’s premium, the card sold for $1,135,250

—

A Heritage Auctions sale with more than 20 days remaining has a legitimate shot at yielding the hobby’s next million-dollar baseball card.

It’s a PSA 8.5 copy of Mickey Mantle‘s iconic 1952 Topps card and it’s already pushing the high six-figures in an auction that began earlier this month.

First Buzz: 2016 Leaf Pop Century Signed Photograph Retail Edition

What: 2016 Leaf Pop Century Signed Photograph Retail Edition
Arrives: October
Box basics: One autographed 8-by-10 photo per box (20 boxes per case)

What’s buzz-worthy: Leaf’s latest buyback product for pop culture arrives on the retail front with certified autographed photos from the biggest names in Hollywood as well as big names from elsewhere.

Goldin Auctions to once again sell high-grade Honus Wagner card that previously went for $2.1 million

A big baseball card is heading to the auction block once again.

A PSA 5 (MC) copy of the 1909 T206 Honus Wagner — the most-valuable baseball card of all time — is headed back to the auction block this fall via Goldin Auctions. The Runnemede, N.J.-based company announced the news on Thursday, noting that it will be up for grabs in its “Great American Trading Card Auction” in September after it goes on display at the National Sports Collectors Convention in Atlantic City, N.J.

“Serious collectors understand that every time a card like this is offered for auction, it may be the last time for a long time,” said Ken Goldin, the founder of the auction house. “The excitement that the auction of a T206 Wagner generates, coupled with the current booming market for high-grade trading cards, creates the perfect storm for establishing a new standard for sports memorabilia.”

Will “O.J.: Made in America” spark new interest in O.J. Simpson cards?

There’s no doubt that even after years out of the spotlight that O.J. Simpson remains one of the more-controversial and polarizing people on the planet, and we’ll get a new wave of discussion about the retired and incarcerated football star with the premiere of O.J.: Made in America, which is a five-part ESPN Films documentary, tonight on ABC.

Simpson, of course, is behind bars for armed robbery and kidnapping after an altercation with a memorabilia dealer back in 2007. His acquittal in the deaths of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman — and the 1997 civil suit found Simpson liable for their deaths — will be one of the main focuses of the nearly eight-hour series.

Will the new story spark any added interest in his key cards? It’s very possible and people are seemingly already interested to some degree. His 1970 Topps Rookie Card (above) actually surged in value back during the first trial and there were non-NFL-licensed card companies that actually had him sign autographs while in jail. According to one advance account of the new documentary, those autographs signed in jail are discussed in the series.

“O.J. had only been in jail for two or three days when, per his agent Mike Gilbert, he gave instructions to start ‘marketing and merchandising and generating a lot of money,'” reads one advance review. “Gilbert and memorabilia dealer Bruce Fromong brought in fabric numbers for O.J. to sign, which would later be sewn into jerseys, and leather panels that would eventually become footballs. Demand, says Fromong, was through the roof, and as photographs reveal, an O.J. autograph signed from behind bars could go for hundreds of dollars.

“‘He sat in jail,’ says Fromong, ‘and we did $3-million dollars in autographs.’ One photograph of O.J. and Johnnie Cochran got both their signatures. ‘I look back,’ says Gilbert, ‘and think, this sucked. I can’t believe we did this.’”

eBay Buzz: PSA 10 Michael Jordan sticker fetches big money

Focused basketball collectors on the Blowout forum recently noted an uptick in high-grade 1986-87 Fleer stickers, which makes sense since that landmark release is a heavily collected set.

But the sale of a Michael Jordan sticker from two years later — a set that’s much easier to find — might spark even more interest as a PSA 10 copy of an 1988-89 Fleer MJ sold for big bucks Tuesday night on eBay.

Pondering what’s possible in a 1973 Topps baseball group break — and you can win one of five free spots

What you see here is a 1973 Topps wax box — 24 packs of 10 cards — with cards inside just as they were wrapped in wax paper more than 40 years ago.

They’ll all see the light of day soon as part of an upcoming BlowoutTV group break, which will give collectors a shot at high-grade copies of Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt‘s Rookie Card along with RCs of Rich “Goose” Gossage, Dwight Evans, Davey Lopes and Bob Boone. (Oh, and keep reading to see how you can get in on a free spot in the break …)

And then, of course, there are cards of Hall of Famers and notables such as Hank Aaron, Nolan Ryan, Brooks Robinson, Roberto Clemente, Al Kaline, Willie Mays, Pete Rose, Thurman Munson, Reggie Jackson, Harmon Killebrew, Joe Morgan and many more. Perfect specimens aren’t a given with the printing, cutting and packaging of the past, but a box like this one can yield plenty of high-dollar cards in PSA 9 and 10 form. (And some strong cards in lesser grades.)

But the real power in this one beyond the Hall of Famers? The potential for PSA 10 commons — cards that are often overlooked raw but can command insane amounts when PSA Registry collectors chase a set in high grade. How about $739.76 for a PSA 10 Bobby Murcer?

There’s some Power of the Pinstripes in play there, but that card is not alone.

Four cards top $100,000 mark in Memory Lane Inc. auction

Memory Lane Inc.’s Spring Classics Rarities Auction ended with more than $2.9 million in sales during the weekend and four cards were of note helping the company reach that mark.

Three of them topped $100,000, while a fourth key card from the past topped $90,000 before a 20 percent premium was added.

First Buzz: 2016 Leaf Pop Century Signed Photograph Edition

What: 2016 Leaf Pop Century Signed Photograph Edition
Arrives: Late June
Box basics: One autographed 8-by-10 photo per box (12 boxes per case)

What’s buzz-worthy: Leaf’s latest buyback product for pop culture arrives with certified autographed photos from the biggest names in Hollywood as well as big names from elsewhere.

High-grade Babe Ruth 1933 Goudeys dominate in Heritage Auctions sale

Four high-grade 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth cards sold for a total of more than $500,000 Thursday night as part of a Heritage Auctions sale.

Each had a PSA 8 NM-MT grade.