What: 2018 Panini USA Baseball Stars & Stripes baseball cards
Arrives: March 14
Box basics: Five autographs or memorabilia cards per five-pack box (20 boxes per case)
What’s buzz-worthy: USA Baseball returns to cardboard with a mix of past and present players’ autographs, memorabilia & more.
Keep reading for more as well as a full gallery of images.
This year’s Baseball Hall of Fame ballot has been released by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America with several new names and players who appeared on last year’s ballot but failed to get selected on 75 percent of the vote.
It’s a crop that includes Chipper Jones, Jim Thome and Johan Santana among the newcomers and Larry Walker, Fred McGriff, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens among those left over from past ballots.
Below is the ballot that all BBWAA members will receive. The writers can vote for as many as 10 players. Those who appear on 75 percent of all ballots cast will be inducted into the Hall.
What: 2018 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures autographed baseballs
Arrives: Jan. 3
Box basics: One autographed baseball per box (12 boxes per case)
What’s buzz-worthy: TRISTAR’s autographed baseball chase brand is back in January with nods to its hometown World Series champion Houston Astros as well as Diamond Tickets good for one of the biggest possible autographs in MLB history.
Keep reading for details on that one and a gallery of what’s possible in this one.
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 7.
The box: 1999 Upper Deck Ovation baseball cards (blaster)
The cost now: $19.95
The cost then: $34.99
What’s inside this one? Keep reading …
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 Archives Signature Series Postseason Edition baseball cards
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com
Packs per box: 1
Cards per pack: 1
Base set completion:
N/A
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.
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 Update baseball cards
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for nearly all wax formats)
Packs per box: 11 (10 standard plus one medallion pack)
Cards per pack: 10
Cards in this box: 101
Base set completion:
83 of 300 (28 percent)
Duplicates: 0
Base cards of note – Nolan Arenado, Carlos Beltran, Miguel Sano
Rookie Cards (39) – Notables include Yoan Moncada (2), Alex Bregman, Alex Reyes, Ian Happ
Three autographed baseballs representing a cult classic episode of The Simpsons and a subsequent “mockumentary” of the episode will benefit the charity of a baseball icon soon.
It’s all part of a Goldin Auctions sale of baseballs signed by those involved in “Springfield of Dreams” which aired last night as part of a 25th anniversary celebration of “Homer at the Bat” a year that also included honors at the Baseball Hall of Fame.
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 Series 2 baseball cards
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)
Packs per box: 11 (10 standard plus one Independence Day MLB logo card)
Cards per pack: 10
Cards in this box: 102
Base set completion:
76 of 350 (22 percent)
Duplicates: 0
Base cards of note – Yu Darvish, Nolan Arenado, Jake Arrieta, Michael Conforto, Buster Posey, Justin Verlander
Rookie Cards (6) – Manny Margot, Roman Quinn, Adalberto Mejia, Jorge Alfaro, Jharel Cotton, Hunter Renfroe
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 4.
The pack: 1987 Donruss baseball
The cost now: 55 cents ($20 for a 36-pack box; this pack randomly chosen)
The cost then: Under $1
What’s inside this one? Keep reading …
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 9.
The box: 2016 Topps Allen & Ginter baseball cards (blaster box)
The cost: $14.99 (Click here for hobby)
What’s inside this one? Keep reading …
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 Gypsy Queen baseball cards (hobby)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com
Packs per box: 24 (plus one box-topper)
Cards per pack: 8
Cards in this box: 193
Base set completion:
173 of 300 (58 percent)
Duplicates: 0
Notables on base cards – Addison Russell, Buster Posey, Madison Bumgarner, Albert Pujols, Max Scherzer, Kyle Hendricks, Trevor Story, Francisco Lindor, Manny Machado, Kenta Maeda, Josh Donaldson, Jake Arrieta, Giancarlo Stanton, Yu Darvish, David Ortiz, Clayton Kershaw, Carlos Correa
Rookie Cards (21) – Jharel Cotton, Alex Bregman, Yoan Moncada, Andrew Benintendi, Orlando Arcia, Alex Reyes, Tyler Glasnow, Robert Gsellman, Tyler Austin, Matt Olson, Manny Margot, Trey Mancini, Teoscar Hernandez, JaCoby Jones, Carson Fulmer, Gavin Cecchini, David Dahl, Joe Musgrove, Hunter Renfroe, Ryon Healy, Bruce Maxwell
This year’s Baseball Hall of Fame ballot has been released by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America with 19 new names as well as the players who appeared on last year’s ballot but failed to get 75 percent of the vote.
Below is the list of names that all BBWAA members will receive. The writers can vote for as many as 10 players and those who appear on 75 percent of all ballots cast will go into the Hall. Your challenge here is different.
Unlike the writers, you don’t get to pick 10. You get to pick just one player.
Prime Cuts is almost here — but the wait for its checklist is now over.
How many Babe Ruth memorabilia cards will there be? How many rookies made the cut? Who’s signing and whose memorabilia can be found for the first time?
Oh and who made it onto the eight-player autograph booklets?
Keep reading to find out what’s in store for 2016 Panini Prime Cuts baseball cards …
We’re just a few hours away from Game 7 of the World Series where the Chicago Cubs will end more than a century of futility — or the Cleveland Indians will make them once again wait for next year.
On cardboard and in the hobby, there’s no comparison between the two teams as the Cubs are largely stocked with young players (several homegrown) who are well-established and readily available on cardboard — for now — compared to the Indians, who have a few young notables but nobody who’ll truly break the bank. Among the Cubbies’ notables are Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber, Addison Russell, Javier Baez, Jake Arrieta, Willson Contreras, Anthony Rizzo … and that’s not all on a list that’s meaty and the cardboard is boldly available for nearly all of them.
That got Buzz wondering … if the Cubs win it all, is their victory bigger than the Boston Red Sox’ 2004 World Series win when it comes to the hobby and collecting? Is it bigger than Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens — you know, all those historic super-human performances that ultimately turned out to be, well, a bit questionable? They all sold plenty of cardboard in the past — plenty — but that team and those players were mostly established veterans. The Cubs are largely kids with plenty of potential for future successes — dare we say dynasty — for years to come being a real possibility.
And that would all start with a ring tonight and pay off for collectors for years to come.
I’d argue that demand for the Cubs’ key players autographs and key players could be the biggest thing seen in years once it’s all said and done. Once The Curse of the Billy Goat is dead and buried alongside that of The Bambino there’s all kinds of potential for now in the short-term, later in the weeks and months to come and, ultimately, for future seasons.
It could be like nothing we’ve ever seen before.
Agree? Disagree? Tell Buzz what you think in the poll below …
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Follow Buzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz or send email to BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.
We’re less than two weeks away from the arrival of 2016 Panini Flawess and its game-changing high-end potential being unleashed upon the hobby.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t yet get a sneak peek of what’s coming.
Panini America is busy readying those silver briefcases with baseball cards for the first time, and they’ll include 10 cards per box (or 20 total if you go the sealed case case route).
What: 2016 Fanatics Authentic Under Wraps autographed baseballs
Arrives: April 15
Box basics: One signed baseball per box (12 boxes per case)
What’s buzz-worthy: This MLB-approved product is a first for the growing show promotor with this first brand including some of the biggest names in the game as well as a mix of chase baseballs — all signed — and the potential for experiences including the chance to meet stars at shows.
Keep reading for more.
The Baseball Writers’ Association of America votes are in, and there’s no surprise at the top — Ken Griffey Jr. is headed to Cooperstown, N.Y., this summer to join baseball’s immortals.
He received 99.3 percent of the vote — a record and three votes short of unanimous — after his first time on the ballot. Joining him is former Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets catcher Mike Piazza, who appeared on 83 percent of the 440 ballots.
Griffey helped usher in a new era of collecting in 1989 as the iconic No. 1 in the first Upper Deck set, a release that helped change the printing and packaging of cards and the collecting expectations of a generation. For those same thirty-somethings and beyond, he’s an also icon on the field with his backwards cap and a smooth but powerful left-handed swing that helped produce 630 home runs and countless more memorable moments for the Mariners, Reds and White Sox over 22 seasons but never a World Series at-bat.
Clearly he’s one of the greatest players — and most-beloved players — in MLB history, a symbol of what’s good about the game in an era of bogus records and inflated statistics that have undermined not only the results on the field but also the cardboard of our youth. His enshrinement this summer in Cooperstown will be the stuff that cardboard (and baseball) marketing is made of. In fact, there are already two forthcoming brands — 2016 Topps Series 2 and 2016 Topps Finest (above right) — that will spotlight Junior.
There are 32 players on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America Hall of Fame ballot this year and the ongoing debate of who’s worthy, who’s not and who cheated with performance-enhancing drugs will rage on well beyond the reveal of the voting results on Jan. 6.
In Buzz’s book, there’s quite possibly only one new Hall of Famer headed to Cooperstown this coming summer, and that lock is Ken Griffey Jr.
The rest? Well, it’s not that easy. Buzz has eliminated 12 of the guys who are not likely to even make the cut to be on next year’s ballot and examined the stats for 20 of those who are left. Along with this, Buzz has added some key Rookie Card info, too, just in case you haven’t tracked any of them down just yet or want to revisit cardboard from your youth.
Continue reading
This year’s Baseball Hall of Fame ballot has been released by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America with 15 new names and several players who appeared on last year’s ballot but failed to get 75 percent of the votes.
Below is the ballot that all BBWAA members will receive. The writers can vote for as many as 10 players. Those who appear on 75 percent of all ballots cast will be inducted into the Hall. Your challenge here is a bit different.
Here are some facts touting Panini America‘s latest baseball set, 2015 Panini Contenders, which arrives on Wednesday, Nov. 11, packing some prospect debuts and plenty of international, prep and college talents in their teams’ colors.
54 — There will be 54 players who are appearing on their first autographs in this one, according to the company, with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Victor Robles among them. Guerrero is the son of the former big-leaguer and will aim to begin his MLB career in Canada as a Blue Jays signee. (His dad, of course, began as an Expo nearly 20 years ago back in 1996.) Robles is a highly touted Nationals outfielder.
2 — That’s the number of boxes in a case that will pack an autograph from either Cubs catcher Kyle Schwarber, Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager or Red Sox prospect Yoan Moncada. Schwarber will be seen in his Indiana Hoosiers gear but is already on the minds of many collectors as is Seager, who will be found as part of the product’s USA Baseball contingent. Moncada is a new international signee who has very little cardboard so far.
Autographed chin strap cards — they’ve never been done before, but they’re coming in 2015 Immaculate Collection College, which was revealed this week and is coming in December from Panini America.
Packing just seven cards per box — five of those being autographs or memorabilia — this brand will include stars from several sports on cards that might not have been seen before and all are done using NCAA team logos and colors. One cool example? A memorabilia card of Tony Gwynn the basketball star at San Diego State.
BlowoutBuzz.com 