Buzz Break: 1999 WNBA Hoops basketball cards

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: 1999 WNBA Hoops basketball cards (hobby box)
Where to buy: Wherever you can find it reasonably priced

Packs per box: 36
Cards per pack: 10
Cards in this box: 360
Base set completion: 
110 of 110 (100 percent)
Duplicates: 110 (yep, a second full set)
Triplicates: 105 (yep, almost a third)
Quadruplicates: 11

Notable names pulled on base cards: Cynthia Cooper, Teresa Weatherspoon, Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, Rebecca Lobo, Nikki McCray

Notable Rookie Cards pulled: Katie Smith, Jennifer Azzi, Chamique Holdsclaw, Dawn Staley, Nykesha Sales

UFC star Ronda Rousey leads long list of athletes in SI Swimsuit Issue — and many can be found on cards

It’s February and that means that we’re set for the Super Bowl and some mass-marketing from SI.com over the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

And in reality the hype for both already has begun.

The last time we saw Ronda Rousey, she was suffering the first loss of her UFC career. Up next she’ll be in the annual issue for the second year in a row. More publicity won’t hurt her already-in-high-demand cardboard. She’s one of a long list of athletes to appear in the issue and part of an even longer list of models who appear on cards and have certified autographs and even memorabilia cards for collectors to chase.

For the traditional models, there actually were SI Swimsuit card sets released each year from 2003 to 2009 from Stellar Collectibles and then a later retrospective set. In those sets, we got autographs, memorabilia cards and even paint cards from photoshoots. Meanwhile, for many of the athletes who have appeared in the issue since, there are autograph appearances in sets like Topps’ Allen & Ginter (and many other sets) where collectors can also sometimes find the models. Kate Upton and Chrissy Teigen have been found there for example, and they sell very well.

Here’s a rundown of a few sports stars who we’ve seen in the issue.