Buzz Break: 2018 Topps U.S. Winter Olympic Team 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: 2018 Topps U.S. Winter Olympic Team & Hopefuls cards (hobby box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 24
Cards per pack: 8
Cards in this box: 181
Base US set completion: 
48 of 48 (100 percent)
Base USA set completion: 
45 of 45 (100 percent)
Duplicates (both sets): 36

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

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: Nothing but impressive pulls — including a decade-old Tom Brady 1/1 — in today’s edition.

Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood gets bigger with upcoming USPS stamp

Would you be mine? Could you be mine?

The answer is “yes,” when it comes to stamps for children’s television icon Mister Rogers as the U.S. Postal Service will issue a new stamp featuring him late next month.

It will be formally unveiled at a dedication ceremony on March 23 at WQED’s Fred Rogers Studio in Pittsburgh — an event open to the public — and should go on sale at that time, too. These Forever stamps will cost 50 cents each and will also be commonly collected as sheets. He’ll share the stamp with one of his puppets, King Friday XIII.

Believe it or not, it’s also not his first collectibles appearance.

Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (Feb. 7)

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: Collectors react to Kristaps Porzingis injury news, ponder Shohei Ohtani’s impact in 2018 Bowman, pick NBA Rookie of the Year contenders & more.

Buzz Break Battle III: Vote for the best of three 2018 Topps WWE Road to WrestleMania blaster boxes

This is a twist on a Buzz Break — one where Buzz breaks more than one box and you get to vote on which one you would have wanted.

The box: 2018 Topps WWE Road to WrestleMania (Walmart version) blaster 
Where to buy: $19.99 at retail (hit BlowoutCards.com for hobby)

Keep reading to see the boxes and cast your vote …

Winter Olympics arrival means it’s time to watch Topps cards heat up

Imagine a world where New York Yankees star Aaron Judge had just a single product where you could find his one Rookie Card and one rookie autograph — okay, okay, throw in some parallels of them and maybe a variation or two to make it a more realistic scenario.

What might those sell for? How tough would that wax become over time? It’s something to ponder.

That hypothetical is much, much closer to reality for Olympic athletes and the heavy focus on the few cards they do have gets amplified a million times over during the Olympic Games, no matter whether they are of the summer or winter variety. While we’re still on the cusp of this year’s Winter Olympics, some of the notable first-time autographs already are selling very well — but there’s clearly room for more as they become true household names. One of those likely names belongs to 17-year-old snowboarder Chloe Kim, who’ll appear on the cover of ESPN The Magazine‘s Olympics Issue dropping on Friday when the Winter Games open in South Korea.

The Kim 2018 Topps U.S. Winter Olympic Team & Hopefuls Gold autograph (/25) you see here already sold for $199, which seems low compared to the hype that already comes before she takes to the halfpipe and her dominating success in the Winter X Games. It’s also impressive considering it comes from a box guaranteeing ink that’s presently less than $75.

But it’s not alone.

Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (Feb. 6)

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: Nothing but big pulls from around the collecting world — and even a Christian Slater rainbow — in today’s edition.

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.)

Shohei Ohtani autographs are on the way … but which one arrives first?

Shohei Ohtani autographs are on the way and there’s only one question left for Topps to reveal.

Which one’s first?

Buzz Break: 2018 Topps WWE Road to WrestleMania wrestling cards (Walmart-version 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: 2018 Topps WWE Road To WrestleMania wrestling cards (Walmart blaster)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Packs per box: 11 (10 standard plus one Relic/Shawn Michaels pack)
Cards per pack: 7
Cards in this box: 72
Base set completion: 
43 of 100 (43 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Roman Reigns, Undertaker, Ricky Steamboat, Braun Strowman, A.J. Styles, John Cena, Elias, Mick Foley, Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, Chris Jericho, Randy Orton, Shinsuke Nakamura, Goldberg, James Ellsworth, Finn Balor, Brock Lesnar, Alexa Bliss, Tye Dillinger, Jinder Mahal, Charlotte Flair

Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (Feb. 1)

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: Long-term projects completed, storing oversized hits and big pulls from around the collecting world.

Topps Home Run Challenge cards bring fantasy element to 2018 Topps

If you’ve ripped into packs of 2018 Topps Series 1, odds are that you’ve seen one insert that you may not realize is a bit different than the rest.

It’s the Topps Home Run Challenge, which is a new contest card (one per hobby box) that weaves some fantasy baseball elements into your collecting experience in one simple way — predicting home runs.

The Jake Lamb card you see here? It’s what I found in a box of 2018 Topps that I ripped yesterday, so I opted to see what it was all about.

Buzz Break: 2018 Topps Series 1 MLB cards (hobby box + silver pack)

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: 2018 Topps Series 1 baseball cards 
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com
Packs per box: 36 (plus one silver Chrome pack)
Cards per pack: 10 (four in Chrome)
Cards in this box: 365
Base set completion: 
322 of 350 (92 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Base cards of note – Cody Bellinger, Aaron Judge, Alex Bregman, Bryce Harper, Jose Altuve, Dansby Swanson, Giancarlo Stanton, Clayton Kershaw, Mike Trout, Manny Machado, Miguel Cabrera, Buster Posey, Carlos Correa

Rookie Cards (40) – Rhys Hoskins, Rafael Devers, Victor Robles, Amed Rosario, Clint Frazier, Miguel Andujar, Garrett Cooper, J.P. Crawford, Max Fried, Lucas Sims, Luiz Gohara, Ozzie Albies, Jackson Stephens, Greg Allen, Richard Urena, Austin Hays, Jimmie Sherfy, Raudy Read, J.D. Davis, Andrew Stevenson, Chris Rowley, Willie Calhoun, Dillon Peters, Zack Granite, Nicky Delmonico, Harrison Bader, Luis Santos, Dominic Smith, Ryan McMahon, Cam Gallagher, Aaron Slegers, Brandon Woodruff, Alex Verdugo, Francisco Mejia, Nick Williams, Brian Anderson, Walker Buehler, Tyler Mahle, Erick Fedde, Jack Flaherty

First Buzz: 2018 Topps WWE Undisputed wrestling cards

What: 2018 Topps WWE Undisputed wrestling cards
Arrives: June 20
Box basics: Eight autographs and two Relics in every 10-pack box (eight boxes per case)

What’s buzz-worthy: The fourth edition of Topps’ high-end WWE brand arrives with a different look, some big ink but the same hit-per-pack formula.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

Buzz Break: 2017 Leaf Buyback Wrestling autograph 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: 2017 Leaf Buyback Wrestling autograph cards
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 1
Cards per pack: 11
Base set completion: 
N/A

Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (Jan. 31)

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: Collectors react to James Harden’s big game, the big NFL trade and its fallout and today’s arrival of 2018 Topps Series 1 baseball cards.

Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (Jan. 30)

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 trades (Blake Griffin), big careers (Jaromir Jagr) and big pulls.

Buzz Break: 2018 Topps WWE Road to WrestleMania 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: 2018 Topps WWE Road To WrestleMania
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 24
Cards per pack: 7
Cards in this box: 166
Base set completion: 
99 of 100 (99 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Kurt Angle, Kevin Owens, Roman Reigns, Undertaker, Ricky Steamboat, Braun Strowman, A.J. Styles, John Cena, TJP, Elias, Mick Foley, Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, Chris Jericho, Randy Orton, Shinsuke Nakamura, The Miz, Maryse, Goldberg, James Ellsworth, Finn Balor, Brock Lesnar, Alexa Bliss, New Day, The Revival, The Hardy Boyz, Samoa Joe, Tye Dillinger, Jinder Mahal, Charlotte Flair, Maria Kanellis, Mike Kanellis

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 a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What’s Buzzing Today: Waiting for 2018 Topps Series 1 boxes to arrive — where this guy above is card No. 1 — and some big pulls to check out as the clock ticks.

Ronda Rousey’s WWE debut includes epic ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper homage & starts clock for new cards

Whether it was a surprise or not, the deal is done — and now the wait begins for cardboard.

Former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey made her WWE debut on Sunday night at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view in Philadelphia. After the main event, the first women’s Royal Rumble match, Rousey marched to the ring wearing a new “Rowdy” Roddy Piper-inspired shirt and a coat given to her by the late WWE icon’s son to make it known she’s headed to WrestleMania.

“This is my life now,” Rousey told ESPN. “First priority on my timeline for the next several years. This is not a smash-and-grab; this is not a publicity stunt. When I first met with Triple H, I told him, ‘There are other things I can do with my time that’ll make way more money, but I won’t enjoy nearly as much.'”

When it comes to cards, Rousey has been among the most-popular female athletes out there and her autographs are among the most sought-after in UFC, despite her last match being back in 2016. The wait for her new WWE cards, may not be long, though, thanks to one detail seen on Sunday.

Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (Jan. 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: Nothing but NFL, NFL and NFL today as we try to survive a Sunday without football. (Does the Pro Bowl count?)

Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (Jan. 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: Nothing but big pulls in this weekend edition.

Katie Uhlaender should bring some baseball to Winter Olympics

You might not find Katie Uhlaender in the newest Topps Winter Olympics card set that officially arrives in stores beginning today, but there’s still plenty to collect for those who remember her story from last time around and are looking forward to a new chapter soon.

In the 2014 Winter Games, she came up four-hundredths of a second short of winning a bronze medal in skeleton, but that story isn’t yet final even all these years later. Why? Russia’s Elena Nikitina was stripped of her bronze after doping violations late last year — and it’s quite possible that an adjustment of results will be done soon. Plus, just last week Uhlaender was named to this year’s squad, making her the first four-time Olympian in her sport.

But when it comes to Uhlaender cardboard, it’s actually not all about her, and there’s a pretty good chance we’ll soon see a 1969 Topps baseball card of her father, Ted Uhlaender, on her sled and his 1972 Cincinnati Reds National League Championship ring as part of a necklace she wears while competing around her neck during the action in South Korea.

Hunter Greene will greet and sign for guests at Topps Industry Conference

Topps will have a big name in baseball on hand for its inaugural Industry Conference next month in Scottsdale, Ariz.

It’s Cincinnati Reds prospect Hunter Greene, who was the No.. 2 pick in last year’s MLB Draft, and his first Topps autographs will be part of a meet-and-greet session with those in attendance.

Set in the heart of the Cactus League just as play begins, the conference will include several speakers during the three-day event. Check-ins and a welcome reception are set for the evening of Sunday, Feb. 18 before the full slate begins the following day at the Talking Stick Resort.

Buzz Break: 2016 Topps Star Wars Rogue One Series 1 (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: 2016 Topps Star Wars Rogue One Series 1 trading cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Packs per box: 11 (10 standard plus one medallion pack)
Cards per pack: 6
Cards in this box: 62
Base set completion: 
40 of 90 (44 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (Jan. 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 pulls reign as we work toward the weekend.

Four of six new Hall of Famers sign autographs for Topps Now

The call to the Hall also means new baseball cards via Topps Now. 

Two of the new members of the Baseball Hall of Fame voted in on Wednesday are signing cards for Topps‘ real-time card program and two others voted in via the Modern Era committee will be inking up, too.

Jim Thome, Chipper Jones, Jack Morris and Alan Trammell also will all have standard cards printed to order after a 24-hour window.

Buzz Break: 2017 Topps Series 1 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 Series 1 baseball cards 
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (several formats)
Packs per box: 11 (10 standard, one patch pack)
Cards per pack: 10
Cards in this box: 101
Base set completion: 
78 of 350 (22 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Base cards of note – Kris Bryant, Francisco Lindor, Albert Pujols, Dustin Pedroia, Jake Arrieta, Mookie Betts

Rookie Cards (8) – Aaron Judge, Andrew Benintendi, Alex Bregman, Yuliesky Gurriel, Ryon Healy, Braden Shipley, Joe Musgrove, Robert Gsellman

Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (Jan. 25)

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: Hall of Fame chatter, looking forward to 2018 Topps and 2018 Topps Heritage arrivals, big pulls and two 1/1s in the same box.

Buzz Break: 2018 Topps WWE Road to WrestleMania 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: 2018 Topps WWE Road To WrestleMania
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 24
Cards per pack: 7
Cards in this box: 166
Base set completion: 
99 of 100 (99 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Kurt Angle, Kevin Owens, Roman Reigns, Undertaker, Ricky Steamboat, Braun Strowman, A.J. Styles, John Cena, TJP, Elias, Mick Foley, Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, Chris Jericho, Randy Orton, Shinsuke Nakamura, The Miz, Maryse, Goldberg, James Ellsworth, Finn Balor, Brock Lesnar, Alexa Bliss, New Day, The Revival, The Hardy Boyz, Samoa Joe, Tye Dillinger, Jinder Mahal, Charlotte Flair, Maria Kanellis, Mike Kanellis

Topps offers new details on promo packs with 2018 Topps Series 1

We’re just a week away from the arrival of 2018 Topps Series 1 baseball cards and Topps has revealed the bonus promo packs’ content for those buying via hobby shops and via BlowoutCards.com.

Its a Chromed 1983 Topps homage with some modern touches that will arrive along with the hobby’s flagship product next Wednesday.

Keep reading for the full details.

Topps launches new year of Topps Now WWE (ongoing 2018 gallery)

Update (Jan. 24): Topps has added two Relics and a base card for “Stone Cold” Steve Austin to the lineup one day later. The standard Relics (/25) are $39.99 and the 1/1 version is $499.99.

—

A big event for the WWE to kickstart its march to WrestleMania has spawned the first 2018 Topps Now WWE cards of the year after the 25th Anniversary of Raw last night in New York.

Four cards will start things off and are up for grabs for the next 24 hours in advance of this weekend’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view, which will likely see some additional returns of past greats just like last night’s nostalgia-filled special — and some additional cardboard next week.

First Buzz: 2018 Topps Stadium Club baseball cards (updated)

What: 2018 Topps Stadium Club baseball cards
Arrives: June 27
Box basics: Two autographs per 16-pack box (16 boxes per case)

What’s buzz-worthy: Stadium Club brings its traditional lineup of inserts and photography-focused cardboard to the masses once again but with the new Chrome touches found last year as well as autos of the rookie you see above, Shohei Ohtani.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (Jan. 23)

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 questions, chewing on Baseball America‘s Top 100 and waiting for 2018 Topps to arrive are among today’s highlights.

Topps details production volumes on Transcendent Party VIP pack cards after serial-numbering errors

Some who ripped into Topps‘ recent Transcendent Party VIP packs found a bit more than they had expected.

They found stamped cards with identical serial-numbering in some cases — multiple 1/1s of the same card, for example — and Topps has issued a list noting what the actual production volumes are for the cards found inside the packs.