∀ Like many collectors, Buzz is a fan of grading and knows that there are many reasons that collectors choose to slab cards. Sometimes it's to enhance the appeal and protect them when selling. Other times it's to protect an investment for the long-term or to protect for sentimental reasons. Or, it might be just for fun or curiosity about a potential grade.
Here's this month's grading diary here on The Buzz ...
HE'S BACK!
The Card: Tiger Woods 2001 Upper Deck No. 1 -- Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: Not that long ago I unearthed my stash of these heavily produced but in-demand RCs and sent off a couple to be graded. Since that time Woods returned at The Masters and fared relatively well considering where he was little over a year ago. While he's got plenty of high-dollar cards -- and stuff that pre-dates this with non-traditional distribution -- this one is the propellant that brought back golf cards to the masses and it has been slabbed thousands of times between all of the grading companies. I amassed a number of them because I used to rip this on the cheap whether it was repacks, hobby boxes, retail boxes or whatever. This wax was cheap for a long time and had a few formats -- for example, I opened a case of this one for somewhere between $75 and $125 (I want to say it was the lower number) probably 15 years ago ... and did better than I expected for hits (that's why I was ripping). Now? A single box would cost more than what I paid.
The Grade: CSG 9.5
Grade
5.5
6
6.5
7
7.5
8
8.5
9
9.5
10
P10
Total
Population
1
1
4
4
11
32
104
188
134
12
0
491
Reality Check: Even this newcomer to grading has taken on a ton of Tiger RCs with only a dozen grading higher than this -- and with their new slabs/scale, this copy would be a CSG 10 now. (Gem Mint is now a 10 with Pristine 10s nixed and Perfect 10s still in play.) I may send off a few more from my stash to see how the new top end of the scale looks on my others. (All of my submissions came back just before the change.)
Keep reading for more of this month's pick-ups and new slabs for Buzz.
THE LITTLE EXTRA
The Card: Fernando Tatis Jr. 2019 Topps 582 Montgomery Club factory set No. 410 -- Rookie Card parallel
The Reason Graded: I had a few of the key cards from this stamped member's only parallel release set aside to grade but cut it back to only a few players since there's just so much of their stuff out there from 2019. While some collectors don't like this horizontal fielding photo, it's aways struck me as different from many out there so I slabbed it. I also did that since I thought it looked very clean.
The Grade: CSG 9.5
Grade
5.5
6
6.5
7
7.5
8
8.5
9
9.5
10
P10
Total
Population
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
Reality Check: Perhaps there's an alternate way this one is listed in the pop report? My search showed this being the only one graded. I dig that. Perhaps the flippers opted to slab these elsewhere? Or maybe the graders are all in on the basics or the Chromed-out parallels? I have a few for all of those but didn't slab since he's had injury issues.
--
HIS RAREST BASIC CARD?
The Card: Cody Rhodes 2007 Topps Heritage WWE Ringside Rookies No. RK1 -- rookie-year, retail-only insert
The Reason Graded: He's back in WWE after a revolutionary run that helped spawn its biggest competitor, AEW, and that's why I have him back here, too. Rhodes only has a single American Rookie Card (Heritage) and then a Chromed version that actually came out the following year and then some international stuff early on. This rookie-year insert was only found in Heritage blasters made for Walmart with specially marked (and dramatically different) yellow "Ringside" boxes. Why? I'm not sure other than they perhaps wanted an exclusive -- the only thing different was the bonus. Each box included a pack of cards from this relatively small insert set but with only one rookie atop each of those packs. Most of us (myself included) bought hobby since they guaranteed hits and were cheap but I did buy a few of these to chase this set. I don't think I ever finished it, but this one was in my stash from my original buys until recently when I opted to slab.
The Grade: CSG 9.5
Grade
5.5
6
6.5
7
7.5
8
8.5
9
9.5
10
P10
Total
Population
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
Reality Check: I don't expect these to be heavily graded from any company as they seem to be relatively rare. And slab-worthy copies might be, too, as the boxes used cardboard framing instead of styrofoam that often caused damage to the top card (the rookie). This grade was a nice surprise -- and it would be a 10 on the new CSG scale.
--
SUCCESS STORY
The Card: Shotzi Blackheart 2021 Topps Heritage WWE Green Autographs No. A-SH (/99)
The Reason Graded: I've been chasing Shotzi autos somewhat steadily -- one from each release and I'm good unless extras are cheap -- and instead of going crazy with boxes on this release I opted to focus on the best parallel color here, Green, and buy a clean copy. Centering and corner/edge issues are very common with this release to the point here I may not be grading much (I'd normally want to). But this one looked strong.
The Grade: CSG 9.5
Grade
5.5
6
6.5
7
7.5
8
8.5
9
9.5
10
P10
Total
Population
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
Reality Check: This one was a big win -- I was expecting perhaps a step down due to a rough edge (seen under a loupe) but it's not even obviously visible in this photo so I guess I was over-thinking things.
--
SEEING GREEN AGAIN
The Card: Bo Bichette 2020 Topps 582 Montgomery Club Set 3 No. 4 -- Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: I have a ton of Bichette slabs in reserve for this series from last year and it's nice cards like this one that actually made me slow down on him some. Why? Many people are slabbing top names and more volume should soften prices over time as more and more and more arrive up for sale. That's the case more on in-pack regular stuff vs. Club cards like this, but these will have the same trending prices unless the player continues to deliver big. Asking prices for this are roughly double what I paid ... but an actual sale checked in at less than half of my price paid. That's the occasional risk of buying slabs instead of doing them yourself.
The Grade: PSA 10
Grade
1
1.5
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Total
Population
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
9
56
65
Reality Check: Nearly all of these check in at a 10, which should be a reminder that a premium price shouldn't always apply with a card in a top grade. That's another reason I have slowed a bit ... but I'm patient and still in the game for this second-generation big-leaguer.
--
POST-SERIES PICK-UP
The Card: Max Fried 2018 Topps Chrome No. 66 -- Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: When the Braves won the World Series I picked off a few cheap slabs of a few key names and this was one of them. This guy's early prospect cards are not in a Braves uniform, so I checked on his 2018 RCs and this one jumped out at me with a simple and clean action shot. I didn't remember pulling him -- but I did -- in this release back in the day. This was a low-risk addition (around the old blaster box price) so I wasn't that worried if I already had one.
The Grade: PSA 9
Grade
1
1.5
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Total
Population
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
1
3
76
283
365
Reality Check: Most of these cards are 10s so unless they are bargain-priced I'll dabble with the step down. Over time, the 10s should soften unless he keeps delivering big. The biggest money will be pumped into parallels and autos.
--
A FOOD-ISSUE GEM
The Card: Rickey Henderson 1984 Topps Ralston Purina No. 15
The Reason Graded: I have always made a habit of holding onto the oddball stuff for stars when they are relatively obscure releases. These cards aren't all that rare in the big picture but they have aged well to the point where you don't see them in heavy volume all the time in repacks, which is where I first found them eons ago. (I used to buy packs of pages with bonus cards like this already placed in them.) These were originally found in cereal boxes and there are a couple of versions of this set -- this and then one with the Topps logo moved to the upper left. When I was flipping through my oddball boxes for subs, this one jumped out at me with its condition. It's sharp.
The Grade: CSG 9.5
Grade
5.5
6
6.5
7
7.5
8
8.5
9
9.5
10
P10
Total
Population
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
1
1
0
0
4
Reality Check: This one checks in at what would be a 10 now in a new slab and it's also the best-graded copy of this card, too, out of four graded. I was a little surprised to see that many slabbed but they are cheap and memorable cards that are on bright white stock -- centering is often their only real issue.
--
SEEING RED
The Card: Kyle Schwarber & Carl Edwards Jr. 2016 Topps Heritage Red Back No. 161 -- Rookie Card parallel
The Reason Bought: There are some odd things wrong with this label around the number and then on the back -- and because of that I feared that I might have a fake slab on my hands. But, with only two in the pop report, I figured I might just be worried about something that's a problem for bigger and better cards. I grabbed this as the price was right for a high-grade Red and I like Heritage. I ripped a ton from this year and those around it and finding the back variations didn't happen often -- let alone pulling a key name.
The Grade: BGS 9.5
Grade
5.5
6
6.5
7
7.5
8
8.5
9
9.5
10
B10
Total
Population
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
2
Reality Check: I covered all the bases above. Schwarber is bouncing around from team to team -- four teams in the last three years -- but his power numbers have been impressive. Average? Not so much, but I like a memorable slugger Heritage RC more often than not.
-
CLEAN FOR THE GRADE
The Card: Mark McGwire 1985 Topps No. 401 -- Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: I found this on the cheaper side of things (around $20) and thought it looked pretty clean for the grade. If you look at the pop report, this card is one that has been slabbed many times thanks to his home run chase of the past. All those cards can often still have strong prices considering all the history -- good and bad -- since. This is an iconic 1980s card and I'll always grab it if the price is right and the card looks decent.
The Grade: BGS 7.5
Grade
5.5
6
6.5
7
7.5
8
8.5
9
9.5
10
B10
Total
Population
366
895
1,541
2,419
3,252
3,055
1,697
607
164
14
0
14,627
Reality Check: This one has some of the obvious flaws -- centering -- but its register (colors lining up) is perfect as is the ink in general. The thing that probably knocked it down some is that the spot on the blue stripe on the right border is actually what I call a card zit -- a lump within the cardboard. If all sevens looked this good, I'd buy them all day long.
-
GOING SOLO
The Book: Deadpool: The Circle Chase No. 1
The Reason Graded: I'm not an active buyer of new comics, but I have been slabbing a number of my past books from the early 1990s where a few iconic series and characters were born along with memorable works form industry-changing artists. Most of my books were newsstand copies that I was able to get without rack damage but this is not that or some landmark piece of art. What is this? It's the first standalone series for the Deadpool character. There was a matte print with embossing on the name and some spot gloss ... and for whatever reason that gimmickry was odd enough for me to buy a direct copy. (Newsstand copies for issues after this were plain so I only bought this one.) Deadpool has, in my view, become more of a modern-day Spider-Man in terms of cameos popping up all over the place and this issue was one where I felt I needed to grade.
The Grade: CGC 9.8 (Universal)
Grade
7.0
7.5
8.0
8.5
9.0
9.2
9.4
9.6
9.8
9.9
10.0
Total
Population
4
12
28
65
97
173
351
848
1,561
6
1
3,154
Reality Check: I was shocked to see this one actually have a super-rare 10 in existence as well as the never-seen 9.9 six times over. Those just don't happen but there they are. Otherwise, mine checks in at the top typical grade which in this case is still strong. With New Mutants No. 98 (his debut) routinely selling for a few grand in top grade, I figured this one has room to grow even if it came from a time where more people were buying and plenty were made. These have sold for as much as $500 on eBay ... not bad for $2.50 back in the day.
-
JORDANA BREWSTER'S MOM ... AND A GRADING LESSON
The Card: Maria João -- Sports Illustrated Jan. 16, 1978
The Reason Bought: I found this for less than it would cost to slab a mag and that's in part because that grade is low -- perhaps too low because I didn't see any overwhelming dramatic flaws. So, that was one reason I grabbed this. A more-interesting piece of trivia? Maria João is the mom of actor Jordana Brewster who you probably know from the Fast & Furious movie franchise and whose autographs can be found in some past Panini Americana sets. For mom this all there is to collect.
The Grade: CGC 5.5 (Universal)
Grade
7.0
7.5
8.0
8.5
9.0
9.2
9.4
9.6
9.8
9.9
10.0
Total
Population
0
0
5
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
9
Reality Check: This one isn't even on the census table above and it checks in as one of the two copies with the lowest grade. (The other not seen above is a CGC 6.) It has a lot of general wear but no blaring bad issue like a big fold on the cover or big color or paper loss. It looks like the worst damage was on the back as there's some vertical wrinkling like the cover got a bit folded but but totally flattened. However, the label notes perhaps its biggest flaw and I should have read that closely. The center pages of this issue are detached but still there ... so it's a reminder that issues that affect grades are not only seen on the covers.
--
DOWN ON THE FARM
The Card: Ronald Acuña Jr. 2016 Topps Heritage Minor League No. 165
The Reason Graded: I've been a big Heritage buyer over the years and one thing I know about the MiLB sets that have happened for more than a decade is this -- some designs just don't translate with MiLB team names. This is absolutely one of those -- the 1967 design would have had "Braves" running across the entire bottom at a larger size -- but it's an early card of a key player and a decently tight crop on a batting shot so I'm in. I also thought it looked very clean to the point where I graded it over a number of cards I had on my to-do list before he got hurt last year.
The Grade: CSG 9.5
Grade
5.5
6
6.5
7
7.5
8
8.5
9
9.5
10
P10
Total
Population
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
8
1
10
Reality Check: I was right on the condition, though it looks like I somehow checked in with the worst copy of this card ... which would still upgrade to a 10 if in a new CSG slab. Go figure.
--
ICONIC CARDBOARD
The Card: Stan Lee 1990 Impel Marvel Universe Series 1 No. 161
The Reason Graded: I probably own 25-30 copies of this iconic card -- one that blew up in price the last couple years for, well, who knows why. (In general, Marvel stuff is popular but has been relatively available for years.) Some of this is that it's a landmark release and part of it is the grading game -- as much this Marvel creator's card is a unique one. It's also from a set that has quality control issues all over the place (mostly centering and edge issues) and had wrappers that were like plastic baggies more than they were secure so those top marks aren't super easy. I went though all of my copies of this one from back in the day -- I opened for holograms and because it was cheap vs. sports cards back then -- and dropped this in my recent SGC sub.
The Grade: SGC 9
Grade
5.5
6
6.5
7
7.5
8
8.5
9
9.5
10
10P
Total
Population
2
6
4
9
11
34
65
126
75
30
0
369
Reality Check: My vertical centering was the only issue I noticed here as it looks strong left-right and nearly all of my copies were not good for that. Beyond that, I have no idea why it might be at the mark it is. Raw, these have finally bottomed out back to a cheaper reality. Slabbed in high grade they still sell well -- that makes sense -- and in my grade I'd still be coming out ahead but not at the higher prices. I have always liked this card in a passive kind of way (always kept them while getting rid of others), so slabbing it was fine ... but I'll admit I was hoping for a higher mark.
--
THAT SPECIAL DAY
The Card: Bo Bichette 2020 Topps (Chrome) Update National Baseball Card Day No. UP1 -- rookie-year insert
The Reason Bought: This oddball card is just one I opted to grab in a slab if the price is right and it was. This is a National Baseball Card Day preview that's a basic card with a unique photo vs. the RC and a foil stamp. If I remember correctly, this was found in Target packs to make sure that the annual event had a retail presence there. (I say it that way since I don't have a Target nearby. Walmart hanger packs had Gallery cards and you can get those boxes at the link above.)
The Grade: PSA 9
Grade
1
1.5
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Total
Population
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
131
187
320
Reality Check: The pop report numbers are perhaps a good thing as these are available but not super-heavily graded like his flagship RC.
--
ONE OF A FEW ...
The Card: Bo Bichette & Anthony Kay 2020 Topps Heritage No. 52 -- Rookie Card
The Reason Bought: I own a two or three of these and I think the others have already been seen here in past months. I really like the feel of these black-bordered cards in slabs if they have no obvious flaws. That explains me picking up a few of them -- this one was probably under $10 given the grade.
The Grade: PSA 8.5
Grade
1
1.5
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Total
Population
0
0
0
0
0
1
3
0
16
316
282
618
Reality Check: Only five 8.5s exist and other than some extra fuzz on that bottom left I don't see what knocked this one down dramatically ... though the back counts so the flaws are likely there. I'll dig in on all of his RCs in slabs if they keep getting cheaper.
--
THE ORIGINAL "NUKE" LaLOOSH ...
The Card: Steve Dalkowski 2009 TRISTAR Obak No. 44
The Reason Graded: Bull Durham's Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh -- the wild, out-of-control pitcher -- was based on this guy. Unlike Nuke, "Dalko" never made it to The Show -- he went 46-80 with a 5.57 ERA and 1,354 walks in 995 innings over nine MiLB seasons. In 1960, for example, his line includes 262 strikeouts and 262 walks in 170 innings and he had double-digits in Ks per nine innings as well as double-digits in walks per nine. (Go look at that link -- 1957-61. It's insane.) Anyway, the trivia is here and ... well, this is his only card (excluding its parallels) other than this 1963 Topps Rookie Card. (I own that one a couple times.)
The Grade: CSG 9.5
Grade
5.5
6
6.5
7
7.5
8
8.5
9
9.5
10
P10
Total
Population
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
Reality Check: This one looked clean and to be a perfect candidate for a high-grade copy of a card with a story ... and it was.
--
LOOKING YOUNG ...
The Card: Gary Pettis 1985 Topps No. 497 (uncorrected error)
The Reason Graded: This card is an iconic common from a set that is very, very sloppy in its printing and cutting -- and when I saw this copy from a stash of fresh cello packs I opened (years ago and put away) I knew I'd slab this just for fun. Why? What's the story? Well, that is actually Gary Pettis' little brother, Lynn, who was about 12 years younger and in uniform to run around with some of Pettis' teammates' kids before a game ... but the Topps photographer didn't know that. This card has an O-Pee-Chee and Topps Tiffany cousin and I own them all. Heck, I might even grade the other two for a full slab rainbow of this oddity.
The Grade: CSG 9
Grade
5.5
6
6.5
7
7.5
8
8.5
9
9.5
10
P10
Total
Population
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
Reality Check: The centering is off here, but it's otherwise pretty clean other than the ink being a little washed out. I've seen far worse cards from this set for those things. Nine is probably about right but I thought it might do better.
--
BAD NEWS BREAD
The Card: Kelly Leak (Jackie Earle Haley) 2013 Panini Golden Age Tip Top Bread Labels No. 9
The Reason Graded: The Bad News Bears' star outfielder was the only character to appear in this simple 10-card set in Panini's retro release that included nods to various past sets like this one from 1952. Yes, these were a nod to cardboard inserts in loaves of bread. I ripped a bunch of this one and I'm pretty sure I have the set (never realized it was so small) ... but the only card I'd want slabbed is the Leak.
The Grade: CSG 9.5
Grade
5.5
6
6.5
7
7.5
8
8.5
9
9.5
10
P10
Total
Population
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
Reality Check: It checked in at what would be a 10 with the new CSG scale so I'm good with this -- and I'm the only one to slab. Will I be the last?
--
MORE BIRDS THAN STEVE AUSTIN
The Card: Maki Itoh 2020 BBM Ambitious Autographs (/120)
The Reason Graded: Don't let the looks fool you, this 26-year-old Japanese pro wrestler is one who will on one hand call herself "the cutest wrestler in the world" and then flip you the bird with the other. Oh and then there's stuff like this. (That needs no translation.) I have dabbled with Japanese wrestling cards very lightly here and there and one day saw a Twitter contest from a U.S. based fan and occasional seller of cards, Joshi City, where one could name a wrestler and if he pulled their autograph from his new box it was yours. Itoh was my pick so here we are.
The Grade: CSG 10
Grade
5.5
6
6.5
7
7.5
8
8.5
9
9.5
10
P10
Total
Population
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
Reality Check: BBM stuff is generally razor sharp and clean when it comes to grading, so this one went into my to-grade stack along with some other cards of hers. (Note: The set name is wrong on the label ... that was used for a long time but BBM dropped it.) You'll see more of her here in the coming months.
--
TOP-GRADED TANK GIRL
The Card: Shotzi Blackheart 2021 Topps WWE Living Set No. 87
The Reason Graded: Shotzi (her formal name now as "Blackheart" is gone) is one of those WWE stars whose look, name and pretty much everything else that's part of her persona was not created by the global wrestling machine -- and that's one reason this high-energy star stands out to me. She was the only one of a trio of recent stars on the women's side who I collect to make the Living Set before its demise (Or do we call it a vacation until five years from now?) and I bought a small lot from Topps to try and get one slabbed with a top mark.
The Grade: CSG 10
Grade
5.5
6
6.5
7
7.5
8
8.5
9
9.5
10
P10
Total
Population
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
1
0
3
Reality Check: Buying a five-pack or even a 10-pack wasn't a guarantee for getting centered, 10-caliber cards with the brand, but in this instance I did it ... and it's the highest-graded copy. In fact, with the new scale introduced this one will be the only Pristine 10 in existence. (That grade has been eliminated with future 10s being "Gem Mint" and Perfect 10s still in play.) I need to slab some of my other favorites from this set -- you may see them here in the future. The overall CSG pop report for this set is pretty strong.
--
GO WITH THE FLOW
The Card: Bo Bichette 2020 Topps Archives 1955 Bowman Archives No. B55-9 -- rookie-year insert
The Reason Bought: As part of my Bichette rookie-year slab kick, this was a pick-up that wasn't super-pricey or super-cheap (around price of a blaster) and I was fine with that since it's one of those sets with a ton of color on that border where any little flaw could pop out and hurt a grade. (It's easier just to buy one than slab one.) This one has a clean, simple look and a solid retro vibe with the 1955 design. While I wasn't around for that one, I was around for the 2004 revival in Bowman Heritage and I liked that set despite its awful rookie crop.
The Grade: PSA 9
Grade
1
1.5
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Total
Population
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
20
22
43
Reality Check: The pop report seems interesting here -- it's not the typical all-10s total -- and at least my nine isn't the lowest grade.
--
NOT TOYING AROUND
The Card: Rob Van Dam 2000 ECW Champion Clashers Action Figure Stickers
The Reason Graded: A few years ago, I picked up a collection of wresting cards where the owner was apparently a heavy figure collector and stashed away all of his cards and stickers that came along with ECW toys in the back of one of the binders. This was a big surprise to me as I didn't really know about them -- these were found in small pack within a figure's package. The names on the top of the pack didn't match the figure and the tight packaging led to damage -- mine weren't perfect by any means. Despite that, I picked out a couple of key names to see how they might grade. My stash included pretty much all of the notables like Rob Van Dam, Sabu, New Jack and Tommy Dreamer but I went with this one since he's perhaps the biggest name and this one looked pretty clean. Other than a 1990s BBM Japan card, RVD's stuff from these (there was a sticker set and a card set) was the only cardboard he had (at least that I know of) until he showed up in WWE.
The Grade: CSG 8.5
Grade
5.5
6
6.5
7
7.5
8
8.5
9
9.5
10
P10
Total
Population
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
Reality Check: It's the only one slabbed and I don't think it was graded too harshly -- I had feared a lower grade. I will likely do more at some point as these aren't generally too easy to find unless you want to buy figures and open them.
--
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