Stacking Slabs

Matthew (@dynastysportscards_) followed Georgia Amoore from college basketball to the Washington Mystics. That connection grew into season tickets, a family business, and a collection centered on the players he watches each week.

Matthew joins Katelyn (@coldlunchcards) to discuss the Mystics’ young core, the link between attending games and collecting cards, Shakira Austin’s place on the hobby’s Disrespect Index, and the cards that define his collection.

He also shares the story behind his personal grail. It is not his rarest card. It is a Sonia Citron Pink Laser auto /25 that he pulled with his daught...

Leighton Sheldon has spent more than 20 years building Just Collect by asking questions, studying the market, and treating each collection as part of someone’s story.

In this episode of Passion to Profession, Leighton shares why he chose the sports card industry over a career in consulting, what he learned working at Leland’s, and how those lessons shaped his approach to buying collections.

He also tells the story of purchasing nearly 1,000 Goudey cards in Arizona, including 18 Babe Ruth cards, and explains why trust mattered more than pressure in closing the deal.

We also...

Every company in the sports card industry says it supports collectors.

The question is whether the collector has power inside the business.

In this episode of Hobby Jobs, I break down five places where a collector-first approach becomes visible. What a company measures. How it rewards employees. Where it removes friction. How it responds when something breaks. Whether collector knowledge shapes decisions.

I also share the story of Shane Walls, lead buyer at Indy Card Exchange. Shane bought a Tom Brady Black Prizm 1/1 for $600 and sold it years later for $96,000. The value of...

The wrestling card market has attention. That does not mean every card has value.

Adam and Ryan examine the John Cena and Rhea Ripley WrestleMania patch auctions, the Cena and Shohei Ohtani one-of-one, and why putting chase cards in the same auction can serve each sale.

They also break down the decisions collectors face when prices move:

The conversation closes with sales from Oba Femi...

Football Cards Are Up 380% since 2020. This Is Bigger Than Quarterbacks.

When many collectors returned to football cards in 2020, the message was clear: only buy quarterbacks.

Since January 1, 2020, the Card Ladder football index has increased 380.99%. That growth extends beyond one position.

Pack and Brett separate collecting advice from resale advice. They examine why Barry Sanders and Jerry Rice lead their era, why the early 2000s still lack a settled card hierarchy, and how research creates opportunities for collectors willing to look beyond the current quarterback class.

They also discuss the $414,800 Peyton Manning...

Technology has a larger role in the hobby than it did a year ago.

The question is whether it solves problems collectors care about.

Scott Lock and Ed Snider of InfernoRed Technology join me to discuss what they saw at The National. We examine Topps’ digital redemption process, the use of AI inside hobby businesses, and where technology can remove friction from buying and selling cards.

Scott and Ed also take us inside Enter the Inferno, where collectors presented products built from their experiences in the hobby.

The future of hobby te...

A 1997 Metal Universe Michael Jordan Red PMG /100 BGS 8 sold for $1,473,988.80.

The same copy sold for $480,000 in 2021 and $360,000 in 2023.

This episode is not about deciding whether the buyer overpaid. It is about reading the signal.

Brett explains why demand matters as much as scarcity, why one sale does not create a market price, and how money moves through a collecting category.

What does this record mean for collectors working with budgets of $150, $1,500, or $15,000?

The lesson is not to chase a PMG.

It is to study which cards hold...

What keeps you collecting when your team tests your loyalty?

Katelyn talks with Josh (@luvdadubs) about his connection to the Chicago Sky and the cards that preserve it.

Josh shares how Candace Parker led him deeper into WNBA collecting, why he buys multiple copies of the same card, and what makes Rittenhouse releases worth chasing. He also explains why in-person autographs mean more to him than the signature alone.

The conversation covers the 2021 Sky championship, the Angel Reese trade, the frustration surrounding the franchise, and the players whose card markets deserve more attention.<...

Shane Walls spent almost 16 years at GameStop before taking a year away from work and turning his life as a collector into a career at Indy Card Exchange.

Today, Shane serves as the shop’s lead buyer. He reviews 30 to 50 collection requests each week and helps decide which cards belong in the cases, at shows, online, and in the shop’s kids section.

Shane joins Brett to explain why a recent comp is only the start of a card’s value, what he learns from the cards collectors bring in each day, and why trust matter...

CardVault by Tom Brady has grown from three stores to 17, with a stated goal of more than 100. The investor list draws attention. The operating plan matters more.

In this episode, Brett examines how CardVault is placing the hobby where sports fans gather, what its expansion means for shops and collectors, and why capital works best after a business has built proof.

He also shares lessons from Stephanie Garcia’s path building Mama Breaks and studies five job openings that reveal where hobby companies are placing their bets.

The question running through the episode: Ca...

More money is entering wrestling cards.

That does not mean every card is rising.

Adam Gellman and Ryan Bannister welcome Chad Weldon from Sports Card Junction to explain what he sees from behind the counter. New collectors are entering from other card categories. They understand high-end cards, rare parallels, and chase-driven products. Their spending is changing how wrestling cards get valued.

The group discusses why the high-end market operates apart from the low and middle tiers, the growth of Gunther’s rare-card market, and the risk of inscription oversaturation.

They also ex...

2026 Topps Football Is Back: Which Cards Will Still Matter?

Topps flagship football returns with an NFL license for the first time in more than a decade.

Pack and Brett discuss the role paper cards can play in football collecting, the first pack-issued cards of Fernando Mendoza, Jeremiyah Love and Carnell Tate, and the excitement of seeing players in their new uniforms.

They also question the speed of today’s chase-card cycle. Kaiju. Tecmo. Alter Ego. Each release brings another card to the front of the line. Which ones will collectors still want after th...

What does The National show us that sales data cannot?

Brett sits down with Chris McGill and Josh Johnson to examine the forces shaping today’s card market.

They discuss the 2013 Tom Brady Prizm Black Finite 1/1 approaching $1 million, the rising prices across football cards, and why seeing a card sell multiple times can change how collectors view it.

The conversation then turns to what happens away from public marketplaces.

Why does being in the same room help deals happen? How do you value a card with no sales history? What questions sh...

The hobby grows when more collectors find a reason to care and a reason to stay.

In this episode, Brett explains why categories such as wrestling, WNBA, Disney, Pokémon, and fictional characters matter. He also draws a line between building a collecting community and selling the claim that a market is about to explode.

Brett breaks down how to evaluate category growth, why price alone proves little, and how ownership, urgency, repetition, and status shape collector decisions. He shares a framework for separating your collecting thesis from your market thesis, testing demand, and deciding w...

What makes someone choose a team and keep choosing it when the wins are not there?

Katelyn sits down with Ike (@istockgrizz) to talk about his connection to the Los Angeles Sparks and the cards that bring him closer to the team.

They discuss the Sparks game-day experience, the gap between player accomplishments and card prices, and why Ike buys cards he would feel comfortable holding for life.

Ike also shares the story behind his Nneka Ogwumike 2008 McDonald’s All-American autograph. He gave up a Candace Parker Gold Prizm PSA 10 to bring it ho...

Stephanie Garcia started Mama Breaks while teaching from home and looking for a way to reconnect with cards.

Her first goal was to reach 1,000 Instagram followers and host one break. Four years later, she leads a 12-person, multimillion-dollar business.

Stephanie shares why she left teaching, how she earned trust with collectors, when she knew it was time to hire, and why the experience around a break matters as much as the cards.

She also explains how her love for wrestling, Star Wars, and non-sports cards helped Mama Breaks serve collectors who were being...

Supporting collectors gets harder as a business grows.

The answer is not to care less. It is to turn that care into a process others can repeat.

Brett examines how operators can add capacity without making collectors feel processed. He also sits down with Michael Osacky of Baseball in the Attic at The National.

Michael shares what he has learned the years in business, earning trust through independent judgment, staying connected to clients, finding a niche, and refusing to lead with money.

Growth matters.

The question is whether your...

John Cena’s WrestleMania Patch Auto 1/1 is heading to Goldin’s Summer 100 auction.

The opening bid alone will set a public sales record for a Cena card. The final price will tell us how much demand exists beyond wrestling card collectors.

Adam and Ryan discuss the card, the bidders who might pursue it, and what the sale means for the wrestling card market.

They also break down 2026 Topps WWE Universe, recent sales, Solo Sikoa’s growing collector appeal, and Ryan’s $9,000 Finn Bálor gift to Neil.

Check out RbiCru7 for all y...

A reported private sale valued Josh Allen’s 2018 National Treasures Platinum NFL Shield autograph rookie card at $1.7 million.

The reaction focused on what Allen has not done.

He has not won a Super Bowl.

Pack and Brett explain why championships alone cannot determine collectibility. They discuss the power of player connection, recognizable card features, career narratives, and the people willing to own these cards for the long term.

The conversation also covers Jaxson Dart’s grading volume, Tom Brady’s 2002 Topps Chrome market, Randy Moss and Jerry Rice, cards sitting on your e...

Technology has made it easier to build a product. It has not made it easier to know what deserves to be built.

Brett sits down with Josh Johnson, CTO of Card Ladder, at The National to discuss how Card Ladder grew from a problem its team faced as collectors.

Josh shares why he spent three months preparing the app for The National, how Card Ladder earned trust through seven years of work, and why the team turns down revenue opportunities that pull the product away from collectors.

They also discuss AI, product development...

The cards are unpacked. The pickup posts have slowed down. That does not mean The National is over.

In this episode, Brett looks at the return that does not fit inside a card case: clarity about your collection, evidence that tests your beliefs, relationships worth continuing, opportunities worth testing and a clearer understanding of where your attention belongs.

He shares what Wrestling Card Takeover revealed about community participation and offers a 30-minute process for turning your National experience into action.

What will be different because you were there?

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Dave Thimesch wanted a 1987 Topps Mark McGwire card. That card started an obsession.

At 13, Dave opened a card shop. He returned to the hobby during the Stephen Strasburg rise in 2009, moved from opening products to running group breaks, and built DT Sportscards into a PSA submission business handling thousands of cards.

Dave joins Brett to discuss why ripping products created debt, how rising product costs forced him to change his business, and why transparency matters when collectors trust you with their cards.

They also talk about the systems required to submit 1,200 cards per...

Most people do not have an idea problem. They have a permission problem.

In this episode of Hobby Jobs, Brett explains why operators need to build before the market gives them certainty. He shares a 30-day conviction sprint for testing an unresolved problem, examines how Gabe built his college football card expertise into a career with CardCollector2, and spotlights the content creator role at Layton Sports Cards.

Then Brett sits down with Collect Talent co-founder Danny Mosse at The National.

After 15 years across Sotheby’s, Christie’s, Goldin, and eBay, Danny is building a jo...

Wrestling Card Takeover filled a room with nearly 400 collectors at The National.

The shirts disappeared. The room hit capacity. Deals took shape. One-of-ones surfaced. Collectors traveled from across the country and as far as Germany to take part.

Adam, Ryan, and Brett look back on the week that showed how much the wrestling card community has grown.

They discuss:

Pack and Brett return from The National to process what they saw across the show floor.

Cards priced between $100 and $500 moved at a fast rate. Dealers struggled to keep cases stocked. Seeing cards such as the 2017 Patrick Mahomes Prizm Black Finite and Peyton Manning Gem Masters in person changed how they viewed them.

They also close out Linebacker Summer with Luke Kuechly, one of the best defensive players of his era. His career is set, but his card market tells a different story.

The conversation covers cards that have moved beyond reach, displaying...

Most collectors know BCW through penny sleeves, top loaders, magnetic holders, and storage boxes. Behind those products sits a company with more than 100 employees serving collectors, shops, breakers, and dealers.

Noah Dock joined BCW as CFO after working in finance, private equity, and his family’s pawn business. He did not earn the role because he knew more about cards than everyone else. He earned it because he understood finance, operations, and how to help a company scale.

Noah shares why passion cannot replace skill, why a CEO must become the “chief repeating officer,” and how co...

After my first 24 hours at The National, I returned to my hotel with more energy than I had when the day began. It wasn’t because of a card, a sale, or a booth. It came from the conversations.

In this episode, I explore how conversations give collectors context that sales data cannot provide. They test our thinking, strengthen our conviction, build trust, and remind us that people exist on both sides of every card.

We also examine the difference between attention and connection, why networking can turn into extraction, and how better questions can ch...

Passion gets you into sports cards. It does not build a product people trust.

Brett sits down with Card Ladder co-founder Chris McGill at The National to discuss the work behind one of the hobby’s most used tools.

Chris explains why seeing collectors rely on Card Ladder creates pressure, why customer service takes up much of the team’s time, and why standards matter when money is involved.

They also discuss the start of Card Ladder, the value of bringing experience from outside the hobby, and what people should consider before pursuing a ca...

Gabe did not follow a career path into sports cards.

He created one.

His interest in college football led him to Bowman University, player research, value boxes, and content built around a part of the hobby few people were covering.

Consistency helped Gabe become a trusted voice in college football cards. It also started a relationship with Ryan Johnson of Card Collector 2.

That relationship grew through shared interests, phone calls, podcast episodes, and work behind the scenes. It led to a job offer and Gabe moving his family from Arizona to...

What happens when a collector starts looking at cards as a source of funding for a business?

Brett examines the tension between the collector who wants to keep the card and the operator who sees what selling it can fund. He shares four questions every founder should answer before turning a collection into capital.

Recorded at The National in the Card Ladder booth, Brett also sits down with Steve Sloan, CEO of Heystack and former president of PSA. They discuss building technology for the card industry, earning business partnerships, hiring for a startup, and why...

Adam is joined by Brett for a collector-focused conversation during the biggest week of the year.

They discuss why Fanatics Fest increased their confidence in wrestling cards, what the Wrestling Card Takeover represents for the community, and how Topps is putting WWE beside its other sports at The National.

The conversation also covers the rookie cycle surrounding Oba Femi, collecting Roman Reigns across different eras, SummerSlam, and recent sales involving Gunther, John Cena, and Roman Reigns.

Wrestling cards once felt hard to find at major shows.

That is changing.

<...

Football season reconnects cards to the games, players, and moments that made collectors care in the first place.

Pack and Brett examine what changes when the NFL returns. They discuss the rush of collecting active players, the effect of weekly performance on card prices, and the risk of allowing one game to shape a collecting decision.

The conversation covers the offseason price movement of Caleb Williams and Drake Maye, the long-term case for Josh Allen, and the search for value beyond the cards receiving the most attention.

Plus, Linebacker Summer rolls through Derrick...

More collectors are moving away from quantity and toward concentration.

Brett  is one of them.

One-of-one cards offer something most cards cannot. Finality. There is no copy to upgrade. One collector owns the card.

That does not mean every one-of-one deserves attention.

In this episode, Brett explores why one-of-ones appeal to experienced collectors, how modern product volume has changed the meaning of scarcity, and what separates a defining card from a manufactured variation.

He also shares his framework for evaluating one-of-ones, building a price range without a direct comp, a...

Some cards enter your collection.

Other cards change how you see everything you own.

Brett explores what happens after a major acquisition raises the standard for your collection. He examines the role of identity, sacrifice, loss, and emotion when one card forces you to question an old collecting plan.

You will learn how to tell the difference between a card that reveals your direction and a purchase you are trying to defend.

Before you make your next move at The National, ask yourself one question:

Does this card reflect...

The National shows you how large the hobby has become. It can also make you feel lost inside it.

This episode explores why collectors gain clarity when they narrow their focus and find people who understand what they collect.

Wrestling Card Takeover serves as the backdrop. Brett shares how a community that spent years fighting for space built its own media, knowledge, relationships, and now an event sanctioned by The National.

This is bigger than wrestling cards. Every collector has a sea to shrink.

Your lane might be one player, team...

Beau Thompson started One Million Cubs with a goal: trade one million non-Cubs cards for one million Cubs cards.

The project took seven and a half years. It also created relationships, operating skills, and a business that changed the direction of his life.

Beau joins Brett to discuss the Ernie Banks rookie card that connected two collectors through loss, the 2021 National dinner that gave him the confidence to leave his job, and his move from 60,000 eBay listings to selling on eBay Live six nights per week.

They also discuss separating a collection from...

The National brings the sports card industry under one roof.

For collectors, the week centers on cards. For people working in the industry, it offers access to the companies and operators shaping its future.

Brett shares how to build relationships at The National, why passion alone will not earn a second conversation, and how the right questions can open doors.

He also examines an issue facing every hobby business. Companies spend time and money attracting new collectors while people who already buy, submit, trade, and sell cards struggle to feel supported.

...

The National can overwhelm you before you make it through the first aisle.

Adam and Ryan are joined by Bryan (@thzsportscard) and Brett to help wrestling card collectors prepare for the week.

They discuss why you need a plan, how dealers evaluate trades, which WWE names collectors are chasing, and why rare Panini cards require more than an old comp.

The group also previews Wrestling Card Takeover and the chance to bring the wrestling card community together in one room.

The cards matter.

The people you meet can matter...

What happens to football card market data when the biggest deals happen away from public marketplaces?

Pack and Brett discuss whether collectors should report private sales, why the chase receives more attention than owning the card, and how social media has pushed collectors toward a 1/1-or-bust mindset.

They also debate the best three-year era in football cards, compare modern quarterback prices with retired legends, and examine sales of Peyton Manning, Deion Sanders, J.J. Watt, Joe Montana, and Jaxson Dart.

The National is here. The cards will change hands. How much of that...