Stacking Slabs

Product knowledge gets you in the door.

Systems determine how far you go.

In this episode of Hobby Jobs, I break down why the next generation of sports card businesses will be built on repeatable processes instead of founder instinct alone.

The hobby is getting bigger. Companies are hiring. Events are growing. Expectations are changing. That means the operators who build training, marketing, hiring, customer experience, and operating systems will have the edge.

Then I sit down with Ryan Johnson of Cardcollector2 live at Columbus Card Fest.

Ryan shares...

WWE finally gave collectors plenty to talk about.

Adam and Ryan break down Night of Champions, Oba Femi's King of the Ring win, Sami Zayn capturing the World Heavyweight Championship, and what those moments mean for the wrestling card market.

Then the conversation shifts to something every collector should think about.

Are you chasing the biggest cards in the hobby? Building the best player collection? Or collecting the cards that mean something to you regardless of the market?

The guys introduce three collector personas that explain how people approach wrestling cards...

Chris Johnson reminded football fans why collecting is about more than championships.

After sharing his ALS diagnosis, collectors looked back at one of the most electric careers of the last 20 years. Pack and Brett revisit what made CJ2K special, why his cards matter, and why memorable seasons leave a lasting mark on the hobby.

The conversation then shifts into one of the biggest collector debates today.

Will vintage football cards ever break through? Why are Topps Chrome Superfractors selling at such a premium compared to Black Finite cards? And why do the...

The sports card market keeps reaching new highs.

Sales volume continues to climb. Record prices keep falling. New collectors keep entering the hobby.

But are collectors making better decisions?

In this episode, Brett and Chris McGill discuss what the data is telling us and where they see warning signs. They compare today's market to 2021, break down the record Tim Duncan sale that has everyone talking, and explore why so many collectors wait for validation before making their biggest purchases.

They also dive into one of the most overlooked collecting skills and...

You spend years preparing for the grail.

You save.
You study.
You build relationships.
You pass on other cards so you're ready when the opportunity comes.

Then it happens.

The card is finally yours.

Now what?

This episode explores the part of collecting that rarely gets discussed. What happens after the chase ends.

I break down why landing a grail can feel different than you expected. Why ownership is a skill. And how the best collectors turn a major acquisition into something that keeps...

What does it feel like to collect a team with no history?

This week, Katelyn is joined by Mark (@ramjamsportscards / @valkyriescardvault), a collector who has built his collection around the Golden State Valkyries from day one.

They discuss what makes expansion team collecting different, why patience leads to a better collection, how emotional connections form without nostalgia, and why documenting the beginning of a franchise feels like creating a scrapbook in real time.

If you've ever thought about collecting a team instead of chasing the biggest names, this conversation will change how you...

What happens when experienced business operators build a sports card company instead of longtime collectors?

In this episode of Passion to Profession, Brett sits down with Gavin Hoover, Chief of Stuff at Tombstone Collectibles, to discuss what happens when enterprise experience meets the hobby.

Gavin shares how his background building large retail organizations shaped the way Tombstone approaches breaking, hiring, branding, analytics, customer relationships, and growth. Instead of thinking like a breaker, Tombstone thinks like a business.

The conversation covers why trust is the biggest challenge in scaling, how data drives decisions, why...

Growth in the hobby is easy to spot.

More inventory.
More content.
More followers.
More customers.

The growth that matters is harder to see.

As your business expands, your role has to change with it. If every decision, customer issue, hire, and piece of content still depends on you, you've built a bottleneck instead of a company.

In this episode, I break down why leadership capacity is becoming one of the biggest competitive advantages in sports cards.

I also look at what businesses like Mint Inc...

Who's right?

Who's wrong?

Adam Gellman and Ryan from RBICru7 put the biggest wrestling card opinions to the test.

Are we at the peak of the market?

Will Panini-era cards continue to rise?

Is 2024 Flawless WWE already an iconic product?

Are one-of-ones overrated?

Has Topps already changed wrestling cards for the better?

Along the way, they break down recent WrestleMania Patch Auto sales, Rey Fenix, Roman Reigns, John Cena, WWE Sapphire print runs, and what makes a great wrestling card breaker.

...

What makes a football card iconic?

This week Pack and Brett McGrath discuss one of the biggest Peyton Manning rookie cards ever to reach the market and why sales like this help define the hobby. From Calvin Johnson and Patrick Surtain to Bronko Nagurski and Mike Ditka, they look at the cards that shape collecting across generations.

They also tackle a collector question that sparks a bigger conversation.

How should we rank the greatest players of all time?

Is it MVPs? Championships? Peak performance? Or something else entirely?

Plus:<...

What does the sports industry see when it looks at the hobby?

In this episode of Built for the Hobby, Brett McGrath is joined by Scott Lock of InfernoRed Technology and Dan Kaufman, Managing Director at Sports Business Journal, for a conversation at the intersection of sports, collecting, media, technology, and fan engagement. 

Dan brings a perspective few people can offer. He's a lifelong collector, a sports business leader, and someone who spends his days talking with executives across leagues, teams, media companies, and technology organizations. 

Topics include:

In this episode of Stacking Slabs, Brett continues the conversation around taste, conviction, and building a collection that reflects your point of view.

This is not an episode about what to buy.

It is about how to think.

Brett walks through the questions serious collectors need to ask before making decisions:

How do you spot opportunity before consensus forms?

How do you separate overlooked cards from cards that lack demand?

How do you balance personal conviction with market reality?

What role should community feedback play?<...

Most collectors focus on the outcome.
The card.
The deal.
The mail day.
The auction win.

But the best things in this hobby rarely happen overnight.

They come from trust built over years.
Relationships formed without expectations.
Research completed before the opportunity appears.
Conviction developed long before consensus arrives.

In this episode, Brett explores the power of planting seeds as a collector.

Why patience is an active skill.

Why clarity creates opportunity.

Why trust compounds.

And why the...

What does it take to build one of the largest hobby businesses in Canada?

John Amendola, CEO of Mintink, joins Passion to Profession to share the story behind turning a pandemic-era card business into a national brand.

John discusses the early days of Breaks After Dark, scaling livestream commerce, hiring and developing talent, creating community through retail, and why relationships matter more than transactions.

We also explore leadership, mental health, customer experience, the future of hobby retail, and the opportunities most businesses still overlook.

This conversation is packed with lessons for...

In this episode of Hobby Jobs, Brett breaks down why “building for the hobby” is too vague to guide a real business.

The sports card industry is not one customer.

It is trust.

It is convenience.

It is liquidity.

It is discovery.

It is fandom.

It is customer behavior.

Brett expands on this week’s Operator Note and explains why the best operators in sports cards do not build for a category. They build for a person with a clear problem.

This e...

Ryan is back in the saddle with Adam for a loaded episode of Booked to Last.

This week, they dig into the state of WWE booking, the impact it has on wrestler collectability, and why collectors are trying to make sense of a market that is moving week to week.

They break down Topps Cosmic WWE, the ripping experience, the planet odds, and why product structure matters so much in wrestling cards.

The main event is a deeper conversation around high-value wrestling cards.

With recent WrestleMania patch autograph sales from Tiffany...

One year ago, we launched The Football Card Podcast with a simple idea: create a place where football card collectors could gather every week and talk football cards.

Fifty-two episodes later, we're reflecting on what we've learned.

Pack and Brett revisit the cards they highlighted in Episode 1, discuss why patience remains one of the biggest advantages in collecting, and explore the growing disconnect between one-of-one sellers and buyers.

They also debate whether Ray Lewis is the greatest defensive player of all time, discuss the value of longevity in sports and collecting, examine the...

What makes a card worth chasing?

In this episode, Brett breaks down the purchase of one of the most important cards to enter his collection in years: the 2025 Topps Chrome WWE John Cena Superfractor 1/1. But this isn't a story about a big card. It's a story about the process behind the decision.

From negotiating against a $10,000 asking price to identifying what makes a card canonical, Brett explores the factors that create conviction in collecting. He discusses scarcity versus significance, the power of personal connection, the role of side collections, using collection equity with intention, and...

One of the biggest mistakes collectors make has nothing to do with buying the wrong card.

It has everything to do with waiting.

Waiting for a sale.
Waiting for a content creator to talk about it.
Waiting for the market to tell you it's safe.

In this episode, Brett explores why waiting for validation is rarely about needing more information and often about seeking permission.

Using examples from PMG Greens, Michael Jordan 1/1s, Nat Turner's collecting journey, and Chris McGill's pursuit of overlooked lanes, Brett breaks down the psychology...

The Connecticut Sun are entering their final season.

For many fans, that means more than a franchise relocation. It means the end of routines, memories, and connections built over decades.

In this episode, Katelyn sits down with Steve (@showley2003), a lifelong basketball fan and dedicated Connecticut Sun collector, to explore what made the Sun unique and why this season carries so much emotion.

They discuss:

What does it take to build a sustainable card business in a market that is still finding its footing?

This week on Passion to Profession, Brett sits down with Bryan from THZ Sports Cards to discuss his path from high-end NBA cards to becoming one of the most recognizable wrestling card dealers in the hobby.

Bryan shares how years of buying, selling, and building relationships helped him uncover opportunities that most collectors never see. The conversation explores sourcing rare cards, navigating shows, prospecting WWE talent, building trust with collectors, and why patience remains one of...

Most people think opportunity in the hobby comes from knowledge.

Know the player.
Know the card.
Know the market.

Those things matter.

But as the sports card industry becomes more sophisticated, another asset is becoming more valuable than ever: trust.

In this episode of Hobby Jobs, Brett explores why reputation has become one of the most important forms of leverage in the hobby. From eBay authentication  to Veriswap's focus on secure trading, the industry's biggest companies are investing in trust infrastructure because trust drives transactions.

Brett breaks d...

Ryan is out this week, so Brett steps into the co-host seat alongside Adam Gellman for a wide-ranging conversation on the current state of wrestling cards. Based on the episode transcript. 

The guys break down WWE's King and Queen of the Ring tournaments, Oba Femi's momentum, the global appeal of WWE, and why international fandom has not fully translated to wrestling card collecting yet.

On the card side, they discuss Cosmic Chrome, the early reaction to the Planet chase cards, AJ Lee's return to autograph products, and what the market is telling us about new r...

At some point, every serious collector learns the same lesson:

You can wait for the perfect copy.

Or you can own the card.

This week, Pack and Brett discuss how scarcity changes collecting decisions.

When a card only surfaces once every few years, grades start to matter less and ownership starts to matter more.

The conversation spans:

A Monday morning workout turned into one of the most memorable collecting moments Brett has experienced in years.

While checking his saved eBay searches from the treadmill, he stumbled across two cards he had never seen before: a 2015 Prizm Frank Gore Gold Vinyl 1/1 and a 2015 Prizm Frank Gore Gold /10. He didn't check comps. He didn't open Card Ladder. He didn't negotiate. He hit Buy It Now.

Twice.

But this episode isn't really about Frank Gore.

It's about what happens when a card stops being a card and becomes part of a...

Last week's conversation with Drake (@drakes_pc) sparked a bigger question:

What separates collectors who land grails from those who miss them?

In this episode, Brett explores the mindset and systems behind successful private market collecting.

Topics include:

For Episode 3 of the Team Collector Series, Katelyn sits down with Mitch (@almanacsportscards), a lifelong Indiana Fever fan and one of the hobby's most dedicated collectors of Tamika Catchings and Katie Douglas.

Mitch shares what it was like growing up with basketball in Indiana, how the Fever became a centerpiece of his collecting journey, and why community remains the foundation of WNBA fandom.

The conversation explores:

What does it look like when a lifelong collector turns his hobby into his profession?

Adam Gray has spent decades immersed in basketball cards. From launching Basketball Card Fanatic magazine to creating content for some of the biggest companies in the hobby, he has built a career around storytelling, education, and helping collectors understand why cards matter.

In this conversation, Adam shares the path from private equity controller to full-time hobby creator. We discuss the rise and fall of Basketball Card Fanatic, building a reputation through consistent work, creating card stories that reach millions of...

The sports card industry continues to break records.

Nearly $680 million in online trading card sales moved through the market in May alone.

Most people look at those numbers and see cards.

I look at those numbers and see problems that still need solving.

In this episode, I expand on the central idea from Hobby Jobs #12: the best opportunities in the hobby don't exist yet.

They show up as friction.

They show up as weak systems.

They show up as moments where collectors, businesses, and marketplaces...

Oba Femi beats Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania.

Then WWE decides to run it back.

Adam and Ryan break down why the decision has frustrated wrestling fans and collectors, what it means for Oba's momentum, and how it impacts one of the hottest card markets in wrestling.

The guys also discuss:

Episode 50 is here.

Pack and Brett kick off Linebacker Summer by celebrating some of the greatest defenders to ever play the game, including Mike Singletary, Mike Vrabel, Ken Strong, and more.

They break down the massive Myles Garrett trade to the Rams and what it means for collectors. They discuss why defensive players might be entering a new era of hobby relevance and share some of their favorite Garrett cards making the rounds after the news broke.

The mailbag delivers one of the best questions in Football Card Podcast history.

Can...

What happens when the hobby knows you'll spend big money on the cards you need?

In this episode, Brett sits down with Drake (@drakes_pc) to discuss the realities of being a known buyer in today's sports card market.

The conversation explores how visibility attracts opportunities, why private deals have become a major part of Drake's collecting journey, and what happens when sellers assume every Peyton Manning card belongs in his collection.

Along the way, Drake shares stories behind some of his biggest acquisitions, including multiple Peyton Manning Superfractors and Prizm Black Finite...

Sports cards are competing for attention in a world built on endless scrolling.

Every day, collectors are hit with clips, highlights, reactions, reveals, and hot takes. But what happens when the hobby becomes all spark and no substance?

In this episode, Brett explores the role long-form content plays in the sports card ecosystem and why it might be one of the most important assets the hobby has.

This isn't a debate about podcasts versus reels.

It's a conversation about trust.

About learning.

About community.

About...

Season 5's team collector series continues with a deep dive into the Phoenix Mercury.

Katelyn sits down with Gavin (@card_collecther), a Mercury season ticket holder and dedicated team collector, to explore what makes the franchise one of the defining organizations in WNBA history.

They discuss the Mercury's identity, the influence of Diana Taurasi, Alyssa Thomas' place on the hobby's Disrespect Index, the power of the X-Factor fan base, and how team collecting creates a deeper connection to the game.

The conversation also explores collecting philosophy, personal grails, community, rivalries, franchise history, and...

Athletes have never been more visible in the hobby.

From Tom Brady and CardVault to Fanatics Fest, athlete-led content, and players publicly sharing their collections, sports cards have become part of the conversation in a way we haven't seen before.

Ryan Greene sits at the center of it.

As Director of Athlete + Artist Partnerships at PSA, Ryan works directly with athletes who collect, grade cards, participate in signings, and build collections of their own.

In this conversation, we discuss:

What does it look like to build a career in the sports card industry?

In the debut episode of Hobby Jobs, Brett McGrath shares the vision behind the platform and why the hobby needs a dedicated place for operators, builders, and aspiring professionals.

This episode explores the shift from hobby to industry and why the biggest opportunities often start as repeated friction, not business plans. Brett breaks down the signals coming from companies like PSA, eBay, GameStop, and Card Collector 2 and explains what they reveal about where the hobby is headed.

Topics include:<...

What happens when you stop reacting to the wrestling card market and start thinking about where it's headed?

This week, Adam and Ryan tackle a series of big-picture questions facing wrestling card collectors.

Will there be more six-figure wrestling card sales by 2028?

Has Topps Royalty already become the most important wrestling card release of the Fanatics era?

Will WrestleMania moving to Saudi Arabia impact the hobby?

Who will define wrestling cards in 2027?

The conversation moves from Oba Femi and Stephanie Vaquer to WrestleMania Patch Autos, celebrity collectors...

John and Brett open the episode talking Indy 500 stories, McDonald’s nostalgia, and why modern experiences feel overbuilt before diving into one of the biggest football card sales in years.

The guys break down the $1.3M Josh Allen NFL Shield Auto and what the sale says about Fanatics shaping collector attention in real time. They discuss why this card matters beyond Josh Allen, how manufactured prestige is changing the hobby, and which quarterbacks they believe are next in line for a million-dollar football card.

Later in the episode, they react to The Athletic’s recent stor...

What happens when the value of your card turns from mystery into responsibility?

In this flagship episode, Brett explores one of the tensions at the center of collecting.

The longer you own a unique card, the more meaning it absorbs. The chase. The story. The memory. The identity tied to it. But eventually every collector runs into a hard question:

At what point does ownership become a decision?

This conversation digs into the difference between lived value and liquidation value. Why some cards become more meaningful when they are difficult to...

Every collector talks about value.

But what happens when the card means more to you than the market says it should?

In this flagship episode, Brett explores one of the hardest truths in collecting:

Can collectors ever fully separate emotional attachment from financial decision making?

This conversation digs into the tension between memory and money. Between identity and allocation. Between the card you want and the story you tell yourself about why you want it.

Brett breaks down:

• Why ownership changes how we value cards
• The role...