#13: Hey now, you're a hobby all-star, get your game on, go play

👋 Hello, I’m Brett from the Stacking Slabs Podcast and welcome you each Hey week to my newsletter the Weekly Rip. The goal of this newsletter is to elevate the people who make the Hobby better.

How’s it going? 

I am still reeling and feeling the momentum from last weekend’s Dallas Card Show. 

There is something special about being in a monster convention hall of passionate collectors. The energy is still in my bones and I have nothing but optimism when thinking about what’s next for our industry.

I mentioned on SSP this Wednesday that my biggest takeaway from the show was that our Hobby is in a great place because of the amount of activity that I witnessed. I saw cash deals, trades, buying, selling, and a whole lot of conversations about where we are going next. 

While that was my primary takeaway when I finished recording I think I have shifted my mindset a bit to focus on the negative. Typically, the negative is not a place that I want to go because this is an escape and this is an arena for maximum enjoyment. I feel obligated at this point based on sentiment shared by a few platforms after the show was over.

People in this industry love to make blanket statements and create narratives that aren’t founded on data or facts. It’s a massive issue and we see it all too often. It’s lazy, misguiding, and manipulative. 

There’s a thirst to be first and to share the story. The problem is that the story will be shared even if it isn’t true because the reporter desires attention. They need to feel good by getting their likes, shares, and comments. It’s sad. 

Don’t believe everything you read. Don’t believe everything you read especially if it isn’t coming from a first hand account. Misinformation is a huge problem in our industry. I don’t have a solution which sucks, but I’ll do whatever I can to use my platform to make you all aware that it happens all of the time. 

If you have questions about legitimacy make sure you ask the source or someone with first account knowledge. It is on us to do the homework. We should never take information for face value just because an account is sharing it with a massive following.

Always be skeptical. People were skeptical in evaluating my place in the Hobby when I came back and started to create content. I am better for it. 

I got the opportunity to interview and be interviewed by Dr. Jim Beckett this week. It was an absolute privilege and an honor. For anyone listening to the show today I want you all to know that I don’t take moments like this for granted.

We need to hold each other accountable for people like Dr. Beckett. His work allows us the opportunity to be a kid again and spend our free time in this playground we call the Hobby.

I appreciate all of your support and passion. 

Continue to bring it and hold others accountable along the way.

Now on with the damn newsletter…

🎬Lights, Cameras, Action!

One thing I can’t stop thinking about from the Dallas Card Show was the amount of cameras and minor league production crews on hand to film.

I’m in the content creation game and am not here to knock content creators. 

I want to support all hobby content creators because I think there are a myriad of interests in our industry and we need content to support those segments.

I give everything a shot, but understand that not all content is for me. My content platform isn’t for everyone and I don’t try to make it for everyone. When you make something for everyone then it gets watered down and misses the mark. 

Ever listen to FM radio? 

There’s a trend and desire to be “Hobby Famous”. I see it. I can feel it. The La La Land of the Hobby was on full display in the D and I couldn’t help, but to smile as I watched it all go down.

People running around like they were the most important people in our industry.

People do deals for the ‘gram.

People filming in the most obscure places.

I’m not trying to be a cardboard curmudgeon, but I take my position as a creator in this hobby very seriously. I pour a lot of dollars, energy, and passion into my platform because I want to add value. I believe in organic growth and building relationships. I fear others just want to be “Hobby Famous” even if that means buying their audience and shilling shitty products. 

It’s not all bad though. I promise you that. 

I leave you with videos from two content creators that were at Dallas that I admire. 

Keep killing it Ryan (@cardcollector 2) and Sasha T( )

💩Stirring Shit in The Hobby 

If movie cameras weren’t enough apparently we now have sports card trade “analysts” in our market now, too.

I was decompressing from the show I got the following tweet regarding a trade that went down at the show:

David Grzybowski @DavidGrzyTV

What a terrible trade. People trade just to make a deal/go off emotions. Two great Mike Trout cards/cash for Justin Herbert. (Over 100K deal) The sports card industry is insane right now. 🤦‍♂️@CardPurchaser

Issues / Questions

1. Why are people and platforms filming deals that aren’t their own?

2. Why are people taking that content and posting it to their personal accounts to elicit a negative response?

3. Why do people think they can look at a deal and cast judgement without knowing anything about the people behind the deals?

The deal ended up being 2 monster Trout cards and cash from a Justin Herbert 1 of 1 Super Bowl Ticket from Contenders. 

What happened next was the “trade analyst” above ripped Investacard’s content, posted it on his personal Twitter, tagging @CardPurchaster (19.8k) followers, in an attempt to bury the trade.

He got what he wanted. A thread full of negativity, immediate reactions, and so much attention on his account that I’m sure he couldn’t put his phone down all afternoon.

This is the type of behavior that sucks about the hobby. The lazy way out is, “we all have an opinion”. It’s a lot more difficult to reach out to the participants in this deal and understand the motivations for making it. 

All of the negativity was pointed at the new owner of the Herbert, Mike (@mc_sportscards). I don’t know Mike, but I do know from many of my hobby friends that he’s a total pro and one of the best dealers in the industry. Just go take a look at his account. He knows what he’s doing.

Does he have a buyer lined up already?

Is he holding because he has information we don’t?

Is he a Herbert fan?

Does he have a Trout surplus?

These are all the types of questions we should try to figure out before stirring up a bunch of shit. Everyone’s situation and circumstances are different.

Ask more questions. Do the work.

 👑A Spot on the Hobby’s Mount Rushmore

I love watching Rob Veres aka The Cardfather’s daily videos on IG. When you sell that many sports cards and have elite status with eBay you’ve earned my attention.

I’ve been fortunate to interview Rob and have followed him almost every day since I’ve been back in the Hobby. He loves our industry and he shows appreciation for those that came before him. For as big of a fan as I am of Rob he’s just as big of a fan of Dr. Jim Beckett.

I was listening to Rob talk this past week and he mentioned Dr. Beckett’s name was the first spot on the face of the Hobby’s Mount Rushmore. He struggled to fill up the rest of the spots and that just goes to show how influential Dr. Beckett has been for sports cards.

I think back to my childhood with cards and Beckett Magazine always holds a prominent place in my mind. The first image that comes to mind is the cover of the September 1991 issue. Michael Jordan kissing his first NBA Championship trophy. I had this magazine and I looked at it front to back 100 times growing up. I wish I still had it.

Getting Beckett Magazine was an event. It was more than a price guide to me. It was an opportunity to learn about cards and learn more about my hero’s. I can smell the stacks of Beckett Magazines sitting on the counter of my dresser. Thinking about them brings back so much nostalgia. 

It was an absolute honor and a privilege to interview Dr. Beckett this week on Stacking Slabs. I dropped the episode today, which coincidentally happens to be my 36 birthday. It blows my mind that that MJ cover is 30 years old. Time flies when you are having fun in the Hobby.

I ask you two things in closing:

1. Do whatever you can to use your skills to give back to the Hobby - we need it more than ever

2. Please share this newsletter with whoever you think can benefit

Happy collecting,

Brett (@stackingslabs)