The Weekly Rip 11.16.25 [Trust]
We explore why trust is the most important form of currency in the hobby.
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The Weekly Rip
Your Stacking Slabs Sunday Update
November 16, 2025
You learn a lot about yourself when you collect cards long enough.
You learn what pulls you in.
You learn what pushes you away.
You learn what matters and what gets in the way.
And at some point, you begin to see the patterns.
What you can control.
What you can’t.
Who you trust.
Who you walk away from.
This week is the final installment of Collecting For Keeps on the flagship episode of Stacking Slabs, and I’ve been thinking a lot about how we close this loop. Not with a bow or a big speech. With clarity. With honesty. With a sense of direction that feels steady. Not rushed. Not reactive.
I want to talk to you about three things that sit at the center of a meaningful hobby life.
Trust. Legacy. The Future.
These are the things that carry you forward when the rest of the hobby feels loud.
Let’s start with trust.
When you strip everything back, your collecting journey is shaped by the trust you build with yourself and the trust you build with others. You know what you like. You know why something hits you in a different way. You know when you’re buying with intention and when you’re buying because the room is loud.
Your instincts get sharper every time you follow them.
Every time you choose clarity over noise.
Every time you say yes for the right reasons and walk away from the wrong ones.
Trust shows up in relationships too.
The people who flag a fake listing.
The people who share a lead because they know what you collect.
The people who make this hobby feel safe and fun.
Those relationships take time.
They grow when you follow through.
They grow when you communicate clearly.
They grow when you show up with consistency.
Trust is the currency that keeps the hobby moving in the right direction.
When you contribute to it, everyone benefits.
Then there’s legacy.
Not the market’s version of legacy.
Your version.
Your collection tells a story.
Every card is a chapter.
Every decision says something about your taste, your fandom, your values.
You get to define what that story is.
You get to decide what sticks.
You get to decide what no longer fits.
Legacy collecting isn’t about volume.
It isn’t about clout.
It isn’t about chasing whatever everyone else is chasing.
Legacy collecting is about meaning.
It’s about significance.
It’s about looking at your collection ten years from now and remembering why each card mattered.
Some cards rise and fall.
Some cards heat up and cool off.
But the cards you care about never lose value to you.
That’s the difference.
And then there’s the future.
No one knows where this hobby is going.
Not me.
Not you.
Not anyone.
We know there will be change.
We know companies will make moves.
We know new players will emerge.
We know market cycles will hit.
We know the noise will get louder.
But you don’t need to predict any of it.
You only need to control how you show up.
You control your pace.
You control your budget.
You control your attention.
You control your energy.
You control your standards.
You control your response.
The more grounded you are in your own purpose, the easier it becomes to navigate whatever comes next.
This hobby rewards the collector who stays curious.
The collector who learns.
The collector who shows up with intention.
The collector who sticks to what they love.
The collector who thinks long term instead of chasing what’s next.
Think about your own story.
What are you building?
What does your collecting identity say about you?
What do you want it to say?
Answering those questions will guide you through any uncertainty.
As we close this series, I want you to hear this clearly.
You’re the CEO of your collection.
You’re the author of your story.
You decide how this hobby fits into your life.
When you operate with trust, build toward a legacy that means something, and stay grounded in your future, the hobby becomes a source of energy instead of stress.
That’s the collector I want to be.
I know that’s the collector you want to be too.
Thanks for being here.
Thanks for the support.
Thanks for caring about this conversation.
Another one is on the way.
Take care.
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Reissue: Trust, Legacy, and the Future
What happens when a collector passes away and leaves behind a mountain of cards and a legacy that nobody fully understands?
That’s the story Michael Osacky shared on Passion to Profession — and it’s not just about appraisals or insurance. It’s about the emotional weight of collections, the trust required to navigate them, and how legacy shapes the future of this hobby.
Michael isn’t just reviewing numbers on a spreadsheet. He’s walking into basements stacked floor-to-ceiling with sealed wax and complete sets. He’s helping families make sense of what’s left behind. And in many cases, he’s the first outsider to truly see the significance of a lifetime of collecting.
In one story, a widow broke down in tears while Michael appraised her late husband’s collection. Not because of the value, but because someone finally understood what those cards meant.
That’s not a transaction. That’s legacy.
Let’s break it down.
What We Learned from This Episode
Michael Osacky lives on the road. Over 100 days a year. Flying into small towns. Meeting families. Appraising collections. But more than anything, he’s earning trust — one visit at a time.
And the work isn’t glamorous. It’s emotional.
In 2025, the hobby feels strong. The market is showing signs of stabilization. But Michael isn’t looking at Card Ladder charts or wax releases. He’s looking into the eyes of families trying to understand what a collection means and what to do next.
He shared a story from this year that hit hard: a collector passes away, and his wife and daughter independently search for a trusted appraiser. They both find Michael. He flies in. Walks the basement. And as the appraisal winds down, the wife breaks down crying. She tells him, “My husband would have loved you seeing his collection while he was alive.”
That’s the moment you realize what cards actually are.
They’re not flips. They’re not numbers. They’re physical memory banks. And the people who appraise, protect, and preserve them aren’t just hobby professionals — they’re caretakers of legacy.
Michael also shared the darker side: a rise in theft claims, fraudulent insurance reports, and the emotional blowback of telling someone that a cherished Babe Ruth ball… isn’t real. And still, he shows up, every time, with integrity intact.
This is what long-term trust looks like in a hobby that’s always evolving.
What This Means for Collecting in 2025
Every collector wants their cards to matter. But what happens when you’re not around to tell the story?
That’s why trust, legacy, and long-term thinking matter more now than ever.
Here’s the play:
If you have a meaningful collection, take steps to document and insure it. Your future self — or your family — will thank you.
If you want your collection to have a legacy, build relationships. With appraisers, dealers, collectors. The hobby remembers people who treat others with respect.
If you’re buying or selling high-end items, understand that trust is the currency. No one wants to transact with someone who’s just chasing profit.
And if you ever feel like this hobby is just about comps or clicks, spend time in a basement full of sealed wax collected over decades. That’s where the real stuff lives.
We talk a lot about the future of the hobby. But the future isn’t just Fanatics or licensing deals.
The future is who we trust, how we preserve meaning, and what kind of legacy we leave behind.
That’s what Michael Osacky is building — one collection at a time.
I appreciate your support for Stacking Slabs. Tell a damn friend.
Take care,
Brett