The Weekly Rip 3.17.24 [The Escape]
Brett discusses his 5 favorite parts about collecting cards and wishes all of The Weekly Rip readers a Happy St. Patrick's Day.
Shout out to Port City Sports Collectibles for their partnership with Stacking Slabs. I’m a big believer in the importance of the role of the hobby shop in 2024 and beyond. We’ll be hosting another Hobby Shop Talk with Jamison Long, Owner at Port City Sports Collectibles at the beginning of April. In the meantime, make sure you follow Port City Sports Collectibles on Instagram and check out their website for any of your wax needs.
This is the St. Patrick’s Day edition of The Weekly Rip. May the luck of the Irish be with you as you hunt for those special grails that you’ve been searching for….
If you’ve been consuming my content for a while now then you’ve probably heard me talk about how I believe that collecting sports cards is the greatest escape of all-time. We’re collectors, but we’re a lot of other things, too. We’re spouses, parents, co-workers, brothers, sisters, and much more. If you rewind the tape from earlier this week consider all that you accomplished in your personal and professional life. The volume of priorities and responsibilities that we own on a daily basis is unmatched. That’s why one of the most valuable escapes that we can take every day is in the hobby. I always think about it as the moment in the day that I get to turn my brain off and go on an exploration. I like my hobby experience like I like my vacations…very active with a desire to experience something new.
I think one of the best parts about collecting sports cards is that everyone does it differently. The community that we collect in and around is a diverse melting pot. There’s infinite interests and ways to appreciate sports cards. There’s a myriad of ways that we can collect sports cards, too. We can collect specific players, products, teams, eras, aesthetics, grades, and the list goes on. I do some of my best thinking while I go on a 2 mile walk every day around lunch time. I started to think about the things that I value most about collecting and here’s the top 5 things that I came up with:
The Hunt
I might be a sicko, but I enjoy the challenges that come with collecting. I’m convinced that if I was able to get whatever card I wanted at any moment the hobby would be less interesting. A less interesting hobby experience would surely lose my attention, which would cause me to seek a new haven to escape. I’m not interested in big hobby businesses coming through and manufacturing a one stop shop for all my collecting needs. I enjoy the fact that marketplaces, grading companies, shows, shops, and media platforms are all fragmented. It forces me to really dig in and find the products and services that are best for me. The pursuit of the best experience and cards doesn’t come easy, but this is why I show up so aggressively everyday.
The Conversations
I’m a conversation junkie. I’ve been mesmerized by how conversations have helped me level up not only my professional career, but also my experience in the hobby. I’ve got 411 episodes of the Stacking Slabs Podcast in the can and more than half of those episodes were with a collector co-pilot. There’s not an episode that goes by that I don’t learn something new that I can apply to my own collector journey. My addiction with collector conversations and learning something new has been the driving force for how I operate in the hobby. Without conversations my experience would be empty.
The Content
I love creating content. It’s one of the few superpowers and I have used it to build my career. The rubber meets the road when I get to apply my passion for content with sports cards. I can’t describe how satisfying it is for me to explore certain topics, debunk existing hobby narratives, and express my passion for sports cards through content. There’s so many great creators in this space that I appreciate and learn from every day. I’m a weekly listener of podcasts like The Wax Museum Podcast by Kyle. I get educated on cards that I know nothing about from IG accounts like mksportscards. I learn about the art of deal making and what’s really happening at shows by following along with Card Collector 2. There’s so much diversity in the content space and I think that’s a really good thing. Content is education. We need great content in the hobby more now than ever before with the changing landscape. I encourage everyone reading this to create. You don’t need a podcast, YouTube channel, or fancy production. It can be simply sharing your thoughts in a tweet or story post…also, share your damn cards while you’re at it!
The Utility Value
Saturday mornings are card time for me. Before my house wakes up I like to spend time in my office with my cards. I take them out of the case and spread them out just like I was at a card show. I look at the collection that I’ve built and think about the journey. In these moments I always gain a deeper appreciation for specific cards. Also, I realize that the lifecycle of other cards in my collection has likely expired. I’m not sure I’ll ever be a vault guy. I get too much utility value in being able to spend time with the pieces that I’ve amassed from the years of collecting. Cards are constant reminders of those moments when my fandom shines most.
The Escape
Simply put, it’s like going on vacation whenever I’m spending time on cards. I get to turn off my brain and escape to an alternate universe where other people are doing exactly what I’m doing. There’s so much in the hobby that comes and goes. Some good. Some bad. What remains is our passion for cards and the more we put in the more we get on the other side.
A big thank you to the Card Ladder team for being the official data sponsor of Stacking Slabs. Their team and product is amazing. If you’re looking to make more data driven collecting decisions make sure you check out Card Ladder.
I did an episode on the main feed with Brooks (@lsutigercollector65) to discuss college cards during the collector conversation this week. We’re told #DONTCOLLECTCOLLEGECARDS for reasons like:
“College cards don’t hold any value”
“Colleges aren’t global brands”
“People don’t care about college cards once they put on their pro uniforms”
Sure, some of this may be true, but it doesn’t stop passionate college collectors like Brooks from building out collections of cards that are personally significant to him. In fact, in talking with Brooks and seeing his collection I find the way he collects more interesting than a majority of the pages that I come across.
It’s not just Brooks either. It’s undeniable that the rise of Bowman University and NIL has made college players more interesting. I did a search in Card Ladder this week preparing for an exclusive episode in the Patreon group on the rise of emerging collecting segments and found that there’s been 366 sales of Bowman University cards that are $1,000 and above in 2024 alone. Of course, we must consider the impact that Caitlin Clark and Victor Wembanyama have on this total, but the sheer volume alone is staggering.
Great products and the rise of NIL could mean changes in the landscape of college cards. I think the college card segment is one of the most interesting collecting segments to monitor over the course of the next several years.
If you want more on the college card topic make sure you check out my episode with Brooks.
Joining the Stacking Slabs Patreon is The Best Way to Show Your Support
Collectors are joining Stacking Slabs Patreon to consume exclusive content, connect with other collectors, and promote their cards. I’m putting out new collector focused content in the group on a daily basis and it’s the hub for all of SSP’s video content. If you’re enjoying what I’m putting out on the main feeds check out what the group has to offer. I appreciate your attention and commitment to helping grow the damn brand. Join Today
Your Hobby Consignment Needs
We dropped Episode #3 of Auction Talk this week with Nic (@thewharfsportscards). The feedback has been amazing. We went 90 minutes this week covering topics and cards that are the most interesting to us right now in the auction scene.
How good was Manu Ginobili? I love that this show forces us to revisit some players from the past who might not get a ton of airtime today. Nic mentioned the 2002 Bowman Signature Emanuel Ginobili PSA 10 in his update. You got to love his full name being called out here. This one ends Sunday on eBay if it gets your juices flowing!
If you’re interested in consigning your cards with Nic you can check out the form and use promo code “stacking50” for $50 off your first consignment with him.
#Sub100Sunday
Bargain bin shopping is fun. I always love seeing amazing cards on Instagram that don’t cost much. The more we talk about auctions and dollar values the more I want to remain in my roots to give coverage to cards that are under $100. There’s a ton of collectors who play in this sandbox. I’m not sure there’s a cooler card that you can buy right now for under $100 than the 2015 Purple Mosaics /50 out of 2015 Prizm. They’re a poor man’s Black Finite, but have the same visual effects. I picked up my Luck not too long ago and love it.
Share your favorite purchase for under $100 today on Instagram using #Sub100Sunday.
A Collector To Follow
There’s few collectors as passionate as Chris (@seedicecards). He’s a loyal Baltimore Ravens fan who has to have the best Joe Flacco collection in the world. Because THE ELITE QB is now on my team and Chris just completed the Gold Prizm run he earns this placement.
I appreciate everyone for your support of the Stacking Slabs brand. The dedication and passion I get from my audience this week is unstoppable.
Keep doing your damn thing and tell a friend while you’re at it!
Happy collecting,
Brett