The Weekly Rip 3.24.24 [CEO of Your PC]
In this week's edition of The Weekly Rip we contemplate ownership of our collection.
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.
I’m a professional order taker.
My toddler tells me what to do and when she wants it done.
I just started working as my own boss, but can’t do what I’m doing without demands from the clients that I serve.
I’ve got plenty of duties in my household that could keep me busy until the next installment of The Weekly Rip.
I don’t mind providing excellent services for the people that I love and clients that help keep the lights out, but sometimes I just want to be in charge. It’s the desire of ownership. It’s having that feeling that nothing is going to get in my way no matter what. It’s not answering to anyone and not jumping through a bunch of red tape to get decisions made.
That’s why I love sports cards. In last week’s edition of The Weekly Rip I discussed the top 5 things that I loved about collecting. The big one that I left off the list because it needed its own space was the opportunity to be the CEO of your own collection. If you’ve listened to my show over the last 4 years there’s a strong chance that you’ve heard my catchphrase. It seems like whenever I give that catchphrase an inch my listeners take it a mile. I’ve workshopped it and it’s probably the truest take I’ve ever had. Also, it’s one of the biggest reasons that I think sports cards have withstood the test of time. It doesn’t matter your family dynamics, professional career, or relationship status for it to resonate. There are moments in our lives that we want to take complete ownership of something and why not it be a hobby that we deeply love.
Being the CEO of your PC can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. For me, it means ignoring almost everyone else’s opinion, but my own on what my collection should look like. I’m in a back and forth on eBay right now for a card that I’m almost certain that less than 1% of you reading this would pay. If this deal goes through I will have purchased the most expensive card of this player of all time by more than 2x. The best part is that I don’t need anyone else’s approval to do it, but myself. That’s what being the CEO of your PC means. It’s about building out a collection of cards that makes me the happiest and no one else.
I asked my audience 6 months ago what’s the most important thing you do as the CEO of your PC and here are some of my favorite responses:
“Deciding what set/card/player gets me excited to chase. Sets the tone for everyone” @soccercardcorner
“Taking a break will not put you behind. It’s not a race, suppress the FOMO and reset” @charmcitytim
“Give myself permission to impulse buy. The hobby’s less fun when there are too many rules” @iowa_dave_sportscards
“Stop and smell the roses! Appreciate what you already got in your PC once in awhile” - @doc_collects_cards
“I can take inspiration from other collectors but I can charter and curate my own journey.” @madcitycollector
“Make decisions and find services that do tasks better than you (selling)” @mikeyinthehobby
“Have the final say no matter what other opinions or influencers are floating around” @masshole_sportscards
“Try to not be another person in a crowded space” @kevin.m.cormier
“Be flexible but don’t let sellers gauge you just because they have something you need” @vintagepacers
“Be active, don’t be afraid to move cards to get cards that you like more” @vol_in_nc_cards
There were a lot more really good opinions, but that diversity of responses shows you why being the CEO of your PC matters so much.
If you feel like you’re not taking complete ownership of your escape it might be a good time to adjust.
You’ll know you’re onto something when you start building a collection that no one else in the world can replicate.
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.
It’s Wrestlemania season so it’s as good of an excuse as any to talk about wrestling cards. I had a request from Patreon member @wrestlingcardwizard this week about looking at the sales data on the Road to Wrestlemania to see if I could spot any trends.
For those that don’t know anything about professional wrestling the easiest comparison to the hobby would be the period in between NFL training camp and the start of the regular season.
I analyzed 3 years of data from the Royal Rumble to the start of Wrestlemania in 2022, 2023, and 2024. I filtered the sales history by cards $300 or more.
2022:
373 cards sold
Top 50 cards sold ($127,175) Ave. $2,543
Highest sale = 2014 Topps Chrome Roman Reigns Superfractor Auto 1/1 PSA 10 $15k
2023
671 cards sold
Top 50 cards sold (127,994) Ave. $2559
Highest Sale = 2014 Topps Chrome The Undertaker Superfractor 1/1 PSA 10 at $8400
2024:
613 cards
Top 50 card sold ($117,789) Ave. $2355
Highest Sale = 2022 Prizm The Rock Gold Prizm /10 PSA 8 for $9k
The biggest thing that stuck out to me was the jump in the volume of sales of this category of wrestling cards from 2022 to 2023. The data for this year is still incomplete since Mania hasn’t happened yet, but on track to break 2023’s number.
My biggest takeaway is that there is a growing confidence in a category of cards that I absolutely adore.
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 #4 of Auction Talk this week with Nic (@thewharfsportscards). The thing that I’m beginning to appreciate about this weekly show more and more each week is the opportunity to talk about players that don’t get the limelight anymore.
This week we talked about Derrick Rose who recently retired. Although his career didn’t live up to the heights of what everyone expected he still had a remarkable career. Furthermore, his youngest MVP season of all-time is likely a season that will forever be embedded in the hearts and minds of Bulls fans. This makes Derrick Rose a collectible player.
A week ago Nick covered the 2008 Exquisite Limited Logos /25 RPA Derrick Rose BGS 9 in his newsletter #NORECENTCOMPS.
The results:
$4,650 (last BGS 9 = $631 in Nov 2016)
Raw did $1,126 in March 2021
We love to pay tribute to players we love through our collections. The most fun sales for me are situations where it’s undeniable that it’s going to a player collector of that player. It’s full of passion and slightly irrational. The perfect combination.
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.
A Collector To Follow
Who doesn’t love a good binder shot? Ryan (@mindcyclecards) uses his Instagram page to highlight the appeal of binder collecting. Whenever I see these photos flood my feed I instantly think back to a simpler time in my life collecting sports cards.
Ryan is one of the most intentional collectors I’ve ever met. Check out the 99-00 Denver Nuggets Bowman Best Refractor and Atomic Refractors.
I put a spot light on a bunch of Instagram pages that I enjoy on a daily basis. I’d encourage all of you to follow those people if you’re looking for more collector focused content outside of the SSP platform.
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