The Weekly Rip 3.3.24 [Future Crop of Greatness]
This week we explore the emergence of Caitlin Clark and Victor Wembanyama in cards.
I’m excited to partner with Jamison Long, Owner at Port City Sports Collectibles on an upcoming content series. Once a month Jamison will co-host “Hobby Shop Talk” with me on the main feed. We’ll discuss the role of the hobby shop in 2024 and beyond. The first episode of “Hobby Shop Talk” will go live on Tuesday, March 5th wherever you consume fine audio content. In the meantime, make sure you follow Port City Sports Collectibles on Instagram and check out their website for any of your wax needs.
Thursday between 4:00-5:00 pm est is always a wild time for me. I pick up both of my daughters in two separate locations, feed them, and keep them happy until my wife comes home. This week I took the easy route and stopped through Wendy’s to grab my toddler a cheeseburger. There’s something special about Wendy’s for me. The smell of Dave’s operation brings me back to an era in my life where Champion jerseys and Starter Jackets were my daily uniform. You can’t beat a square burger and the smell of nostalgia. My toddler was dipping her first fry in ketchup while I was holding my little one and grabbed my phone to open up Instagram for a quick moment. When my feed appeared the first thing I saw was a headline that said, “Hawkeye Nation”. I realized quickly it was coming from Caitlin Clark’s page. I read “I am excited to be entering the 2024 WNBA Draft”. A wave of emotion rolled over me as I began to blurt out, “HOLY SHIT”, but quickly censored myself because of the company that I was in. The Indiana Fever have the #1 pick and the idea of Caitlin Clark playing basketball in Indianapolis quickly became a reality.
It’s safe to say my interest and investment in women’s basketball has changed since being blessed with becoming a Girl Dad x2. I get the chance to introduce both of my daughters to the game of basketball in front of one of the greatest women’s basketball players of all-time. Caitlin Clark has the opportunity to sit amongst the greats of this city like Peyton, Reggie, and Tamika. You know when you don’t even have to put their last names to describe them that they’re amongst the greatest to ever do it. I’m excited for April 15 when Caitlin (yes, no last name needed) gets drafted #1 overall to the Indiana Fever.
The rise of Caitlin Clark in the mainstream conversation has not only elevated the position of women’s basketball in the mainstream conversation, but also shined a light on the future of women’s basketball cards. I got the chance to chat with fellow Caitlin Clark fan, Katelyn (@coldlunchcards) about collecting her cards during this Friday’s collector conversation.
She brought up the fact that between Caitlin Clark and Victor Wembanyama we have two transcendent type players dropping into the NBA and WNBA at about the same time. I started to consider not only their ability to change the landscape on the floor, but also their impact on cards. Our hobby is fueled by potential. Also, our hobby begins to enter new stratospheres when you sprinkle in greatness.
Katelyn did a comparative analysis of the sales of the Wemby and Clark Superfractors. I didn’t realize it until she said it, but the Clark outsold the Wemby. Sure, Wemby is in his less desirable Metropolitans 92 gear while Clark is wearing the Iowa black, but this is still something that should be noted.
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.
Basketball fans should be excited about its future. We’re in a rare era where we’re fortunate to watch 2 aliens takeover the game for hopefully as long as possible. I always struggle to define greatness, but I know when it exists in collecting cards.
The tied seems to be shifting so quickly with cards. The market continues to correct while interest feels like it’s at an all-time high. There’s a new manufacturer sinking its teeth across the entire industry. Collectors announced the acquisition of competitor SGC grading earlier this week. The one constant will always be collector’s desire to get their hands on cards of greats before they reach their full potential.
The faces of sports cards for the next decade is for Wemby and Clark to take.
I’ve got my Caitlin Clark saved searches set up. I’m just waiting for the right one to hit.
Your Hobby Consignment Needs
A big shout out to Nic (@thewharfsportscards) for kicking off “Auction Talk” with me on the main feed of SSP this week. Every Thursday Nic and I will be talking about cards going to auction that are interesting or a part of the #NORECENTCOMPS movement.
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.
Your Hobby Community Alternative
I’m really enjoying publishing more collector content than ever before in the Patreon Group. This week we hosted our first collector live stream on February 29th for a subset of our members. We covered collector focused topics directly from members of the community.
Some highlights from this week:
SSP Group February Live Stream (Join to watch)
The Launch of Auction Talk (Join to watch)
The Proliferation of 1/1’s in the Ultra-Modern Era and How to Navigate (Join to listen)
Collectors are joining to consume exclusive content, connect with other collectors, and promote their cards. Members can expect more data focused, collector content with your membership.
A Collector To Follow
I don’t even know where to start with Andy’s (@byebyecards) collection. It seems like at the end of every week my mind gets blown by the cards that he posted from the week before. His bio says, “Mostly obsessed with all things ‘90s” and that’s an understatement. If you’re looking for a place to do a quick scroll for some 90’s grails then look no further.
A Space for Promoting Auctions
A big part of the new Patreon roll out is creating more opportunity to bring visibility to cards at auction. I’m a big believer in the use of consignors. They alleviate so much work for me, but oftentimes can’t offer the promotional treatment for every card that comes through.
Here are some cards up for auction from the group.
2018 Panini Prizm Tom Brady Gold Vinyl /5 PSA 9
8 years of Brady Gold Vinyl means 40 total copies in existence. Only 25 total copies in Pats gear. This one ends tonight and should be fun to watch.
1998 Bowman’s Best Atomic Refractor Kobe Bryant /100 #88 PSA 10 Gem Mint (Pop 13)
The Atomic Refractor is the OG Cracked Ice and this copy of Kobe’s 98 Bowman’s Best Atomic is mesmerizing. It’s limited to 100 copies and only 13 have the PSA 10 distinction. This copy ends tonight.
1998 Playoff Contenders Ticket Gold Peyton Manning Rookie /25 PSA 7
The Rookie Ticket auto is an iconic card in the Peyton Manning catalog. The Gold Ticket /25 is not one that you see everyday. You all know that I love me some Peyton and this is a card that I’ll have my eye on.
2021 Flawless Steve Atwater Patch Auto/10
I’m a big fan of defensive cards of legends. I’ve found that the best way to collect some of the players from my youth is to dig into their Flawless stuff. Here’s a fun Steve Atwater auto patch that ends this week.
2022 Mosaic Troy Polamalu Super Bowl XL Auto Prizm
It’s hard to forget that hair…and the big playmaking ability. Polamalu represented an entire era of Steelers defense and has some hardware to prove it. It’s fun to pick up cards associated with Super Bowl years. If you’re in need of a Polamalu autograph this could be the one for you.
2022 Immaculate Brian Dawkins Autograph Inscribed Hall of Fame /25
Brian Dawkins was easily one of the decade’s most feared defenders. Collectors have a thing for inscriptions. The cool thing about this Dawkins’ card is that you not only get the inscription of “God Bless”, but also his famous number 20 to go along side of it.
Thanks for reading and have a great start to your week!
Happy collecting,
Brett