The Weekly Rip 4.21.24 [Auction Distractons]
A big thank you to the Card Ladder team for being the official data sponsor of Stacking Slabs. If you’re looking to make more data-driven collecting decisions make sure you give the app a spin. Also, Check out Friday’s collector conversation on the SSP main feed where we talk NBA Playoffs and basketball cards with Chris and Josh.
I was having a conversation with a good friend in the hobby this week that got into a discussion around the profile of the individual who is consuming Stacking Slabs content. As a marketer, I’ve always found it challenging to pigeon hole an audience into a single profile. Conversely, I do think it’s really important to find focus with your message. When you try to be for everyone you end up being for no one. My favorite marketing quote of all time is from David Oglivy from Ogilvy on Advertising. The book was written in 1983 and still holds up today. In this marketing classic he said, “Do not..address your readers as though they were gathered together in a stadium. When people read your copy, they are alone. Pretend you are writing to each of them a letter on behalf of your client.” I think about this quote all of the time when I’m creating content for the Stacking Slabs platform. I want the words, topics, and ideas to resonate with your soul. That brings me to the topic of this installment of The Weekly Rip newsletter.
Monster sales get everyone’s attention, but only an incredibly small pool of collectors participate in this segment.
This past Thursday evening we had the conclusion of the Premier Auction via PWCC.
Here are some sales that you’ve probably already seen, but want to use them as examples to reinforce the point that I’m trying to make here.
2023 Panini Prizm Black Shimmer FOTL Victor Wembanyama Rookie 1/1 PSA 9 sold for $516,000
1998 Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Gem Masters Barry Sanders 1/1 PSA 7 sold for $168,000
2000 Playoff Contenders Championship Ticket Tom Brady RC Auto /100 BGS 7.5 sold for $192,000
The days after the conclusion of a Premier auction a lot of thoughts race through my head. I try to figure out what these sales really mean. I think about the players. I think about the cards. I think a lot about significance. The one thing I never think about is the fact that I need to find a creative way to report these sales to all of you. The primary reason that I don’t feel compelled to do that is because these cards can only be bought by a small fraction of the audience of Stacking Slabs. I think it’s really important to have awareness and appreciation for these monster sales, but the fact of the matter is that they really don’t have any impact on how a majority of us should approach our own personal collecting. Also, big sales are beaten to death with infographics, junior varsity analysis, and narrative by the mainstream. That space is already covered and honestly I don’t think that’s why you’re spending time here.
I’ve decided to share a story with you that I hope resonates. It’s a topic that I think is super fascinating that we all battle as busy professionals, parents, and people in general. The topic is combating life distractions to bid on auctions of cards that we need. My story is two-part. One of success and one of failure.
We’ll start in chronological order with this tale. There was a slew of Tyrese Haliburton cards that hit eBay a week ago and were ending this past Thursday. It’s funny how you wait months for cards you’re looking for and then all of a sudden several pop at one-time…so it goes! The first card was his 2023 Prizm Gold /10 PSA 9.
There’s no denying that I’m a Prizm Gold degen. This was a card that I needed to build on my Pacers Gold Prizm run of Haliburton. How can you beat the Gold (aka “Banana Suits”) jersey paired with the iconic Gold parallel? You get a shadow appearance from Jayson Tatum in the back, which gives this card an Easter egg, too. The problem with this auction was that it was ending at 5:00 pm et. Typically, I would be excited about the weird ending time because it would give me the chance to get the card at a time where there was less attention on it. The problem for me on this one was that it’s a coin flip if I’m going to be back home after picking up my kids. I popped into my kids daycare, grabbed all their stuff, grabbed them, and then made the 20 minute journey back to my home. I try to be safe and not look at my phone while I’m driving, especially with my kids in the car, but I’m not going to lie to you. Whenever the car was stopped at a light I peeked at the red countdown clock and the price.
We pulled into our garage with 4 minutes left in the auction. I grabbed both girls, their stuff, and ran into the house like a freaking maniac. Ruby (6 months) stayed in her pumpkin seat quietly as the countdown began. There was 1 minute left on the clock. I looked at my daughter Jolene (2.5 years) and told her that I would have dinner ready in a second. I also told her that if she was patient while Daddy did “something really important” on his phone I would give her a special treat. At that moment Ruby started laughing at Jo and I started laughing at how ridiculous of a situation I turned this into because of a card.
15 seconds to go. I loaded up my chubby bid. 3…2 (bid)...1…spinning wheel. Winner!
The sigh of relief after I won that card was unlike anything I had ever experienced. The entire moment will be something that I never forget which will always make that card memorable for me. The only downside of the day was the story of the card which won’t be mentioned. I made the mistake of taking my auction business to the bedroom. The card was ending past my bedtime. I made the rookie mistake of not even putting in a bid (I’m a sniper be trade). The result was me waking up at 2:30 in the morning and seeing the auction closed at less than what I would have bid on…so it goes!
There’s always big card sales. They’re fun, but should never influence us one way or the other.
I’ll always believe what’s most important are the stories and reasons for why we buy cards.
Share a story or two on your Instagram this week. There are plenty of collectors out there who are looking for them and it’s the best way to find connection.
Auction Talk is for the People
This week on Auction Talk I asked Nic (@thewharfsportscards) if he could only collect one type of card for an entire year, what would he choose? Nic’s response didn’t necessarily surprise me. I know he’s a big 90’s and early 2000 football card collector. He went with 1998 Fleer Ultra Platinum Medallion /66. He talked about how the cards were iconic, rare, and the 1998 class hosts legends like Peyton Manning, Randy Moss, and Charles Woodson.
I couldn’t help but think about the scenario of only focusing on one type of card for an entire year and what that would do for your collection. I’m not a fan of the impulse buy, but it’s likely you’d make a lot less purchases that you ended up selling later if you could only focus on one type of card.
I’ll leave it to you to decide. If you could only collect one type of card for 1 year what would you pick and why?
Post a card with your reason on Instagram and tag me @stackingslabs.
If you’re interested in consigning your cards with The Wharf Sports Cards Nic dropped a new promotion. Use promo code “stacking93” to get a 93% payout on your next consignment.
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
I’ve been recording a weekly series in the Patreon group of 10 cool cards that I saw for the week on Instagram and highlighting the collectors in my group. It’s been a great opportunity to put a focus on the amazing cards we see every day on Instagram and show our appreciation for our fellow collectors. I’m loving pouring more energy than ever before in the group. It’s not stopping any time soon!
A Collector to Follow
I’ve long been a fan of @lingua_sports_cards page. Brian is a long time collector who has an affinity for Superfractor 1/1’s. I scan his page regularly and am always mesmerized by what he’s built. If you aren’t already, give Brian’s page a follow to get updates when his amazing collection gets posted.
I’ll close this week out by just touching on how much I love being a fan. This past week in Indianapolis has been one of my favorite sports weeks in a long time. It’s oddly strange to admit that when there hasn’t been any sports going on, but it’s because of the momentum.
The Indiana Pacers are gearing up for their first round match up which starts tonight with the Milwaukee Bucks. It’s been a while for the Pacers, but things in this city seem level when the Pacers are playing in the post season.
The big reason for that excitement has been around all things Caitlin Clark. What we’ve seen the past several months from Caitlin Clark has been unforgettable. I’ll be talking about it more on the flagship episode of SSP this Wednesday.
Enjoy your cards. Enjoy your family. Enjoy some hoops.
Take care,
Brett