The Weekly Rip 4.7.24 [Finding growth]
Brett explores the power of tapping into your younger self and the growth that can come along the way when collecting cards.
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.
Happy Wrestlemania for those who celebrate it!
I try to write these things in advance so Night 1 will have happened and we’ll be heading into Night 2 as this drops. It’s been an eventful weekend at Stacking Slabs HQ. I’m not only celebrating Wrestlemania weekend, but also potty training my daughter. There’s an interesting dynamic at play. I’m the grown up in situations like helping my daughter understand the value of doing her business in a toilet, but then I’m very much a child again when I go down in my basement to escape into the world of professional wrestling for a couple of nights. There’s something special about whatever helps you escape. I think for most of us sports cards play a critical role in that process and appreciate you spending some time reading my content.
I turn 40 next year, but my interests could easily be mistaken for a kid in middle school. I love sports, professional wrestling, music, eating junk food on the weekends, and collecting sports cards. There’s something charming about growing old. You get rewarded with amazing things like more money, more life experiences, children, deeper love for your spouse, bigger homes, and more. But, one of the most interesting elements is the stronger our desire gets with connecting with our younger self. This is why sports cards are so powerful.
We connect with our younger self when we explore new collections of players who were significant to us when we were growing up. We connect with our younger self when we jump into the group chat to have conversations with our friends about cards. We connect with our younger self when binge hobby content like it’s Nickelodeon (maybe not the most timely reference 😬).
When we escape to sports cards we’re reminded of being a kid again, but it doesn’t mean that our tastes don’t mature. It’s an interesting push and pull that presents itself with coming back to sports cards later in life. We do it because it offers us nostalgia, but most importantly it presents an opportunity to grow. The evolution of sports card collecting is one of the most fascinating evolutions I’ve undergone in the past 4 years.
We’re growth minded people. Sports cards are an extension of this mindset.
Want to see collector growth?
Here’s how I’d document my journey over the last 4 years with sports cards:
Aimless meandering: Letting the hobby come at me and hoping I strike gold from busting open packs
Buying without passion: Getting stuck into the hole of buying cards that I don’t care about, but everyone else tells us we should care about
Building a player PC: Identifying a player I’m passionate about and beginning to explore their catalog
Focusing on product: Becoming extremely mindful of the types of products and parallels that I love and spending more time collecting them
Continuity collecting: Finding an appreciation for collecting runs of players and pairing players together with similar cards
Upstream collecting: Moving to a level where it’s not all about higher end cards, but beginning to use consolidation to get cards I never thought I’d be able to afford
Focused team collecting: Representing my favorite team (Go Colts!) in my collection by focusing on completing parallel team sets
There’s likely even more sub-eras to my collecting journey that I’m not calling out because they were forgettable. This list and path isn’t linear. Also, this isn’t a journey map of how you should collect. It’s an outline of my experience since coming back into cards and finding personal growth from these stages.
I close the opening note out this week as I gear up for Wrestlemania with one message.
It’s ok to escape into sports cards and not feel like you already know everything.
The joys of tapping into the feeling that cards gave us when we were kids is powerful.
The growth you get from learning every day makes sports cards an unstoppable force.
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. Make sure you follow Port City Sports Collectibles on Instagram and check out their website for any of your wax needs.
I got a chance to catch up with Jamison Long, Owner at Port City Sports Collectibles this week for the second episode of Hobby Shop Talk. We discussed the role of the hobby shop in educating new hobby participants. I’m really enjoying building out focused content with hobby entrepreneurs. I’m learning a ton and hope you feel the same way.
One of the most interesting threads that I’m pulling on right now in the hobby is the power of set collectors. Undeniably, set collectors have been a part of the hobby from the jump. When I was growing up one of the most interesting ways to collect was to make sure that I ripped enough packs to get an entire base set of 1991-1992 Upper Deck basketball.
Set collecting can come in all shapes and sizes.
Ways to set collect:
Base card set collecting: I want to collect the entire 2018 Prizm Basketball base set
Player parallel runs: I want to collect the Prizm Gold run of Joe Flacco
Team set collecting: I want to collect the 97 Red PMGs of the Detroit Lions
Parallel set collecting: I want to collect the entire 24 Karat Gold set in 1998 Fleer Brilliants Football
And, so many more variations
The varieties and diversity within set collectors are a primary catalyst that impact the values of cards over time. When you’re a set collector the rules are off the table. Sure, you can use data from platforms like Card Ladder to inform your decisions, but sometimes you’ve got to throw traditional rules off the table to complete the projects that keep you up at night.
In this week’s Auction Talk with Nick (@thewharfsportscards) we discussed the soaring prices of the 2008 Topps Chrome Red Refractors /5. The combination of set collectors + limited supply will always lead to increased value overtime. The activity of the set collector is one of the most fascinating storylines that we can follow to understand price movement.
It’s a theme that we’ll continue to explore on Auction Talk and other shows on SSP.
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.
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
We had our second monthly live stream for group members this past Thursday. I felt so much energy from this conversation. A special shout out to everyone who attended.
Here’s what we covered:
1. What happens when we become less attached to PC cards with Brandon (@sportscardstruggles)
2. Planning and protecting our collections against risk with Brooks (@lsutigercollector65)
3. The power and impact of set collecting with James (@madcitycollector)
A Collector To Follow
If you are looking for a passionate Lamar Jackson to follow, look no further. I absolutely love following Ben (@squidzcards) page. He’s always on the hunt for the premium parallels out of Prizm to build out his collection.
Check out the 2022 Prizm Flashbacks Black Finite 1/1 that he just scooped!
Badass Cards for Auction
I put these LeBron’s in The Weekly Rip last week and we’ll keep them here one more time. These beauties end tonight on PWCC Weekly. I’m excited to see where these end up.
2006-2007 Topps Chrome LeBron James Black Refractors /99 BGS 9
2004 Ultra LeBron James Platinum Medallion /100 PSA 9
Have a good Night 2 of Wrestlemania! Enjoy the escape and have a great start to your week!
Take care,
Brett