The Weekly Rip 5.26.24 [Hobbyland]
We explore the benefits of the daily escape to Hobbyland
A big thank you to the Card Ladder team for being the official data sponsor of Stacking Slabs. Card Ladder makes me a better creator and collector. If you’re looking to make more data-driven collecting decisions make sure you give the app a spin.
Falling in love with sports cards is much more than taking ownership over tiny pieces of cardboard that we put in plastic. No, we don’t collect sports cars like what most people hear when we talk about our hobby. We’re not funded or flashy enough for that kind of hobby. We’re simple people. We work our ass off to support our family. When we’re not at work we spend time with our kids and loved ones. We love sports and the fandom associated with our favorite teams. The sliver of additional time that we might have during our week we spend escaping into Hobbyland. We suspend our brains from all of life’s priorities, responsibilities, and obligations when we enter Hobbyland. It can be a 20 minute vacation that involves an Instagram check, a quick scan of saved searches, and replies back to the DMs. It’s those 20 minute moments that we get throughout the day that helps us realize that the hobby is much more than collecting cards. The escape to Hobbyland becomes our method of healing for the day. It’s where we tune in and drop out.
I love the time I spend on sports cards so much that I’m trying to figure out how I can be here all of the time. I’ve got an all-in mindset when it comes to the things that I love. It’s impossible for me to just dip my toe in the water. I always jump in head first. I’ve spent the last 4 years documenting my growth in the hobby on Stacking Slabs. I tell people that outside of marrying my wife, starting the show was the best decision I’ve ever made in my life. It’s given me space to create, find cards, and connect with so many of you. The more time I spend on SSP content the more I want to drown in the hobby and all it has to offer. My passion for the time I spend building my own collection and content for you holds no bounds. When I’m sad I turn to sports cards. When my team loses I turn to sports cards. Whenever I need a distraction I turn to sports cards. It’s truly the greatest escape known to mankind (Have A Nice Day!😉).
I think the breakthrough for many collectors occurs when you start viewing the hobby less like a transaction and more like a long term timeshare that you bought. It’s so easy to consider the hobby exclusively from the lens of buying and selling cards. It’s a lot harder to take a step back and view your time in the hobby as vacation where you’ve got access to all of the amenities. Sure, the goal for many is to spend our funds to land grails that will stay in our collections for the long haul, but what about embracing the process and steps that helped get us there?
The pursuit of cards or “the chase” as many collectors refer to it is one of the most rewarding components of the hobby for me. There’s no timeline to work from when you’re out chasing a card. I view it very similar to being dropped into a RPG video game. It’s easy to walk around aimlessly without any strategy or direction. It’s a lot harder to understand how you use the tools at your disposal to advance levels and finally end up with the grails that we need.
Here are 3 C’s of a good chase that I appreciate:
The Challenge: I’m a sicko, but I admire the difficulty. If it were easy to me it would be boring and appreciate being pushed to the limits to land the right card
The Communication: I love sourcing my network for advice, intelligence, and information. We’re creating a global network with each DM exchange. We have the ability to leverage our network as companions as we enter the uncharted terrain of the hobby
The Commitment: We start a relationship with our chase that holds no bounds. When we dedicate ourselves to a card pursuit it’s always a signal back to us that we’re spending our brief time in the hobby the right way
This space has so much to offer. We see the transactional mindset and behavior of others and get frustrated. This hobby has many different flavors that cater to a lot of different segments. I think one of the biggest lessons that I’ve learned is that everyone has their own different use case for what the hobby can offer. For some, it’s about making $25 after flipping a $1200 card. For others, it’s about being challenged while connecting with the past.
Collecting cards is a wonderful pastime with so much to do.
Finding your purpose and doubling down only amplifies the passion that already exists.
Thanks for supporting SSP. Enjoy your time in Hobbyland.
Take care,
Brett
A New Content Series Starts This Week With PSA
On the flagship episode of the podcast this week I announced a new partnership between SSP and PSA. I’m a long time PSA customer and am excited to bring them into the portfolio of brands that support the SSP platform. The goal of the series is to give you an insider look on the decisions PSA is making that impacts the collector. There are so many concepts, ideas, and topics to tackle and am thrilled to bring this to life.
At the end of last week I recorded Episode 1 with Ryan Hoge, President at PSA. On Tuesday, May 28th we’ll drop the first episode with Ryan. The topic is Making Decisions with a Collector First Mindset. We talk about some of their recent news, tackling the insane backlog of 21, and what’s on deck for the rest of the year.
A special shout out to Ryan Greene from PSA for being an amazing partner in helping bring this series to life with me.
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
A Weekly Content Roundup
If the topic of chasing cards interests you make sure you check out the flagship episode of SSP this week. I talk about the determination it takes to land the cards that we need.
Nic and I talked about boomerang cards, thinking about value from a player vs. set, and broke down all of the auctions that are making us feel something on this week’s episode of Auction Talk.
Josh from 90s Auctions returned to talk about curating auctions for a specific segment of the hobby. The 90s Auctions team is running an auction right now that ends June 2 with a ton of really amazing 90s cards to drool over.
Auctions To Follow
Here’s a list of cards that are up for auction by members of the SSP Patreon Group for this week.
2010 Topps Chrome Gold Refractor Randy Moss /50 PSA 9
Last Sale: Sold for $256 on Mar 3, 2024 via auction
2002 Topps Pristine 41 Jerry Rice Refractor PSA 10 #/349 Oakland Raiders
Last Sale: Sold for $65 on February 29, 2024 via Best Offer
2007 Topps Finest #78 Randy Moss Gold Refractor PSA 9 #/50 New England Patriots
Last Sale: Sold for $300 on March 3, 2024 via Auction
2021 Topps Chrome WWE John Centa 5 Timers Club Superfractor 1/1 PSA 9
Last Sale: Last sold $999.99 on January 19, 2023 at a Fixed Price
2020 Stadium Club UEFA Erling Haaland Orange Refractor /25 PSA 10
Last Sale: No Recent Comps
2014 Totally Certified Damien Lillard Mirror Green Die Cuts /5
Last Sale: $303 on January 16, 2022 via Auction
2023 Revolution WWE Cody Rhodes Galactic PSA 10
Last Sale: $630 on May 5, 2024 via Auction
A Collector To Follow
I always enjoy the passion that @the_infinity_cards puts into each post. Hayden is a passionate collector of Drew Brees, 2014 Totally Certified Mirrors, 2022 Shining Stars Gold, and likely anything else that shines bright. Give him a follow if you want to see some cool shiny football cards.
Enjoy your long holiday weekend and don’t forget to remember those that have sacrificed their lives for us this Memorial Day Weekend.
Take care,
Brett