The Weekly Rip 8.18.24 [Lists]
Brett explores the idea of list making and the differences between "best" and "favorite".
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.
I love doing Auction Talk every week. Nic (@thewharfsportscards) has been such an amazing partner and we’ve become good friends in the process. The entire experience of putting together an episode, selecting cards, recording the episode, and sharing it with you has been one of the most satisfying experiences about building Stacking Slabs. Recently, we started taking and addressing listener questions. It’s great to hear from collectors on the other side and I’m encouraged by the steady flow of topics that come our way. This week we received a question from “The Ultimate Question Asker” and good friend Drake (@drakes_pc):
“I was recently asked to come up with a list of Peyton Manning’s best cards. While very subjective, I’m still struggling with it. What advice would you have comparing rookies to non-rookies and inserts/parallels to patches/autos? Should I exclude 1/1s since only one person could own them? And finally, if I include the 98 Credentials Future /7, for example, should I not include the less rare Now /54?”
If you listen back to the episode Nic does a great job of breaking down Drake’s question into digestible responses. Obviously, I had seen Drake’s question before we started recording the episode, but typically don’t have the time to create predetermined responses to the questions. When you hear me react to questions on Auction Talk it’s always my raw thoughts in real-time. My instant response to Drake’s question was that I strongly dislike “best cards” lists. I think they’re loaded and most of the time self-serving. I much prefer the word favorite to describe any sort of lists that is being created around a player, parallel, or set. I loved this question from Drake because after the fact it’s caused me to think even deeper about the topic. It’s incredible how one collector’s question can open the door to so many other thoughts on how we communicate about certain cards.
I reflected on my visceral reaction to the question and tried to explore where my feelings came from. Once I took a moment to reflect I started to understand some core tenants that make up my philosophy on collecting that I wanted to share here:
My favorite part of the hobby is our opportunity and ability to build collections that are individually significant to us
It’s impossible to create an absolute “best cards” list because we all value different attributes in cards (e.g. some like shiny others like patches, etc.)
Lists oftentimes are created based on value - I don’t believe money should ever be the primary reason cards earn certain positioning
“Best cards” lists discourage independent thinking - a majority of readers are mature and hobby vets, however, new participants see “best cards” lists and think it should be their Northstar
The melting pot of opinions on cards makes the hobby interesting.
It’s perfectly fine to give collectors a starting point on key cards when creating lists.
It starts to jump the shark when we use those lists as the absolute source of truth.
Your list should look different than mine. The melting pot of opinions is what makes collecting fun.
SSP on The YouTube Machine
We’re taking old episodes from the archive and outfitting them for the YouTube Machine. We’ve been dropping 3 episodes a week. If you like the video format make sure you subscribe to SSP YouTube today.
A Weekly Content Roundup
I record the flagship episode of SSP without notes which never happens. I had a lot of passion and energy around a myriad of topics. If you want to hear SSP unfiltered this is your best chance.
I made Nic feel the pain when we highlighted the 1999 Jerry Rice Precious Metal Gems that he didn’t win this week on Auction Talk.
90s baseball is on fire. This week’s collector conversation was with Michael (@roundtree13_cards) who talked about the current market and shared his Randy Johnson collection as a backdrop to the conversation.
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
Auctions To Follow
We’ve got a trio of Peyton Manning cards that are up for auction from the Patreon group this week.
1998 Topps Bronze Foil Peyton Manning ROOKIE AUTO #A10 BGS 9.5 GEM MINT
I’ve previously owned a copy of this card in a BGS 9. I’ve always enjoyed this card because the was Peyton’s first moment holding a Colts jersey. I always wonder if Peyton knows what he’s about to accomplish in his career during this shot.
1999 Skybox Molten Metal Perfect Fit Red Peyton Manning /25 #10 PSA 10 GEM MINT
I’ll refrain from gassing this one up because I am an owner of this card in a PSA 10. The one thing I’ll mention for anyone particularly interested in this one is the fact that it does have the /25 serial stamp on the back. If you do see another copy of this card it’s likely unstamped.
1999 Leaf Certified Mirror Gold Peyton Manning /35 #122 BGS 9 MINT
You still see the lineage and legacy of the Mirror Gold parallel on display today. The Mirror Gold has proven it’s longevity and always shine through on the early sets like 1999 Leaf Certified.
A Collector To Follow
There’s nothing better than following a passionate and unique collector. Whenever I see images of Dale Earnhardt I’m always reminded of my childhood. Indianapolis is a racing town and Earnhardt is a racing icon. I love following @outofsteptrading because he’s the only Earnhardt collector I know. His page is full of the Intimidator’s cards. Follow his page for passion, stories, and some amazing nostalgia.
I appreciate your support for Stacking Slabs.
Thanks for reading and see you
Take care,
Brett