The Weekly Rip 8.28.25 [GOATs]
We explore the collecting of GOATs in the hobby and what it means for non-GOAT collectors.
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The Weekly Rip
Your Stacking Slabs Sunday Update
August 31, 2025
I’ve been thinking a lot about what makes a card stick.
We throw around the word GOAT all the time in the hobby. It’s become shorthand for anyone who’s hot, but if we’re honest, very few players ever graduate into that rare air where their cards are truly untouchable.
Sure, winning matters. Championships, MVPs, records—those are the foundation. But that’s only part of the story. The real hobby GOATs are more than stats. They’re cultural figures. They create moments we’ll never forget. They change the way the game is played. And they connect with us emotionally in ways that can’t be measured.
When I think of hobby GOATs, a handful of names surface right away:
Michael Jordan
Babe Ruth
Jackie Robinson
Tom Brady
Kobe Bryant
LeBron James
Shohei Ohtani
Lionel Messi
Serena Williams
Tiger Woods
Wayne Gretzky
That list isn’t exhaustive, but it’s telling. Out of thousands of stars we’ve collected over decades, only a few players achieve that kind of permanence. They’re bigger than their sport. Their cards aren’t just cardboard—they’re artifacts.
For me, I’ll never forget “The Shot” against Cleveland in ’89. I wasn’t even a Bulls fan, but watching Jordan hit that jumper and pump his fist is burned into my memory. Pair that moment with Air Jordan sneakers, with Gatorade commercials, with the cultural takeover of MJ in the ’90s, and you begin to understand why his cards are cemented as hobby essentials.
And yet, here’s the reality: most players won’t become hobby GOATs. Even all-time greats like Tim Duncan, who by accolades is as accomplished as anyone, don’t carry the same global collector demand as Kobe or LeBron. The pool of true hobby GOATs is small by nature.
That’s why I think it’s important we also talk about sets and parallels.
Certain products—like 1952 Topps, 1986 Fleer, 2003 Topps Chrome, 2012 Prizm, or 2003–04 Exquisite—carry lasting weight no matter who’s on the card.
Iconic parallels like Gold /10 in Prizm have become the trophy piece of this era.
A player’s best card in a legendary set often outperforms dozens of rookie cards in forgettable products.
As collectors, that forces us to think differently. If the majority of players we chase aren’t destined for long-term goat status, maybe the card itself—the design, the scarcity, the cultural importance—is the thing that really matters.
I’ve learned this lesson in my own collecting. I chase guys I love, knowing not all of them will have lasting hobby demand. But when I do decide to park money into a card for the long run, I want it to be tied to greatness—either in the player, the set, or both. That’s where confidence comes from.
The conversation around hobby GOATs isn’t about telling you what you should collect. It’s about awareness. It’s about understanding the forces that make certain cards evergreen. It’s about knowing the difference between collecting for love and collecting for long-term value.
When you connect with the right players, the right sets, and the right stories, your collection becomes more than a stack of cards. It becomes a reflection of what you value most in the hobby.
So as you’re chasing this week, ask yourself: Am I buying because it’s hot right now—or because it will still matter to me years down the road?
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Reissue: All Roads Lead Through Gold
Danny (@modestcardcollection) on Building Conviction with Prizm Golds
When you think about the defining parallel of the modern era, the answer is clear: Gold Prizm /10. That’s why my conversation with Danny still stands out. It wasn’t about market comps or the resale chatter. It was about conviction, scarcity, and building a collection with purpose.
Danny shared the story of chasing down a 2013 Eli Manning Gold Prizm — a card that rarely surfaces. The price didn’t matter as much as what it represented: progress toward completing his Eli Gold run, a goal rooted in fandom and personal connection.
What stood out wasn’t the debate about whether he “overpaid.” It was how prepared he was. He knew the pop counts. He tracked the history. He recognized that another copy might not surface for years. When the card appeared, he acted decisively. That kind of intentionality is what separates surface-level hype from long-term collecting.
This conversation wasn’t about hyping Gold Prizm. It was about what it looks like to collect with substance — when sets matter as much as the players, and when your decisions reflect your own goals rather than outside noise.
What We Learned from This Episode
Danny didn’t chase Eli Manning Golds because they were trendy. He chased them because they meant something to him. The 2013 was scarce, and he understood that scarcity. He built a strategy around it.
Gold Prizm has become the modern hobby’s anchor. It’s the parallel that transcends sports and eras.
Completing a run brings cohesion and purpose to a collection in a way random pickups never will.
Collector conviction isn’t about getting the cheapest deal. It’s about knowing what matters most to you and being ready when the opportunity comes.
What made this episode special wasn’t the shine of the cards. It was the mindset. Collectors who think this way aren’t here for quick flips. They’re here to build something that lasts.
What This Means for Collecting in 2025
We’re in a moment where noise is louder than ever. Values swing. Speculation dominates. But the collectors who will look back years from now with no regrets are the ones focused on the right sets, the right parallels, and the right goals.
Here’s the play:
Study the sets that matter and commit to them.
Recognize that scarcity gives a card staying power.
Collect with conviction. Don’t worry about outside commentary when you know what you want.
If you’re building for the long haul, remember this: hype comes and goes, but conviction and context always hold value. That’s why all roads in the modern era lead through Gold.
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Take care,
Brett