The Weekly Rip 8.3.25 [The National]
We explore some primary takeaways from The National 2025.
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The Weekly Rip
Your Stacking Slabs Sunday Update
August 3, 2025
The National Isn’t a Card Show Anymore
It’s a mirror.
I’m sitting in a quiet hotel room in Rosemont, letting the noise settle.
If you’ve ever been to The National, you know how loud it is — not just in decibels, but in motion. It’s overwhelming in the best way. Every direction you turn, someone’s holding a grail, striking a deal, catching up with an old friend, or talking through a business plan they’ve been working on for months.
But when the dust starts to settle, and your feet finally get a break, that’s when the real value begins to emerge.
This year wasn’t about walking the show floor with wide eyes and empty cases. It wasn’t about flipping through value boxes hoping to get lucky. It wasn’t even about finding a “steal.”
It was about clarity.
I want to walk you through three observations that stuck with me — not just as a collector, but as someone building something inside this hobby. I think they’re worth reflecting on no matter how you participate.
1. Hobby businesses are growing up
If you’ve been to The National in recent years, you’ve seen the evolution. The corporate area used to be a few grading booths, some slab display cases, and a handful of manufacturers.
This year?
It looked like CES or any big industry conference.
Not in a way that made it feel soulless. In a way that made it feel serious.
Card Ladder’s booth felt more like an anchor store than a table. There were collectors meeting up, charging phones, recording podcasts, talking through cards, and building relationships — not just “stopping by.”
The entire area around them became a conversation hub. And that matters.
Because good conversations in this hobby are rare. And when they happen, they often lead to better outcomes than the best auction snipe.
I also spent time behind the scenes with Tory and the dcsports87 team. These guys weren’t winging it. They had systems. They had strategy. They were processing same-day consignments at scale — no gimmicks, no chaos, just clear execution.
You could feel the alignment between people, process, and product.
That’s where this hobby is headed. Not toward corporate control, but toward operational maturity.
If we want a hobby that sticks — where prices stabilize, expectations make sense, and collectors feel good about spending — we need businesses with skin in the game.
And that skin needs to be backed by real solutions, not vibes.
2. The National is where deals close
Here’s a shift I noticed this year that I haven’t seen talked about enough:
The National isn’t where deals start anymore. It’s where they end.
In the weeks leading up to the show, my DMs were full. Not with random questions — with intention. Collectors were lining up trades. Collectors were locking in targets. Collectors were coordinating meetups to finalize deals that had already been negotiated.
I was one of them.
I’ve been chasing the final piece of my 2012 Prizm Colts Gold team set for over two years. That Reggie Wayne was elusive.
But this time, I got proactive.
I put out a post before the show. Max (@footballcards.sfs) hit me up. We’d done deals before. There was trust.
He had the card. I had the cash. And a few days later, we shook hands and made it happen — right at the Card Ladder booth.
That’s the kind of deal I used to hope I might stumble into. But this year, it came from clarity, communication, and a little bit of homework.
The best deals aren’t found in random cases. They’re the result of relationships.
And that shift is transforming The National from a chaos-driven card hunt into a planned, purposeful closing environment. It's about planned pursuit over passive luck.
3. The people always matter most
There’s something powerful about seeing someone in real life who you’ve only known through a screen.
DMs turned into handshakes.
Ongoing podcast ideas turned into production schedules.
One-minute Instagram Stories turned into hour-long conversations across glass cases or at the Card Ladder booth.
This hobby runs on people, not money.
And if you slow down enough at a show like The National, you’ll start to feel that. You’ll see it when someone brings a card to trade not because they’re chasing profits, but because they know you’ve been looking for it. You’ll hear it when collectors huddle in circles sharing stories, not sales pitches.
These interactions aren’t distractions from the hobby. They are the hobby.
When people feel seen, heard, and understood, they stick around. And when they stick around, the market grows stronger — not just in value, but in meaning.
Here’s what I’m sitting with
Not everything at The National was for me. I didn’t love every display or booth or activation.
But I’ve never been more energized by where this thing is going.
Because it’s clear now:
The hobby is maturing
Relationships are driving deals
And intentionality is winning over randomness
If you were in Rosemont this year, I hope you walked away with clarity too. Clarity about your collection. Clarity about your next move. Clarity about the kind of energy you want to bring into this space.
And if you weren’t at The National, I hope you felt connected anyway. Because this platform is growing because of you and everything we’re building together is bigger than a single event.
We’re building trust. We’re building perspective. We’re building a hobby that works for the long game.
Let’s keep pushing.
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Reissue: The Power of Pairing
John (@packnicholson) on Evolving Taste, Letting Go, and the LeBron That Changed Everything
What happens when a collector gives up a box full of carefully curated cards to chase a single one that wasn’t even on their radar?
That’s the story John shared after the 2023 National and it’s not just about landing a 2013 Select Gold LeBron. It’s about why we pursue the cards we do, how our priorities shift, and how pairing down can open doors to the cards that actually matter.
John didn’t walk into Rosemont with a grail in mind. But he left with one — because he trusted his instincts, embraced the process, and understood that every big acquisition starts with a willingness to let go.
What made this conversation so impactful wasn’t just the card. It was the mentality.
The humility to trade what used to be ‘untouchables.’
The clarity to know what no longer sparked joy.
The courage to consolidate for something greater.
That’s how collecting evolves.
Let’s break it down.
What We Learned from This Episode
John didn’t have a hit list going into the National. He showed up with a box of cards and an open mind. That openness, combined with watching a friend make a major play for a 1998 Moss Credentials /6, flipped a switch.
Suddenly, it was go time.
He started selling — cards he loved, cards he graded himself, cards that once felt “off limits.” A 2006 Steve Smith Finest Gold /50. A Devin Hester Black Refractor. He let them go.
Not for profit.
Not for liquidity.
But to be in position.
That’s when he found it — a 2013 Select Gold LeBron James /10, tucked away in a quiet MC Sports Cards case. It had never been on his radar. But once he saw it, he knew.
He made the deal happen. Used his 2003 Bowman Chrome LeBron Refractor and a couple of other meaningful cards to close. Walked away with a card that felt like his.
And that’s the moment we all chase.
Not the comp.
Not the flex.
The feeling.
What This Means for Collecting in 2025
Walking into the National with anxiety is normal. You’ve got cards, ideas, budgets, wants and a million ways it can all go sideways.
But John’s story reminds us that there’s a different way to show up.
Here’s the play:
Don’t overthink the shortlist. Focus on being ready — mentally and emotionally — to move.
Pair down before you walk in. Take 25 cards and get it to 10. Make space.
Let your collection evolve. Not every card is forever. That’s what keeps it fun.
Be open to the unexpected. The best card you see might not be the one you planned on.
And most importantly?
If something doesn’t make you feel the way it used to — be okay letting it go.
That’s how you find the next one that does.
That’s how you keep collecting meaningful.
I appreciate your support for Stacking Slabs. Tell a damn friend.
Take care,
Brett