#11: Triple Doubles and Different Styles of Collecting
👋 Hello, I’m Brett from the Stacking Slabs Podcast and welcome you each week to my newsletter the Weekly Rip. The goal of this newsletter is to elevate the people who make the Hobby better.
How’s it going?
Typically, I don’t jump into the sports conversation from the jump, but this week I feel compelled.
Russell Westbrook broke Oscar F’N Robertson’s record for most triple doubles of all-time this week with 182.
Let that sink in for a minute.
That’s over 2 complete seasons of triple doubles. This was one of those records that NO ONE ever thought would be touched. It just got broken and is about to get destroyed.
When I reflect on reasons why I watch the National Basketball Association every night Russell Westbrook is one of the many reasons that jumps out to me.
His skillset, passion, and dedication to the game of basketball displays every time he steps on the floor. For as good of a player as he is above the rim, he’s just as good of a rebounder, and maybe even a better passer.
Russell Westbrook just entered historic territory this week, but it still feels like he’s one of the most underappreciated players of all-time.
The knocks?
No championships.
Hasn’t seen much team success when he’s THE GUY.
Just a “stat stuffer”.
While some of the criticisms might be justified, one that isn't is his placement in our Hobby.
Our community loves guys who fill up the box score, have control over the ball, and provide us highlight clips on our IG stories every night.
We love players who love the game and are dedicated to the craft.
We love passion.
All of these things are Russell Westbrook, but the Hobby hasn’t loved him back.
Are the tides turning with this significant achievement?
The beginning of the pandemic brought more interest in the Hobby than ever before. New participants eyes were zeroed in on Luka, Zion, and Ja. The speculation was heavy and players like Russell Westbrook were an afterthought.
According to Card Ladder on March 18th 2020 a Russell Westbrook Exquisite RPA could be yours for in a BGS 8.5 for $1,480. This is about half of what a Hobby Box of 2019 Prizm goes for today.
The same copy of this card sold on May 3 for $4,250. It still seems like a deal based on his significance to the game of basketball and the money being spent on the rest of the market.
I chose to lead with the Broadie story because I think it should teach us all a valuable lesson.
Don’t let current hype blind the significance that you see every day on the court.
Russ collector or not I think it’s undeniable that his Hall of Fame career will still come up in basketball circles when we are long gone.
That helps make cards of a player collectible.
On with the damn newsletter…
🎧New Hobby Content for You
Whenever people that I’ve had on the podcast start new projects I am going to promote it.
There’s always a reason when I ask people to be on my show.
It’s either because:
I want to learn something from them
I think everyone will benefit from hearing from them
Both Max (@putnamcards) Shai (@shaiwayvlogs) have been on SSP multiple times because of these reasons and it’s only fitting that I promote their new project, The Hobby Update.
It’s available on YouTube and in podcast format. All you have to do is listen to their latest episode and their commentary over the new Sports Card Investor / SGC video and you’ll be hooked.
I’ve listened to all 4 episodes so far and think you should, too.
🤷♂️Defining Genres in the Hobby
The Hobby is on fire.
Gary Vee tweeted X
Ken Goldin said Y
Let’s all throw a fucking rager because it’s time to #INVEST.
Geoff went to SGC...they are lowering their prices.
Did you see Prizm Hobby boxes went down? Are you buying?
INVEST
INVEST
RIP PACKS
INVEST!!!!!!!!!
LFG!!!!!
This is a portion of the Hobby. Some think it’s the majority of the Hobby.
I think it’s just the loudest section. You know it’s that group of college kids behind the basketball that started drinking when they were done with their only class of the day at 11:30.
Face painted. 12 pack of Natty Light crushed. Jager bomb before tip.
It’s getting rowdy in here!
I don’t speak about this group disparagingly. Honestly, we need this kind of excitement in our Hobby. This group might not do the Hobby like you or I, but they do put a TON of money into it and help make it move.
Although I love the passion I do know that our interests are not the same. Of course, there is some sort of synergy united around a piece of cardboard, but that’s probably about it.
The Hobby is so generalized around people who just like cards. There’s so much opportunity to dig deeper.
There’s so many ways to do the Hobby and with that brings various groups.
Investors, Flippers, Breakers, Fractional Groups, and Collectors just to name a few.
Within each of these groups there are subgroups. It’s really quite incredible when you begin to think about it.
I’ve been thinking about it a lot and I’m hoping that the more the market expands the more opportunity presents itself for segmentation.
I’m not trying to create silos in the Hobby. That’s the last thing that I am proposing. We need each group to crossover and work together. Think about all of the transactions that take place every day!
Promoting segmentation opens the door for a more personalized experience in the Hobby. It’s like listening to a specific genre of music that you love and avoiding the type of music that you can’t stand.
This will lead to stronger connections, better content, and hopefully more seamless transactions.
I don’t have a solution on how we implement and make this work.
I am putting it here so it can be something that we can all begin to think about moving forward.
It’s time to get personalized with our Hobby experiences.
💪Collecting with a Purpose
One of my greatest daily joys is pulling the plug on the day of work, walking over to my recliner, and pulling up Instagram to see what’s happening in the Hobby.
We love “Hobby IG” because it gives us the opportunity to not only share our collections, but consume the curated collection of our fellow Hobbyist. Seeing other people’s passions shine through with each post has us coming back for more.
It’s undeniable that all of our collections evolve over time. Different players, sets, parallels, eras, sports, etc. hit at different times. Recently, I’ve found myself looking for more direction in the basketball card market.
This week on the podcast I discussed how I was having an evolution in my basketball collecting. I was moving from going deep on specific players to moving more wide to offer a nod of appreciation for significant players and moments that matter to me.
Everyone collects differently and that fascinates me. I decided to ask four collectors. I appreciate why they collect the way they do for this section of the newsletter. I hope their stories can help you reflect on the intent behind your Hobby operating.
The Player Collector: @chris_hoj
Co-Founder: Card Ladder
PC: MJ, Luka, Christian McCaffrey
📷: 2018-2019 Panini Prizm Gold #280 Luka Doncic BGS 9.5
Player collecting is for those of us who like to go all-in when we think we’ve got a strong hand. We select one player and dive into their career and catalog, and thus make a big bet on that player, rather than spreading our collection across a few key cards of a variety of players. Selecting a player to collect at first requires analyzing and sifting through the numerous players available. But once the player is chosen, the focus shifts to learning different brands, products, and sets. In that sense, to be good at player collecting, one must first develop knowledge of athletes and their respective sports, and then develop knowledge of the Hobby. Player collecting encompasses the whole Hobby experience.
Team Collector: @maniacsportscards
PC: Indianapolis Colts
📷: 2018 Panini Contenders Rookie Ticket Darius Leonard BGS 9
My name is Eric and I’m a Colts card collector! While I like great cards and players from many products and teams, 95% of my collection is made up of Colts past and present. I enjoy focusing on specific players whose play or personality I enjoy, like Darius Leonard, but I also like adding random backup linebackers from the team’s 2006 Super Bowl season. Focusing on my favorite team not only makes collecting fun, it also makes my collection bulletproof - card prices may ebb and flow, but my appreciation for Reggie Wayne, Robert Mathis, and Peyton Manning will endure.
Set/Parallel Collector: @missionstreetcards
Panini Revolution Galactic SP
📷: 2015-2016 Panini Revolution Galactic Stephen Curry
I’ve always been enamored with late 90’s inserts, but when I returned to the Hobby in 2018 they were a bit out of my price range. When I stumbled upon the Revolution collections of @nfunk, @hal.asher, and @cardboard_chronicles, among others, being shared on Blowout Forums, I was immediately hooked. The Revolution Galactic parallel presented the ideal combination of aesthetic appeal, incredible rarity, 90’s flair, and relative affordability. While affordability has declined, the eye appeal (especially in hand) has only increased. They’ve also proven to be elusive with an estimated print run of ~15. Some cards I’ve never seen. As a completist, I am a naturel set collector and the most rewarding part of my return to the Hobby has been collecting the base Galactic sets for the first 4 years of Revolution. It’s the most prized portion of my PC. #galacticboyz
Rare Specific Sport Collector: @thereal27guy
Editor of the Basketball Card Fanatic
Sport: Basketball
📷: 2015-2016 Panini Prizm White Sparkle Kobe Bryant BGS 9
I am a rare basketball card collector and love the history of the sport. My goal is to acquire the most rare and significant well-balanced collection of 100 cards/sets that represents the history of the sport and the Hobby.
If something is publicly available for sale I generally am not interested in it.
There is something we can learn, admire, and take with us when analyzing how people collect in our Hobby. Find time to ask “why” when interacting. You’ll be amazed at what you learn.
I ask you two things in closing:
Do whatever you can to use your skills to give back to the Hobby - we need it more than ever
Please share this newsletter with whoever you think can benefit
Happy collecting,
Brett (@stackingslabs)