Josh Luber's epic paper on the hobby/industry deserves a read (and a re-read). Eager to see how Fanatics tries to take our hobby/industry to the next level. I mention several interesting important asides amplifying or clarifying some of Josh's excellen...
The third and final installment of my interview with Ryan - I was curious about his business model and his technical prowess and where he will be a in a few years - thanks Ryan and keep up the good …
The second half of my catch-up with John Bello on the early days of the football card boom plus some insights from Hawaii's Mr. Pro Bowl, Bill Chandler.
Stimulated by an insightful comment/question from Victor Roman Sr. during this live show, we addressed it briefly then, and I have added in some further reflection at the beginning. Bottom line: a few bad stories out there, but tons of …
Brad, Rich, and I are regulars at Kyle Robertson's every-other month big card show at Watters Creek in the DFW Metroplex - we reflect on why the show has caught on to be the preeminent non-national show in the country …
This was the most one-sided box battle that I can remember - a truly shocking result that was completely unexpected - thanks Upper Deck!
What happens to Brady's cards now that he is officially retired? Are any of his cards currently undervalued? What is the upside for the next five years?
John Bello presided over the spectacular growth in the football card category back in the late 1980's and early 1990's - he gave Lud Denny his shot with Pro Set!
Dustin and I kept going with our sports card hobby questions - many what-if's and hypotheticals from me - and his several questions for me were not too tricky - thanks Dustin!
This Breaking Cardboard show featured young teen and pre-teen collectors (and future of the hobby): Brody the Kid, Jacob Burris, BlakeDown, and Max and Owen Gotcher. Those conversations stimulated many thoughts I wanted to share - thanks guys!
It's not second-guessing if decisions have not been made yet. Based on our combined hobby experiences, Ted and I project the impact of Fanatics on our whole category and we are optimistic.
Dustin and Brad invited me to be on their hour-long live YouTube show - catch the whole thing, but this is just a short excerpt of how it went - they made it fun - thanks guys!
A brief synopsis of the past twenty-five episodes - I get a chance to reflect on what I'd like to add and some of you get a chance to hear a little about an episode you may have missed - …
GemRate has earned a place in the hobby in a short time - by bringing data analytic capabilities to pop reports - thanks Ryan for your free GemRate e-newsletter.
Industry veteran Ted Barker discusses exciting current trends in trading card industry events - not just card shows any more - lots more to offer!
Dustin has been a guest here before and has his own YouTube show - but this was a chance for us to exchange questions with each other about the hobby - thanks Dustin!
Should you open your box of sports card product immediately or wait a while? - or flip it unopened? This dilemma repeats itself every day in the modern hobby - we discussed this on Hobby Hotline with Val Marz, Adam …
Rich and I break down the enigmatic 1981 Donruss baseball card product, which was rushed to market, and hence not their best product in hindsight, and yet by 1984 Donruss was riding high.
Ryan Stuczynski shares his hobby origin story, resulting in his founding of GemRate, which has been steadily gaining traction in the world of making sense of pop reports and grading capacity/velocity. Thanks Ryan.
Industry veteran, Ted Barker, shares his sports card hobby journey experience, having worked for many of the key players in the industry, now serving visibly at Beckett Media.
Ryan and I continued our discussion of the mysterious allure of 1987 Topps baseball cards, and how that product has played some role in the renaissance of the hobby in the past two years. Thanks Ryan.
Ryan Fagan, senior baseball writer for The Sporting News, joins me for a discussion of the historical importance of that weekly tabloid, to which I was faithfully subscribed in my early days in this hobby.
We had a three-person question session that was fun with three old-timers reminiscing about the good old days of the hobby (when it really was a hobby) - thanks TS and thanks Rich!
Dane and I don't seem to run out of questions for each other. I am curious about his Dynasty Breaks business and he wants to know about the good old days of Beckett Publications. Thanks Dane.