GEM MINT & AUTHENTIC: A BURBANK SPORTSCARDS PODCAST

Ken Goldin: Building an Auction Empire, Record-Breaking Collectibles & the Future of the Hobby

Ken Goldin has spent decades helping transform collecting from a niche hobby into a global industry.

In this episode of Gem Mint & Authentic, Ken joins Rob and Sammy Veres at Burbank Sportscards for a conversation about entrepreneurship, legendary collectibles, and the changing landscape of trading cards.

Ken shares how he began buying and selling cards as a teenager, the lessons he learned building Goldin, and the importance of trust and authenticity in the auction business.

The conversation explores extraordinary sales, including the $16.5 million Pikachu Illustrator and an $88,000 Cheeto, along with the growing influence of Pokémon and other collectibles.

Ken also takes listeners behind the scenes of Netflix's King of Collectibles, discusses a remarkable T206 Wagner discovery, and shares details about Goldin's partnership with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The episode wraps up with candid perspectives on speculation, influencers, and responsible collecting, followed by a pack-opening session.

Topics include:

• Ken's early collecting and entrepreneurial journey
• The founding of Goldin
• Record-breaking auctions and collectible valuations
• Pokémon's impact on the global market
• Behind the scenes of King of Collectibles
• The Los Angeles Lakers partnership
• Market speculation and influencer accountability
• Collecting for passion versus investment

About Gem Mint & Authentic

Gem Mint & Authentic is the official podcast of Burbank Sportscards, bringing together authentic conversations and legendary stories from the worlds of sports, entertainment, and collecting.

Hosted by Rob and Sammy Veres, with conversations featuring collectors, athletes, entertainers, and influential voices shaping the hobby.

Visit Burbank Sportscards: https://www.burbankcards.com

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/burbankcards

What started as a way to share the joy of collecting with her children became something much bigger.

Stephanie, known throughout the hobby as Mama Breaks, joins Gem Mint & Authentic for a conversation about her journey into trading cards, the business of live breaking, and the importance of building genuine relationships with collectors.

Alongside Rob Veres, Sammy Veres, and comedian Jeff Garlin, Stephanie explores how the hobby has evolved beyond traditional sports cards, with Pokémon, Disney, Star Wars, and entertainment collectibles attracting new audiences, including professional athletes.

The group discusses the challenges of operating a breaking business, creating memorable experiences for customers, giving back to the community, and why collecting should always be about more than money.

Plus, Jeff shares stories from his lifelong love of baseball cards, including an unexpected connection to Chicago Cubs pitcher Justin Steele.

Topics include:

• Mama Breaks' journey into the hobby
• The growth of live card breaking
• Sports cards vs. non-sports collectibles
• Building trust and community
• Entrepreneurship and running a breaking business
• Family, collecting, and the next generation
• The importance of passion and authenticity

Featuring: Stephanie “Mama Breaks”

Hosted by: Rob Veres, Sammy Veres & Jeff Garlin
Presented by: Burbank Sportscards

Gem Mint & Authentic is a Burbank Sportscards podcast featuring authentic conversations with the personalities shaping sports, entertainment, and the collecting hobby.

Filmed at Burbank Sportscards in Burbank, California.

Visit https://www.burbankcards.com for sports cards, Pokémon, and more.

- A Big Dreams Media Production

Troy Gentile joins Jeff Garlin, Rob Veres and Sammy Veres for Episode 7 of Gem Mint & Authentic.

Troy talks about collecting in the early 2000s, stepping away from the hobby and eventually finding his way back during the collecting boom.

What's the card to own: a Bowman 1st, Topps Chrome rookie or base rookie? Is today's market becoming oversaturated? How much of a young player's future success is already built into the price of their cards? And what happens to that market when an athlete has one terrible game?

They get into Shohei Ohtani's incredible run before turning to one of Troy's favorite players to collect: Kobe Bryant.

Rob remembers watching the Kobe card market change almost instantly after his death. Troy talks about building his Kobe collection. And Jeff tells the story of working with Kobe before he'd ever played an NBA game and why he chose the memory of that day over asking Kobe for an autograph.

Troy's hobby philosophy ultimately comes down to something much simpler: buy cards of players you actually care about.

Ripping packs is fun. Chasing hits is fun. But the cards that stay in your collection are usually the ones that mean something to you.

They also talk about Jeff and Troy's years together on The Goldbergs, the possibility of sports card museums and the card that started Troy's love of collecting.

And, naturally, they finish by opening packs.

Gem Mint & Authentic is a podcast about collecting, made by collectors.

Hosted by Rob Veres, Sammy Veres and Jeff Garlin.

Filmed at Burbank Sportscards in Burbank, California.

Jeff Garlin, Rob and Sammy are back for Episode 6 of Gem Mint & Authentic.

Jeff starts the episode in pursuit of an Ovechkin Young Guns PSA 10, which opens up a conversation about grail cards, rookie cards and what makes certain cards matter more than others.

From there, the conversation gets into the state of the hobby: Fanatics and product allocation, breakers, local card shops, retail, fresh inventory and why the physical card shop experience still matters.

Rob tells the story of being approached about opening Burbank Sportscards inside Dodger Stadium, and why he ultimately decided against it.

They also go back to where collecting started for them; buying packs as kids, trading with friends and collecting players because you actually loved them.

Eventually, it comes down to a simple idea: some cards are meant to be sold. Others find their forever home.

And, naturally, they finish the episode by ripping packs.

Gem Mint & Authentic is a podcast about collecting, made by collectors.

Hosted by Rob Veres, Sammy Veres and Jeff Garlin.

Filmed at Burbank Sportscards in Burbank, California.

Caleb Marshall, aka The Fitness Marshall, joins Rob and Sammy for Episode 5 of Gem Mint & Authentic.

Caleb talks about getting into Pokémon as a kid, rediscovering the hobby as an adult, ripping packs with friends, and how collecting became a regular part of his life.

They also get into Pokémon scalpers, keeping product sealed vs. ripping it, card shop break-ins, God packs, and some of the good and bad that comes with the hobby.

And somewhere along the way, Rob completely loses track of Caleb’s name.

Gem Mint & Authentic is a podcast about collecting, from collectors, for collectors.

Featuring:
Caleb Marshall (@TheFitnessMarshall)

Hosted by:
Rob Veres
Sammy Veres

Presented by Burbank Sportscards.

#Pokemon #PokemonCards #TheFitnessMarshall #CalebMarshall #CardCollecting #GemMintAndAuthentic #BurbankSportscards

World Series Champion and Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Will Klein joins Gem Mint & Authentic to talk baseball, collecting, and what life is really like inside a Major League clubhouse.

Will shares how he started collecting Pokémon and sports cards as a kid, what it felt like to see himself on a baseball card for the first time, and why he now collects everything from teammates and legends to soccer, Marvel, Disney and Star Wars.

He also takes us inside the Dodgers clubhouse, including what it’s like playing alongside Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Mookie Betts and Kiké Hernández. Will even tells the story of being too nervous to ask Ohtani for an autograph before eventually becoming his teammate.
Plus, Will talks about his World Series experience, pitching deep into an 18-inning game, the preparation and attention to detail that separates the best players in baseball, his own cards he’s still hunting, and why being a professional athlete hasn’t changed his love for the hobby.
And, of course, Jeff Garlin has plenty to say about Ohtani, vintage cards, modern prospecting, baseball movies and just about everything else.
Gem Mint & Authentic is a podcast about collecting, from collectors, for collectors.

Subscribe for more conversations with athletes, celebrities and collectors about the cards, stories and people that make the hobby what it is.

#GemMintAndAuthentic #WillKlein #Dodgers #ShoheiOhtani #BaseballCards #SportsCards #TheHobby #CardCollecting #MLB #BurbankSportscards

Comedian John Campanelli joins Rob Veres, Sammy Veres and Jeff Garlin for a conversation about the side of the hobby most collectors never get to see; what it’s actually like to own a card shop.

John shares how he went from collecting cards as a kid to taking over a card shop during the COVID hobby boom, the incredible inventory they uncovered, and why he eventually walked away from the storefront even though the business was working.

The guys get into the realities of running a card shop, the changing sports card market, vintage collecting, the rise and fall of player values, card breaks and gambling, buying collections, and why sometimes the inexpensive cards are what actually build a business.

Plus, Rob shares stories from building Burbank Sportscards from 50-cent and $5 cards into what it is today... including selling more than 8 million cards on eBay.

It’s cards, comedy, collecting, business and plenty of stories from behind the counter.

Gem Mint & Authentic: A Burbank Sportscards Podcast.

In Episode 2 of Gem Mint & Authentic, Rob Veres (The Cardfather) and Jeff Garlin are joined by Joel Madden of Good Charlotte for a wide-ranging conversation about the hobby that's become one of his biggest passions: trading cards.

Joel shares how collecting evolved from opening Pokémon packs with his son to building an incredible One Piece collection, why he believes TCGs are reshaping the hobby, and what separates sports cards from today's fastest-growing collectibles.

The conversation also dives into grail cards, grading, rarity, collecting while touring the world, the future of the hobby, and why the stories behind the cards are often more valuable than the cards themselves.

Whether you're into sports cards, Pokémon, One Piece, or you're simply fascinated by the culture of collecting, this episode is packed with insight, nostalgia, and plenty of laughs.

Topics include:

• Joel Madden's collecting journey
• Pokémon and One Piece's explosive growth
• Sports Cards vs. Trading Card Games
• Grail cards and hobby philosophy
• Vintage collecting
• The future of the hobby
• Stories from card shops around the world

Gem Mint & Authentic is the official podcast of Burbank Sportscards, where the biggest names in sports, entertainment, and collecting come together to share authentic conversations about the hobby they love.

Episode 1: Welcome to Gem Mint & Authentic

The hobby has a new home.

In the debut episode of Gem Mint & Authentic, Rob Veres (The Cardfather) and comedian Jeff Garlin sit down for an unfiltered conversation about the memories, stories, and moments that made them lifelong collectors. From ripping their very first packs as kids to debating the most underrated cards in the hobby, this episode is packed with nostalgia, laughs, and the kind of conversations that only happen between true collectors.

Along the way, Jeff opens packs live on the show, Rob shares stories from nearly four decades of building Burbank Sportscards, and the duo dives into everything from vintage baseball cards and hockey's hidden gems to favorite players, unforgettable sports memories, and the future of the hobby.

Whether you've been collecting for 50 years or just bought your first pack, this is a podcast about more than cardboard—it's about the stories, friendships, and passion behind every card.

In this episode:

• The first cards Rob and Jeff ever collected
• Why vintage cards never lose their magic
• The most underrated market in the hobby
• Favorite sports memories and collecting nostalgia
• Live pack ripping
• The future of Gem Mint & Authentic

Welcome to the conversation. Welcome to Gem Mint & Authentic