Global Card Collectors

In this special **100th episode**, John and Will take a heartfelt (and hilarious) look back at the journey that brought us here. From the moment Will went off and bought microphones for our first episode, to interviewing our first guest outside our circle of friends, it’s been a wild ride—and we’ve loved every minute of it.We reflect on the friends we’ve made along the way, the unexpected opportunities that came with building this channel, and yes… even the awkward moments of rejection when someone said, “Nah, I don’t want to record an episode with you.” 😅Over nearly two years without missing a single week, we’ve gained skills we never imagined -from interviewing, editing, and storytelling to building a community that inspires us to keep creating. This episode is both a celebration and a thank-you to everyone who’s been part of the journey.And because it wouldn’t be a proper milestone without it, we wrap things up by diving into **Mail Day Questions** from our friends:✨ What are our plans for the future?✨ What goals do we have for next year?✨ Where do we hope this hobby takes us next?Whether you’ve been here since Episode 1 or you’re joining us now at Episode 100, we’re grateful you’re part of this adventure. Here’s to the next chapter-and to everything we’ll build together.

Boxing cards are officially back so Justin & Will are coming out swinging in this explosive episode of Global Card Collectors. We break down the long-awaited return of Topps Chrome Boxing, the first Topps boxing set in more than 70 years. What does it get right? Where does it stumble? And is it really the future of the boxing-card hobby?Then we step into the ring with Panini’s Combat Anthology, home of the wildly popular Kaboom inserts — and compare how Panini’s approach stacks up against the Chrome revival.From there, we dive deep into the Bad Boys of Boxing: Jack Johnson, Mike Tyson, and other legendary fighters whose careers - and cards - shaped the sport’s legacy. We explore their stories, their cultural impact, and why their cardboard still matters.We close with a big question: Can boxing cards escape the niche and finally go mainstream? Or will they remain a cult favorite for hardcore fight fans?If you love boxing, history, or the hobby - this one will go the full twelve rounds.

In this episode of Global Card Collectors, John finally lands one of his lifelong grails — an authenticated, on-card Dražen Petrović autograph, the crown jewel of his Balkan basketball PC. We break down why it’s so meaningful, and why it instantly becomes the centerpiece of his collection.

From there, we dive into our biggest hobby wins:
🔥 From John scooping a Megacracks Cristiano Ronaldo PSA 5 at the bottom of the market which is now worth multiples of what he paid.
🔥 To Will landing his ultra rare Card Crazy Jonah Lomu Gold card, a card he once stretched to afford… and which has since skyrocketed over 10x in value.

Then the conversation shifts to fantasy basketball and the surprising renaissance of young white American players in the NBA. What started with names like Tyler Herro and Austin Reaves has turned into a wave of impactful players across the league. Alongside star rookies like Cooper Flagg and early standout Kon Knueppel, we highlight others making noise, including:

• Chet Holmgren

• Ryan Kalkbrenner

• Reed Sheppard

• Donovan Clingan

• Payton Pritchard

• Ty Jerome

• Corey Kispert

…and more emerging talents shaping the NBA’s latest identity shift.

Whether you’re here for the hobby talk, the market analysis, or hoops breakdowns, this episode has everything: grails, flips, future stars, and the wild ride that connects them all.

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Omar Khokhar, the founder of Sportsnection, one of the most intriguing new companies in the cricket card hobby.Omar opens up about how Sportsnection began, the challenges they faced with Series One, and the many lessons they’ve carried forward as they plan the next chapter. We talk honestly about criticism, growth, and what it takes to build a collectible brand from scratch.Omar also shares exclusive details about Sportsnection’s upcoming high-end release which continues his aim of celebrating subcontinent cricket legends, why this project matters on a cultural level, and how he wants to elevate cricket cards globally.Whether you’re a collector, investor, or fan of startup stories, this is one of the most candid and insightful interviews you’ll hear about the future of cricket trading cards.

In this episode of Global Card Collectors, Will and John catch up on their latest moves in the hobby—focusing on consolidation, strategic collecting, and tapping into the growing Turkish card market.Will shares his mission to sell off lower-value cards in pursuit of a major grail piece—possibly a Giannis rookie auto—while John adds a massive 1/1 Bogdan Bogdanović to his Balkan Ballers PC. Will also picks up a /99 Al Horford One & One patch auto for his Celtics collection.The duo discuss the unique dynamics of the Turkish market: lots of autos, patches, and serial-numbered cards, but very few slabs. They explore the opportunity to import affordable graded cards from the U.S. to increase supply, help collectors start PC building with graded pieces, and potentially turn a small profit.To wrap up, they touch on early NBA season storylines, the buzz around the new Topps flagship release, and their plans to watch more live hoops.

In this episode, Will sits down with one of his closest friends, Paul, someone he's known for almost 20 years- to talk hoops, card collecting, and how sports (and sports cards) help us build lasting memories with our kids.

What makes this conversation so refreshing is that Paul is deep into the NBA but hasn’t collected cards since childhood. That means his perspective is totally untainted by the modern card market — no hype, no flipping, just pure fandom.

We dive into what really makes cards valuable to a true basketball fan: connection, nostalgia, and storytelling. From the days of trading packs at school to watching games with our own kids, we explore how collecting can bring generations together and remind us why we fell in love with sports in the first place.

If you’ve ever felt burned out by the card market or just want to reconnect with the joy of collecting, this one’s for you.

Basketball cards are exploding across Asia — and Courtside Investor host Pang Ming is at the center of it all. He joins us to talk collecting, investing, and how the Asia-Pacific region is shaping the global hobby.

We also talk about how he first got into collecting, how his finance background shapes his investment strategy, the ASCC and we even debunk some long held beliefs about Asia’s sports card market.

The NBA season is upon us, and Nathanael joins the pod to discuss some recent pickups, how he's navigating the market, and what is new in the land of through the mail autographs. He and John then break down the players they are watching this year both for real and card performance as well as their top three sets of the Panini era.

In this episode, John and Will sit down with Neil @neilcollectscards a die-hard Toronto Raptors superfan on an unbelievable mission — to collect an autograph card from every single player who’s ever worn a Raptors jersey! From obscure one-season players to franchise legends, Neil’s dedication to preserving Raptors history through cards is seriously next-level.But that’s not all — Neil also gives us a look into his incredible Dražen Petrović collection, paying tribute to one of basketball’s most iconic and tragic figures, and we dive deep into his Kyle Lowry PC featuring some truly rare pieces from the Raptors GROAT himself.This was such a fun and fascinating conversation about collecting, passion, and what it means to be a true fan of the game. Whether you’re into **sports cards**, **NBA history**, or just love seeing passionate collectors chase something special, you’re going to love this one.

In this week's episode Justin sits down with his friend of over 20 years, Jason, to discuss his nostalgic approach to the hobby. Also known as "The Godfather" for getting Justin back into the hobby nearly seven years ago, Jason discusses his everything from his early collecting days, to his choice to focus on vintage football, to the experience of introducing his 11-year-old son to the hobby (who just might make a cameo to show a few cards!). The discussion not only focuses on the journey of collecting vintage football cards, but also on the importance of nostalgia and relationships in the hobby.