The sports card hobby is evolving — and the old rules don’t always apply anymore.

In this episode of Collector Nation, host Ryan Alford is joined by hobby veteran and Ludex CEO Brian Ludden for a wide-ranging conversation on the real economics behind today’s card market.

They unpack how Super Bowl performances impact pricing, why PSA grading fees keep climbing, and why vintage cards continue to quietly outperform modern hype.

• Why grading modern cards is riskier than most collectors admit

• How PSA pricing and turnaround times affect card velocity

• The growing dominance of raw card transactions

• Why vintage cards behave more like “blue-chip assets”

• How branding and auction exposure multiply card values

• What most collectors misunderstand about supply & demand

This episode is less about hype — and more about understanding how money actually moves in the hobby.

Ryan Alford
Website: https://ryanisright.com
Instagram / X: @ryanalford

Brian Ludden – Ludex
Website: https://www.ludex.com
Download the Ludex App (iOS)
Instagram / X: @ludexapp

🌐 Collector Nation: https://thecollectornation.com