Stacking Slabs

The sports card market keeps reaching new highs.

Sales volume continues to climb. Record prices keep falling. New collectors keep entering the hobby.

But are collectors making better decisions?

In this episode, Brett and Chris McGill discuss what the data is telling us and where they see warning signs. They compare today's market to 2021, break down the record Tim Duncan sale that has everyone talking, and explore why so many collectors wait for validation before making their biggest purchases.

They also dive into one of the most overlooked collecting skills and why it will matter even more over the next decade.

Topics include:

• Why today's market feels different than 2021

• The significance of Tim Duncan's record one of one sale

• Why social proof holds collectors back

• Building conviction before the market agrees with you

• The underrated skill that creates long term collecting advantages

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You spend years preparing for the grail.

You save.
You study.
You build relationships.
You pass on other cards so you're ready when the opportunity comes.

Then it happens.

The card is finally yours.

Now what?

This episode explores the part of collecting that rarely gets discussed. What happens after the chase ends.

I break down why landing a grail can feel different than you expected. Why ownership is a skill. And how the best collectors turn a major acquisition into something that keeps adding value long after the mail day.

We talk about:

• Why the chase and ownership are two different experiences

• How to keep a grail from becoming another card in the case

• Why stories matter more than scans

• How community deepens ownership

• Why your grail should reorganize your collection instead of ending it

• Questions every collector should ask after landing a major card

If you've ever chased a grail or you're preparing for one, this episode is for you.

Happy collecting.

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What does it feel like to collect a team with no history?

This week, Katelyn is joined by Mark (@ramjamsportscards / @valkyriescardvault), a collector who has built his collection around the Golden State Valkyries from day one.

They discuss what makes expansion team collecting different, why patience leads to a better collection, how emotional connections form without nostalgia, and why documenting the beginning of a franchise feels like creating a scrapbook in real time.

If you've ever thought about collecting a team instead of chasing the biggest names, this conversation will change how you think about building your collection.

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Get your free copy of Collecting For Keeps: Finding Meaning In A Hobby Built On Hype

Get exclusive content, promote your cards, and connect with other collectors who listen to the pod today by joining the Patreon: Join Stacking Slabs Podcast Patreon

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What happens when experienced business operators build a sports card company instead of longtime collectors?

In this episode of Passion to Profession, Brett sits down with Gavin Hoover, Chief of Stuff at Tombstone Collectibles, to discuss what happens when enterprise experience meets the hobby.

Gavin shares how his background building large retail organizations shaped the way Tombstone approaches breaking, hiring, branding, analytics, customer relationships, and growth. Instead of thinking like a breaker, Tombstone thinks like a business.

The conversation covers why trust is the biggest challenge in scaling, how data drives decisions, why great breakers look more like sales professionals than entertainers, and why the future of the hobby depends on keeping collecting at the center of it all.

If you've ever wondered where the hobby is heading as more capital and experienced operators enter the space, this conversation will give you a different perspective.

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A special thank you to eBay for sponsoring Passion to Profession. The biggest and best marketplace to buy your next favorite trading card.

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Growth in the hobby is easy to spot.

More inventory.
More content.
More followers.
More customers.

The growth that matters is harder to see.

As your business expands, your role has to change with it. If every decision, customer issue, hire, and piece of content still depends on you, you've built a bottleneck instead of a company.

In this episode, I break down why leadership capacity is becoming one of the biggest competitive advantages in sports cards.

I also look at what businesses like Mint Inc, Rare Candy, and Dave & Adam's are hiring for and what those roles tell us about where the hobby is heading.

If you own a business, want to work in the hobby, or want to understand where the industry is going next, this episode is for you.

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Who's right?

Who's wrong?

Adam Gellman and Ryan from RBICru7 put the biggest wrestling card opinions to the test.

Are we at the peak of the market?

Will Panini-era cards continue to rise?

Is 2024 Flawless WWE already an iconic product?

Are one-of-ones overrated?

Has Topps already changed wrestling cards for the better?

Along the way, they break down recent WrestleMania Patch Auto sales, Rey Fenix, Roman Reigns, John Cena, WWE Sapphire print runs, and what makes a great wrestling card breaker.

Some takes they agree with.

Some they completely reject.

Every one of them will make you think differently about wrestling cards. 

I like this because it tells the listener exactly what they're getting. The title creates curiosity, and the description pays it off. It also mirrors the energy of the episode instead of reading like a standard market recap.

RSVP for Wrestling Card Takeover at The National on July 31

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What makes a football card iconic?

This week Pack and Brett McGrath discuss one of the biggest Peyton Manning rookie cards ever to reach the market and why sales like this help define the hobby. From Calvin Johnson and Patrick Surtain to Bronko Nagurski and Mike Ditka, they look at the cards that shape collecting across generations.

They also tackle a collector question that sparks a bigger conversation.

How should we rank the greatest players of all time?

Is it MVPs? Championships? Peak performance? Or something else entirely?

Plus:

• The Peyton Manning Gem Master 1/1 Heritage auction

• Ranking the greatest quarterbacks, running backs, and receivers

• Trade night thoughts

• Buying cards without buyer's remorse

• Calvin Johnson Superfractor sale

• Patrick Surtain Honors Shield Auto

• New pickups

• Cracked Ice Card Call Out

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Get your free copy of Collecting For Keeps: Finding Meaning In A Hobby Built On Hype

Get exclusive content, promote your cards, and connect with other collectors who listen to the pod today by joining the Patreon: Join Stacking Slabs Podcast Patreon

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What does the sports industry see when it looks at the hobby?

In this episode of Built for the Hobby, Brett McGrath is joined by Scott Lock of InfernoRed Technology and Dan Kaufman, Managing Director at Sports Business Journal, for a conversation at the intersection of sports, collecting, media, technology, and fan engagement. 

Dan brings a perspective few people can offer. He's a lifelong collector, a sports business leader, and someone who spends his days talking with executives across leagues, teams, media companies, and technology organizations. 

Topics include:

•  Why sports cards are becoming a bigger part of fan engagement 
•  How younger fans consume sports differently 
•  The relationship between athlete performance and card values 
•  Premium experiences in sports and collecting 
•  The role of technology and AI in shaping the future of fandom 
•  Why collecting remains one of the strongest emotional connections between fans and sports 

This conversation offers a look at where sports and collecting are heading and why the connection between the two continues to strengthen.

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Get your free copy of Collecting For Keeps: Finding Meaning In A Hobby Built On Hype

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In this episode of Stacking Slabs, Brett continues the conversation around taste, conviction, and building a collection that reflects your point of view.

This is not an episode about what to buy.

It is about how to think.

Brett walks through the questions serious collectors need to ask before making decisions:

How do you spot opportunity before consensus forms?

How do you separate overlooked cards from cards that lack demand?

How do you balance personal conviction with market reality?

What role should community feedback play?

How do you know if your collection reflects your own interest or the market’s influence?

This episode is a call to slow down, build with intent, and audit the decisions shaping your collection.

Because the strongest collectors do not need the room to agree first.

They know what they notice.

They know why it matters.

They know where they might be wrong.

And they build from there.

Check out the awesome software that InfernoRed Technology can build for you.

Sign up for Hobby Jobs and The Weekly Rip for free

Get your free copy of Collecting For Keeps: Finding Meaning In A Hobby Built On Hype

Start your 7 day free trial of Stacking Slabs Patreon Today

[Distributed on Sunday] Sign up for the Stacking Slabs Weekly Rip Newsletter using this link

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Most collectors focus on the outcome.
The card.
The deal.
The mail day.
The auction win.

But the best things in this hobby rarely happen overnight.

They come from trust built over years.
Relationships formed without expectations.
Research completed before the opportunity appears.
Conviction developed long before consensus arrives.

In this episode, Brett explores the power of planting seeds as a collector.

Why patience is an active skill.

Why clarity creates opportunity.

Why trust compounds.

And why the collectors who seem to have the best cards, strongest relationships, and deepest collections are often the ones doing the work nobody sees.

If you're feeling pulled in too many directions or frustrated by the pace of the hobby, this conversation is for you.

Because the best things in collecting don't come from forcing the moment.

They come from doing the right work long enough that the moment knows where to find you.

Sign up for Hobby Jobs and The Weekly Rip for free

Get your free copy of Collecting For Keeps: Finding Meaning In A Hobby Built On Hype

Start your 7 day free trial of Stacking Slabs Patreon Today

[Distributed on Sunday] Sign up for the Stacking Slabs Weekly Rip Newsletter using this link

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