Stacking Slabs

Topps Chrome Football returns and the hobby is already moving fast.

In this episode, we break down what this release really means for collectors.

Where the hype is coming from.
Why positioning matters more than ever.
And how to avoid getting caught chasing the wrong things.

We also get into:

• The reality of breakers dominating early supply
• Why “first year” narratives need to be questioned
• How to think about parallels when nothing has history yet
• The tension between chasing new vs staying focused on your lane

Plus:

A deep dive into undervalued legends like Ronnie Lott
A conversation on junk slabs vs real scarcity
And why some of the best opportunities are still being ignored

If you’re thinking about buying Chrome next week…
You need to hear this first.

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Follow The Football Card Podcast on Instagram for memes and stuff.

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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The hobby isn’t one market. It’s many.

But we still act like everything should live under one roof.

In this episode, I push on a simple idea. The hobby gets stronger when we get more focused. Not bigger. Narrower.

When everything sits in one place, collectors get lost. They default to the loudest voices and the most visible cards. 

Depth disappears.

When you shrink the sea, something changes.

Collectors find their lane.
They find people who collect like them.
They build identity, trust, and connection.

That’s where real collecting starts.

I break down why micro-markets matter, how structure creates engagement, and what happens when you build around a specific category instead of chasing the whole hobby.

We talk about:

•  Why more options leads to less action 
•  How niche communities drive retention 
•  The role of curated auctions, content, and events 
•  What operators, creators, and collectors should do next 

If you’ve ever felt like the hobby doesn’t speak to you, this episode will help you understand why.

And what to do about it.

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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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There is more money, more cards, and more noise in the hobby than ever before.
Over $605M in monthly sales. 

Every platform is built to keep you moving.
Scrolling. Watching. Bidding. Buying.

So where does patience fit?

In this episode, I slow things down and challenge a hard question.

Can patience survive in a system designed to push you to act fast?

I break down the forces working against you.
Why urgency feels real.
Why auctions pull you in.
Why losing a card makes you want to buy another.

Then I walk through a different way to operate.

Not waiting.
Not resisting.

Building a system.

We talk about:

How to separate collecting from stimulation
Why patience is not willpower
How to design rules that protect your decisions
What it looks like to collect with intention, not reaction

If you feel like the hobby is speeding up around you, this is for you.

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

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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Brett and Tory break down a record-setting moment in the hobby.

Card Ladder reports $605M in monthly sales.
dcsports87 hits its biggest month ever.
And a Shohei Ohtani All Aces PSA 10 sells for over $15K.

This conversation goes deeper than headlines.

You’ll hear what happens when content drives brand growth.
Why niche categories like wrestling and TCG are heating up.
How scarcity, demand, and perception collide in today’s market.
And what Ohtani is doing to rewrite the rules collectors have followed for years.

They also unpack the real decision behind selling a card at peak hype.

Hold or sell?
First to market or long-term bet?

If you’re trying to understand where the hobby is going next, this is the conversation.

A special thank you to dcsports87 for supporting this series. Check out dcsports87 for your eBay consignment needs and visit the dcsports87 eBay store to find great cards ending every night.

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

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

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What happens when a single moment turns into a career?

Ethan from Tombstone Collectibles joins Passion to Profession to break down how one pull opened the door… and what it actually takes to build a modern hobby business at scale.

This is not a conversation about ripping packs.

This is about building infrastructure, managing talent, and operating in a market that moves fast.

We get into:

•  Why most breakers fail before they ever get started 
•  The importance of relationships in live selling 
•  How Tombstone scaled from one stream to a multi-location operation 
•  What it takes to manage inventory, shipping, and customer experience at volume 
•  Why talent is the hardest problem in the breaking business 
•  The real opportunity in international markets and where growth is heading 

Ethan shares what’s working, what broke along the way, and what collectors don’t see behind the scenes.

If you’ve ever thought about turning your passion into a business… this is a conversation you need to hear.

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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.

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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Adam and Ryan are back and the timing couldn’t be bigger.

With Topps Chrome around the corner, the wrestling card calendar is about to hit hard. Exalted is here. Chrome is next. Then more follows.

The question isn’t what’s coming.
It’s how you’re going to handle it.

In this episode, they break down:

•  Why Exalted feels mistimed in the current release cycle 
•  The overwhelming momentum building behind Chrome 
•  What collectors are missing when they look at wrestling market data 
•  How private deals are shaping the hobby behind the scenes 
•  A real strategy for navigating multiple releases without blowing your budget 

They also react to major sales, early product reactions, and what the next 60 days might look like for wrestling cards.

If you collect wrestling cards, this is a checkpoint episode.

Because the hobby is about to speed up.
And you need a plan before it does.

Check out RbiCru7 for all your wrestling and sports card needs!

Join Adam's Main Event Wrestling Cards group for free

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You feel it every time you log in.

Everything is moving fast.
Listings. Prices. Decisions.

The hobby wants you to act now.

In this episode, Brett and Pack slow it down and ask a harder question:

Can you stay patient when everything around you pushes speed?

They get into:

• How collectors lose control when money moves too fast
• Why auctions feel better than direct deals
• The hidden cost of selling your own cards
• Shipping mistakes that create risk for everyone
• What “fair value” really looks like in today’s market

There’s also a conversation about what’s broken.

Sticker autos.
Fake patches.
Repack culture.

And what happens when accountability disappears.

If you’ve ever felt pressure to move faster than you should, this one is for you.

Because the best collectors don’t rush.

They understand the environment.
Then they operate inside it.

Check out Card Ladder the official data partner of Stacking Slabs

Follow The Football Card Podcast on Instagram for memes and stuff.

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

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

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What does it look like to go all in on cards and make it work?

In this conversation, Brett sits down with Max (@Cardsmax), a full-time dealer who has built his business in the open. He shares how he went from ripping packs as a kid to running a national buying and selling operation driven by shows, eBay, and content.

Max breaks down the reality of life as a dealer. The travel. The shipping pressure. The constant decisions around where to deploy capital. He explains why understanding your buyer matters more than chasing the next card.

They also get into content. Why documenting your process works. Why polished content often falls flat. And how transparency builds trust in a space that lacks it.

You’ll hear how Max thinks about:

•  Buying with intent and knowing your exit before you enter 
•  The balance between liquidity and scarcity 
•  Why storytelling and positioning move cards 
•  The difference between dealer shows and collector shows 
•  How content compounds into relationships and revenue 

This is a conversation about operating in the hobby at a high level. Not theory. Real decisions. Real risk. Real reps.

If you’ve ever thought about turning cards into more than a hobby, this one will challenge how you think.

Sign up for Hobby Jobs and The Weekly Rip for free

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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Discovery doesn’t end when you find the card.

That’s where most collectors stop. That’s where most collectors miss.

In this flagship episode, I take the next step from last week and break down what really drives better collecting. It’s not being early. It’s not guessing right.

It’s finding the people who already know what you’re chasing.

I share a message that stopped me in my tracks and forced me to rethink discovery. Then we get into how community shapes your edge.

You’ll hear:

• Why “being first” is the wrong goal
• How niche collectors hold the real information
• Why your network determines what you see and what you miss
• The role of trust, pricing, and access inside small communities
• A simple system to find your people and build real relationships

Discovery is not a solo act.

It’s a shared process.

And when you find the right people, everything about your collecting changes.

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

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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The market is running. Prices are climbing. Headlines are everywhere.

And yet… the smartest collectors aren’t chasing.

In this episode of Card Ladder Confidential, I sit down with Card Ladder team members Chris McGill and Josh Johnson to break down what’s really happening right now.

We start with the data.
February recorded $481M in online card sales. An all-time high. 

But numbers don’t tell the full story.

We get into:

•  Why rising prices without clear reasoning should make you pause 
•  How new collectors are entering fast and burning out faster 
•  Why patience is the edge no one talks about 
•  What experienced collectors are doing instead of chasing 
•  How to think about “zagging” when everyone else is piling in 
•  The strategy behind buying non-rookies, obscure 1/1s, and overlooked sets 

This isn’t a hype conversation.

It’s a reality check.

If you’re feeling the pressure to keep up, this episode will help you slow down and make better decisions.

Check out Card Ladder the official data partner of Stacking Slabs

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

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

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