Stacking Slabs

2026 Topps Football Is Back: Which Cards Will Still Matter?

Topps flagship football returns with an NFL license for the first time in more than a decade.

Pack and Brett discuss the role paper cards can play in football collecting, the first pack-issued cards of Fernando Mendoza, Jeremiyah Love and Carnell Tate, and the excitement of seeing players in their new uniforms.

They also question the speed of today’s chase-card cycle. Kaiju. Tecmo. Alter Ego. Each release brings another card to the front of the line. Which ones will collectors still want after the attention moves?

The episode also covers the Black Geometric parallel from 2025 Topps Chrome, the football card market for Patrick Mahomes, Caleb Williams and Jackson Dart, and what your Instagram page represents after you sell a card from your collection.

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What does The National show us that sales data cannot?

Brett sits down with Chris McGill and Josh Johnson to examine the forces shaping today’s card market.

They discuss the 2013 Tom Brady Prizm Black Finite 1/1 approaching $1 million, the rising prices across football cards, and why seeing a card sell multiple times can change how collectors view it.

The conversation then turns to what happens away from public marketplaces.

Why does being in the same room help deals happen? How do you value a card with no sales history? What questions should you ask before making an offer? Why do trades drive so many deals involving cards that collectors do not want to sell?

Chris and Josh also share their National pickups and explain how relationships, timing, and understanding another collection can help you acquire cards that money alone cannot buy.

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The hobby grows when more collectors find a reason to care and a reason to stay.

In this episode, Brett explains why categories such as wrestling, WNBA, Disney, Pokémon, and fictional characters matter. He also draws a line between building a collecting community and selling the claim that a market is about to explode.

Brett breaks down how to evaluate category growth, why price alone proves little, and how ownership, urgency, repetition, and status shape collector decisions. He shares a framework for separating your collecting thesis from your market thesis, testing demand, and deciding whether a card fits your collection without borrowing someone else’s conviction.

More lanes can strengthen the hobby. The growth needs to serve collectors.

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What makes someone choose a team and keep choosing it when the wins are not there?

Katelyn sits down with Ike (@istockgrizz) to talk about his connection to the Los Angeles Sparks and the cards that bring him closer to the team.

They discuss the Sparks game-day experience, the gap between player accomplishments and card prices, and why Ike buys cards he would feel comfortable holding for life.

Ike also shares the story behind his Nneka Ogwumike 2008 McDonald’s All-American autograph. He gave up a Candace Parker Gold Prizm PSA 10 to bring it home.

This is a conversation about team history, collector belief, and choosing connection over the latest comp.

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Stephanie Garcia started Mama Breaks while teaching from home and looking for a way to reconnect with cards.

Her first goal was to reach 1,000 Instagram followers and host one break. Four years later, she leads a 12-person, multimillion-dollar business.

Stephanie shares why she left teaching, how she earned trust with collectors, when she knew it was time to hire, and why the experience around a break matters as much as the cards.

She also explains how her love for wrestling, Star Wars, and non-sports cards helped Mama Breaks serve collectors who were being overlooked.

This is a conversation about risk, community, leadership, and sharing what you love with your kids.

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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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Supporting collectors gets harder as a business grows.

The answer is not to care less. It is to turn that care into a process others can repeat.

Brett examines how operators can add capacity without making collectors feel processed. He also sits down with Michael Osacky of Baseball in the Attic at The National.

Michael shares what he has learned the years in business, earning trust through independent judgment, staying connected to clients, finding a niche, and refusing to lead with money.

Growth matters.

The question is whether your standard can survive without you touching every part of the work.

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John Cena’s WrestleMania Patch Auto 1/1 is heading to Goldin’s Summer 100 auction.

The opening bid alone will set a public sales record for a Cena card. The final price will tell us how much demand exists beyond wrestling card collectors.

Adam and Ryan discuss the card, the bidders who might pursue it, and what the sale means for the wrestling card market.

They also break down 2026 Topps WWE Universe, recent sales, Solo Sikoa’s growing collector appeal, and Ryan’s $9,000 Finn Bálor gift to Neil.

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

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A reported private sale valued Josh Allen’s 2018 National Treasures Platinum NFL Shield autograph rookie card at $1.7 million.

The reaction focused on what Allen has not done.

He has not won a Super Bowl.

Pack and Brett explain why championships alone cannot determine collectibility. They discuss the power of player connection, recognizable card features, career narratives, and the people willing to own these cards for the long term.

The conversation also covers Jaxson Dart’s grading volume, Tom Brady’s 2002 Topps Chrome market, Randy Moss and Jerry Rice, cards sitting on your eBay watchlist, and the start of Big Ugly Autumn.

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

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Technology has made it easier to build a product. It has not made it easier to know what deserves to be built.

Brett sits down with Josh Johnson, CTO of Card Ladder, at The National to discuss how Card Ladder grew from a problem its team faced as collectors.

Josh shares why he spent three months preparing the app for The National, how Card Ladder earned trust through seven years of work, and why the team turns down revenue opportunities that pull the product away from collectors.

They also discuss AI, product development, team health, brand building, and what people entering the sports card industry need to understand before trying to serve it.

This is a conversation about staying close to collectors and building something that lasts.

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The cards are unpacked. The pickup posts have slowed down. That does not mean The National is over.

In this episode, Brett looks at the return that does not fit inside a card case: clarity about your collection, evidence that tests your beliefs, relationships worth continuing, opportunities worth testing and a clearer understanding of where your attention belongs.

He shares what Wrestling Card Takeover revealed about community participation and offers a 30-minute process for turning your National experience into action.

What will be different because you were there?

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