What’s it like to be a repacker for one of the biggest breakers on the planet?  Matt from Ultimate Sports Breakers (USB) comes on the pod to talk about that and more.  We first talk about his hobby journey and then get into how he got into repacking for Backyard Breaks and then what happened after that relationship ended.  We dive into what it’s like going from “comp-to-table” with buying, packing and shipping repacks.  Hope you enjoy! - Denny

With repacks being such a hot topic currently in The Hobby, I bring on Jonathan Rotonda (on IG @rotobreaks), the founder of a breaking company (Roto Breaks) and repack company (Roto Box) to the pod.  We start off talking about his hobby journey and how comps worked back in 2016 (RIP Card Snoop!).  Then, I pick his brain on how the entire process looks like to get a repack product ready “comp-to-table” (like eating at a restaurant: from farm-to-table) - buying to packing to shipping.  This is my longest episode yet, and I considered breaking it up into two parts, but with repacks being a hot button issue, I wanted to deliver this to you soon as possible.  Thanks for giving it a listen! - Denny

Learn more about the Roto team here: https://rotobreaks.com/pages/about-us

Who would even consider buying a $12 pineapple?  What happens to your hobby budget when you have a financial event outside of your hobby life?  Who is even buying these boxes of cards that cost five figures?  This is a monologue episode that I recorded in a hotel room and so the audio is going to sound a little bit different (and maybe I’m lower energy on this one too), but I wanted to capture my thoughts on some things within The Hobby and in my life.  Hope you enjoy it.  You can always DM me on Instagram at denny_cards.  - Denny

This is a monologue episode about my ever evolving thoughts on the megabid/shill bid situation from Rob G., the Sports Card Therapist and the early stages of grief, or at least in this case, hobby grief.

What does 10X-ing The Hobby mean?  Is it the number of cards, corporate profits, number of participants, or something else altogether?  I bring on the pod someone who was in The Hobby as a kid, but never came back into The Hobby, even during the pandemic.  My very special guest, TK, is my friend from outside The Hobby and I wanted to have a candid discussion with him about The Hobby in this experimental bonus episode.  Because if 10X-ing The Hobby means having ten times the number of Hobby participants, then Fanatics will have to do their best to court people like TK.

To the brave men and women who have served the United States of America, Happy Veterans Day!  For a very special Veterans Day podcast episode, I bring on the pod Alex Tressler (@armyatc22 on all social media platforms), an Army veteran who was deployed to Afghanistan for three tours and has traveled the world while breaking boxes in the early infancy of social media (btw, he PC’s Pat Tillman).  We talk about his service in the military, how serving in the military helps him in The Hobby, especially setting up as a dealer.  We discuss a deal we made that I alluded to in Episode 48, and how it is sometimes hard to make deals with friends.  We even talk about whether he gives a military discount when he sets up as a dealer!  Thank you Alex for your service, and thank you again to all those who served.

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/gdWv3l47fRU

“First”* 2-time guest Dan The Great Curator pops back into the podcast studio (in the first of a mini series of “Where Are They Now?” with my Season 1 guests) to share his thoughts on being a content creator and the current landscape of content in The Hobby.  We talk about the concept of people who don’t call themselves influencers but who influence others to not like influencers.

*Sports Card Therapist, Rob Girard, was technically the first 2-time guest. =)

Two weeks after the Chantilly Card Show, I give my thoughts on the show by way of showing cards that I picked up along the way during my time there on Friday and Sunday of the show.  Moments I talk about:  transacting with the dealers, unofficial Trade Night at the Holiday Inn (where Dennis Rodman was walking through the lobby while I was trading for one of his cards), Kids’ Trade Night, dinner with fellow creators, meeting and interviewing athletes for the first time ever. Just an overall fun experience that I am grateful for having had!

Can you imagine being a dealer at your very first National?  Well, that’s what happened to vintage basketball card collector turned dealer, Jim Doyle, who won my giveaway contest on Instagram to be a guest on this podcast.  Thank goodness he was such a great interview.  We talked about his cardboard journey as I am wont to do, and we talk about his experiences as a dealer, why it’s so important to develop a network and relationships as a dealer, and how he came across being a dealer at his very first National this past July.  We wrap up talking about the strangest place he ever made a deal and also the 1977 Star Wars Series 1 set.  We could not open a pack of those cards because he was holding his laptop looking for a good wifi signal though, so apologies for the technical difficulties and slight delay in the questions and answers!

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/uE49zuGL6TM

On the heels of an episode called Hobby Casino, I take some time to share my thoughts about why The Hobby is not a casino.  The most important question though is - do you think The Hobby is a casino?  I also talk about how there are different types of collectors, specifically quiet ones and loud ones and that there’s enough room for all of us in this big tent we like to call The Hobby.