Stacking Slabs

Collectors often believe they are building collections. This episode challenges that idea. In this flagship conversation, Brett explores the concept that every collection is a reflection of the person behind it. Drawing from consumer psychology research and personal collecting experience, he breaks down how buying decisions reveal deeper signals around identity, control, risk, patience, and validation. Through real examples and practical questions, this episode pushes collectors to think beyond surface-level decisions and examine why they acquire what they do. Key themes include: • buying certainty vs. buying conviction • the role of status and social comparison • how structure in collecting creates a sense of control • why two collectors with the same resources build entirely different outcomes This is not an episode about what to buy. It is about understanding what your collection says about you. 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 Follow Stacking Slabs: | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tiktok ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Topps Chrome Football is back. But this time it stands alone. No competing brand. No second option. No alternative lane. That changes how you collect. In this episode, I’m not breaking down the checklist or the hits. You can find that anywhere. I’m focused on what this moment reveals about you as a collector. For years, your decisions were shaped by comparison. The question shifts from what do you like more to do you participate at all. That is a different game. We talk about: • why no competition creates pressure on your decisions • how concentrated demand can look like real demand • the difference between collecting and compliance • why this release is a mirror for your conviction • how to slow down and make better decisions in a loud market This is one of the most important shifts in football cards in a long time. Not because of the product. Because of what it reveals about the people buying it. 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 Follow Stacking Slabs: | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tiktok ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Ryan Johnson didn’t set out to build a 35-person company. He wanted to open cards. Share what he was buying. Be the resource he never had. Then the business grew. In this conversation, Ryan walks through the shift from collector and content creator to operator responsible for people, systems, and outcomes. We talk about: This is a conversation about growth. Not the highlight reel. The real stuff that happens when the hobby turns into a business. If you’re building something in this space, this one will hit. Sign up for Hobby Jobs and The Weekly Rip for free 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 Follow Stacking Slabs: | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tiktok ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Katelyn sits down with Ryan (@reservoirsportscards), a UConn collector who went all in on Paige Bueckers before the market caught up. This is a conversation about conviction. Ryan didn’t start as a collector. He started flipping cards. Watching markets. Chasing value. Then Paige changed everything. What started as an idea turned into a strategy. Then a PC. Then an obsession. We get into: This isn’t about hype. It’s about what happens when you believe early… and act on it. If you’ve ever thought about going all in on a player, this episode will make you think twice about how you do it. Check out Card Ladder the official data partner of The WNBA Card Podcast Follow the WNBA Card Podcast on Instagram 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 Follow Stacking Slabs: | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tiktok Follow Katelyn: | Instagram ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

This is one of the biggest weeks wrestling cards has seen in years. Adam and Ryan break down everything happening right now. Topps Chrome WWE is live. Prices are high. Demand is higher. The product feels like a turning point. Ryan shares what he saw firsthand at the Topps Industry Conference. What matters. What doesn’t. And what collectors should be paying attention to. They get into: • Why Chrome feels different this year • What the future of Fanatics’ ecosystem looks like • How premium products like Royalty and Dynasty will reshape the market • What’s happening behind the scenes with dealers, breakers, and distribution Then it all builds to a major announcement. Booked to Last is bringing the wrestling card community together at The National. If you care about where this hobby is going, this episode matters. Check out RbiCru7 for all your wrestling and sports card needs! Join Adam's Main Event Wrestling Cards group 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 Follow Ryan: | Instagram | Website | YouTube Follow Adam: | X | Instagram Follow Stacking Slabs: | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tiktok ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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. 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 Sign up for Hobby Jobs and The Weekly Rip for free Follow Stacking Slabs: | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tiktok Follow Pack: | Instagram ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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: 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. 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 Follow Stacking Slabs: | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tiktok ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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 Follow Stacking Slabs: | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tiktok ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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 Follow dcsports87: | Website | eBay | Instagram | Twitter Follow Stacking Slabs: | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tiktok ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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: 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. Sign up for Hobby Jobs and The Weekly Rip for free 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 Follow Stacking Slabs: | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tiktok ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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: 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 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 Follow Ryan: | Instagram | Website | YouTube Follow Adam: | X | Instagram Follow Stacking Slabs: | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tiktok ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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: 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 Follow Stacking Slabs: | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tiktok Follow Pack: | Instagram ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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: 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 Follow Stacking Slabs: | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tiktok ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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 Follow Stacking Slabs: | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tiktok ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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: 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 Follow Josh: | Instagram Follow Chris: | Instagram Follow Card Ladder: | Instagram | YouTube | Website Follow Stacking Slabs: | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tiktok ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

On this episode of Passion to Profession, Brett sits down with Bryan Thiessenhusen, CEO of Black Gold Sports Cards. Bryan didn’t start with an advantage. He started with tubs of cards, a full-time accounting job, and a willingness to take risk. What followed was a fast build. He turned grading prep into revenue. Turned live streaming into scale. Turned a side hustle into a 30+ person operation. In this conversation, Bryan breaks down: This is a conversation about building something real. If you’re collecting, operating, or thinking about turning your passion into a business, this one will make you think. Sign up for Hobby Jobs and The Weekly Rip for free 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 Follow Stacking Slabs: | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tiktok ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Check out Card Ladder the official data partner of The WNBA Card Podcast Follow the WNBA Card Podcast on Instagram 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 Follow Stacking Slabs: | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tiktok Follow Katelyn: | Instagram ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

With Ryan out this week, Adam Gellman is joined by Jamison Long of Port City Sports Collectibles to talk wrestling cards from a different angle. Jamison has built one of the fastest growing card shops in the country. He also collects at a high level. That combination creates a different lens on the hobby. They cover: • What changes when you go from collector to shop owner • Why most collectors misunderstand wax pricing • The importance of community inside a card shop • WWE Chrome debut patches and why they matter • Big recent sales and what they signal about the market The conversation also hits WWE storylines, prospecting, and how new stars like Oba Femi are impacting collector behavior. This episode is a reminder that the hobby is not only about big cards. It is about how you show up, what you chase, and how long you can stay in it. Check out RbiCru7 for all your wrestling and sports card needs! Join Adam's Main Event Wrestling Cards group 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 Follow Ryan: | Instagram | Website | YouTube Follow Adam: | X | Instagram Follow Stacking Slabs: | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tiktok ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Pack and Brett open Episode 40 with a real-time hobby mystery. A stolen 2025 Prizm Gold Lance Briggs resurfaces across state lines. The hunt is on. Questions start stacking. How many cards disappear before they ever hit public data? From there, the conversation shifts to what collectors are feeling right now. The pressure. The speed. The constant sense of missing out. They break down why the hobby feels like a sprint even when everyone says it’s a marathon. The episode also covers: • The gap between data and decision-making • Why social media is distorting collector behavior • When to sell and how to think about consolidation • Big recent sales including a $31K Gronk Prizm Gold and a $90K Brady They close with a reminder most collectors need to hear: You don’t need every card. You need the right ones. 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 Follow Stacking Slabs: | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tiktok Follow Pack: | Instagram ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Collectors think in comps. Operators think in systems. That gap is where mistakes happen. In this episode, I break down what I learned from 12 hobby operators and how it applies to your decisions as a collector. We cover: • Why trust is the product • Why reacting leads to regret • How operators actually view comps • The role of systems and communication The hobby is growing. But the rules are not evenly distributed. If you understand how operators think, you put yourself in a better position to win and avoid mistakes. Ask yourself one question. Do the people you buy from reduce uncertainty or create it? Sign up for Hobby Jobs and The Weekly Rip for free Start your 7 day free trial of Stacking Slabs Patreon Today Follow Stacking Slabs: | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tiktok ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★