NASHAQ INDEX - Basketball Cards on a Budget

Nathaniel and Camden give their farewell tour (at least for now) as they discuss the Topps Finest sets between 1993 and 2008. The podcast is going on a hiatus for now. Thank you for your support. You can feel free to email us at nashaqindex@gmail.com.

Who will be considered the greater all-time player, Steph Curry or Kevin Durant?  Responding to a question from DirkNashty of the podcast HobbyTime with DirkNashty, Nathaniel and Camden compare the legacies of the two superstars.  Multiple angles of this question are considered in this episode, including their respective stats, career accomplishments, MVP awards, cultural impact, card values, and championships.

Nathaniel and Camden talk about the great Bill Russell, and evaluate the market for some of his basketball cards. They discuss some recent card purchases, and then turn to last year's rookie class. Which rookies are worth targeting from the 2021-22 class?

The Lost Episode was recorded after Game 1 of the 2022 NBA Finals. Nathaniel and Camden rank the top 20 players in the NBA Finals, and list 2-3 different rookie cards for each player.

Nathaniel and Camden talk about Steph Curry's legacy. What would another finals win do for his legacy, and who could he pass on the list of All-Time Greats? Next, they play a game of True/False, and Nathaniel decides to use his own special terms in place of true and false. Finally, they answer some listener questions.

Nathaniel and Camden host Keith, also known as DirkNashty, from the podcast Hobby Time. Keith gives some great tips for using data analytics from the website Basketball Reference to help evaluate players. What are some of the more advanced metrics you can use to evaluate young basketball prospects? The guys also discuss DirkNashty's favorite team, the Dallas Mavericks.

Nathaniel and Camden go over the ESPN list of the Top 10 point guards of all-time. They also go over the card markets for rookie cards of all 10 players, and then talk about whether they would reorder the list. Is Steph Curry too low on their list? Who would Chris Paul pass on the list of all-time greatest point guards if he were to win a championship this year?

Nathaniel and Camden lament the demise of the Bulls and the Nets. Guess which 90s card Nathaniel bought 90s card for his PC? Nathaniel talks about the '96-97 Finest set he's now in the process of collecting. They discuss the Bam Adebayo Impeccable rookie auto /99 they just bought. They discuss the possibility of investing in Jordan Poole. They then systematically go through several of the teams that have been bounced from the playoffs, discussing some players that are potential "buy low" candidates. Are any of the Bulls worth buying now? Is KD still a "buy?" Camden throws up a buzzer beater from half court and wants to talk about James Wiseman for some reason.

Responding to a listener question, Nathaniel and Camden systematically go through all of the non-playoff teams and identify players for potential card investments.

Nathaniel and Camden give their thoughts on "The Icons Club" podcast series by Jackie McMullan, which appears on Bill Simmons' The Book of Basketball 2.0 podcast. Which current players are likely to become icons? How does the basketball card market respond to icons versus other players? They discuss these questions and much more as they give their thoughts on the Icons Club.

Nathaniel and Camden give their predictions for MVP, Rookie of the Year, All NBA, and predictions for the playoffs. They also review their pre-season predictions to report on how well their predictions compared to reality.

Nathaniel and Camden start with some recent news.  They discuss Brittney Griner, Kyrie Irving, and Karl Anthony Towns.  Camden gets broken up about Steph Curry's injury.  Nathanael urges Camden to sell his Saddiq Bey Prizm Rainbow.  Nathaniel expresses concern that Tyrese Maxey could regress in the future.  They then give their "State of the Union Address" on how the Nashaq Index investments are doing.  They are up 32% since the Fall with the basketball cards they've bought and sold!  Which players and categories have been the best investments?   What is their general investing strategy?  Should they crack open a BGS card and re-grade with PSA?  

Nathaniel and Camden are joined by Gary from the Hoops and Cards podcast. Gary's Instagram account can be found @hoopsandcards. Gary reveals how he got his start podcasting, and gives helpful tips on strategies for buying cards under $10. Gary also gives some helpful strategies for buying cards at card shows, his favorite current rookies, and more.

In this Basketball Card Basics episode, Nathaniel and Camden discuss various card grading companies, starting with PSA. They also discuss the three Beckett grading brands: BGS, BVG, and BCCG. They then continue discussing SGC, HGA, and a few other companies. Which are the best companies to use for grading now? Will PSA retain their dominance in the market, or will other companies eventually catch up or surpass PSA? Is the Fanatics acquisition of CSG a conflict of interest? Nathaniel and Camden address these and other questions in their deep dive on grading.

Nathaniel and Camden conclude their 3-part series where they discuss ALL of the Zion Rookie cards from Panini's various brands, finishing up with Prizm, Revolution, Spectra, and Select. They then discuss and refine their list of the 5 Levels of Basketball Card Brands: Level 1, Lower tier: Chronicles, Hoops, Certified, Donruss, Clearly Donruss, Donruss Elite, Hoops Premium Stock, Illusions, Revolution Level 2, Overproduced mid-tier: Contenders, Donruss Optic, Mosaic, Prizm, Select Level 3, Scarce mid-tier: Absolute Memorabilia, Origins, Black, Crown Royale, Court Kings, Obsidian Level 4, Lower upper class: Spectra, Contenders Optic, Encased, Noir, Impeccable, One & One, Opulence Level 5, Upper class: Immaculate, Flawless, National Treasures, Eminence

Nathaniel and Camden continue evaluating Zion Williamson's rookie cards from each Panini brand, continuing this week with Flawless, Hoops, Hoops Premium Stock, Illusions, Immaculate, Impeccable, Mosaic, National Treasures, Noir, Obsidian, One and One, Opulence, and Origins.

Nathaniel and Camden talk about the wild NBA trade deadline that just passed. Who benefits from the Nets/Sixers trade that made James Harden a Sixer and Ben Simmons a member of the Nets? They also discuss the Pacers/Kings trade headlined by Domantas Sabonis for Tyrese Haliburton, the Blazers sending C.J.McCollum to the Pelicans, the Mavs sending Kristaps Porzingis to the Wizards, and more. How do these trades affect the card market?

Recording a few days before the trade deadline, Nathaniel and Camden go over the Blazers/Clippers trade involving Norman Powell and Robert Covington, as well as the deal sending Caris LeVert to the Cavs. They then start the process of discussing almost all of the Panini basketball card brands, through the lens of Zion Williamson's many rookie cards. In part one, they discuss Zion rookies from the brands Absolute Memorabilia, Black, Certified, Clearly Donruss, Contenders and Contenders Optic, the 4 Levels of Court Kings, Crown Royale, Donruss, Donruss Optic, Donruss Elite, Eminence, and Encased. Warning: some of the cards discussed in this episode do not fit the "Basketball Cards on a Budget" tag line!

Nathaniel and Camden hold a draft to compile their list of 30 NBA players to target as good card investments. They have a "draft" where they go back and forth drafting players for their list. They each draft one rookie, one sophomore, one retired player, and many other current players until they settle on a list of 30 players. They each get one veto to "block the shot" of the other person's pick. Camden tries a couple of decoy picks to try to avoid Nathaniel vetoing Miles Bridges from their list.

Camden presents Nathaniel with a Steal of the Week basketball card that Nathaniel does not hate this week. They then discuss the vintage basketball card market through the lens of NBA's list of the top 75 players of all time.

Nathaniel and Camden give their picks for the upcoming NBA All-Star Game. Camden tries to get under Nathaniel's skin by conveniently leaving off a deserving Bull. This was recorded before a couple of key injuries, such as KD and Draymond Green.

Nathaniel and Camden give some tips on buying cards, and some tips on storing cards.  They then finish their discussion of players to invest in from the Western Conference.  Will Malik Monk make the list?  Is LeBron a good short-term flip?  Is Luka Doncic a good buy now?  Are there any Spurs worth buying?  What is Nathaniel's hot take about about Brandon Ingram versus Jason Tatum? Do they regret buying a Kevin Porter, Jr. card?  

Nathaniel and Camden discuss about Nathaniel's favorite team, The Bulls. They then name their Top 4 MVP picks, and the short list of players that could potentially beat one of those MVP candidates in a playoff series. They discuss their Top 5 Rookies from 2021-22, and revisit and revise their list of players to invest in from the Western Conference (part 2), with the Nuggets, the T-Wolves, the Blazers, the Thunder, the Jazz, and the Warriors.

Nathaniel and Camden talk about some new basketball cards, some sets they are collecting, and make New Years Resolutions for their personal collections and for the podcast. They then continue with a couple listener questions about the differences between various brands of basketball cards, including Prizm, Optic, Donruss, Hoops, Mosaic, National Treasures, Immaculate, Flawless, Court Kings, Noir, Spectra, Panini Instant, and MANY other brands. They also discuss the connection between some of these current Panini brands and 90s brands like Topps Finest and Chrome.

Nathaniel and Camden answer listener questions in their first Basketball Card Fundamentals episode. The brand new Basketball Card Fundamentals series details the basics of collecting basketball cards that every collector and investor should know. For this episode, they cover the various Prizm parallels, which tests Nathaniel's patience. They also list their favorite respective card brands, and answer several other questions about the hobby. Shout out to Richard for the excellent questions!

Nathaniel and Camden talk basketball cards and revise their takes midseason for good players to invest in from teams in the Eastern Conference. Continuing from episode 13, this episode they discuss players from the Cavs, Pistons, Pacers, Hawks, Wizards, Heat, Hornets, and the Magic.

Nathaniel and Camden talk about NBA rumors, such as Kyrie Irving's return. They discuss current MVP Candidates, especially Nikola Jokic and Steph Curry, as well as the effect of the PER Stat on the MVP Award. Jokic would have the highest PER in history if the season ended now. They also start their midseason revisions, adjusting their investment targets by NBA team. This episode, they start revising their list of potential players to invest in, starting with the Nets, 76ers, Knicks, Celtics, Raptors, and Bucks, and the Bulls.

Nathaniel and Camden go over various NBA injuries and recent health and safety protocols. They then talk about some of their recent card purchases and sales. Their initial goal of paying for their annual NBA League Pass with card investments seems very much in reach, despite the fact that the card market as a whole is down from last Winter.

Nathaniel and Camden go over some recent card purchases and sales in their quest to pay for the NBA League Pass with profits from basketball cards. They then finish out the Southwest Division by discussing the Spurs, the Pelicans, and the Rockets.

Nathaniel actually likes the Steal of the Week card Camden presents this week. Nathaniel and Camden go over the Mavs and Grizzlies from Southwest Division, and attempt to purchase a KD rookie via eBay auction in the middle of the podcast.

Is Nathaniel interested in a Westbrook Lakers jersey? More undertones of Laker hate as Nathaniel and Camden go over some recent card purchases and sales and Nathaniel's 87 cards he got back from SGC. They also discuss whether or not there are any teams with less hobby interest than the Clippers. They also finish out the Pacific Division with the Clippers and (reluctantly) the Lakers.

Nathaniel and Camden discuss their goal of paying for NBA League Pass with their investments in cards. Nathaniel almost sort of likes the Steal of the Week this week. Shout out to Gary from Hoops and Cards for the cards! Nathaniel makes fun of Camden's new graded card. Nathaniel brings back the "Bird of the Week." (?!) They then discuss three teams from the Pacific Division - the Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns, and Sacramento Kings. Is Draymond Green going to be in the Hall of Fame?

Nathaniel and Camden start their discussion with some recent NBA injuries, the fun fact that the Thunder have beat the Lakers twice already this season, some recent card purchases toward their goal of paying off League Pass with net card profits this year, the plus/minus stat, and go on to finish their systematic discussion of the Northwest Division.

Nathaniel and Camden discuss which card is worse out between two notoriously bad rookie cards for LaMelo and Zion. It comes out that Camden is a Halloween Scrooge or Grinch. They also start talking about the teams and players in the Northwest Division, discussing the Nuggets and the Timberwolves.

Nathaniel and Camden go over some basketball podcast recommendations, the Obsidian card brand, and finish out discussing the Southeast Division with the Heat, Hornets, and Magic.

Nathaniel and Camden reprise the idea of the podcast. They then react to the latest Ben Simmons news, reveal the Steal of the Week, and tackle part 1 of the Southeast Division, discussing the Hawks and the Wizards. They also reveal their first card purchase.

After starting with the blooper outtakes, Nathaniel and Camden give their predictions for the 2021-22 NBA season, and then discuss various players from the teams in the Central Division.

In episode 2, Nathaniel and Camden go over their favorite Lakers, the team they both love to hate. The Steal of the Week is Coby White, but Nathaniel blocks the shot. Nathaniel shares his curmudgeonly thoughts on the Prism brand. Wrap up from last week with three players from the Atlantic Division.

Nathaniel and Camden introduce themselves, their favorite teams and players, and introduce the premise of investing in budget cards that are likely to go up in value in the short term. They then go through various notable players from the teams in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference.