The Shallow End

The Shallow End is off this week, so welcome back to Overthinking Baseball Cards. Episode 2. In this episode, we each draft one baseball card from nine different eras of baseball card collecting (plus three bench spots). Who and what will make the cut? And who will end up on the outside looking in?Overthinking Baseball Cards is hosted by Jason @ContrarianCards and Dave @Iowa_Dave_SportscardsThe show comes out monthly on YouTube. Here's the link, and thanks for following along.

From Aug. 14-31, 18 brave sports-card collectors shared with you their stories of mistakes, failures, and perspectives. Before we move on to other topics, let's stay in this world just a little longer. In this episode of The Shallow End, I'll share my 18 takeaways — one from each collector. If you want to catch up on the limited series, 'Failing Up' is available in full on the Shallow End's podcast feeds.The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

In this 18th and final episode of Failing Up, we welcome Dave, known on IG as @paperstreetsportscards. When Dave came back to the hobby, he did a little exploring and discovered cards he found interesting. But when he approached the so-called experts about his interests, they told him his point of view was wrong. They preached a "better" way of doing things. Spoiler alert: the experts were wrong.The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

Let's welcome Matt Worley (@slabnomics), host of the up-and-coming Slabnomics podcast. He's an exciting, honest new voice in the card space. In this episode you'll hear Matt describe, in detail, something many of us went through when first getting into — or getting back into — the hobby. This is a lesson about what happens when you're still finding yourself, and the mistakes that come with that.The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

Today's guest is Marty, otherwise known as @signed1933goudey. He's all about starts and stops, pushing and waiting, patience and passion. This series about sports cards might be called Failing Up, but to Marty, a little bit of struggle isn't failing. It's learning. It's understanding. And it's getting just a little bit better, one day at a time.The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

Today in this 18-part limited series we're talking with John, co-host of the Global Card Collectors podcast and @Istanbulcards on Instagram. John is a basketball and soccer collector. He's thoughtful. He's deliberate and disciplined. Yet anyone, even collectors who stay on their path, are not immune from a painful lesson: Not all 1-of-1s are created equal.The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards on IG

Today we're talking with someone who has been a great help to many in the collecting space, Zan, @zanoo23_sportscards on Instagram. These days those who follow Zan know him for his refined collection of football and baseball cards, and for his ability to spot fake serial numbers in some of the hobby's most popular sets. But when Zan first re-entered the hobby, he wasn't drawn toward singles, he gravitated toward opening boxes. As he tumbled toward a hobby of low ROI and, as he put it, a path headed toward addiction, he knew he had to make a change.The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

In this episode we welcome Jeff, @MyFavoriteCardboard on Instagram and part of two wonderful shows, Blabbin' 'bout Slabbin' and Spitballin' Cards. I appreciated Jeff's willingness to share some of his stories because he's such a good storyteller, but also because they're so relatable. This is an episode about the persistence of hope, even when there is none, and a reminder that sometimes the worst wounds are self-inflicted.The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

Today we welcome to the program Josh Adams, @MidwestVintageCards on IG and one of the driving forces behind the 90s Auctions platform. Many years ago, nearly two decades, Josh said he had a great plan to make some money in the hobby. He's here today with a warning for all of us: Not all plans … work out.The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

Today's guest is Mark, @mjs_sportscards on Instagram. These days, Mark is known for a few things, from his Jrue Holiday collection, to the WNBA, and of course his beloved L.A. Lakers. But when he first got back into the hobby, he made the sort of moves and mistakes that might have sent many right back out of the hobby, perhaps for good. Yet Mark stuck around. And just as importantly, he learned, and he pivoted. He got himself pointed in the right direction.The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

Today we welcome to the show Nick, the Instagram user known as @TastyCardSandwich. Among other things, Nick is a connoisseur of early 2000s cards. But sometimes, as he points out, it's possible to become SO focused on your lane that you miss out on what's happening around you. In Nick's case, it was the rise of some of the biggest modern cards in The Hobby.The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

Today's guest is Jonathan, better known on IG as @sportscards.and.sunsets. As one-third of the Rough Cuts Vintage Card Podcast, Jonathan and his partners have fun discussing vintage cards and all related topics, which is why you'll find this conversation so interesting. This is Jonathan's tale of what can happen when one wanders a little too far from what makes a collection, a collection.The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

Today's guest is Robert, @robertm_cards on Instagram, where his feed is full of some of the coolest game-worn cards you'll find. There was a time, a span of about 15 years, when Robert built the sort of collection many of us would love to have. Until, one day, someone came along with an offer he couldn't refuse.The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

Today's guest is Craig, @NewYorkCitySportsCards on Instagram. Years ago he decided to buy lots of cards of an up-and-coming basketball player, and wouldn't you know it, Craig nailed his assessment. The player became one of the greatest of his generation. When he decided it was time to sell, what he discovered is sports cards are about the long game, and the first urge to sell might be a better time to instead take a step back.The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

Today's guest is Dr. Jim Beckett, host of the long-running podcast, "Dr. James Beckett Sports Card Insights." It might be hard to believe now, but there was a time when Beckett Media was the upstart underdog. As they began to pick up momentum, Dr. Beckett, who sold the company two decades ago, considered how to manage a then-growing company. But as he learned with one decision, bigger is not always better.The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

Today's guest is Chad, @Blackhat_Cards on IG. Have you ever really wanted to collect a player, so you buy a card online, it arrives, you look at it, and it doesn't really do it for you? That's what happened to Chad. Then it happened again. And again. And, well, you get the picture.The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

Today's guest is Dave Spinrad, @ratedrabbi on Instagram, and as you'll hear at the top of this episode, he's worn lots of different hats in his life. The one constant, he says, has been failure. But, he wouldn't have it any other way. In this hobby, sometimes you have to figure out what you DON'T like before you figure out what you do.The Shallow End is hosted by @iowa_dave_sportscards

Today's guest is Andrew, who is @FairStarCards on Instagram. Andrew collects hockey and other sports, and he's a collector who seeks personal connections within the cards he collects. As an educator, he knows that learning can sometimes be painful, but it's what you do with that pain, and how you react, that makes the difference.The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

Today's guest is Theo, who's ClementeCollector on IG and YouTube. He's a smart, thoughtful collector, he's got a growing YouTube audience, and he was a big contributor to this year's Hobby Palooza. But when he first got back into the hobby, he learned the hard lesson that some cards are irreplaceable.The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

Today's guest is Andrew, who's @StCroixCards on Instagram. Andrew is a soccer collector, among other things, and a contributor to the Slabstox network. These days, Andrew's collection is in great shape, but there's one decision he made when he first got back in the hobby that taught this teacher a lesson he'll never forget.The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

What if? That's the question two notorious baseball card overthinkers started from when they decided to start a new show. In this debut episode, how might the hobby be different today if Topps had introduced a full set of parallels beginning in 1952? Welcome to Overthinking Baseball Cards.For the full experience, see our YouTube channel.Hosts:Jason @Contrarian_CardsDave: @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

What began as a labor of love for Kevin turned into a hobby quest. Five years ago he picked up his first 1999 Topps Chrome baseball refractor. Last month, he completed a 637-card master refractor set that includes the inserts. This is the story of how Kevin (@Colorado.Collector) did it.The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

In this wide-ranging discussion about rookie cards, Robert (@BobHostaCollection) and Dave get into a challenge each is facing: Should they get the iconic 1954 Topps Hank Aaron rookie? Or should they get the card they agree better captures Aaron the player and person, his 1958 Topps?The Shallow End is hosted by @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

Dan (@CardsAndCardio on IG) paints a picture of what it means to collect with direction. From Jesse Owens, to Otto Graham and other vintage QBs, to Jackie Robinson, to actor and comedian Bill Murray, Dan makes sure every individual card he picks up connects to the larger collection he's trying to build. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards.

Longtime friend of The Shallow End Samuel Evans returns to chat with Dave about The National, Samuel's role within the NSCC, and how The National is about the cards yet so much more. Find Samuel on Instagram @thesprtzcardcoltr.The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

We all deserve a good meal. Don't you think? Thank you to Steven Rodel and Cameron Ross Steiner for the inspiration.

When a consigner potentially mislabeled my sports card to such a degree that its value began to tank, I was faced with a decision: take a financial hit, or bid on my own card. In this episode, I talk through the situation and explain why I felt it was important not to bid.The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

Jason (@contrarian_cards on IG) and Dave begin with the premise, What should a longtime Panini football and basketball card collector know about Topps as Fanatics readies to take over the NFL and NBA card licenses? From there, it's a free-wheeling discussion about what it's like to collect and understand baseball cards in 2025.

In this podcast audio essay, Dave confronts the realities of breaking and sports cards, and the false narratives used to make excuses for it.The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

We've all got a horror story, a past decision in our collecting that haunts us. Today's guest, Andrew (IG: @fairstarcards), knows more about failure than most. He preaches it to his students. In this episode, we become his students as he shows us why those past failures should be embraced, not forgotten.The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

Addiction takes many forms, including within the world of sports cards. From overspending, to patterns of hiding behavior, to an inability to detach from The Hobby, sports-card addiction can leave us feeling hopeless and out of control. Today's guest, Alyx Effron of CollectorsMD, knows this first hand. That's why he's created a platform to help collectors figure out how to get help.The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

Greg (@Paper_and_Chrome on IG) is an Albert Pujols collector who set out to clarify "The Machine's" best rookie cards. So Greg surveyed 50 Pujols collectors. In this episode of The Shallow End, he shares the results.The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_SportsCards on IG.If you'd like to watch the video version of this episode, you can do so here on YouTube.

Over several months, Dave read three books about the history of sports cards. Here are 10 takeaways that helped him learn more about The Hobby.The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_SportscardsCard Sharks, by Pete Williams (1995)The Card, by Michael O'Keeffe and Teri Thompson (2007)Mint Condition, by Dave Jamieson (2010)

Sometimes in sports cards, as in life, you have to confront your past before you can chase your future.The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

Once you're interested in collecting sports cards, it doesn't take long before something in The Hobby takes hold. If we're not careful, our PC's have a way of getting away from us. In this episode, Cardladder's Chris McGill (⁠@chris_hoj⁠) stops by to discuss collecting goals he sets for himself—and occasionally revises and revisits as his own tastes evolve. No two people have the same goals, but just coming to understand the value of setting your own might be the greatest gift you can give your own PC.The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz ⁠@Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

Nothing about the sports card hobby is perfect, but it's those imperfections and, dare we say, failures, that help make us better collectors. In this audio essay, Dave shares his biggest hobby failure and pleas with one of the hobby's most influential influencers to not give the impression that every deal always works out.The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards"Cards and Content episode 8"YouTube short: "Helping a young collector complete his goal at the Dallas Card Show"

If you're going to collect sports cards, you're going to need to make yourself some rules. But just as importantly, you need to be ready to break those rules when opportunities arise.The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

In sports cards, is there such a thing as too many collecting rules? Can we build so many walls that fun gives way to limitations? In this episode, Pat (@Insta_Account_Haver) returns to discuss collecting lanes, their usefulness, and moments when they might not be. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

In this episode, we try something new. It's an audio essay, a meditative piece that looks at a side of sports cards many people ignore – but shouldn't.The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

The Chase, a limited series recently concluded on The Shallow End podcast feed, was intended to be a celebration of what it takes to get the cards we want most. In this episode, we reflect on the series and what each of the 15 collectors we spoke with can teach us about our own collecting.The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

When Tony (@tj.isonline) returned to sports cards, he decided Reggie Jackson would be one of his guys. And when he learned the story of one of the hobby's great urban legends, about a card only a small handful of collectors even knew existed, he began his case. If this is the last podcast episode I ever do (it won't be), I'll retire satisfied.The Chase is a limited series on The Shallow End podcast feed. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz ⁠@Iowa_Dave_Sportscards⁠Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/infraction/tumblin

For Dan (yankeedoodledandycards), it's not just about finding any sports card to finish his player run. It's about finding the best version – to create the best possible player run of a Hall of Famer in a prized parallel. Dan shows us the value of being meticulous while maintaining high standards.The Chase is a limited series on The Shallow End podcast feed. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz ⁠@Iowa_Dave_Sportscards⁠Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/infraction/tumblin

For years, Jeremy Lee (@Jlee_sportscardslive) chased a card he wanted from a set he appreciated. Just when he thought the card wouldn't be his, along came another one he didn't know existed. Often in the sports-card hobby, it pays to be patient and play the long game. Instant gratification is rarely the best route.The Chase is a limited series on The Shallow End podcast feed. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz ⁠@Iowa_Dave_Sportscards⁠Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/infraction/tumblin

Step 1: Identify the most collected team in all of baseball. Step 2: Identify one of the most iconic parallels from the late 1990s. Step 3: Decide you want to collect the entire team run. Congrats! You've just entered the world of Dalton, aka @refractorguy812.The Chase is a limited series on The Shallow End podcast feed. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz ⁠@Iowa_Dave_Sportscards⁠Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/infraction/tumblin

If you're going to chase something in sports cards, don't make it too easy. That's one of the philosophies of Kevin aka @kevin.m.cormier, whose chase of a fully signed set from the mid-1980s came with failed attempts and month-long patches with little to no movement. But he got there, eventually, and his effort landed him a unique hobby accomplishment.The Chase is a limited series on The Shallow End podcast feed. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz ⁠@Iowa_Dave_Sportscards⁠Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/infraction/tumblin

The degree of difficulty undertaken by Ben (@big_devers_energy) should not be understated. In order for Ben to find the sports card he chased, the card first had to survive a gauntlet set up a decade ago by Topps. This is a chase story that has to be listened to be understood. The Chase is a limited series on The Shallow End podcast feed. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz ⁠@Iowa_Dave_Sportscards⁠Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/infraction/tumblin

In his modern collecting, Chris (@venezuelan_league_stickers) likes parallels and hard-to-find cards. But in his beloved post-war vintage, not a lot of parallels are to be had. So he discovered a sector of vintage that scratches both itches: his love of vintage, and his love of scarcity.The Chase is a limited series on The Shallow End podcast feed. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz ⁠@Iowa_Dave_Sportscards⁠Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/infraction/tumblin

Brandon (@flagshipchromecollector) knows that a set-build is no small commitment. He is the veteran of multiple successful completed sets. In this episode, he shares the ups and downs, highs and lows of what can only be described as a labor of love and nostalgia.The Chase is a limited series on The Shallow End podcast feed. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz ⁠@Iowa_Dave_Sportscards⁠Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/infraction/tumblin

Aaron (@Irish_Sportscards_21) was always a big fan of former Boston Red Sox slugger Mo Vaughn. He knew which Vaughn card he coveted, but ever since he joined the hobby, Aaron recognized the value of fiscal responsibility. So when he decided to finally chase his Vaughn grail, he went about it the right way.The Chase is a limited series on The Shallow End podcast feed. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz ⁠@Iowa_Dave_Sportscards⁠Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/infraction/tumblin

What if the sports card you were chasing did not actually exist? That was a reality Joey (@sac.kings.cards) wrestled with for some time. Once he confirmed it was, in fact, real, there was the other matter of trying to actually find a copy. It would not be easy.The Chase is a limited series on The Shallow End podcast feed. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz ⁠@Iowa_Dave_Sportscards⁠Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/infraction/tumblin

For nearly four years, the card Timothy (@MonsterCollectss) wanted most was available to him in multiple quantities all day, every day. There was never a moment when over those years when he could not find his grail. It was right there! This is the story of why he waited and the satisfaction that came from waiting.The Chase is a limited series on The Shallow End podcast feed. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz ⁠@Iowa_Dave_Sportscards⁠Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/infraction/tumblin