Podcast appearances and mentions of David Chase

Are you buying the card, or are you buying its price history? Jeremy, Chris McGill, David Chase, Joe Poirot and Joshua Adams bring their discussion about the next generation of collectors to its conclusion by asking whether newcomers really need to inherit the collecting preferences previous generations created. Chris remembers a time when sellers couldn't find buyers for a Michael Jordan PMG Red at $10,000. Today, that same card is worth many multiples of that amount. So why couldn't the next generation of collectors do the same thing? Instead of spending enormous amounts chasing the cards previous generations already turned into grails, perhaps new collectors can discover overlooked cards, sets and players, build their own collecting culture and eventually create an entirely new hierarchy. Jeremy boils his advice down to something simple: forge your own path. The panel discusses independent thinking, research, critical analysis and why finding overlooked value doesn't simply mean declaring that an unpopular card should suddenly be valuable. Scarcity, aesthetics, distribution, history, player significance and relative value still matter. They also discuss hobby cycles and why quieter markets may actually encourage collectors to become more creative, explore new areas and discover cards that get ignored when established grails are rapidly appreciating. Then the conversation takes an interesting turn into comps themselves. What happens when a collector is willing to pay MORE for a card if the transaction becomes a publicly recorded comp? Conversely, if you buy a card privately for considerably less than its perceived market value, what incentive do you have to report that sale and potentially establish a lower comp for something you now own? Jeremy and Chris discuss the incentives surrounding private-sale reporting, while the panel considers how collectors can estimate value when a rare card simply doesn't have a recent comparable sale. Plus, Jeremy discovers Frank Robinson in real time and, within minutes of hearing more about his career, is already making offers on cards. Four decades into the hobby and there are still new lanes to discover. Subscribe to Sports Cards Live on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts. Take the Hobby Spectrum Assessment and discover where you fit in the hobby at thehobbyspectrum.com. Search auctions across the hobby with AuctionWire.ai. Research the market with Card Ladder. Use promo code SCL. And check out Pops & Comps, available now on Amazon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why is one Steph Curry rookie worth $60,000 while another rare rookie-year Curry card can be bought for a tiny fraction of that? Jeremy, Chris McGill, David Chase, Joe Poirot and Joshua Adams continue their discussion about how collectors find value in a hobby where the established grails have become increasingly expensive. Chris puts a real-world example on the screen. Steph Curry's 2009 Topps Chrome rookie, numbered to 999, has become one of his iconic cards and commands an enormous premium in a PSA 10. Meanwhile, Chris finds a 2009 Certified Fabric of the Game Curry, numbered to just 99 and containing memorabilia, available for dramatically less money. So what exactly are collectors paying for? The card itself? Scarcity? Eye appeal? History? Brand recognition? Or decades of hobby consensus telling us which cards we're supposed to want? That leads into a larger conversation about how hobby grails are created, how influential collectors and content creators can shape demand, and whether social media simply reflects collecting trends or actually helps manufacture them. The panel also debates changing perceptions around players including Shaquille O'Neal, Nolan Ryan, Jackie Robinson and Steph Curry. Can established hobby hierarchies change? Can overlooked players suddenly become hobby royalty? And when prices explode after decades of relative stability, is that organic discovery or something collectors should approach with caution? Jeremy explains why he likes having multiple collecting lanes, from serious five-figure purchases where financial value matters to inexpensive cards he can buy simply because he loves them. When one lane gets too expensive, there is always somewhere else in the hobby to explore. And that may be the biggest lesson for new collectors: don't automatically buy what everyone else has already decided is important. Learn the hobby. Do your research. Think critically. Then find value where value makes sense to you. Subscribe to Sports Cards Live on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts. Take the Hobby Spectrum Assessment and discover where you fit in the hobby at thehobbyspectrum.com. Search auctions across the hobby with AuctionWire.ai. Research the market with Card Ladder. Use promo code SCL. And check out Pops & Comps, available now on Amazon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Should the next generation of collectors want the same cards we do? Chris McGill brings a fascinating question to the panel: when new collectors enter the hobby, should they buy into the hierarchy of cards, players and grails that previous generations have established, or should they use their fresh perspective to discover entirely new collecting lanes? Jeremy, David Chase, Joe Poirot and Joshua Adams dig into what that means in a hobby where many of the cards longtime collectors grew up chasing have become extraordinarily expensive. Are newcomers really best served spending huge amounts of money chasing the same Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Mickey Mantle and other established grails everyone already knows? Or are there overlooked players, sets, inserts, eras and cards sitting right in front of us simply because the existing hobby establishment hasn't decided they matter yet? The panel discusses herd mentality, questioning conventional hobby wisdom, the importance of understanding why certain cards became iconic and the difference between teaching someone WHAT to collect and teaching them HOW to think about collecting. Jeremy argues that your approach may ultimately depend on where you fall on the Hobby Spectrum. Someone primarily interested in making money may be better served understanding and participating in established markets, while a collector has considerably more freedom to explore, experiment and build something completely unique. The conversation also explores whether the collecting experience many longtime hobbyists enjoyed growing up can even be recreated today. Packs are different. Prices are different. Information is everywhere. Market data is instantaneous. And newcomers arrive in a hobby with far more infrastructure, money and established narratives than previous generations ever encountered. So maybe the goal isn't to recreate the old hobby. Maybe it's helping the next generation find its own. Subscribe to Sports Cards Live on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts. Take the Hobby Spectrum Assessment and discover where you fit in the hobby at thehobbyspectrum.com. Search auctions across the hobby with AuctionWire.ai. Research the market with Card Ladder. Use promo code SCL. And check out Pops & Comps, available now on Amazon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How certain can anyone really be that an autograph is authentic? Steve Grad joins Jeremy and David Chase for a fascinating deep dive into autograph authentication, beginning with one of the most controversial signed cards currently in the hobby: the 1952 Bowman Mickey Mantle that PSA has authenticated and Steve believes was NOT signed by Mickey Mantle. Steve explains why he believes the signature is secretarial or clubhouse signed, walks through the exemplars and signing tendencies he uses to reach that conclusion, and discusses what it's like to publicly disagree with another major authenticator when hundreds of thousands of dollars may be at stake. But how certain is an autograph authenticator? Steve explains when instinct enters the equation, when an authenticator should simply "punt" on an autograph, and even recalls reversing one of his own authentication decisions after going back and doing more research. The conversation then turns to another potentially enormous issue: signed 1952 Topps Jackie Robinson cards. Of the nine known examples discussed on the show, Steve says he has seen five that he believes are not authentic. They also discuss increasingly sophisticated forgery techniques, autopens, aging ink, whether autograph grades should have expiration dates and why an autograph sitting inside a slab can still change dramatically over time. Then things get considerably more entertaining. Years ago, David bought a collection of celebrity autographs on eBay, each accompanied by a letter of authenticity. He sends them to Steve for his verdict live on the show. Michael Jackson. Aerosmith. The Sopranos. The Goonies. Michael J. Fox and more. The verdict isn't pretty. Meanwhile, Jeremy puts his own three vintage hockey autographs in front of Steve, including Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Steve Yzerman, with dramatically different results. Finally, Steve explains why education remains a collector's greatest protection. Learn the signature. Learn the signing habits. Learn the known secretarial and clubhouse versions. And never assume that simply because an autograph is already inside a slab, the question has been settled. Subscribe to Sports Cards Live on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts. Take the Hobby Spectrum Assessment and discover where you fit in the hobby at thehobbyspectrum.com. Search auctions across the hobby with AuctionWire.ai. Research the market with Card Ladder. Use promo code SCL. And check out Pops & Comps, available now on Amazon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sports card grading will never be the same. Jeremy officially unveils SPA Grading, the hobby's first full-service card wellness experience, where every card deserves a little self-care. From soaking away decades of unwanted memories to massaging out creases and wrinkles, manicuring those troublesome edges and applying a little makeup where necessary, SPA takes your card through the entire process before sending it to an entirely independent and conveniently uninformed grading department. And don't forget the final touch: a genuine SPA eye appeal sticker. From soak to sticker. Leighton Sheldon and David Chase react to the revolutionary new service, its nine-second grading process, potential upcharges, crossovers, international expansion plans and what happens when demand inevitably overwhelms capacity. Before the SPA opens its doors, Leighton also shares his latest Kobe Bryant pickup and explains why rare memorabilia sometimes requires throwing the comps aside and trusting your own instincts. Then Steve Grad joins the show. The longtime autograph authentication expert and Pawn Stars regular talks about his years running PSA/DNA, the early evolution of third-party autograph authentication and the massive surge in vintage non-sports collecting. Steve discusses the explosion in 1977 Star Wars cards, the emergence of "rookie card" terminology in the non-sports world and watching cards he once owned reach extraordinary prices. Then the conversation turns to a fascinating problem: secretarial autographs. From Luka Doncic to Shaquille O'Neal and Ewan McGregor, how can an autograph that wasn't actually signed by the celebrity or athlete make its way into the hobby? And what happens when the questionable autograph was inserted directly into a pack? Plus, Steve shares stories from Pawn Stars, including what happens when someone really doesn't like being told their autograph isn't authentic. Subscribe to Sports Cards Live on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts. Take the Hobby Spectrum Assessment and discover where you fit in the hobby at thehobbyspectrum.com. Search auctions across the hobby with AuctionWire.ai. Research the market with Card Ladder. Use promo code SCL. And check out Pops & Comps, available now on Amazon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The hobby is changing. The question is whether everyone in it is willing to change with it. Jeremy is joined by David Chase and Leighton Sheldon for a wide-ranging conversation about the evolution of the sports card hobby, beginning with news that Mark Wahlberg is getting further involved in the card business. Is celebrity involvement good for the hobby? Does it even matter? And should collectors care who's entering the space as long as they're doing honest business? That leads into a bigger discussion about Fanatics, product allocation and the future of the traditional local card shop. What happens when longtime shops no longer fit the vision manufacturers have for the modern hobby? Is there something worth preserving about the dusty old-school LCS, or is adapting simply part of doing business? Leighton also weighs in on the vintage card show circuit, including why the Philly Show may be one of the best places in the country to actually buy vintage, how it compares with Strongsville and the National, and what separates each show. Plus, Mikey Singer joins Jeremy to preview the upcoming Sport Card Expo in Calgary, the continued expansion of the Expo across Canada, the growth of the Toronto show and what collectors can expect when the Expo arrives in Jeremy's backyard. A conversation about change, nostalgia, business and finding your own way to enjoy the hobby, regardless of what happens around you. Subscribe to Sports Cards Live on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts. Take the Hobby Spectrum Assessment and find out where you fit in the hobby at thehobbyspectrum.com. Discover cards across the hobby's auction platforms with AuctionWire.ai. Track the market and research your cards with Card Ladder. Use promo code SCL. And check out Pops & Comps, available now on Amazon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is a sports card actually worth? Jeremy Lee, David Chase, Chris HOJ and the very wordy Josh Adams finish the night by digging deeper into one of the hobby's most deceptively complicated questions: how do we determine value when buying and selling cards? The conversation begins with more insight into Card Ladder and the effort to maintain the integrity of sales data. Chris explains why the goal isn't simply to fix individual questionable sales, but to identify the underlying systems that allowed a problem to occur and improve those systems for the future. From there, the discussion turns to something every collector encounters: the difference between a reported comp and the actual economics of a transaction. A marketplace may report the final price paid for a card, but that number doesn't necessarily reflect what the seller received after commissions and fees. It also doesn't capture everything the buyer may have spent on sales tax, shipping, financing or other transaction costs. Jeremy shares how financing part of a major card purchase pushed his actual cost basis well beyond the publicly reported sale price. So which number represents the card's true value? Jeremy revisits a question he and Chris discussed years ago: why should the buyer have all the power in determining value? For highly liquid cards, recent comps may provide an obvious answer. But with truly scarce cards, shouldn't the owner's willingness to part with the card matter just as much as what a buyer is willing to pay? And as David points out, value can also depend on how long a seller is willing to wait for the right buyer to arrive. The panel also returns to vintage non-sports and the possibility that rising prices could eventually send a large supply of previously raw cards into PSA. How dramatically could populations change once cheaper grading tiers become available, and how long will collectors have to wait before the true supply becomes visible? Then, as tends to happen four hours into Sports Cards Live, things get a little less serious. Is chess a sport? What about poker, darts, billiards, professional wrestling, auto racing and competitive eating? Does something have to involve physical exertion to qualify as a sport, and is being an athlete necessarily the same thing as participating in a sport? Plus, Josh Adams names the 1990s card he'd most like to see consigned to 90s Auctions, and the panel puts the finishing touches on a four-hour-and-15-minute edition of Sports Cards Live. Subscribe to Sports Cards Live on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts. Take the Hobby Spectrum Assessment and learn more at thehobbyspectrum.com. Discover cards across multiple auction platforms with AuctionWire at auctionwire.ai and use promo code SCL for 60 days free. Check out Card Ladder for sports card sales history, market data and research. And pick up Jeremy Lee's book, Pops and Comps: Truths, Insights, and Psychology Behind the Numbers That Drive the Sports Card Market, available on Amazon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How much should you actually trust the comps you're using to buy and sell sports cards? Jeremy Lee, David Chase, Joe Poirot, Chris HOJ and Josh Adams dive deep into one of the most important issues in today's data-driven hobby: understanding what the numbers actually mean before allowing them to influence your decisions. The conversation begins with a viewer claiming there are too many fake sales appearing on Card Ladder. Chris explains how Card Ladder handles potentially unpaid, staged or otherwise questionable transactions, why sales initially appear as they happen, how marketplaces subsequently provide information about unpaid items, and what collectors should actually take from the green verification check marks appearing beside certain sales. But even a verified sale doesn't answer every question. Was it truly an arm's-length transaction? Was the card an unusually strong or weak example for the grade? Was there something about the seller, provenance or bidding that made the result unusual? That leads into a detailed discussion about Card Ladder Value and one of its most misunderstood characteristics. How can a lower-grade card have a higher estimated value than a higher-grade example? Chris explains the methodology behind CL Value, why each card and grade is treated independently, how the applicable market index is used to adjust an older sale, and why Card Ladder deliberately avoids creating a black-box algorithm that simply assumes a higher grade must always be worth more. Eye appeal makes the problem even more complicated, particularly with vintage cards where two examples carrying the exact same numerical grade can command dramatically different prices. David calls attention to the hobby's “dummy tax,” the price collectors and dealers can pay when they use data without understanding it. Jeremy also raises the opposite danger: knowledgeable buyers or sellers potentially weaponizing a valuation tool against someone who doesn't understand how the number was generated. Throughout the discussion, Chris returns to one central principle: don't outsource your judgment. A comp, an estimated value, a green check mark, an asking price and a current auction are all pieces of information, but none should replace your own research and understanding of the card. Plus, the group discusses stale comps, half grades, confidence levels, market manipulation around The National, why older sales may become more trustworthy with time, and whether there could ever be a truly “perfect” sports card valuation tool. Subscribe to Sports Cards Live on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts. Take the Hobby Spectrum Assessment and learn more at thehobbyspectrum.com. Discover cards across multiple auction platforms with AuctionWire at auctionwire.ai and use promo code SCL for 60 days free. Check out Card Ladder for sports card sales history, market data and research. And pick up Jeremy Lee's book, Pops and Comps: Truths, Insights, and Psychology Behind the Numbers That Drive the Sports Card Market, available on Amazon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How big is the Shohei Ohtani effect on the sports card hobby? Jeremy Lee, David Chase, Joe Poirot, Chris HOJ and Josh Adams dig into a phenomenon that may extend far beyond Ohtani's own cards. Chris reveals that the monthly dollar volume being spent on Ohtani is now on par with or even exceeding Michael Jordan, traditionally the biggest name in the Card Ladder database. But what happens to all that money after an Ohtani card sells? The panel explores how enormous gains on Ohtani cards can inject fresh capital back into the hobby as sellers redeploy their profits into other players, sports and eras. Ohtani's pursuit of baseball immortality can also lead collectors backward through history to Babe Ruth, Barry Bonds and other all-time greats, creating a potential ripple effect throughout the market. Then comes a provocative question: if manufacturers can put an Ohtani Logoman autograph into a new product and potentially create a seven-figure card almost on demand, should collectors be concerned? David questions what scarcity means when manufacturers can continue producing new one-of-ones, patches and premium Ohtani cards year after year, while Jeremy asks whether some of the traditional rules used to analyze the sports card market still apply. The conversation returns to the possibility of an MLB work stoppage. Could a lockout reduce demand while simultaneously increasing supply and become a catalyst for a market correction? Would modern baseball take the biggest hit, or could the absence of daily baseball storylines also reduce interest in vintage legends who benefit indirectly from today's stars and their accomplishments? Vintage non-sports isn't necessarily safe either. David explains why the recent explosion in prices could eventually unleash a wave of previously ungraded cards once lower-cost grading tiers become available, potentially changing population reports dramatically. Finally, the panel tackles two monster basketball cards: the LeBron James and Kobe Bryant Exquisite Dual Logoman autograph versus Cooper Flagg's Debut Patch Autograph. Which sells for more, and what does the fact that we're even comparing them tell us about today's sports card market? Plus, can we ever truly know whether a massive public sale represents an arm's-length transaction, and how much verification should the hobby expect before treating it as a legitimate comp? Subscribe to Sports Cards Live on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts. Take the Hobby Spectrum Assessment and learn more at thehobbyspectrum.com. Discover cards across multiple auction platforms with AuctionWire at auctionwire.ai and use promo code SCL for 60 days free. Check out Card Ladder for sports card sales history, market data and research. And pick up Jeremy Lee's book, Pops and Comps: Truths, Insights, and Psychology Behind the Numbers That Drive the Sports Card Market, available on Amazon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If the sports card market eventually turns, will every card get hit equally? Jeremy Lee is joined by David Chase, Joe Poirot, Chris HOJ and Josh Adams for a wide-ranging hobby roundtable about what the next market cycle could actually look like and whether collectors are better prepared for it this time. The panel debates whether the hobby has really gotten smarter since the last major downturn or whether there is simply more money in the market today. If collectors suddenly need liquidity, do they sell their best and most valuable cards first because one transaction can raise the necessary cash, or do they protect those cards and work from the bottom of their collections instead? That leads to one of the biggest questions of the episode: high supply versus scarcity. Could cards with enormous populations face significantly more downside if sellers flood the market, while scarce cards, low-numbered issues, one-of-ones and important vintage cards prove more resilient because demand only has to compete for a limited number of available copies? The conversation also turns to the return of football, basketball and hockey. After an unusually hot summer for retired players, vintage cards and 1990s issues, what happens when current athletes begin generating daily headlines again? Does hobby attention shift back toward active players, and could that create buying opportunities elsewhere? The group also discusses whether there is even such a thing as a hobby offseason anymore. Collectors are connected to auctions, marketplaces and their watchlists 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Does it still matter what night an auction ends, or has technology permanently changed collector behavior? Plus, David wonders whether the traditional November and December buying opportunity will return this year, Chris looks at historical fourth-quarter market performance, the panel considers how a potential baseball work stoppage could affect modern baseball cards, and Joe explains why rising prices have him returning to one of the simplest collecting principles of all: finding cards with great aesthetics and character. Subscribe to Sports Cards Live on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts. Take the Hobby Spectrum Assessment and learn more at thehobbyspectrum.com. Discover cards across multiple auction platforms with AuctionWire at auctionwire.ai and use promo code SCL for 60 days free. Check out Card Ladder for sports card sales history, market data and research. And pick up Jeremy Lee's book, Pops and Comps: Truths, Insights, and Psychology Behind the Numbers That Drive the Sports Card Market, available on Amazon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does the explosion of card shows tell us about the health and future of the hobby? Steve Menzie, owner and operator of the Sport Card Expo and co-operator of the legendary Strongsville Sports Collectors Convention, joins Jeremy Lee and David Chase for an inside look at the card show business and just how dramatically it has changed over the past decade. Card shows aren't simply places to buy and sell anymore. They've become social gatherings, entertainment experiences and an important place where online hobby relationships become real-world friendships. Steve discusses the growth he's witnessed, the influx of younger collectors and families, and why fans who may initially come for autographs or other attractions are increasingly becoming card collectors themselves. They also tackle the massive growth of TCG at shows and whether sports cards and TCG should be separated, the challenge of curating the right mix of dealers and inventory, and why buying has become as important as selling for many vendors. Then David puts Steve on the spot with ideas borrowed from Comic Cons and other major fan events. Why can't card shows offer better food, easier access to water, more places to sit, carpeted floors and a smoother entry experience? Steve explains which improvements promoters can actually control, which ones venues make surprisingly difficult, and where he believes card shows still need to level up. Security is becoming another major concern. With increasingly valuable cards and large amounts of cash changing hands, Steve discusses theft, counterfeit currency, parking-lot safety, increased police presence and mandatory collector insurance for dealers at his shows. Plus, we get an update on the future of Strongsville, why maintaining its vintage identity matters so much, and the search for the right long-term home for one of the hobby's most beloved vintage shows. And we find out what happens when a longtime card-show promoter becomes a collector himself, as Steve shares the vintage baseball cards that have pulled him deeper into the hobby. Subscribe to Sports Cards Live on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts. Take the Hobby Spectrum Assessment and learn more at thehobbyspectrum.com. Discover cards across multiple auction platforms with AuctionWire at auctionwire.ai and use promo code SCL for 60 days free. Check out Card Ladder for sports card sales history, market data and research. And pick up Jeremy Lee's book, Pops and Comps: Truths, Insights, and Psychology Behind the Numbers That Drive the Sports Card Market, available on Amazon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The sports card market is running hot, cards are hitting prices many collectors never imagined, and suddenly a new question is creeping into the conversation: should we be getting nervous? Jeremy Lee and David Chase discuss the psychology of collecting and investing during a rapidly rising market. When a card you love is suddenly worth many times what you paid for it, when does the money become more meaningful than the card? Do you take profits, build up cash reserves and prepare for the next downturn, or hold onto the cards you bought because you genuinely wanted to own them in the first place? They also examine the difference between healthy appreciation and outright market madness, whether increased supply from collectors taking profits could contribute to the next correction, and why selling a card at today's inflated price only to buy another card at today's inflated price may not accomplish much at all. What happens when your favorite collecting lane simply becomes too expensive? Jeremy and David discuss moving between collecting lanes, buying what you actually love, the difference between collecting and investing, and why adaptability may be one of the most important traits a collector can have. The conversation eventually turns to an even bigger question: are we simply experiencing another hobby bubble, or have sports cards and collectibles reached a new level of cultural relevance that could permanently expand the market? Plus, David reports directly from the massive Front Row Card Show in Pasadena, where 770 tables, strong attendance, active buying and positive dealer sentiment offered a real-time look at the current strength of the hobby. Subscribe to Sports Cards Live on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts. Take the Hobby Spectrum Assessment and learn more at thehobbyspectrum.com. Discover cards across multiple auction platforms with AuctionWire at auctionwire.ai and use promo code SCL for 60 days free. Check out Card Ladder for sports card sales history, market data and research. And pick up Jeremy Lee's book, Pops and Comps: Truths, Insights, and Psychology Behind the Numbers That Drive the Sports Card Market, available on Amazon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Did the sports card hobby actually learn anything from the boom and bust of 2021? Joe Poirot, Chris McGill, Joshua Adams and David Chase join me as we wrap up our discussion about buying, selling and personal responsibility in the hobby. We also get into coordinated buying, market manipulation and how difficult it can be to distinguish organic demand from a market being pushed in a particular direction. Then we turn to the current market. A nearly $4 million bid for the Cooper Flagg debut patch leads to a bigger question: have collectors really become more cautious about prospecting, or have we simply replaced the speculative stars of the last boom with a new generation of names? We also discuss the growing movement toward established GOATs, whether that shift could make the hobby more stable, and why younger collectors may be approaching cards very differently than previous generations. Subscribe to Sports Cards Live on YouTube and follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen. Check out The Hobby Spectrum at thehobbyspectrum.com. Discover cards across the hobby with AuctionWire at auctionwire.ai. Use promo code SCL for 60 days free. Research card values and market history with Card Ladder. Use promo code SCL. And check out my book, Pops and Comps: Truths, Insights, and Psychology Behind the Numbers that Drive the Sports Card Market, available on Amazon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everybody can't sell. Every card that gets sold needs someone willing to buy it on the other side. Joe Poirot joins Chris McGill, Joshua Adams and David Chase as we examine one of the contradictions of a hot sports card market. We constantly hear that now is the time to sell, but what does that advice imply for the collector buying the card? We get into buy-and-sell advice, accountability, speculation, the "hot potato" problem and whether telling collectors to sell certain cards can sometimes feel predatory. We also discuss something completely different: the ritual of acquiring a great card. From the excitement of the mail day to actually holding, displaying and revisiting our cards, are collectors who immediately send everything to a vault missing an important part of the collecting experience? Subscribe to Sports Cards Live on YouTube and follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen. Check out The Hobby Spectrum at thehobbyspectrum.com. Discover cards across the hobby with AuctionWire at auctionwire.ai. Use promo code SCL for 60 days free. Research card values and market history with Card Ladder. Use promo code SCL. And check out my book, Pops and Comps: Truths, Insights, and Psychology Behind the Numbers that Drive the Sports Card Market, available on Amazon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hollywood And Horsepower Show with Mark Otto Frank Santorelli: From Boston Comedy Clubs to The Sopranos and Beyond Summary From Class Clown to the Comedy Stage Frank Santorelli describes an early instinct for making people laugh, beginning with childhood impressions and class-clown behavior before his first organized performance as a guard in a school production of The Wizard of Oz. He says his professional stand-up path began around 1981 after he was living in New York City and studying acting with ambitions of becoming a dramatic actor. A friend encouraged him to try an open mic in Cleveland, where he won repeatedly and was soon placed into regular comedy shows. Santorelli recalls narrowly missing Drew Carey at the Cleveland club and then expanding into venues in Pittsburgh, Chicago, and other cities. He moved to Boston in 1985 as the city's comedy scene was booming with clubs, colleges, and one-night engagements. The discussion emphasizes how many nights a week young comics worked and how little money they often made while trying to establish themselves. The Competitive Craft of Stand-Up Comedy Santorelli and Marc Otto discuss the difficult progression from opener to middle act to headliner and the amount of material required to close a show successfully. Santorelli explains that he needed roughly forty-five minutes of strong material before he could become a reliable headliner and that comics at every level were trying to outperform the act ahead of them. They describe Boston as a working comedy market rather than merely a showcase city, which meant comedians had to deliver for paying audiences night after night. Otto brings up the importance of clean, durable material and the amount of writing that goes into apparently effortless stand-up. Santorelli says he still develops material by noticing what strikes him as funny and writing it down so it can be shaped later. Both men also reflect on how the collaborative camaraderie of earlier comedy scenes has become less common as performers increasingly work as independent operators. Breaking Into Acting and Building a Screen Career Santorelli explains that professional acting opportunities began to arrive after managers and agents saw him performing stand-up in New York. Early work included a commercial for the Omni Biltmore in Providence, a television role on Providence, and an early film he remembers as Crooked Lines. He says he continued doing stand-up while acting because television and film jobs paid more but were unpredictable and separated by long gaps. The scheduling could also be difficult because actors might be called to a set before dawn and then wait many hours before their scenes were shot. Santorelli describes balancing the financial reliability of live comedy with the opportunity and higher pay of screen work. The conversation later touches on Meet the Parents, where he says he worked in a scene with Ben Stiller and met Robert De Niro on set. He characterizes De Niro as highly professional and businesslike while emphasizing that he avoided asking working stars for photographs or selfies. Becoming Georgie on The Sopranos Santorelli recounts auditioning for what was then an unknown project called The Sopranos after being told the production needed a bouncer-type character. He describes reading for casting director Georgianne Walken and performing the repeated "hello" phone bit that became associated with his character, Georgie. Although he was hired as a one-day player, Santorelli says David Chase ordered elaborate tattoos for him and encouraged the physical business and background activity he improvised around the club set. Santorelli built Georgie by constantly cleaning, moving, kibitzing, and adding silent reactions, and he realized the production might bring him back when Chase insisted that the makeup department photograph the tattoos for continuity. He says the one-day job eventually became thirteen episodes without a long-term contract, with the production simply calling him back as needed. He also describes the large cast read-throughs, the hierarchy around the table, the early Radio City Music Hall screening, and the excitement of realizing the new series might become something extraordinary. James Gandolfini, Ensemble Chemistry, and Celebrity Encounters Santorelli remembers James Gandolfini as serious, hardworking, pressured, and personally very different from Tony Soprano. He emphasizes the enormous emotional and dialogue burden Gandolfini carried because so much of the series revolved around his character. Otto and Santorelli discuss how The Sopranos blended crime drama, family conflict, humor, and multiple overlapping story lines in a way that helped make the series compelling. Santorelli says most of the cast did not even know he was also a stand-up comedian, and he recalls Michael Imperioli reacting with surprise when the subject came up. The conversation expands into stories about Robert De Niro, Don Rickles, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Foster Brooks, Joe Piscopo, Tom Selleck, and other performers whose professional habits or comic instincts made an impression. Santorelli and Otto repeatedly return to the idea that performers such as Rickles could improvise fearlessly because they had an unusual command of timing, character, and the room. Still Working, Still Auditioning, and Still Writing Santorelli says he remains active in stand-up comedy and continues to work multiple dates in a week. He explains that his method for developing material is simple but disciplined: recognize what is genuinely funny to him, write it down, remember it, and test or refine it. He and Otto discuss advice from comedians such as Jay Leno and the unforgiving instant feedback of a live audience, where a joke either produces a laugh or it does not. Santorelli also says he continues auditioning for television, mentioning Dexter: Resurrection and Tulsa King as recent opportunities for which he came close to being cast. He does not believe his Sopranos identity prevents him from being considered for new roles because casting is often driven by whether an actor visually and dramatically fits the part in front of them. The episode closes with Santorelli directing listeners to Facebook for updates, followed by Otto's acknowledgments of Old Friends Equine and No Fallen Heroes and his appeal for listeners to support the organizations if they can.

How do you stop regretting the cards you sold too early, the cards you didn't buy and the money you left on the table? Chris McGill, Joshua Adams and David Chase join me as we continue our conversation about the psychology of collecting in a rising market. We discuss why process matters more than results, how to evaluate decisions based on what you knew at the time, and why comparing your entire hobby experience to everyone else's highlight reel can suck the enjoyment out of collecting. We also get into what it actually means to make your collection "better," how our collecting goals evolve over time, and an interesting question: is discovering and chasing a grail sometimes more enjoyable than finally owning it? Subscribe to Sports Cards Live on YouTube and follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen. Check out The Hobby Spectrum at thehobbyspectrum.com. Discover cards across the hobby with AuctionWire at auctionwire.ai. Use promo code SCL for 60 days free. Research card values and market history with Card Ladder. Use promo code SCL. And check out my book, Pops and Comps: Truths, Insights, and Psychology Behind the Numbers that Drive the Sports Card Market, available on Amazon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you decide where your collection ends when there are seemingly endless things you could collect? Jeremy Lee, David Chase, Joe Poirot and Joshua Adams wrap up Sports Cards Live with a conversation about the collecting rabbit hole and whether having boundaries actually makes the hobby more enjoyable. Sports cards are only the beginning. Mickey Mouse, Superman, Batman, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Muhammad Ali, Marilyn Monroe, historical figures, musicians, movie stars and fictional characters can all become entirely new collecting lanes. At some point, does having so many possibilities become mentally exhausting? The guys discuss nostalgia, personal connections and what actually compels us to add something to our collections. Does there need to be a deep emotional connection, or can appreciating the cultural and historical significance of a person or character be enough? Jeremy then shares a perfect example of buying purely because you love the card: a beautiful 1933 John Player & Sons Don Quixote card he had never seen before. He knew virtually nothing about the card, didn't check the comps and still threw in a bid. Why? Because he loved it. Sometimes the worst-case scenario is simply that you paid $100 for a card you love. The conversation also turns to whether hockey cards still have significant room to grow. Despite the explosion occurring across many parts of the hobby, cards like the Wayne Gretzky rookie in many grades haven't experienced the same dramatic movement. Rather than calling hockey "undervalued," Jeremy explains why he prefers another word: potential. Could greater interest in hockey, particularly in the United States, eventually bring substantially more demand into hockey cards? And could hockey simply be another collecting category whose moment hasn't arrived yet? Check out The Hobby Spectrum:thehobbyspectrum.com Discover cards across the hobby with Auction Wire:auctionwire.aiUse code SCL for 30 days free. Research your cards with Card Ladder:Use promo code SCL Pick up a copy of Pops and Comps: Truths, Insights, and Psychology Behind the Numbers That Drive the Sports Card Market by Jeremy Lee on Amazon. Subscribe to Sports Cards Live on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts, and follow Jeremy on Instagram @jlee_sportscardslive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever seen a card, known almost nothing about it, and wanted to buy it anyway? Joshua Adams joins Jeremy Lee, David Chase and Joe Poirot for a conversation about one of the most enjoyable parts of collecting: discovering something completely new. Jeremy explains how an Isaiah Thomas Superfractor he had never seen before got him thinking about buying cards before knowing the checklist, the population, the comps or even much about the set itself. Joe admits he's frequently bought first and figured out exactly what he purchased later, while David explains why his move into non-sports cards has him doing the same thing with cards of The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Muhammad Ali, Marilyn Monroe and others. Sometimes the card is cool enough that you simply want it. The guys also debate whether you need to actually be a fan of an athlete to collect their cards. Can you appreciate a great card of a player you have no emotional connection to? Do you need to justify what you collect at all? Then they dig into the extraordinary number of seven-figure card sales happening right now. Four million-dollar cards sold through Heritage in a single night, including a T206 Honus Wagner, a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle and a Michael Jordan buyback autograph. Add the $1.28 million Macklin Celebrini sale and several other recent results, and August alone has produced an incredible run of million-dollar transactions. Is this simply a hot market, or are we watching the upper end of the hobby enter an entirely different era? Finally, the conversation comes back to discovery and why stumbling into an entirely new collecting lane, whether it's Mickey Mouse, memorabilia cards, vintage non-sports or something you've walked past for years without noticing, can be one of the best parts of the hobby. Check out The Hobby Spectrum:thehobbyspectrum.com Discover cards across the hobby with Auction Wire:auctionwire.aiUse code SCL for 30 days free. Research your cards with Card Ladder:Use promo code SCL Pick up a copy of Pops and Comps: Truths, Insights, and Psychology Behind the Numbers That Drive the Sports Card Market by Jeremy Lee on Amazon. Subscribe to Sports Cards Live on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts, and follow Jeremy on Instagram @jlee_sportscardslive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What goes through your mind when you're bidding more than $1 million on a hockey card? Jason Koonce joins Jeremy Lee and David Chase after revealing that he was the underbidder on the Macklin Celebrini Gold Outburst 1/1 that sold for approximately $1.28 million. Jason explains why he was willing to spend seven figures on a player only two years into his NHL career, where he originally wanted to be on the card, how a bidding war pushed him far beyond that number, and the moment he finally decided to stop. It leads to a fascinating discussion about collecting versus investing, taking calculated risks on young athletes and whether there's additional enjoyment in owning a major card of a player whose entire career is still ahead of him. Would Jason have been watching every Celebrini game if he'd won it? Absolutely. Joe Poirot then joins the conversation as the guys debate the risk and reward of collecting active players versus waiting until their careers are established. Is there value in having some skin in the game and experiencing the ride, even when you know the investment could go badly? Finally, Jeremy introduces another question: Do you trust yourself more than you trust the market? Using his recent Barry Sanders Exquisite nameplate patch purchase as an example, Jeremy explains why sometimes decades of collecting experience tell you that a card is worth more than the market currently says it is. Are you willing to ignore the last comp, trust your own judgment and pay what you believe a card is worth? Check out The Hobby Spectrum:thehobbyspectrum.com Discover cards across the hobby with Auction Wire:auctionwire.aiUse code SCL for 30 days free. Research your cards with Card Ladder:Use promo code SCL Pick up a copy of Pops and Comps: Truths, Insights, and Psychology Behind the Numbers That Drive the Sports Card Market by Jeremy Lee on Amazon. Subscribe to Sports Cards Live on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts, and follow Jeremy on Instagram @jlee_sportscardslive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When does sharing your passion for a card become "pumping" it? Jeremy Lee and David Chase tackle one of the hobby's favorite accusations: that anyone publicly talking about cards they love must be pumping them. Is there a meaningful difference between genuinely sharing your enthusiasm and deliberately creating hype because you're planning to sell? They discuss how collectors influence and inspire one another, why discovering new collecting lanes is part of the fun, and why being accused of pumping isn't going to stop them from talking about cards they're excited about. The conversation then turns to MBA and eye appeal. Should MBA disclose cards that were submitted but didn't receive a sticker? Does charging based on card value create a potential conflict of interest? Is MBA primarily a tool for flippers, or does it provide real value to collectors looking for exceptional examples within a grade? Jeremy also explains why he would rather trust his own eye than pay a premium for someone else's eye appeal assessment. Finally, what exactly is a "money grab," and why has making money become such a dirty phrase in the hobby? They dig into flipping, dealers, auction houses and the distinction between buying a card to collect versus buying it with the intention of selling it. Check out The Hobby Spectrum:thehobbyspectrum.com Discover cards across the hobby with Auction Wire:auctionwire.aiUse code SCL for 30 days free. Research your cards with Card Ladder:Use promo code SCL Pick up a copy of Pops and Comps: Truths, Insights, and Psychology Behind the Numbers That Drive the Sports Card Market by Jeremy Lee on Amazon. Subscribe to Sports Cards Live on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts, and follow Jeremy on Instagram @jlee_sportscardslive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The non-sports card market has gone absolutely nuclear. Jeremy Lee and David Chase dig into the explosion in vintage Mickey Mouse, Disney, Marvel and other non-sports cards, including the stunning rise of the 1931 Wills Mickey Mouse card and just how quickly collectors are being priced out of cards that were attainable only weeks ago. Is this simply hype and FOMO spreading into another corner of the hobby, or are collectors beginning to recognize something much bigger? Jeremy and David discuss the enormous cultural reach of characters like Mickey Mouse, Superman and Spider-Man, and an intriguing question about long-term collectibility: fictional characters can continually be reinvented for new generations, while legendary athletes like Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays and Babe Ruth cannot. They also look at whether rising sports-card prices are actually helping drive collectors toward non-sports, what happens when population reports eventually increase, why comps are changing so quickly, and whether the current frenzy is sustainable or due for a pullback. And perhaps most importantly, this isn't only a non-sports boom. Prices are moving aggressively across the hobby. Check out The Hobby Spectrum:thehobbyspectrum.com Discover cards across the hobby with Auction Wire:auctionwire.aiUse code SCL for 30 days free. Research your cards with Card Ladder:Use promo code SCL Pick up a copy of Pops and Comps: Truths, Insights, and Psychology Behind the Numbers That Drive the Sports Card Market by Jeremy Lee on Amazon. Subscribe to Sports Cards Live on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts, and follow Jeremy on Instagram @jlee_sportscardslive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joe Poirot puts Jeremy on the spot. As a longtime hockey collector, how does he put the astonishing $1.281 million Macklin Celebrini 1/1 Young Guns sale into context? The answer has less to do with one hockey card and much more to do with what seems to be happening across the entire trading card world. Something feels different in 2026. The hobby has been growing for years, but Jeremy makes the case that we may have recently entered a new trajectory. Celebrities and athletes are increasingly involved. Fanatics continues pushing trading cards further into the mainstream. Card shows are booming. Enormous amounts of money are entering the space. And just hours before the show, Jeremy encounters two kids running a lemonade stand who already know exactly what they're going to do with the money: Buy a hobby box. So how big is this thing actually becoming? Chris McGill brings some real numbers into the conversation, while the panel debates whether Fanatics and the rest of the industry have actually "10X'd" the hobby, whether the old baseball "innings" analogy ever made sense in the first place, and why cycles may be a much better way of understanding where trading cards are headed. Then we start looking at the money. The publicly tracked secondary market represents hundreds of millions of dollars in transactions every month, but what happens when you add everything that isn't captured there? Local card shops. Card shows. Grading fees. Breaking. Live selling. Private transactions. Retail wax. Supplies. Other marketplaces and all of the businesses operating around the cards themselves. Could the true trading card economy be dramatically larger than most collectors realize? David Chase brings some caution to the optimism, Joshua Adams explains why he deliberately tunes much of the business side out and simply enjoys collecting, and Joe challenges Jeremy's idea of the hobby, industry and other segments all existing inside one larger trading card ecosystem. It's a wide-ranging conversation about where cards are right now, how we got here and whether this latest wave of growth really is different from the ones we've experienced before. Check out The Hobby Spectrum at thehobbyspectrum.com and take the assessment to discover where you fit in the hobby. Try AuctionWire at auctionwire.ai and use promo code SCL to receive two free months. Check out Card Ladder and use promo code SCL. Buy Pops and Comps: Truths, Insights, and Psychology Behind the Numbers That Drive the Sports Card Market, available now on Amazon. And, as always, subscribe to Sports Cards Live on YouTube, turn on notifications, and if you enjoy the podcast, follow, rate and review Sports Cards Live on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The boys are heading back to the decade of slick crime flicks, sharp dialogue and Hollywood cool for our Get Shorty 1995 Movie Review. This is peak John Travolta, riding the post-Pulp Fiction wave; Gene Hackman is doing comedy without really doing comedy, and Dennis Farina has arrived to swear at practically everyone in Los Angeles.Welcome back to Born to Watch, the Movie Review Podcast where we don't take the movies or ourselves too seriously.This week Whitey and Gow are joined by a returning Dan, who has finally wandered back into the studio after his extended sabbatical. It doesn't take long before old stories, old insults and the questionable exploits of 1990s G start flying around the room.But eventually, somehow, we get to Get Shorty.Adapted from the Elmore Leonard novel and directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, Get Shorty drops loan shark Chili Palmer into Hollywood and quickly discovers that the movie business might be even more crooked than organised crime. Chili comes to Los Angeles chasing money and ends up chasing something completely different, a shot at the movies.And nobody could play Chili Palmer quite like John Travolta.The boys dig into Travolta's incredible mid-'90s resurgence and why Chili might be one of his coolest performances. This isn't the dialled-up Travolta of Face/Off or the villainous version from Broken Arrow. Chili is controlled, confident, charismatic and almost impossible to rattle. As Whitey puts it, he's basically Vincent Vega without the heroin problem.Then there's Gene Hackman as B-movie producer Harry Zimm. Hackman was apparently reluctant to play comedy, which makes his performance even better. He plays Harry almost completely straight while chaos unfolds around him, and the result is bloody funny.Rene Russo brings Karen Flores to life, Danny DeVito sends up the Hollywood superstar as Martin Weir, Delroy Lindo is outstanding as Bo Catlett, and a pre-Sopranos James Gandolfini turns up as Bear.But then there's Dennis Farina.Farina's Ray "Bones" Barboni has no interest in becoming a producer, landing a movie deal or joining Hollywood's endless bullshit machine. He wants his money. That's it. His delivery, aggression, and complete inability to understand why everyone else is suddenly obsessed with making movies produce some of the episode's biggest laughs. By the time the boys get to Star of the Show, Farina is very much in the conversation.The real star, however, might be the dialogue.The boys talk about how Get Shorty captures Elmore Leonard's distinctive rhythm, humour and effortless conversations. Whitey remembers absolutely hammering this movie after first seeing it at Hoyts with the boys, watching it repeatedly on VHS because he loved the back-and-forth between the characters.That leads perfectly into Film School for F-Wits, where Dan dives into Elmore Leonard. Get Shorty was Leonard's favourite adaptation of his work, and the boys explore the run that also gave us Jackie Brown and Out of Sight. Dan also breaks down Leonard's famous approach to writing, including natural dialogue, avoiding unnecessary exposition and one beautifully simple philosophy: if your writing sounds like writing, rewrite it.There's also plenty buried in Listen to This, including the actors considered for Chili Palmer, Danny DeVito originally being lined up for the role, James Gandolfini's performance attracting the attention of David Chase, Tarantino's connection to the project and Travolta's determination to protect Leonard's dialogue.Add The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, 1995 movie memories, Quickfire, quotables and the G-Man's wonderfully ridiculous Born to Get Shorty Kick Arse Credit Song, and we've got ourselves another proper Born to Watch outing.Is Get Shorty still one of the smartest crime comedies of the '90s? Does Travolta's Chili Palmer remain one of cinema's coolest operators? And can Dennis Farina steal an entire movie simply by being Dennis Farina?There's only one way to find out.Join Whitey, Gow and Dan as Born to Watch heads to Hollywood, where everybody wants to be in the movie business, even the gangsters.#GetShorty #GetShortyMovie #JohnTravolta #GeneHackman #DennisFarina #ElmoreLeonard #90sMovies #MovieReview #MoviePodcast #BornToWatch

How do you REALLY know an autograph is authentic? In the sixth and final part of our marathon Sports Cards Live conversation, we tackle one of the most uncomfortable questions in collecting: How much faith should we place in autograph authentication? The discussion centers around the 1952 Bowman Mickey Mantle owned by "Uncle Barry," a card he has owned for roughly 70 years and believes was personally signed by Mantle. PSA authenticated the autograph and has stood behind that opinion, but longtime autograph expert and former PSA authenticator Steve Grad recently presented a detailed case questioning whether the signature is actually Mantle's. So who's right? We discuss why autograph authentication may ultimately always be an opinion, how much confidence collectors should place in third-party authentication, and whether a signature can ever truly be considered 100% authentic unless somebody actually witnessed it being signed. David Chase then proposes a fascinating alternative: What if AI could analyze enormous databases of known exemplars and assign an autograph a confidence rating instead of simply declaring it authentic or not authentic? Would you rather know that an autograph has an 87% probability of being authentic than receive a binary opinion from a human authenticator? We also discuss witnessed autographs, the possibility of sophisticated forgeries already existing in slabs, altered and counterfeit cards, and a larger reality collectors may need to accept: no system involving human judgment is going to have a zero percent error rate. Earlier, we continue our spirited discussion about market manipulation, personal responsibility and buyer beware. If an influencer talks about a card and you rush out to buy it, how much responsibility belongs to the influencer and how much belongs to you? We also revisit manufactured rarity, the difference between total population and the actual "float" available to collectors, whether the word "grail" has lost its original meaning, and why greater affordability might actually be healthier for the hobby over the long term. Finally, we close our post-National marathon by looking ahead to what Jeff Hart calls the beginning of a new hobby year and reflecting on why, regardless of prices, markets, grading companies or slabs, we're still collectors first. As one viewer perfectly put it: "Collect because you love the cards. Let the value be the consequence, not the purpose." Featuring Jeremy Lee, Joe Poirot, David Chase, Jeff Hart, Chris McGill and Joshua Adams.

How long can the current sports card market keep going up, and what could finally bring it back down? In Part 5 of our Sports Cards Live conversation, we look ahead at the next six months and ask whether the hobby's current momentum is sustainable, whether a correction is inevitable, and what could potentially trigger it. Could an MLB work stoppage ripple through the hobby? Could a broader recession force collectors to sell? What happens when the biggest buyers finally reach the limits of their budgets? And could a major grading scandal create an entirely different kind of disruption? Chris McGill breaks down the hobby's "capital ecosystem" and explains why he's watching where new money is coming from, who's spending it, and what happens when that capital stops expanding and begins rotating instead. Then, during the show, breaking news: the controversial restored and reconstructed T206 Honus Wagner closes at Love of the Game for approximately $1.336 million including buyer's premium. Was that a strong result for a dramatically restored Wagner, or an underwhelming one given the attention surrounding the card? From there, the conversation gets heated. Gary Vaynerchuk's recent comments about vintage fictional and non-sports cards bring us into a much larger debate about influence, pumping and market manipulation. If someone with a massive audience talks publicly about a card they believe is undervalued and demand suddenly explodes, is that unhealthy? Josh Adams argues that artificially accelerated price increases can eventually hurt the collectors buying at the top and drive people out of the hobby when prices inevitably fall. Jeremy pushes back. What if the card really WAS overlooked? What if increased exposure simply introduces thousands of collectors to something they didn't previously know existed? And what if those new collectors genuinely fall in love with it? Is that pumping, or is it price discovery? We also discuss collectors owning dozens of copies of the same card, when collecting becomes investing, why some collectors actually WANT prices to come down, and whether there's such a thing as a "natural" increase in a card's value anymore. Featuring Jeremy Lee, Joe Poirot, David Chase, Jeff Hart, Chris McGill and Joshua Adams.

A special encore put together by our chief sound engineer Geoff Devine. Featuring an intro from Geoff and a favourite episode, reworked and revisited.The Sopranos is widely considered the greatest television show of all time. Just ask TV Guide, The Writer's Guild of America and Rolling Stone. But before revolutionizing the one-hour drama and ushering in what's become known as the second Golden Age of Television, the idea for The Sopranos was rejected. By every major network. At nearly 50 years old, the show's creator David Chase nearly shelved his script – then his manager got an idea.Ask us Anything:Email us: hello@apostrophepodcasts.caWrite to us on socials: @apostrophepodLeave us a voicemailWe don't regret to inform you – you can now listen ad-free! Plus bonus episodes, chats with Sidney, Terry, Allison & more. Subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does "rare" actually mean in the sports card hobby anymore? A Michael Jordan Molten Metal Fusion Titanium numbered to just 40 copies reportedly sells privately for nearly $1 million, sparking a fascinating debate. To an ultra-modern collector accustomed to cards numbered to 10, 5 or even one-of-ones, is /40 really rare? To a 90s collector, /40 can be extraordinarily rare. And to a vintage collector, rarity may have an entirely different meaning. Chris McGill of Card Ladder brings the question to the Sports Cards Live panel and we go deep. We discuss manufactured scarcity versus organic rarity, print runs versus actual surviving populations, how often a card actually becomes available, and the enormous difference between a card being technically rare and being truly scarce. We also explore the importance of substitutes. There may only be 40 copies of one particular Michael Jordan card, but how many other desirable Jordan cards exist from that same season? Compare that to vintage icons where collectors may have far fewer alternatives. Then we add condition and eye appeal to the equation. Can an otherwise common card become effectively rare simply because exceptionally attractive copies almost never surface? Joe Poirot explains why owning a one-of-one has changed his entire perspective on rarity, while Jeff Hart, David Chase, Joshua Adams and Jeremy Lee bring their own collecting philosophies into the debate. Then we make it personal: What is the one card you simply wouldn't sell? From a Roberto Clemente rookie purchased as a teenager to an in-person Luka Doncic autograph tied to a special memory, a playing-era autographed Bill Russell rookie and Jeremy's Superman, Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio cards, everyone has a different reason why certain pieces become irreplaceable. Plus, we discuss the psychology of "not-for-sale" prices, Michael Jordan cards reaching astonishing new levels, whether collectors should actually WANT card prices to fall, and why sometimes loving the card matters more than loving the money. Featuring Jeremy Lee, Joe Poirot, David Chase, Jeff Hart, Chris McGill and Joshua Adams.

Why does a card sit relatively unnoticed for years and then suddenly explode? And more importantly, can you spot it before everybody else does? In Part 3 of our Sports Cards Live conversation, Jeff Hart joins Jeremy Lee and David Chase to explore the idea of a card having its "moment." Sometimes it's an influencer bringing attention to something overlooked. Sometimes it's a record sale. Sometimes collectors get priced out of one card and start looking for the next logical alternative. And sometimes a sleeping giant simply reaches the critical mass required for the hobby to finally notice it. We get into the cards and categories we believe could still be hiding in plain sight. Jeremy explains why he recently bought the 1977 Star Wars Princess Leia, why he believes vintage Exquisite football featuring all-time greats like Peyton Manning and Barry Sanders may be dramatically underappreciated compared to basketball, and how getting priced out of one card can lead collectors toward the next opportunity. David takes the same approach to Larry Doby, Satchel Paige, Sandy Koufax and Roberto Clemente, and explains why he believes Diego Maradona may be lagging behind the other giants of soccer collecting. We also discuss the rise of 1935 Mickey Mouse and 1940 Superman, Jackie Robinson and the growing importance of eye appeal, the role of social media and influential collectors, and whether it's actually possible to identify these hobby movements before the masses arrive. Then Chris McGill and Josh Adams join the panel and we return to the National pricing debate from a different perspective. Are collectors complaining about high prices actually a healthy sign? Why do collectors hold tighter when markets are rising? And when a truly rare card finally becomes available, does the last comp even matter? Ultimately, it leads to a very simple question: Do you like the cards more than you like the money? Featuring Jeremy Lee, David Chase, Jeff Hart, Chris McGill and Joshua Adams.

What happens when you discover a vintage card you believe has been overlooked, buy it, and then one of the biggest voices in collectibles suddenly calls out the exact same thing? In Part 2 of our post-National Sports Cards Live conversation, Jeremy Lee, Joe Poirot and David Chase are joined by Leighton Sheldon of Just Collect and Auction Wire for a deeper look at pricing, buying and negotiating at the 2026 National. Leighton gives us the dealer's perspective on the "overpriced National" debate and explains what he saw from both sides of the table. We dig into the difference between commodity cards and genuinely scarce cards, when comps matter, when they don't tell the whole story, paying premiums for exceptional eye appeal, and why building rapport can make a real difference when trying to get a deal done. Then things take an unexpected turn. Jeremy reveals the 1935 Mickey Mouse card he had identified months earlier as a new personal grail, along with an extremely scarce O-Pee-Chee variation he discovered through Auction Wire. David had also started buying cards from the set at the National. Then, almost immediately afterward, a video surfaced of Gary Vaynerchuk specifically calling out 1935 Mickey Mouse and 1940 Superman as vintage fictional cards he believes have significant potential. Within days, available examples began disappearing and asking prices jumped dramatically. Coincidence? The Gary Vee effect? Or an overlooked segment of vintage collecting finally starting to get attention? We also get the incredible story behind Leighton's 1948 Leaf Hal Newhouser deal with David, discuss why relationships still matter in the hobby, and look at how tools like Auction Wire are changing the way collectors discover cards they might otherwise never find. Featuring Jeremy Lee, Joe Poirot, David Chase and Leighton Sheldon.

Was the 2026 National really overpriced, or were collectors simply experiencing the realities of a rising sports card market? In Part 1 of our post-National Sports Cards Live conversation, Jeremy Lee is joined by Joe Poirot and David Chase to break down what they actually saw on the show floor. Were dealers asking too much? Were there still deals to be found? And how much does your approach to a dealer affect the price you're ultimately able to negotiate? We get into comps, "not for sale" pricing, why dealers may be reluctant to sell at the last recorded sale, and the lost art of actually talking to people before asking, "What's your best price?" We also discuss the enormous demand for grading at the National, PSA and Beckett being overwhelmed, whether collectors should simply wait to submit their cards, and the growing fascination with MBA stickers and fourth-party card assessment. Plus, some National stories, the aftermath of a marathon week in Chicago, and plenty of interaction with the Sports Cards Live community. Featuring Jeremy Lee, Joe Poirot and David Chase.

Who ultimately determines the value of a sports card—the grading company or the collectors themselves? In the concluding segment of this conversation, Jeremy, MattyC, David Chase, and Joshua Adams continue exploring the evolving role of eye appeal, grading, and collector opinion in today's hobby. Topics include: • Why Jeremy chooses not to submit cards for grading • The philosophy behind buying eye appeal instead of chasing grades • Using Eye Appeal Inc. to compare cards before making a purchase • Community-driven card evaluation versus traditional grading • Whether grading standards have changed over time • Future features planned for Eye Appeal Inc. • Questions from the live audience about submissions, raw cards, scans, stickers, and IQ+ The episode wraps up with final thoughts before everyone heads to The National, along with updates on upcoming Sports Cards Live programming, Fanatics Collect giveaways, The Hangover, and Enter the Inferno. Whether you agree or disagree with the panel's perspective, this discussion challenges collectors to think critically about how they evaluate cards—and why.

Does the number on the slab really tell the whole story? The Sports Cards Live panel continues its discussion with MattyC of Eye Appeal Inc., David Chase, and Joshua Adams as we explore one of the hobby's most fascinating questions: How much should eye appeal matter? Topics include: • Why collectors often disagree with technical grades • Should eye appeal ever become part of the grading standard? • Why many collectors intentionally pursue low-grade cards with exceptional presentation • The philosophy behind IQ+ and collector-driven evaluation • How transparency differs from traditional grading models • Why beautiful PSA 1s and PSA 2s are commanding record-breaking prices We also examine remarkable sales of iconic vintage cards whose visual appeal dramatically exceeded what their technical grades suggested, raising important questions about how collectors value condition today. If you've ever looked at two cards with the same grade and thought, "These don't belong in the same holder," this conversation is for you.

MattyC returns to Sports Cards Live for his first appearance in nearly a year to discuss the evolution of Eye Appeal Inc. and why collector opinion deserves a seat at the table alongside third-party grading. We discuss: • The vision behind Eye Appeal Inc. • Why eye appeal is about more than a single grader's opinion • The power of community-driven card evaluation • How IQ+ scores and collector reviews are changing the conversation • Why transparency matters in card grading • Building a platform that's free, open, and centered around collectors Matty also shares stories from his Hollywood career, including writing Paid in Full, Rambo: Last Blood, creating the Netflix series Absentia, and his upcoming feature film set in the sports card hobby. Joining the conversation are David Chase and Joshua Adams as we explore how collectors evaluate cards differently and why those different perspectives make the hobby stronger.

How is it possible that one human being can be a gifted artist, a world-class savvy collector, a stellar actor, skilled director, and a masterful storyteller, whilst being gracious, funny, self-possessed, and humble at the same time? If that's not the work of the gods, what is? The quality of Federico's conversation defied Mercury Retrograde and the moon void. His screen may have been wonky for a few moments, but his glorious remembrances flowed on. From his earliest years in Napoli surrounded by his talented siblings, Federico knew at 3 what he wanted to do. And it wasn't aspiring to be a key player on one of the greatest shows to ever hit television screens. That was an afterthought. A later manifestation. Earning a full scholarship and his BFA from the School of Visual Arts in NY, Federico never had a day job or a Plan B. He's had more than a few Plan As - all successfully and respectfully executed. We got a little show and tell with a great George Burns story, how he segued from commercial art to commercial film and television, auditioning for a role he'd never get that eventually led to the life-changer. We got the whole Sopranos audition story complete with a David Chase rarity, prior long-held James Gandolfini admiration, how he landed it, the classes and work in theatre that schooled him, all the while continuing with his art craft to mind-blowing proportions. More show and tell with his latest portrait, of frequent collaborator Chazz Palminteri, that I would've sworn was a photograph until it was almost pressed against Federico's screen. The lips, the smile, the hair, the eyes, the ‘tude, captured as only a rarely gifted artist could. We talked Federico's multitude of upcoming films in various stages of production… Bad News on The Doorstep with the aforementioned Palminteri, which will be the first to drop, Into The Black with beloved Cathy Moriarity and Peter Green, Lupo, a true-crime story, and Three's Company Too, where Federico is directing as well as starring. There's a gallery show of his portraits in the works and Sopranos appearances, which you can keep up with on his IG.

The conversation comes full circle. In the final chapter of this Sports Cards Live discussion, Jeremy Lee, David Chase, Joe Poirot, and Josh Adams reflect on the broader implications of the reconstructed T206 Honus Wagner and what it may mean for the future of sports card collecting. The panel discusses whether restoration will become more accepted, how collectors should think about exceptions, where personal collecting philosophies differ from hobby standards, and why context matters when evaluating altered or restored cards. The episode also includes a fun conversation about LeBron James, player legacies, and whether changing teams affects a superstar's long-term collectibility. In this episode: Has the hobby reached a tipping point on restoration? Can collectors make exceptions for iconic cards? Personal collecting rules vs. hobby standards Does intent matter when a card is altered? Could the FrankenWagner change collecting forever? LeBron James, team loyalty, and hobby legacy Final thoughts from the panel Looking ahead to The National Thank you for listening to Sports Cards Live. If you enjoyed this episode, please help us grow the hobby by supporting the show:

Has the hobby crossed a line, or opened the door to something entirely new? The debate over the reconstructed T206 Honus Wagner continues as Jeremy Lee, David Chase, Josh Adams, and Joe Poirot explore the bigger implications of the now-famous "FrankenWagner." Could this become the template for future restorations? Did CGC make the right call? What should the card actually be called? And perhaps the biggest question of all: if you had the money, would you buy it? The conversation expands well beyond one card and examines what this means for grading companies, restoration standards, collector confidence, and the future of vintage sports cards. In this episode: Did CGC make the right decision? Is the FrankenWagner changing the hobby? What should the label actually say? Would you buy this card over an authentic Wagner? Could this become the new standard for restoration? The cheapest path to owning a T206 Wagner? Where should grading companies draw the line? The panel debates the future of restoration Whether you're fascinated by restoration, passionate about vintage cards, or simply curious where the hobby is headed, this is a discussion you won't want to miss. Please support the show!

The conversation about the reconstructed T206 Honus Wagner takes an unexpected turn. What begins as a debate over one controversial card quickly becomes a broader discussion about grading company transparency, authentication standards, and whether collectors are receiving enough information to make informed buying decisions. Jeremy Lee is joined by David Chase, Joe Poirot, and Josh Adams as they debate whether the famous "FrankenWagner" should really be considered authentic, restored, rebuilt, or something entirely different. More importantly, they ask whether grading companies owe collectors far more transparency than they're currently providing. In this episode: The FrankenWagner debate continues Should grading companies disclose more information? Why "Authentic" may not be enough QR codes, restoration reports, and collector transparency Are grading companies following their own standards? Restoration vs. reconstruction Can collectors truly trust the label? The future of grading and authentication This conversation goes beyond one famous card and explores what collectors should reasonably expect from the companies entrusted to authenticate the hobby's most valuable collectibles. Please support the show!

Cindy Pearlman Gaber, senior writer for the New York Times and entertainment columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, joins Bob Sirott to talk about a new project from “The Sopranos” director David Chase, Mindy Kaling’s upcoming visit to Chicago, and Jennifer Garner’s favorite summer dessert. She also shares details about a Michael Douglas memoir, a […]

The hobby's biggest controversy just got even bigger. Jeremy Lee opens the episode with David Chase, discussing National budgeting, the summer auction season, Michael Jordan's renewed partnership with Upper Deck, and the latest hobby headlines before welcoming investigative journalist Darren Rovell for an in-depth conversation about one of the most controversial stories in recent hobby history. Together they unpack the former Collectible fractional assets now being sold through Heritage Auctions, the legal authority behind the sales, the ethical questions surrounding the proceeds, what this means for former investors, and why the story is far from over. In this episode: Heritage's controversial fractional asset auctions Who really owns these collectibles? Can former investors recover their money? Legal rights vs. ethical responsibility Why another major auction house reportedly passed Michael Jordan's new Upper Deck Legacy Partner agreement National buying strategies and managing the hobby budget Whether you're a collector, investor, dealer, or simply passionate about the hobby, this is one conversation you won't want to miss. Please support the show!

The conversation doesn't end when the auction begins. Jeremy Lee, David Chase, Joe Poirot, Josh Adams, and Robert Rothenberg wrap up this episode with a discussion about one of the hobby's most talked-about developing stories: the controversy surrounding assets formerly held by Collectible and their appearance in an upcoming Heritage Auctions sale. The panel explores the responsibilities of auction houses, the challenges surrounding ownership and collector confidence, and why transparency matters as the hobby navigates increasingly complex situations. The discussion also revisits restored cards, whether grading companies should encapsulate them with full disclosure, and how collectors should approach cards that have been repaired or conserved. The episode closes with a preview of next week's Sports Cards Live, where Jeremy will continue investigating the Collectible situation with guests who have firsthand knowledge of the story. If you enjoy the episode, please subscribe, leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast platform, and share it with a fellow collector. It really helps more collectors discover the show. Watch Sports Cards Live on YouTube for the full video experience, and follow Jeremy Lee on Fanatics Collect for exclusive live shows, including The Hunt and weekly auction watch parties. Fanatics Collect referral link:https://fanaticscollect.onelink.me/xx0N/iyiniif4 Thank you for listening, and remember... Sports cards is a lifestyle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is a sports card really worth? Jeremy Lee is joined by David Chase, Robert Rothenberg, Joe Poirot, and Leighton Sheldon for a wide-ranging discussion that begins with PSA's grading guarantee and quickly expands into some of the hobby's biggest unanswered questions. How should collectors interpret comparable sales when buyers and sellers often pay vastly different amounts after premiums, taxes, shipping, and fees? Is "missing out" on a grail card actually a bigger force than fear of missing out? Could future technology eventually detect card restoration that today's grading companies miss? And if that happens, what does it mean for the hobby? The panel also explores collecting philosophy, scarcity, the pursuit of grail cards, and whether collectors would choose more money or more time if it meant enjoying the hobby differently. If you enjoy the episode, please subscribe, leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast platform, and share it with a fellow collector. It really helps more collectors discover the show. Watch Sports Cards Live on YouTube for the full video experience, and follow Jeremy Lee on Fanatics Collect for exclusive live shows, including The Hunt and weekly auction watch parties. Fanatics Collect referral link:https://fanaticscollect.onelink.me/xx0N/iyiniif4 Thank you for listening, and remember... Sports cards is a lifestyle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is the hobby quietly changing its mind about card restoration? Jeremy Lee, David Chase, and special guest Robert Rothenberg continue one of the most important conversations in today's hobby by examining real-world examples of restored vintage cards, including dramatic before-and-after transformations that have collectors questioning where conservation ends and alteration begins. The discussion explores surprising reactions from experienced collectors and dealers, whether restoration is becoming widely accepted, why grading companies may struggle to detect certain treatments, and what all of this means for buyers trying to build trustworthy collections. If the hobby's standards are evolving, what does that mean for the future of grading, collecting, and confidence in the marketplace? If you enjoy the episode, please subscribe, leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast platform, and share it with a fellow collector. It really helps more collectors discover the show. Watch Sports Cards Live on YouTube for the full video experience, and follow Jeremy Lee on Fanatics Collect for exclusive live shows, including The Hunt and weekly auction watch parties. Fanatics Collect referral link:https://fanaticscollect.onelink.me/xx0N/iyiniif4 Thank you for listening, and remember... Sports cards is a lifestyle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The hobby's biggest ethical debate may just be getting started. Jeremy Lee and David Chase dive into one of the most polarizing topics in sports cards today: restoration, conservation, cleaning, and where the line should actually be drawn. Is removing scrapbook residue acceptable? Does soaking a card fundamentally alter it? Is restoration becoming normalized, and if so, what does that mean for grading, authenticity, and collector trust? The discussion explores whether today's hobby is shifting toward accepting card conservation, how disclosure factors into the equation, whether PSA and other grading companies can realistically detect every restored card, and why this conversation could shape the future of vintage collecting. Whether you're a vintage purist, modern collector, dealer, or grader, this is a conversation every collector should hear. If you enjoy the episode, please subscribe, leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast platform, and share it with a fellow collector. It really helps more collectors discover the show. Watch Sports Cards Live on YouTube for the full video experience, and follow Jeremy Lee on Fanatics Collect for exclusive live shows, including The Hunt and weekly auction watch parties. Fanatics Collect referral link:https://fanaticscollect.onelink.me/xx0N/iyiniif4 Thank you for listening, and remember... Sports cards is a lifestyle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can sports card grading evolve without completely reinventing the hobby? Jeremy Lee and David Chase continue their conversation with Chad Hawk, founder of GCC and former executive at Certified Collectibles Group, exploring whether the industry needs an entirely new approach to condition assessment. The discussion dives into the limits of traditional grading, the promise and challenges of AI, why TAG has struggled to gain widespread acceptance in sports cards despite its consistency, and how GCC hopes to create a lower-cost solution that helps collectors, dealers, and grading companies alike. Chad explains why GCC intentionally avoids assigning fixed numerical grades, instead focusing on condition ranges that keep the emphasis on the card rather than the label. The panel also answers tough questions from the live audience about authentication, guarantees, resale value, and whether collectors will embrace a different model. If you enjoy conversations about where the hobby is headed, subscribe and join us every week for honest, thoughtful discussions with hobby leaders and innovators. Watch Sports Cards Live every Saturday night, The Hangover every Wednesday, The Hunt on Fanatics Collect, Vintage Spotlight, and our Weekly & Premier Auction Ending Watch Parties. Join Fanatics Collect to watch exclusive Collect Originals content, enter giveaways, and follow Sports Cards Live:https://fanaticscollect.onelink.me/xx0N/iyiniif4 Take the Hobby Spectrum assessment to discover what type of collector you are:https://thehobbyspectrum.com Grab your copy of Pops & Comps:https://www.amazon.com/POPS-COMPS-Insights-Psychology-Numbers/dp/1069808903 If you enjoyed the discussion, please subscribe, like the video, and leave a comment. We'd love to hear your thoughts: Does the hobby need a new approach to grading, or should today's grading companies simply improve what already exists? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PSA has paused several of its most popular submission tiers, and the ripple effects are being felt across the hobby. Jeremy Lee and David Chase welcome Chad Hawk, founder of GCC and former executive with over two decades of experience at Certified Collectibles Group (CCG), to discuss what this moment means for collectors, dealers, grading companies, and the future of authentication. The conversation explores the challenges of scaling a grading company while maintaining consistency, whether grading mistakes are inevitable, how acceptable error rates should be measured, and whether artificial intelligence can eventually remove subjectivity from the grading process. They also examine a controversial PSA 10 that appeared to have significant damage, discussing what likely happened, why public perception matters, and whether grading companies should also be selling cards through their own marketplaces. If you enjoy thoughtful conversations about grading, authentication, and the future of the hobby, subscribe and join us every week. Watch Sports Cards Live every Saturday night, The Hangover every Wednesday, The Hunt on Fanatics Collect, Vintage Spotlight, and our Weekly & Premier Auction Ending Watch Parties. Join Fanatics Collect using my affiliate link below to watch exclusive Collect Originals content, enter giveaways, and follow Sports Cards Live:https://fanaticscollect.onelink.me/xx0N/iyiniif4 Take the Hobby Spectrum assessment to discover what type of collector you are:https://thehobbyspectrum.com Grab your copy of Pops & Comps:https://www.amazon.com/POPS-COMPS-Insights-Psychology-Numbers/dp/1069808903 Subscribe, like, comment, and let us know: What level of grading error is acceptable, if any? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can you really tell someone else how they should enjoy the hobby? This episode begins with a conversation that goes far beyond sports cards. Jeremy Lee and David Chase react to viewer feedback from last week's show and explore one of collecting's biggest philosophical questions: should collectors be concerned with how other people spend their money? The discussion covers funding purchases by selling cards, whether "true collectors" even exist, financial responsibility in the hobby, and why so many opinions may simply be projections of our own collecting experiences. Jeremy also shares details about his upcoming interview with one of the hobby's most recognizable breakers, Joe Hollywood, and discusses why he wanted the conversation to happen before the audience weighed in. If you enjoy thoughtful hobby conversations that go beyond prices and hype, be sure to subscribe and join us every week. Watch Sports Cards Live every Saturday night, The Hangover every Wednesday, The Hunt on Fanatics Collect, Vintage Spotlight, and our Weekly & Premier Auction Ending Watch Parties. Join Fanatics Collect using my affiliate link below to watch exclusive Collect Originals content, enter giveaways, and follow Sports Cards Live: https://fanaticscollect.onelink.me/xx0N/iyiniif4 Take the Hobby Spectrum assessment to discover what type of collector you are:https://thehobbyspectrum.com Grab your copy of Pops & Comps:https://www.amazon.com/POPS-COMPS-Insights-Psychology-Numbers/dp/1069808903 Subscribe, like, comment, and share your thoughts below. We'd love to hear where you stand on these hobby debates. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The final segment of this special Sports Cards Live discussion brings the art collector versus investor debate to its conclusion as the panel explores what gives cards meaning beyond their price tags. Chris McGill, Joe Poirot, David Novak, Joshua Adams, and Jeremy Lee dive into the emotional, historical, and personal factors that shape collecting decisions and why some cards become far more significant than their market value suggests. Topics include: • Collecting as art versus collecting as investment• Why context matters when evaluating cards• Understanding a card's place within hobby history• Researching players, sets, and card significance• Emotional attachment and collecting satisfaction• Ownership as part of the reward• One-of-one cards and exclusivity• Illiquidity, rarity, and collector psychology• Whether a grail card reduces the desire for accumulation• The role of knowledge, storytelling, and hobby education The episode wraps with reflections on collecting, community, and what truly drives hobby passion, along with final thoughts from first-time Sports Cards Live guest David Novak. Featuring Jeremy Lee, Chris McGill, Joe Poirot, Joshua Adams, David Novak, and a special appearance by David Chase. Sports Cards Live is proudly supported by Just Collect, Auction Wire, Mint Ink, Front Row Card Show, Mr. Minty, Kronozio, Collector Investor Auctions, Upper Deck, Sport Card Expo, Card Ladder, COMC, and Inferno Red Technology. Links & Resources • The Hobby Spectrum: https://thehobbyspectrum.com• Pops & Comps on Amazon• Fanatics Collect Affiliate Link • Share this episode with a fellow collector Sports cards is a lifestyle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The discussion takes a philosophical turn as Chris McGill introduces a framework comparing sports card collectors to both stock market investors and art collectors. Inspired by visits to the Chicago Art Institute and the Milwaukee Art Museum, Chris explores how collectors assign meaning, value, and significance to the items they pursue. The result is one of the most thought-provoking conversations of the evening. Topics include: • Buying cards like an investor versus buying cards like an art collector• Personal significance versus financial significance• Why some cards become lifelong companions• Identity, self-expression, and collecting• The role of nostalgia, symbolism, and memory• Liquidity, opportunity cost, and investment thinking• Why specific copies matter more than many collectors realize• Eye appeal, provenance, uniqueness, and story• The emotional side of collecting• How major acquisitions reshape a collection The panel examines the motivations behind collecting and asks a fundamental question: are we building portfolios, curating collections, or doing a little bit of both? Featuring Jeremy Lee, Chris McGill, David Novak, Joshua Adams, Joe Poirot, and David Chase. Links & Resources • The Hobby Spectrum: https://thehobbyspectrum.com• Pops & Comps on Amazon• Fanatics Collect Affiliate Link • Share this episode with a fellow collector Sports cards is a lifestyle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The conversation gets deeper as David Novak joins Jeremy Lee and David Chase for a spirited discussion about sports cards as investments, generational attitudes toward risk, and whether collectors should view cardboard as part of a broader financial strategy. David shares his perspective on why some millennials are more willing to take calculated risks with their investment portfolios, sparking an engaging debate on retirement accounts, diversification, risk tolerance, and the role sports cards can play alongside traditional investments. Topics include: • Are sports cards legitimate investments?• Millennials and risk-taking behavior• Using hobby knowledge as an investment advantage• 401(k)s, retirement planning, and alternative assets• Why some collectors prefer blue-chip cards over prospecting• Vintage versus ultra-modern investing• The dangers of chasing hype• Mahomes, Ohtani, Trout, Judge, LeBron, Crosby, and long-term collectability• Bubbles within the hobby market• Why experience and time horizon matter Jeremy, David Novak, and David Chase bring different perspectives to one of the hobby's most debated topics: whether sports cards belong in an investment portfolio and, if so, how. Links & Resources • The Hobby Spectrum: https://thehobbyspectrum.com • Pops & Comps on Amazon • Fanatics Collect Affiliate Link • Share this episode with a fellow collector Sports cards is a lifestyle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Topics covered include: Learning to write everywhere, Lee Sung Jin's after death theory, the Bardo, David's screenplay with Micheal Imperioli, Buddhism, the process of selecting iconic needle drops, bonding over created universes, comparing writers to golfers, Pavlov's dog, realizing The Sopranos was funny, favorite (and least favorite) lines in their shows, selecting Finneas for the wall-to-wall score of Beef season 2, the fifth character of fate, using John Carpenter as temp score, finding inspiration in the rock and roll of Mean Streets, rewatching old episodes, and David's current passion project. (edited)