The Hobby Handbook

Clever Cuban Cards and Trent are back for another wild week in the sports card hobby. They start with Bowman’s Best, including recent pulls, break ROI, standout patch autos, and why the product has been getting so much attention from collectors and breakers. Then the conversation shifts to the Huntsville card show, where Alex shares an unbelievable story about someone leaving behind a cash bag wit...

In this episode of The Hobby Handbook, Clever Cuban Cards and Trent break down the Bowman Basketball release chaos, including massive wait times, checkout issues, instant sellouts, and the growing frustration around bots grabbing product before real collectors can get it. They also dive into the Yoshinobu Yamamoto market debate after a massive recent sale, asking the big question collectors are wr...

Clever Cuban Cards and Trent break down a huge week in the hobby, starting with the fallout from the World Baseball Classic, including Team USA’s loss, which players could see a card bump, and how collectors should think about selling into short-term hype windows. They also touch on a Jayden Daniels mailbag question and the bigger hold-versus-flip mindset that comes with timing the market. Then th...

In this episode of The Hobby Handbook, Alex aka Clever Cuban Cards and Trent aka JetBreakersTrent dig into one of the biggest collector questions in the hobby: if you had real money to spend on Shohei Ohtani, which rookie card would you buy and why? They debate flagship vs. Chrome, paper vs. refractor, pitching image vs. batting image, and which Ohtani cards feel strongest as long-term holds. They...

Clever Cuban Cards kicks off a new era of The Hobby Handbook by officially introducing a new co-host: Trent Litjes (AKA JetBreakersTrent)First, Alex and Trent do a quick Trent deep dive, including his background as an active-duty U.S. Air Force captain, how he got into collecting, and why he keeps cards as a fun side hustle (plus who he’s chasing right now and why).Then they jump into the hobby ch...

In this episode of The Hobby Handbook, Clever Cuban Cards breaks down the Topps Pristine “missing hits” situation and what happened after Topps confirmed five missing autographs and tried to make it right. The turnaround was fast, but the replacement autos and their value raise a bigger question: What does “making it right” actually mean in a $470+ box product? Then we pivot to a full recap of the...

This week on The Hobby Handbook, Clever Cuban Cards is joined by Jetbreakers Trent to break down everything you need to know ahead of the 2026 MLB season. But before we get to the baseball, we have to talk about Clever Cuban's horror story about ripping 2026 Topps Pristine (missing 5 autos in 4 boxes!) and the frustrating state of "insufficient evidence" claims when you get shorted. The duo also d...

On this week's episode of the Hobby Handbook, Clever Cuban Cards is diving deep into the most common question in the hobby: how do you figure out what your cards are actually worth? He breaks down the difference between list price and sold price, and walks you through the exact tools he uses, like 130 Point and CardLadder, to get accurate numbers for your collection. We also cover the latest hobby...

This week on The Hobby Handbook, ⁠ @CleverCubanCards ⁠ is joined by Nick from ⁠ All Day Collectibles ⁠ to break down the biggest story in the hobby: the Packman "Midnight Basketball" controversy (10:59). We look at the situation not to pile on, but to ask the real questions: how did a veteran creator end up "crashing out" on stream, and more importantly, how can sellers handle a dead room without...

This week, Clever Cuban Cards comes to you from a frozen Nashville to break down a week filled with broken trust in the Hobby. We dive into the 2025 Stadium Club pre-order fiasco. Topps originally marketed Hobby boxes as containing 9 Chrome cards, only to quietly change the packaging and announce via email that the final product will have zero Chrome base or parallel cards. We also turn our attent...

In this episode of the Hobby Handbook, Clever Cuban Cards recaps his first eBay Live, sharing insights from his first experience on the platform. He discusses the highs and lows of the event, including unexpected bidding wars and the challenges of extended bidding times. Alex also explores the intricacies of card valuation and the importance of pre-listing items for transparency. Plus, Montgomery...

This week on The Hobby Handbook, Clever Cuban Cards breaks down a massive potential scandal involving the Topps Black & White set. Following a deep dive investigation by a Reddit user, the data suggests that the highly sought-after "Golden Hour" parallels were virtually impossible to pull from pre-order boxes, while release-day boxes were loaded with them. We look at the staggering math behind the...

The NFL Playoffs are finally here! In this episode of The Hobby Handbook, Clever Cuban Cards and guest Brendan fill out their 2026 playoff brackets, debate their Super Bowl winners, and break down exactly how you should handle your sports card investments during the postseason. Should you sell into the hype or hold for a Super Bowl run? We discuss the "Zig when they Zag" strategy for maximizing pr...

For this special New Year’s episode of The Hobby Handbook, Clever Cuban Cards is joined by Mrs. Clever Cuban Cards (4:26). We pull back the curtain on what it’s actually like being married to someone obsessed with sports cards. She holds nothing back, sharing her honest perspective on the constant filming, the state of Alex's card "office," and the financial reality of turning the sports card hobb...

Spring Training is less than 90 days away! In this Christmas Eve special of The Hobby Handbook, Clever Cuban Cards breaks down the MLB offseason market and shares his top targets to buy before the baseball hype cycle kicks back into high gear. From top-tier prospects like Roman Anthony and Walker Jenkins to undervalued rookies like James Wood and vets like Shohei Ohtani, we cover who you should be...

Clever Cuban Cards is joined by Alex Biggs (aka @BiggzyRips) to break down the gritty reality—and profitability—of the low-end sports card market (8:40). While everyone is chasing five-figure slabs, Alex explains how he pays the bills with $2 cards by mastering volume and consistency. We dive into the tech that makes it possible, including his investment in a Ricoh scanner (22:50) and using AI sof...

In this episode of the Hobby Handbook, Alex sits down with Nick Morris, also known as All Day Collectibles, to discuss his meteoric rise in the card trading world. From his early days as a collector in the 80s to building a thriving community on Whatnot, Nick shares insights into the challenges and triumphs of the hobby. They delve into the intricacies of sourcing inventory, the importance of comm...

Welcome back to The Hobby Handbook with Alex, aka Clever Cuban Cards! In this solo episode, we’re dusting off the crystal ball to look ahead at what 2026 holds for the sports card market. But before we get to the future, we have to look back at the wild ride that was 2025. From Fanatics' total takeover and the explosion of the high-end market to the "Rise of the Repack" and the unfortunate stumble...

Clever Cuban Cards, AKA Alex, kicks off this week's episode with a discussion on the recent controversies surrounding the Snype auction platform, highlighting the technical glitches and questionable activities that have raised eyebrows in the community. He shares his skepticism about Probstein's future, emphasizing the importance of choosing trustworthy sites for buying and selling cards. The conv...

In this episode of the Hobby Handbook, Joe from Cut the Nonsense, joins host Alex, AKA Clever Cuban Cards, to talk hobby hot takes from singles vs wax, Jeter vs ARod, the relevance of WWE cards, whether the hobby actually wants accurate grading and more. They also share insights on the rising trends in the baseball card market, focusing on Shohei Ohtani's influence. The conversation shifts to the...

In this episode of the Hobby Handbook, Alex AKA Clever Cuban Cards dives into the latest happening in the sports card grading market, focusing on the challenges faced by collectors and sellers in choosing between PSA and SGC. The discussion highlights the impact of grading turnaround times, market liquidity, and the strategic decisions by grading companies that affect hobbyists' choices. Alex and...

In today's episode of The Hobby Handbook,  @CleverCubanCards  is joined by Alex AKA  @armyatc22 , a great follow in the hobby space who you may have seen going viral on social media. Alex starts the episode by sharing a Learn From My Mistakes episode on timing your sports card pickups wisely and not falling into major hype moments, like right now with the Dodgers and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. How import...

This week's episode of The Hobby Handbook with  @CleverCubanCards  is a lesson on how to start or grow your hobby business or side hustle. We're joined by Jim AKA THX10SportsCards, who's relatively new to making the sports card hobby his business. Alex walks him through how he'd recommend growing his hobby business from Whatnot to social media and beyond. Have a question for Alex? Leave it in the...

Did Alex make a mistake in selling his Shohei Ohtani Rookie Auto in 2023? He shares the epic story of making that sale and reflects on whether he regrets it. After nearly two years of hunting for a replacement, Alex finally found a replacement Ohtani that he wanted to buy this weekend at the Nashville Card Show. Not only did he buy that Ohtani auto, he spent the most money he's EVER spent at a car...

Is the case hit era over? Are there too many case hits? Does the hobby know what THE case hit is? This week's episode covers that and more with JetBreakers' Trent who joined us on his day off from the Air Force. Trent also share his hobby history, how he got into breaking, and who he collects, with Pete Alonso top of the list. "This is a hobby, it shouldn't be stressful," is Trent's take on making...