The Shallow End

When it comes to sports cards, I'm not much of a hot take guy. Probably because I'm almost always wrong. But, here we go! Let's bust out 10 probably almost definitely terrible hot takes. These should be taken for entertainment purposes only. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

Sports cards are supposed to be an escape, but what if instead of an escape they're a hideout?

(Corrected version after unedited draft was uploaded) For years I denied that the changing of the calendar year mattered. But I was wrong. The transition from one year to another isn't just an opportunity to re-evaluate parts of our collections, it's a psychological moment to become better collectors. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz ⁠@Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

In this episode we explore the collecting brain of graphic artist Matt, @MattyH_Cards on Instagram. In addition to being a huge fan of Baltimore sports and the University of Miami, Matt is a professional graphic designer who looks at the hobby just a little differently from the rest of us. This discussion is a fascinating journey into the mind of someone who thinks deeply about all things hobby de...

We are collecting in baseball cards' industrial era. Multibillion dollar companies and social media compete for our interests, improve our experiences, exploit our personalities, and bring out both our better and worse angels. In this episode, we talk through them all. OBC is hosted by Jason @Contrarian_Cards and Dave @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

What do you do when a sports card you know belongs in slab looks better unslabbed? Is what's right for the collector the same thing as what's right for the card? The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

Let's remember, recap, and rate 2025 as the. year draws to a close. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

There is so much noise in the hobby, so much content, so many distractions, and so many options. Ribhu ( @PerimeterCollectibles ), a dealer and collector for 25 years, is here with an important message: Think about what you like, then collect it. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

We're still talking about Walter Benjamin's 1931 essay about collecting. In this episode, Aaron @Two2SportsCards jumps on the mic to discuss the Benjamin quote that most resonated with Aaron and his collecting: “… ownership is the most intimate relationship that one can have to objects. Not that they come alive in him; it is he who lives in them.” The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz...

The baseball card landscape has witnessed several shifts since the turn of the millennium. In this tiered ranking, we determine which years stand out, which fall back, and which years do we wish would just go away? OBC is hosted by Jason @ contrarian_cards and Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

In 1931, German philosopher Walter Benjamin wrote an essay about collecting. Nearly a century later, that essay is as applicable today as it was then. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards (IG)

In all walks of life, we have a habit of talking about a problem once and moving to the next thing. Last summer, gambling and addiction in the sports card hobby had a moment. It seemed everyone was talking about it. Then, we moved on to the next big thing, whether it was The National or the latest scandal. In this episode, Alyx of CollectorsMD returns to update us on his organization's mission...

Pat ( @Insta_account_haver ) returns to The Shallow End to discuss his experiences setting up for the first time at a card show—and with only 24 hours notice to get ready. What Pat found at the show, besides the cards, made it all worth it. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

Just because you're a fan of a team, or a player, or even a comic book, it doesn't mean you have to collect their sports cards. In this episode, Aaron ( @collect_like_a_champion ) shares his story of how his collecting journey became more rewarding once he stopped trying to collect so much and focused on what was most important. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportsc...

Sometimes we have moments that put life into perspective. What is important? What matters? When that happens, it's also a chance to re-evaluate how we feel about our sports cards. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

Shohei Ohtani's performance in the Dodgers' NLCS clincher drove us back to the microphones a few weeks early. We talk about his cards, his performance, his cards, his legacy, and his cards. Overthinking Baseball Cards is hosted by Jason @contrarian_cards and Dave @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

Jason ( @Contrarian_Cards ) and Dave ( @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards ) pick out the most eye-catching individual cards, sets and genres of baseball cards throughout the decades. Agree? Disagree? Let us know. This episode is also available on YouTube .

Aaron ( @Two2Sportscards ) drops by to talk about his own approach to collecting: how he ignores the noise, only listens to content that enriches his experience, and surrounds himself with the right people. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards *** Support fellow collector Luke ( @LukeJBrowning ) as he takes part in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure to raise money fo...

You might be asking yourself, didn't The National end two months ago? Yes. Yes it did. But one card I picked up there extended how I thought about The National. Depending what PSA thought of this card, my overall National experience could have tipped one way or the other. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

In this podcast audio essay, Dave confronts two infections living inside the sports card hobby. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

The Shallow End is off this week, so welcome back to Overthinking Baseball Cards. Episode 2. In this episode, we each draft one baseball card from nine different eras of baseball card collecting (plus three bench spots). Who and what will make the cut? And who will end up on the outside looking in? Overthinking Baseball Cards is hosted by Jason @ContrarianCard s and Dave @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards The...

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

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

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

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