The Shallow End

Do we collect cards? Or do cards collect us? Who's really in control here? If you suspect you're not in control of your own collecting, there's a little-known remedy: Say no to the cards you want. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

Matt aka @timmy_d_21_pc returns, and he's been busy. One of the hobby's most thoughtful collectors is here to talk the value of patience, research, and realizing that more is not always more. Plus, we hear the story behind his incredible Shohei Ohtani auto. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz (IG: @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards )

I need your help. I’m working on something—something special—and I need your help. Have you ever made a major change to your collection? Have you ever picked up a new card, or started putting together a new set, or focused on a new player … that changed the direction of how you collect sports cards? If so, and if you’d like to talk with me, I’d like to talk with you. I’m Dave Schwartz, and this is...

Dealers closing up shop early, unimpressive con artists … must be a sports-card show. In this episode, Dave recaps a card show he attended last weekend and explains why even a subpar day at a card show beats just about any other experience.

Welcome to Volume 4 of The Shallow End: Total Content. In this edition, we hear 13 clips from the best and most interesting sports-card podcasts.

Great news! One of my favorite athletes has rookie cards coming out soon. Bad news. Half the planet will be looking for them, driving up prices while shrinking availability. That begs the question: Should I—or should I not—collect Caitlin Clark cards?

You've picked up a big sports card. Congratulations! In theory, you should be content for a while, but you're not. You want more. But you spent all your money on that big card. Now what? How do you collect when you're broke?

Justin, aka @740SmithCards , PC's Michael Jordan, but the rest of his PC is made up almost entirely of non-Hall of Famers—players who hold a special place in his history as a fan of Ohio sports. In this episode, we hear how Justin marries his passion for collecting childhood heroes with his fondness for some of the era's most unique and memorable sets of sports cards. We also learn that Ju...

Josh is a sports-card collector of many interests: vintage, modern, Yankees, superstars from across MLB. In this episode, learn from a collector who remembers that sports cards are supposed to be a hobby, fun, and most of all, an escape from everyday life. Find Josh on IG at @InspiredSportscards . The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

There's a term in the British art world used to describe someone who doesn't think for themselves, who only collects based on what others are doing, and what they think is "right." In this episode, we talk about that insult and how it applies to sports cards. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

In the third installment of The Shallow End: Total Content, we catch up with some of the most interesting hobby content from the last month. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz ( @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards )

Soccer-collector Mark ( @SJSoccerCards ) joined the hobby just two years ago. Like all of us, he's making mistakes, learning lessons, and discovering which cards stoke his interests. In this episode, meet a collector who appreciates cards as much for their artistic value as for their personal connections. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz ( @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards )

I pressed the reset button. I eliminated 90 percent of my collection to acquire one card. In this episode, I discuss how I got the deal done, the emotions surrounding it, and whether "The Shallow End" is still an appropriate name for this podcast. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

We're told we should collect the greats. The GOATs. But over the last 12-18 months, I've learned the best way to get a hobby education isn't through the legends, but through collecting obscure players who also had cards produced in legendary sets. That is a more practical entry point into a richer hobby experience.

Sometimes the moment comes when the truth hits you: Your sports-card PC isn't what you want it to be. That can be a bad feeling, but it comes with good news. It's never too late to change how and what you collect. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz ( @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards on IG)

By now, the phrase "10x the hobby" has become as cliché as it is superficial. It's a slogan for a cash grab. But 10x the community? Now we're onto something. That's how Samuel C. Evans (@ thesprtzcardcoltr ) describes his ambition for the sports-card hobby. He wants collectors to feel welcome, encouraged, and at peace when they look at their cards. The Shallow End is hosted b...

How boring would this hobby be if we all collected the same thing? In this episode, we speak with Chad aka @blackhat_cards on IG. He collects players from his beloved Minnesota, but he also collects the villains of sport. Many of the athletes who make up his PC have decided to wear the black hat. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz ( @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards )

The latest edition of The Shallow End: Total Content. Featuring … Cardboard Chronicles; Cards to the Moon; Stacking Slabs; The Collector's Gene; Sports Card Madness; Sports Cards Nonsense; Lemme Get That Podagraph; Wax Pack Hero. Contact Dave Schwartz on IG @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

Collector Kevin M. Cormier once called it the "paralysis of indecision." It's those moments when you have too many cards that you want, the funds to get some, and the decision and contemplation becomes so much that you end up doing nothing. On this episode, we consider it from a slightly different perspective—from the unhelpful point of view of "What If …" The Shallow End i...

Sports-card influencers have power not because of some cosmic or mystic force. They have power because we give them power. Who are the most powerful influencers in the sports-card hobby? That's an easy answer: Look in the mirror. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards Referenced in this episode: " Hodinkee Radio episode 21: Matt Jacobson " (aired Nov 26, 20...

Clark, curator of @fivecardguys and host of the Cards to the Moon podcast, recently committed to attending his first National. Then he changed his mind and will instead go to the first Fanatics Fest a month later in New York. Here's why. Plus, we talked about Cards to the Moon recently celebrating its third anniversary, how he keeps it fresh, and we close by playing some sports-card related ga...

Welcome to an experiment. A new monthly series, "The Shallow End: Total Content," works to shine a light on some of the best, most interesting, and notable recent episodes in sports-card podcasting. If you'd like to leave feedback, host Dave Schwartz can be reached on Instagram at @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards .

When you spend a good chunk of your week sitting inside unmoving airplanes at one of the world's largest airports, the mind wanders. Mine wandered to sports cards. Please enjoy this abbreviated, hopefully entertaining, O'Hare-inspired episode. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards

The sports-card hobby is an ecosystem. It has apex predators, parasites and everything in between. If you're among the 99 percent of collectors who fall somewhere between the two ends of the hobby spectrum, how do you survive it?

A funny thing happened on the road to The National 2023: previously absent or scarce cards suddenly became available in droves. With the 2024 National about two months out, Austin Carlson ( @carlson_cards ) visits to talk about how last year's trend is informing this year's collecting. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz ( @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards )