Stacking Slabs

Ryan Greene grew up chasing Shaq rookies and riding his bike to the local card shop. Today, he leads athlete and artist partnerships at PSA. In this episode of Passion to Profession (sponsored by eBay), we go deep on Ryan’s transition from hobbyist to operator at one of the most important companies in the space. We talk about: What the 1998 SP Authentic set taught him about collecting Why he DM’d...

This week on The WNBA Card Podcast , Katelyn and Brett  explore a powerful question: Are we living in the first generation of true WNBA card collectors? Fresh off The National, they share what they saw, who they met, and the signals that this category is evolving fast. From the boom in W gear on the show floor to organic trades, meetups, and an online sales spike, the energy around WNBA cards feel...

We’re back from The National and fired up. Pack and Brett are recapping their experience—from overheated upstairs booths to some of the best in-hand moments of the entire weekend. This episode is packed with observations, hobby takeaways, and real collector stories. Topics covered: Why The National felt different this year Hobby businesses maturing and innovating The difference between inventory a...

We’re kicking off Cards in Hand , a brand-new Stacking Slabs miniseries brought to you by eBay, with Chris McGill from Card Ladder. Cards in Hand was recorded at The National where the energy around our hobby was at an all-time high.  Chris shares the story of his 1998-99 Upper Deck Michael Jordan Gold 1/1 — a card with a look and feel that takes you straight back to the ‘90s. We get into his retu...

This isn’t a booth-by-booth walk through. It’s not a play-by-play of what was in the showcases. This episode is about perspective. I break down my biggest takeaways from The National that you won’t hear in the typical recaps: The maturity of hobby businesses and why tech adoption is shaping the next era of collecting Why The National has evolved into a closing event for deals, not the starting poi...

In this episode of Passion to Profession , Brett sits down with Michael Osacky from Baseball in the Attic, one of the most trusted voices in sports memorabilia appraisal. Michael shares stories from the road, from emotional appraisals in small-town basements to unexpected discoveries in forgotten collections. They talk about the current state of the appraisal business in 2025, the rise in institut...

We’re live and in person from The National. For the first time ever, Brett and Katelyn (@coldlunchcards) sit down together—bags still packed—to talk WNBA cards at the biggest show of the year. You’ll hear the sounds of the floor, the latest updates on what’s showing up in showcases, early signs of how the WNBA market is shifting, and what it’s like seeing Caitlin Clark jerseys on collectors all ov...

Pack and Brett are back—recording from family vacation and prepping for The National—to talk all things football cards. In this episode, they tackle: The collector psychology behind non-rookie-year cards tied to milestones The underrated power of card backs Favorite card photography and why art cards deserve more respect Black Pulsars, downtowns, and why Kabooms get hate The Herman Moore market mo...

Kevin (@dacaptain37) joins Smashing BIN during National week to talk about one of the most meaningful cards in his collection: the 1998 Fleer Brilliants Peyton Manning 24KT Gold. He shares the full story behind the card—how he bought it for $1,250 nearly a decade ago, why it’s remained in his collection all this time, and what it means to now share it with his son. We also go deep on how Kevin mov...

In this Passion to Profession episode sponsored by eBay, I’m joined by Brian and Jesse from Arena Club. Their presence is everywhere in the hobby right now—and that’s no accident. We get into the early feedback that shaped Arena Club, the big announcement around their new physical slab packs with eBay, and their mindset around building a collector-first platform. We also talk about: Why repacks ex...

It’s the day before the biggest card show of the year, and Tory from the dcsports87 team is back in The Staging Area. We’re talking about everything you should be thinking about ahead of The National in Rosemont—from buying strategy and budgeting to leveraging your network and protecting your grails. We also run through some of the hobby’s hottest players by sales volume, including Aaron Judge, St...

The flagship episode is coming to you early this week. A new Passion to Profession will drop Wednesday.  We just zoomed past 700 episodes of Stacking Slabs. What a run. In this flagship episode, I’m being honest with you. We’re days away from The National, and while the excitement is real, so is the anxiety. The scale, the people, the pickups, the pressure — it can all feel like too much. Whether...

Katelyn (@coldlunchcards) returns from an unforgettable All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis with stories from the front lines. From diving headfirst into all of the activations to A'ja Wilson bumping shoulders at WNBA Live, she shares what it felt like to be surrounded by the game’s biggest stars—and what that kind of access means for the league. Brett brings data: a 237% year-over-year increase in $...

Is longevity overrated in football? In Episode 5, Pack Nicholson and Brett McGrath tackle this listener-submitted question from Andy (@byebyebabycards) and explore how short bursts of brilliance stack up against decades-long careers in the hobby. From Terrell Davis and Frank Gore to Barry Sanders, Andrew Luck, Deshaun Jackson, and Dante Hall, the conversation cuts deep into what actually drives co...

Paul (@colts808stable) returns to the pod to talk through two of his favorite BIN smashes: the 2006 Finest Gold XFractors of Colts legends Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne, both out of 10. This isn’t a casual pickup story. It’s a story about focus, maturity, and collecting with intention. Paul shares how he transitioned from buying everything in sight to consolidating down to what matters most: ic...

In this week’s flagship episode, Brett revisits a core theme from episode 118—your collecting North Star—and why now is the perfect time to reconnect with it. With The National around the corner, the noise is louder than ever. It's easy to get caught chasing hype, but building a collection that means something starts with remembering what matters most. Brett reflects on the lessons he's learned wh...

Chris and Josh from Card Ladder are back for another round of Card Ladder Confidential , and this one’s locked in on collector psychology, dealer dynamics, and market truths heading into The National. We open with the one card each of us would do anything to acquire at the show—and why. From there, we get into the real forces shaping collector behavior, including: Why proximity and relationships d...

In this episode of Passion to Profession, I sit down with Kristina Thorson, co-founder of Card Ladder, to explore what it takes to build something meaningful in the hobby. We talk about working two jobs before signing the acquisition papers, building trust through transparency, and why every feature on the platform starts with one question: “What’s best for the hobby?” This isn’t the same old Card...

Katelyn (@coldlunchcards) and Brett (@stackingslabs) break down the lead-up to All-Star Weekend, the evolving WNBA card market, and why Alyssa Thomas and Jackie Young are two of the most underrated players in the hobby. They react to real Card Ladder data, highlight trends among All-Stars, and spotlight cards flying under the radar. Brett shares what it was like to attend three Indiana Fever games...

Pack and Brett go deep on one of the biggest debates in football and collecting: who deserves the card when collecting lanes collide? They kick things off with a question on every fan’s mind—who’s QB5 in the NFL right now? The media may have already anointed Herbert, but the guys aren’t sold. From there, they move into hobby territory, breaking down three core collecting lanes—player, team, and se...

Chris (@cardicsportscards), creator of The Smarter Collector, joins Smashing BIN to talk about the card that’s been on his want list since 2017: the 2014 Bowman Chrome Mookie Betts Blue Refractor Autograph /150 (BGS 9.5/10). We go deep on the moment he finally smashed BIN, how he funds high-end targets through collection curation, and why this blue parallel hits different than gold. We also unpack...

Collecting is personal. But what separates a good experience from a great one often has little to do with the cards themselves. In this episode, I’m talking about the importance of relationship capital and why your collector reputation matters more than you think. I break down what relationship capital is, how to build it, and why it consistently outperforms financial capital when it comes to acce...

In the third episode of The Staging Area presented by dcsports87, Tory and I get into the three biggest topics circulating the hobby right now: The buzz and performance of Rookie Royalty and what the Caitlin Clark Immaculate RPA sale tells us eBay’s rollout of extended bidding, how it works, and what it means for buyers, sellers, and non-payers Why the $20–$100 range is the true foundation of the...

In this episode of Passion to Profession , I’m joined by Brent Holcomb, the operations lead at Mill Creek Sports—one of the largest sports memorabilia shops in the country. We trace Brent’s journey from card hustling in college to overseeing a warehouse packed with 14,000+ signed helmets. He shares how he embraced eBay before it was cool, scaled athlete signings with Ken Griffey Jr. and Ichiro, an...

We're back with Season 2, and this time the mic flips. In this episode, Brett puts Katelyn (@coldlunchcards) in the hot seat to talk through how her approach to collecting WNBA cards has changed over time. From letting go of cards without guilt to defining a six-card PC goal for her Napheesa Collier collection, Katelyn opens up about the mindset behind her collecting decisions. We get into topics...