Stacking Slabs

In this Thanksgiving week flagship episode of Stacking Slabs, Brett dives into the mindset of paying up for rare and scarce cards. He shares personal stories about adding key pieces to his collection and unpacks the psychology behind true collector conviction. From understanding the differences between rarity and scarcity to embracing flexibility when navigating last comps, this episode offers act...

In this episode of Stacking Slabs , Brett chats with Chris (@cardicsportscards), the creator of The Smarter Collector , about building resources for collectors. They dive into the purpose of top-of-funnel content, the motivations behind launching The Smarter Collector , and how it bridges gaps in the hobby. Chris shares insights on balancing fatherhood, personal health, and collecting, all while p...

In Episode 39 of Auction Talk, Brett and Nic explore the challenges of navigating auctions as both competitors and collaborators. They kick off the conversation by discussing how to handle anonymous competition in bidding wars, sharing strategies to assess interest and manage anxiety when chasing a card you really want. From there, they tackle the tricky topic of bidding ethics with friends, offer...

In this episode of Stacking Slabs, host Brett dives deep into the psychology of collecting. Brett explores why collections evolve over time and the emotional and external factors influencing these changes. He shares personal stories and insights, including lessons learned from his own collecting journey. From the nostalgic pull of significant cards to the thrill of the chase, Brett offers a though...

Welcome to the second episode of Card Ladder Confidential featuring Chris (@chris_hoj) and Josh (@cardboard_chronicles) from Card Ladder. This series explores how the analytical and emotional side of collection meet. In this month's episode we analyze Prizm Black Finite 1/1 sales from a public and private perspective. Also, we dig into buying format and explore why there's been a rush acquire as m...

Kevin (@DaCaptain37) returns to SSP to discuss Tom Brady collecting in a post-retirement era. He shares what the Brady market has been like and opportunities collectors can look at who want to enter. Also, there's a discussion around card shows and why prospecting ultra-modern QBs has been brutal across the board. Buy some new gear at the SSP Merch Stand Subscribe to the Stacking Slabs YouTube Pag...

In this week's episode of Auction Talk we discuss the bidding strategies on various platforms, auctions you might have missed last week on eBay, Card Ladder Headlines, listener mailbag questions, and dig into the auctions that are catching our attention this week.  Don't forget to check out The Wharf Sports Cards for all of your consignment and card funding needs. Subscribe to the Stacking Slabs Y...

In this week's flagship episode Brett discusses mindset and approaches when building out the collection of your dreams. He explores topics like the psychology of interacting with other collectors, the psychology of proactively vs. reactivity in card pursuits, and finding happiness in collecting.  Buy some new gear at the SSP Merch Stand Subscribe to the Stacking Slabs YouTube Page Get exclusive co...

Brett and Nic (@thewharfsportscards) are back with the third installment of SSP Auction Spotlight where they dig into a small subset of cards that are selling through The Wharf Sports Cards. In these episodes Brett and Nic will be getting into the weeds to discuss specific card's history, appearance, market activity, and current status in the hobby. This episode features the following cards all av...

Joe (@low_pop_papi) is a passionate collector who has boomeranged back to the hobby on a few different occasions. He loves exploring hidden gems from the Panini era through the lens of Stephen Curry and LeBron James collecting. Also, Joe values scarcity and discusses how he thinks about rarity vs. scarcity when making buying decisions. Joe discusses his approach to collecting on the latest Collect...

In this week's episode of Auction Talk we discuss trends Nic is seeing with collectors from his seat as the owner of a consignment business. We discuss 5 auctions from eBay that might have been missed this past week, take listener questions, and cover cards that are catching our attention on the auction block.  Don't forget to check out The Wharf Sports Cards for all of your consignment and card f...

In this week's flagship episode Brett shares an update about his professional life which impacts SSP moving forward. He digs into the main topic of collecting based on legacy and the impact on long term value.  Buy some new gear at the SSP Merch Stand Subscribe to the Stacking Slabs YouTube Page Get exclusive content, promote your cards, and connect with other collectors who listen to the pod toda...

Brett spoke with Ryan Hoge, President at PSA 6 months ago about how they're making decisions with a collector first mindset. This week, Brett and Ryan revisit the conversation through the lens of the big bets that PSA is making for collectors heading into 2025. Ryan discusses collector-centric bets, technology, the evolving collector landscape, and long-term vision for PSA. If you're looking to le...

Bryan (@cajuncardboard) is a prolific content creator, collector, and investor of Michael Jordan cards. Recently, he created a 4 tier system of Michael Jordan cards with a system that describes each tier. This week on the collector conversation, Bryan discusses themes of Jordan collecting this year, the market, and talks about his personal collection. This is the first dedicated Michael Jordan col...

In this week's episode of Auction Talk we discuss the performance of parallels in groups on the auction block. We dig into Precious Metal Gems, Superfractors, and Prizm Golds that ended in Fanatics Monthly Premier Auction and pull themes. As always, we cover current auctions and cool cards we're seeing.  Don't forget to check out The Wharf Sports Cards for all of your consignment and card funding...

In this week's flagship episode Brett digs into the emotional side of collecting. He discusses how nostalgia, personal moments, and connection with specific cards drives his collecting. He discusses how the mainstream of the hobby over indexes on the financial side of collecting and how finding a greater balance with emotional might lead to a more productive community.  Buy some new gear at the SS...

Drake (@drakes_pc) has had a big year with his collection. He's added some of the biggest and baddest Peyton Manning cards that we've seen publicly. We have to work really hard to obtain grails, but that doesn't come without sacrifice. In this week's collector conversation Drake discusses his process for picking up some of his biggest cards this year and what he's learned from the experience. Subs...

In this week's episode of Auction Talk Brett and Nic discuss the results of 3 of the cards that ended from the SSP Weekly Spotlight, the growing gap between PSA 10's and BGS 9.5, and Caleb Williams' Select Gold XRC. Don't forget to check out The Wharf Sports Cards for all of your consignment and card funding needs. Subscribe to the Stacking Slabs YouTube Page Get exclusive content, promote your ca...

In this week's flagship episode Brett talks about the importance of community, relationship, and trust building in the acquisition of some of his favorite pickups from this year. He uses the Peyton Manning Collector Group as an example for how community can be established to shrink the hobby sea.  Buy some new gear at the SSP Merch Stand Subscribe to the Stacking Slabs YouTube Page Get exclusive c...

Steve (@diamond_card_collector) has had an insane year of buying grails. He's picked up several Tom Brady cards that would make your head spin. Also, he's been focused at building out his high-end collection of WWE and discusses why that fits into the collection he's building. This is a fun conversation for anyone looking to move up a rung or two on the collecting ladder. Subscribe to the Stacking...

In this week's episode of Auction Talk Brett and Nic discuss what we've learned about auctions in 2024, spotlight the sale of the 1999 Skybox Premium Star Rubies Ken Griffey Jr. /50 BGS 9, hit Card Ladder headlines, and share the auctions that are most interesting to them for this week. Don't forget to check out The Wharf Sports Cards for all of your consignment and card funding needs. Subscribe t...

In the weekly flagship episode Brett discusses the value he puts on the jerseys that players are wearing on sports cards. He shares the significance of jerseys in his life at an early age and how that translates over to the cards that he likes to collect.  Buy some new gear at the SSP Merch Stand Subscribe to the Stacking Slabs YouTube Page Get exclusive content, promote your cards, and connect wi...

Welcome to the first episode of Card Ladder Confidential featuring Chris (@chris_hoj) and Josh (@cardboard_chronicles) from Card Ladder. This series will explore how the analytical and emotional side of collection meet. In episode 1 they cover the status of the patch autos in collecting, the 24 Karat Gold parallel out of 98 Fleer Brilliance, the history of Select Football, and much more. Check out...

Brett and Nic (@thewharfsportscards) are back with the second installment of SSP Auction Spotlight where they dig into a small subset of cards that are selling through The Wharf Sports Cards. In these episodes Brett and Nic will be getting into the weeds to discuss specific card's history, appearance, market activity, and current status in the hobby. This episode features the following cards all a...

John (@packnicholson) returns to SSP to discuss the emotional side of collecting active vs. retired players. Recently, he purchased the 2023 Prizm DJ Moore Black Finite 1/1 for his Bears collections and talks about how that experience is different than what he is typically use to while collecting 2000-2010 Finest football cards. Subscribe to the Stacking Slabs YouTube Page Get exclusive content, p...