WaxPackHero Sports Card Minute

Over the last few years, we’ve seen more and more on-demand products released by the card manufacturers.    Panini, Topps, and Leaf all have their own versions of these products, and I’ve begun experimenting with them as a resale strategy in early 2021. Today, I share which products I’ve been testing, and I cover what seems to be working and what isn’t gaining steam. If you want to...

In this Episode, I dug out a few old issues of Beckett Baseball Monthly to see what the hobby world was like back when I was in high school during the 90s. Sit back and enjoy the walk down memory lane.  After you’re done, reach out and let me know what your collecting memories are from that era! Sponsors of this episode: COMC.com Underdog Collectibles You can also support the show by using the fol...

Today we talk with the Collectable CEO Ezra Levine!  His company takes iconic high value cards and provides fractional ownership opportunities to collectors.  It’s an entirely new way to participate in the hobby. We discuss his background, the origin of Collectable, how you buy and sell your fractional shares, and more! If you want to dig deeper, check them out at Collectable.com . Spons...

The 1972-73 Topps set has become my favorite vintage basketballs set .  In this episode, I break down the set and tell the story of how I came across a large lot of these and have been working to track down the remaining cards I need to complete my set. Here is a link to the blog post where I covered the set if you want to see more! Sponsors of this episode: COMC.com Underdog Collectibles You...

Today I welcome author Greg Larson !  He recently released Clubbie: A Minor League Baseball Memoir . Greg recaps the two seasons he spent as the clubhouse attendant for the the Aberdeen IronBirds.  He takes us behind the scenes to see what minor league life is like for the players, coaches, and stadium staff.  We discuss his experience, the impact those two seasons had on his relati...

Today, Chris Carlin from Upper Deck joins me!  Chris has spent his entire career at Upper Deck and has worked with the Customer Service, Social Media, and Marketing teams as well as a few others!  We discuss his background, the current trading card market, the Upper Deck ePack partnership with COMC, and his approach to customer service. Sponsors of this Episode: COMC.com Underdog Collect...

Today we’re talking Racing Cards!  I welcome Val Marz(@nascardradio) and Jason Dean Martin (@jasondeanmartin) to discuss their NASCARD Radio show, the start of the 2021 Racing Season, 2021 Donruss, and the recent rise in value of racing cards. Check out the NASCARD Radio podcast or the website Nascard Radio.com  Sponsors of this Episode:  Underdog Collectibles  COMC.com  Y...

Today I discuss a unique set building project I went after.  I built a complete Upper Deck Hockey relic set completely through purchases on COMC! I wrote a guest blog on COMC which covered the same topic, and you can find that post here ! The set I built was the 2019-20 Upper Deck Series 2 Rookie Materials set.  It contained 40 cards and since it has several scarcity tiers, it proved to...

In Early 2020, Topps partnered with artist Paul Jennis to launch a new product on Topps.com . It would be called Game Within the Game, and it would feature a card based on an original oil painting from Jennis. In today’s Episode I welcome Paul to the show to discuss how the partnership came about, what he has learned about himself along the way, and he even shares several of the upcoming subjects...

Today, I welcome Eric Doty.  Eric is the founder and CEO of the Loupe App which is striving to ease the process of connecting sports card breakers and customers. We discuss his background in the hobby, the process of getting a start up off the ground, and where he sees the market headed! Take a listen and let me know what you think! Sponsors of this Episode: Underdog Collectibles COMC.com You...

Occasionally I take an episode to recap a month in WaxPackHero operations. My main goal in opening up and sharing my results is to provide an example of what is possible for someone who starts small, builds slowly over time, and is only working the business side of cards on a part time basis. In this episode I recap my financial results for December.  I’ll break down online sales, in shop sal...

Kyle from the Wax Museum Podcast joins me for a conversation about basketball cards, his educational goal of the podcast, and his dream podcast sponsor! Find Kyle on Twitter @waxmuseumpc and you can find his podcast on his landing page. Sponsors of this episode: COMC.com Underdog Collectibles You can also support the show by using the following affiliate links if you are in the market for some car...

For the last few years I have set hobby related goals. They give me something to shoot for so I stay focused and intentional.  They allow me to focus on creating action plans to achieve them which I find fun.  In this episode I recap my 2020 results and outline my plan for 2021! My goals for 2021 include: 1) Complete the 1968 Topps Set 2) Acquire Four 2021 Base Sets 3) Make a Profit and...

StarStock launched as an online marketplace in the Spring of 2020. I had previously interviewed Co-Founder Nigel Eccles prior to the site’s launch on Episode 20 .   They had been a sponsor of the show for several months in 2020, and I have actively bought and sold cards on their platform.  A couple months after launch, I did an episode reviewing the site and providing the pros and c...

It’s time for me to finally share my full thoughts on Grading Sports cards. There are benefits to getting your cards graded, and in the current market the selling prices for top graded cards from PSA, SGC, and BGS definitely sell for more than raw cards.  However, there are also drawbacks, risks, and other considerations collectors should consider when either submitting or buying raw cards. I...

Today, Leaf CEO Brian Gray joins me to discuss a variety of hobby topics.  We cover his hobby background, the growth of both Leaf and the industry over the last few years, what it is like to operate without a league license, and we even hit on some of the things he’s learned from his competitors. I appreciate Brian’s candor and I think there are insights to be gained in this episode! Thanks f...

A couple weeks ago I asked the Twitter universe a fun question via a poll. I asked which of these hobby companies you would want to own and why: Card Manufacturer, Ultra Pro, Beckett, PSA. The responses were quite interesting, so I decided to break them down in a podcast episode.  I didn’t want to do it by myself, so I invited Iven ( @watchthebreaks ) Lovegren onto the show to share his persp...

Over the last couple years we have seen a ton of people who collected as kids return to the hobby.  However, there is also a segment who think fondly of their time collecting in their youth, but have not yet joined us again as an adult. Today I am joined by one of those individuals.  Jesse Carey is a journalist, podcaster, and an avid sports fan.  As you’ll hear in the interview, Je...

There are ways to ship packages of sports cards that are expensive, or there are ways to ship packages at a very reasonable cost. If you ship any sports cards worth more than $10, or if you have packages that weigh over 1 pound, then you need to ship via 1st class package or priority.  In today’s episode I share how I do that in a cost effective manner so the cards arrive safely at the lowest...

Today, card artist Ben Caraher of sportscardmosaics.com joins me for a conversation about his background, his process for cutting cards to make a bigger card, and how the increase in the popularity of sports art has impacted his passion. Follow him on Twitter @card_mosaics and check out his work at sportscardmosaics.com ! Sponsor of this Episode: Underdog Collectibles You can also support the show...

The Topps Subscription Programs have proven to be fantastic products for both collectors and Topps. In today’s episode, I discuss my experience with the second year of the 582 Montgomery Club as well as the first year of the brand new Topps Future Stars Club. You can read my article on the Montgomery Club as well as the Future Stars Club if you want to go into even more detail! Sponsor of this epi...

Today, D.J. Kazmierczak joins me.  D.J. is the VP of Sales and Product Development for Panini America and has an extensive background in the hobby that spans multiple decades. We discuss Panini’s Product Lifecycles, Retail and Hobby distribution, supply and demand, and Panini’s direct to consumer offerings. You can follow D.J. on Twitter @DJKAZMIERCZAK . Sponsor of This Episode: Underdog Coll...

eBay continues to be one of the most popular places to buy and sell cards.  Depending on what you sell, it may take different approaches to optimize your results. In this episode, I respond to listener questions about how I go about listing and describing my cards, and I cover some of the other selling options I use for my listings. Sponsor of this Episode: Underdog Collectibles You can also...

In my efforts to broaden our understanding of the hobby, I am bringing on a guest to discuss an often overlooked niche. Wrestling Cards Zhan Mourning has a YouTube channel where he discusses both new and old wrestling releases, and he comes on this episode to share some of that knowledge with us.  I enjoyed it enough to start picking up a couple cards of my own! You can follow  Zhan on T...

In addition to the annual flagship releases, Donruss put out a variety of “oddball” products in the early to mid 80’s. I have previously covered the Donruss Action All-Stars .  In this episode I cover the 1983 Donruss Hall of Fame Heroes set, the 1984 Donruss Champions set, and the Donruss Highlights box sets that were released from 1985-1987. Thanks for listening! Affiliate Sponsors: You can...