Stacking Slabs

Bryan Denison spent years teaching collectors about Michael Jordan cards before leaving his career in law to run Cajun Cardboard. His goal remains the same: keep building his Jordan collection. In this episode of Passion to Profession, Bryan joins Brett to discuss how sharing his research on YouTube led to collection purchases, an audience, and a business running six eBay Live shows a week. We tal...

Believing in a card and believing in a business can mean competing for the same money. On this episode of Hobby Jobs, Brett examines what happens when collecting becomes part of someone’s livelihood. He discusses PSA’s service changes, how grading timelines affect cash flow, and the tension between keeping cards and funding a business. Brett shares a lesson from Chris Sewell’s experience owning a...

You collect the wrestler. But that doesn’t mean you need every card with their name on it. Adam and Ryan break down what makes a wrestling card worth pursuing, from the photograph and autograph to the set, inscription, and price. They share their take on Topps Stadium Club WWE, debate the price of boxes, and examine a Roman Reigns flag parallel sale around $5,000. What happens when collectors trea...

You bought the card because you believed in the player. Then the trade happens. Do you want to keep it? Pack and Brett discuss what happens to team collections when players leave and the future you pictured doesn’t happen. They explore collecting memories versus collecting hope, deciding what stays, and giving yourself permission to change direction. The conversation also covers Kenneth Walker III...

Brett joins Chris and Josh from Card Ladder to discuss why they collect 1/1s and how those purchases changed what they want from the hobby. Brett shares how a 2014 Andrew Luck Prizm Black Finite reshaped his collecting priorities. Josh explains the appeal of owning a card whose auction appearances depend on his decision to sell. Chris discusses how researching sets and designs has expanded his app...

You opened the app without a plan to buy. Five minutes later, you’re figuring out how to pay for a card. What changed? In this episode, Brett explores how availability shapes what we want, what we buy, and what we stop saving for. He examines auction deadlines, the fear of missing a card, and the purchases that leave us without money when a card we’ve been pursuing appears. He also shares question...

What’s the card you sold that you wish you still owned? Katelyn and Mark celebrate Halloween with collecting regrets, hobby nightmares, and a question about what keeps us coming back to WNBA cards. Mark talks through selling cards to fund purchases. Katelyn shares how a trade with a friend brought her attention back to the players and cards she enjoys. They debate player-worn memorabilia, buying w...

Chris Sewall remembers owning a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle for about a week. He wanted to keep it. His business needed him to sell it. That tension is part of making your living in cards. On this episode of Passion to Profession, sponsored by eBay, Brett sits down with Chris of Sewall Sports Cards to talk about leaving filmmaking, building a business around buying collections, and learning to sell c...

Who do you call when you’re facing a decision in your business? This week on Hobby Jobs, I share how relationships with operators have helped me build Stacking Slabs. We talk about asking questions, learning from someone’s experience, and following up after you put their advice to work. Then Andrew Caroselli of Vortex Sportscards joins me to discuss the work behind his breaking business. What bega...

What do you want from a box of wrestling cards? Adam and Ryan break down Topps Stadium Club WWE, from the photography and Beam Team inserts to the debate around box prices and print runs. They discuss where the release fits alongside Chrome, Universe, and Royalty, and why your approach should reflect what you want to collect. Adam shares the completion of his Becky Lynch Planetary Pursuit set. The...

Are you buying a card because you want it or because you feel obligated to keep a project going? Pack and Brett talk about how fandom shapes a collection and what happens when your interests change. Brett shares why he’s reconsidering parts of his Colts collection while his Andrew Luck cards continue to mean something to him. The conversation covers collecting players versus sets, keeping cards yo...

Brett started collecting Tyrese Haliburton with a rule: Pacers uniform only. As his connection to the player grew, his collection changed. In this episode, Brett shares the story behind buying Haliburton’s 2020-21 Panini Obsidian Electric Etch White Mojo rookie 1/1. He discusses losing track of the card after it sold, getting another opportunity at auction, and researching why it belonged alongsid...

How much of what you want comes from what you keep seeing? This week, Brett explores how releases, breaks, and clips influence our collecting decisions, and how studying checklists opens up cards we didn’t know existed. From Panini Crusade basketball to his 2012 Prizm Reggie Wayne Finite 1/1, he shares how he evaluates player connection, product history, scarcity, and demand. The conversation offe...

What makes a card worth owning when you take resale value out of the decision? Katelyn and Mark talk about collecting WNBA cards for the photography, the memories, and the enjoyment of turning through a binder. From digging through 25-cent boxes to collecting 1997 Pinnacle legends, they share what earns a card a place in their collections. Then comes the challenge: build a nine-card binder page wi...

Dan McKee started collecting T206 cards at seven years old. Fifty-seven years of collecting now inform how he buys, sells, and runs Darby-s Vintage on eBay. In this episode of Passion to Profession, Brett talks with Dan about turning collecting knowledge into a business. Dan shares how he finds inventory in auction catalogs, why he gives some listings years to sell, and how he handles purchases th...

You don’t have to sell cards to build a business in the hobby. In this episode of Hobby Jobs, Brett uses PackScout’s launch to explore opportunities to serve collectors and operators. He shares how Stacking Slabs grew from his questions about collecting and explains how skills in photography, inventory management, sales, and customer support can translate into work in the sports card industry. Bre...

Does winning Money in the Bank change what you’re willing to pay for a wrestler’s cards? Adam and Ryan break down the fallout through a collector’s perspective. They debate buying, selling, and holding Penta, Tiffany Stratton, Roxanne Perez, Je’Von Evans, Liv Morgan, Chelsea Green, and Carmelo Hayes. Their disagreement on Penta gets into the difference between collecting a wrestler and selling int...

What happens when a card shows up and you start reconsidering what you’re willing to sell? Pack Nicholson shares the story behind buying the 2005 Finest Priest Holmes Superfractor 1/1. From negotiating the price to selling cards to fund it, the purchase brings his collecting priorities into focus. Pack and Brett also question why collectors pay for quarterback potential before performance. Trevor...

What do you learn when you spend time with the cards you own? Brett shares how taking his 2012 Prizm Andrew Luck Pylon 1/1 into the sunlight helped him appreciate owning it. That experience opens a conversation about what happens after the mail day. Spending time with your collection helps you recognize what belongs, understand how your taste has changed, and revisit the people and memories connec...

Brett has added about 10 cards to his collection this year and sold around 150 to get there. His buying has slowed down. His enjoyment of collecting has grown. In this episode, Brett explores how understanding what you want changes how you buy. He examines the difference between wanting a card and wanting another purchase, how research helps determine what belongs, and how seeking approval influen...

What happens when your team’s playoff run puts the cards you want beyond your budget? Katelyn and Mark open Season 6, Episode 1 with a conversation about the WNBA Finals and what winning means for collectors. They discuss Angel Reese, Gabby Williams, and the tension between cheering for your team and watching card prices climb. Katelyn shares how she found a 2023 Origins Napheesa Collier Black 1/1...

What makes you return to a card shop, open someone’s stream, or trust them with your collection? This week, I’m recording solo and reflecting on twelve conversations from Passion to Profession. From Grant Slayton helping me find my Andrew Luck 1/1 to Collins Boyce welcoming collectors who aren’t buying, I look at the work that earns another visit. I also share how these lessons shape my decisions...

What happens when customers want to buy from you, but growing the business means letting someone else earn their trust? In this episode of Hobby Jobs, I explore that question through my conversation with Josh O’Daniel of Odeezy Sports Cards. We talk about handing off responsibilities, helping employees build relationships, and teaching the standards customers count on without asking people to copy...

The card you’ve been waiting for hits the market. Do you buy it, or does seeing more copies for sale make you question your collection? Adam and Ryan answer listener questions about wrestling cards, patience, and where they’re putting their collecting dollars. They discuss the supply arriving through Panini redemption fulfillment, what draws them to Flawless, and why 2019 Topps Transcendent and 20...

You spend months looking for a card. You make the deal. Then you open your saved searches and start looking for another. When do you take time to enjoy what you’ve built? Pack and Brett  discuss the research, negotiations, and relationships that keep collectors buying and selling. Brett shares how spending 10–15 minutes with his cards has helped him appreciate his collection. Pack explains how vie...