Stacking Slabs

Opening Day is here. Energy is high. Attention is shifting. And the hobby is reacting in real time. Tory and I dig into what just happened with the World Baseball Classic and what it actually means for you as a collector. Not the surface-level hype. The real takeaway. We talk about: Why moments like WBC create short windows of opportunity What happens when demand spikes and how to act on it A Kobe...

What happens when you walk away from stability to bet on cards? Michael and Mikaela did it. Both were CPAs. Both were on a clear path. Then COVID hit. Breaking started. Demand showed up fast. And within months, everything changed. They built Rated Rips from late-night breaks into a full-scale consignment business. They hired 15 people in a year. They shifted from taking money out of the hobby to p...

This episode is about a moment that changed everything. Katelyn sits down with Kyle (@kyle_collects) to break down the shift from 2019 Donruss to 2020 Prizm and why that stretch still shapes how collectors approach WNBA cards today. They talk through what it felt like to discover WNBA cards before the spotlight. Ripping boxes no one wanted. Finding cards that never made it to showcases. Learning t...

Adam and Ryan sit down with Steve(@s.a.m_wwe) , one of the most focused Rhea Ripley collectors in the hobby. The conversation starts with a simple moment. A blaster box in 2022. That moment turns into chasing rainbows, building sets, and eventually acquiring 1/1 cards. This episode is about how that happens. Steve shares how he built his collection from scratch. Why he chose Rhea Ripley. And how r...

Pack and Brett  open the episode by unpacking the reaction to a viral take about football collectors and why people struggle when opinions get stated in absolutes. They explore a bigger question beneath the noise. Who is actually collecting versus who is investing? The conversation moves into how money enters the hobby. Million dollar sales. Investor behavior. And why volume of collectors matters...

Most collectors spend their time watching big sales. Few spend time learning how to find great cards. That gap matters. In this conversation with Max (@putnamcards), creator of Hoops Collectors, we talk about what actually creates an edge in the hobby. Not headlines. Not hype. Not million dollar cards. We get into: Why most content focuses on cards no one can afford How research leads to better co...

In this flagship episode of Stacking Slabs, Brett shares a tough experience that every collector fears. A highly anticipated card arrives… but the package is empty. Instead of sitting in frustration, Brett breaks down what happened, what he learned, and what he would do differently moving forward. From shipping decisions to platform protection, this episode focuses on how collectors can reduce ris...

Over the past 18 months, Brett has spent time talking with owners, builders, and operators across the sports card industry. More than 60 conversations. Shop owners. Tech founders. Marketplace operators. Auction leaders. A pattern kept showing up. The hobby is growing fast. Online card sales tracked by Card Ladder reached $481M in a single month . Companies are expanding. Infrastructure is growing....

Many collectors think running a card business starts with inventory. Matt from 941 Sports Cards will tell you it starts with people. In this episode of Passion to Profession, Brett sits down with Matt to talk about how a hobby side project turned into a growing sports card operation built on live breaking, community, and relationships. Matt shares how he moved from ripping boxes in a small room at...

What does it mean to collect a franchise player? In this episode of The WNBA Card Podcast, Katelyn sits down with Mike (@mikeksportscards) to talk about building a collection around greatness. The conversation centers on A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart. Two players who define the present era of the WNBA. Two players whose dominance shapes how collectors think about cards. Mike shares how he began...

Adam and Ryan open Episode 10 with a week that flipped expectations heading into WrestleMania. Cody Rhodes walks away with the championship after a result that few fans expected. The hosts break down the booking decision and what it means for collectors who track championship momentum and long term hobby demand tied to top WWE stars.  The conversation then shifts to one of the biggest hobby announ...

Free agency opened the floodgates across the NFL and collectors felt it immediately. On Episode 38 of The Football Card Podcast, Pack and Brett break down how roster moves ripple through the football card market. From Travis Kelce returning to Kansas City to quarterback movement across the league, they explore what actually moves collector demand and why hype often follows opportunity. They also t...

Card Ladder tracked $481 million in online card sales in one month . Most collectors see the cards. This episode looks at the system behind the number. Brett reverse engineers the $481M month by examining the infrastructure that allows collectors to transact at scale. Marketplaces, pricing data, grading, and vaults all play a role in building the trust required for buyers and sellers to complete t...

Every collector has a card that got away. In this episode, Brett shares the story of a card that came back around. Earlier this year he lost the 2020 Crown Royale Crystal Platinum Tyrese Haliburton 1/1 at auction after spending hours researching it and building conviction around the card. Then the card appeared again. A second chance. Brett breaks down what happened next and explores the psycholog...

In Episode 20 of The Staging Area , Brett McGrath and Tory from dcsports87 discuss the current state of the consignment market. The conversation starts with several notable sales across the hobby. A 1954 Bowman Mickey Mantle PSA 8 set an all-time high at $23,700. A 2013 BBM Shohei Ohtani promo PSA 9 jumped from $3,500 to nearly $20,000. An Aaron Judge Bowman Draft Chrome Auto PSA 10 sold for $7,50...

Tommy Lasorda didn’t inherit a card business. He got fired during the pandemic and decided to bet on himself. In this episode of Passion to Profession, sponsored by eBay, Tommy shares how he went from working as a breaker in someone else’s shop to launching Lasorda’s Card House in March 2025 We talk about: Why he walked away from allocation and buys only what his customers want How repacks, done r...

Season 4 reaches its midpoint with a solo episode from Katelyn (@coldlunchcards).  The topic is nostalgia and how it shapes the way collectors approach WNBA cards. Many collectors chase rookie cards. That is a bet on the future. Many collectors chase early legends. That is a connection to the past. But the WNBA sits in a different position than most leagues. The league began in 1997. Many collecto...

WrestleMania season changes everything. On this episode of Booked to Last , Adam and Ryan break down the full impact of Elimination Chamber and the release of 2025 WWE Universe. They dig into: Why Randy Orton and Rhea Ripley winning matters for collectors The real hobby impact of WrestleMania storylines Whether WWE Universe is a true win or just hype Why event-worn relics change the long-term valu...

On this episode of The Football Card Podcast, Pack and Brett open Season 4 with momentum. Since their last recording, the hobby has seen 54 six-figure sales and two multi-million dollar sales. Only three were football cards. That gap sparks a bigger conversation. They break down massive 1997 Metal Universe PMG Green sales, including Brett Favre, Jerry Rice, and Dan Marino, and what those numbers m...

What happens to your collection when your player goes down? In this Collector Conversation, I sit down with Rodney (@enjoycards_ig) to talk about what it’s really like to collect Tyrese Haliburton during a lost season. We revisit the Game 7 injury. The shock. The numbness. The reality of a gap year. Then we dig into the cards. Does an injury change your conviction? Do you slow down or lean in? Are...

Why do some cards stick with you while others fade? It is not the chrome. It is not the serial number. It is not even the grade. It is the story. In this flagship episode, I break down one core thesis. The card is the object. The story is the asset. We talk about: Why narrative shapes attention, memory, and belief How peak moments and ending moments drive remembered value Why provenance carries a...

Signal vs Substance. What really holds this hobby together? In this episode of Card Ladder Confidential, Brett is joined by Kristina and Josh from Card Ladder to talk about what’s driving collecting right now and what actually lasts. They unpack the West Coast Card Show and why a sports-only format changed the energy in the room. They talk about why the Card Ladder booth has become a landing spot...

Ryan Bannister has been in cards for more than three decades. He opened RBICru7 in 2012 with borrowed money, a small space, and a willingness to grind seven days a week. Fourteen years later, he owns the building his shop sits in and has built one of the most respected brands in the hobby.  In this episode of Passion to Profession, Ryan shares: Why character is a business advantage The sacrifices...

In this episode of The WNBA Card Podcast, Katelyn is joined by Joy (@herasportscards) to break down the second half of the Rittenhouse era from 2010 to 2018. This was a collector’s market. Most years had print runs of 500 cards. One year had only 225 rookie base cards. On-card autos. Limited supply. Minimal hype. Joy shares her journey back into the hobby, how community shaped her collecting, and...

This week on Booked to Last, Adam Gellman and Ryan from RBICru7 unpack one of the biggest moments in wrestling card history. Randy Orton walked into RBICru7 for Rip Night and stayed for over two hours. He signed for every fan. He answered every question. He took selfies. He even studied Ryan’s personal collection and talked comps. What does it mean when your GOAT shows up at your shop and delivers...