Exclusive autograph deals with names like LeBron James and Shohei Ohtani have changed the feeling around modern sports card products. Not everything, of course. You can still collect cheap cards. You can still build sets, collect teams, buy vintage, search dollar boxes, chase weird inserts, whatever. The hobby is still big enough for all of … Read more
I recently saw a Diego Maradona mural on the wall of a bar. That is not unusual. Maradona is still everywhere in football culture, especially when Napoli, Argentina, or the number 10 are part of the setting. What caught my attention was the painted signature next to the mural. This was obviously not a real … Read more
I saw the question again in a collector group the other night, and like always, the answers came fast. Wembanyama. Ohtani. Brady. Jordan. LeBron. Kobe. Mahomes. Curry. Giannis. Paul Skenes. Roman Anthony. Bobby Witt Jr. Cam Ward. Cooper Flagg. Harper. Tony Romo. Somebody even mentioned Wander Franco, which probably tells you enough about how chaotic … Read more
Today I want to look at a question that matters a lot in modern sports memorabilia: Are Fanatics COAs legit? I am using a real example from my own collection: a signed Victor Wembanyama basketball from Fanatics. Wembanyama is already one of the most important young names in basketball, and after becoming one of the … Read more
LeBron James autographs have always been among the most important signatures in the modern sports card market. But if you look closely, his autograph has not stayed the same over time. That is especially interesting now because new Topps cards have appeared with LeBron signatures that look noticeably different from what many collectors are used … Read more
Topps die-cut cards are beautiful, popular, and often highly collectible. But for anyone thinking about sending one to PSA, they also come with a very real problem: the corners. And not just four corners. That is the entire issue. A standard trading card has four corners. A die-cut card can easily have six, seven, eight, … Read more
Alexandra Eala is not the biggest server on tour, and her world ranking is not yet among the very best. But what she does have is something that can matter a lot in the collectibles market: a strong and passionate fan base. The player from the Philippines has already shown that she can draw real … Read more
Over the last few years, fake PSA slabs have become much more common across marketplaces, Facebook groups, trade forums, and private sales. A lot of collectors still assume that a PSA slab automatically guarantees authenticity, but after recently inspecting several counterfeit slabs in hand, I no longer think a certification number alone means very much … Read more
I bought my first 1/1 trading card. It is a Frank Thomas card, a Hall of Famer, with an on card autograph. With the Chicago White Sox he was a huge name, and that alone gives this card a lot of weight. The card comes from Topps Tier One 2022. A really nice hit that … Read more
It might be one of the best kept secrets in the modern trading card hobby. The so called Topps Super Short Print cards, or SSPs. They are chased, discussed, and often misunderstood. And the deeper you go, the more you realize that even experienced collectors struggle to define them clearly. What Is a Topps Super … Read more
