Introduction: When Panini Dropped the Hobby’s Mic Imagine being a collector in 2012. The NBA is stacked with talent. We’ve got LeBron deep in his Miami Heat reign, Kobe still putting on Mamba clinics, and a rookie class that looks like it was handpicked by the cardboard gods: Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard, Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie…

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Introduction: The Hobby Before 1989 Let’s set the scene. In 1989, baseball card collecting was already booming. Kids were ripping wax packs of Topps, Fleer, and Donruss, building sets with gum-stained fingers, and trading “commons” on the playground like a second currency. The hobby was fun, affordable, and… a little stale. Topps, Fleer, and Donruss…

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Intro: When Card Collecting Went Luxe If trading cards were luxury cars, 2003 Exquisite would be a blacked-out Rolls-Royce Phantom—sumptuous, rare, and leaving the rest of the hobby in its dust. Debuting in the 2003–04 season, Upper Deck went all-in on premium. These cards came in wooden boxes, just five cards each, with serial numbering,…

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Introduction: When Football Card Collecting Got Its Cheer Chant If the card hobby were a stadium, 1989 Score Football is the roaring crowd that made it feel alive. It marks not just the set’s debut for Score, but a seismic shift in the late-80s football card scene—which had been dominated by Topps and the fledgling…

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The Complete Guide to Mickey Mantle Cards — The Hobby King If Michael Jordan is the GOAT of basketball cards, then Mickey Mantle is the cardboard Babe Ruth of baseball cards. He’s the guy your dad, your grandpa, and probably your grandpa’s drinking buddy all said was “the one you wanted to pull.” Mantle isn’t…

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Alright, hobby fam — today we’re diving deep into a question I get all the time: “Should I put my collecting budget into vintage sports cards… or go after vintage non-sports stuff?” It’s a fair question, because both lanes have some absolute grails, both can be crazy fun to chase, and both have their pros,…

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The Ultimate 1980s Michael Jordan Card Guide — From True Rookies to Weird Oddballs Alright hobby fam, let’s talk about His Airness — Michael Jeffrey Jordan — the GOAT, the guy who made basketball cool worldwide, and the man who has somehow convinced generations of collectors to mortgage a kidney for cardboard with his face…

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Fanatics Fest is back in 2025 and I’m excited to hit NYC with my wife this year, after missing last year. As a sports card content creator, my big question is will Fanatics (who owns Topps), have success converting over the casual sports fans over to sports card and/or collectibles collectors. Since Fanatics has entered…

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Here’s a detailed guide on how to find both vintage and modern sports cards across all sports on eBay, whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned collector: 🔎 How to Find Vintage & Modern Sports Cards on eBay (All Sports) eBay is one of the largest marketplaces for sports cards, offering everything from 19th-century tobacco…

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The Origins of Baseball Card Collecting: From Tobacco Packs to Topps Empire Baseball card collecting is one of America’s most enduring hobbies. What began as a humble marketing tool has transformed into a multi-billion-dollar industry, capturing the imagination of generations. The history of baseball cards reflects not just the evolution of a hobby, but also…

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