Sports Cards Live

Steve Taft has been collecting, dealing, researching, and studying sports cards since the 1960s, making him one of the hobby's true veterans and one of the foremost experts on Star basketball cards.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Jeremy and Steve explore the evolution of the hobby from the early card shows of the 1970s through the modern grading era. They discuss how collecting has changed, whether investing has overtaken collecting, the rise of third-party grading, and why condition standards evolved the way they did.

Steve also shares the remarkable story behind the original production transparency used to create the iconic 1984-85 Star Michael Jordan #101 card. A newly formed LLC is attempting to sell the one-of-one piece of hobby history with a reported **$25 million asking price**, raising fascinating questions about provenance, rarity, and value.

The conversation then dives deep into the history of Star basketball cards, the Type 1 versus Type 2 controversy, counterfeit detection, PSA's decades-long decision not to grade Star cards, Nat Turner's role in changing that policy, and Steve's own work consulting with grading companies and NBA attorneys.

They also tackle one of the hobby's longest-running debates: Is the 1984-85 Star Michael Jordan #101 truly Jordan's rookie card?

Whether you're a longtime collector, a vintage enthusiast, or simply fascinated by hobby history, this episode offers a rare perspective from someone who has spent decades at the center of one of the hobby's most enduring debates.

Sports cards is a lifestyle.

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Joe Hollywood joins Sports Cards Live for a recorded conversation about his rise in the hobby, his role in the new sports memorabilia documentary Sign, Sealed and Delivered, and the journey from childhood collector to one of the biggest live-selling personalities in sports cards.

Jeremy and Joe talk about Joe’s early appearance in Woody Allen’s Radio Days, trading Garbage Pail Kids with Seth Green, building a breaking business from the basement, creating community on Whatnot, dealing with trolls, the entertainment side of breaking, responsible buying, and whether breaking is helping or hurting the hobby.

They also get into the behind-the-scenes reality of running a massive live-stream operation, why passion still matters, and what people misunderstand most about Joe Hollywood.

Sports cards is a lifestyle.

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Who ultimately determines the value of a sports card—the grading company or the collectors themselves?

In the concluding segment of this conversation, Jeremy, MattyC, David Chase, and Joshua Adams continue exploring the evolving role of eye appeal, grading, and collector opinion in today's hobby.

Topics include:

• Why Jeremy chooses not to submit cards for grading
• The philosophy behind buying eye appeal instead of chasing grades
• Using Eye Appeal Inc. to compare cards before making a purchase
• Community-driven card evaluation versus traditional grading
• Whether grading standards have changed over time
• Future features planned for Eye Appeal Inc.
• Questions from the live audience about submissions, raw cards, scans, stickers, and IQ+

The episode wraps up with final thoughts before everyone heads to The National, along with updates on upcoming Sports Cards Live programming, Fanatics Collect giveaways, The Hangover, and Enter the Inferno.

Whether you agree or disagree with the panel's perspective, this discussion challenges collectors to think critically about how they evaluate cards—and why.

📊 Submit your cards to iAppeal Inc.https://www.iappealinc.com

📊 Take the Hobby Spectrum Assessmenthttps://www.hobbyspectrum.com

📖 Pops and Compshttps://www.amazon.com/POPS-COMPS-Insights-Psychology-Numbers/dp/1069808903

🛒 Support the channel through Fanatics Collecthttps://fanaticscollect.onelink.me/xx0N/iyiniif4

👍 If you enjoy thoughtful hobby conversations, please like the video, subscribe to the channel, and join us live every Saturday night for another episode of Sports Cards Live.
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Does the number on the slab really tell the whole story?

The Sports Cards Live panel continues its discussion with MattyC of Eye Appeal Inc., David Chase, and Joshua Adams as we explore one of the hobby's most fascinating questions:

How much should eye appeal matter?

Topics include:

• Why collectors often disagree with technical grades
• Should eye appeal ever become part of the grading standard?
• Why many collectors intentionally pursue low-grade cards with exceptional presentation
• The philosophy behind IQ+ and collector-driven evaluation
• How transparency differs from traditional grading models
• Why beautiful PSA 1s and PSA 2s are commanding record-breaking prices

We also examine remarkable sales of iconic vintage cards whose visual appeal dramatically exceeded what their technical grades suggested, raising important questions about how collectors value condition today.

If you've ever looked at two cards with the same grade and thought, "These don't belong in the same holder," this conversation is for you.

📊 Submit your cards to iAppeal Inc.https://www.iappealinc.com

📊 Take the Hobby Spectrum Assessmenthttps://www.hobbyspectrum.com

📖 Pops and Compshttps://www.amazon.com/POPS-COMPS-Insights-Psychology-Numbers/dp/1069808903

🛒 Support the channel through Fanatics Collecthttps://fanaticscollect.onelink.me/xx0N/iyiniif4

👍 If you enjoy thoughtful hobby conversations, please like the video, subscribe to the channel, and join us live every Saturday night for another episode of Sports Cards Live.
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MattyC returns to Sports Cards Live for his first appearance in nearly a year to discuss the evolution of Eye Appeal Inc. and why collector opinion deserves a seat at the table alongside third-party grading.

We discuss:

• The vision behind Eye Appeal Inc.
• Why eye appeal is about more than a single grader's opinion
• The power of community-driven card evaluation
• How IQ+ scores and collector reviews are changing the conversation
• Why transparency matters in card grading
• Building a platform that's free, open, and centered around collectors

Matty also shares stories from his Hollywood career, including writing Paid in Full, Rambo: Last Blood, creating the Netflix series Absentia, and his upcoming feature film set in the sports card hobby.

Joining the conversation are David Chase and Joshua Adams as we explore how collectors evaluate cards differently and why those different perspectives make the hobby stronger.

📊 Submit your cards to iAppeal Inc.https://www.iappealinc.com

📊 Take the Hobby Spectrum Assessmenthttps://www.hobbyspectrum.com

📖 Pops and Compshttps://www.amazon.com/POPS-COMPS-Insights-Psychology-Numbers/dp/1069808903

🛒 Support the channel through Fanatics Collecthttps://fanaticscollect.onelink.me/xx0N/iyiniif4

👍 If you enjoy thoughtful hobby conversations, please like the video, subscribe to the channel, and join us live every Saturday night for another episode of Sports Cards Live.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices