Sports Cards Live

This episode picks up right where the last one left off.

Only this time the book is no longer an idea on a screen. It is sitting in my hands.

About thirty minutes after Amazon dropped off the very first physical copy of POPs and COMPs, I jumped onto a live stream and hit record. No script, no planning, just raw reaction to seeing months of work turn into an actual finished object with my name on the cover.

The audio is not perfect because I forgot to pull the microphone in front of me, but the moment is real. You hear the excitement, the disbelief, and the first impressions as I flip through the pages and realize this thing actually exists.

I also talk about the messy path to publishing, the pricing mistake I made right out of the gate, and how strange it feels to move from writer on a laptop to author holding a book. It is part celebration, part behind the curtain look, and part thank you to the people who helped along the way.

POPs and COMPs is now available on Amazon.
Visit HobbySpectrum dot com to take the assessment and join the directory.
Email anytime at sportscardsliveshow at gmail dot com.
Next Sports Cards Live livestream on YouTube February 21.
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This is a special solo episode, and it’s a personal one.

I’m looking back on 2025 as a year that quietly changed my life. Not because one huge thing happened overnight, but because a few small decisions snowballed into momentum I didn’t see coming.

In this episode, I take you behind the scenes on what shifted for me, how my routine changed, and why that change ended up fueling my biggest creative stretch yet. It’s the story of how two major projects took shape in parallel, how the ideas actually formed, and what it felt like to build while still showing up every week for the hobby.

I also share a few lessons from the process: what surprised me, what I underestimated, what I had to learn the hard way, and why I’m walking into 2026 with more clarity than I’ve had in years.

If you’ve ever felt stuck, overcommitted, or like you’re sitting on an idea you can’t quite bring to life yet, this one will hit.

Search POPs and COMPs on Amazon.
Visit HobbySpectrum dot com to request access, take the assessment, and join the directory.
Email me anytime: sportscardsliveshow at gmail dot com.
Next Sports Cards Live livestream on YouTube: February 21.

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This solo episode digs into a question that sits underneath so many hobby arguments. Is the sports card market actually an efficient market?

We start with the basics and define what market efficiency really means. Not the casual version people throw around, but the economic definition used for stocks and commodities. Then we look at the ideas of market equilibrium and rational behavior and ask a simple question. Do sports cards behave anything like those systems?

From there the episode compares cards to markets that are considered efficient, like equities and commodities, and then to markets that feel much closer to our own, such as fine art and luxury goods. Along the way we talk about information gaps, inconsistent grading, thin liquidity, private sales that never hit the comps, and why two cards with the same grade can live in completely different price universes.

There are real threats that come from this inefficiency. Hype cycles burn collectors, bad comps mislead buyers, and new entrants often assume the hobby works like the stock market with pictures. But there are also huge opportunities. Knowledge becomes an edge. Taste matters. Patience gets rewarded. Relationships actually move deals in ways no financial market ever would.

The episode wraps with a simple conclusion. The sports card market is not perfectly rational and it is not purely irrational. It is human. And that might be exactly why many of us love it.

Email your thoughts to sportscardsliveshow at gmail dot com.
Pick up the book POPs and COMPs on Amazon by searching the title.
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Join the next Sports Cards Live stream on YouTube February 21.
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In this solo episode, I slow things down and explore a question that sits at the center of how many of us collect:
do you like cards because they’re expensive, or do you like cards that are expensive?

I talk about price as a signal, price as validation, and why using value as a scoreboard can quietly shape our preferences without us realizing it. I also dig into the difference between owning a one-of-one and owning a card that others own too, and why shared ownership can sometimes be more fulfilling than absolute uniqueness.

This episode touches on collecting as a social experience, the role of community and connection, and why owning the same card as someone else can create a sense of belonging that price alone can’t explain. From card bros to family bonding, collecting together adds a layer of meaning that doesn’t show up on a price chart.

This isn’t about right or wrong ways to collect. It’s about asking better questions and understanding why certain cards matter to us when they do.

If this kind of thinking resonates with you, these are the same themes explored more deeply in my upcoming book Pops and Comps, available mid-February.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Agree or disagree, feel free to reach out directly at [email protected].

Join us live on Saturday, February 21st, and we’ll be back to the regular podcast format shortly after that. If you enjoy the show, please consider telling a friend, leaving a rating, or sharing the episode.

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In this solo episode, I slow things down and talk through my personal collection policies, or PC policies, and why I’ve chosen to put certain boundaries in place around what I collect and what I don’t.

These aren’t rules meant for anyone else. They’re filters I’ve developed over time to help me stay focused, intentional, and aligned with my own taste in a hobby where it’s very easy to drift or overspend. I share how some of these policies came to be, how they’ve evolved, and how a few of them led to outcomes I never expected.

This episode isn’t about telling anyone how to collect. It’s about understanding yourself as a collector, the tradeoffs you’re willing to make, and why having constraints can sometimes open more doors than they close. I also talk about when policies make sense, when they don’t, and why buying what simply catches your eye can still be a perfectly valid approach.

If you agree, disagree, or have your own PC policies, I’d love to hear from you.

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