Stacking Slabs

The market is running. Prices are climbing. Headlines are everywhere.
And yet… the smartest collectors aren’t chasing.
In this episode of Card Ladder Confidential, I sit down with Card Ladder team members Chris McGill and Josh Johnson to break down what’s really happening right now.

We start with the data.
February recorded $481M in online card sales. An all-time high. 

But numbers don’t tell the full story.

We get into:
 Why rising prices without clear reasoning should make you pause 
 How new collectors are entering fast and burning out faster 
 Why patience is the edge no one talks about 
 What experienced collectors are doing instead of chasing 
 How to think about “zagging” when everyone else is piling in 
 The strategy behind buying non-rookies, obscure 1/1s, and overlooked sets 
This isn’t a hype conversation.
It’s a reality check.
If you’re feeling the pressure to keep up, this episode will help you slow down and make better decisions.

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On this episode of Passion to Profession, Brett sits down with Bryan Thiessenhusen, CEO of Black Gold 
Sports Cards.

Bryan didn’t start with an advantage. He started with tubs of cards, a full-time accounting job, and a willingness to take risk.

What followed was a fast build.

He turned grading prep into revenue.
Turned live streaming into scale.
Turned a side hustle into a 30+ person operation.

In this conversation, Bryan breaks down:
 How he used his accounting background to build systems and track every dollar 
 Why being early and doing what others avoid created momentum 
 The role of content in driving growth and attention 
 What most people get wrong about risk, work ethic, and scaling in the hobby 
 How culture and trust became the foundation of Black Gold 
This is a conversation about building something real.

If you’re collecting, operating, or thinking about turning your passion into a business, this one will make you think.

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Get your free copy of Collecting For Keeps: Finding Meaning In A Hobby Built On Hype
Get exclusive content, promote your cards, and connect with other collectors who listen to the pod today by joining the Patreon: Join Stacking Slabs Podcast Patreon
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With Ryan out this week, Adam Gellman is joined by Jamison Long of Port City Sports Collectibles to talk wrestling cards from a different angle.

Jamison has built one of the fastest growing card shops in the country. He also collects at a high level. That combination creates a different lens on the hobby.

They cover:
• What changes when you go from collector to shop owner
• Why most collectors misunderstand wax pricing
• The importance of community inside a card shop
• WWE Chrome debut patches and why they matter
• Big recent sales and what they signal about the market

The conversation also hits WWE storylines, prospecting, and how new stars like Oba Femi are impacting collector behavior.
This episode is a reminder that the hobby is not only about big cards. It is about how you show up, what you chase, and how long you can stay in it.

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Pack and Brett open Episode 40 with a real-time hobby mystery.

A stolen 2025 Prizm Gold Lance Briggs resurfaces across state lines. The hunt is on. Questions start stacking. How many cards disappear before they ever hit public data?

From there, the conversation shifts to what collectors are feeling right now.

The pressure.
The speed.
The constant sense of missing out.
They break down why the hobby feels like a sprint even when everyone says it’s a marathon.

The episode also covers:
• The gap between data and decision-making
• Why social media is distorting collector behavior
• When to sell and how to think about consolidation
• Big recent sales including a $31K Gronk Prizm Gold and a $90K Brady 

They close with a reminder most collectors need to hear:
You don’t need every card.
You need the right ones.

Check out Card Ladder the official data partner of Stacking Slabs
Follow The Football Card Podcast on Instagram for memes and stuff.
Get your free copy of Collecting For Keeps: Finding Meaning In A Hobby Built On Hype

Get exclusive content, promote your cards, and connect with other collectors who listen to the pod today by joining the Patreon: Join Stacking Slabs Podcast Patreon
[Distributed on Sunday] Sign up for the Stacking Slabs Weekly Rip Newsletter using this link
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