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Welcome to the Stacking Slabs, a podcast for sports cards collectors. There's been a tremendous amount of change to our Hobby over the last few years and the one constant has been the passion from the collecting community. Stacking Slabs is built by the collector and lives to tell stories for the collector.
Welcome back to Stacking Slabs, your hobby content alternative. I'm Brett. What makes something collectible? That is the question that I am wrestling with heading into another soon to be vibrant year in the hobby. Always think these questions that always exist and perhaps I've responded to in the past should be revisited.
I'm thinking a lot about collectability in this space, mostly from the lens of observing and analyzing what is flooding my feed and trying to get some understanding if what is flooding my feed is going to have the staying power and is made up of the attributes that will keep those cards in the picture for a long time. Most people talk about collectability after prices move. What I wanna do is talk about collectability, maybe even before the money shows up and what goes into it. I'm hoping that this episode can serve as somewhat of a framework episode, framing up hype versus collectibility, and unpacking the dilemma. Not everything that is hot today will be treasured tomorrow.
We've seen these cycles. We followed these corrections, and I continue to ask myself which items will hold long term value and why. The historical bubbles date back in collectibles. I am running Passionate Profession here on the Stacking Slabs network, and I've spent over a year talking to owners and operators of hobby businesses. In many cases, these owners and operators have been running these businesses ever since I was born.
We're talking about the eighties. And I can't help but continue when I hear the same name going coming up over and over again. Here, these collectors or owners who opened up these shops or stores or online presence, and they talk about reasons why, and they talk about different players. And the one name that continued to pop up last year was Greg Jeffries. And those collectors in the eighties were hoarding Greg Jeffries cards expecting a fortune down the road.
Now, obviously, many of you might not even know who Greg Jeffries is, but the hype didn't last long. Right? He had a decent run as a Major League Baseball player, but, you know, was caught in this era of oversupply and overproduction. So I think context is everything when we are thinking about what makes something collectible, and it is so easy to just get caught up in the moment. This episode is going to explore really what makes something collectible in the long run from concrete criteria, like scarcity and cultural significance to the psychology that collectors like us use to collect.
I'm hoping that this is something that you can find value from, and I know as I'm putting it together or have put it together, it gave me some new way of new way to answer or address a question like, what determines long term collectability? Now I think a foundational factor for collectability is really how rare or hard to find an item is. You know, we were collecting growing up. We were buying these cards, amassing these cards, thinking if we just hold them down the road, we're going to be rich and we can retire early. Well, the fact of the matter is is there was tremendous amount of oversupply, and we weren't fortunate enough to collect in this era where we had access to population reports.
We had information on the Internet. We were just going by the seat of our pants or what we read or what someone said at a hobby shop or conversations at different mall shows. If anyone and this is what I've learned, and I think it's pretty elementary, but it should be restated upfront. And that's if anyone can get it easily, it's certainly less collectible. Not everyone who wants one can have it.
That is typically what will drive collectability. You can't not think about the t two zero six Honus Wagner card that has been talked about so much recently with this card being a copy of this card being unearthed on the king of collectibles show. You know, 50 to 60 copies are known to exist, which makes it extremely scarce. The rarity has driven its value sky high. When copies come up, they sell for millions.
If you look at it from an art world perspective, there's one of a kind paintings, which is why original Picasso commands a fortune while his mass produced poster doesn't. These limited edition print runs make things collectible. Now scarcity alone isn't enough. It must be paired with demand. But when an item is both desired and scarce, it creates urgency and value.
Modern card companies understand this, or at least I hope they do, which is why they've introduced manufactured scarcity or serial numbering dating back to the nineties. Collectors should be wary of artificial scarcity, though. There's too many gimmicky limited editions that can backfire or variants that flood the market, and this is just something as active collectors in the hobby we should always take into account and into consideration. Collectibility is ultimately driven by desire. If no one wants an item, it won't hold value.
Items that tap into widespread interest, nostalgia, or cultural importance tend to have enduring demand. In cards, this means players with lasting fame, hall of famers, all time greats, iconic moment. A card becomes more than just cardboard. It represents something people care about. 52 mantle, often dubbed in our space as the holy grail.
It's valuable not because it's old, but because mantle is a Yankee legend, and that card itself has a certain aura about it. We've seen a the 52 mantles hit $12,000,000, shattering records. The price reflects how revered the card is amongst collectors. An item has long term collectability when it holds meaning beyond its material form. It can be nostalgia, historical importance, symbolic value to a community or subset within a community, and popular demand is the engine that keeps an item valuable decade after decade.
Now the story of cards, the provenance, the narrative appeal, humans are storytellers. The story is always the strategy. We're wired to not remember features, functionalities, nitty gritty things, but we always remember stories. And collectibles with a compelling story often rise above the rest. A rich narrative, historical context can turn an object into a conversation piece and then a coveted artifact.
Back to the t two zero six, Honus Wagner, it's not just rare. It has a famous backstory. The card was pulled from production early on. Legend says Wagner didn't want kids buying tobacco to get his card, so very few were issued. Whether it was principled opposition to smoking or contract dispute, the mystery adds to the card's allure.
Collectors love to recount why it's so scarce. Every time Wagner sells, headlines mention tobacco card controversy and its status as a piece of baseball lore. Similarly, a card might be the first of something which gives it narrative significance, and we as collectors love first. We love first sets. We love rookie cards.
We love first issues. And the more we can use first to tell the story, the stronger the perceived value in turn collectability is for those cards. A collectible that comes with the story has an intangible x factor that is purely hype that purely hype items usually lack. Stories create emotional connection, which feeds long term interest. You also have to look at authenticity and quality.
Collectors demand and desire trust. I've often said trust is the most important attribute that anybody can have in the hobby, whether it's a collector or a business owner. Collectors need trust that that what they have is the real deal, and they value items in a top condition. There's been a lot to be said about grading companies and authenticators, and oftentimes, people get upset in talking about these companies. But at the end of the day, these companies help authenticate items and provide us reassurance that they are in fact legit, and they are in fact pieces that we can justify spending money on.
Long term collectability requires this. We it requires the authenticity and the quality preservation. Without this, there is no trust and kind of all bets are off. Collectors will shun an item, but with trust, they'll invest deeply in it, not only financially, but maybe even more important, emotionally. You have to look at iconic status and recognition.
Some collectibles achieve legendary status within their domain. They become symbols of the hobby or the era. When an item is instantly recognizable as culturally iconic, it tends to hold its value or appreciate over time because generation after generation of collectors seek it out. Again, you go back to '52 mantle, t two zero six Wagner, 86 Fleer Jordan. That Jordan is widely seen as the card to own in basketball, not because it's the rarest.
There's many printed. I mean, you can see anyone open up a box of that and pull one. But because Jordan's legacy in that card status as his premier rookie issue make it a centerpiece of the hobby, it's culturally significant to sports fans. Even non collectors recognize that soaring image of Jordan. And during the recent surge, these Jordan PSA tens sold for $707,150,000 dollars, which is absolutely insane.
And even with a card like this, there's debate with inside of it. Well, how can it be Jordan's rookie card? And then this is where star examples get brought up, and then there's comparing and contrasting, and just intensifies the passionate holders of this card who view this as one of the most important assets in the hobby, and in turn, one of the most collectible cards in the space. People will always want a piece of cultural icons, whether it's a original painting or a famous rookie card. But truly collectible items often possess a flagship status in their own category.
They are the benchmarks that signify the best, the first, or the most meaningful of something. Those are the ones that remain in demand long after the fad or hype fade. The question that's really the surface at the surface and is inside the makeup in the DNA of almost every Stacking Slabs episode is why do we collect? What is the psychology behind what we do? And this is where you can turn to things like nostalgia and emotional connection, where many collectors collect because it's deeply personal.
It's about memories or identity, preserving childhood, the pride of ownership, remembering collecting with your dad or grandpa as a kid. The key is that the collectibles serve as intangible anchors for let me repeat that. The key is collectibles serve as tangible anchors for intangible feelings. It gives us comfort. Undeniably, there's the thrill of the hunt.
There is this idea of what we can't have and what makes us what we have to work for makes us want it more. You pair that with this completionist mindset. Collectors are trying to find a card for a specific set or a high grade. This ties to this feeling of achievement and control. We feel rewarded.
Think about that time you got a card that might not be the most prestigious card, however, it took you a while to get, and once you you got it, you felt like you won a marathon. These are the cards that stand out to us as our most collectible card. The hunt itself is rewarding. Going to card shows, flea markets, online auctions, or finding the elusive item gives us a sense of victory, and that motivation helps explain why limited series and clearly divine sets are so popular. They give collectors a game to play and finish.
There's obviously the social interaction and community, and this only has intensified as we spend more time scrolling on our phones and engaged in micro communities. And collecting isn't just a solitary pursuit. It creates community and social bonding. I struggle at times to connect with people from my past that aren't into cards because cards is so much of my identity and what I do. I do it professionally.
I do it for fun. It's mostly what I think about when I'm not with my family. And collectors love to share their knowledge and show off their finds. This camaraderie is infectious, and socially, collections can also be status signals or identity markers, and this can serve as cultural capital for us. These social elements and these interactions fuel the hobby.
Community and collectability feed each other. These communities elevate certain items as grails. Owning them owning those items further solidifies one place in a community. One of my favorite parts of this space is the mastery of the knowledge and identity, and serious collectors become experts in their niche. And those that find something or a category or a player or a pocket of the hobby specifically interesting or collectible tend to become subject matter experts because they just can't gather enough insight and information, and they have this curiosity that's burning.
And it becomes what they collect becomes part of their self identity, and people take pride in curating something that's significantly meaningful and unique to them. And that motive is generally positive. But there's also a dark side when it turns into obsession, and we've seen, you know, cases of hoarding and financial ruin where people collectors can't separate themselves from that obsession, but it's mostly positive. I think the more time you spent learning and educating yourself on stuff you love, the deeper you go into the hobby. I'm an individual who loves to learn.
And even when it wasn't subjects, like going to college and studying specific subjects, I tended to get tremendous joy and satisfaction over getting to the point where someone could hand me a test and ask me questions, and I had to respond to that. That motivates me, and I feel that times 100 in collecting because I love cards more than I do blue book tests. I think at the end of the day, one simple reason we collect is because it's fun, and it brings joy, and it makes our lives better. There's a deep satisfaction intangibly holding things that you love or admire, and collecting can provide stress relief, a creative outlet, and a sense of continuity in life. I don't know where I would be right now if it wasn't for collecting cards.
It fills up so much space. It fills up so much of my desire. I'm a collector, and I can't get enough. These drivers underscore why certain items become collectible in the first place. Think if an object taps into nostalgia or offers a fun chase or connects people or brings personal joy, it's likely to inspire a lasting collector base.
And without collectors, there's no collectability. It's the collector's motivations that breathe life into a market and an item. This is as true for sports cards as any other categories of collecting. We've talked about the Wagner. We've talked about the Mantle.
We talked about the Jordan. These are all cards that have withstood the test of time. These are all cards that have gone through different cycles, but these are all cards that collectors look at and collectors can't get enough of. And you there this doesn't this isn't just an pass thing. I think about o three, o four exquisite collection and the LeBron James rookie patch auto.
I think about the Tom Brady rookie ticket. These are more modern examples of this, and this is forming in real time. The key rookie cards, the rare inserts, the limited autographs of a player, these are all examples of cards that individuals over time view as highly collectible. You look in other worlds, in worlds that I study the habits of collectors but don't collect for myself, but you study the art world. And there's scarcity in art and that collector's desire.
There's recognition with name value, much like brand value for us as collectors where, you know, collectors are chasing Van Gogh paintings in the art world, and, you know, collectors in our world are chasing, you know, t two zero six cards or exquisite collection cards. There's cultural meaning and context behind collecting in sports cards and collecting in art. Art often derives value from cultural or historical meaning. You think about Picasso paintings and how they're powerful, not just because it's art, but the statement that is being made. It's similarly to a '71 tops Roberto Clemente.
His last issued his last card issued during his lifetime. It's not just a piece of a cardboard, but it represents the icon who transcended sports. Collectors value it partly for that historical context or a card like the 48, Jackie. Beyond Jackie's rookie, it represents the breaking of baseball's color barrier, a hugely significant cultural moment. These layers of meaning make such items more more than just collectibles.
They're artifacts. The art world recognized these artifacts of culture, painting, sculptures, etcetera, that carry narratives of human experience. You can look at sports memorabilia as increasingly being seen in the same light as pop cultural artifacts. That's why you see sports cards and jerseys in museums now. When we say a collectible has cultural currency, we mean it holds meaning in society that can be cashed in as monetary value.
If an item becomes symbolic of a community or an era, its collectible value endures. So what makes something collectible? I can assure you it's not just age, it's not just hype, and it's not just rarity by itself. The real recipe is a blend of meaning, demand, and scarcity sprinkled with compelling story and kept authentic and trustworthy. When evaluating if a sports card or collectible one will endure, you can ask yourself, is it limited in supply relative to interest?
Is there real lasting interest in it? Does it represent something bigger? And can collectors trust its value? For example, a rare card of a hall of famer with a great story checks all the boxes. That's a good bet to remain collectible.
Something that's mass produced tied to a one hit wonder or hyped without substance, those are the cards that will typically fizzle out. I think, ultimately, I wanted to put together this episode just as a reminder for me as I think about what makes something collectible as I'm on my own journey and spending money, and buying cards that I love. But I think it's a focus on what you truly enjoy and value, and to be mindful of the fundamentals. We lose sight of the fundamentals so often in this space. But the fundamentals are everything.
If you love a piece of sports history, sports card, and it has those collectible qualities, it's probably a sound item to collect. It will bring you joy and likely hold value. But be wary of chasing the latest hobby trend blindly, and there's going to be more of those trends coming at us at a rapid speed as values continue to go up and demand continues to increase. Serious collectors often say, and you've heard this a million times, collect what you love first because if the market drops, you'll still cherish the item. The good news is that the items that people genuinely love tend to be the ones that become the most valuable.
It's a self fulfilling cycle in a way. Whether it's the Wagner card or some famous painting, a game worn jersey, or some vintage item, the best collectibles that cap are those that capture a piece of the human experience, a memory, a story, a passion, and preserve them in tangible form. They have a bit of magic that transcends their material. That's why it's so hard to respond and so hard to wrap your head around this. If I did this episode this time next year, it'll sound completely different.
Although, some of the fundamentals will remain. A lot of the context might shift. As collectors, we hold those items we're holding that magic. That's what makes us seek them out and hold them tight. Collectibility at its heart is about connection and meaning.
That hype comes and goes, but connection will always remain, and that is what truly makes something collectible long after the bubble burst. I hope this got you to think about what you think is collectible, and your opinion might differ than mine. And that's okay. That's the fun part of this space. Diversity of thought, diversity of opinion, and the ability for all of us to come together and have a conversation about little pieces of cardboard that mean a whole heck of a lot to us.
Appreciate all of your support. Make sure you hit the follow button. Tell a damn friend. I'm having a blast sharing my thoughts and ideas on this space with you. Appreciate all the support.
We'll be back. Talk to you soon.