Advertise on podcast: The Hobby Handbook

We open up the Hobby Handbook this week with an update on the SCN Challenge, as we have a new leader: Alex! Trent remains in second, and Brendan will eventually be third. Alex and Trent both had big weekends at shows. Discussing why the market doesn't always respond rationally to new products. Looking at why rarity doesn't equal value in cards. Plus, the guys wrap up with their World Series predictions. 0:00 - SCN Challenge Update + Alex takes the top spot 9:20 - Trent’s big trade at a show this weekend for a big Ken Griffey Jr. auto 15:00 - Alex also went to a show and bought a box full of Ken Griffey Jr. singles 28:15 - Building relationships with people helps facilitate deals 34:30 - The market doesn’t always react rationally  36:55 - The most important thing a new collector can do is to watch people open boxes and get a good sense of what is cool or desirable. 42:00 - Is it a junk wax era? Not so much, but we could call it a junk parallel era.  56:55 - Rare doesn’t equal valuable, but cool cards always carry a premium 1:05:55 - World Series predictions Follow Sports Cards Nonsense: https://www.tiktok.com/@sportscardsnonsense https://www.instagram.com/sports_cards_nonsense/ https://x.com/SCN_Pod https://www.facebook.com/groups/sportscardsnonsense https://collectibleslife.beehiiv.com/subscribe https://scnchallenge.com/ https://linktr.ee/SportsCardsNonsense?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=5764ed98-4893-4eae-bf91-0bd89949ed99 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Caden Favors is in the Guardians system and also a big card collector. He joins Alex and Trent to discuss his baseball journey and his card-collecting journey. Then we get into how Topps Cosmic Baseball isn't an EQL Drop, making it hard for collectors to get their hands on it. Both Trent and Alex completely whiffed on the drop. So what can be done to improve this process? Alex and Trent try to dive into solutions. 0:00- Intro  3:30 - Caden Favors Intro 7:30 - The step up from AA to MLB 10:30 - No 1st Bowman - what’s the process for getting one? 14:10 - Caden is still chasing his first 1/1 15:20 - Who is Caden collecting? Ralphy Velasquez and Braylon Doughty. 21:45 - Lightning Round Questions 24:15 - Is Grading Dead? It seems like collectors are looking for cool cards again than worrying about the grade. 36:45 - Cosmic Baseball instantly doubled on eBay after release and wasn’t an EQL release. 41:05 - Crazy that Cosmic Baseball wasn’t an EQL 46:40 - The market sets the price, and the market is willing to buy Cosmic Baseball at $900 a box. Topps is below market; they just need to do a better job getting boxes into collectors' hands. 49:15 - SCN Challenge Update: Trent is lapping the field 58:00 - Alex is dealing with the issues of not having someone helping with shipping Follow Sports Cards Nonsense: https://www.tiktok.com/@sportscardsnonsense https://www.instagram.com/sports_cards_nonsense/ https://x.com/SCN_Pod https://www.facebook.com/groups/sportscardsnonsense https://collectibleslife.beehiiv.com/subscribe https://scnchallenge.com/ https://linktr.ee/SportsCardsNonsense?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=5764ed98-4893-4eae-bf91-0bd89949ed99 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex and Trent are back with another Hobby Handbook episode, and Trent has been listing cards like a madman on eBay the last few weeks. Alex and Trent go through some recent pickups. Trent is back on top of The SCN Challenge with Brendan right behind him. Plus, we go through MLB Postseason Buy or Sell! 0:00 - Intro + Update on Alex’s massive card lot he bought 4:00 - Trent has been listing like a madman on eBay thanks to Heystack.  9:45 - Some recent pickups for the MLB postseason  12:25 - Trent is leading the SCN Challenge  22:45 - Bowman Football release day - neither Alex nor Trent are that excited for Bowman  25:45 - Topps Cosmic Chrome baseball is coming out, and that is exciting for both 36:15 - Trent’s Postseason buy list for the AL Postseason.  49:10 - Favorite picks for AL: Camineiro and Rice 49:45 - Trent and Alex’s NL Picks 1:06:00 - Can Ohtani even see a postseason bump without a World Series win? Follow Sports Cards Nonsense: https://www.tiktok.com/@sportscardsnonsense https://www.instagram.com/sports_cards_nonsense/ https://x.com/SCN_Pod https://www.facebook.com/groups/sportscardsnonsense https://collectibleslife.beehiiv.com/subscribe https://scnchallenge.com/ https://linktr.ee/SportsCardsNonsense?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=5764ed98-4893-4eae-bf91-0bd89949ed99 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex and Trent are back, as Trent is leading the SCN Challenge after Week 2. Alex had to make his first waiver move in the SCN Challenge. Plus, we have an update on a new trend of fake cards and what one consignor is doing about it. Wrapping up with the mailbag: how long is too long to hold a card? 0:00 - Trent is now leading the SCN Challenge 4:30 - Will Alex’s move go through, and should he take a big loss? 12:15 - Alex is waiting on a shipment from Fanatics Collect, and it might be a while. 18:40 - DCSports87 puts out a statement on the fake cards that have been submitted to them. 30:00 - The chase for Fernando Mendoza Heritage red ink autos 33:55 - Mailbag! 43:30 - Strategies to recharge the batteries and not get overworked in the hobby. 50:45 - How long is too long to hold a card? Follow Sports Cards Nonsense: https://www.tiktok.com/@sportscardsnonsense https://www.instagram.com/sports_cards_nonsense/ https://x.com/SCN_Pod https://www.facebook.com/groups/sportscardsnonsense https://collectibleslife.beehiiv.com/subscribe https://scnchallenge.com/ https://linktr.ee/SportsCardsNonsense?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=5764ed98-4893-4eae-bf91-0bd89949ed99 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex and Trent are back, but what is with the slow breaks around Bowman Chrome? Alex bought a 100,000-card collection over the weekend and has spent most of the week sorting it out. What do you do with 100,000 cards? How many are worth re-selling? Plus, we get the latest on the Fanatics Collect Emanate debacle, and with grading taking forever and being so expensive, are raw cards cool again? 0:00 - Are we in a market lull, or are prices just too high? 9:00 - Alex bought a 100,000-card collection 16:50 - There’s a ton of Bowman in this collection that Alex picked up.  27:00 - Dealing with eBay listings, Alex is a self-described diva.  29:45 - How do you feel about eBay's authenticity guarantee?  40:00 - Alex and Trent have been buying singles on WhatNot and Fanatics Collect and have found surprisingly good results 45:20 - The Fanatics Collect Emanate debacle 54:30 - Are raw cards cool again, or are people just over paying high prices for grading? 59:40 - Alex’s rule for grading cards right now Follow Sports Cards Nonsense: https://www.tiktok.com/@sportscardsnonsense https://www.instagram.com/sports_cards_nonsense/ https://x.com/SCN_Pod https://www.facebook.com/groups/sportscardsnonsense https://collectibleslife.beehiiv.com/subscribe https://scnchallenge.com/ https://linktr.ee/SportsCardsNonsense?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=5764ed98-4893-4eae-bf91-0bd89949ed99 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With football season here, Drake from Jet Breakers steps in for Trent this week as he and Alex preview the upcoming season, look ahead to Topps Football products, and discuss what exactly football fans should be chasing in the new products. Plus, Drake grades Alex and Trent's teams in the SCN Challenge! 0:00 - Drake is filling in for Trent this week.  4:45 - Drake got into football cards because of his love of fantasy football.  8:00 - Paul Skenes and Jacob Misiorowski broke the mold in baseball; can the quarterback-focused market be broken in football? 15:20 - What happens if Fernando Mendoza doesn’t play in 2026?  20:00 - What products would you like to see come to the football side of the hobby? 24:30 - Drake looks at Alex’s SCN Challenge team and grades his 40:00 - Looking ahead to the football season and awards and how to use that in the market 59:00 - What do you think of Bowman football? 1:08:00 - Where does the football market go from here? 1:17:30 - The best answer for “What should I collect?” Follow Sports Cards Nonsense: https://www.tiktok.com/@sportscardsnonsense https://www.instagram.com/sports_cards_nonsense/ https://x.com/SCN_Pod https://www.facebook.com/groups/sportscardsnonsense https://collectibleslife.beehiiv.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A packed show with Alex and Trent. Trent's wife is getting into cards during his "funemployment." Alex is a maniac who placed 500 bids on eBay over the last 24 hours. Diving into why pitchers just don't retain their hobby relevance as long as hitters. Plus, Sapphire products hold up after the initial hype. Wrapping up with a rising market and why yesterday's price isn't always today's price when comps keep going up. 0:00 - Trent is still funemployed for another week, and his wife is now getting into cards. 4:45 - Alex has spent a lot of time sourcing cards this week. He placed over 500 bids on cards this week.  10:00 - A debate about Sapphire and how it holds up 12:30 - Sapphire Update: Basketball comes out at an outrageous price. 16:00 - Bowman Chrome releases next week! 28:45 - Trent doesn’t chase Bowman for the prospects; he chases the fun inserts and SSPs 30:30 - SGC is now unusable as a grading service after the latest service update.  36:55 - Topps brought Instant Rips to Topps Chrome Black 46:00 - Debut Patch Autos should all be redemptions  53:50 - Kade Anderson called up, and his pricing isn’t up; it is so hard for pitchers to hold value long-term. Plus, looking at Paul Skenes’s season.  58:30 - Going through all the pitcher phenoms that fizzled out after a few years.  1:02:00 - When someone has an award locked up, it’s already too late to buy in on the hype, but it does make a good selling opportunity.  1:10:10 - When markets are heating up, if you’re not willing to overpay the last comp, you won’t win. Follow Sports Cards Nonsense: https://www.tiktok.com/@sportscardsnonsense https://www.instagram.com/sports_cards_nonsense/ https://x.com/SCN_Pod https://www.facebook.com/groups/sportscardsnonsense https://collectibleslife.beehiiv.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A busy show on the Hobby Handbook as Trent and Alex open up, discussing their pickups of the week and why people are sleeping on platforms that aren't eBay. Carl Abrams joins to discuss the GPK x MLB market. Plus, we look at Flagship Football and why everyone is wrong about it and why the Fernando Mendoza All Kings being redemptions is actually good. 0:00 - Pickups of the Week 8:00 - Why buying singles on platforms like Fanatics Collect is great because some people don’t look outside of monster cards 9:45 - Topps is sending out multiple redemptions to the same people and mistakes do happen 17:30 - Introducing Carl Abrams 19:30 - The growth of the GPK market 29:00 - Topps continues to find a balance with inserts/case hits 33:00 - Looking at the GPK market and the differences between each series 41:50 - GPK thoughts 45:15 - Trent is a football guy now? 49:50 - People are missing the point of Flagship Football 53:20 - Fernando Mendoza has redemptions for All Kings 54:40 - The one card you could remove from hobby history 1:06:20 - Pop Counts Don’t Matter As Much As People Think Follow Sports Cards Nonsense: https://www.tiktok.com/@sportscardsnonsense https://www.instagram.com/sports_cards_nonsense/ https://x.com/SCN_Pod https://www.facebook.com/groups/sportscardsnonsense https://collectibleslife.beehiiv.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trent is back, teaming up with Alex, and he made some big pickups while he was out. Alex and Trent debate a Mega Box vs. Logofractor box. Why you should buy cards of PC players from lesser sets. Plus, Alex visited one of the worst-run card shops in the country and lived to tell the tale. We wrap up with some thoughts on best practices for being a vendor at a card show. 0:00 - Trent is back and made some big pickups 5:00 - Topps Chrome Mega Box vs. Logofractor 13:10 - Topps Chrome is an investment-level set, but if you just want an auto from someone, look at other lower-end sets 17:10 - Alex reacts to one of the worst shops he’s been to 36:25 - Alt having the bounty auction for the Cooper Flagg Rookie Debut Patch Auto 1:00:00 - Card show etiquette for vendors buying cards Follow Sports Cards Nonsense: https://www.tiktok.com/@sportscardsnonsense https://www.instagram.com/sports_cards_nonsense/ https://x.com/SCN_Pod https://www.facebook.com/groups/sportscardsnonsense https://collectibleslife.beehiiv.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex is back solo this week with Trent in Mexico enjoying his time off. He dives into something that came up on The Ballcard Show last week - are comps dead? Plus, educating and protecting yourself in the hobby. 0:00 - Intro 9:00 - Are Comps Dead? 17:00 - Buying/Selling and how to use comps in negotiations 19:50 - We are moving away from “Comps are everything” because of how quickly things change 21:00 - Theft in the hobby 25:00 - Protecting your investments in the hobby and the importance of security and insurance. 33:40 - Education in the hobby is a tough conversation with friends and family trying to re-enter the hobby Follow Sports Cards Nonsense: https://www.tiktok.com/@sportscardsnonsense https://www.instagram.com/sports_cards_nonsense/ https://x.com/SCN_Pod https://www.facebook.com/groups/sportscardsnonsense https://collectibleslife.beehiiv.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex and Trent are back from Rosemont after a week at The National. We look back at what worked and what didn't in and around The National. Plus, plans to make it bigger next year? We dive into pricing around The National and whether it was as bad as some people said. Pickups of the show, Silver Packs, Grading, and so much more! 0:00 - Intro and back from The National 9:00 - The National could be bigger and better next year, but how could it be bigger? 12:00 - How was pricing at The National? 22:20 - Grading at the National 29:00 - Pickups of the Show 42:00 - Meeting Gronk and Bo Jackson 50:00 - Topps Silver Packs 58:25 - What could have been better? 1:03:00 - Trent finally got his massive Judge 1:06:00 - Wrap up with Topps Chrome Update Basketball Release. Follow Sports Cards Nonsense: https://www.tiktok.com/@sportscardsnonsense https://www.instagram.com/sports_cards_nonsense/ https://x.com/SCN_Pod https://www.facebook.com/groups/sportscardsnonsense https://collectibleslife.beehiiv.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A jam-packed Hobby Handbook today as Alex and Trent are back from Fanatics Fest, prepping for The National, and also getting ready for the 2026 Topps Chrome Baseball release day. 0:00 - Everyone is back from Fanatics Fest 7:00 - Is it okay to have cards that aren't for sale in your showcase? 14:00 - Favorite pickups from the show 23:20 - Favorite moments from Fanatics Fest 38:55 - Darren Rovell’s hot take and why it was so wrong 46:25 - Topps Chrome Baseball Release Day 48:30 - Ohtani Back-to-Back Dual Logoman vs. ‘52 Mantle  51:45 - Alex blind ranks the rookies in 2026 Topps Chrome 56:30 - What do we think of The Minions SPs?  1:02:30 - The National Plans Follow Sports Cards Nonsense: https://www.tiktok.com/@sportscardsnonsense https://www.instagram.com/sports_cards_nonsense/ https://x.com/SCN_Pod https://www.facebook.com/groups/sportscardsnonsense https://collectibleslife.beehiiv.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex and Trent play a game where they start with $20 and a list of 15 players. They each need to build a PC of five players with their $20. Unfortunately for Trent, the exercise does not go well for him. 0:00 - Fanatics Fest week is here, and Trent is no longer staying at The Meadowlands 3:00 - The reactions to Topps’ announcement about unsealed mega boxes make no sense.  10:00 - Getting ready for Fanatics Fest later this week 18:00 - Spend $20 for a PC collection of 5 players 32:00 - Shohei Ohtani Bowman RC Update 39:00 - The under-the-radar stars like Ben Rice and Yordan Alvarez  44:00 - Topps Chrome Baseball Releases next week 58:00 - Grading vs. selling after Topps Chrome releases Follow Sports Cards Nonsense: https://www.tiktok.com/@sportscardsnonsense https://www.instagram.com/sports_cards_nonsense/ https://x.com/SCN_Pod https://www.facebook.com/groups/sportscardsnonsense https://collectibleslife.beehiiv.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It is very rare we get breaking news in the middle of a show, but after a major Topps announcement, we break down what their new pilot program with 2025-26 Topps Chrome Update Basketball mega boxes means. Plus, going through card show etiquette, the mailbag, and more! 0:00 - Alex is back and Trent’s Story about Facebook 10:00 - Alex’s buying habits on Fanatics Collect might be changing if they have fixed shipping 15:50 - Alex’s game for Trent on Ohtani cards 25:00 - Topps Finest Releases Today 35:40 - Topps Chrome Update Basketball and the rookie debut chase 40:00 - Card Show Etiquette  42:00 - Buying for your PC and your collection  55:25 - What do you think of the concept of flippers vs. scalpers 1:03:20 - Knowing card prices will help you so much at a card show so you don’t waste time looking up comps 1:09:00 - Breaking Topps announcement about Topps Chrome Update Follow Sports Cards Nonsense: https://www.tiktok.com/@sportscardsnonsense https://www.instagram.com/sports_cards_nonsense/ https://x.com/SCN_Pod https://www.facebook.com/groups/sportscardsnonsense https://collectibleslife.beehiiv.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Hobby Handbook this week, Alex has another consulting session, this time with Zack's Bowman Hacks! 0:00 - Intro to Zack and his business 4:50 - Selling cards, but not live selling or at card shows, and a move to full-time in cards. 10:00 - The reality of being a live-seller and how Zack is trying to balance life and also sell cards 16:10 - How Zack uses Bowman to fuel his business and how he picks which prospects to chase.  24:00 - The benefit of buying at a card show and how Zack is slowly shifting his process. 33:00 - How to become a live seller and Alex helps Zack with questions 47:45 - Setting up your space to live stream and sell. 49:40 - “Don’t let your pursuit of perfection prevent progress” Follow Sports Cards Nonsense: https://www.tiktok.com/@sportscardsnonsense https://www.instagram.com/sports_cards_nonsense/ https://x.com/SCN_Pod https://www.facebook.com/groups/sportscardsnonsense https://collectibleslife.beehiiv.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices