Where are collectors actually buying sports cards right now? In this episode of Sports Cards Are Dope, I break down real December sales data showing over $381 million spent online, with eBay dominating nearly 80% of the market. We talk buyer trust, human behavior, scams, the adoption curve, and why Fanatics Collect could slowly gain ground over the next decade.
If you collect cards, sell cards, or are just getting into the hobby, this episode explains why the market looks the way it does and where it’s heading next.
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Dr. Tyler Tarver breaks the hobby into three collector archetypes (no judgment, just labels), explains what each group contributes to the ecosystem, and argues the hobby is more of a spectrum than a war. Plus, a quick Chicken Nugget Nation giveaway at the end.
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In this episode, Tyler interviews Mike Gioseffi from Sports Cards Nonsense about his biggest hobby whiff (selling Ohtani too early), then Tyler shares his own all-time mistake: pricing a 1997 Skybox Z-Force Super Rave like a normal card and watching it walk away for $5, later comping around $1,000 to $1,500.
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In this episode of Sports Cards Are Dope, Tyler ranks his top 10 predictions for how the hobby evolves in 2026, plus five honorable mentions, from AI reshaping grading to Topps owning the big three licenses to the hobby shifting into a full-blown experience economy.
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TAG got massive attention from the PSA 8 to TAG 9 Brady Kaboom crossover, now the question is simple, what do they do next? In this episode, I break down four practical moves TAG can make to grow sports card market share, without losing credibility, plus the playbook I’d copy straight from SGC (and why creators matter more than most companies realize).
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A $660,000 Tom Brady Kaboom just crossed from PSA to TAG, and that single move says a lot about where the sports card hobby is heading. In this episode, I break down what actually happened, why transparency matters more than branding, and what this moment could mean for grading companies moving forward.
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What up, chicken nuggets? Today we break down the wild Wilt Chamberlain 1961 Fleer rookie that went from PSA 10 to PSA 9—and the ≈$800,000 value swing that followed. We dig into PSA’s insurance/upcharge logic, the fine print on compensation caps, how to protect yourself, and my own near‑miss with a 1997 Kobe “Score Board” auto.
Timestamps
0:00 Hook—PSA 10 → 9 on Wilt’s rookie
1:56 What actually happened (reholder → review → downgrade)
3:07 The ≈$800K difference (recent comps & context)
4:20 PSA terms: $250K per claim / $500K lifetime caps
6:00 My Kobe “Score Board” autograph scare (forgery risk)
10:12 How I exited the card + reallocated to a safer Kobe
11:58 PSA 9 Wilt comp, timing the market & risk math
12:55 FDIC analogy & practical takeaways
13:38 Giveaway + Chicken Nugget Nation shoutouts
#PSA #WiltChamberlain #1961Fleer #SportsCards #CardCollecting #PSA10 #PSA9 #SGC #PopReport
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Today on Sports Cards Are Dope, Dr. Tarver breaks down his biggest project yet, Project 122, ranking the 122 greatest NBA players of all time using a blend of NBA’s Top 75, Bill Simmons’ Pantheon, Bleacher Report analytics, and AI. Plus, how this turned into the most ambitious sports-card autograph chase he’s ever attempted.
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PSA’s buyback just a glitch or a grift? We break down the Pokémon PSA 9 → 10 controversy, Nat Turner’s response, and what it teaches us about grading transparency and trust in the hobby.
Timestamps
00:00 Intro + Why Collectors Are Freaking Out
01:00 The Buyback Program Explained
02:10 When 9s Turned to 10s — The Twitter Discovery
03:30 Jeff Wilson’s Take & Community Reactions
04:40 The E4 Update + Nat Turner Clarification
06:00 Tyler’s Take on PSA Transparency and Trust
09:00 Personal PSA Grading Story (Zero 10s?!?)
10:10 The $5K Buyback Experiment Announced
11:00 Chicken Nugget Nation Giveaways + Community Shout‑outs
12:30 Closing Thoughts & Life Updates
Shohei Otani’s newest 1/1 gold logoman auto is already topping $1.26 million with days left on Fanatics Collect. Tyler breaks down why this is the most expensive ultra modern baseball card ever, what makes the Gold Logoman series so elite, and why this sale sets a massive precedent for future MLB and NBA award patch cards. If Otani’s World Series logoman ever hits auction? We might be talking numbers we’ve never seen before.
Timestamps:
0:00 — Welcome chicken nuggets
0:18 — The Otani card blowing past $1 million
1:03 — What makes the Gold Logoman patches special
2:10 — Why the jersey program changes everything
3:05 — Otani’s uniqueness and generational appeal
4:30 — Potential value of future Otani logomans
5:20 — NBA award logomans and why they’re next
6:40 — Otani vs Judge dual logoman possibilities
7:55 — Where this auction may land
9:00 — What this sale means for the hobby
10:30 — Chicken Nugget Nation shoutout + giveaways
Today on Sports Cards Are Dope, Tyler breaks down a massive theory about why modern in-person autographs might become some of the rarest and most valuable cards of the next 30 years. Players are richer, brand-savvier, and way less likely to hit the post-career autograph circuit. What does that mean for collectors? A lot. Let’s get into it.
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0:00 — Welcome chicken nuggets
0:37 — Pack-pulled autos vs. in-person autos
1:45 — Why old-school IP autos had value
3:12 — Why modern in-person autos are undervalued
4:40 — Player wealth and brand control
6:30 — Why future players won’t need autograph money
7:55 — The Jordan vs Rodman Autograph Theory
9:20 — What this means for collectors
10:35 — The MJ Fleer auto that sold for $2.7M
11:45 — Chicken Nugget Nation shoutout + giveaways
12:20 — The mic wasn’t plugged in (pain)
In this episode of Sports Cards Are Dope, I break down why Beckett is getting flooded with cards, why they’re still behind PSA, and the 5 concrete moves they could make to actually turn it around. We talk grading scale tweaks, tech upgrades, transparency, turnaround times, and why creators might be the secret weapon. Drop your Beckett hot takes in the comments.
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Shill bidding, “defensive bidding,” fake comps, all that icky stuff has been flying around the hobby. In this episode of Sports Cards Are Dope, I break down what actually happened, what shill bidding is in plain language, how to spot it on eBay, and why it hurts every honest collector, not just the buyer and seller in that one auction.
I wrap with three big takeaways for the hobby and my personal opinion on how we handle auctions without nuking trust.
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Drop your thoughts in the comments, but keep it kind and respectful. Hit subscribe if you love sports cards and hate fake comps. Thanks to our monthly supportersThe 1914 Babe Ruth Baltimore News just sold for $4.02M—about $3M less than last year’s $7.2M result. Is the hobby crashing? Nope. I walk through two-bidder auction dynamics, liquidity, macro vibes, why rarity + narrative still matter, and how this compares to modern grails (MJ/LeBron/Kobe). Quick story, four takeaways, and what it might mean for vintage vs. modern over the next decade.
Timestamps
0:00 Cold open — what sold, where, and the $3M gap
0:45 Quick story: 1914 Baltimore News Ruth (19-year-old minor-leaguer)
1:20 Why auctions drop: the two-bidder reality (not 100k voters)
3:40 Takeaway #1: Auction competition drives big swings
4:45 Takeaway #2: Liquidity & macro conditions matter
6:35 Takeaway #3: Narrative + rarity still rule (Ruth’s historical weight)
8:50 Takeaway #4: This isn’t hobby doom — one sale ≠ the market
10:40 Modern heat check: MJ/Kobe/LeBron/Ohtani vs vintage over time
12:30 Wrap + what I’m watching next (and Chicken Nugget Nation)
In the final part of our 3-part Hobby Awards breakdown, we dive into the last—and spiciest—categories including Best Sold Memorabilia, Grading Company of the Year, and Creator of the Year. There’s drama, there’s emotion, and there’s Paul Skenes catching strays. Buckle up, nuggets.
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0:00 – What’s Up, Chicken Nuggets
1:10 – The Final 6 Hobby Award Categories
2:00 – Best Sold Memorabilia Debate
5:00 – Babe Ruth vs. Kobe’s Rookie Jersey vs. MJ/Kobe Logo Man
7:30 – Why I Can’t Vote for Paul Skenes 😬
10:10 – Collectibles Executive of the Year Pick
13:40 – Best Media Platform (SCN Shoutout!)
17:15 – Grading Company Drama: SGC, PSA, TAG
21:00 – Creator of the Year: Kyle vs. Josh vs. Mojo
25:00 – Final Thoughts + Chicken Nugget Nation Drop