Hello fellowcpllectors

Hit up the Front Row show in Pasadena today- I think this is my 5th or 6th time at one of their shows, and today was significantly more crowded than I’ve ever seen it. Apparently their Seattle show was also packed. Cool to see.
Left with nothing new. I spent way too much on my PSA submission yesterday, and have some wax en route from earlier purchases, so decided to be responsible.
Already regretting it but nothing caught my eye to the level I needed to pull the trigger, and given my luck with wax, I figured buying a box would just sour my mood. Next time.

What are your thoughts on Kirk Cousins? My most recent pickup. You can follow me on IG @slab_collect to see more of my collection.

Scooped my first graded magazine. Still learning the market but thought i'd start with SI #1. Have my eye on a few others...

Does anyone else collect grades mags!?

Hello to the Mantel community!

I’ve been collecting cards since the early ’90s, starting as a kid who couldn’t wait to rip open packs. Like a lot of collectors, I stepped away from the hobby for a while but got back into it a few years ago, and it’s been a fun journey rediscovering everything.

I’m based in Philadelphia and a big fan of the local teams—Go Phillies! Looking forward to connecting with everyone here, sharing stories, and talking cards.

One of my favorite cards. Game worn even.

Had to grab this as soon as I saw it. Tony Soprano Autograph.

Sticking with the theme of diversifying my collection, I picked up this game used ball from SB LI. This is obviously an important game given the epic comeback by Brady and meltdown by the Falcons.

I bought this directly from NFL auctions. I spent a lot of time combing through Getty images to photo match. I wasn't able to find a direct hit but learned that this ball was actually used on Special Teams.

I've been trying to hunt down Brady to get it signed. I saw him a few weeks ago at the Fanatics x Sotheby's event but didnt bring the ball.

I posted a funny picture of Omar Raja (House of Highlights) taking a selfie with Tom while Ben Haines (Collectible Guru) watched along. Life is a weird simulation 🙃

Just as I was getting off a flight I remembered that the pilots on Delta carry trading cards, so I asked and he gave me this one! Thought it was pretty cool ✈️

At 5.00 pm PST, I will be sitting down to watch the NWSL final featuring the Orlando Pride vs the Washington Spirit. While there are great players like Barbra Banda on the Spirit, I am looking forward to watching Trinity Rodman after her breakout in winning the Olympic Gold in Paris. Most looking forward to watching Marta, 6-time FIFA player of the year. Still getting it done at age 38. STUNNING MARTA GOAL IN NWSL SEMIFINAL GAME
WNBA broke out this year, NWSL has next. Tune in, check it out. Support and grow Woman's Futbol. Two of my favorite 2023 Parkside NFT collection items.

This 2002-03 Upper Deck Finite of Michael Jordan #'d 828/1999 was bought raw on the COMC Marketplace, sent to PSA, returned a @PSAcard 10 and then sold for a 1413% increase!

Start grading with PSA on COMC today! https://bit.ly/3uEGj8X

In June 2001 I was riding high: Summer vacation had arrived, I had a roll of cash from my fifteenth birthday, and I was making some extra money doing yardwork for family friends. I was also swept up in Ichiro-mania and busting as many packs of cards as possible trying to find the Japanese star. Needless to say, the 2001 SPx Ichiro jersey/auto rookie shortprint was a holy grail to me.

My local card shop had a few boxes of SPx that seemed to glow from the display case. But at $9 per pack - and $130 per box! - it would’ve cost half my net worth just to fish for a dream. And yet, even as I continued buying budget packs of Topps and Bowman every couple weeks, I remained convinced that I would pull the Ichiro if I bought a box of SPx.

One day I made up my mind: I was going to buy a box. Then I talked to my mom, who brought me back to reality with some well-reasoned points. I recalled the phrase “crap shoot” mentioned a few times. I ultimately decided against the purchase, but even as I went on to spend my money more ‘wisely’ (yeah, right), I still believed I would’ve pulled the Ichiro.

And I still believe today, 23 years later - but not enough to buy a box.

This month I looked at the rookie/auto checklist from that set and compared it against asking prices on eBay and realized that I could own the 15-card subset - minus the grail - for an affordable price. Roughly $100 later and here it is. These cards have a beautiful design that I still appreciate today. Some of these guys (I’m looking at you, Corey Patterson) were selling for $50+ in 2001, which is nearly the equivalent of $100 today when adjusted for inflation. In case you were wondering, the Ichiro sells for 20-30x this entire lot and will only go up after he gets into Cooperstown soon.

Maybe I missed my golden ticket. Oh well. Let’s be honest: I probably would’ve gotten an Adrian Hernandez.

Don’t mind the mess, it’s my shed to get my head right..

https://youtu.be/2PhWGbOHqOg?si=P-cvAJZjHyKHYtTt