Some Thoughts On The Hobby Today, CGC & MBA, Shaq vs Kobe, Buying Large Collections, and More

Chris So opens by addressing concerns about skyrocketing card prices and whether the hobby is being damaged by external money flowing in from athletes, Wall Street, and corporations. He clarifies that while visible high-end purchases are made by influencers and corporations, most high-end sales are actually conducted by wealthy collectors who deliberately stay private. So estimates there are more high-end collectors today than ever before, which he identifies as a key driver of premium sales, rather than dealers speculating on flips. He reframes the market positively, noting that the hobby has more participants, more card options across all budgets, and more interesting releases than in previous decades.

Regarding grading decisions for vintage cards, So advises against sending rough condition cards to CGC or MBA for grading, citing prohibitive lead times (7 months) that don't justify the minimal value increase. He recommends selling ungraded cards instead, as the market uncertainty over extended wait periods makes grading economically unsound for lower-value vintage cards.

When comparing 1950s baseball cards to 1990s basketball cards, So identifies genuine parallels: both eras featured a dominant superstar (Mickey Mantle and Michael Jordan respectively), explosive growth in card production, and significant increases in brand competition and product diversity. However, he notes 1950s baseball had only Topps and Bowman, while 1990s basketball saw numerous brands and insert sets.

On the Kobe versus Shaq valuation disparity, So acknowledges he lacks a complete explanation, though he attributes it partly to Kobe being a scorer and guard (more exciting positions) versus Shaq being a center (less collected position historically). He notes Kobe cards command 10x the value of Tim Duncan's despite similar all-time rankings.

Concerning vintage player collection costs, So explains that modern base card grading is economically infeasible—with PSA grading costing $60 minimum, a $25 graded Bobby Witt card doesn't justify the cost. He observes that complete graded sets are mostly pursued for 1980s-1990s players like Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn who had far fewer annual cards produced, whereas modern players have infinite parallels and variations, making complete sets impractical to collect and grade.

On market crashes and collection buying, So reveals his business model focuses on high-volume, low-margin flipping rather than speculation. He minimizes crash risk by turning inventory quickly and focusing on vintage and established players rather than prospects, which protects him from sharp market corrections.

Finally, So addresses the practical challenge of all-or-nothing collection deals, explaining this is nearly universal in the industry. Sellers rightfully want to clear all cards and space simultaneously rather than leaving dealers with worthless inventory. So accommodates this by finding creative outlets (hospitals, teachers, bulk buyers) for unsellable cards, occasionally even disposing of them at dumps when shipping costs prohibitive.