Mike Has a Million-Dollar Product Idea for Topps
A sports card podcast featuring discussions on Drake Mays' NFL performance, Paul George basketball cards, shipping costs affecting card pricing, female callers, and a story about a Michael Jordan autograph card that was reviewed and upgraded by PSA after initial Beckett disappointment.
Summary
The episode opens with sponsor segments for eBay Live and LinkedIn before diving into sports card content. Mike celebrates his 'reverse jinx' on Drake Mays, claiming credit for the quarterback's recent strong performance (700+ passing yards, 7 TDs, 1 INT, 93+ QBR). He also discusses investing heavily in Paul George basketball rookie cards despite George's injury history and age (36), buying only autographs and patch autos. The hosts debate whether shipping and tax should be factored into card pricing comparisons, with Mike arguing that when comparing eBay comps to show prices, the total cost including shipping should be considered, while others note this is already an unspoken understanding in the hobby. Guest Shep discusses his shop operations, including celebrity signings and athlete appearances, explaining how he partners with RSA (Rochester Sports Autographs) to bring figures like Lawrence Taylor to Nashville for signings. The conversation covers Fanatics allocation issues, MSRP enforcement on value boxes, and the challenges small shop owners face. The hosts discuss a hypothetical 'Tops Juiced' product celebrating steroid era baseball players like Sosa, McGwire, and Manny Ramirez, contrasting modern baseball's lack of entertainment value with the exciting 1998 home run race. Multiple voicemail segments feature callers debating bag holders in prospect investing, asking about card grading economics, and various trivia questions. A story concludes the episode about PJ bringing in a 2005 Sweet Shot Michael Jordan autograph card that was initially graded Beckett 9/8, then sent to PSA for review which resulted in a PSA 10, significantly increasing its value and allowing Shep to potentially sell it back to PJ at a profit.
About this episode
Mike and Jesse are joined in the studio by Shep and Mike Sterk for the first four-man booth. Mike revels in his reverse-mush working on Drake Maye. He also spent the weekend buying every Paul George rookie card he could find. Shep discusses how shops get athletes in the store. Plus, he dives into allocation and MSRP to dispel some myths. Mike has a product idea for Topps that could be a game-changer. Wrapping up with voicemails! 0:00 - Intro and the Gio reverse mush is alive and well 4:45 - Gio spent an ungodly amount of money on Paul George rookies 11:00 - A big weekend for Shep 15:00 - How card shops can work on getting athletes in the shop 18:00 - Do tax and shipping come into play as a comp for a card 28:00 - Allocation for card shops 32:00 - Are Shops required to sell at MSRP? 41:00 - Mike’s New Idea for a Product “Topps Juiced” 56:00 - You never want to be the person holding the bag 1:01:00 - Educating Sterk about Disney 1:14:00 - The LCS remains the backbone of the hobby 1:25:00 - Trade everything away for one grail 1:33:00 - Not a junk wax era 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<sid=5764ed98-4893-4eae-bf91-0bd89949ed99 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Key Insights
- Mike claims his public criticism of Drake Mays functioned as a 'reverse jinx' that directly caused the quarterback's statistical improvement and elite performance
- Paul George at age 36 is considered a losing proposition for card investment despite his veteran talent because he's likely in the final stages of his career with limited upside
- Shipping costs on cards under $50 represent a meaningful percentage (10%+) of total purchase price and should factor into comp pricing, particularly for budget-conscious collectors
- Card shop owners must charge above eBay comps at shows to account for booth fees and tax, creating a built-in pricing advantage for online sellers
- Small shops can access celebrity signings by partnering with wholesale memorabilia companies like RSA rather than independently contracting athletes at full cost
- Fanatics' MSRP mandate on value boxes aims to establish consistent pricing across retailers to build customer confidence, though it limits individual shop profitability
- The 1998 baseball home run race between Sosa and McGwire was a cultural phenomenon that drove constant television coverage regardless of other programming, creating unprecedented hobby demand
- Prospect investing inherently requires someone to become a 'bag holder' since 99% of prospects never reach their initial card valuations, making it an unavoidable feature of the hobby
- Card reviewals at grading companies rarely result in upgrades, making spending $380 on a Beckett review unlikely to produce profit unless combined with other actions
- A Michael Jordan Sweet Shot auto upgraded from Beckett 9/8 to PSA 10 increased in value from approximately $10,000 to $40,000, demonstrating significant premiums for perfect grades on iconic cards
- The hobby maintains romanticized attachment to baseball through historical cultural moments and documentary media that build emotional connections beyond card investment value
- Female callers to the podcast are rare enough that their presence is explicitly noted and celebrated, suggesting gender disparity in the sports card collecting community
Topics
Transcript
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