Sports Cards Nonsense

Latest Episodes:

The Latest on the Seven-Figure Theft From PSA/FedEx Oct 20, 2026

Show notes

Ben Burrows from The Athletic joins Mike and Jesse to give us the latest on the massive theft from a FedEx truck full of PSA slabs. The latest numbers are staggering. Over orders, seven-figures worth of cards, hundreds of slabs. Stolen in broad daylight from a locked FedEx truck that was suspiciously abandoned for 90 minutes.

We wrap up with voicemails and have an updated Mt. Rushmore after Tuesday's show.

0:00 - Intro

3:50 - Ben Burrows from The Athletic joins to discuss the PSA/FedEx Theft

6:05 - The driver reported he left the vehicle for 60-90 minutes, but doesn’t know where he went. When he returned, the lock was broken and contents removed.

7:25 - The first two pallets were taken, and half of the final pallet was taken. Roughly $1M in stolen goods, minimum.

15:00 - PSA response is to pay the maximum insured value of the card, per emails from those affected.

22:00 - Police did not seem very familiar with trading cards or implied value.

29:00 - Mike Trout is opening his own breaking shop and platform with other athletes.

52:40 - Head to voicemails.

57:00 - Buying guide from Gio

1:01:20 - Selling or Grading, and why people are too willing to grade cards they shouldn’t

1:14:15 - Hans Gruber takes credit for PSA theft

1:25:30 - Would love to see more super-limited short-print sets from Topps

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Navigating a Potential Ohtani Market Crash Oct 15, 2026

Show notes

Shohei Ohtani is struggling, and the Dodgers are on the verge of elimination. How to deal with the Ohtani market crash. Plus, will we ever hear from Justin Steele again? Tough to say!

Geoff Wilson's latest comments have caught the ire of Mike, and he tees off on them. Joe Bartel from RotoWire joins to look ahead to Week 6 in the NFL. Who is a buy and sell right now? Plus, we do a Top 6 Blind Ranking courtesy of Pristine Auctions.

0:00 - Ohtani's market is crashing, but is it time to sell?

11:50 - Can Ohtani catch Bonds’ MVP record? That looks like the only way his market goes up exponentially again

19:15 - Will we ever hear from Justin Steele again?

22:30 - Grading sketch cards, is it worth it?

27:00 - Getting at Geoff Wilson over some incredibly dumb tweets

31:00 - Everyone hates redemptions; this isn’t new

33:45 - Joe Bartel of RotoWire

40:40 - The Trevor Lawrence conundrum - time to buy back in?

50:00 - Who would you sell right now?

57:05 - We need sports/non-sports crossovers

1:02:00 - Pristine Auctions Top 6

1:14:00 - Voicemails brought to you by Arena Club

1:15:30 - Meg from We The Hobby on the WNBA Market

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Mike Has a Million-Dollar Product Idea for Topps Oct 13, 2026

Show notes

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

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Our Inaugural SCN Trivia Challenge Oct 08, 2026

Show notes

We kick off the show with Sterk's Starting Five, the five most important players left in the postseason in real-life baseball and cardboard. Gio takes a look at the MLB postseason market. Then we get into our inaugural SCN Trivia Challenge! Find out who wins. We also get an update on PSA's vault and on Mike and Jesse's charity stream on eBay Live. Wrapping up with voicemails from Mt. Rushmore.

0:00 - Intro

1:00 - Sterk’s Starting Five

19:00 - MLB Postseason Market Update

22:25 - The Realest Ohtani Promotion

25:15 - SCN Trivia

54:20 - PSA Update

57:20 - Upcoming eBay Live charity stream

1:00:00 - SCN Challenge Update

1:04:00 - Mt. Rushmore Voicemail

1:10:45 - Will we solve the riddle before the next show?

1:12:20 - What was Franco’s gift for Papa Gio?

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Jason Kelce's $30k Introduction to Sports Cards Oct 06, 2026

Show notes

Mike has company today, as Jesse is back off the IL (Gout). We get into Jason Kelce's $30k hobby adventure and how he was completely misled about the boxes he bought. Mike has a bone to pick with the shipping from Fanatics Instant Rips. Plus, how much would you need to give up a misprinted 1-of-1 card?

Plus, we hit voicemails and have a new member of the SCN Mt. Rushmore.

0:00- Intro

9:15 - SGC 9.5 vs. PSA 9 market price differences

13:55 - Buying SGC or BGS 9s is a nice little hack for PC cards

15:00 - Jason Kelce spends $35,000 to chase Brady rookie cards

29:30 - Shipping for the Fanatics Instant Rips has been a disaster. Shipping has to be secure.

39:00 - Topps offers $400 fancash for a 1/1 Ronnie Lott Tecmo Bowl; Gio says to turn it down and ask for $5k

1:10:25 - 2000s eTopps Cards have gone up massively

1:18:00 - Checking in with a 5th grade teacher about what kids are collecting

1:33:30 - WNBA Investing Update

VOICEMAIL MT RUSHMORE:

Larry

Beefcake

Hans Gruber

Franco, Not Wander

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How Many Mikes Is Too Many Mikes? Oct 02, 2026

Show notes

In this episode, we find out how many Mike's are too many without Jesse, who is out sick. Mike Gio and Mike Sterk look at the hobby values of the players who won so far in the MLB Playoffs. Plus, Mike and Mike share their misery about the Red Sox and Cubs being out. Looking at the Mantle and Ohtani markets.

Then we are joined by Michael Katz from Trove, making it four Mikes on the show. We get his hobby backstory and his Mt. Rushmore of Boston Sports.

We wrap up with the news that Larry is confirmed to be coming to town, which begs the question: should Sterk and Brendan come as well?

0:00-Intro + MLB Playoffs

8:00 - Looking at the hobby value of playoff winners

13:30 - Mantle vs. Ohtani in the market

24:00 - Michael Katz interview, CEO/Founder of Trove

33:05 - What was his education process getting back in the hobby?

45:00 - Boston Sports Mt. Rushmore

48:55 - Mike hits Gio about his eBay Live

1:07:30 - Gio has no interest in Nate Bargatze coming on the show

1:12:15 - Sterk wants to buy PSA 8s vs. Raw

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The Mount Rushmore of Non-Sports Sep 28, 2026

Show notes

Mike and Jesse are joined by Funcle in the studio today (and Papa Gio, kind of) to look back at most of Week 3 in the NFL. Why it might be too late to sell some of your non-rookies for football. Funcle's guide to buying and grading in the current market. The Cooper Flagg Debut Patch wrapped up at auction, and Mike thinks people have too much money. Plus, are cards now status symbols? Wrapping up with the Mt. Rushmore of non-sports cards.

0:00 - Intro and Funcle in studio

12:30 - NFL Buy/Sell after Week 3

14:30 - Better to sell football before the season starts, as guys will sell more in preseason than once the season starts

17:25 - What is Funcle buying to grade these days?

29:15 - Differences between the major sports as investment pieces

37:35 - The Cooper Flagg Debut Patch Auto sold for $8M, but how outrageous is that sale?

42:00 - Are cards turning into status symbols?

47:15 - Why aren’t Bowman Chrome U more popular for football and basketball like Bowman prospects for baseball?

1:05:00 - Tips for vending at a card show

1:13:40 - Are PED suspensions a death sentence for hobby value?

1:36:00 - Who is the most underrated athlete?

1:39:45 - Mount Rushmore for Non-Sports

Voicemail Mt. Rushmore:

Larry

Beefcake

Hans Gruber

Caleb

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Beware of Counterfeit Cards Sep 24, 2026

Show notes

Mike and Jesse open the show, airing a few grievances while Jesse ponders life and how far behind he is in the SCN Challenge. A new scam involving high-end counterfeit cards is causing concern. Plus, Joe Bartel from RotoWire joins to look at the football market after Week 2 in the NFL, the markets for backup QBs, and why you shouldn't trust young, unproven QBs. Wrapping up with voicemails and Casey Kravit from Fanatics to discuss a new Instant Rips for Topps Pristine Basketball.

0:00 - Intro and the airing of grievances

11:00 - DC Sports 87 pulls cards after noticing counterfeit cards.

18:00 - You have to root these people out of the hobby.

22:30 - Joe Bartel of RotoWire joins the show.

23:00 - Any of the backup quarterbacks worth investing in?

31:00 - Is Tyler Shough for real?

33:30 - Penny stock running backs and wide receivers to invest in.

40:00 - Justin Herbert’s market is about to go in the tank.

50:25 - Is Funcle going to take the third chair from Papa Gio on Monday?

54:05 - The Introduction of the “Gio 300” and “Jesse 300”

57:25 - Kicking off voicemails

1:03:35 - Time to rename the show “Stupid Watch Nonsense”

1:18:00 - Beefcake on setting up at shows

1:21:35 - Casey Kravit from Fanatics on the new Instant Rips

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The ONE Rule to Collecting Football Cards Sep 22, 2026

Show notes

Mike and Jesse are back after a chaotic Week 2 in the NFL. Major injuries across the league have thrown a wrench into the NFL season, the SCN Challenge, fantasy football, and more. Mike has the most important rule about football cards you can hear. Plus, we get to Steve Sloan from Heystack to discuss his time in the hobby, the prospect of collecting a team that is leaving your city, and the tech Heystack has that you need. Wrapping up with voicemails!

0:00 - Intro & why you need to sell football whenever a player has a big game.

10:00 - Breaking down Week 2 in the NFL

30:00 - Steve Sloan from Heystack joins the podcast and discusses his history in the hobby

41:15 - What is Steve Sloan collecting these days

45:30 - The biggest concern Steve has in the hobby is a prolonged MLB work stoppage

52:15 - Favorite PC pieces are Oakland A’s and Macklin Celebrini

58:10 - We need regulation in the card-breaking industry to cut down in the Wild West attitude.

1:05:10 - Voicemails presented by Trove

1:09:25 - Frozenfractor isn’t going to age well, but looking at some of the Topps case hits could hold value long-term. Kaiju

1:15:30 - What to do with a football hit out of Flagship

1:30:00 - Looking at the prices of Definitive Basketball and how breakers jacked up pricing on it

1:32:30 - Dark predictions for the hobby

1:41:00 - Can SCN scale the SCN Challenge?

Voicemail Mt. Rushmore:

Larry

Hans Gruber

Caleb

Donny

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The Art of the Sale Sep 17, 2026

Show notes

Mike and Jesse are back with Papa Gio, discussing the ideal time to sell in certain markets and whether you can even time them. Plus, looking at NFL markets after Week 1 and who is worth buying/selling right now. Breaking down Week 1 of the SCN Challenge. The most expensive Topps product yet. Wrapping up talking with Justin Steele of the Cubs and hitting voicemails.

0:00 - Intro + health scares

7:45 - When do you sell? What is the correct time to do it?

19:25 - Looking at how Shough, Lawrence, and Caleb Williams are up big.

24:30 - SCN Challenge Update

30:00 - Fanatics is opening a second Flagship store in Paris

37:00 - Topps Definitive coming out at nearly 40k per case

39:30 - Checking in with Justin Steele

46:45 - Steele is back on top, and PCA is falling down the ladder of favorite show-adjacent athletes

1:00:00 - Best practices for listings on eBay

1:05:00 - Could Fanatics start making sports movie card sets?

1:13:55 - There are so many Cooper Flagg cards

1:35:45 - The future of redemptions from Panini as they keep pushing towards points.