Are Million-Dollar Cards Actually Smart Investments?

Sometimes we throw these numbers around and I think people get skewed like all five billion

“Not much that's a lot of damn money for a card. You think they make money on that investment? Yeah, I think long-term”

If they don't you and I are doing the wrong things Right because it would mean vintage is going down in the long-term like 10 years 15 years and that would mean the whole industry probably isn't doing great That's all you can eat the bait. Well, who are the goats who's this, but like I look at I kind of like differently I kind of like the cards that stood the test for time Welcome to the collector nation podcast here on the collector nation network

Whether you're chasing grails or calling gloves You take you inside the hobby Here are your hosts Ryan offer and Brian look What's up guys? Welcome to collector nation here on the collector nation network is Friday February 27, 2026 our Friday edition. It's gonna be a condensed edition today

We got a card show this weekend folks Brian his voice is teetering in and out, but he is But this this is what CNs do they show up? They show up. They don't feel good. They put in the effort They rock it and he is Ryan Ludden. What's up Ryan? Hey, don't buddy

It's always good seeing you and I apologize to be audience for my voice

I'll say less than thank one Lux is more There you go. We appreciate Brian for getting on it. Yeah, with the voice a little under the weather

“I think he's even under the weather, but this is he's power and through so you have to listen to yours truly”

Maybe a little bit more than you want. Let's just be honest. I know how it is a wife says the same thing But I'll be honest and say this. I'm just happy to be here We appreciate you for listening. We know you have options with your attention and we're proud to be one of them Hope you enjoyed two stays episode our guests releases are on Tuesday, Brian and Ryan on Friday Yes, it was just a little guess. I mean, maybe somebody you've heard of Brian on a can can golden golden was on

So the big cards there, right? I know it was the first story of the day anyway, but Topicals like we're we're tying this together, you know the topical nature and then it's all working together. Yes 19 oh nine onus Wagner. They golden closed this past weekend for a mere

5.2 million on a what PSA 1 yeah, what do you think of that?

It seems like a lot of money to me Sometimes we throw these numbers around and I think people get I don't know skewed like oh I really and it's not but that's a lot of damn money for a car Yeah, yeah one two

zero. I don't know

“You have to worry about a scarcity on that one. You think they make money on that investment. Yeah, I think long-term”

I think so. I mean, I don't see if they don't you and I are doing the wrong things Right? Because it would mean Vintage is going down in the long term like 10 years 15 years and that would mean the whole industry probably isn't doing great And I mean that's sort of the shiny example of of vintage and scarcity, right? Yeah, I mean, I don't personally have a lot of interest in it other than just the news of it

I mean, I I don't know I got Don't say whether I could or couldn't afford that, but whether I could or not It wouldn't be like all my list Yeah, I mean it's great for the industry. It's you know anytime we get headline news like that Even with the Pokemon that

Whatever Paul sold like that the industry. It just is it's going to bring more Anyone holds cars they're going to go up anyone was vintage it goes up anyone with Pokemon it goes up so I love that headline riff the headline news The industry needs more of it and it's getting a lot a lot a lot of clickbait for sure Yeah, Mr. Wonderful's on every other. I mean, I flip I don't have time like now

You know like I have had in the past where maybe I'm catching more of the news or watching new show But when I do flip it on it seems like I randomly catch Mr. Wonderful talking about a card or a story or something So we're definitely in the mainstream and You know we had a call earlier. I won't name with who and you know the media media is catching on and I think the brands are catching on and all that and I think that's great

Projects that you and I are working on and so we're thankful to be in it Yeah, it's fun it's fun industry The uh we got these in today these are fun. We ripped these in the story yesterday. V friends super stickers Spectacular series hanger packs. We have those act collector station just you know there's no shameless plugs on this this show It's just a plug. Oh, I'm getting it billah are very active very

Wonderful producer. Hey, to be this so there you have it you've got two packs And the V friends super stickers and they're a fun rip. They've got some numbered cards. They've got Parallel's Gary's doing it right man. It's it's it's I think they're spanning past just kids now It's some of the cards or they're coming up with new names different stuff. It's all it's fun though Yeah, it does it right. We've talked about that. Yeah, he's a

Behind only bad my buddy Ryan Yeah world class marketers Gary and Ryan

Newest agency Ryan and Gary. I need to I mean, I'm gonna tell them I'm gonna go first Ryan and Gary RNG

but uh I like them because they have positive messages. They're fun to open and they they lean in everything This kind of fun about the new like modern cards parallels Numbers like they grab your attention Um, we got them sitting on the shelf and I'll say this

“We'll put some of this footage in if you're watching get to see it. That's why you got a tune into the YouTube”

They look good sitting on the shelf like I they were sitting over there. We had them kind of as Merchandising for the packs. I was like that's really sharp in the shelf. I think our wonderful Executive producer Bella is coming back in to actually have them in hand And you see the colors and the variations lighting hopefully doing them just this um I mean this rude shark reminded me of you Brian

Look at that thing I'm Brian I'm eating up all the competition Oh, and then oh I forgot we had this that's just my you know Gary signing my Children chill a card you're from you know their original series No big deal

You know what I'll tell you like about the V friends is When you ask like a You know there's like there's cramudge in people in every industry. Oh, yeah

“Gosh my grass. It's like yes, it's like the blog forum if you want to like see a bunch of old guys with opinions like”

Million opinions like go to blog forum and then just put like V friends in there and you'll get

Be happy on it. I'm not sure That's not collecting that sucks like that's terrible And I'm like don't be so offended by like what are you offended by that? Why does that offend? That's Steph Curry on on a V friend sticker. Yeah. Uh, you ever heard of him. I maybe you don't like Steph Curry too But you know like come on

It'll get anything yeah, no, but that's that is the cramudging crowd and well, it's so funny. You bring that up. We're at the national and walking around And my my buddy Gio who does one of the best shows in the hobby You know sports card nonsense. We love Gio Jeremy all those guys so Walk around with Gio and I noticed this too Gary is on the floor early walking around doing deals

Dude's real dudes at the hobby He you can hate them because he's a great self-proter and he's a great marketer But the dude's real. He's in it. He knows the culture. He knows he's he's studied it He's been collecting a lot longer than most people that are busting on him and sure enough like what you're talking about We were doing a little promo with Gary and

Literally got behind me with a camera my camera guy was there were filming Gary one of our guys This guy like he's probably like a 25 year old and he's like live blogging or something and all he's doing is ripping Gary

And he's nobody nobody nobody you know where's will you know like never heard of never seen him

He's going yeah Gary slipping on these stickers still Let's see we're also like he's like live reporting like just trash talking and I'm like Dude, do you not have anything better to do like what is the problem? People are the worst Like I just don't get it like

“He's had to have something you have to have a foil you have to have something to hate”

That's how it is I mean that's how you know that's the way this there's always a a heroin and and then not in an enemy or whatever they

Get it I've done Gary a while and even before you know, I knew him you know following him and learning of him through social of course like 10 years ago

But now personally knowing him I don't know many people that are more real Gary like you know like it's it's Or a smart Yeah, man matter respect. I mean

Like he just he does it like he does it he says it he does what you say it says like mad respect for him

“I don't know but I love what you guys are I think y'all are cooking things up together too with”

Blood X and different things here in their projects. I've I've heard you drop in names Yeah, I got something spinning up. Yeah, um

I know you were in Toronto

So uh that right or not or Canada or where were you you were somewhere for something important well Lodax went international went to the Toronto show I did not go up there because I was sick. Yeah, I mean, I mean Ryan let Lodax. Yeah the community was there community Dr. Collectible shout out to him he gave us some tons of love My boy Tristan was up there running the booth

Steve Menzy does an awesome job at the trout to show if you guys have not been there Innovate bro the expo in Toronto. That's their national And if it's anything like what I what they showed me it's probably I mean the 70% hockey 20% Pokemon and 10% everything else

So it's it go I mean it's like it is an untapped market out there for yeah opportunities But Steve does a great job he's up to 10 shows all through the country So I love it. Yeah, so now we're yeah, we went international Canada Can oh hey well we yeah, I'm sorry we had to beach in hockey, but we do love you you're a good ally. I mean

Do we had no right to beat them that was no no right. Are you kidding me? It's like the haul of fame all star team in their prime or close to it versus some decent American guys out of my love and respect the hell out of them, but let's just be a call what it is right They got outplayed like in like in like an every aspect of the game the US It was just the hackoli. I guess you run into

Same thing run into a hot picture in the world series like I guess I don't know hockey that well, but like

“I don't know I didn't know that that could change the game that much like that's what they happened and they got a little nervous”

But we had no right to win that but gang was it exciting Yeah, it was exciting I mean and proud to be in America one hot win women's and men's

So the first time since 80 right I mean

In some ways and I know the odds and didn't seem there were nowhere near is the miracle on ice But in some ways first that Canadian team it feels like Another miracle on ice Yeah, I mean I thought the odds were even too close when when they came out and They played that way. It's like it was like the ice was tilted wherever it was yeah, I mean the odds were

I don't know on paper again, and I'm like you and I are casual hockey guys like we're not I'm not a I'm learning and getting more into it on in the store and looking cards, but I am I'm a life-all basketball football baseball guy Growing on the hockey side, so I'm speaking from you know lack of knowledge on every part of the game But on paper that looked like a bigger mismatch than maybe the odds were but But who were the jerseys like I know upper deck hockey, but who has the Olympic

“Contract who has the Nike another Nike on there? Yeah, who has that?”

I don't know I would imagine I thought upper deck had was you know had hockey from it's cornered On every front we ripped some Olympic stuff yeah like during the Olympics it was tops But like man what an opportunity that's insane It'll be interesting to watch what's the halo effect from this right So does it last

Pass like this little buzz here you've got upper deck actually releasing hockey blasters this week So there's short prints around it so smart Jack Hughes is doing a top-snow thing You know he scored the last point in the in the game so they're only available actually through today So and there's a one-of-one auto

Fishman is he they should put pieces of his teeth in there Yeah, like a like the bat relic it's the teeth relic tooth relic

Coming now from tops now we've got the tooth relic of Jack Hughes

“But I think it I think it plays out very similar to World Cup like it gets people excited for a moment”

And it will get people excited the next time it happens and then baseball Kicks opening day starts. Yeah, I mean is it good for the industry? Yeah, probably yeah But I don't think it's like gonna I mean we saw hockey scans pick up there's no question Over the weekend and after that game, but it's still significantly lower than you know at any other It's it's right below magic for us

I need we need some audience interaction here we've been get hey if you're listening and you've been dropping comments We love you keep doing it. I replied to as many as I get to that is me Ryan replying to those almost every one of them me or Bella And so keep asking keep asking questions it shows us that you're listening we those have been picking up every week

Had someone Brian ask hey he's trying to talk his parents in the getting into the national and if he gets in

He brought up the logo says hello. He's in a lot of slounds. We'll at least for one night if he makes it there And mentions the show we'll get him in, right? Yeah

“And then but I want to get some feedback hockey are we into it are we buying more hockey cards? Are we getting into it?”

Love your feedback, you know in formust entertain us do we have a hockey listening Crowd or excuse me hot hockey collecting crowd out there and We'll take that feedback because you go also get feedback on this. I've got access to a gory how Jersey signed This is Rob's going Ryan to get your opinion

I think he's University kind of like that you got Grettsky and then I think he's in that second tier But close, I mean he's one of the biggest names hallfamer I have access that it's unauthenticated but supposedly would pass authentication with flying colors So it's discounted but I have access to buy it

What do you think Who's it from Yeah, where do you where did he get it from yeah Providence and all that yeah and the big thing is like you know the study show Technology can help there's some companies out there that definitely help

Honestly 40% of all of memorabilia is forged and it's always gonna be that way

There's some companies out there turned to you know stop that but I don't I personally go buy any You know whatever unauthorized yeah because it just doesn't work we had a Michael Jordan Jersey come in and The Tars store the our office which we're not even sure

I bring this in it's from one of Michael's games in Babelbach And so we took it You know, we give it to you know Mike Baker and his you know his own partner Damian and They're like this is crazy

They're like the company matched the jersey due to game But it's a fake autograph Huh So the guy basically Whoever he had gay board a real gay board jersey and then deluded it eluded the value

By putting by doing a fake auto Crazy that's one idiot Like You not think out I guess maybe thinking I got half of it so it'll get it would fly It'll fly man. Yeah, I wouldn't buy it. I wouldn't buy it

Yeah, all right, where do you guys think out there? Yeah, no, let me know what you think and what you'd pay or not pay That was quoted you I was quoted 200 bucks and I and I looked it up and it looked like just and I don't again If I find out the jersey itself where it's from all that and I can and that has value like the upside there But like just a basic one was like get one flight 550 off the indicated so

“I don't know but I think where you have to ask yourself are you will just wear it or you will like that's pretty cheap for a jersey”

Yeah, I don't want to wear a autograph Walking out of graph I guess I'm I mean maybe if it's a double XL Really big you get a hockey 200 bucks yeah True one way to think about it I mean I guess you know authenticated doesn't matter if you're gonna throw it up on your wall and it looks like it's

Real and you're a big fan of them to get it into you know

But it means something to use a fan of a bad way to do it. Let's a piece of our

“About the jersey at that point, but you have to get it like”

I would never sell it without can authenticated you know yeah, no, I would I would buy it to authenticated to resell it

But anyway I'd wear it I'd wear it at Pana hockey Yeah I wear it on trade nights or something, you know I'll just get everybody that comes to sign it next to him be like Oh, really are Good man oh

They are it was pretty cool. Yeah, but um Top's ripped really 75 iconic baseball cards and people are not happy Basically look you know the answer Brian when you put out a list of the greatest the best the most interesting You get way more blowback on what would you leave out that or who'd you do then you do?

Oh, yeah, that's definitely right so the complaints are always louder than the praise

She haven't figured that out, but Here's here's what they were unhappy with Paul Skaines rookie one of one being number five as one of the most iconic baseball cards Would you would you would you have beef with that? Yeah, I mean, I wouldn't mind I want to pull it, but yeah, you love to have it so so

My list no way that's marketing, you know, they know the exact Otani rookie Again being number 10 and it was like a random rookie card. It wasn't like what most people consider Is better rookie cards and Mike trout was nowhere to be found on this 75 iconic baseball card list So they were happy with those they were unhappy with those three things the most

I mean, what's their definition of iconic? I guess is where we come down to I Now it's like most valuable most iconic, I mean most popular Very popular yeah, those are all but I mean if you went did because modern media The impressions that the Paul Skaines rookie one of one got because of modern media in the time that it happened it probably is like chart-busting

Because you know, they did a tour in freaking dicks. They had it at the freaking fanatics fest You know at the at the dicks like lounge area they had it on display So it did hold me the card itself did like a media round And then you know once it sold the whole value then media there's probably so like the value of the impressions of The media is more like what this this 75 iconic is

Yeah, I mean Dicks basically is like odd and no Dicks so cards. I didn't know they were in the cards in collecting

“And now that now you do so a million dollars is nothing to them and so I think it's the smart move”

But I mean

75 anything you call iconic cards like it's always gonna be debate

Well, who are the goats who's this but like I don't know I look at iconic differently. It's like I count like are like the cards that that Has said that I've tested type and still to test the time yeah, and do I can name I can name like five for me like 52 man rookie The Bo Jackson card for me Solders baseball bat Michael Jordan rookie card

King Griffey junior upper deck Rookie. I mean it's just for me. I'm gonna get hate mailed now too, Brian, but that's okay. I can take it For me like my error rolling up others Roger Clemens 1986 rookie card don't ask me why I know it's probably wouldn't make many people's but like when I was growing up like that was like

Like a badass iconic card, you know

“Like great it's a picture of the time, right? Yeah, you look like him. I think you that's why you like him. Yeah, do I”

That's a bad thing. I think clothes is kind of a striking Strong manly iconic figure yeah I don't think I could throw a hundred mile per hour gas heater though, you know I mean my arm is not bad, but I think that I don't think that geez dude throw some nitro balls But yeah, that I mean those come to mind. There's others lists are always

Created to be debated. They I like that Brian created to be debated

That's called yeah, that's why every blog ever made it's a little marking lesson for everyone

“Whether you want it or not will blend in uh every article”

The five best cards you can see at the national this year. We've got the 10 greatest rookie cards of all time We've got the five most Unappreciated pictures from the New York Yankees Every article They get you they help you in hey yeah, it's like number one hook

Did I hear there's a card show in uh South Carolina greenville Gee Vegas. Yes, baby. Oh, yeah Wilder Mike Wilder puts on a great show. He does it here is the biggest show in the upstairs. There's about every three months He would mall yours truly the collector station collector nation radical team will be there Full of fact promoting the store collector station as well as this show

collector nation will be handing out t-shirt kiss and babies smack and backs, you know all kinds of stuff So fella are you going? Bella is going. She Bella is going. She is working in the background actually right now on Some of our merchandising for the show

So Brian was asking Bella if you would be there. Yep. It's babies first card show

We'll see how overwhelmed I get And maybe I'll learn some things probably we'll learn some things. It's pretty smelly A lot of dudes. Oh, I already got the the room spray ready to go. I'll just go up to people you know Yeah, yeah, every the direction I'm walking just yeah, you'll smell my presence you might be the only female there Oh, it's not that bad

It's not a Pokemon people Yeah, Pokemon Bella, you gotta replace or back. I'll just gaslight a bunch of a bunch of men and Try to convince them that I know what I'm talking about How much man's planning is Bella gonna get?

See little do they know I Bella's playing. I've coined the term. Yeah, so don't you even worry Well, have fun It will be fun It's a money for Ryan by a card I'll give her an allowance go walk around you know like one stuff more now. You're like a hundred bucks or something

You know that I go like really get something good um and you'll get a better deal so you

Yeah, it's mainly like how they'll give you like it's my first card of every bought and they're gonna

You be like a 200 hour card for my hundred and I'm gonna sell it and give you the hundred back and pocket the other hundred All right deal

“I'm gonna try next week and what she bought like what?”

Yes, it was a baseball basketball football We're gonna do this don't let us forget to do this. We're gonna be busy, but we're gonna do this Okay, and we're gonna film it challenge gonna film if I do make honor a hundred bucks at the national as she came back with a see

SGC 10 Taylor Swift card Love it sounds right. All right. Yeah, I bet that things probably gone up and value Probably you know kind of like her bank account You know

Yeah, swiftly gone up That hey short short episode today a little tight 26-ish minutes Brian's voice is carried through but probably doesn't have much left He needs to get in bed. We've got to get back to work. We gotta get prepared for this show if you're in the southeast and you want to make the trip to Greenville's a great place to visit come to the show this weekend. We'll be there on Saturday for 10 to four and hey wood mall

You won't be able to miss us. We're gonna have a 10 by eight huge 10 feet tall or 10 feet wide. I don't know a banner. We're gonna be the people with the marketing presence at the card show Three tables spread out and We'd love to meet you so if you are in the area you're local listening come say

Hello and you know Tell us what you think is chef. We appreciate you for listening. Any final thoughts Brian? No, man have fun. I think in your future. I think you're gonna run Partner with that guy and run the show and make it bigger Yes, those two diamonds

Don't give them any ideas Because too much going on and for my

“Humanity. No, that's why we we can't talk too much because we just like yeah, yeah, no”

I love it. I love it Brian appreciate your brother go get get better get that voice healed up

Go check us out the apps out go to the collector nation app in the app store and why you're there don't forget

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Merch my favorite hats that I wear every day on the you desk here. I don't want to overpopulate it

That's why I got our collector nation hat on. He's got the little extra on but LUDX going the app store

“Let me tell you a collection management. I've saw some of the newest features today. Let me just tell you”

Constant innovation happened and Brian and his team

Helps you sell some cards on eBay quicker than anyone integration with other things coming planned and of course

“Just that digital collection management so you know what you got how much it's worth all of those things”

LUDX LUDX proud to partner with them and for just I'm just on the team baby. I'm just happy to be on the team So we appreciate you for listening check us out on YouTube. We'll see you next week on the collector nation Thanks for tuning into the show. Be sure to follow us on your go to podcast platform and catch the full video episode over on YouTube Visit us at collector nation.com and follow Ryan on Instagram at Ryan Alford Now get out there and collect yours