PSA Pricing, Super Bowl Card Hype & the Vintage Advantage

Everything about the Super Bowl was a bust for me.

There was just nothing enjoyable about that whole experience. The game itself just was not good. And I'm happy for a darn old. No offense, but I'm fine watching Patriots get the butt kicked in the Super Bowl. Did you see PSA announcement?

Yeah, I did see that.

“Writing creases and timing and creases, that right?”

Yes, when I saw, hey, when you roll your own world, you couldn't set all the rules. It's just, you gotta have the right level scrutiny and the tools are there where they are in other things to help you with the scrutiny of what shooter shouldn't be great. I think the biggest risk you have back there is altered to people trimming those, but I like intention.

There's less pressure. It's like buying a bond instead of a stock. 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, hear your host, Ryan Offer, and Brian Look.

What's up, guys?

Welcome to Collector Nation here on The Collector Nation Network, always with my good buddy

here on Fridays. Brian. And he is the CEO of Led XS, L U D E X, the best skating collection management, eBay, listing software on the App Store. What's up, Brian?

What's up, my man? How you doing? I'm good, man. Hey, it's super all happened. I call it the super bust.

Everything about the Super Bowl was a bust for me. I'm just going to put it out. I'm not normally a negative Nancy. I try not to be.

But there was just nothing enjoyable about that whole experience.

I agree. I mean, it was, I don't even know what bad bunny was, and I don't ever need to know who he is. But the game itself was just, it was, it just was not good. I mean, the C-Hawks.

I mean, they're a good football team, they probably were the best team all season. They beat some really good teams really by a lot of points. Yeah. And I'm happy for a download. Yeah.

No offense, but I am fine watching the Patriots get the butt kicked in the Super Bowl. It was hard for me to root for the Patriots as the underdog. And they were four and a half points was a joke. Seattle looked like the better team coming in. The defense was dominant.

It played out exactly, is having no skin in the game, not caring about either team. It played out exactly like I would have analyzed it too, which is dominant defense from Seattle. Patriots team was good too, but just a better overall showing, but it's hard to root for the Patriots.

It's too soon for them to be the underdog and to go, oh, the, yeah, hope the Patriots can, as the underdog, really, overcome Seattle, that narrative didn't really work for me. No, that was, they beat them last time on that stupid play calling. So I was, I was fine with it.

I'm, I'm going to miss football. I mean, I don't watch the NBA. I will watch Mark's madness.

“I do watch, you, you evaluate basketball, you have I fan, but honestly, I miss football.”

And, you know, baseball is the doldrums of, you know, of the time period of sports. You know, I'll do like Mark's madness, but then it's, kind of, that comes and goes. The playoffs and the NBA are just too long. I can't get into four months of the NBA play. Well, I, I get into like the last two series, but the, the four month NBA playoffs.

And then it's just, it really just becomes, officially the Super Bowl is the countdown to win football starts again. That's true. It doesn't, doesn't, does top-spick it up, pick up the license now. I thought it was after the Super Bowl.

I, I don't, I thought the date is technically the cards coming out like April or May. But I'm really, I'm excited because there's been no, nothing, but Panini, it's been weird a little bit. You know, the unlicensed top stuff, I was in a big fan of, but now, but I'm a football cards for my thing.

Like, that's my, is funny talking to Cole, who's here at the shop, help him to manage the store. And I go, if you look around here, and we've got everything in the store, but it goes, you know, tell me your owners of football fame without telling me your, there's a football fan.

We got more football cards than anything. So bring on the tops, license now. Yeah. Then I'll just be counting the days for when the season starts, and hopefully Clumpson's a little better this year.

“Well, I don't think that could be much worse, honestly.”

Yeah. Like, you start talking about disappointing teams that they're, they're, they're in the top. God, ironically, it was us in Penn State, biggest disappoints of the year in the, in the

Drake made it and have a great game, but you know what, I know his cards are probably getting bashed a little bit, but I haven't even looked at the pricing, quite frankly. I have a lot of his cards, and I'll be holding those long-term, or selling them in the store overpriced, but, um, just kidding on that. We have great prices here.

I don't say, uh, but the, uh, it's kind of as expected.

First Super Bowl playing one of the most ridiculous defenses of the last, I don't know,

five to seven years. I'm like, I say, all time, I'm not that guy. All time, best defensive. No, a really good defense all time, last five years, probably, were right up there with some of the best.

All time of the last, all five years, they were the best, Brian. I need some kind of, I need some hyperbole for this, uh, highlight clip. Ah, they, uh, but any guy rattled a little bit and didn't look good, but I don't think anybody was going to look good against them. No, I mean, when do, when will teams just dominate, like, the draft dominate offensive

line defensive line?

“I mean, honestly, we've seen the homes look human when he gets hit, Brady lost, because”

he got hit, um, Drake make, had no time. He got hit, like, I would just go offensive line draft defensive line defensive, offensive defense. Then fill in the rest, like, whatever, like, read, but when you can get to their quarterback and protect yours, and then I fell, you're, you're a step ahead.

I did think, I know they're running back at the MVP, but Sam, I mean, Sam Darnell is, as a good story. He played really well.

He's more than, I mean, he looks like, I don't, he always had an enum.

I mean, you could see, you know, streaks of it, but I, I wasn't rooting for a team in the game, but I was rooting for that guy. Yeah, he's a likeable dude, and he went through a lot of stuff, but I mean, he came out of college. He was kind of doughy and like, I think he probably just, you know, didn't understand

what it would take to make it in this league, and then I think he committed and, you know, matured and, I mean, he'll be heel sign a big deal with Seattle, and he'll be their quarterback for next 10 years. Yeah. And it looks like a good investment in Minnesota, you know, bots that.

I mean, right, like, how do you let that guy out the door? And I guess, you're, you're hoping JJ McCarty did, maybe he's still will be, but he hasn't signed it yet. We'll see. As a bear's hand, you don't really care to you.

No, I don't, I'm glad that way, JJ McCarty. He just gave me the Chicago guy. He grew up right by me, so, you know, no, it's he, it's he got it, or is he not? Do you know, you have a opinion on him? You know what?

I think he's got to grow up a bit, like when he was, when he talks in third person about nine, nine's out there doing this, and this, these are the type of plays nine makes. I'm like, stop, you're like, you're in that NFL, no, like, you're not a trial. You grow up, commit to your craft.

So, I don't know. Right.

“I always do it sometime to say that's what, you know, the kind of play laden would”

make.

You never said that to me, I'm going to kick your ass right there on this spot.

I'm in like, did you just say, yes, I've not heard that, I'm glad I haven't seen that. I would have never talked about them. No one does that. He's definitely needs to grow up, but I was happy for darn old.

These prices are definitely on the rise. I did buy a few of those before, because those pretty certain of that outcome of the Super Bowl. Oh, one 24 is 2018 Don Russ Optic was 260 bucks. And now it's 450, that sounds about right.

Super Bowl's pop. Almost double. Almost double. I don't like it. Not even up there anyway.

But a 2026 Top's baseball is releasing this week. We will have that here in Clutch Station, just a little side note. But it signals, this is like the the first thing, not only with the hobby, but sort of baseball in general. You get top's release.

You get spring training, and then you get opening day is right around the corner. Yeah, first week of April, first week of it.

“Part of me's like, where's time going, and how fast is it going there?”

Talk about long season, Holy crap. Yeah, baseball. April to October. Where'd aren't you playing? Where'd you?

Where'd you play? They got a long time. They got a long time or not. Exactly. So, Top's 2026, 75 years of making Top's baseball, that's the 75th anniversary.

I'm not good with that.

Don't want to work that math force. I think so. Yeah, 51. 1951.

That they're first year, I guess.

Summer has to be. That's a long time. That's a long time. I wish I hadn't. Yeah.

I like some of those. Or just, you. Yeah. Well, 52 Top's a mantle, right? Yeah.

That's fine. Like that. I'll give you some of those.

Did you see PSA announcement?

Yeah. I did see that. Pricing creatures and timing increases, that right? Yeah, that's what I saw. I mean, hey, when you roll your own world, you couldn't, you know, said all the rules.

I will say this. No one likes pricing increases, and it's, it's fascinating to me what, what they're being allowed to do in this industry without much scrutiny, but hey, that hats off to them. He can get away with it.

I mean, yeah, he's a good business man, clearly, that's a bit respect for him. But look, in any industry, speaking for business, if you're, if your demand is outpacing your supply, and you're, you increase prices, yeah, everyone does. Everyone does. There's more demand than you have supply prices go up in this industry.

In this industry, people get so offended, and I'm like, what do you think has happened to wages in the last two years? And also, to be honest, like, that's a really, really human intensity, like, for

“to grade, and human beings are expensive, and you have to hire more people.”

The technologies where it flips, right? And if you start using more technology, then you can be more efficient, and you would actually cut the times down, and you'd probably bring the prices down, because you'd do it more. But they haven't really solved that yet, but, you know, they're running a business.

And it's also interesting because when you look at it, let's say they charge 20 bucks. And they get you attend in your card doubles in value. So let's say it goes 100 to 200. You make 80 bucks. I mean, if it goes to 23, you're, like, it shouldn't matter, right?

Like, as a percentage, it doesn't matter. I mean, I don't like, and it is, vintage is different, but modern stuff, if you, it's 10 or not. It's 10 or bust, like, 'cause anything else, and it nine to pretty much worth raw now. Yeah.

It's almost identical.

“Nine to eight's below, eight's called what I call, and I'm not talking about the”

drug. It's a city. It's crack city, if you get an aid, you bet it keeps them good pliers around, because there's no reason to keep it in there for modern. Modern only.

Don't take that advantage. This is not investment advice, this is not PSA cracking advice. This is just opinion on that, that disclaimer. But it also hurts, since if you get an eight, it's modern, crack it, 'cause it's worth less than raw.

Yeah, you're right. And also, let's talk about modern, like, the time, I would say instead of, like, raising the prices, like, the biggest thing is the turnaround, because, like, these cards every week, you and I are talking about them, and they're doubling in price, and having in price, and, like, you know, your guy can get hurt.

So I think it really, I do more concerned about the turnaround time with the modern stuff, 'cause things get hot, and then they get not. I almost forgot this. I bought a, this is how we talk about, like, so much happens on a week, but it's related to this.

I bought a box full of vintage baseball football basketball. We're talking 1950 to 1980. I'll talk about some really cool cards, Kevin McKell, Rookie's, like, cool shit. And if you, grading vintage is a no-brainer, you know, in bulk, because even if it's a 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, it's worth more, way more than raw, way more, it typically

speak, it generally speaking more than the grading, way more than the grading fee, to know that you have a four, in a vintage card, that 20, 25 buck fee, they more than pays for that. And it, and it creates more demand because there's no mystery of what the card is.

“And that's what it removes, and so, sometimes the basis for our dissension and reason”

we're upset is because there's a failed premise to begin with, or the, the problem is

But when the premise should have been, this is probably underpriced already.

Yeah, yeah, for the right cards, it's just, you got to have the right level scrutiny, and the tools are there where they are, and other things to help you with the scrutiny of what should or shouldn't be graded.

“Yeah, I think the biggest risk you had back there is altered, you know, people trimming”

those, I mean, but you, you know, I'm graded no matter what, and that's just authenticates them, and you're good to sell those things, but then, I love, I like vintage, I mean, there's less pressure, they're, it's like buying a bond instead of a stock, like new players and AI stocks. Hey, you sound like Ken Golden, who was on the show, and it will be, what, what data does

that release Bella, the 24th, the 24th, the 24th, that's Bella Sheafer, the lovely and wonderful executive producer here on, quite a nation, say hello again, Bella. He can be blushed over there, yeah, she runs a show over there, runs a show. I try.

So, yeah, Ken Golden will be on, and he had, he talked about that very thing, I had a

ratifier with him, Brian, and pretty much the same thing. He's like, vintage, vintage, vintage, vintage baseball, especially, but vintage anything is a safe bet long-term short-term, everything. He's, he's a nice guy, I like Ken. So, we do have, okay, and top series one, they are going to have some 1952 tops variations

in there.

“Maybe 52 was their first year since that's what they're saying is going to be in that”

execution. Yeah, that could work. That math works. Yeah. 50 one.

They're going to have some 52 tops variations, all Kings, all ACEs, cover, athlete, autos, celebrity autos, Brian, Ludden, my, you know, are might not be in there. Well, I'm, we'll leave it up for mystery. Don't worry. I have my email.

I'm sure it's there, sorry. Exactly. You missed the signing. You were probably when my spam. Yeah.

You're too busy counting your, Dord and Ricky Cards. 1991, top-soddo's home-filled advantage, and actually this week, this should be, is this

“coming out this week, 2018, is that this week or next week?”

Three friends, super-stickers, we will have those here at collector station. We are an official distributor of V friends and Gary V's team, because he worked with. Love that. And fun. I love the messaging with those, and I think kids need some of the positive, and I

think Gary's doing that with his cards. A sign Michael Jordan trading card told for 800,000, 800,000 big ones. I mean. Johnny on that, whoever bought that, he doesn't know what the card was. All I see is trading card, I don't know what card it was.

So if it's a rookie card, probably not, if it's something else, then maybe, but we'll might get that detail worse before this is a relief that is a cliffhanger. What do you think? I think I'm sorry. If it's like any rookie card, star card, whatever it is, and the pop report,

it's low. I don't think you ever lose money on those high-end cards. I've talked to people, I've probably talked to five companies in the last five months. So one and a month that, you know, these funds are coming in, the Mr. Wonderful. But like, there's a lot of funds that are like, "Hey, let's get this high high-end stuff

and hold it." And when it becomes a herd mentality and there's too many of them, they tend to move the prices up too much and kind of stifle what their return would be. But I mean, look at the Hona's Wagner coming up. I mean, that guy made how much money and how much time.

So the card was a auto 2003 2004 upper deck exquisite collection logo man, one of one. Okay. That'll make money. That'll make money.

That's $3 million card in your, maybe not in that long.

uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh

- You're looking on over the last two years has out performed gold and the S&P 500 index. - Ah, yeah, we didn't miss though, that. - But, you know, that's not showing the state of the hobby, I don't know what is.

- Or don't buy those gold polka man cards, those are fake.

You know, they say, don't get how in your own supply,

well, I tend to question that, that thought. I was ripping through some polka model last night late. Look, I was working on that app at like 1 a.m. Brian. I gotta have like some S&P. So I'm working, ripping a pack, working, ripping a pack.

Well, mega-avillations, I got the gold mega-lucario. That's the big hitter in that thing, like eight packs in. - What's that? - I was, it was just like $700, three months ago, but it's like three something, three, three, 50.

- Three, 50. - We have a bag of games. - It looks like a tin to me here, that we've gotta put it on the microscope, but it could be a tin, it goes a tin,

you know, my nine-hour card. - Well, how does a polka man card?

It's not like he went on the field

and broke a leg or something. Like how does it get hurt, you know? - It's like a man in here, he had a really rough program. - He had a good question, he got taken out, you know. (laughing)

Charizard, he gets little rough, and he messed up Lucario pretty good. - Yeah, well, that's interesting. - No, because of speculation, I guess, you know, hype like everything else is set,

it was the mega evolution set, and so comes out, all the card drove a price.

“I think it's now more of where it should be,”

it probably will be a long term. Beautiful card, all gold, but it's not fake, I did not print it, and it was in the pack, Brian. - That's awesome. - Good for you, so.

- I would have worked hard work pays off, stamp late kids, and work. - Yeah. (laughing) - And look, in to be truthful,

I wish someone would have just bought that box and ripped it into store. I wasn't trying to take that opportunity away from someone, it's just, if it sits there long enough, and I got nothing else to do, I started ripping cards.

- You're like staring at it, you're like (laughing) I had this box, I've been carrying it round for a week and hadn't opened it, and then I was like, I'm gonna rip some packs tonight while I'm working. - And this is what happens.

- Folks, kids, listening, you know, was speculation, opportunity and risk, combined with a little stupidity and beer, you too can rip a card of your dreams. (laughing)

- Making the next generation of gamblers. (laughing)

“- Well, I think that's exactly what we're having.”

I'm like we're doing that, I think that's more like, you know, stadium club and all those guys can live with themselves, and they're the ones doing that. And your friend that got you ripping that tops or the LeBron, hey shop, hey shop, exactly.

- I'm gonna have fun with that card. - You getting that card in? - I got it. - You already got it? - It's at home, see the LeBron?

- Yeah. - Yeah, I got it three days later, it was pretty awesome. Dude, you need to bring that on the show next, like I want to see that. - I'll bring it on the show next week.

- And it's helped to me, I give you 65%. (laughing) - It's definitely. - All right. (laughing) Traded him for Jordan.

(laughing) - I'm doing it.

“- I think that's all we got, Brian, any final words?”

- No, man, all good.

Always a pleasure, man, I appreciate you.

- Hey guys, we appreciate you. - Little loose episode here, a collectionation. This is what a little looks like, guys. Two guys, hey, we like the game as much as we like playing it. And we're like bringing it to you.

We appreciate you for listening. Hey, you don't have to find us. First, go to that app store. LUDX, download, LUDX, thank me later. Collection management, values, eBay loading.

So that you actually make some money back for all those money that we spend on these things. See where you get digital collection management, you'll change your life. LUDX, LUDX in the app store.

And of course, thecollectionation.com. For Brian Budden, I'm Ryan Alford. We'll see you next time. - I'll click the 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 atcollectionation.com and follow Ryan on Instagram at Ryan Alford. Now get out there and collect yours.