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In this Bonus Episode, Hank and Mick begin a multi-part discussion about all things Grading. This episode is all about the beginnings of grading in the 1990s. We reminisce about how when we ran our cards store in 1993, grading was purely subjective: it was up to us to decide the grade of a card. Beckett magazine was our price guide and hobby bible.

PSA changed the game in 1991, but it wasn't until later in the '90s when the hobby got on board the grading train. Mick thinks grading is probably the single biggest change to collecting cards. It provides a universal scale which is used (and overused) to judge card condition and value.

Fun fact, by 2001 Beckett magazine had a 4 page Graded Card price guide at the back of their magazines. 4 whole pages!

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In this Episode, Hank & Mick discuss collecting Vintage vs Modern cards, and which has the better long term value. Vintage cards are all about condition: centering, corners, registration, surface etc... In 1986 Fleer, there were approximately 3 Jordan rookies in each box. They aren't rare cards - but their value is all tied up in condition. In Modern collecting, the most valuable cards are the scarce parallel cards and inserts.

Hank thinks these scarce modern cards will have great long term value. Mick is concerned with retired players vs active players, and how important is Legacy in cementing their card prices. Is long term value more closely connected to cultural significance?

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In this episode, Hank and Mick discuss everything to do with inserts and parallel cards. We kick-off sorting out what actually is an SSP, and then deep-dive about how inserts shaped the 90s era and how parallels have dominated the modern era. Hank thinks inserts have been killed by the hunt for serial cards like the gold/10 and Black 1/1s parallels. Mick has other thoughts and discusses how certain modern inserts like Color Blasts, Downtowns and Kabooms! still have huge demand with modern collectors.

We obviously love inserts and parallels, which make up the bulk of both of our collections, and you can clearly hear Hank more excited than ever when he gets to chat about this stuff. Strap yourself in for all things Inserts and Parallels!

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In this episode, Hank and Mick are excited to discuss Card Shows in Australia and Overseas. We chat about the upcoming Hobby Hangout XL show in Melbourne, Collect Fest in July and The Oz National in September. We talk about buzz of attending these card shows, connecting with other collectors in-person, and what we have learnt buying and selling at these shows over the last couple of years.

We also discuss the anticipation of attending larger scale international shows like the West Coast Card Show in LA. If you love cards, and love card shows, this is the episode for you!

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In this episode Hank & Mick discuss selling cards and the variety of platforms we use in Australia and overseas. From everything from Ebay, Fanatics Collect, Alt, Consignment services, FaceBook Marketplace and selling at Card Shows - we cover it all. We also discuss the benefits of selling buy-it-now versus Auction.

Selling cards is an important step for most of us in building our collections, and its a tricky space for us in Australia as we lack the auction sites and ebay.com eyeballs of our American counterparts. Hopefully this chat helps shed the light on the varied ways you can sell your cards to help build up your collection... or pay off your new house (Hank would rather keep the money in cardboard, but thats life.)

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In this episode, Hank and Mick take a good, hard look at their biggest mistakes collecting sports cards and TCG the last 5 years. They discuss buying Pokemon cards at the top of the market (in the covid boom), buying the wrong NBA player at the wrong time (yes, thats you Kawhi), buying too many base Prizm cards (again Kawhi), thinking that 2nd year cards were actually a thing (once again, Kawhi), and selling some things too early (Evolving Skies booster boxes), and other things too late.

They both agree that these lessons have been important in shaping their current collecting strategy. Hopefully our screw ups, can help you avoid them in the future. Enjoy.

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In this episode, Hank and Mick dive into a discussion about the Sports Card Market versus the Pokemon/TCG Market. We discuss the current state of the Pokemon market, and our strategy for buying and selling in a hot market. We compare the size of the Pokemon market against that of the Sports Card Market. We chat about pop counts, sealed box prices, nostalgia and vintage versus modern TCG collecting.

Is Charizard Michael Jordan? Is Umbreon Lebron? Is Greninja SGA? Will Pokemon ever release serialized cards? Strap yourself in - this is a fun one.

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In this third episode, Hank and Mick discuss their experience and thoughts about consolidating down to bigger and better cards. How many cards is too many? How many cards are too few? Is there a perfect balance?

Hank evaluates a recent trade from another collector posted on instagram, where a huge PSA 10 Jordan insert collection was traded for a 1997 Jordan Red PMG. Mick dives into his thoughts on consolidating down to Kryie's best card. Enjoy!