Three vendors, all of whom attended both the 2024 and 2025 Fanatics Fest shows, come onto the podcast for a special group podcast recording to talk about their vendor experience at Fanatics Fest. Ben @benscardworld Whiz @mf_whiz Baba @baba_2ccards They all have years of experience in the national sports card show circuit, and they have a wealth of knowledge to share. I won't spoil anything here, but when you take a listen, you will hear some great stories and details about what they liked and di...
Jun 27, 2025•1 hr 18 min•Season 3Ep. 121
This was a hard episode to record. Don't get me wrong, talking with David Spinrad, the Rated Rabbi, has always been easy, and in this episode, you get to come along with us on one of our walks where we talk about The Hobby....but it was hard to record, because it was our last walk with our dogs. As you will hear us talk about, David is the reason I got back into The Hobby after a ten year hiatus in 2022. We were just two dads talking about sports, when he told me that he jumped back into The Hob...
Jun 19, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Season 3Ep. 120
One week prior to the second ever Fanatics Fest, Clark (on IG @fivecardguys) of the Five Card Guys podcast joins the podcast studio to talk about his plans for Fanatics Fest, how it was to interview the CEO of Fanatics Events, Lance Fensterman, as well as what it is like to be in The Hobby in Canada. We also got to talk about what it is like to be a father in The Hobby, which is especially timely given that this episode is dropping right before Father's Day weekend. This episode is brought to yo...
Jun 14, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Season 3Ep. 119
In this episode, I talk about the biggest issue I have with Jac Caglianone and spoiler alert: it's somewhat tongue in cheek, because it is FOMO - Fear Of Missing Out. I talk about why I have this sudden desire to collect cards of a player I know just his basic biography and nothing more. Am I getting caught up in the hype machine? Should I try and trade/buy one of his several thousands of dollars card from a friend, when this is the perfect time to sell? How much will his cards be worth a week a...
Jun 09, 2025•26 min
In this episode, I share my internal monologue about choosing between two great events - Fanatics Fest and The National. Ideally, I could do both. Ideally, YOU could do both. But sometimes there is a limit to time (when you are older) and money (when you are younger) and sometimes, both too. So I juxtapose these two events and even break down by category of person you are, and which show may be right for you, but you may have already made your decision by now, and so thanks for listening anyway!...
Jun 06, 2025•40 min
I am SO excited to share this podcast episode, where I had the great pleasure and opportunity to speak with the CEO of Fanatics Events, Lance Fensterman. Lance was the president and founder of ReedPOP, which helped produce some of the biggest conventions, such as New York Comic Con, Emerald City Comic Con, Complex Con, Star Wars Celebration and PAX. Since becoming CEO, Fanatics Events created WWE World at WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia, WWEW World at WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas, and the inaugu...
Jun 02, 2025•24 min•Season 3Ep. 116
In this monologue episode, I talk about how I veered away from the audio only experience of this podcast, and how I plan to get back on track and back to the roots of this podcast. This is important to me, as I try to remember why I started all of this, the kind of content I enjoy, and the fun journey this has all been. I reveal who my next podcast guest is in this episode, and it is just as much as a surprise to you as it is to me! Thank you for listening wherever you are listening to this podc...
May 30, 2025•25 min
Bryan (on IG @goatz_sportz_cardz) got an experience of a lifetime by making a trade with his favorite baseball player, Bobby Witt Jr. where he traded a $7,000 rookie card of his for meeting him and getting a couple of game used and autographed bats. Bryan is also opening up his very first LCS later this year and so we are going to talk about that, the Witt experience, how it was talking with Topps about sharing it on social media, and much more!
May 12, 2025•1 hr 15 min•Season 3Ep. 115
If you ever felt that you have been spending too much money getting into breaks or hiding packages and cards from your spouse, but think you have no one to talk to about this and you might be in over your head, Collectors MD might be the thing you have been waiting for. Alyx of Collectors MD (collectorsmd.com and on IG under collectorsmd) comes onto the pod to share what Collectors MD is all about and why it might be well over due for The Hobby.
May 05, 2025•1 hr 40 min
What happens after you pull a card of a lifetime with your family while on family vacation? Chris and Jake from @JakesBreaksUK traveled from the United Kingdom to Orlando, FL and pulled THE product hit - a Superfractor 1/1 Auto of Lamine Yamal from 2023-24 Topps Chrome UCC. Then, they graded it with PSA and sold it on Goldin Elite Auctions. With that money, *spoiler* they decided to open up a LCS in their neighborhood in Nottingham, England where there is no LCS. Their grand opening is the first...
May 02, 2025•55 min•Season 3Ep. 112
We have Ryan on back to back as he has an upcoming show on Saturday May 3 at the Silver Spring Civic Center. We talk way more about Pokemon than either of us wanted to, because the chat wanted to know, and we also get into whether Pokemon collectors are happier than sports card collectors, plans and past experiences with The National, and even whether we think 100 men could beat one gorilla in a fight. Thank you to the lively chat for helping steer the conversation!
Apr 28, 2025•1 hr 16 min•Season 3Ep. 111
Disclaimer: Nothing that Ryan and I discussed should be construed as legal or tax advice. As with everything regarding the legal and tax fields, please consult a professional legal or tax advisor, such as a CPA, to help your individual needs. One such person you can reach out to is James Skorheim, The Hobby CPA (on Instagram @the_hobby_cpa) and you can also reach out to him via phone at (949) 438-7430. Let him know Denny sent you! Neither he nor anyone else sponsored this reply of a special dual...
Mar 31, 2025•1 hr 45 min•Season 3Ep. 110
About three months ago, I split two 2024 Panini Prizm NFL Hobby Boxes with a complete stranger on the internet, and we became fast card friends. I have Dan on a second time on YouTube, first time on the podcast, to talk about coming back to the hobby he loved as a kid and how he decided to get back into it with breaking and why. You can check out our first video here: https://youtu.be/vYICcev2a9g Dan can be found on Instagram and Whatnot under epic_breaks_
Mar 06, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 109
This is NOT sponsored content and I do not have an affiliate code with Center Stage. I get nothing out of having the CEO of Center Stage, John Wie, on the podcast other than a great chat with a kind hobby friend. Center Stage is a free app to scan cards, available in the Apple Store for iPhone users! There are paid memberships, and so it is a freemium model.Here is a link to a FAQ about Center Stage:https://centerstagehq.com/faq/Here is a link to the different membership tiers:https://centerstag...
Feb 14, 2025•1 hr 3 min
The episode that was supposed to happen last time is happening this time! Live recording, cross streamed with YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts. Why is a new father on the way promoting a card show? Dakota of dakotastorm_rips_cards will tell you why! Dakota's show will be at the Heritage Community Church in Severn, MD from 9am to 1pm on March 1, 2025 with free admission for all! 40 tables, tons of giveaways, and it benefits the Royal Rangers, an organization that helps young boys turn i...
Feb 13, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Season 3Ep. 107
In 2025, I plan to tell 2-3 long arc stories following the hobby paths of three hobbyists trying out new ventures. The sixth episode of Season 3 was supposed to be the start of the first such story and it was supposed to be recorded with a card friend who is a new card promoter and has a baby on the way, but he had to reschedule (not because of the baby's arrival!). This is when having good card friends is handy, because on short notice before the livestream, Bryan (on IG @goatz_sportz_cardz) wa...
Jan 27, 2025•59 min•Season 3Ep. 106
Untimely at time of publishing this as a podcast episode, but timely at the time of recording in the evening of January 17, 2025. I had a live stream where I invited Hobby TikTokers to come share their thoughts on the potential end of TikTok come January 19 and how this affects their business, their hobby, and their lives. No one came on, citing personal and business reasons, which are understandable!
Jan 24, 2025•56 min•Season 3Ep. 105
This group podcast welcomes Austin (@carlos_rodon_pc on IG) and Chas (@thehobbyohio on IG) to talk about their experiences with having an eBay storefront with a monthly subscription plan. They will help me figure out if it's worth it for me or not as I continue to form my selling plans for 2025. We also look at their eBay stores to see their approaches to how they present their cards. Both had different approaches and so it was interesting to see!
Jan 22, 2025•1 hr 47 min•Season 3Ep. 104
John (on IG @zbocards) is a player collector, and you can take one guess as to who he collects! When I was very new to Hobby Instagram, I was amazed at how well he took photos of his cards (and I still am!). With just his iPhone, he has been able to capture the intricacies of the cardboard we all love. We talk about why and how he started collecting Zach Randolph cards, the state of the NBA, and what he looks for when buying sealed wax online!
Jan 16, 2025•1 hr 35 min•Season 3Ep. 103
This is a random special bonus episode that is part of my YouTube series of the road to 1,000 subscribers. It was recorded the morning of January 12, 2025, when I was at 571 subscribers. Whether you're trying to grow your podcast audience, YouTube subscribers, Instagram or other social media presence, I hope that you enjoy this series, and for the full series, please check it out in my playlists on YouTube!
Jan 15, 2025•27 min•Season 3Ep. 103
The second episode of Season 3 of The Card Diary by Hobby S. Thompson is a monologue episode, where I talk about how the hobby is supposed to be an escape, but you can't help but see on your social media feed the absolute devastation and destruction of the fires in LA. So that's the fire. The ice part is about the super extended winter break due to snow and ice in the DMV and I do (somewhat) bring it back to the hobby. Everything Nice is just what I want in 2025.This episode is NOT brought to yo...
Jan 10, 2025•44 min•Season 3Ep. 102
First episode of Season 3! Episode 101 was cross streamed live on Neo Cards & Comics's Youtube channel and I still cannot believe that we went almost a full three hours on stream. We started talking about the 2024 Year in Grading with Ryan from GemRate, but then the three of us started going down some interesting Hobby rabbit holes, talking about Pokemon/TCG, incentives for content creators making certain types of content, gambling in the hobby, whether PSA could start grading sealed hobby b...
Jan 06, 2025•2 hr 52 min•Season 3Ep. 101
100 is a nice, round number, but it's just a number. 100 podcast episodes is certainly a milestone, but in this centennial episode, I discuss why the 21st episode is more impressive than the 100th. What is also more impressive is the number 49, which represents the number of guests that I have had on this podcast to this point. 40 solo podcast guests and 9 group podcast guests, and I hope that in future episodes, that I do more group podcasts and live podcast recordings. Thank you to every singl...
Jan 01, 2025•51 min•Season 2Ep. 100
I recorded this episode around 8pm on December 12, right before sitting in the breaker's chair to do an at cost break of a case of 2023-24 Panini Hoops Premium Stock NBA Blasters (20 total boxes). I talk about feeling nervous about doing this break, even if it was an at cost break ($25/team for 30 teams roughly = $32/blaster for 20 blasters). I talk about the origins of breaking, just a rudimentary history based on my past experience, nothing super in depth. Shout out to Chris Justice of Cards I...
Dec 22, 2024•30 min•Season 2Ep. 99
Being the potential penultimate podcast episode of The Card Diary by Hobby S. Thompson, I thought a lot about who I wanted as its potential last guest on this podcast.However, the answer was right in front of my face, as Nick Andrews (on IG @bostoncardhunter and one half of The @SportCardMadness Podcast) is currently at the top of everyone's Instagram feeds. He is a podcaster, YouTuber, Instagram content creator, making funny and serious short form and long form content, and even recently made a...
Dec 17, 2024•48 min•Season 2Ep. 99
Loose general outline for a Thanksgiving episode where I give thanks for people and things in The Hobby and maybe talk about consumerism with Black Friday and whether I will continue my Collectors Club membership with PSA and Card Ladder.
Nov 30, 2024•53 min•Season 2Ep. 98
Hours after the Mid Atlantic Card Show in Silver Spring, MD, I decide to go live to talk about how I do my card show vlogs and also do a live AMA. Thank you to those of you who joined the YouTube and/or Instagram live stream. If you like this kind of format, maybe I do more of it! As always, if you want to let me know what you thought about this episode or the podcast in general, you can reach me on Instagram or Youtube @denny_cards or email the show at hobbysthompson@gmail.com Thanks for listen...
Nov 24, 2024•56 min•Season 2Ep. 97
The Mid-Atlantic Sports Card Show is coming to the Silver Spring Civic Center on Saturday, November 23! As its show ambassador, I wanted to bring on the promoter of the show, Ryan McCormick and while I had a set of questions to go through, we ended up talking about his oddball collection and I think both of us were really happy to go down the rabbit holes we did. This was a live stream on YouTube and the chat was involved in the live. Thank you to everyone who joined and shared their thoughts, a...
Nov 18, 2024•1 hr 22 min•Season 2Ep. 96
Happy Veterans Day to all the incredible military service men and women who protect the United States of America! This is an opportunity to hear from military veterans in The Hobby and how their service helps shape their experience with sports cards. Here are their socials and where you can find them: Trent - on Instagram @trentl41 and @slabfalconsportscards and breaking with Jetbreakers on Facebook and Whatnot Dakota - on Instagram @dakotastorm_rips_cards and sets up as a dealer in card shows i...
Nov 11, 2024•1 hr 34 min•Season 2Ep. 95
In this podcast episode, Ryan from GemRate drops by to talk about the state of grading with Victor Wembanyama cards. He shares his knowledge of the data around Wemby's most graded cards, such as which cards of his have the highest (and lowest) gem rate, and then we talk about the now-infamous 2023-24 Panini Crown Royale Kaboom insert set and how there is literally just one Gem Mint PSA 10 (coincidentally, of Victor Wembanyama) out of the hundreds of the graded cards currently out there in the ca...
Nov 01, 2024•50 min•Season 2Ep. 94
