If you liked Part I of the conversation with NEO Cards & Comics, you’re going to like Part II, well maybe not, because we get into much different topics. NEO dives deeper into being a hobby content creator on YouTube and shares some tips as to how he got to where he is today (hint: consistency!). We field a listener question regarding content, and then pivot to talking about athletes and their relationships with cards and The Hobby. Smash cut to us talking about the hobby content landscape r...
Jan 23, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 63
This was going to be the intro for Part II of a great conversation with NEO Cards & Comics, but turned into a much longer than anticipated monologue about a recent eBay sale I made as a (still newish) eBay seller, and so I made a game time decision to turn this into its own standalone monologue episode. Part II will drop not too long after this one, but hope you enjoy this one, and by all means, answer the Spotify poll, DM me on Instagram @denny_cards or respond to my post or story with the ...
Jan 18, 2024•22 min•Season 1Ep. 62
Why even go to a card show when you can buy cards exclusively online? Is it worth going to The National? Is it more than just all about the cards? This is Part I of a very scripted podcast guest episode with Neo (on Instagram @neo_cards_comics). Neo talks about his origin story with starting his YouTube channel and how he came up with his name and logo. We talk about how we met each other at The National in Rosemont in 2023 and ended up talking a lot about plans for The National in Cleveland for...
Jan 15, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 61
But it doesn't mean that you don't try having them! I come back from an almost month long hiatus for not just holiday time, but getting sick again (and again), and well....I missed doing this! In this monologue episode, I talk about how it is hard as an adult (especially a man, but I didn't talk about this part) to have new friends and that why this could be a motivating factor for some of us in The Hobby, but then also why hosting a trade night can be difficult too, but that if something is wor...
Jan 06, 2024•45 min•Season 1Ep. 60
Ryan from GemRate stops by to share with us the year in grading (TCG is still over half of all graded cards! Sports down YoY! We as collectors are getting smarter with what we submit! Or are we?). But of course, this podcast being what it is, we analogize grading companies to fast food restaurants and school teachers. Ryan shares information about a project he’s been working on with Universal Pop Reports (don’t go to gemrate.com) and the Top 10 Most Graded Players by PSA. This podcast episode is...
Dec 18, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 59
This is the second half of the podcast chat with Dan, The Great Curator (on IG @the.great.curator). In our first half of the conversation (Episode 49, published way back on November 9th), we talked about particip-hation, blocking trolls, the state of content in The Hobby. In this episode, we talk about how people monetize content in The Hobby (#5 will shock you! JK those click bait lists are funny to me). We also get into questions from listeners (including yes, Rob G. the Sports Card Therapist,...
Dec 15, 2023•46 min•Season 1Ep. 58
We welcome back the better half of the Sports Cards Nonsense duo, Jesse Gibson aka Sports Boi. We talk about SCN and Card Shop Live, how to save breaking (hint: baby breakers, ok maybe not a subtle hint), and why his partner, Mike Gioseffi, keeps ducking this podcast. We start by talking about the mega bid/shill bid situation with Sports Card Therapist (seems like eons ago already), because that’s how much I delayed publishing this podcast episode. Jesse, I am so sorry for the delay in releasing...
Dec 10, 2023•58 min•Season 1Ep. 57
Continuing my podcast experimentation, I try recording a podcast while recovering being kinda sick. I probably shouldn’t have recorded this episode, but I was inspired by the recent Juan Soto trade and the discussions by Cage Lawyer and Iowa Dave. So I’m not an influencer, I’m actually the influenced! Not to be confused with influenza, which I probably have. Dad jokes. Enjoy. - Denny
Dec 08, 2023•28 min•Season 1Ep. 56
What’s it like to be a repacker for one of the biggest breakers on the planet? Matt from Ultimate Sports Breakers (USB) comes on the pod to talk about that and more. We first talk about his hobby journey and then get into how he got into repacking for Backyard Breaks and then what happened after that relationship ended. We dive into what it’s like going from “comp-to-table” with buying, packing and shipping repacks. Hope you enjoy! - Denny
Dec 01, 2023•1 hr 34 min
With repacks being such a hot topic currently in The Hobby, I bring on Jonathan Rotonda (on IG @rotobreaks), the founder of a breaking company (Roto Breaks) and repack company (Roto Box) to the pod. We start off talking about his hobby journey and how comps worked back in 2016 (RIP Card Snoop!). Then, I pick his brain on how the entire process looks like to get a repack product ready “comp-to-table” (like eating at a restaurant: from farm-to-table) - buying to packing to shipping. This is my lon...
Nov 30, 2023•1 hr 24 min•Season 1Ep. 54
Who would even consider buying a $12 pineapple? What happens to your hobby budget when you have a financial event outside of your hobby life? Who is even buying these boxes of cards that cost five figures? This is a monologue episode that I recorded in a hotel room and so the audio is going to sound a little bit different (and maybe I’m lower energy on this one too), but I wanted to capture my thoughts on some things within The Hobby and in my life. Hope you enjoy it. You can always DM me on Ins...
Nov 25, 2023•34 min•Season 1Ep. 53
This is a monologue episode about my ever evolving thoughts on the megabid/shill bid situation from Rob G., the Sports Card Therapist and the early stages of grief, or at least in this case, hobby grief.
Nov 21, 2023•38 min•Season 1Ep. 52
What does 10X-ing The Hobby mean? Is it the number of cards, corporate profits, number of participants, or something else altogether? I bring on the pod someone who was in The Hobby as a kid, but never came back into The Hobby, even during the pandemic. My very special guest, TK, is my friend from outside The Hobby and I wanted to have a candid discussion with him about The Hobby in this experimental bonus episode. Because if 10X-ing The Hobby means having ten times the number of Hobby participa...
Nov 12, 2023•1 hr 19 min•Season 1Ep. 51
To the brave men and women who have served the United States of America, Happy Veterans Day! For a very special Veterans Day podcast episode, I bring on the pod Alex Tressler (@armyatc22 on all social media platforms), an Army veteran who was deployed to Afghanistan for three tours and has traveled the world while breaking boxes in the early infancy of social media (btw, he PC’s Pat Tillman). We talk about his service in the military, how serving in the military helps him in The Hobby, especiall...
Nov 11, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 50
“First”* 2-time guest Dan The Great Curator pops back into the podcast studio (in the first of a mini series of “Where Are They Now?” with my Season 1 guests) to share his thoughts on being a content creator and the current landscape of content in The Hobby. We talk about the concept of people who don’t call themselves influencers but who influence others to not like influencers. *Sports Card Therapist, Rob Girard, was technically the first 2-time guest. =)
Nov 09, 2023•50 min•Season 1Ep. 49
Two weeks after the Chantilly Card Show, I give my thoughts on the show by way of showing cards that I picked up along the way during my time there on Friday and Sunday of the show. Moments I talk about: transacting with the dealers, unofficial Trade Night at the Holiday Inn (where Dennis Rodman was walking through the lobby while I was trading for one of his cards), Kids’ Trade Night, dinner with fellow creators, meeting and interviewing athletes for the first time ever. Just an overall fun exp...
Nov 06, 2023•30 min•Season 1Ep. 48
Can you imagine being a dealer at your very first National? Well, that’s what happened to vintage basketball card collector turned dealer, Jim Doyle, who won my giveaway contest on Instagram to be a guest on this podcast. Thank goodness he was such a great interview. We talked about his cardboard journey as I am wont to do, and we talk about his experiences as a dealer, why it’s so important to develop a network and relationships as a dealer, and how he came across being a dealer at his very fir...
Nov 02, 2023•1 hr 16 min•Season 1Ep. 47
On the heels of an episode called Hobby Casino, I take some time to share my thoughts about why The Hobby is not a casino. The most important question though is - do you think The Hobby is a casino? I also talk about how there are different types of collectors, specifically quiet ones and loud ones and that there’s enough room for all of us in this big tent we like to call The Hobby.
Oct 28, 2023•26 min•Season 1Ep. 46
Do you believe that breaking wax is a gamble, like playing slots? If you do, then what about other aspects of The Hobby and other table games in a casino? In this bonus episode, I talk about my poker playing past and how the transactional side of The Hobby, specifically buying, selling, and trading singles feels more like a game of skill, rather than a game of chance or luck. And oh yeah, check out Cage Lawyer’s Luka Tigers Lebron Episode 953 from March 28, 2023, called “Is breaking just an unli...
Oct 25, 2023•37 min•Season 1Ep. 45
Continuing the experimental bonus episodes, this is the audio from a YouTube Vlog I made before going into Day 1 of the Chantilly Card Show on October 20, 2023. This was the first time I ever made this type of content, since usually my video content is short form and optimized for Instagram (portrait vs. landscape orientation), but I wanted to try something new! There are two parts to the episode, the first being a recording just before hitting the road on my way to the show and then the second ...
Oct 23, 2023•17 min•Season 1Ep. 44
This is the first bonus episode and it is so different from the other past episodes. It is not optimized for audio, because my guest, Mascot CEO Ezra Levine’s (IG @withmascot), audio is lower than mine because I was recording video with my phone. If that is the case, I would encourage you to check out the YouTube video version, or better yet, scheduled your free demo with Mascot. You might not get their CEO to be the one to do the demo with you, but along the way, you might learn how helpful Mas...
Oct 14, 2023•45 min•Season 1Ep. 43
I explain the reason for bringing Season 1 of this podcast to a close, what you might be able to expect from me in future podcast episodes and also from a content perspective. I honestly don't know how I went 42 minutes talking about this.....
Oct 09, 2023•42 min•Season 1Ep. 42
The mini Meet the Grader series comes to a close and I provide some of my thoughts arising out of what I learned from the series. This is a monologue episode and so I just share my general thoughts and opinions about the grading space in The Hobby.
Oct 05, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 41
Meet the Grader Series continues with Aaron (on IG @aarroyo_22), Operations Manager for AGS RoboGrading (on IG @agsgrading). Aaron talks about growing up in the Wu Tang District in Staten Island, the trading card scene there, and why it’s important for him and his company to give back to the local community. We talk about how big The Hobby is, the difference between a LCS and a LGS and also the difference with how people in The Hobby interact with each other online vs. in person. Aaron explains ...
Sep 30, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 40
Meet the Grader Series continues with Shaun from Card Boss (IG @cardbossgrading)! Card Boss has a trading card grading app that utilizes patented AI technology, where you don’t have to submit your card to get your raw card reviewed. Our conversation takes us down a meandering road, talking about Urban Meyer, Jeni’s ice cream, the card scene in the Midwest, before we get back on track with Card Boss’s accuracy rate, the power of artificial intelligence enabled technology, and the pricing tiers fo...
Sep 22, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 39
Meet the Grader Series continues with Sophia from CGC Cards (on IG @cgccards)! Sophia (on IG @sophpelago) is an avid Pokémon collector who has been with CGC for the past couple of years. She shares how she became a grader, the training it takes to become a grader, and I’m just so appreciative that she was so open and transparent with her work experiences and expertise. We talk about the quality differences between cards produced in Japan and the United States. Some grader myths are dispelled and...
Sep 15, 2023•54 min•Season 1Ep. 38
It’s an interlude episode, one that doesn’t neatly fit into the chapter/guest structure, for those of you who are new. It’s literally just my stream of consciousness, and so you’re either going to love it or hate it. It’s fine either way, it really is. Also, age is nothing but a number. Thanks for listening.
Sep 11, 2023•37 min•Season 1Ep. 37
My second guest for this mini Meet the Grader Series is Brooklyn’s own son, Eddie, who grew up a parallel life to me, just a brother from another borough! He is currently the President of C3 Grading (on Instagram @c3grading), and we start our conversation out about how he found me on social media. We talk about what makes his grading company stand out against the competition (custom labels, horizontal labels, low pricing, a fifth subgrade), and Eddie even shares why he does not even consider PSA...
Sep 08, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 36
Have you ever wanted to hear a podcast where a grader was a guest? Well today's your lucky day! Craig from Forensic Card Grading (on Instagram @fcggrading) stops by the podcast studio/basement/laundromat to share what the life of a grader is like. Craig talks about how he creates grader notes for the cards he grades, which I personally think is a fantastic wrinkle with FCG. Craig dispels the myth that a bad day affects a grader. I then ask Craig to break down what he looks for in the four subgra...
Sep 04, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 35
This is Part III of my chat with Ryan Stuczynski from GemRate (@gemrate on Instagram and gemrate.com). In this part of the chat, we just get silly with questions from Instagram. But first, I botch a Formula 1 analogy on the different tiers of grading companies, because like many people, I suddenly feel like an expert about F1 after watching Netflix’s Drive to Survive. We also talk about crossover grading and should heads and running over slabs with cars. YouTube link here: https://youtu.be/o11nq...
Sep 02, 2023•46 min•Season 1Ep. 34
