Welcome to "27 Decisions," a limited-run series all November presented by The Shallow End. Today's guest is Bill aka @eephus_pitch . Learn how Bill's decision to escape the hobby mainstream resulted in new community and rediscovered enjoyment. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/infraction/tumblin...
Nov 08, 2024•16 min
Welcome to "27 Decisions," a limited-run series all November presented by The Shallow End. Today's guest is Sully aka @cardinal_red_refractors . Sully never knew he was a color-match collector. That changed when a rare Yadier Molina found its way to his mailbox. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/infraction/tumblin...
Nov 07, 2024•12 min
Welcome to "27 Decisions," a limited-run series all November presented by The Shallow End. Today's guest is Tony aka @SouthernCollector14 . Learn how Tony's spontaneous decision to throw a bid on a '52 Mantle landed him a copy of the hobby's most iconic card. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/infraction/tumblin...
Nov 06, 2024•17 min
Welcome to "27 Decisions," a limited-run series all November presented by The Shallow End. Today's guest is Robert aka @Sole.Tuf . Learn how a '90s basketball collector ignited a new area of collecting thanks to one of the most iconic vintage cards ever produced. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/infraction/tumblin...
Nov 05, 2024•12 min
Welcome to "27 Decisions," a limited-run series all November presented by The Shallow End. Today's guest is Greg aka @TimSalmonCollector . Learn how Greg's decision to spend a little more changed the trajectory of his collection. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/infraction/tumblin License code: ONWKL496FS2NZ4IP...
Nov 04, 2024•18 min
Beginning Monday, Nov. 4, The Shallow End will drop a new episode in your podcast feed for 27 consecutive days. This limited-run series, "27 Decisions," will run Nov. 4-30, and each day will feature a new interview with a collector about a decision or moment that changed the direction of their hobby experience. More details in today's short episode of The Shallow End. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards...
Nov 01, 2024•7 min
As one-half of the team behind the podcast Global Card Collectors , John ( @IstanbulCards ) puts together his NBA PC while chatting with other collectors from across the globe. In this episode, we talk about the origins of his Luka Doncic collection, Michael Jordan's unending global impact, and why Crusade inserts aren't as harmless as they seem. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards...
Oct 25, 2024•37 min
Do we collect cards? Or do cards collect us? Who's really in control here? If you suspect you're not in control of your own collecting, there's a little-known remedy: Say no to the cards you want. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards
Oct 18, 2024•20 min
Matt aka @timmy_d_21_pc returns, and he's been busy. One of the hobby's most thoughtful collectors is here to talk the value of patience, research, and realizing that more is not always more. Plus, we hear the story behind his incredible Shohei Ohtani auto. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz (IG: @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards )
Oct 11, 2024•49 min
I need your help. I’m working on something—something special—and I need your help. Have you ever made a major change to your collection? Have you ever picked up a new card, or started putting together a new set, or focused on a new player … that changed the direction of how you collect sports cards? If so, and if you’d like to talk with me, I’d like to talk with you. I’m Dave Schwartz, and this is my podcast, The Shallow End. You can reach me on Instagram @IowaDave_Sportscards. I’m interested in...
Oct 04, 2024•2 min
Dealers closing up shop early, unimpressive con artists … must be a sports-card show. In this episode, Dave recaps a card show he attended last weekend and explains why even a subpar day at a card show beats just about any other experience.
Sep 27, 2024•16 min
Welcome to Volume 4 of The Shallow End: Total Content. In this edition, we hear 13 clips from the best and most interesting sports-card podcasts.
Sep 25, 2024•28 min
Great news! One of my favorite athletes has rookie cards coming out soon. Bad news. Half the planet will be looking for them, driving up prices while shrinking availability. That begs the question: Should I—or should I not—collect Caitlin Clark cards?
Sep 20, 2024•21 min
You've picked up a big sports card. Congratulations! In theory, you should be content for a while, but you're not. You want more. But you spent all your money on that big card. Now what? How do you collect when you're broke?
Sep 13, 2024•15 min
Justin, aka @740SmithCards , PC's Michael Jordan, but the rest of his PC is made up almost entirely of non-Hall of Famers—players who hold a special place in his history as a fan of Ohio sports. In this episode, we hear how Justin marries his passion for collecting childhood heroes with his fondness for some of the era's most unique and memorable sets of sports cards. We also learn that Justin doesn't consider himself an influencer, except when it comes to passing along knowledge of the hobby to...
Sep 06, 2024•47 min
Josh is a sports-card collector of many interests: vintage, modern, Yankees, superstars from across MLB. In this episode, learn from a collector who remembers that sports cards are supposed to be a hobby, fun, and most of all, an escape from everyday life. Find Josh on IG at @InspiredSportscards . The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards
Aug 30, 2024•39 min
There's a term in the British art world used to describe someone who doesn't think for themselves, who only collects based on what others are doing, and what they think is "right." In this episode, we talk about that insult and how it applies to sports cards. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards
Aug 16, 2024•13 min
In the third installment of The Shallow End: Total Content, we catch up with some of the most interesting hobby content from the last month. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz ( @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards )
Aug 12, 2024•25 min
Soccer-collector Mark ( @SJSoccerCards ) joined the hobby just two years ago. Like all of us, he's making mistakes, learning lessons, and discovering which cards stoke his interests. In this episode, meet a collector who appreciates cards as much for their artistic value as for their personal connections. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz ( @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards )...
Aug 09, 2024•35 min
I pressed the reset button. I eliminated 90 percent of my collection to acquire one card. In this episode, I discuss how I got the deal done, the emotions surrounding it, and whether "The Shallow End" is still an appropriate name for this podcast. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards
Aug 02, 2024•38 min
We're told we should collect the greats. The GOATs. But over the last 12-18 months, I've learned the best way to get a hobby education isn't through the legends, but through collecting obscure players who also had cards produced in legendary sets. That is a more practical entry point into a richer hobby experience.
Jul 26, 2024•30 min
Sometimes the moment comes when the truth hits you: Your sports-card PC isn't what you want it to be. That can be a bad feeling, but it comes with good news. It's never too late to change how and what you collect. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz ( @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards on IG)
Jul 19, 2024•11 min
By now, the phrase "10x the hobby" has become as cliché as it is superficial. It's a slogan for a cash grab. But 10x the community? Now we're onto something. That's how Samuel C. Evans (@ thesprtzcardcoltr ) describes his ambition for the sports-card hobby. He wants collectors to feel welcome, encouraged, and at peace when they look at their cards. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards...
Jul 12, 2024•35 min
How boring would this hobby be if we all collected the same thing? In this episode, we speak with Chad aka @blackhat_cards on IG. He collects players from his beloved Minnesota, but he also collects the villains of sport. Many of the athletes who make up his PC have decided to wear the black hat. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz ( @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards )
Jul 05, 2024•45 min
The latest edition of The Shallow End: Total Content. Featuring … Cardboard Chronicles; Cards to the Moon; Stacking Slabs; The Collector's Gene; Sports Card Madness; Sports Cards Nonsense; Lemme Get That Podagraph; Wax Pack Hero. Contact Dave Schwartz on IG @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards
Jul 01, 2024•17 min
Collector Kevin M. Cormier once called it the "paralysis of indecision." It's those moments when you have too many cards that you want, the funds to get some, and the decision and contemplation becomes so much that you end up doing nothing. On this episode, we consider it from a slightly different perspective—from the unhelpful point of view of "What If …" The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards Read the Kevin Cormier interview from June 6, 2023, here ....
Jun 28, 2024•15 min
Sports-card influencers have power not because of some cosmic or mystic force. They have power because we give them power. Who are the most powerful influencers in the sports-card hobby? That's an easy answer: Look in the mirror. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards Referenced in this episode: " Hodinkee Radio episode 21: Matt Jacobson " (aired Nov 26, 2018)...
Jun 21, 2024•24 min
Clark, curator of @fivecardguys and host of the Cards to the Moon podcast, recently committed to attending his first National. Then he changed his mind and will instead go to the first Fanatics Fest a month later in New York. Here's why. Plus, we talked about Cards to the Moon recently celebrating its third anniversary, how he keeps it fresh, and we close by playing some sports-card related games. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards...
Jun 14, 2024•39 min
Welcome to an experiment. A new monthly series, "The Shallow End: Total Content," works to shine a light on some of the best, most interesting, and notable recent episodes in sports-card podcasting. If you'd like to leave feedback, host Dave Schwartz can be reached on Instagram at @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards .
Jun 10, 2024•19 min
When you spend a good chunk of your week sitting inside unmoving airplanes at one of the world's largest airports, the mind wanders. Mine wandered to sports cards. Please enjoy this abbreviated, hopefully entertaining, O'Hare-inspired episode. The Shallow End is hosted by Dave Schwartz @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards
Jun 07, 2024•11 min