Stacking Slabs

Brett McGrath
  • 0.0 (0)
  • Hobbies
  • Updated twice weekly

Welcome to the Stacking Slabs, a podcast for sports cards collectors. There's been a tremendous amount of change to our Hobby over the last few years and the one constant has been the passion from the collecting community. Stacking Slabs is built by the collector and lives to tell stories for the collector.

  1. Hobby Jobs: Your Business Can't Outgrow You

    20 hr ago

    Hobby Jobs: Your Business Can't Outgrow You

    Growth in the hobby is easy to spot. More inventory.More content.More followers.More customers. The growth that matters is harder to see. As your business expands, your role has to change with it. If every decision, customer issue, hire, and piece of content still depends on you, you've built a bottleneck instead of a company. In this episode, I break down why leadership capacity is becoming one of the biggest competitive advantages in sports cards. I also look at what businesses like Mint Inc, Rare Candy, and Dave & Adam's are hiring for and what those roles tell us about where the hobby is heading. If you own a business, want to work in the hobby, or want to understand where the industry is going next, this episode is for you. Sign up for Hobby Jobs and The Weekly Rip for free Get exclusive content, promote your cards, and connect with other collectors who listen to the pod today by joining the Patreon: Join Stacking Slabs Podcast Patreon Follow Stacking Slabs: | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tiktok ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

    20 min
  2. Built for the Hobby: What Sports Executives Understand About Collecting with Dan Kaufman of Sports Business Journal

    3 days ago

    Built for the Hobby: What Sports Executives Understand About Collecting with Dan Kaufman of Sports Business Journal

    What does the sports industry see when it looks at the hobby? In this episode of Built for the Hobby, Brett McGrath is joined by Scott Lock of InfernoRed Technology and Dan Kaufman, Managing Director at Sports Business Journal, for a conversation at the intersection of sports, collecting, media, technology, and fan engagement.  Dan brings a perspective few people can offer. He's a lifelong collector, a sports business leader, and someone who spends his days talking with executives across leagues, teams, media companies, and technology organizations.  Topics include:  Why sports cards are becoming a bigger part of fan engagement  How younger fans consume sports differently  The relationship between athlete performance and card values  Premium experiences in sports and collecting  The role of technology and AI in shaping the future of fandom  Why collecting remains one of the strongest emotional connections between fans and sports This conversation offers a look at where sports and collecting are heading and why the connection between the two continues to strengthen. Check out the awesome software that InfernoRed Technology can build for you. Get your free copy of Collecting For Keeps: Finding Meaning In A Hobby Built On Hype Start your 7 day free trial of Stacking Slabs Patreon Today Sign up for Hobby Jobs and The Weekly Rip for free Follow Stacking Slabs: | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tiktok ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

    56 min
  3. Before the Room Gets Loud: Building a Collection With Independent Judgment

    4 days ago

    Before the Room Gets Loud: Building a Collection With Independent Judgment

    In this episode of Stacking Slabs, Brett continues the conversation around taste, conviction, and building a collection that reflects your point of view. This is not an episode about what to buy. It is about how to think. Brett walks through the questions serious collectors need to ask before making decisions: How do you spot opportunity before consensus forms? How do you separate overlooked cards from cards that lack demand? How do you balance personal conviction with market reality? What role should community feedback play? How do you know if your collection reflects your own interest or the market’s influence? This episode is a call to slow down, build with intent, and audit the decisions shaping your collection. Because the strongest collectors do not need the room to agree first. They know what they notice. They know why it matters. They know where they might be wrong. And they build from there. Check out the awesome software that InfernoRed Technology can build for you. Sign up for Hobby Jobs and The Weekly Rip for free Get your free copy of Collecting For Keeps: Finding Meaning In A Hobby Built On Hype Start your 7 day free trial of Stacking Slabs Patreon Today [Distributed on Sunday] Sign up for the Stacking Slabs Weekly Rip Newsletter using this link Follow Stacking Slabs: | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tiktok ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

    39 min
  4. Plant the Seed: Why the Best Cards Take Time

    5 days ago

    Plant the Seed: Why the Best Cards Take Time

    Most collectors focus on the outcome.The card.The deal.The mail day.The auction win. But the best things in this hobby rarely happen overnight. They come from trust built over years.Relationships formed without expectations.Research completed before the opportunity appears.Conviction developed long before consensus arrives. In this episode, Brett explores the power of planting seeds as a collector. Why patience is an active skill. Why clarity creates opportunity. Why trust compounds. And why the collectors who seem to have the best cards, strongest relationships, and deepest collections are often the ones doing the work nobody sees. If you're feeling pulled in too many directions or frustrated by the pace of the hobby, this conversation is for you. Because the best things in collecting don't come from forcing the moment. They come from doing the right work long enough that the moment knows where to find you. Sign up for Hobby Jobs and The Weekly Rip for free Get your free copy of Collecting For Keeps: Finding Meaning In A Hobby Built On Hype Start your 7 day free trial of Stacking Slabs Patreon Today [Distributed on Sunday] Sign up for the Stacking Slabs Weekly Rip Newsletter using this link Follow Stacking Slabs: | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tiktok ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

    34 min
  5. Hobby Jobs: Stop Building for “The Hobby”

    21 Jun

    Hobby Jobs: Stop Building for “The Hobby”

    In this episode of Hobby Jobs, Brett breaks down why “building for the hobby” is too vague to guide a real business. The sports card industry is not one customer. It is trust. It is convenience. It is liquidity. It is discovery. It is fandom. It is customer behavior. Brett expands on this week’s Operator Note and explains why the best operators in sports cards do not build for a category. They build for a person with a clear problem. This episode also looks at lessons from Bryan Shaffer of THZ Sports Cards, the value of category fluency, and why companies like CardVault show where hobby work is headed. For anyone working in sports cards or trying to find a path into the industry, this episode is about sharpening your thinking, understanding the customer, and creating value that the market remembers. Sign up for Hobby Jobs and The Weekly Rip for free Get exclusive content, promote your cards, and connect with other collectors who listen to the pod today by joining the Patreon: Join Stacking Slabs Podcast Patreon Follow Stacking Slabs: | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tiktok ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

    20 min
  6. The John Cena Superfractor and the Difference Between Conviction and Impulse

    18 Jun

    The John Cena Superfractor and the Difference Between Conviction and Impulse

    What makes a card worth chasing? In this episode, Brett breaks down the purchase of one of the most important cards to enter his collection in years: the 2025 Topps Chrome WWE John Cena Superfractor 1/1. But this isn't a story about a big card. It's a story about the process behind the decision. From negotiating against a $10,000 asking price to identifying what makes a card canonical, Brett explores the factors that create conviction in collecting. He discusses scarcity versus significance, the power of personal connection, the role of side collections, using collection equity with intention, and why the best long-term purchases often sit at the intersection of market understanding and lived experience. If you've ever wondered how to separate impulse from conviction when a big card surfaces, this episode is for you. Sign up for Hobby Jobs and The Weekly Rip for free Get your free copy of Collecting For Keeps: Finding Meaning In A Hobby Built On Hype Start your 7 day free trial of Stacking Slabs Patreon Today [Distributed on Sunday] Sign up for the Stacking Slabs Weekly Rip Newsletter using this link Follow Stacking Slabs: | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tiktok ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

    28 min
  7. Stop Waiting for Validation: The Cost of Outsourcing Your Taste

    17 Jun

    Stop Waiting for Validation: The Cost of Outsourcing Your Taste

    One of the biggest mistakes collectors make has nothing to do with buying the wrong card. It has everything to do with waiting. Waiting for a sale.Waiting for a content creator to talk about it.Waiting for the market to tell you it's safe. In this episode, Brett explores why waiting for validation is rarely about needing more information and often about seeking permission. Using examples from PMG Greens, Michael Jordan 1/1s, Nat Turner's collecting journey, and Chris McGill's pursuit of overlooked lanes, Brett breaks down the psychology behind social proof, regret, independent taste, and conviction. If you've ever felt pulled toward a player, parallel, set, or category that nobody else seems to care about, this episode is for you. The best collections aren't built by following consensus. They're built by collectors who trust themselves enough to do the work before the crowd arrives. Check out the awesome software that InfernoRed Technology can build for you. Sign up for Hobby Jobs and The Weekly Rip for free Get your free copy of Collecting For Keeps: Finding Meaning In A Hobby Built On Hype Start your 7 day free trial of Stacking Slabs Patreon Today [Distributed on Sunday] Sign up for the Stacking Slabs Weekly Rip Newsletter using this link Follow Stacking Slabs: | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tiktok ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

    30 min
  8. The WNBA Card Podcast: Connecticut Sun Team Collecting, Family Memories, and the End of an Era with Steve (showley2003)

    16 Jun

    The WNBA Card Podcast: Connecticut Sun Team Collecting, Family Memories, and the End of an Era with Steve (showley2003)

    The Connecticut Sun are entering their final season. For many fans, that means more than a franchise relocation. It means the end of routines, memories, and connections built over decades. In this episode, Katelyn sits down with Steve (@showley2003), a lifelong basketball fan and dedicated Connecticut Sun collector, to explore what made the Sun unique and why this season carries so much emotion. They discuss:  How a trip to a Sun game with his daughter changed his collecting life  Why team collecting creates a different kind of connection  The role accessibility plays in building WNBA fandom  Alyssa Thomas, DeWanna Bonner, Jonquel Jones, and the players who defined the franchise  The history of the Connecticut Sun and their tribal ownership  How collectors navigate the loss of a team they love  What the future of WNBA fandom in New England might look like This conversation is about more than cards. It's about the people, memories, and experiences that make collecting matter. Check out Card Ladder the official data partner of The WNBA Card Podcast Follow the WNBA Card Podcast on Instagram  Get your free copy of Collecting For Keeps: Finding Meaning In A Hobby Built On Hype Get exclusive content, promote your cards, and connect with other collectors who listen to the pod today by joining the Patreon: Join Stacking Slabs Podcast Patreon [Distributed on Sunday] Sign up for the Stacking Slabs Weekly Rip Newsletter using this link Follow Stacking Slabs: | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | TiktokFollow Katelyn: | Instagram ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

    1hr 12min
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About

Welcome to the Stacking Slabs, a podcast for sports cards collectors. There's been a tremendous amount of change to our Hobby over the last few years and the one constant has been the passion from the collecting community. Stacking Slabs is built by the collector and lives to tell stories for the collector.

Information

  • Creator
    Brett McGrath
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    998
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Stacking Slabs
  • Show Website
    Stacking Slabs

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