Do Sports Cards Actually Make Money? + Collector vs Investor Psychology + Hobby Identity Tension

The conversation stays lively as Joe Poirot joins Jeremy and Paul Hickey midstream, and the chat becomes part of the show. What starts as hobby banter quickly turns into a real discussion about market psychology, self awareness, and how collectors actually behave when nobody’s watching. Jeremy reacts to a key question about whether early Hobby Spectrum results are skewed by audience makeup, while Joe offers a sharp observation: even long time “collectors at heart” have moments where they check prices first and feelings second. From there, Paul puts real numbers on the table from his 2025 five athlete experiment, including total spend, net profit, and player by player ROI. The segment closes with a deep dive into Paul’s biggest mistake of the year: a Michael Jordan Star card play that didn’t go the way he expected, plus a fast-moving discussion about grading trends, crossovers, and what it would actually take for a grading company to compete with PSA. In this episode: Joe Poirot jumps in and the chat drives the discussion Is the Hobby Spectrum Directory skewed toward collectors and why that matters The “Beckett Price Guide arrows” effect and why motivation is rarely pure Paul’s 2025 results with real numbers: total spend, net profit, and cards still held Player by player ROI: Wembanyama, Ohtani, Jordan, Caitlin Clark, Arch Manning, Cooper Flagg Why Paul chose Anthony Edwards over SGA for liquidity and buyer confidence The Michael Jordan Star card mistake and what it cost Grading landscape talk: turnaround times, acquisitions, and crossover strategies Jeremy’s “how to compete with PSA” recipe and Paul’s devil’s advocate take Why comps can mislead when attention and timing change If you want to go deeper: Watch Sports Cards Live live on YouTube Saturday nights Follow Sports Cards Live on your podcast platform and leave a rating or review Take the Hobby Spectrum assessment at HobbySpectrum.com to see where you land Opt into the Spectrum Directory to connect with collectors who think like you Explore Paul Hickey at NoOffSeason.com and the Sports Card Strategy Show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices