The Card Diary by Hobby S. Thompson
by Hobby S Thompson
Welcome to a new limited podcast series called The Card Diary by Hobby S. Thompson, where I invite you to join me on my cardboard journey as I try different ways to enjoy the trading card hobby as a jack of all trades and a master of none, in the style of Hunter S. Thompson. Along the way, I hope we all learn and grow together!
Episodes
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Ep. 123 - Grading in First Half of 2025 with Ryan from GemRate
This podcast episode features Ryan from GemRate, who provides us the recap summary of the first half of 2025 with grading from the Top Four grading companies - PSA, BGS, CGC, and SGC.He dives into what the numbers actually mean and you will learn a lot about the grading space in this video from...
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Ep. 122 - How To Dominate Fanatics Games with Third Place Winner Matt Dennish
For three days from June 20 to 22 in the second ever Fanatics Fest, Michael Rubin hosted the first ever Fanatics Games. The Fanatics Games tested participants across eight sports-themed events, including quarterback accuracy, basketball shooting, soccer goal-scoring, puck shooting, UFC striking...
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Ep. 121 - Fanatics Fest Recap from the Vendor POV
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...
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Ep. 120 - Saying Goodbye To My Best Hobby Friend (Come On A Walk With Us With Our Dogs!)
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.…
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Ep. 119 - Planning for Fanatics Fest with Clark of Five Card Guys and the Cards to the Moon Podcast
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...
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Ep. 118 - My Number One Problem with Jac Caglianone
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...
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Ep. 117 - Choosing Between Fanatics Fest and The National
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...
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Ep. 116 - 20 Minutes with Lance Fensterman, CEO of Fanatics Events
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...
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Ep. 115 - Video Killed the Radio Star
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...
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Ep. 114 - Trading a $7000 RC Card With Your Favorite Baseball Player Bobby Witt Jr. with Bryan of Goatz Sportz Cardz
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…
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Ep. 113 - Breaking The Breaking Cycle with Alyx of Collectors MD
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...
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Ep. 112 - Opening Up a LCS with Chris and Jake @JakesBreaksUK from the United Kingdom
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...
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Live Stream with Ryan McCormick of the Mid Atlantic Card Show
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...
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Sports Cards and Taxes with Ryan from the Mid Atlantic Card Show
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…
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Ep. 109 - Plugging Into The Hobby with Dan of Epic Breaks
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…
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Ep. 108 - Center Stage takes Center Stage! w/ John Wie, CEO of Center Stage
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...
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Ep. 107 - Promoting a new card show with a baby on the way with Dakota
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...
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Ep. 106 - Opening up a new LCS w/ Bryan Goatz Sportz Cardz
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...
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Ep. 105 - The Effect of a TikTok Ban on Hobby TikTokers
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,...
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Ep. 104 - Is an eBay Store monthly subscription worth it?
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.…
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Ep. 103 - Player Collecting with John @zbocards
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...
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[BONUS] Part VI of the Road to 1K Subs - Livin' On A Prayer (We're Halfway There!)
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...
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Ep. 102 - Fire and Ice and Everything Nice
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...
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Ep. 101 - 2024 Year in Grading Review with GemRate and Neo Cards and Comics
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...
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Ep. 100 - It's Just a Number, but the Guests Are Not
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…
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Ep. 99.5 - The Origins of Breaking Sports Cards and How It Can Feel to Break Cards
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…
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Ep. 99 - Taking the Hobby S. Thompson Concept to the Next Level - Nick Andrews, Boston Card Hunter
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...
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Ep. 98 - Giving Thanks
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.
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Ep. 97 - Post Card Show Impromptu Live AMA (and How to Card Show Vlog)
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…
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Ep. 96 - The Mid-Atlantic Sports Card Show with Promoter Ryan McCormick
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...
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Ep. 95 - Military Veterans in The Hobby
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...
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Ep. 94 - Wemby Wemby Wemby with Ryan from GemRate
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...
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Ep. 93 - Fanatics Collect Orlando Round Table Discussion
With Fanatics Collect Orlando now officially cancelled/postponed (no set date as of this recording on October 16, 2024), I brought on three guests to talk about the impact of this cancellation. This was not a bashing of Fanatics, but it was also a very real, but also civil, discussion about the...
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Ep. 92 - Take Two with Prizm Gawd
Back in July of 2023, I tried to record a podcast episode with Raphael (Prizm Gawd), and we just could not make it work out, but it was just not meant to be. One plus year later, I feel like I am a better podcaster and have a bigger platform in The Hobby. Raphael shares who he was before he…
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Ep. 91 - Regional Card Show Roundup
🎙️CHAPTERS 🎙️ 00:30 Intros 01:31 Zach @Collector_Creative 03:09 Gavin @631sportscards 04:35 Rob @collectorschoicecards 08:44 Which Shows They’ve Been To 12:00 Elephant In The Room - Fanatics Fest 13:15 Gavin’s Decision To Choose East Coast National Over Fanatics Fest 14:55 Rob’s Decision To...
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Ep. 90 - East Coast National vs. Culture Collision
This 90th episode of the The Card Diary compares/contrasts the two varying styles of two different card shows - East Coast National and Culture Collision. They were held on different dates and areas of the country, but I talk about how one was more traditional and there was more baseball (and...
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Ep. 89 - Card Art with The Card Carver
The Card Carver is the first ever card artist to be a guest on The Card Diary podcast. He talks about the different types of card art, his experiences at the last three Nationals, grading companies like PSA recognizing his work, the effect and influence of Piggy Banx, and much, much more! This…
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Ep. 88 - Show Promoter Spotlight with Prizm Gawdess of Culture Collision Trade Show
This episode puts the spotlight on one half of the power couple duo that runs the Culture Collision Trade Show. Prizm Gawdess (on IG @prizmgawdess) joins the podcast studio to talk about her hobby journey and the origins, logistics, and numbers behind one of the largest card shows in the US. The...
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Ep. 87 - Show Promoter Spotlight with Fire Sports Cards
Episode 87 of The Card Diary puts the spotlight Bailey (on IG @fire.sportscards), show promoter for a new local card show in the Northern Virginia area, specifically the Ballston neighborhood of Arlington, VA. We rank the 2022, 2023 and 2024 National, our local card show scene in Northern…
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Ep. 86 - eBay Sales and Lessons Learned
Episode 86 of The Card Diary focuses on my latest experience selling 8 low end PSA slabs at auction on eBay and lessons I learned from it, such as being willing to put cards up at auction even if I sell at a loss, I still get liquid. I also share what I do for shipping and packaging. Thanks for...
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Ep. 85 - Plans for Fanatics Fest and the Durant Curry LeBron Triple Auto 1 of 1 Topps Now Card
I talk about my plans for Fanatics Fest, but not before talking about the LeBron Curry Durant (or should it be Durant Curry LeBron?) Triple Auto 1 of 1 Topps Now Card Who's going? If you are, comment below or better yet, DM me on Instagram @denny_cards so we can maybe meet up! Hope to see you...
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Ep. 84 - Special Joint Podcast Episode with Clark (@fivecardguys) from the Cards To The Moon Podcast
Cards To The Moon's very own Clark (@fivecardguys) and I do a special podcast episode where we interview each other in a way. I have been a fan of the podcast for a while, and I've been meaning to have Clark on for a while now and so I'm glad we finally did this. He and I will both be going to...
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Ep. 83 - Special Road Trip Episode - Post Show Thoughts
Our thoughts on setting up as dealers at the Greenville NC card show while driving back home!
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Ep. 82 - Special Road Trip Episode - Setting Up As A New Dealer
Come along with me and first time dealer David as we set forth for a spontaneous road trip adventure to set up as dealers at the Greenville, NC local card show. This would be my first ever show traveling more than an hour and doing an overnight to set up as a dealer, but my sixth time setting up....
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Ep. 81 - Five Things I Learned from Hosting a Moderately Successful Hobby Podcast
What even is a podcast? What is the measure of success? Is there more than one measure? Answers to those questions and what I learned in my one year of making this podcast. Thanks for giving it a listen! - Denny
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Ep. 80 - Eddie Murray
Here is the audio recording from April 21, 2024.
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Ep. 79 - Intro to Eddie Murray Episode and Plans for The National
Spotify for Podcasters has converted to Riverside, and I'm still trying to figure out how to handle this change, but the past music interludes (e..g Compton, Swapping Tubes, and Rodney Skopes) are all gone. We truly are at the mercy of these platforms and have to adjust to whatever changes they...
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Ep. 78 - Growing Pains
7 min intro recorded on July 7, 2024 Then 44 min monologue recorded on March 30, 2024
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Ep. 77 - Full Audio Redo of Having Some Data Pancakes with Tom Ferrera of Pancake Analytics
I hope I got it right this time! This *should* be the full audio of both Tom and myself having a conversation about data in The Hobby. My apologies to both my special guest Tom and to you, the listener, for not uploading the episode correctly the first time and for taking so long to make it…
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Ep. 76 - Having Some Data Pancakes with Tom Ferrera of Pancake Analytics
Episode 76 welcomes Tom Ferrera (on IG @pancake_analytics), where we talk about data analytics and how it applies to The Hobby. We talk about glitches in the Matrix, aka eBay’s Terapeak, being on panels for The Hobby, and the reason sometimes we buy into breaks even when we know from an…
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About this show
Welcome to a new limited podcast series called The Card Diary by Hobby S. Thompson, where I invite you to join me on my cardboard journey as I try different ways to enjoy the trading card hobby as a jack of all trades and a master of none, in the style of Hunter S. Thompson. Along the way, I hope we all learn and grow together!
Hosted by
Hobby S Thompson