Wicked Good Pulls

The boys are back to talk about the undeniable thrill of the junk wax era! Matt dives back into his 80s and 90s baseball collection, pulling out legends like Bo Jackson, Ken Griffey Jr., and an iconic 1986 Topps Ozzie Smith, pitching a brand-new Whatnot stream idea. Meanwhile, Mike unpacks his childhood trauma of spending his entire $50 birthday budget on an Upper Deck box only to get zero double-sided holograms.We also debate the merits of holding onto high-end slabs versus keeping an evolving collection , and celebrate the unmatched, Christmas-like joy of getting new cards in the mail. Plus, things get heated during our off-topic TV review, and we officially resurrect the "Pull of the Week" segment (complete with some highly questionable producer sound effects).In This Episode:Junk Wax Nostalgia: Matt rediscovers the joy of the junk wax baseball hunt, highlighting a pristine Kenny Lofton card and praising the timeless design of the classic "Rated Rookie" logo.To Hold or To Sell: Mike contemplates holding onto graded Kobe and Jordan slabs instead of instantly flipping them , while Matt suggests grading raw vintage cards as a smart way to tiptoe into long-term holding.Off-Topic Rants: Mike goes totally nuclear on Apple TV's Shrinking, calling out the unrealistic character relationships , while Matt claims it might actually be Harrison Ford's best acting role. We also get an intense pitch for Timothée Chalamet's new ping-pong movie, Marty Supreme.Pull of the Week: The segment returns! Matt shows off a 1991 Chipper Jones top prospect card , Mike brings a 1999 Bowman's Best Kobe Bryant gold foil , and we give a massive retirement shoutout to Officer Phelps.

The Ultimate $10 Flea Market Score & Navigating PSA GradingIn this episode, it’s all about the thrill of the sports card collecting treasure hunt! Joe kicks things off by recounting an unbelievable weekend, starting with a dive into a 50-cent value bin that yielded a $76 Jalen Brunson short print. But that’s nothing compared to his legendary flea market score: dropping just $10 for a massive bin of vintage 80s cards, walking away with Dr. J, Kareem, and 12 Michael Jordans. It was a haul that brought him a level of joy that might rival his own wedding. The guys also dive deep into the current state of grading, discussing whether you can trust PSA turnaround times and debating theories on pop count protection for high-end cards. Plus, Matt breaks down the modern wax market, looking at the explosive growth of WNBA cards and the hunt for Topps Chrome Football and Bowman Basketball. In this episode we cover:The Art of the Hunt: Digging through card show dollar bins and flea market rescues.Grading Controversies: PSA's infinite wait times, grading conspiracies, and the future of AI grading.Modern Wax & The WNBA: The profitability of the WNBA, ripping Donruss mega boxes, and chasing Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark.Topps Now: Grabbing Cooper Flagg Rookie of the Year cards before they sell out.Next Gen Collectors: Grant gets hooked on Pokemon and makes his first sale at GOAT.Whatnot Antics: Ripping obscure 90s packs like Desert Storm and Guinness Book of World Records live on stream. (Disclaimer: As always, expect Mike and Matt to aggressively dominate the high-level hobby talk while Joe heroically steps in as your trusty audience surrogate to ask the foundational questions we’re all actually thinking.)

The guys are back from Florida with fresh pickups and new strategies for the hobby. This week on Wicked Good Pulls, we dive into the realities of Whatnot streaming, shifting the focus away from pure profit and toward consistent audience growth and building themed shows like "All-Holo" and Celtics vs. Lakers. Plus, we introduce a brand new segment—"The Wickedest Pull of the Week"—where we debate the value of a pristine Metal Kobe Bryant rookie against a Jayden Daniels Select.In This Episode:Florida Card Shop Hauls: Matt recaps his vacation finds from East West Collectibles, while Mike details the financial dangers of "Happy Hour Whatnot" browsing.The PSA Bulk Submission: We break down the strategy and costs of sending 20 raw football cards to PSA to prep for the upcoming season.Whatnot Stream Themes: Brainstorming how to stand out with upcoming shows featuring 90s-style NBA players, Slam cards, and an All-Holo night.The Wickedest Pull of the Week: Matt and Mike go head-to-head, pitting an incredibly crisp Metal Kobe Bryant rookie against a Jayden Daniels Select rookie.The Daily “Grying” Challenge: Mike explains his bizarre new routine of following Jimmy Valvano speech advice and the season two finale of Dave to elicit sad emotions, but without tears, every single day.Childhood Bedroom Aesthetics: A chaotic deep dive into 90s bedroom makeovers, from Joe's iconic splat paint to Matt's sponge-painted triangles.

Is starting a sports card podcast in your 40s a midlife crisis? Mike’s 9-year-old son seems to think so, but the boys are too busy chasing high-end retro wax to care.This week on Wicked Good Pulls, we dive into the ultimate hobby betrayal: Matt visits GOAT Card Shop 30 times without an invite to the "Back Room," but Mike (Retro Ripping) gets invited behind the curtain on his second visit. Plus, we discuss the "Flea Market Queen" conundrum, the desperate need for Whatnot affirmation, and Joe questions if the $699 animation budget is worth his sanity.In This Episode:[05:20] The Animation Debate: Is the $699 yearly price tag for podcast cartoons actually worth it? [12:30] Whatnot Jealousy: Mike’s desperate search for affirmation in the chat.[25:30] The GOAT Back Room: What really happens when you’re invited behind the curtain to see the high-end wax? [35:00] Flea Market Hunting: Why Kris gives Matt "the look of disgust" at 6 AM

This week on the podcast, Mike tries to do something genuinely nice by giving a shoutout to his favorite Whatnot streamer, but Matt immediately ruins the moment by critiquing the guy's Southern accent—leading to a desperate, podcast-long attempt to un-cancel himself.Later, the guys pivot from sports cards to their biggest domestic grievances: their families ruthlessly stealing their hidden stashes of Orbit gum and Burt's Bees chapstick like a pack of wild raccoons.In This Episode:Apologies to G-Man: Mike highlights G-Man Sports Cards as the best stream on Whatnot (and Matt gives a nod to DLava), only for Matt to accidentally insult the host's accent on a hot mic.The Gum & Chapstick Thieves: Matt and Mike vent about the "ghosts" in their houses that instantly consume any gum, chapstick, or healthy Yasso bars left unattended for more than five minutes.The Great Litter Debate: Is spitting your gum under your car in a parking lot worse than tossing a wooden ice cream stick on the ground?90s Disney Nostalgia: Joe rips a pack of 1992 Impel Disney Collector cards purely to get a rise out of Matt and triggers a wave of classic cartoon nostalgia.The First Grade 10!: Matt shares a massive win from his first professional grading experience at the local Carver card shop, turning a raw $20 Paul Skenes Black Foil rookie card into a pristine grade 10 worth over $170.

This week, the podcast gets completely derailed when Joe completely blindsides Matt and Mike with a surprise VIP guest: their sister, Leah! But before the family reunion kicks off, Matt makes a shocking confession about his brand new obsession with Disney trading cards. Mike immediately plots to buy vintage 1992 Disney packs, while Joe questions everyone's sanity.Later, the brothers force Leah to listen to their dystopian survival plan (where she is immediately sacrificed) and finally make her pick a side in the great "Ethics of the Flip" debate.In This Episode:The Disney Confession: Matt admits his kids had to literally drag him away from the Topps Chrome Disney cards at a recent show, sparking Mike’s interest in the Disney investment market.Apocalyptic Sibling Survival: Leah reacts to the guys' apocalyptic survival strategy, which delegates her to decorating the shelter and petting chickens.Frankie the Hustler: Leah shares a mom's perspective on her son Frankie's card-collecting journey, praising the real-world haggling and business skills he is learning at card shows.The Ethics Debate Settled?: Leah officially weighs in on the infamous Episode 4 debate regarding Whatnot starting prices. Does she side with Matt's morals or Mike's free-market capitalism? (Spoiler: Matt calls them all immoral).Feeding the "Algo": Matt begs the listeners to bookmark his upcoming Whatnot streams and breaks down exactly why pre-show bookmarks are the secret to pleasing the algorithm.

This week, the brothers agree to officially ban the word "strategy" from the podcast and dive into the logistics of organizing massive card collections for live streams. Mike confesses to making up sports facts on the fly, while Matt reveals his secret framed shrines to Drew Bledsoe. Later, things get personal as Mike vents about the emotional rollercoaster of raising a teenage daughter.In This Episode:Thrift Shop Nightmares: Mike realizes that hunting for cheap items to flip for a massive markup is his absolute nightmare—until he immediately decides he might actually be into it.The Whatnot Command Center: Matt breaks down his method for organizing cards by era, player, and insert, while admitting he heavily relies on his kids for mid-stream card pulling.Fake News & Space Jam: Mike admits that his impressive sports knowledge on streams is mostly made up, or heavily dependent on whatever documentary he watched five days ago, such as Space Jam.The Drew Bledsoe PC: While Mike contemplates starting a Jaylen Brown personal collection, Matt proudly confesses to collecting and framing two-cent Drew Bledsoe cards on his walls.The Teenage Conundrum & Movie Escapes: Mike talks about the highs and lows of parenting his 14-year-old daughter, Emmy. They bond over the movie Interstellar and simulation theory, but she still calls him a loser when he waves at her school bus. Plus, Mike reveals his deeply stressful emergency drop plan for escaping movie theaters.

The brothers return for Episode 11, and things get heated when Joe admits he is ready to go to war with artificial intelligence. Later, the conversation pivots from cash flow management to post-apocalyptic survival strategies, complete with a brutal breakdown of why their sister wouldn't survive the end of the world.In This Episode:Yelling at Robots & Pop Punk: Mike airs his grievances against AI devices interrupting his thoughts and aggressively messing up his 2000s pop-punk running playlists.The "Rolling Profit" Method: Mike breaks down his exact cash flow strategy for selling cards, including using separate bank accounts, tracking batch profits, and joking about legally dubious tax write-offs for his kids.Ice Cube vs. Connor Price: The guys debate Ice Cube's transition from his NWA days to starring in family movies. Matt also drops a wild trivia fact about rapper Connor Price's child acting days alongside Russell Crowe in Cinderella Man.Dystopian Flea Markets & Sisterly Survival: If the grid goes down, who survives? Matt is on food duty, Mike is practicing starting fires, and Joe is placed on shelter duty due to his carpentry skills. Meanwhile, Matt and Mike ruthlessly roast their sister, deciding her only apocalypse survival skills would be "decorating the shelter" and trying to pet the chickens right next to the slaughter table.The $2 Start & New Targets: Mike shifts his auction strategy to $2 starts and tests the waters with Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter cards.

The guys return for Episode 10 to talk streaming strategy, but things quickly go off the rails when a massive typo on Mike's eBay account is exposed to the world. Is it Retroripping, or are you actually buying from Retro“ropping"?In This Episode:The Yard Sale Pivot: After seeing the massive value hidden in his son's collection, Mike considers pivoting his entire yard-sale hunting strategy over to Pokémon cards.Pleasing the Algo: Mike breaks down his new Whatnot strategy: streaming less frequently but utilizing targeted giveaways to hack the "algo" and boost his follower count.Marketplace Hustles: Matt shares his newest, slightly creepy card acquisition strategy—meeting up with elderly men from Facebook Marketplace to score massive lots of Jordans on the cheap.The Proud Dad Spreadsheets: Mike and Matt share back-to-back proud parenting moments as their sons start building their own card-flipping empires using complex spreadsheets and eBay comps.

In this episode, Matt recaps the massive success of his highly targeted Duke Blue Devils Whatnot stream, which he strategically ran right before the Duke vs. North Carolina game.This inspires Joe to pitch a chaotic and completely unethical new sales tactic for future rivalry streams: let the winning bidder actually destroy the opposing team's card. Will holding an Ohio State card hostage for Michigan buyers ruin the hobby, or is it pure entertainment?Later in the episode, Mike forces a massive pop-culture detour:The Rapper Debate: Mike defends his new favorite rapper, Connor Price, despite Matt revealing that his kids outgrew Price's music by age 12.Dead of Winter: Mike pitches a new HBO movie starring Emma Thompson, praising her highly realistic portrayal of a mid-70s action hero trying to save a kidnapped girl.Retro Ripping Expansion: Looking to expand his inventory beyond Jordan, Kobe, and Iverson, Mike asks for input on targeting Vince Carter next.

In this episode, Mike starts things off with a formal apology, admitting he acted like a massive jerk during the Episode 4 debate. He blames his aggressive conversational tone on unresolved childhood trauma—specifically the time he woke up at 6:30 AM to play their new Sega Genesis Batman game, only to find Matt refusing to share the controller.Later, Matt has an existential realization and asks the group if their entire sports card side hustle is actually just a highly specific, slightly pathetic midlife crisis.On the hobby side, the brothers break down their latest auction strategies:The $3 Jordan Experiment: Mike abandons his tiered pricing and starts all his Michael Jordan cards at $3, resulting in unexpected bidding wars that drove prices into the high teens and twenties.The Duke Stream: Matt recaps his incredibly fun, highly targeted Duke Blue Devils stream right before the Duke/UNC game, moving autos from players like Elton Brand and Cherokee Parks.The Back Wall Strategy: Why keeping your premium cards on the "back wall" and waiting for the chat to ask about them is the best way to handle high-value inventory.

This week, the podcast takes a hilarious turn as Matt shares the story of a father-son card hunting trip gone completely wrong.Instead of scoring big hits, Matt ends up in a bitter feud with an elderly card shop owner who condescendingly calls him "kid" while refusing to haggle on a $3 autograph. Matt flies into a blind rage, wishing their shop goes out of business, only for his 13-year-old son, Ry, to step in and act like the mature adult to calm him down. Joe spends the segment mercilessly roasting Matt for having a "Karen" meltdown over a grand total of $6.Later in the episode, the guys actually talk about cards.In this episode:The Graded Jordan Experiment: Mike breaks down his latest investment strategy: hunting for base-level Jordans graded 8 or 9 for under $20.The Break-Even Margins: Mike reveals his recent pickups, including a '93 Upper Deck Hang Time and a '91 Skybox, detailing his profit goals of hitting $20 to $30+ per card.The Die-Cut Flip: Matt shares his recent purchase of a '96 die-cut Jordan for $40, hoping to quickly flip it for $60.

How do you maximize bids on your card stream? The crew dives deep into the psychology of pricing, debating the pros and cons of a 4-tier ($3, $5, $10, $23) versus a streamlined 2-tier ($3, $10) starting bid strategy.In this episode:The Pricing Puzzle: Does adding more categories put a "cap" on your mid-tier Jordan inserts? We talk strategy for MJ, Kobe, and Iverson.Boosting the Algo: Our "early bird special" hack for new streamers to build quick momentum and get those first sales.Vintage Horror Story: We rip a '93-'94 Skybox Premium pack and learn the hard way about sticky cards—plus the truth about the "freezer trick."The Ball Head Debate: A mid-podcast tangent on the bizarre suggestion of wearing a basketball or football on your head to stream. You gotta hear this one.

This week, the brothers head to the flea market, where Joe discovers the physical toll of digging through thousands of cards (and the terrifying reality of unauthorized Advil vendors). The guys break down the unwritten rules of "bin etiquette"—is it ever okay to reach across another grown man to grab a Jordan?Later, the conversation turns to Whatnot, where Mike deals with a buyer's remorse refund request and Matt exposes the shady world of "spam bidding" conspiracies. Is the hobby filled with shill bidders inflating prices? And more importantly, would Joe actually win a fistfight against a flea market regular?In this episode:The Fentanyl Advil: Joe’s deep concern about the vendor selling loose bottles of medication at the flea market exit.Bin Etiquette: The unwritten rules of digging through dollar bins—and when it's okay to "switcheroo" with the guy next to you.Flea Market Neck: The very real physical toll of hunching over cardboard for an hour.Buyer’s Remorse: Mike debates whether a seller is obligated to refund a buyer who got caught up in the heat of an auction.The Spam Bidding Conspiracy: Matt reveals how some bidders might be working with streamers to artificially inflate prices.

In this episode, Mike and Joe stage an intervention after receiving a depressing Wednesday morning phone call from Matt. Despite selling $600 worth of cards in a single night, Matt is spiraling over the grueling reality of packing and shipping 300 individual $2 cards.To fix the shipping nightmare, Matt tries pivoting to selling higher-end cards, but instantly hits a moral roadblock. Is it unethical to buy a card for $4 and start the Whatnot bidding at $20? Matt feels "yucky" and worries about buyer's remorse, while Mike argues it is simply supply, demand, and the reality of the marketplace. Tune in for a heated debate on auction ethics, perceived value, and whether Matt is destined to remain the hobby's ultimate "depressed social martyr."In this episode:The $600 Hangover: Why a highly successful Whatnot stream left Matt completely miserable by Wednesday morning.The Low-Margin Shipping Nightmare: The brutal reality of packing and shipping 300 individual $2 cards.The Ethics of the Flip: Is it wrong to buy a card for $4 and start the auction at $20, or is that just basic supply and demand?Buyer's Remorse vs. Market Value: A heated debate on who is actually responsible when a buyer gets caught up in auction fever.The Diagnosis: Mike and Joe finally diagnose Matt as the hobby's ultimate "depressed social martyr."

Matt starts the morning with a Diet Mountain Dew before 8:00 AM, and it only gets weirder from there. In this episode, Joe "The Skeptic" tries to understand why two grown men spend their weekends digging through dusty bins, while Mike and Matt reveal their secrets for finding undervalued cards in a crowded card shop.In this episode:Parenting Fails: Matt explains why he doesn't let his kids trade cards with friends (and why "kindness is weakness" in the card economy). The "Snipe" Strategy: Mike’s specific method for winning eBay auctions and buying "player lots" to get Kobes for under $2. The Duke Disaster: That time Matt's stream got invades by Duke fans who wanted anything in a Duke uniform.Dollar Bin "Moans": Matt admits he makes involuntary noises when he finds 90s nostalgia in public card shops. The Investment: Joe asks for the one pack he should buy to get rich, and the answer involves either a 93-94 Skybox Premium or a 25-26 NBA Topps Chrome. Mentioned in this episode:eBay "Lots" & Auction Sniping1993-94 Skybox Premium2025-26 NBA Topps Chrome

Is this a sports card podcast or a true crime show? In Episode 2, things get weird. Mike and Matt discover the infamous Mark Jackson card featuring the Menendez Brothers in the background, leading to an accidental "Murder Stream" involving Aaron Hernandez and OJ Simpson requests.Meanwhile, Mike tries a new "Tiered Jordan" sales strategy that actually yields a profit, but his victory is cut short when a buyer he "bonded" with betrays him with a 3.2-star review.In this episode:The Jordan Strategy: How starting auctions at $23 (for MJ's jersey number) paid off.The Betrayal: Mike "cries a guy cry" after being accused of resealing packs.Face Reveal? Joe asks if the brothers should show their faces on camera (and why Matt isn't wearing pants).Shipping Wars: Matt deals with buyers who don't understand that federal holidays exist.

We are officially launching Wicked Good Pulls! In this pilot episode, Mike ("Retro Ripping") and Matt ("Coach Coops") drag their brother Joe into the deep end of the sports card economy.While Mike obsesses over a Whatnot seller who is letting Michael Jordan cards go for $3, Joe tries to understand why two grown men are filling their basements with "kindling." We break down the psychology of bidding wars, the risks of "Max Shipping," and why Matt ghosts the family group chat for days at a time.In this episode:The $1 Start Strategy: Is it genius or financial suicide to start auctions at a dollar?The "Junk Wax" Hoard: Matt reveals he has over 10,000 cards organized in his basement.Platform Wars: We ask "The Robot" to explain the difference between Fanatics Live, Pristine Auction, and Whatnot.The Wife Factor: What do our partners actually think when they see the bank account drop?

"Some people see rare assets. I see two grown men filling their basements with kindling."Welcome to Wicked Good Pulls.Join Mike (@RetroRipping) and Matt (@CoachHoops) as they drag their brother Joe (The Skeptic) into the deep end of the modern sports card economy. From "Junk Wax" nostalgia to the high-stakes world of Whatnot breaking, we break down the obsession, the money, and the madness.New Episodes Drop FridayHit Follow or Subscribe now so you don't miss the launch.