On The Cards - A Podcast about collecting sports cards.

Send us Fan MailIn this Episode, Hank & Mick discuss the boom we have seen in card shows. There has been an explosion in the number and size of card shows in Australia over the last few years... and we love it. We chat about our recent experience at the Hobby Hangout XL in Melbourne, one of the biggest shows of the year. We chat about all that we love about it, from meeting our fans, to hunting for cards. Mick chats about his latest Gold Prizm (yep, of course he found one). Hank discusses adding a couple of Jordan cards to his PC... and his love of sellers that are fairly priced. We spend so much time on our computers, trawling eBay, that its such a great feeling to be able to join a community of card collecting freaks in person, and celebrate all that is cardboard.

Send us Fan MailIn this Episode, Hank & Mick discuss the concept of finding your niche as a collector. The trading card market is a huge sea of cardboard  - from sports cards to TCG, vintage cards to modern... and within each of these are more sets, inserts, players and characters that your mere mortal mind can comprehend. So how do we shrink the sea? How do we find the cards that matter to us?Hank discusses his move from 80s Fleer Jordans when he first got back into the hobby in 2020, to the 90s Jordan inserts that build a majority of his collection today. Mick unpacks how he came to the realisation that the gems of the Panini era (Gold/10 and Black 1/1) were his niche. We also discuss how your niche shouldnt restrict you or hold you back in uncovering new and exciting lanes in the Sportscards or TCG space. 

Send us Fan MailIn this Episode, Hank and Mick discuss everything there is to discuss (within half an hour) about pricing cards. From overpriced cards at card shows, to stores not even putting a price sticker on anything in their display cabinets, we chat about what we love and hate about the fine art of pricing cards.Hank discusses what constitutes a fair price. Is taking an average of the last 3 or 5 sales a good start? Mick often has trouble finding recent or relative comps for many of the rare modern cards he is hunting and/or selling. At times we get fired up about what annoys us about overpriced or mis-priced card. But at the end of the day... its a fine art, and something that needs to be finessed over time. 

Send us Fan MailIn this Episode, Hank & Mick chat about pulling the trigger on a new purchase. It could be another card for our main PC, or a new player or set. We spend so much time doing research on cards, players and sets we are interested in - but do we back it up enough?Hank feels like he is caught in a trap, where the cards he wants are now too expensive. Mick discusses how sometimes he will buy a card on impulse, but the real question is, will these card stick in his PC long-term, or will he just as impulsively sell them? Mick is considering maybe adding some vintage cards to his collection. Hank might start adding some Shaq cards... but will they pull the trigger and actually do it? 

Send us Fan MailIn this Episode, Hank and Mick discuss the Whales of The Hobby. The pinnacle of collectors and their monumental collections. How do we mere minnows feel about it? If often blows us away at how ridiculous these collections are. They feel so unattainable and out of reach. Are we inspired to grow our collections, in the hope of one day joining them... or are they so untouchable that we switch off completely?One thing we both are positive about, is when we discuss a few key figures running companies in the hobby. Yes, they are business minded, but they are also collectors at heart, who actually care about experience in the hobby. 

Send us Fan MailIn this Episode, Hank & Mick discuss a couple of hot topics and look at how they possibly affect our collecting approach for the year. We start by discussing the second PSA price hike in the last few months. With grading prices going up and turnaround times getting longer - is it starting to feel like 2020/21 all over again?We also discuss the big NBA trades that recently happened. With two of Micks side PC players being traded (Harden & AD)... we discuss what this means for his outlook on these players in the short term - and the possible impact on their legacy. There is never a dull moment in the hobby. 

Send us Fan MailIn this Episode, Hank & Mick put each other on the spot, and discuss what cards they would purchase if they had $1000 to spend this week. The rules are pretty simple... we can buy one card or multiple cards, on any sales platform... but the cards must be held in our collection for the next 5 years. In a space where flipping cards is almost the norm, this helps to narrow our focus to cards we believe in long-term. Cards that we would want as part of our personal collection. Cards that we love. Towards the end of the episode, we even open it up to consider what would purchase in the TCG space. None of what we say should ever taken as investing advice. You would never take investing advice from a couple of degenerate collectors from Melbourne, Australia... now would you? 

Send us Fan MailIn our 20th Episode, Hank and Mick discuss their hobby plans for 2026. We chat about whether we will continue to hunt for big cards to add to our collections this year. Is the Sports Card market going to have another huge year like 2025... or is it going to cool off or go sideways for a while?We discuss the recent acquisition of Beckett by Collectors, and if we intend to grade with Beckett this year? Is the One Piece boom going to keep exploding, and will Pokemon cool off a little? We also discuss our card show plans for 2026... and yes, it looks like the National is on the cards!

Send us Fan MailIn this Episode, Hank & Mick discuss the various scandals and headaches that have hit the Hobby in recent months. We chat about the PSA debacle, where a selection of PSA 9s magically were re-labelled PSA 10s. We talk about SNYPE and the monumental disaster that unfolded during its inaugural auction. We also hit on the Patrick Ryan shill bidding nightmare, where he live-streamed bidding on his own card, then had a discussion with Dr Beckett about defensive shill bidding. But most importantly, we discuss how we tune out all this noise, to focus on what is most important to us... our own personal collecting experience.  If all the negativity is getting to you - switch it off, or switch it up. Maybe go to a card show. This is your hobby - so, do it your way!

Send us Fan MailIn this Episode, Hank & Mick discuss their belief that we are at the Top of the current cycle of the Sports Card Market. We discuss how the last couple of months of each year are usually buying months, with prices and sales volumes slightly dipping. Has the Pokemon and TCG boom of 2025 been the driving force behind the market uptick?We chat about whether Bitcoin and other alternative assets are actually correlated with price moments in trading cards. And both of us, explore the idea that in an increasingly digital world, more and more people are seeking and enjoying physical collectibles like cards, records, comics etc. Enjoy!   

Send us Fan MailIn this Episode, Hank and Mick chat about the pressure to chase new players and new cards in the hobby. Is it really a smart move? Is it important to keep adding new, fresh things to your collection?... or can your improve your collection by focusing on getting better grades of the cards you love and already own. New is not necessarily better, especially in a hobby with deep veins in history, legacy and vintage cards. We chat about Wemby, Zion and Cooper Flagg. We touch on Topps and Panini and Jordan Rookie cards again. Hank discusses the 1 of 1 hunt, and how he feels it shouldnt be a core focus of the hobby,  as card collecting is a shared experience. Mick thinks owning too many of a players pinnacle cards, makes you the Dalai Lama of that player, sitting on the mountain top, looking down at others.With Topps the new kid on the block again, and Panini over. 

Send us Fan MailIn this Episode, Hank and Mick do a deep dive on the handover of the NBA Trading card licence from Panini (who have had the NBA licence for the last 13 years) to Topps (via Fanatics) who will be exclusively be printing NBA trading cards for the foreseeable future. We discuss in detail the first Topps NBA licensed product to hit the market this week: Topps 2025-26 NBA Basketball. We dig into the details of the 18 page pack-odds document that Topps have posted, chatting about the multitude of inserts, variants and parallels on offer. Mick muses about the end of the Panini era, and what that means for his collecting focus. Hank is curiously sitting back, waiting to see what will be the first Topps card that Mick adds to his PC. NOTE: To find the pack odds doc... just jump on the Topps website and download the 2025-26 Topps Basketball pdf (its an interesting doc): https://www.topps.com/pages/odds

Send us Fan MailIn this Episode, Hank & Mick have a ramble about Kabooms!... and the crazy price moves and sales these cards have had recently. With record prices constantly being set for these inserts, is it a good sign that the market is over heated?We also chat about the wash-up from our trip to LA for the West Coast Card Show, and the joys of finding something at the show, or afterwards, that you werent expecting. Hank also laments never having enough cash at card shows... and Mick hears the National calling next year.

Send us Fan MailIn this Episode, Hank & Mick discuss Big Moves in the hobby. With high profile podcasters such as Chris HOJ & Cajun Cardboard recently making moves into 1/1 Jordans and major consolidation... we chat about our thoughts about making similar moves and pivots. Is now the best time to take a different direction, or is the market too hot?Mick has made his own strategic move, hunting apex cards for key players. Meanwhile, Hank is sticking to his Jordan lane and sitting on his hands a little as the prices race away from him. Lots to think and talk about! Enjoy the episode.

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, Hank & Mick discuss the current state of the market - which is scorching hot! We discuss our tactics and thoughts of collecting through a bull market, from consolidation to fewer but more significant cards, pivoting to cheaper and more attainable side PCs, and selling into the hot market. With every up, there must come a down. So try not to lose your head. Stay calm and focused... and warm up by the fire, but dont get burnt! 

Send us Fan MailIn our biggest and best episode yet, Hank & Mick get out a pair of stone tablets, and chisel our 10 Commandments for The Hobby. From tips such as avoiding the hype, embracing selling cards, and adding cornerstone cards, we dig deep on the most important guidelines for our current collecting journey. So lace up, grab a ball and bumper bowl your way to hobby happiness!

Send us Fan MailIn this second part of our ongoing Grading discussion, Hank & Mick chat who we grade with - for us, its a choice between PSA and BGS. BGS has sub grades, half grades and a sturdier slab, where PSA is the industry leader and PSA 10s are getting harder to land. We discuss the key differences between the two, regrading cards across each grading company and preparing cards for grading. Modern cards are virtually worthless unless they hit a PSA 10. For 90s cards a PSA 10 means you hit the jackpot. We also talk about how grading standards have changed in recent years, how there are companies like MBA, who grade graded cards... and how AI might impact the grading market in the near future. 

Send us Fan MailIn this Bonus Episode, Hank and Mick begin a multi-part discussion about all things Grading. This episode is all about the beginnings of grading in the 1990s. We reminisce about how when we ran our cards store in 1993, grading was purely subjective: it was up to us to decide the grade of a card. Beckett magazine was our price guide and hobby bible.PSA changed the game in 1991, but it wasn't until later in the '90s when the hobby got on board the grading train. Mick thinks grading is probably the single biggest change to collecting cards. It provides a universal scale which is used (and overused) to judge card condition and value. Fun fact, by 2001 Beckett magazine had a 4 page Graded Card price guide at the back of their magazines. 4 whole pages! 

Send us Fan MailIn this Episode, Hank & Mick discuss collecting Vintage vs Modern cards, and which has the better long term value. Vintage cards are all about condition: centering, corners, registration, surface etc... In 1986 Fleer, there were approximately 3 Jordan rookies in each box. They aren't rare cards - but their value is all tied up in condition. In Modern collecting, the most valuable cards are the scarce parallel cards and inserts. Hank thinks these scarce modern cards will have great long term value. Mick is concerned with retired players vs active players, and how important is Legacy in cementing their card prices. Is long term value more closely connected to cultural significance? 

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, Hank and Mick discuss everything to do with inserts and parallel cards. We kick-off sorting out what actually is an SSP, and then deep-dive about how inserts shaped the 90s era and how parallels have dominated the modern era. Hank thinks inserts have been killed by the hunt for serial cards like the gold/10 and Black 1/1s parallels. Mick has other thoughts and discusses how certain modern inserts like Color Blasts, Downtowns and Kabooms! still have huge demand with modern collectors. We obviously love inserts and parallels, which make up the bulk of both of our collections, and you can clearly hear Hank more excited than ever when he gets to chat about this stuff. Strap yourself in for all things Inserts and Parallels!

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, Hank and Mick are excited to discuss Card Shows in Australia and Overseas. We chat about the upcoming Hobby Hangout XL show in Melbourne, Collect Fest in July and The Oz National in September. We talk about buzz of attending these card shows, connecting with other collectors in-person, and what we have learnt buying and selling at these shows over the last couple of years.We also discuss the anticipation of attending larger scale international shows like the West Coast Card Show in LA. If you love cards, and love card shows, this is the episode for you!

Send us Fan MailIn this episode Hank & Mick discuss selling cards and the variety of platforms we use in Australia and overseas. From everything from Ebay, Fanatics Collect, Alt, Consignment services, FaceBook Marketplace and selling at Card Shows - we cover it all. We also discuss the benefits of selling buy-it-now versus Auction.Selling cards is an important step for most of us in building our collections, and its a tricky space for us in Australia as we lack the auction sites and ebay.com eyeballs of our American counterparts. Hopefully this chat helps shed the light on the varied ways you can sell your cards to help build up your collection... or pay off your new house (Hank would rather keep the money in cardboard, but thats life.)

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, Hank and Mick take a good, hard look at their biggest mistakes collecting sports cards and TCG the last 5 years. They discuss buying Pokemon cards at the top of the market (in the covid boom), buying the wrong NBA player at the wrong time (yes, thats you Kawhi), buying too many base Prizm cards (again Kawhi), thinking that 2nd year cards were actually a thing (once again, Kawhi), and selling some things too early (Evolving Skies booster boxes), and other things too late.They both agree that these lessons have been important in shaping their current collecting strategy. Hopefully our screw ups, can help you avoid them in the future. Enjoy.

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, Hank and Mick dive into a discussion about the Sports Card Market versus the Pokemon/TCG Market. We discuss the current state of the Pokemon market, and our strategy for buying and selling in a hot market. We compare the size of the Pokemon market against that of the Sports Card Market. We chat about pop counts, sealed box prices, nostalgia and vintage versus modern TCG collecting.Is Charizard Michael Jordan? Is Umbreon Lebron? Is Greninja SGA? Will Pokemon ever release serialized cards? Strap yourself in - this is a fun one.

Send us Fan MailIn this third episode, Hank and Mick discuss their experience and thoughts about consolidating down to bigger and better cards. How many cards is too many? How many cards are too few? Is there a perfect balance?Hank evaluates a recent trade from another collector posted on instagram, where a huge PSA 10 Jordan insert collection was traded for a 1997 Jordan Red PMG. Mick dives into his thoughts on consolidating down to Kryie's best card. Enjoy!

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, Hank and Mick discuss the Sports Card Content they have been listening to over the last 5 years. From podcasting legends, to YouTube heroes, they chat about where they have found the best content to consume in order to level up their knowledge about collecting sports cards. We discuss 'House of Jordans', 'The Crossover', 'Sports Cards Live' and a handful of other content channels that have inspired us over the years. 

Send us Fan MailIn this first episode, Hank and Mick (a couple of degenerate collectors from Melbourne Australia) have a heated discussion about collecting 90's cards versus collecting modern cards. Hank (instagram @ jordancardman) is a 90's collector of predominantly Michael Jordan inserts, where as Mick (instagram @ kyriecardman) has a solid collection of Modern era Kyrie Irving cards. We discuss modern golds out of 10, black 1 of 1's and chasing scarce 90's parallels. We also reminisce about the card shop we opened in the early 90's and our return to the hobby in 2020.