Published by Hank & Mick
A Podcast about collecting sports cards from a couple of degenerate collectors in Melbourne, Australia.
Listen on Apple PodcastsSend us Fan Mail In this Episode, Hank & Mick are clearly excited that they are flying out in a couple of days for The National in Chicago. The National Sports Collectors Convention is the worlds largest card show, spanning a mammoth 5 days. Hank and Mick have their flights booked, have our VIP tickets ready... and are days away from heading to the airport. We discuss how we plan to negotiate the insane 21 hour flying time from Melbourne to Chicago. How we spend a couple of days acclimatising to the timezone by cruising around the city. Then we chat about everything from what cards we are hunting at the show, the benefits of pacing yourself... and the fact that you never know, you might find the card you want in the first hour - then what?
Send us Fan Mail In this Episode Hank and Mick discuss the big trades within the NBA, and what this means for the card market. With key players like Giannis, Ja Morant and Jaylen Brown being traded to new teams, we chat about how this might affect their card prices and collectability. And with Kawhi flipping back to the Raptors, does Mick think this is a positive or negative? Hank thinks this all started last year with Luka being traded to the Lakers. Mick thinks theres no such thing as a lifer anymore. Is there any loyalty to a team for players and collectors? And whats next... TCG Trades? Luffy traded to MTG? Charizard traded to One Piece?
Send us Fan Mail In this Episode, Hank & Mick discuss Good Looking Cards! What is it about a card that gets your interest... and makes you stop and take notice. Is great card design and major factor in driving prices? We chat about PMGs, Linchpins, Star Rubies, Kabooms!... all the shiny, colourful, eye candy that makes us spend stupid dollars on cardboard. Hank challenges Mick that the Superfractor is a more attention grabbing design than Prizm Blacks. Is the Prizm Gold are better looking card than the Prizm Black? Is the 1998 Star Rubies Jordan the best looking Jordan card ever? We even discuss ugly cards (Jordan Skyview - we are looking at you).
Send us Fan Mail This week, Hank and Mick tackle the battle between collectors who play the long game and those chasing the latest hype. Along the way, we reflect on why we love the hobby so much, from the thrill of the hunt and building collections to the friendships, nostalgia, and joy that cardboard continues to bring years after getting back into the game. We then shift to the grading boom currently sweeping the TCG world. With PSA turnaround times blowing out and lower-tier submissions being paused, Hank and Mick compare today's Pokémon and One Piece craze to the sports card madness of 2020–21. Is the hobby heading for another reality check, or just another chapter in the cycle? Mick argues that why should sports card collectors be impacted with grading restrictions because of people wanting to grade a pile of Papa Smurf cards :) Enjoy!
Send us Fan Mail In this Episode, Hank & Mick do a deep dive into three cards they each own, and discuss why they think these cards are important in the hobby. Each card has a story behind it, a reason why it deserves a place in our collections. We chose to select 2 sports cards, and 1 Non-sport card each. It was great thinking deeply about why we believe each of these cards matter. Sometimes discussions like this end up solidifying your belief behind these cards and your collection as a whole. And we will throw this out to you, our listeners... What are three important cards you own and why? Leave us a message and let us know. Enjoy the episode!
Send us Fan Mail In 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 Mail In 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 Mail In 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 Mail In 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 Mail In 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 Mail In 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 Mail In 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 Mail In 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 Mail In 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 Mail In 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 Mail In 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 Mail In 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 Mail In 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 Mail In 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 Mail In 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!