Card Mensches E18(Special Guest Jeremy Lee) "National Wrap-Up"

SPEAKER 1: For more than 30 years, Robert Edward auctions has been the nation's premier auction house specializing in sports memorabilia and trading cards with significant experience and expertise in all major sport, non sport and Americana collectibles.

SPEAKER 1: Re A has helped clients achieve record breaking prices for their items and has done so with a reputation for integrity and transparency by actively partnering with collectors and enthusiasts throughout the entire process. Re A has created the hobby's most trusted forum for selling high quality collectibles. Go to Robert Edward auctions dot com for more information on how to buy or sell in their next auction.

SPEAKER 2: Experience, quality consistency and the quickest turnaround times in the grading industry, we are proud to partner with SGC grading. Check them out at www dot go SGC dot com.

SPEAKER 3: Hi, I'm Danny Black and I'm John Newman. Welcome to car matches.

SPEAKER 3: Well, you might notice that John Newman has changed a little bit since the National. He now looks a lot like Jeremy Lee. In fact, it is Jeremy Lee. What's going on, Jeremy?

SPEAKER 4: Oh, I'm, I'm so happy to be subbing in here for John. I hope he gets well soon, but it's a it's a pleasure to be here with you tonight Danny on on card mens. I love this.

SPEAKER 3: We are, we are on card mens. We are live. So if you have comments, please check in try to keep up with those.

SPEAKER 3: Good evening Reuben. And so one of the things is that first of all, John, we're thinking about you, buddy. We hope we we we hope you're doing ok.

SPEAKER 3: John is recovering.

SPEAKER 3: Mookie wants to know what happened to John's hair. That is not what part of the reason he's feeling under the weather. But Jeremy, Jeremy makes up for being a little bit taller.

SPEAKER 4: It's a fair question from Mookie though. It's a fair question.

SPEAKER 3: I don't know. Would you trade being short for hair?

SPEAKER 4: Yeah, well not being short but I would, I do have two inches to give. So I would, I would give a couple inches for, for hair. Sure.

SPEAKER 3: Yeah, sure. See because I, I wanna be taller and I think I would, I think I would take that trait a second.

SPEAKER 4: You don't have much hair to give though yourself there Mr Black.

SPEAKER 3: Thank you. I'm I'm Yeah, I'm losing on both ends here.

SPEAKER 3: I got the raw deal. Thank you for, for pointing that out.

SPEAKER 3: This is hysterical Ruben must know is John must have had a bad batch, a bad batch of jerky. Yes, John doesn't like taking lunch at the National. So he packs like he's going on Mount Kilimanjaro for lunch. And so, yes and get well soon. Yes. Well, John's John's fine, everybody. So we, we'll need to make this a tribute episode. He will be back in two weeks.

SPEAKER 3: But I've wanted to have you on for a while or John wanted to have you on for a while. We're big fans of your show. We're friends off the air and, and you're a fellow munch. So, you know, we, we, we get to do late night in the hobby, and talk and talk about all things, hobby and you picked a pretty good week to be, to be Lou Gehrig to his wally pip a lot going on.

SPEAKER 4: There's some things going on. Yeah. I mean, we're just coming off the National, there's some big headlines since then. So, where do you wanna start?

SPEAKER 3: Well, let me start with all the obvious questions. I have to ask. How is your National?

SPEAKER 4: It was great. It was, it was, five days of, hobby heaven. It was hot as hell but it was hobby heaven for a couple of days there when, you know, the air conditioning got a little bit overpowered. But, you know, outside of that I'd still rather be there than not.

SPEAKER 4: And, you know, I had a, you know, Danny, you know what, it's like, there's just the, the, the hobby has become such a great community in the, in the, in recent years because of, because of social media that you, you go there and you just, you know, so many people and there's tons of conversations to have and people to talk to and catch up and really further those relationships.

SPEAKER 4: You know, I see Mookie, I didn't run into Mookie. There's so many people that, that I didn't run into and then there's people I ran into three or four times. It was just luck of the draw, luck of the draw, the men.

SPEAKER 3: Right. I, I believe Tim. Tim is actually, calls, call created the mental on the bench.

SPEAKER 3: And that's what they called. Their manager was the men on the bench. So you're, you're the men coming off the bench, I guess.

SPEAKER 3: I, I got to talk to you for a little bit but, you know, it's always Too Short at the National.

SPEAKER 3: And so I couldn't agree with you more.

SPEAKER 3: I was kind of disappointed that I didn't get a more, more personal time, to, like, play with cards and be at the biggest card show in the world. And, are you getting to a place now with your professional stuff or you're losing, you know, the ability to really see the whole show or do you still.

SPEAKER 4: I mean, I was, I wasn't to any specific booth you know, I'm there. I'm, I'm part of tag. I'm representing Tag. But I wasn't part of the production, of, of the, on site grading. I wasn't, I wasn't, you know, sort of on staff while I was there. So I was able to walk around the show floor and I, and I, I walked, I walked that floor for pretty much five solid days.

SPEAKER 4: And so I did get to look at cards, I guess the, the funny thing or the way it worked out was I spent all my money on, what was it day, day, I guess the Wednesday, I forget if I think it was Wednesday. I spent all my money. So I was out of the game after that, but I didn't, I still wanted to be there and I still enjoyed walking around so well.

SPEAKER 3: On, on card, Menes, we, we, we don't hide anything. You and I saw each other Thursday night and you were debating whether or not to, to, to make a purchase.

SPEAKER 4: So that was ok. So it was, it was that later that night I actually Consummated that deal. So Thursday, I spent all my money. Yeah, it's all a blur because.

SPEAKER 3: That answers my next question. Which was, did you make that deal on Thursday?

SPEAKER 4: I did, you know, it was fun. Well, you were there. So we were sitting at the whatever hotel we were at and Embassy suites, I believe. And we were at the YouTube, get together that Mike Moynihan organizes and we're, you, we're sitting at the table you me, Rich Klein Doctor Beckett. Mike Summer was at the table with us. Victor rookie card was at the table with us.

SPEAKER 3: John Newman. It was huge. Yeah.

SPEAKER 4: Yeah, we're sitting, yeah, John Newman is, we're sitting on the table and I get a text and I start, I start asking you guys sort of for advice, you know, like what this is a, it's a big purchase and et cetera, et cetera. And and everyone was very helpful, Mike Summer was getting right into it with me.

SPEAKER 4: Doctor Beckett was giving me his best advice and then I had to go, I went off to another dinner and I was sitting amongst a bunch of hockey collectors. And now there were a couple of guys there that I knew could opine on the, on the what was fair? Anyway, ended up pulling the trigger for from Moretti's Restaurant and I text her, I go deal and he writes back and he goes, ok.

SPEAKER 4: So how do I get you the cards? I said, I'Ll see you at the show tomorrow. He says I'm not gonna be there. I'm leaving at noon back to California. I said, well, I'm at Moretti's in, in, in Rosemont. He's like, all right, I'Ll jump in an Uber and the seller was at, he was at our table in Moretti's Restaurant 15 minutes later.

SPEAKER 4: And, and, and then I went through this, like, five minutes of mental hell, where I couldn't find my money in my, in my suitcase in my little wheelie. And I found it. Thank God and, paid him and had the cards. And I have, I have the cards, right here with me now.

SPEAKER 3: So we'll pull it out and I'Ll, we'll say how to Simon. Simon also see you at the National.

SPEAKER 4: Yeah, it was good to see Simon as well. So I, I, what, what these two cards were and these are, these are, I'Ll just put them up at the same time. But, these are dual Shields. Game Horn, NHL Shields. These are both one of ones. The top card is from the first year of the cup 0506 and the bottom one is from the second year of the cup 607.

SPEAKER 4: And they are both featuring Taus Solani, who's my, my favorite professional athlete of all time and Paul Cara, who together, they formed the dynamic duo on the Anaheim Ducks in the, the late nineties, early two thousands. And, these are, I still can't believe I, I own them and I'm very happy. So I'm glad I made the decision to, to, to buy them. I'm really happy I did.

SPEAKER 3: So I'm happy for you because I was there for the mental wrestling. And, I mean, you know, it's a lot more fun to watch other people suffer on these decisions when it's not yours. Right. I, you know, I mean, it's a lot of fun to watch other people try to decide to buy big cards and a AAA and, and give your opinion when it's not your money. So, I had a lot of fun that night. I, I appreciate that.

SPEAKER 4: I appreciate it. Everyone help me get to that decision. I would have got there myself, you know, but honestly, like it's just, it's just nice to bounce it. You know, when you're at home by yourself buying cards online, you don't have that, that group of that fraternity that you can lean on and say, hey, you know, what do you think?

SPEAKER 4: And so it was, I was very happy and you know what I mean? Having Doctor Beckett, give you his advice on whether or not, you know, and his advice was very, very pragmatic. His advice was very good advice as his, you know, I don't think he says words that aren't worthy ever. He's, you know, so it was, it was, it was a fun experience. I think I'Ll remember that for a very long time.

SPEAKER 3: Well, he proved pretty smart, not just, not just boardroom smarts whi whi which was cool, cool, cool to see. I'Ll be honest.

SPEAKER 3: Yeah. So I don't know. What else did you do? Fun? What, you know, without giving too many details or dinners at nights.

SPEAKER 4: I was just telling my, yeah, I was just, I just came from my, from my mother's house for dinner and I was telling her, you know, I just had, I think I had three filet mignons on three consecutive nights at three different steakhouses.

SPEAKER 4: You know, I don't eat steak that often. But it was, yeah, you know, the evening activities are, there's lots of them, you know, and then there's the, the really, the public trade nights. So, yeah, I mean, it was every night there was something to do if not three things, or six things.

SPEAKER 4: I think I had six things in my Friday night calendar. I could only get to three of them. Like, it's not, it's, it's too bad but it's only, you know, only so many, so many hours in the evening.

SPEAKER 4: But, yeah, it was, it was, the evenings were as productive as the days, you know, and as enjoyable and the, the, the discussions and the, you know, solidifying friendship and relationships. It's a, it's, you know, every minute you're awake there, you're, you're, you're part of it.

SPEAKER 3: One of the things I don't think people realize is that even content creators have to do business to a certain extent. So, I assume, like myself, you know, you gotta keep the engines moving. So, we, we, did you get all your meetings in, did you actually get them all done.

SPEAKER 4: Yeah. Yeah, I, I had a few meetings that were prescheduled throughout the days. I tried to schedule them for later on in the day so that, you know, in the, in the morning when, you know, you want to look at the card tables and find the fine cards, you know, I, instead of being, you know, sitting, in, in a meeting at 11 a.m. I'd rather be pounding the pavement. But yeah, you know, I, I had meetings all man.

SPEAKER 4: The one, the one was kind of fun and funny and it made it onto my Instagram was again, I don't know, the day, the days are all a jumble Danny, but I was sitting on the David Adams the that chase, you know, the the chase there with Troy Laca and and I am sitting on the, on the and they're, they're interviewing me and at the very end of the interview as we were saying goodbye, Rimer Jager walks by, looks over at us and I'm like Jager legend, you know, and then, and then those guys are like, yeah, it's pretty cool.

SPEAKER 4: And then I'm like, all right guys, thank you. I'm gonna go chase him down and I like I jump off their couch and go, go chase down Jager and he, and then I ended up doing a 5.5 minute interview with him and he was super cool about it. Had a great five minute chat with him. So that was a, that's a bit of a highlight for me.

SPEAKER 4: You know, I don't, I'm not, I don't stand in line for autographs. I don't care about getting autographs from players in person. It doesn't, it's not my thing. It just doesn't interest me for myself. So you're not gonna see me ever in an autograph line but, and even interviewing Yarm or Jager who is an absolute legend.

SPEAKER 4: You know, it was just the highlight for me was talking to him and having that on video is pretty cool.

SPEAKER 4: And I didn't ask him for an autograph. It didn't even dawn on me to ask him for an autograph. But I have his autograph already. You know, I have cards with his autograph already. So, but we talked about autographing and he, he gave his thoughts on that. It was a, it was a really cool candid discussion.

SPEAKER 3: Derek Jeter was walking the building.

SPEAKER 4: I didn't, I didn't see him at all. But I, I'm well aware he was there.

SPEAKER 3: Yeah. As everybody's heard, is the hobby getting famous?

SPEAKER 4: I think so. I think not only our hobby but collectibles in general seem to be grabbing more and more headlines. You know, we saw that, we saw that iphone, four gig first generation sell for 100 and $90,000 a couple of weeks ago.

SPEAKER 4: That was all over the news, you know, and now we're seeing, I think I know what you're getting and now now we're seeing all the news outlets reporting on the, the biggest, headline of the last few days. So, you know, the trading card wars, I think was the, was the headline.

SPEAKER 4: So, you know, between Derek Jeter and, and there's been a few other things going on lately with Jerry West and Bill Walton. And, I mean, yeah, like, I think the hobby is, you know, I remember you go back three years in the pandemic and that there was that whole discussion, Danny about, what inning are we in?

SPEAKER 4: I, I think that discussion is being reinvigorated now because people are thinking we're really early. I'm not saying it's the inning thing, but a lot of people I'm seeing are saying right now that we're still, we're very early in the hobby, which feels weird considering what the last three years have been like.

SPEAKER 3: So, well, it also makes me wonder what I've been doing for 30 years. Right.

SPEAKER 3: I mean, you know, like easy on the innings guys. You know, we don't need to, we don't need to, we don't need to put a number on it.

SPEAKER 3: Because it just makes me feel old. I don't know. So, ask, ask me something.

SPEAKER 4: Well, yeah. So, did you get, I mean, oh, the other, the other thing and that I'Ll, I'Ll put this to you is, yeah. As far as being a content creator of the show. A lot of it is, first of all, there's a lot of, a lot of, a lot of talking to people, a lot, a lot of, a lot of selfies, which is awesome.

SPEAKER 4: But it's also about lining up guests. I like to use the National as a way to, you know, fill up my pipeline of guests through the end of the year and was, was, was able to do that. So that was, that was pretty cool. But what about you? What were you, what were you trying to accomplish there? From a hobby? News, daily perspective, Sports Bolt.

SPEAKER 3: And, and I wanted to get you on card, man.

SPEAKER 3: Well, mission accomplished. This is I'm saying John's not even sick. I just, I didn't tell him we were recording tonight.

SPEAKER 3: Ruben says I'm sure Danny is a huge cheater supporter, especially after Jeffrey Mayer. Danny is not a huge cheater supporter. Well, before the Jeffrey Mayer. So, just to clarify that I was never a cheater supporter. Co Orioles.

SPEAKER 3: You, I, I went, I went looking for cards so we'll get back to Pan Canadian fanatics in a second, but I went looking for cards and I wanted to show off cards. So I was hoping you would ask me that. Let's see what you got.

SPEAKER 3: So I'm Baltimore Center as you know, everything I talk about has to be Baltimore related. I picked up this 2018 tops tribute, Al Kaline who's actually born in Baltimore at a 99. Very nice. And then I picked up a little bit earlier his career, his 54 rookie.

SPEAKER 4: I love 50 fours. You know, so many people love 50 sixes and, and even 50 fives and I love 55 for the, for the Koufax and the Clemente, but I'm not a big fan of, of the, of the 56 design or the 55 in many cases, but I love the 50 fours. I just love them.

SPEAKER 3: I'm actually putting the 57 set together and I was sure I was gonna get the Brooks Robinson rookie at the National like I had made up my mind, it was done.

SPEAKER 3: I mean, I don't mean to brag but the eye appeal on this thing is ridiculous. It looks really nice. It's just, it's just one of these and, and this won't do it justice, but for a, for a four, I mean.

SPEAKER 4: The centering is great. It looks to have the, you know, on a four, you're gonna have some, a little bit of rounding on the corners and you, you have a bit, but it's not like I like that. That's, that's a, and the color looks bold. That's a great copy Danny. Like from, from this perspective. Yeah.

SPEAKER 3: And the, the other car that I'm a huge fan of is the 33 mo 33 Gay Moberg Mo for those of you who don't know actually was a spy for the United States and it wasn't known until years later. It's a great story. There's a book, there's a movie and he was Jewish.

SPEAKER 3: So I've bought and sold this card numerous times. It is the 33 gay Mo Bid Rookie. But the one and I love this because somewhere there's a story, there's a chicken on the back, there's a chicken on the back, there's a chicken on the back. So that's my chicken mo bid.

SPEAKER 3: Iii I couldn't resist.

SPEAKER 4: Yeah, that, that's, that's really cool. I didn't pick up any vintage at the show. I only picked up really? I only picked up 44 cards, all we all week that I got at the show. But I did pick up cards that were delivered to me, got a couple of presents and then I.

SPEAKER 3: Never, I never got back to this. So you have baseball or excuse me? Hockey card? Uber or a hockey card. Uber eats is you just order cards and they get delivered to you?

SPEAKER 4: Yeah, exactly. I can, I can tell them where I am. No, II, I used so ship my cards had to had a delivery for me there.

SPEAKER 4: Also I, I send stuff to my brother in Arizona. He brought some stuff to me and then there were just some, you know, like this card here was just, this is a 2013 Panini Prism gold team Mussolini out of 10 that was delivered to me. The the seller was in Florida. I bought it, we did the deal on Instagram and he shipped it to, to Mitch who's in Chicago and Mitch brought it to me. So it didn't have to cross the border.

SPEAKER 3: This is like who saw Paris at 31 flavors? Yeah. Yeah, that's crazy. That's cool though. And by the way, the gold, the gold on that sparkles like crazy.

SPEAKER 4: Sparkle last night, I was showing it to my wife and I said, I said, you know, she was looking at it like at the bedside and the lights were off in our room and she's like, yeah, it looks nice. I go. No, no, honey, you gotta go get go in the light, go take it in like, ok, so she goes into the bathroom and she, and she actually like, oh yeah, like she really liked it. Like this is a very, a very shiny card.

SPEAKER 3: I mean, that's sharp stuff.

SPEAKER 3: Ladies and gentlemen, that's why you go for the HD setting when you do your recording.

SPEAKER 3: Mookie wants to know and, and I don't know if you wanna go first or tap out, but we take all questions here. We're either both of you talking to new potential business partners at the National anything cooking you want to share.

SPEAKER 4: I did, I've got one thing cooking. I'm not at liberty to disclose it yet. But, you know, I've been, as, you know, Mookie watches my channel. I'm grateful for that for Mookie and of course everyone else. But, you know, I've been, really building out my, my live auction, services business if you will. You know, I started with PWCC over. It's almost 2.5 years.

SPEAKER 4: I've been covering auctions for them and I'm up to seven, clients or partners, whatever you want to call them. And I talked to another one at the show that, you know, is a substantial player in the hobby that, I'm looking forward to and hoping is going to turn into, to, you know, partner or slash client number eight for my, for my auction services.

SPEAKER 4: I guess I can call it a business because I don't do it for free. So I'm, I'm, I'm hoping to add number eight to, to my roster of, of partners. And, and that was, that was just AAA really serendipitous sort of thing that I, I, I'm, I'm, I'm happy about. Yeah.

SPEAKER 3: Mookie, I will answer this in two directions. One, yes. Card men is to talk to some people and, and hopefully, we'll have some stuff to announce. But as you know, I'm involved in hobby news daily and, spent a lot of times in meetings for that. And so actually we'll have some big announcements on that coming up soon. So, yes, definitely, definitely part of the reason you go to Chicago or, or for these things.

SPEAKER 3: But I will tell you this is a lot more fun. Nothing, nothing against anybody that I had meetings with. Please. Nothing universal. But, but, but, but if without, without this cardboard, none of us would, would have been there. So that's.

SPEAKER 4: That's the, that's the truth. Right? I mean, as someone said, I forget where I saw it. But some say, you know, it's a trade show like the National is, it's not just a card show. You've got all the corporate there more than ever. Some people, some people tolerate it. Some people like it.

SPEAKER 4: Some people don't like it, but it's, it's a part of, it's a part of it now, but it's really a gathering of, of most people who are, most people who are very active in the hobby, maybe even more than just as a collector. And so it's the place to be. If you wanna develop some relationships and build out some partnerships or just lay, even, even plant some seeds. It's a good place to start.

SPEAKER 3: Says Danny signed an endorsement deal with Hebrew National hotdog.

SPEAKER 3: We've been, we're after hours but we're not quite late enough for my response to that one. But, yes, I, I will take any endorsement if they would like to bring it on. I will be happy to endorse their hot dogs even though I am a hamburger guy. But, I don't think there's not a, there's not a Hebrew National hamburger.

SPEAKER 4: Not, not that I'm aware of.

SPEAKER 3: I don't know. I don't know how, how we get a, a kosher dog but not a burger. I don't know.

SPEAKER 3: These are, these are the things we think of Jeremy.

SPEAKER 4: This is important stuff, man. We're, we're solving the world's problems. Exactly.

SPEAKER 3: Exactly.

SPEAKER 3: And I guess we should mention, you know, right after the hamburger, you know, Panini did sue fanatics.

SPEAKER 4: Oh, because the sandwich, the Panini sandwich. Right.

SPEAKER 3: Exactly.

SPEAKER 3: See, see, well done. I heard about that. Yeah.

SPEAKER 3: I mean, ok, this is one, the least surprises lawsuit in the history of the hobby and two, the biggest news to come out of nowhere.

SPEAKER 3: In a little while. As far as how, how excited the hobby is gonna get to talk about it.

SPEAKER 3: Whether or not the merits of the case have legs. The hobby loves gossip. So, www, I guess. What's your first? What was your first reaction when you.

SPEAKER 4: Heard waste of time and money from? Panini is my thoughts. I don't think they have a case whatsoever. I mean, I just don't think that fanatics, you know, people toss around the word monopoly quite a bit but it's fanatics is not a monopoly. There is a, a monopoly implied. I, I believe maybe I'm wrong.

SPEAKER 4: So, you know, fact check me or definition, check me but my, my recollection of economics and you know, a business degree is that a monopoly is something where there's you, you stifle or, or, or how you stifle and, or have no competition or you just gobble up the competition. I mean, Panini makes trading cards. There are other companies that make trading cards and they were also at the National.

SPEAKER 4: So, you know, the, the judge jury, whomever can just go to the National and see. Ok, so there's competition for their trading cards arm. Ok. They have a pricing tool, right? Well, there's competition for their pricing data tool. They have an auction house. Ok. Well, there's a million auction house is in the room.

SPEAKER 4: So, no, no monopoly there. I don't, you know, people are, people are, are, are, are, are speculating that they're gonna acquire a grading company. Well, they can acquire all. Well, maybe they can, but I don't think they're gonna acquire all of them. So there's tons of competition there. I don't see any area of their business that really qualifies as a monopoly.

SPEAKER 4: I think the correct term to describe fanatics is conglomerate. They are, they are diversifying their business within a specific industry. So it's, yeah, it's, it's, it's just, it's, it's, to me it's not a monopoly. I don't see there being any anti. I, I just think it's, I don't know what they're doing.

SPEAKER 4: I don't know what Panini is doing. They must be getting bored over there. I really don't know what they're doing. I don't think it's gonna have legs. I think the hobby, honestly, I think the hobby is a little excited over something that's not that exciting. Here, in my opinion, I want to see what that's about. That's what we do.

SPEAKER 3: Jeremy. That's what we do as a hobby. We overreact.

SPEAKER 4: Well, not we as a hobby or, or content creators with, with platforms, you know?

SPEAKER 3: All right. Now you're gonna, now you're gonna make me think. You're probably right.

SPEAKER 4: I just, you know, I just, personally, it's not that big of a, it's not that big a news to me because I don't think, I think it's gonna go away, but I could be way wrong.

SPEAKER 3: Well, the one, the one point that I, that reading the stuff that I read that I actually found interesting was the point of antitrust, that the competitive nature of a 20 year, contract and license with the leagues that, that essentially that length of time is so, is so disproportionate to every previous contract.

SPEAKER 3: I don't know that, I mean, that's quite, that, that's a long time to, to, to, to, to lock up and, and not have that open.

SPEAKER 4: Well, but think about that. Right. So then Panini really should have named Fanatics MLB MLB P A and NFL and et cetera. NBA, NBA P A should have named them all in their, in their, in their, in their suit and their claim. Stay tuned for part two.

SPEAKER 4: Well, but if they do that, you think those, like those, those bodies can decide to do business with, with Panini or not, they'll say if the government tells them they have to issue two licenses. Well, now they're gonna call up her deck and Panini can go pound sand back to Italy.

SPEAKER 3: It reminds me of flair and Ners. It reminds me all over again. You know, of, you know, when tops, had competition, everybody thought the world was gonna end and, you know, hopefully it doesn't take as long for the market to adjust, but the market got better, the products got better and, and, and it, you know, it took the junk wax and hopefully it doesn't take that.

SPEAKER 3: But, we ended up with, with, I think a far better quality card.

SPEAKER 4: Now we did, we did in that se really with what? Really? In that second half of the nineties, right? Because you, you have the new companies come in in 81 and then you've got, you know, the coasting through the eighties and then you've got upper deck on the scene in 1989 with this new technology, this new card.

SPEAKER 4: So this new foil wrap, the hologram and then you see pros set and score and skybox, these new companies come in and then the junk wax era ends. The hobby kind of dies for five years. And that's when we see the best cards in that when, when they were struggling to stay alive. I don't know that we'll ever get back to that kind of state of the hobby.

SPEAKER 3: Necessity to stay alive.

SPEAKER 3: I'm sorry, necessity is the mother of all invention, you know, is, is, never more true than, than, you know, what in that, what you just described?

SPEAKER 4: Yeah, I think so. I think so. So. Yeah, I, I, it's interesting. It's gonna be fun for a lot of people. I'm, I'm not gonna, you know, for me as a consumer of content, the only person I'm going to, I'Ll listen, but the only person I'm actually gonna, like, put stock into what they're saying is Paul. I do like Paul and I know he's a smart guy and he, he really looks at these things from the, through the lens of a, of an attorney.

SPEAKER 4: So I, I wanna see what Paul has to say about it. I know yesterday he was, as he said on Twitter, he was out drinking with his mother, so he wasn't able to dig into it, but I'm sure he will today or tomorrow. So, we'll see if he says there's something there, then I'm gonna perk up and I'Ll, I'Ll swallow my words that I just said happily.

SPEAKER 3: Well, I, I was, honored to sign the Jersey of Paul. So, did you get it on there? So, yeah, Paul Paul. We, we, we, we need, we need more information. The hobby world awaits you, Paul. You are our legal, our legal, guide.

SPEAKER 3: Good to see Brendan Ryan. Good one, Jeremy. Keep the card company is hungry. Yeah, I mean, what do you think of what upper deck has done as a business model? And do you think they should change if the opportunity arose in this situation?

SPEAKER 4: When you think upper deck would embrace being able to make baseball, football and basketball or basketball cards again? I think they would embrace it. But upper deck is, they're very content where they are right now. They've got a good business going from what I can tell I had their, I had the President Jason Masa on my show six weeks ago.

SPEAKER 4: I mean, they seem to be doing just fine with their hockey and Marvel licenses and memorabilia. Upper deck authenticated. You know, they've still got Gretzky and Jordan, they just signed Connor beard. Like upper deck is a deck is doing fine. Upper deck makes and I, I believe, I believe upper deck makes the nicest, the highest quality cards.

SPEAKER 4: I, I'm not saying that they, you know, cards do come out of packs damaged. I understand that and I'm sure they wish that didn't happen, but it does. But overall I'm, I'm happy I feel very fortunate, you know, I collect, I collect all sports, Danny, but if hockey's my number one and I feel very fortunate that we have upper deck in the hockey world and not, not Panini.

SPEAKER 3: I'm shocked to hear hockey was number one, by the way.

SPEAKER 3: I, I've always wondered why they haven't gone unlicensed in the other sports.

SPEAKER 4: Well, maybe, you know what I mean? That would be. I saw someone made the comment earlier. Oh yeah, Simon saying, you know, pot calling the kettle Black, which is a, you know, Simon always has smart comments, but upper deck is, has had their beef with leaf for making un unlicensed hockey cards.

SPEAKER 4: So if they went and made unlicensed basketball, baseball, football card cards, which they do, they do, I mean this product right here has, has lebron James Michael Jordan, you know, but they have, but they're not making the whole league.

SPEAKER 4: They're only making players that they have a deal with. So I think they do it, they do it differently than, than leaf does. But, I don't, you know, if they were to do, if they were to do what they go after leaf for doing, how is that gonna look in court when they're going after leave here and there?

SPEAKER 3: So, yeah, I, my feeling is on leave, I'Ll leave aside, but I think the quality of the upper deck product would be appreciated by fans in other sports for sure. And that's, that's the perspective I was taking on it that, that a lot of the unlicensed products that are put out, I think are very mediocre. Yeah.

SPEAKER 4: And I, I, I, the only unlicensed manufacturer whose cards I've actually seen would be Leaf and, you know, Brian Gray and his team there, they make a lot of hockey cards and they do a nice job on some, and some of them, I'm like, well, this is ugly. I have no interest in it and some are like, this is beautiful. And so hockey's pretty lucky and their memorabilia is second to none.

SPEAKER 4: Because they acquired the collection of Doctor Brian Price, the former owner of in the game who leaf acquired and the inventory. So hockey were hockey and hockey. But I agree with you, Danny. I know as a baseball and a football and a, and a basketball collector, I wish I could buy upper deck cards because I, there, you know, I look at, I look at now tops, I like some tops products a lot, a Panini product.

SPEAKER 4: I do like flawless and I like immaculate. But, but honestly, National treasures to me it's a junkie product. It's, it, I just don't think it's a high for the price point. It's just not, it doesn't look or have that look and feel of a very expensive product and then with all the parallels and everything else.

SPEAKER 4: Now, I like, I like optics design better than prism. I listen, honey, we all have our, these are just my personal tastes and, you know, I don't want to sit there in trash on these companies. But really, and I'm not on the companies, it's more on the product and I do just think that we see it all the time.

SPEAKER 3: We're just talking cards.

SPEAKER 4: Yeah. Yeah, I, I just really like upper deck product.

SPEAKER 3: I would love to see them go head to head with Panini and baseball and, push that envelope again.

SPEAKER 4: Speaking of leaf.

SPEAKER 3: Oh, I saw that on your social.

SPEAKER 4: Yeah, I got a Brian Gray. So, it's the, it's the soup. It's the, the card superhero. Brian Gray says notorious BC G.

SPEAKER 4: I think's hilarious. I love it.

SPEAKER 3: I hope you did not spend a lot of money on that.

SPEAKER 4: I didn't, ok. I would have, I would have paid for that.

SPEAKER 3: Paid and paid a lot of money or two different things. There's an entertainment value.

SPEAKER 4: I would have paid 100 bucks for it to support. I, I, it's pro said it's, I mean, listen, lo love or hate Brian Gray and I'm more in the, I like Brian a lot. You know, we have a good rapport. Me and him.

SPEAKER 4: I enjoy him to me. He is good. He is a legend. Brian Gray will go down as a legend in this hobby. Now, you know. So will Doctor Beckett. They are two different legends. They don't, one is maybe Marvel, one is DC. I don't know how that, that works, but they're very great.

SPEAKER 4: I'm not, I don't, I'm not saying they're in, they're in the same category. They're just very different people. And, but Brian Gray will go down as a, as a legend of this hobby. And I'm happy to have that card because I'm a, I'm a, I'm a fan of Danny. I'm a fan of the hobby. I'm, I'm a, I'm a fan of the hobby.

SPEAKER 3: That, that's what I said. And, and this is, I want, Ruben has a question that I want to bring back to you is bring back tops. Chrome hockey. Now, how do you feel about non upper deck hockey?

SPEAKER 4: Well, so I love, I missed Tops heritage hockey that came in and out in 2000 1 and 02. I collected those sets. I collected the, the Retro Fracture parallel sets. I have two years of it. Not the, not the first year, too late on that. But anyway, I, I would love for tops to be able to make hockey cards again.

SPEAKER 4: I have, yeah, I would love for tops to be able to make hockey cards again licensed.

SPEAKER 4: And to compete with upper deck, I'd have no problem with that. As a collector. I Tops Tops, make some beautiful cards. In my opinion.

SPEAKER 3: He says, Doctor B and Brian Gray, one is Tony Gwenn and one is Pete Rose. I'Ll let you decide which is which, you know, we'll leave it at that.

SPEAKER 3: Chris Quinn Tony's son, by the way, does a fantastic podcast on MLB Network Radio. If you, if you're a baseball nerd, check that out. So he got inducted to say with Cal Rip. And I do have a soft spot for Tony Gwen because of that. I, I always think back to Baltimore.

SPEAKER 4: I have a soft spot for Tony Gwenn and Cal Ripkin.

SPEAKER 4: I, I came home Danny to a, to a calm sea delivery and I've really taken a liking to these. Can I let me, where did I put them right here? I've really taken a liking to the, to these cards here, which I found one in my local card show.

SPEAKER 4: I found a Ray Allen at my local card show. So I just kind of found them out here. But these are a gallery of heroes. So I've, I picked up a Brett Farve. I picked up a Carl Malone Yo Yogi Berra. That's Willie Mays Babe Ruth.

SPEAKER 3: It almost looks like what they call it. The Ca the cathedral back.

SPEAKER 4: Yeah. Yeah. Stained glass and a, and a Sandy Copax. Well, I also had a Cal Ripkin Junior in that in the, in the order, but by accident I bought the Jumbo. So it's actually sitting up on my window sill and it's beautiful there with light shining through the, we're just like, yeah, I've got, I, it's funny.

SPEAKER 4: It's the only thing you want me, you want me to show this thing? I'Ll turn my camera around. Absolutely. Ok. One second, I'm just gonna put my hand over it for a second. So, so see that, that's hysterical. That's, that, that, that's the only, so you can see it right there.

SPEAKER 3: Stay the last by Cal Ripkin. Yeah, that's.

SPEAKER 4: The only card on my on my window sill. These two showcases are empty. Those are showcases that I actually sort of emptied out before I left town for the National. I'm gonna refill them now that I'm home.

SPEAKER 3: Which might lead maybe to your answer here, maybe not.

SPEAKER 3: If you guys could hold on to one memory the next this year, what would it be? You go first? That's a great question.

SPEAKER 3: One memory. Well, I'm, I'm gonna give two different answers. 11 at the National and one away from the National at the National with without, without a doubt getting my mo chicken back and all.

SPEAKER 3: The, the there's, there's a story there, somebody put a chicken on the back of this card and I'm dying to know it. And you know, to me that it's one of my favorite purchase has ever, is my check back mob away from it.

SPEAKER 3: The filet Jeremy said, I don't I don't, you know, whether it was Harry Carey's or Gibson's or Sullivan's or wherever you ended up. It, it was filet medium rare Pittsburgh style, with a side of potatoes and, that, that, that the, the, and the company is what makes the memory. But let's be honest, a good piece of meat never hurts.

SPEAKER 4: Yeah. Yeah, I was saying I had, I had back to, back to back filets. It was, Morton's Gibson's and Capital Grill night after night, after night, a lot of steak. But, and, and one of those was my second dinner because I was at another dinner. So I couldn't even finish my filet.

SPEAKER 4: I think that was a Capital Grill which was delicious.

SPEAKER 4: For me memories, I, I'm gonna do the same thing. You did one in the National one away. So, in the National, I mean, there's lots of great memories. A lot of people I saw but I, I took a picture, a three person picture with me in the middle.

SPEAKER 4: On this side, I had lemme James and on this side, I had the man behind card porn and I got a picture of the three of us. So that was, which I've promised not to share and I won't. But, but that was, that, that's kind of, that's kind of cool. I mean, two legs accounts in the hobby.

SPEAKER 4: So that was kind of cool. And then away, it's gonna be that moment with that. You were there at that table again with John Newman and Rich Klein and Doctor Beckett and Mike Summer and Victor and and Courtney from reckless cards. She was, she was there at the time.

SPEAKER 4: I'm just think I'm forgetting somebody and I so apologize. But it was, that was getting advice from people that I respect like everyone that I was like kudos to Mike Moynihan put on just a, a lovely evening there. He's done it, but I've been, it's the third year I've been there for that and it was just nice to see all those people there.

SPEAKER 4: And even people that, you know, I've, I've had beef, the word I'm used lately, I've had beef with and shake their hands and you know, it was that was, that was a, that was a great, that was a great experience.

SPEAKER 3: Sometimes. Ee even table bets with friends can be, it can, it can be a good time when you run into people. So iii I, I've heard a lot of people said that you and I entertain them very much.

SPEAKER 3: So we'll, we'll leave that off air.

SPEAKER 3: Jeremy, the interview with was hilarious. I cracked up when he said he didn't like signing autographs.

SPEAKER 4: Well, what he, yeah, so that's all, that's also a, a memory in the, in the show that I'm, I luckily I got that, caught that on video. But, yeah, that was awesome. And what he said was he didn't like signing autographs for the same people every game when, you know, every time he'd visit whatever city he said you'd see the same people and you know, that they're just selling them.

SPEAKER 4: He didn't like doing that. I think he's, I don't think he loves it anyway, but that's what he was talking about. I put that, I put that real out Danny and it was a 5.5 minute interview, but the wheels cut it off after 90 seconds, I didn't realize that till the next day.

SPEAKER 4: And then I reposted the whole thing to my main page. So the whole interview is out there now with the armor and, and yeah, I, I'm really happy. That was, that was just an awesome experience to talk to him and, and get really the result was he was so candid and I think people appreciated it.

SPEAKER 3: Was he caught off guard that you, I mean, did you approach him with like a lot of hockey knowledge right away to make a good impression or what was the end? Because I know it's not, I'm like a die hard Penguins fan and I don't.

SPEAKER 4: Remember what I said to him when I first cause I, I darted off the David Adams like the casting couch interview place and I, and I ran up to, he was, he wasn't too far ahead. And I said, I said, hey, I, I, I'm kind of not remember, but I basically think what I said was, hey, you know, big fan.

SPEAKER 4: Hey, would you take a minute and let me, do a ask you a few quick questions on camera and he's like, you know, he wasn't totally excited about it, but he's like, OK, so, so, and you see this in the interview? But at the beginning, I say, I, I say, and I was, I had nothing prepared. I had no time to think about what I would ask him.

SPEAKER 4: So I go, I just want to say that I've, I've been a fan of you since you started out and he goes, oh yeah. How old are you? I go 51 and he goes, oh me too. And that, that was when he loosened up from when he realized that him and I, like we have the same birth year I got right when he realized that he loosened up and was more than happy to stay and talk to me.

SPEAKER 4: And even after the interview ended, there's, there's a cut in that interview if anyone noticed where I totally messed up. And I said something that wasn't factual like he played for nine teams. So at one point I say, so Yarm, you played your whole career with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

SPEAKER 4: And as soon as I said that I'm like, oh my God. And I'm recording like, no, you didn't, you played for like eight teams? So, during, when, when we're recording, he go, I go, I go, I messed up. So he goes, he goes, that's ok. Everyone makes mistakes. Ok.

SPEAKER 4: Well, then we, we resume at the end after I stopped recording, we chatted for another couple of minutes and, and, and he goes, he goes, yeah, he goes, yeah, you fed up. He says to me, you, you fed up just like, but he said the F word, he goes, yeah, you fed up. And I'm like, I know, man, I go, I know I go, you played for my team? Your last team was my Calgary player.

SPEAKER 4: I saw you play here. I know you played for like there's the traveling, which is a, a of the Traveling Wilburys. Remember them? Oh, sure. There's a group of, of Jager fans who tra, who, when he was in NHL would travel from, from arena to arena and there'd be like eight or nine of them and they'd all wear one of his different uniforms.

SPEAKER 4: They'd have the big flow wigs coming because he had big hair and they called themselves the Traveling Joggers. So I'm well aware anyway, he, it was just pretty cool that he, that he at first he's like, it's ok. Everyone makes mistakes and after he goes, yeah, you fed up.

SPEAKER 3: That's funny. You know, I'm more of a Caps.

SPEAKER 4: Fan who is that, that's a in person. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER 3: So, but it was authenticated.

SPEAKER 4: Yeah, that looks like a great auto.

SPEAKER 3: Last National, per, last National pick.

SPEAKER 4: I picked up. This is the Ovechkin I picked up there just a little bit.

SPEAKER 3: Yeah, a little bit more.

SPEAKER 4: Gave up a couple of a, gave up a couple of autographs, grave up a Gretzky autograph. A Gordie Howe autograph and a little bit of money for this. So that was cool. And then the last one, the last card I got there was this one here, Danny. And this, I love this card. This is a Wayne Gretzky Gordie Howe dual game used patch card and look at that Gordie Howe patch vintage Detroit.

SPEAKER 3: And that's not one of the ones from the store. The team store.

SPEAKER 4: No, this is pack pulled sp game used.

SPEAKER 3: No, I know. I'm kidding Jersey.

SPEAKER 4: Yeah, I don't think so. I don't think so. I think this is no, I, I think this is, it says game used on the back. So I'Ll go with that. But who knows? Really? Right.

SPEAKER 3: Yeah, that's a whole another conversation.

SPEAKER 3: Jeremy must have said he's a big Bon Jovi fan because that was the first music he bought in the States.

SPEAKER 4: Hilarious. I didn't know that.

SPEAKER 3: I did not know that either. John Keating. Let's go Baltimore. Skipjacks.

SPEAKER 4: Yes, I got to meet John, got to meet John Keating a couple of times. Hello, John. It was a pleasure to meet you. It was, I mean, I got it's, that was the best part, meeting all these people that you only know names and faces.

SPEAKER 3: Do you? So we, let's be honest, we all meet people and physically we're surprised by some of them. We are. John Keating is far more muscular than I ever expected. I think John Keating could have bench pressed me if he wants to.

SPEAKER 4: I thought he was a wimp. I'm just kidding.

SPEAKER 4: He's a handsome man. I'Ll put it to that John, he's one heck of a handsome man. John Keating.

SPEAKER 3: All I know is now when he doesn't return my text, he's probably at L A Fitness, right?

SPEAKER 3: And to the book say Capitals there, John John Keating says John Keating is a fraud. Ii I think if you go third person, that's a little meta Mike Petty. Yeah, Stephanie Garcia might have been at the YouTube event. Jeremy was talking, we were lucky enough to actually be at a table sitting around for this one specific conversation. So we were.

SPEAKER 4: Yeah, I don't know that I saw mama breaks at that there that night, the only woman I remember seeing who was, was Courtney that I recognized there were some other women and maybe they were with their husbands. I don't remember seeing many other women in that, in that, that gathering.

SPEAKER 3: That's a new card. I would like to know bare naked ladies or Rush.

SPEAKER 4: Yeah, that's, I mean, I've probably spent way more time listening to the bare naked ladies because that was the nineties, you know, but I, I think Rush for sure would be my, my preference. If I have to listen now I'm kind of over the barren naked ladies. Their music.

SPEAKER 3: Why you have a million dollars?

SPEAKER 4: Now, if I had it, I'd buy myself an emu and, or, or what, what is it a nice relying automobile too long.

SPEAKER 3: So, my sister is, is younger than me and I was old enough to chaperone her. So I was the chaperone for the bare naked ladies concerts.

SPEAKER 3: Now, now it's getting serious. Ok.

SPEAKER 3: Gordon is a great album but there's only one Rush.

SPEAKER 4: Yes, I like Rush. A lot of people just didn't like Getty Lee's voice.

SPEAKER 4: I, I'm good.

SPEAKER 3: I like Rush East Coast Nationals coming to White Plains. Have you ever attended the East Coast National? I have not me neither.

SPEAKER 3: Although I'd like to hear more about it because I've been thinking about going. The timing is just tough right now coming right off the National and I, you know, I think it's in a week or two. It's a quick turnaround.

SPEAKER 4: So is Anaheim the the Burbank show coming up at the end of the, the, what is it? The 30th to the third. Yeah, that's, that's really close and I'm still not sure if I'Ll be going to that. Are you going, do you know people going.

SPEAKER 3: I'Ll be honest with you.

SPEAKER 3: So the National last week and, and, and this is a full disclosure show, as I say, we, settled on the house the day I left for Chicago.

SPEAKER 3: So I got into a car and came home to a house that I've never, I had never been in and tomorrow the movers come with the clothes, the furniture. And so I have been with my lovely in-laws and I have not seen anything else in the entire world.

SPEAKER 3: That's going on. So I have not talked to, anybody since the National, that I've heard that scholar.

SPEAKER 4: I'd like to go. I'm not sure if I'm, I'm not sure. I'm 50 50 right now. I, I'd like to go just to see it. I think it's gonna be an awesome show. So I, I'd love to be there and of course, spend another weekend immersed in, in, in hobby and cards and all the people, the big names that are there, as Mike Petty would say, you know, look forward to seeing the big names, the small names and the medium names.

SPEAKER 3: Well, the hobby is the names.

SPEAKER 4: The hobby is the name. Oh, John, got update his catchphrase. He's got, he's got to revise his tag line. To the hobby is the names.

SPEAKER 3: Ruben says John. At least he didn't say Nickelback that's going to keating.

SPEAKER 3: Yeah.

SPEAKER 4: So, Nickelback from my, my province. Not too far away.

SPEAKER 3: What kind of music do you listen to? I'm not putting the Canadian label on you.

SPEAKER 4: You know, my favorite, my favorite bands of like, all time are like, it's a mix, right? I love Remrem is one of my all time favorite bands.

SPEAKER 4: The offspring I, I love, I love the offspring. Steely Dan is like, I love Steely Dan music. Like I'm all over the place with, with music. I, I love, the weekend, the weekend's got a, an excellent voice and good catchy music. I like, you know, it's funny. My boy is four years old and all he asks me, all he wants to listen to all the time is Iron Man by Black Sabbath. He's like, daddy. Can you play Black Sabbath? He's four.

SPEAKER 4: You play Black Sabbath? My four year old wants to listen to freaking Ozzie Osborne. Like it's hilarious. So he's off to a better start than I was. I'd say he's.

SPEAKER 3: Being exposed to more.

SPEAKER 3: The Great Yogi Barrow quote. Nobody goes to the Anaheim show nowadays. It's too crowded.

SPEAKER 4: This is the first Aim show in quite some time, I think actually.

SPEAKER 3: So, well, that the old Yogiism nobody goes there anymore. It's too, it's too crowded.

SPEAKER 3: And, here it is, August 18th 20th 500 tables, for the East Coast National. I mean, that's a huge show. Yeah, that's awesome. I mean, good, good for them. I, I'd love, like I said, if anybody goes certainly in two weeks, you know, or, or leave in the comments, love to hear more about it. It kind of what, what it looks like there.

SPEAKER 3: Jeremy, as we wrap up here, you, you've, you've been a fantastic pinch bench. Has this, and painless.

SPEAKER 4: Yeah, it's awesome. Oh, I want to also mention the red hot chili pepper is another one of my all time favorites. I'm gonna keep on remembering groups and, and mentioning them.

SPEAKER 3: I, I, I'Ll give you under the bridge. Everything else is a little bit. It's a great song. Great. The whole, even the.

SPEAKER 4: California album is, Bug Sugar Sex Magic and California.

SPEAKER 4: Yeah. You know, they just put one out like last year and I couldn't really, I listened to it once and that I haven't gone back to it.

SPEAKER 3: I'm a little bit older in my taste of music.

SPEAKER 3: No, Gordon Lightfoot. M he wants to know.

SPEAKER 3: I'm a, I'm a Doors Dead Stones Beatles.

SPEAKER 4: I love all that too. I love all. I was thinking the doors a few minutes ago. I love the doors, the door.

SPEAKER 3: When you said the traveling wheelbarrows right in my wheelhouse. Yeah, perfect. I mean, it really is. And by the way if anybody's never heard of the Traveling Wilber PS A moment here. Public service announcement operating company, Traveling Wilber were a kind of a superstar band that put out two albums.

SPEAKER 3: It helped, it helped me on this one, but it was Roy Orbison for the first album. And then we have Bob Dylan. Tom Petty George Harrison.

SPEAKER 4: I go foggy after those four.

SPEAKER 3: Yeah.

SPEAKER 3: Needless to say it like ridiculously cool and good, good good album.

SPEAKER 3: Hard to find and Men is I'm only half Men. Miles will talk to my handsome friends.

SPEAKER 3: So you better take care by Tom Petty Rookie Cards.

SPEAKER 4: I love it. That's awesome. Mike Petty, right?

SPEAKER 3: The guy from E O Light Orchestra and just All right. Well, on that note, Jeremy, thank you for stepping in. I really appreciate it. John Newman, we hope you get better. Jeremy. Tell everybody the where, where they can find you, Calgary Alberta, everybody come to his house. He's got a lovely sleep sofa. You're invited any night.

SPEAKER 4: Have an extra. I'm in one of my, I have a two bedroom room in my basement. This is one I've made it my, my the studio office and the other one's over there. You're all welcome.

SPEAKER 4: I you can sports cards live is my YouTube channel and my Instagram handle is right below my name on the screen.

SPEAKER 4: Happy. Glad to be here. I hope John Newman feels better soon. It was great to see him at the National. As always, great to see you, Danny. The whole hobby news daily crew, tho those that were there. And, thanks for having me. This is all I'Ll pinch hit for. I'Ll pinch men for John, or yourself any time you guys need.

SPEAKER 3: Well, I appreciate it to everybody else. See you in two weeks. This will be on audio Monday, on sports coordination podcast. Take care.