Journalist covering cards, collectibles and memorabilia. @NewhouseSU alum. Insta/Mantel: @benmburrows
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“The hobby is making millionaires every single day from opening boxes."
The hobby is bigger than ever behind sports cards and Pokémon.
That's not anecdotal. The math is undeniable.
But is it a bubble about to pop?
Free to read on @TheAthletic: nytimes.com/athletic/7623714…
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Trio of Rookie Debut Patch Autograph 1/1s ended with record results Friday morning via @Collect.
1. Cooper Flagg RDPA: $8M
2. Dylan Harper RDPA: $2.88M
3. Kon Knueppel RDPA: $2.34M
Flagg result is the fifth-highest known sale for any sports card, per @CardLadder's database.
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JUST IN: The 2007 Exquisite Collection Kobe Bryant & LeBron James Dual Logoman Autograph 1/1 sold for $6,501,840 via @altxyzofficial.
Card recently resurfaced and was graded after sitting raw in a collection for years.
Result is the 8th-highest known sale for a sports card.
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Ben Burrows retweeted
From Cooper Flagg to Pete Crow-Armstrong to Jaxson Dart, Topps Debut Patches are everywhere and the cards they’re going into are selling for big money (Free to read)
nytimes.com/athletic/7623215…
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The sports and trading card hobby is bigger than it's ever been.
Pokémon cards are surging and there have already been more $1 million-plus sales in 2026 than any year prior.
I spoke with experts to better understand why.
Free to read for @TheAthletic: nytimes.com/athletic/7623714…
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Latest update from PSA on Tuesday shows a backlog of 9 million cards, down from 9.9 million on Sept. 8.
PSA adds a note reiterating Value and Bulk orders summitted prior to the pause have priority over orders for the new Standard tier.
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Ben Burrows retweeted
Why are Shaquille O’Neal cards suddenly jumping in value?
nytimes.com/athletic/7618027…
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Ben Burrows retweeted
Why Fanatics’ live-selling platform is making shows that don’t sell anything
nytimes.com/athletic/7593807…
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ICYMI: A pair of 2025 Topps Chrome SpongeBob SquarePants cards sold for $50,000-plus Wednesday night through @GoldinCo.
SpongeBob Red Refractor /5: $61,610
"No This Is Patrick" Superfractor 1/1: $51,240
A bunch of people who claim you should "collect what you love" are furious.
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Some good looks at the new Topps NFL Debut Patch from the season opener.
Will be interesting to see how these patches compare to sales we've seen from MLB and the NBA.
📷: Getty Images
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Ben Burrows retweeted
Why pro athletes like Tom Brady, Lewis Hamilton, Cooper Flagg and Mo Bamba are opening sports card shops (Free to read)
nytimes.com/athletic/7578042…
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In addition to the new Standard tier, PSA has announced changes to three service levels.
Regular is now called Priority ($79.99 per card) and Walk-Through has been renamed to Premier ($599).
Express is increasing from $149 to $199.
Snapshot of card grading services:
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JUST IN: PSA is opening a new Standard service tier on Sept. 14 for $59.99 per card.
Estimated turnaround time is 90-100 business days with a max insured value of $1,000.
PSA notes the new tier isn't replacing Value services.
Standard orders will be processed following existing Value and Bulk orders.
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Significant update from PSA on Tuesday regarding service reopenings:
"The teams at all five grading hubs have kept the pace up, and if that holds we'll be in position to evaluate reopening a Service tier this month."
Backlog currently sits at 9.9 million cards.
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Bidding for this has already topped $3.2 million, including buyer's premium.
Card will become the top sale for @altxyzofficial when it closes later this month. Current high for the platform is a $2 million private deal from July.
After sitting raw in a private collection for nearly 20 years, one of the biggest Kobe-LeBron cards has surfaced and is heading to auction at Alt.
Card is poised to be the biggest sale for the platform to date.
Free to read on @TheAthletic: nytimes.com/athletic/7564340…
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After sitting raw in a private collection for nearly 20 years, one of the biggest Kobe-LeBron cards has surfaced and is heading to auction at Alt.
Card is poised to be the biggest sale for the platform to date.
Free to read on @TheAthletic: nytimes.com/athletic/7564340…
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CGC has partnered with EB Games to use the chain's retail locations as official submission centers across Canada.
Submission centers will accept sports cards, non-sports cards, Pokémon and other TCG for grading.
EB Games operates more than 170 locations across Canada.
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I know more about Coke machines than 99.9% of people who own them. I’ve covered Coke machines for 26 years.
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