Presented By All Touch Case One of the hardest lessons for new collectors to learn is also one of the simplest: a card is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. That sounds obvious, but in today’s card market, determining what someone is actually willing to pay can be far more complicated than it appears. The modern card market moves incredibly fast. Nowhere is that more apparent than with new releases. A
Presented By All Touch Case Over the past three weeks, I’ve had the privilege of attending three very different conferences: Fanatics Fest NYC, the NCPG Annual Conference in Nashville, and The National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago. On paper, they couldn’t have been more different. One celebrated the passion and excitement of fandom. Another brought together the nation’s leading councils, coalitions, clinicians, researchers, and treatment providers. The third represented the largest gathering of sports collectors
Presented By All Touch Case Jared Allen This month, we’re proud to feature one of the most recognizable faces in the Collectors MD community: Jared Allen. Since joining Collectors MD in February, Jared has become one of the cornerstones of our community. He’s attended nearly every weekly peer support and Unboxed meeting, regularly contributes to our group chats, has authored multiple Daily Reflections, encourages others through difficult moments, and always makes time to welcome new
Presented By All Touch Case Last week, I had the incredible honor of presenting at the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) Annual Conference in Nashville. Several days later, I’m still struggling to put the experience into words. It wasn’t simply another speaking engagement. It was one of those rare moments in life where you pause, look around, and realize just how far you’ve come. Eighteen months ago, I was still trying to rebuild my
Presented By All Touch Case This past week, I had the privilege of attending Fanatics Fest NYC 2026 as part of Collectors MD‘s official media coverage, and I walked away feeling more optimistic than ever about where this hobby is headed. If you watched ABC News’ coverage of the event, you probably caught a glimpse of the excitement. Tens of thousands of collectors, families, athletes, celebrities, creators, breakers, manufacturers, platforms, hobby shops, and industry leaders
Collectors MD is excited to announce that our team has been officially approved for media credentials at both Fanatics Fest NYC, taking place at The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan, NYC (July 16-July 19, 2026) and The National Sports Collectors Convention taking place at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL (July 29-August 2, 2026). These two events represent some of the largest gatherings in the hobby, bringing together collectors, creators,
Presented By All Touch Case Last week, Topps ignited one of the biggest debates the hobby has seen this year by announcing that its highly anticipated 2025-26 Topps Chrome Update Series Basketball retail release would ship without its traditional shrink wrap. The change – currently limited to retail format – removes the plastic seal before products are sent to customers in an effort to discourage scalping and improve access for collectors. The announcement quickly became
Collectors MD is proud to announce a first for the hobby. In partnership with The Trading Card Hall of Fame, #RipResponsibly branding will officially be featured on Nostalgia Wax by The Trading Card Hall of Fame, becoming the first sealed trading card product to incorporate responsible collecting messaging directly onto its packs and wrappers. Since launching in 2025, #RipResponsibly has grown into a national harm-reduction initiative focused on promoting awareness, intentional engagement, and healthier collecting
Presented By All Touch Case For many people in recovery, there comes a point where gambling no longer feels like the biggest threat. Months pass. Years pass. We self-exclude. We stop visiting casinos. We avoid sportsbooks. We delete the apps. We begin rebuilding our lives. It may start to feel like the darkest chapter of our lives is finally in the rearview mirror. We convince ourselves that because we’ve stopped gambling, we’ve left everything that
Presented By All Touch Case One of the greatest strengths of the collecting community is the trust that exists between collectors. Every day, thousands of transactions take place between people who have never met. Most collectors will complete countless transactions without a problem. But one dishonest interaction can undermine years of trust. As the hobby has grown, so have the opportunities for bad actors to take advantage of collectors – particularly those who are younger,
Presented By All Touch Case Alyx Effron, @alyx_cmd Since launching our Collector Spotlight series, a handful of our community members have asked me the same question: “When are you going to do a Collector Spotlight on your own collection?” I’ve honestly been putting this one off. I’ve never wanted Collectors MD to be about me. But after enough people asked, I figured it was time to share a little more about my own collecting journey
Presented By All Touch Case At first glance, free giveaways seem harmless. A seller goes live, gives away a few cards, and everyone has some fun. It feels generous. Community-oriented. A nice way to reward viewers for hanging out. But it’s worth understanding why giveaways exist in the first place. Most giveaways aren’t primarily about giving things away. They’re about keeping you engaged. Every additional viewer helps the stream appear more active, increasing the likelihood
