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

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 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

Presented By All Touch Case Last month, I attended the Spring Toronto Sports Card Expo. As a kid in the early ’90s, I was a regular at this show, and I always arrived with one mission: buy as much stuff as possible. I’d save money for weeks, circle cards in Beckett magazines, and beg my dad to drive me and cover admission, promising that I’d handle all of my purchases with the money I’d saved.

Presented By All Touch Case Lately, I’ve found myself reflecting on the movie Inception. Not necessarily the plot itself, but the famous concept at the center of the film: a dream within a dream within a dream. Every time the characters believed they had reached base reality, another layer appeared beneath them. Every answer created another question. Every destination revealed another place to go. The more I reflect on this concept, the more I realize

Presented By All Touch Case Lately, I’ve needed to remind myself that not every card in my personal collection needs to be graded, and not every grading decision needs to be tied to profit. The hobby often encourages us to view every card through the lens of monetary value, population reports, and potential returns. It’s easy to become consumed by questions like: “What’s this worth?” “Should I grade it?” “How much can I make if