A hobby shop owner’s frustration with the retail vs. hobby product divide sparked debate on X this week after a high-end hit from a Target blaster. Alex Altenhof, owner of Michiana Sports Cards in Granger, Indiana, posted his complaint Tuesday morning: “As a hobby shop owner, it bothers me so much when a product hit…
Topps NBA MVP Buyback Program: How It Works — What Is the Topps MVP Buyback Program? Topps is buying back 2025 Topps Chrome Basketball cards featuring the player who wins the 2025/26 NBA MVP award. If you pull a card of the MVP winner, you can trade it in for store credit at participating hobby…
A Whatnot seller is defending himself after Boston Card Hunter (Nick Andrews) and @lememe_james posted a viral clip showing him cracking open a PSA 10 Panini Prizm and telling the recipient they were getting a “damaged raw card.” The video shows @yojackdylan breaking the protective case with his hands and removing the blue Prizm card…
Layton Sports Cards pulled a Cooper Flagg 1/1 from 2025-26 Topps Finest Basketball with a major manufacturing defect — the card is missing its back layer. The card, numbered 1/1, came out of the pack as only the front foil layer. The back cardboard layer separated during production, leaving what appears to be an incomplete…
It was a dumpster fire. In November 2025, Rick Probstein launched Snype, an independent auction platform designed to compete with eBay. The site shut down after its first auction cycle, and Probstein has never publicly addressed what happened. In the lead-up to Snype’s launch, Probstein granted interviews to multiple hobby news outlets promoting the platform….
We tracked the top 20 sellers from 2025 to see how they’re performing in early 2026. Using data from each seller’s last 30 shows as of March 1, we analyzed buyer activity, show frequency, and engagement patterns. This report builds on our 2025 Fanatics Live Annual Report, which analyzed the full year of breaker performance…
Influencer Babz (@BabzOnTheMic) has shared a detailed breakdown of his recent face-to-face meetings with Fanatics Founder and CEO Michael Rubin in New York City. The meetings spanned Sunday and Monday after Babz arrived early due to a blizzard, giving him several hours of direct access to Rubin and his executive team. Babz (right) with Fanatics…
On Sunday, Logan Paul sold a Pikachu Illustrator card for $16,492,000. It’s the most expensive trading card ever sold. And the hobby should be furious. Logan Paul wearing the PSA 10 Pikachu Illustrator — the card just sold for $16.49 million. Not because a Pokémon card broke the record. Because of everything that happened before…
Leaked internal documents have pulled back the curtain on Fanatics Collectibles’ private meetings and partner strategies during the 2025 National Sports Collectors Convention (NSCC). The documents, labeled “Privileged & Confidential,” detail the company’s aggressive focus on a hand-picked group of breakers, hobby shops, and distributors. The leak includes a “Participants Sales” leaderboard, ranking Fanatics’ top partners by their…
Justin Escalona (Justin Gamble Gamble) contacted Sports Card Radio with disturbing claims about Sports Card Yoda, an authorized PSA Dealer. According to Escalona, his ex-girlfriend Mary Gamble Gamble went to Sports Card Yoda’s apartment to pick up cards he was prepping for grading. Sports Card Yoda What allegedly happened: She arrived to collect her cards….
A sophisticated fraud ring is targeting high-end trading card shops across the country, leaving owners empty-handed and out tens of thousands in inventory. According to a police report filed by Ryan Van Oost, co-owner of CardsHQ, a group of thieves has been running a “repetitious” Apple Pay scam since late 2024, with total losses estimated…
State Line Sports Cards’ of Grayslake, IL grand opening was supposed to be a celebration. Instead, it turned into a crime scene. A thief walked off with a massive haul: a Caleb Williams & Rome Odunze Black Pandora Downtown, and a Panini Black Hobby Box. The shop didn’t blink. They pulled high-def surveillance and went…
A manager at Triple Diamond Sports Cards and Collectibles in Fargo, North Dakota, has been charged with felony theft after allegedly stealing nearly $30,000 in cash and inventory. Jared Freese, 24, of Moorhead, was arrested on December 30, 2025, following a report from one of the store’s co-owners. Jared Freese According to court documents and police reports,…
The hunt for one of Cooper Flagg’s premier rookies is over. The 1/1 Superfractor from 2025-26 Topps Chrome Basketball was pulled by a breaker in China. >Topps Chrome Cooper Flagg RC Checklist The breaker is seen celebrating while gripping the six-figure masterpiece directly by the corners with his bare hands. We will see how the…
In the sports card hobby, “Hangers are Bangers” is a phrase often yelled during box breaks, usually following a lucky pull. But for the 2025-26 Topps Chrome NBA release, it’s no longer just a catchy slogan—it is a mathematical fact. >For Sale: Chrome Value Boxes Thanks to a deep-dive analysis by @WaxMetrix, we now have…
AGS Grading is making its case to collectors following a tumultuous week for the sports card grading industry. he timing of AGS CEO’s customer email is notable: it arrives on the heels of PSA’s acquisition of Beckett Grading Services and the same week a congressman wrote to the FTC raising concerns about PSA’s growing monopoly…
After publishing a tweet about the explosive allegations that Fanatics employees rigged box breaks and predetermined high-value pulls, I received five responses. >Fanatics Accused of Rigging Breaks: The Scandal Rocking the UK At first glance, they appeared to be from ordinary collectors defending the company. But a closer look revealed something far more suspicious. All…
Topps sent an email to their “Authorized Partners” requesting they change their Instagram profile picture to the Gold Logoman at 9am for the 2025-26 Topps Chrome Basketball launch. They described it as a “unified switch” to show the community the product’s return. Multiple dealers complied. Sports Card Investor, Backyard Breaks, Burbank Cards, Layton Sports Cards,…
The Hobby Box UK has accused Fanatics employees of rigging box breaks and funneling high-value cards to specific dealers. The most explosive claim? A Fanatics employee allegedly told multiple breakers at the May 2025 London Card Show that he knew exactly who would pull a 1/1 Cristiano Ronaldo autograph—because the card was sitting in his…
PSA is beatable, but not by playing their game. You can’t out-corporate them. You can’t out-spend them. You beat them by being faster, cheaper, and more trustworthy. By hiring the right face for the brand. And by relentlessly attacking their weak points. Someone just needs the guts to actually compete. >PSA Buys Beckett>Mets Owner Beat…
Via The New York Times: The company that owns PSA just swallowed Beckett whole. Collectors announced Monday it’s acquiring Beckett Media—yes, THAT Beckett. The grading company. The price guides. The magazines. Wholesale distributor Southern Hobby was not apart of the deal. >Wholesale Distributor List Nat Turner CEO Nat Turner promises Beckett will stay “independent” with its…
The Fanatics consolidation continues, and more breakers are getting crushed. >Fanatics Kicks Small Breakers to the Curb Dynasty Breaks, a Wichita Falls, Texas operation that’s been in business since 2018, just posted a video confirming what many suspected: they’ve lost their “key partnership” with a major supplier. While they didn’t name Fanatics directly, the writing’s…
Steve Cohen’s SAC Capital pleaded guilty to insider trading in 2013. $1.8 billion in fines. Eight employees went to prison. Over a decade of systematic fraud from 1999-2010. Cohen? Zero criminal charges. Steve Cohen He received “highly suspicious information” and handed out massive bonuses to the traders running the schemes. His punishment? A two-year timeout…
Just months after catching their own employee stealing $20,000 in product, CardsHQ finds itself on the other side of a theft case—as the buyer of stolen goods. Andre Deshawn Allen, 25, of Hampton, Georgia, was arrested December 2 after allegedly selling multiple boxes of stolen trading cards to CardsHQ on October 29. Andre Allen According…
Since 2025 Topps Chrome Update released on December 10, Fanatics Live breaker Filthbomb Breaks has pulled six MLB Rookie Debut Patch Autographs (1/1s) in just days—including back-to-back-to-back patches in the same case. With 270 total debut patches in the checklist, pulling six this quickly is statistically extraordinary. Much of the hobby commentary on this is…
Stephen Adams, a 40-year-old former employee and breaker at Cards HQ in Marietta, Georgia, was arrested in February 2025 on theft charges for allegedly stealing over $19,600 worth of trading cards. >VIDEO: Breaker says I’m Innocent!>CardsHQ Breaker Arrested Stephen Adams Sports Card Radio has obtained the full police report, which reveals new details about how…
Fanatics is gutting its breaker program, and small operations are getting axed to make room for the big players. Barbell Breaks, a smaller group breaker, posted the news Wednesday: “Fanatics breaker program is being massively downsized to provide more allocated product for the bigger breakers. We are unfortunately collateral damage and are being kicked out…
11/24/2025 Update: Snype is done. Probstein is attempting a return to eBay. Didn t address the shill bidding allegations. ARTICLE. Read our expert analysis.
Your info is for sale. Right now. On the dark web. Hackers breached Beckett and are selling the company’s entire customer database. Names. Emails. Phone numbers. Home addresses. All of it. Oh, and they defaced the website too. Just to prove they could. Beckett’s Response? Radio Silence. Zero communication. No email blast. No website notice….
RyansCardss LLC, which operates a popular paid Discord server for sports card trading, is facing multiple lawsuits with combined judgments and claims exceeding $240,000. RyansCardssLLC Three Separate Legal Cases According to court documents, Ryan’s Cards LLC is dealing with three lawsuits: Case 1: Summary judgment already entered for $187,755 Case 2: Ongoing case for $24,386…
DISCLAIMER: Our show is not for everyone. We don’t care about your collection, we don’t buy cards, and we don’t care if the industry thrives or fails. Nat Turner is a dumbass. Mike Rubin is probably on the Epstein list. If you’re looking for validation on buying pictures of men, there are plenty of other…
We have an update on a case first reported in May 2024, when the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
March 5, 2025 – Stockton, CA – Collectors are reporting that no LeBron James autographs from 2024 Topps Chrome McDonald’s All-American Basketball set have surfaced on the open market. The issue, first raised by collector Grayson on X is casting doubt on Topps’ transparency and production practices. Somebody over at Topps needs to please explain…
Stephen Adams, a 40-year-old former employee of the well-known Atlanta hobby shop, Cards HQ, has been slapped with theft charges after allegedly swiping more than $20,000 worth of sports cards. That’s a ton of Will Grier and Desmond Ridder cards! CardsHQ Breaker Mug Shot More Articles > Marietta Daily Journal – Man Accused of Stealing Over $20K Worth…
Recently Topps made this sweet autographed game used jersey card of Cal Ripken Jr and Jackson Holliday. The card claimed to have a game used patch of both players. Some in the hobby questioned if the Ripken swatch was game used because it features the Mitchell & Ness logo. Most MLB game jerseys were made…
A Backyard Breaks customer is accusing the breaking company of stealing a Trevor Lawrence card. No, not the Gold Kaboom T-Law that made the breakers famous, this time an emailer to Sports Card Radio writes, “I pulled a Trevor Lawrence patch and Grant from Backyard kept it.” The customer claims to have messaged Backyard Grant…
Wrestling fans are now questioning whether Iron Sheik actually signed his 2024 Panini Select autographs. Sheik, who passed away in 2023, had a fairly consistent autograph style, according to many fans. Korey Bastian, a wrestling card content creator, suspects that some of Sheik’s 2024 Panini Select autographs may be fake. Sports card dealer Rynos Cards…