Collecting Background

Growing up as a kid in the early 2000s, sports cards were a big part of my life. I loved saving up money to buy packs from my local card shop, and I still have never sold a single one of those cards I pulled. A couple of them are worth quite a lot; for example, I was fortunate enough to pull a Michael Jordan 2007 Noteworthy Autograph /69, as well as a Kevin Durant 2007 Ultimate Rookie Signatures /150. Still, as life got busy entering high school and college, I gradually stopped collecting until January 2025.

The Birth of 10K Card Journey

The idea to start 10K Card Journey came to me as I was thinking about New Year’s Resolutions at the start of 2025. Although I hadn’t actually started collecting again yet, during COVID, I did start watching sports card pack openings on YouTube. This helped familiarize myself with the new world of sports cards, as well as learn what types of tools and websites were available.

Eventually, I decided that I wanted to get back into collecting myself, but I wanted to approach it like a business. Although I enjoy watching packs being ripped, in the long-run, this is a money losing proposition. This is not to say that buying singles is a profitable endeavor; however, buying singles allows me to really focus on the cards I want to collect at a price point I feel comfortable with. Why spend thousands of dollars on the uncertainty of a pack when I could take that money and purchase some cards high on my wish list?

The 10K Card Journey Plan

Thus, I decided to emulate an idea I had heard on the Tim Ferriss podcast, except adapting it from angel investing to sports card investing. I set an initial budget of $10,000 to spend on sports cards during 2025. I could spend this however I wanted, whether it be one $10,000 card or ten thousand $1 cards.

Also, to make sure that this was a serious learning opportunity rather than just blowing $10,000 on buying sports cards, I decided to start this blog to keep me accountable. As someone just getting back into collecting, I figured that a lot of the lessons I learn along the way would be applicable for anyone else trying to enter the hobby as well. Rather than just keep the knowledge for myself, I have done my best to document every step along the journey (e.g., what cards I have been buying, why I am interested in them, how much I paid, my experiences buying, etc.).

6 Months into the 10K Card Journey

So far, I have been loving my experience getting back into collecting sports cards. I have learned so much, and it’s been incredible getting to turn my passion into something more.

As of today, May 16th, I have spent $5,206.67 (including fees) on cards in 2025, and had sales totaling (net of fees) $496.70. I have been able to test plenty of different platforms and identify which ones work best for my collecting strategy. This includes buying and selling cards off of eBay, Fanatics Collect, Arena Club, and COMC.

eBay: I’ve learned that eBay is my preferred platform for buying most cards given its wide selection and ability to use a credit card without a fee (the credit card points add up!); however, selling on eBay is difficult given its high fee structure and needing to ship cards yourself (unless you use the PSA Vault!). Also, be prepared to negotiate hard on eBay to get the prices you want!

Fanatics Collect: I’ve learned that Fanatics Collect auctions is my favorite place to focus on higher-end cards, especially those that are rare and don’t show up much on eBay. I don’t even mind the auction premium on Fanatics Collect because I think it does a good job of preventing shill bidding that is prevalent on eBay.

Arena Club: I’ve learned that Arena Club is my favorite place to make trades (free trading platform!), but buying and selling is tougher because the selection isn’t as wide as eBay yet. A lot of potential if it continues to grow in popularity, but for now I find myself using eBay more still

COMC: I’ve learned that COMC is an interesting place to buy lower-value and/or raw cards, but the website could definitely use some work. It was worth testing out the buying & selling functionality, but I haven’t found myself using it much since

$5K YTD Spending Learnings

In the ~$5000 that I’ve spent on cards to date, I have been able to pick up some cards I absolutely love. My strategy has been to focus on cards primarily within the ~$400-900 range, focusing primarily on rookie cards (or cards with some historical significance) of the absolute best players from each sport.

From baseball, I’ve been able to pick up cards of arguably the two most significant players of all time, Babe Ruth and Jackie Robinson. While there’s no way that I could afford rookies of either of them, I love the two cards I picked up. For Ruth, it was a 1929 Churchman; I did a lot of research into what Ruth card I wanted to buy, and in my opinion, this was the most visually appealing option within my price range. For Robinson, it was his 1956 Topps; in addition to this being a great looking card, it is also his last card produced from his playing days. While it doesn’t hold the same significance of a rookie card, I do think it being from his last playing year does enhance its appeal.

From basketball, I’ve been able to pick up four amazing rookie cards (or almost rookie) of players known by one name: Jordan, Lebron, Steph, & Giannis. For Jordan, I picked up a copy of his 1986 Fleer Sticker; while not as iconic as the base 1986 Fleer, the Sticker is still significant and much more within my price range. For Lebron, I bought a PSA 8 2003 Topps Chrome; this is his most iconic rookie card, and one I knew I needed to have in my collection. Similarly, for Steph, I bought a BGS 8.5 of his most famous rookie card, the 2009 Topps. Finally, for Giannis, I won a Fanatics Collect auction for his 2013 Exquisite Collection rookie auto. I love Upper Deck cards, and this being an autograph from his rookie year makes it even more special.

Finally, for football I have only made one significant purchase, which is a BGS 8.5 Tom Brady 2000 Bowman. I knew I needed to get some exposure to the GOAT, and I will continue to be on the lookout for other Brady rookies. I also picked up a 1st Bowman Caleb Williams auto, which was a smaller purchase but one that is a treasured piece in my collection for 2 reasons: the first is that it’s only licensed Williams auto, as all his NFL autos are with Topps, while Panini has the NFL license; the second is that as a huge USC Trojan fan, I am a big believer in Caleb’s future and think a big season could be coming for him and the Bears under Ben Johnson.

What’s Next for 10K Card Journey

While I don’t know exactly what the future holds for 10K Card Journey, I do know that I am glad to have rejoined the sports card collecting hobby. I have already gotten to collect and learn the stories behind some awesome cards. I’ve also learned more about the business side of the hobby and tested out many of the companies that will drive continued innovation. Finally, I’ve gotten to share my experiences & learnings from being in the hobby, whether it be through this blog, my podcast, social media, etc.; I may never get to the notoriety of Sports Card Investor’s Geoff Wilson, but I hope that I’m able to help people entering the hobby and help them avoid making some of the same mistakes I made.

Another thing I do know is that I will never run out of cards that I am looking to collect. Whether it be vintage baseball cards, Lebron autos, game used memorabilia, or everything in between, there will always be plenty of items that catch my eye.

I plan on staying in collecting for the long-run, and I anticipate on having plenty of things to share as I continue to learn more and more. I hope that you all will continue to follow along with me on my journey, and maybe even play a role in expanding my collection (whether it be telling me about cards to buy, buying/selling/trading with me, etc.). Please always let me know if you have any suggestions or questions!

10K Card Journey