Hello hobbyists! This newsletter was created early Sunday morning, so it doesn’t include any links from Sunday. Those links will be included in Tuesday’s newsletter.
Featured Article of the Day
🏀 Sports Cards — Basketball
The Great Topps Chrome Blue X-Fractor Mess (Cardlines) — A breakdown of the lawsuit/collector backlash after Topps Chrome Basketball Mega Boxes were marketed with “Blue X-Fractors” that weren’t actually inserted, plus what the exchange program does (and doesn’t) solve for collectors.
🏈 Football Cards
Matthew Stafford is the NFL MVP - A Look at 4 Key Cards (Sports Illustrated) — Highlights four key Stafford cards collectors may chase as his profile (and prices) rise, with notes on flagship rookie/autograph options.
Sports Memorabilia
We have WINNERS for the best Patriots and Seahawks collections! (cllct) — cllct/Collectibles.com announced the winners of their Super Bowl contest spotlighting standout New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks collections, highlighting what made each collection unique.
Crime
Police investigating after unique Pokemon cards stolen from Canberra store (ABC News) — Police say a Canberra trading-card shop was ransacked, with the owner estimating up to ~$150,000 in graded cards taken; the shop is circulating serial numbers to help trace the slabs.
Man arrested over e-commerce scams involving Pokemon trading cards; over $135k lost (The Straits Times) (paywall / meter possible) — Singapore police said victims were allegedly cheated via “pre-order” listings for limited-edition Pokémon cards; authorities arrested a 25-year-old and said losses topped $135,000 across dozens of reports.
Pre-sales (earliest article per product)
⚾ Baseball Cards
2026 Topps Series 1 Baseball Checklist Spotlight (Ripped / Topps) — Checklist spotlight and product breakdown for 2026 Topps Series 1 (release date, configuration, inserts, and key chases).
2025 Topps Museum Collection Release Guide: Logoman Patches, Hall of Fame Autos, & Player Portraits (Sports Illustrated) — A release guide outlining main hits/chases (autos, relics, patch content) and what to expect from the product.
The Ultimate Guide To 2025 Topps Pristine Baseball (Cardlines) — Product guide covering Pristine’s format, hits, and what collectors should weigh before buying/ripping.
🏆 Miscellaneous Other Sports
A Guide To 2026 Topps Chrome U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hopefuls (Cardlines) — Release guide with checklist/release details and an overview of the product’s formats and chase elements.
I think this is three consecutive Mondays that I’ve linked a Chris Sewall video, but hear me out. Chris is maybe the most important thinker in our niche. He has a huge audience, and he’s not compromised by sponsorships from any of the large companies.
His thoughts on gambling in the hobby are worth a listen:
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If you write hobby articles and believe they should be included, email me.
Social Media Post of the Day