With the season ending on April 12th, let’s consider whose hobby value would rise the most if they were to win the championship.

Of course, we’ll keep things realistic. If Kon Knueppel averaged 35 and the Hornets won the chip, that would… break things in the hobby.

We’ll start at the top:

It says a lot about the 22-year-old that his team is going to top 60 wins and that he might be the best player in the league? If he wins it all this year, I think he’ll sit atop perhaps the deepest talent pool the league has ever seen.

Then, the talk gets stupid. Could he go down as the best player of all time? That’s why winning it all this year would propel him to a new stratosphere.

I don’t think the Wolves have much of a chance of winning it all, but they did make it to the conference finals two years in a row. (and if they’re somehow lined up against the Lakers, that’s tremendous in round 1).

Ant has felt stagnant the last two years or so, but he’s got the chops to take his team all the way.

The Pistons should get past the 1st round, with or without Cade. If he can be his normal self, this team has as good a chance as any to get to the Finals. We’re talking about a 24-year-old former #1 pick who averaged 25 pts and 10 asts on a 1-seed… so if he can take his team to the Finals, I think he takes his place as a top-6 guy in the league, and his pricing will skyrocket.

Shouldn’t this team be better? Their starting 5 seems as good as anyone's on paper. They’re still a good team nonetheless, and Playoff Killer Brunson would go down as an all-time Knicks legend if they won the whole thing.

Long one of my favorite players in the league, he’s been an all-star 7 straight seasons. He even has a 1st team in there (and might get another this year).

Throw in a championship with him as the best player, and now we’re having a different level of conversation about him.

He’s down the list because he’s already won before, but the narrative here would be compelling enough to drive his pricing. He didn’t win Finals MVP last time, and he’s coming back from a devastating injury. What an incredible story if he led his team this year.

These are made men. Championships keep driving their prices higher, but in a steadier way. Their price floors keep rising, too.

Both of these guys might be top-10 all-time if they continue on their current runs (you know, until Wemby destroys everything in sight).

If your best cards are sitting in a box or stacked up on your desk, then you’re missing out on a great chance to impress people who walk into your room—including yourself.

I bought one of these display cases last year, and it’s proudly showing off my budding collection of autos from the top 75 NBA players of all time. Well, I don’t know if a display case can be proud, but I’m imagining it is because the cards inside are pretty freakin’ sweet.

I’m doing my best to collect autos that are:

My favorites are my Kareem, Magic, AD, Jerry West, and James Worthy autos.

What do you collect, and how are you currently displaying them?

This doesn’t constitute investment advice, more just a window into my overall strategy as well as for entertainment purposes. All pricing and screenshots are taken from Card Ladder—the only pricing & inventory tool I use.

✔️ Jayson Tatum 🏀- As I said above, he’s got the narrative on his side. Plus, his team is so good that they could win the first two rounds with or without him. But as his team advances, so will his prices. He’s been steadily increasing now for a few months, but he’s still well below 2024 championship prices.

✔️ Jalen Williams 🏀- Yes, it’s SGA’s team, but Jalen Williams was a close second-fiddle in many games last playoffs. He’s healthy now, and I expect his pricing to rise as they play him more minutes and tighten their rotation.

✔️ Dylan Harper 🏀 - I keep mentioning him, and I’ve already flipped a couple of his cards. A rookie contributor (with massive upside) on a team that could win the championship just rarely happens. He’s envisioned as the future superstar sidekick to Wemby, and going a few rounds deep in the playoffs this young will only get the hobby more excited for his upside.

❌ Luka Doncic 🏀 - I just don’t think the Lakers go anywhere without Reaves and a compromised Luka (at best). His Prizm PSA 10s dropped nearly $100 in value when the Lakers got bounced last year, so I’d sell now and re-buy in July if you want to stay in the Luka business.

+ 2025 Topps Chrome Football - April 15 | $650 - No releases of note for a few weeks and then BAM! Topps drops a monster. They’ve already gone on presale, and you can buy one for around $650 on eBay. There’s only one auto per box, but Topps Chrome is famous for its colored parallels and case-hit inserts. I’ve already said I think this will be a BIG investment product, because there haven’t been licensed autos for many of the best rookies in a few years. They’re all in there now. (The $650 price is what it’s currently reselling for on eBay)

*Release dates can (and often do) change as products get delayed 🙄. It’s possible some notable sets are being released this week that I covered in previous editions.

**Pricing taken from active eBay listings. Items ordered from links will result in a small affiliate commission at no cost to you.

News From Around the Hobby

+ They’re Back - “Topps Returns to NFL: New Trading Cards, Rookie Patch Autos & What Collectors Need to Know.”

+ They’re Hot and They’re Cold - Check out Beckett’s list of the cards on fire and the cards that are dropping. (Yes, Konnor Griffin’s on the list!)

+ March Grading Report - “March saw “a massive increase of grading to the tune of 19%.” PSA actually graded more than twice as many TCG/Non-sports cards than all sports combined. Whoa.

I remember having a phone call with my mom, and she told me about her neighbor who has a garage full of sports cards…like wall-to-wall, just covered in them. “How do people get so many sports cards?” I wondered at the time… [Keep Reading]

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The content in this newsletter is for entertainment purposes only and is not intended to be actual financial or investment advice.