I bought a PSA 10 Prizm Wemby rookie for $274, sold it for $400 three weeks later… and somehow may have severely undersold:

If you’re holding Victor (or other Finals players) let’s talk about timing the championship bump!

Let’s first look at SGA from last year (all pricing charts are for PSA 10 Prizm rookies):

So, actually winning the thing didn’t help his pricing! He started rising in January as it seemed obvious he would win MVP and the championship… but then he dropped after the season.

Let’s go back to 2024 and take a look at Jayson Tatum on the Celtics, which somehow feels like a thousand years ago:

Not the best image, as zooming out includes the COVID spike… but you can still see that his pricing was on a downswing when his team won!

One more example, from Jokic in 2023:

His pricing peaked a few days before actually winning the championship…

… and then immediately crashed down!

We have evidence 3 years in a row of a superstar’s pricing peaking before winning the championship before immediately heading on a downswing.

Long-term, Jokic and SGA both climbed the following season. Winning a championship raises a superstar's floor permanently, it just doesn't usually show up in the price chart right away.

Three years in a row, championship pricing peaked before the ring was even on the finger. That's not a coincidence. That's a pattern.

But… we’re also talking about someone who you wouldn’t be surprised to learn was an actual alien.

So let’s consider both sides.

Reasons to sell Wemby now:

Reasons to hold Wemby:

Verdict: Personally, I like to lock in profits, especially in the short-term, so I sold my Wemby. However, holding long-term could yield significant benefits, but the history of big men injuries has me scared. If he drops over the summer, I may pick up a few more cards, keeping one as a long-term investment and the others as a short-term hedge.

This chart is hilarious:

If I’m a sell on Wemby, you can guess that I’m also a major sell on Brunson. He’s never going to be a regular-season MVP, so he’ll never be a “GOAT.”

BUT…

New York is basketball crazy. Brunson winning Finals MVP might literally make him the best Knick ever, and he’d own the city.

If they go up 1-0 or 2-1 in the Finals, I could see his pricing take another jump.

To me, though, he’s not a long-term hold like Wemby could be.

I would either sell right this instant or see if the Knicks can jump out in the series (which would be tough on the road).

Either way, there’s real risk this card cuts in half if the Knicks get bounced (or even if they do win, it might still drop pretty big).

Verdict: Sell, sell, sell

I’m not overly excited about KAT or Anunoby or the role players. Yes, they’ve gone up in value, and might a bit if they continue to win… but even more so than Brunson, they’ll never be great. The hobby loves greats.

The Spurs could be a different story with Castle and Harper.

I’m especially bullish on Harper (as anyone reading this newsletter can attest).

Sure, his pricing has risen, but he’s far from where he’s going to be in a few years. I think going into next season, there’s going to be a ton of hype for his sophomore season. As he becomes a true star (which I think is all but guaranteed), his pricing will reach much higher levels than it does now.

Castle less so, but he could still be a great player. It’s just that I think Harper could be the Kobe to Wemby’s Shaq, while Castle could still be an All-Star level 3rd guy. That’s good, but not enough for him to be a massive hobby play.

Verdict: Sell KAT, Anunoby, and other role players. Keep Harper unless you want the short-term win and potentially buy back later if he drops in the offseason. Castle could go either way, but I’d lean sell.

For everyone mentioned, one thing is clear to me:

The time to sell is either now, or hold into future seasons. There’s not a good in-between window right now based on past history.

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+ 2025 Topps Chrome Platinum Baseball (Buy on eBay) - June 5 | $250 - A fun, nostalgia-based product that loses some of its luster for getting released so much later than regular Topps Chrome products. With 1 auto and 4 inserts, many were complaining when this product presold on Topps at $140 (an increase from last year). They’ve nearly doubled on eBay since, making this a tough one unless you’re a diehard Platinum collector.

+ 2026 Topps Series 2 Baseball (Buy on eBay) - June 10 | $190 - These have already jumped from $120 on pre-sale to $190 or so on eBay, indicating significant excitement… but again, I don’t get it. It’s a mass-produced product by design, to help keep it accessible. But with prices surging for a paper product without a guaranteed auto, it’s a tough sell for me.

*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

+ PSA Shutdown - It’s not just PSA… every major grading company is paused or backed up right now, which means this is bigger than one company dropping the ball. This is the best piece I found about what cards are still viable to be submitting.

+ You’re Hot and You’re Cold - I’ll give you a hint who’s on Beckett’s Hot list. His name rhymes with “Shembanyama.” Also featurs appearances by Bowman baseball, Ohtani, and even Jaxon Smith-Njigba. JJ McCarthy on the cold list… I think he’s just in the freezer now.

So you’ve unearthed those old sports cards you collected as a kid. It’s fun, right?

When I did it, I had a blast remembering the endless hours I spent sifting through those cards, reading the backs of them for fun. I remembered players I hadn’t thought about in a while (Nick Van Exel, anyone?). I remember trading with my friends, and how I used to save up my allowance to buy packs…[Keep Reading]